2.11.2010

Take Back The Tea Party

They took the flag, they took family values, they took the whole idea of patriotism, and now they're taking tea?! Hell, no!*

I like to think of myself as open-minded and anti-polarization; let's all get together and talk to each other and work things out, y'know? Surely we'll find we have much more in common than not, and we'll approach the world with a new perspective. You'll take me hunting and I'll take you to a poetry slam, and we'll laugh about it over a beer afterwards. But holy shit, these tea party idiots just get my hackles up and send me to the other corner, ready for a fight. Peace, love, and understanding go right out the window.

Have they even read the Constitution? Do they know anything about our history other than whatever soundbites Glenn Beck and Rush feed them? Are they totally blind to their hypocrisy and idiocy? This is where I'm supposed to write about concrete examples and powerfully articulate my position, in a well-reasoned and somewhat witty fashion, leaving no doubt about the proper order of things, but I just cannot approach this in a calm way. A few points:

-"Government stay out of my Medicare!" Really? Because without government, there wouldn't be any Medicare. It's a government program, see. You don't even care enough to find out about your own health benefits?
-"Gay marriage threatens the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman." But divorce, adultery, and abuse don't?
-"The second amendment gives me the right to bear arms." Ok, but why do you need to get a new semiautomatic every month? What the hell are you hunting - Godzilla? Are you stashing one in every room of your house so you can protect your family (and increase the likelihood of one of your kids shooting himself or a friend)?

Don't even get me started on abstinence-only "sex education" (because how is that educating anyone about sex? Multiple studies have shown how ineffective that is) or "death panels" or Sarah Palin. When did we become a nation that cared more about having our politicians over for a barbeque than about how they run the country? I damn sure want the leader of the free world to be a whole lot smarter than me! I have to say, sometimes I'm tempted to reinstate some kind of required testing for voter eligibility. I know, I know, it doesn't work that way, and all the wrong people would get screwed, but it makes me so mad to see what's happening.

And I'm not an economist, but I am pretty clear on the fact that we need to pay taxes to run this country, and we need to make some sacrifices to make change happen. No, things aren't ideal, but you shouldn't protest something you don't really understand, and I bet all those folks with "Honk if I'm paying your mortgage" signs don't really understand. Our economy is complex, people; it's not so simple as you want it to be.

Yes, I know I will always fundamentally disagree with many Americans. There is no way a country this big (or any size, really) could all think the same way about things. But it would be nice if there was actually some thinking going on! I have to believe that if a lot of those people took the time to sit down and get educated, they would sing a different tune. Maybe not my tune, but one that was thought out and had some actual facts and solid reasoning behind it. Those folks I can share a beer with.

I suppose a kind of silver lining here is that although they get a lot of press, they haven't reached critical mass. So get out your teapots and your Earl Grey, leave your stupid colonial wigs at home, and have a cuppa!

*although it was kind of funny at the start with all the "teabagging" going on...

2.10.2010

Butter Makes Everything Better

...especially when you copy the wrong number down in the recipe and use three times as much! Couldn't figure out why the cookies spread out so differently from last time, even dripping off the pan and causing some serious smoke alarm trauma (for the dog, anyway, and the baker; the baby was just fine). Our alarms are ridiculously sensitive and our vent hood fan is sucky (or rather it's not sucky enough), so it's a regular occurrence in our neighborhood. Note to designers and builders: kitchens are generally the place wherein one cooks, creating smoke at times. Please adjust accordingly.

But oh boy, were those cookies good!