Pictures have moved

riptyde — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:34:40 +0000

Since we now have two kids, we changed our pictures directory from /Alexandra to just /pictures.

link

trying to un-break my website

riptyde — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:07:47 +0000

test

New Pics - Halloween edition

riptyde — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:19:00 +0000

http://www.jenandcraig.com/Alexandra/

Inferences

riptyde — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:11:32 +0000

There has been a question missing from the minds of Americans lately.

In the last few days we’ve seen a marked rise in the level of vitriol and scorn eminating from the crowds attending John McCain’s campaign rallies. When Barack Obama’s name is raised, we hear the shouts: Liar! Traitor! Terrorist! If we listen closer, we also hear their answer to the problem: Get him! Kill Him! Bomb Obama!

Now, we know how this started. Up until this week, the central discussion in the campaign was the economic crisis and each man’s plan to bring about an end to our fears and doubts. When it turned out that the McCain campaign could not escape the drag on his poll numbers that the economy proved to be, they decided to shift the discussion to a different kind of fear and doubt. Only this time, they would be promoting it rather than warding it off.

And so we saw the shift of focus away from the economy and onto Barack Obama’s relationship with former Weather Underground front-man and 1960s domestic terrorist William Ayers. What was Obama’s relationship with Ayers? How close were they? Of course, as is common of both conservatives and their liberal counterparts, whatever the campaigns decided was an issue was suddenly the key issue of the day, nay, of the world as we know it.

Suddenly, McCain supporters wanted to know more. Obama associates with a terrorist? What could that mean?

Next, we see multiple warm up speakers at the rallies start referring to Barack Obama as Barack Hussein Obama. Hussein? Well I did hear that he’s a Muslim.

And now we’ve painted a nice little picture of just what those socialists in the Democratic party want to foist upon us… A political newcomer… possibly a Muslim… associates with terrorists… even shares the same name as one our country’s long-time foes. Why, one can only come to one possible conclusion: This Obama fellow is a terrorist. Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t abide a terrorist! Angry? Darn right I am angry!

Well, things quickly got out of hand. We see deep-seeded anger on the faces and in the voices of the crowd as they implore McCain to take down this man before he can wreck our country. McCain himself has to begin appealing to his fan’s better judgements and assure them that no, Obama is a family man and a patriotic citizen. But it’s too late, the media has already begun to turn even further on McCain for these dirty tricks of trying to paint his opponent as a terrorist.

“But no,” McCain supporters respond, “McCain never called Obama a terrorist. He simply mentioned the relationship with Ayers, and Ayers is the terrorist. That’s just a few fringe members of the crowd who made the conclusion that Obama himself is one It’s not McCain’s fault nor his goal. The McCain campaign doesn’t care what Ayers did, but that Obama’s relationship with Ayers raises serious questions about his judgement.”

And now we are back at the start of the article. A key question is missing from the minds of Americans: What, exactly, are the questions that are raised about Obama’s judgement?

Has anyone stopped and thought about that for a moment? “Obama’s relationship with Ayers raises serious questions about his judgement”… what are those questions? Why is it bad judgement for Obama to associate with this man? This is the central reason why McCain’s argument that he is not trying to paint Obama as a terrorist, or at the very least a terrorist sympathizer, is bogus.

There are only two logical conclusions you can reach from the fact that Obama has a relationship with Bill Ayers: Either the relationship caused Obama to adopt some - or all - of Ayers radical worldview, or it did not.

If you believe the relationship did cause Obama to adopt Ayers worldview, well then you believe Obama is at the very least a terrorist sympathizer, if not a supporter of terrorism or outright terrorist himself.

But if you do not believe the relationship altered Obama’s world view… well then what is the problem? What are we left with? A candidate who was at best an aquaintance and at worst a mild friend with a man who, despite doing radical things in a time when a large part of his generation thought as he did, has not committed a violent act in over forty years. Usually in our country, when a criminal hasn’t committed a subsequent crime in many years and have rejoined society as a productive member, we call them rehabilitated. Ayers did a terrible thing in the 1960s, avoided jail time on a technicality, and his statements show he is just as much of a nutball now as he was then. But in those last 40 years he has written books, become a distinguished professor, served on the boards of charitable organizations, been named Chicago’s Man of the Year. If he wasn’t connected to a potential future president, very few of us would ever know his name, much less his history, and the reason is simple: Because he is no longer a threat to our nation. He’s the shady neighbor who you swear is a drug dealer because his cars are too nice, but hey, he always knows who to call if you need a good deal on furniture and don’t want to pay retail.

So which is it? Do you believe Obama has a relationship with a man who infused his mind with radical ideas? Or, do you believe Obama has a relationship with a rehabilitated criminal who is now a productive member of society?

And therein lies the problem, because if the second option gives no reason for serious concern about Obama’s relationship with Ayers, then the first option can be the only reason why the relationship is being touted as controversial. To suggest to Obama’s relationship with Ayers is a problem is to suggest that Obama himself harbors these terrorist sympathies or ideals. This is exactly what the McCain campaign and the right wing section of our society wants you to believe, and why they are pushing the issue.

I don’t blame it all on McCain. When the more vocal audience members at his rallies describe their fear of Obama or their distrust of this “Arab”, you can see him wince. He knows he didn’t really want to go down this road, and he knows he is in way over his head. Tonight we saw what fragments remain of his honor come forth as he called for respect and calm from his supporters. But he is the candidate. He gets the blame, as he should, for he could have prevented this if he really wanted to.

Believe Obama is a terrorist if you want. I suspect if you are even entertaining the idea that you were never going to vote for him in the first place. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that this Ayers thing is merely about questioning Obama’s character or judgement.

New Pics

riptyde — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:25:17 +0000

http://www.jenandcraig.com/Alexandra/set13/index.html

Keeping up with the Joneseses

New Picture Location

Dear Tea Party Protesters

New Pics

pics!

New pics

Pictures have moved

trying to un-break my website

New Pics - Halloween edition

Inferences

New Pics