A London Gem

Wow...want to hear what some folks in London think about Kerry and Bush?

Go to articles on "Allawi's Speech" and "Debunking Afghanistan Myths".

Included in the article are links to the left and right.

Enjoy!

Our Allies, Kerry, and War Lessons

This post is based on a reply from Tiny Penguin who is not impressed that Japan sent 550 troops to Iraq.

...Again, I think many people underestimate the significance of Japan’s willingness to support the US in Iraq. How many troops *should* they send? How many did France and Germany send? Would we change *our* constitution for *any* ally? No. Again, it sends the wrong message to our allies when we say, “Uh, thanks anyway for those 550 troops and changing your constitution. But where are our REAL allies?” I’d be ticked off beyond belief at John Kerry right now if I were a country in the coalition. He’s dismissing them entirely and pretending to run a campaign that says he will bring people together. One could argue that Bush ran in 2000 as a “uniter” and he hasn’t united everyone in the country much less the world. But the point is I don’t think Kerry can make the argument for being able to bring more people to the table either when he is dismissing our allies at every turn. Bush may be going against the tide but at least he’s not belittling the contributions of our allies. Don’t call it a “coalition” if you want, but I think that undermines the contributions that many countries have sacrificed.

If no Japanese troops die (which I hope that they do not) is their contribution less important? Obviously not-- nor would anyone argue that point. I just don’t want people to forget that in war there are casualties and as a person who is married to a service member I can tell you it is not easy to say this. We can’t back down just because people are being killed. That is what the terrorists want. They want to intimidate, they want us to withdraw our troops, and they believe if they kill enough of us we will just go away. But we can’t let them win through intimidation. Terrorists fight with fear and if we give them what they want they will just continue to terrorize. We will be no safer. We must stand up to them. We must honor those who have died and say that they will not have died in vain. We must honor their memories and say we will fight until terrorism is defeated. The sacrifice of the US and its coalition members is great, but necessary.

I would argue that the political pressure for Britain to pull out of Iraq is about the same as the political pressure for the US to pull out of Iraq. People who are trying to help rebuild Iraq (humanitarian relief and other CIVILIANS) are being beheaded. The knee jerk reaction is to question the leaders and their efforts under these circumstances. Questioning is great, necessary to a degree, and part of a free society, but not evidence of erosion. What evidence do you have of this erosion? The only people breaking from the coalition are those who have given into the terrorists! The terrorists know who they can intimidate! If a country leaves the coalition that is their choice but it won’t make us safer or the world safer and it’s not a reason for us to get out of Iraq.


I think we can agree that politicians are politicians. No matter what you think of Bush or Kerry they are still politicians and each will do some things, change his stance on a policy for example, because of the political wind. But I sense that Kerry often changes his mind in more than just that “typical politician” way. Arguing that Bush is a flip-flopper on gay marriage is not the same as arguing that Kerry is a flip flopper on the war. The war on terror is the most important issue of the day. Gay marriage is way way down the list. No offense to those that are gay, but it’s just not the number one issue of the day. I can’t get behind a candidate who has changed his position AGAIN on the war! Do you know why Kerry’s speech at NYU kicked butt? Because he finally said what most reasonable people have been saying about the war for months! But, he goes and says the opposite on Diane Sawyer’s program this week. Huh? I just want to know what Kerry is really going to do and it’s hard when he is always trying to clarify his point. And why the criticism for Bush when he finally does create a department of Homeland Security? I thought you wanted a politician who recognizes his mistakes? People don’t argue that Kerry is a flip-flopper because Bush isn’t one. They argue that Kerry is a flip-flopper because his nuanced way of looking at things is supposed to be one of his strengths but really it’s just confusing. And I’m still uncomfortable with the lying thing too...like how he can’t remember if he was in Cambodia or not.

Which brings me to Vietnam…There are many points to make on this subject but I shy away from comparisons of the two wars for one reason. You cite that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. I couldn’t agree more. I just don’t want this nation to be forever scared of war and death because of how botched things got in Vietnam. Not every war has to be another Vietnam. The worst legacy of that war is that it has made us timid, and maybe rightly so…but we can’t afford to be timid any longer. The security of our nation and of the world and freedom everywhere depends on our willingness to defeat the terrorists. I for one would rather go down fighting. Again, I’m not saying that there aren’t any lessons to be learned from Vietnam and will forgive the comparison of good intentioned Burque Bandit, but let’s not confuse the issue or dishonor the dead and wounded by arguing that staying the course will inevitably lead to doom or failure.

Hopes for the 2004 Election

My hope is that at the very least we have record voter turn out.

My hope is that there aren’t any post-election courtroom battles.

My hope is that the news organizations will not color in Florida until the votes in both time zones have been counted!

Another Political Post

Again, I really want to write about the 1930s..but for now let's call that a work in progress. I feel the need to address the issue of our coalition forces in Iraq.

I saw an interview with former Polish President Lech Walesa. He expressed how the US has a great friend in Poland and how he’s not convinced that America truly appreciates this. I would have to say that Walesa is right. Where is the public appreciation from both candidates for our coalition allies?

The popular belief in this country is that we are “going it alone” or that we need to build a “true coalition.” Bush hasn’t done enough to get the message to the American people that our allies are many and strong. Yet, although I will fault Bush in part, I just can’t understand Kerry’s remarks about our coalition. If you listen to the comments from Kerry and other Democrats in this election you would believe we had no support in Iraq at all. Kerry supporters, and Kerry himself, argue that Bush has squandered international support, alienated our allies and that America itself has lost respect in the world. How does this message play out around the world? Clearly, the evidence does not support this belief.

To see how remarkable the coalition is one need to look no further than Japan. Japan changed its constitution to help the US in Iraq. In 1947 the constitution was revised to prohibit leading a war or maintaining an army. I won’t comment about all of the back and forth that the political parties have spewed about the diplomatic abilities of the candidates, but what does it say that Japan was willing to change its constitution to support the effort in Iraq? It seems to me that Kerry is too focused on trying to get our OLD allies (France, Germany) to get on board and consequently ignoring the good friends and allies that we do have.

Part of Kerry’s campaign is that he will use diplomacy to change the war in Iraq. How will he work with our current allies after he has disrespected them in speech after speech? Most recently, Kerry insulted the Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, while Allawi was in town to speak to congress! How does Kerry intend to work with him if Kerry is elected? Granted, Allawi is only an interim prime minister, but that makes Kerry’s comments even more troubling. Here is a fragile state working desperately to advance the political process and stabilize the security of its citizens, and Kerry just dismisses him as a puppet?

Kerry talks about building bridges and building alliances, but I only see him burning bridges and dismissing our current allies. It reminds me of a school yard...One boy just longs to be popular even though he is terribly unpopular. His friends, albeit geeky, have stood behind him time after time, but as soon as the popular kid offers the boy a chance to sit at the “cool table”, he takes it, and ignores his true friends. At what cost did he sell out his friends? He is not being true to himself and he doesn’t have real friends now only people who pretend to care about his interests. Can the US afford to compromise its ideals and values in order to be popular? Can we afford to elect Kerry when he only seems to want to do what is popular at the moment rather than what his believes to be in the best interests of the United States of America? Kerry is often praised for seeing every angle of any given issue. Does he not see how difficult it will be to expand the coalition when he alienates the current members?

If you want to see some other great political debate check out http://www.tinypenguin.blogspot.com where Joy and I have been blogging back and forth for weeks.

Sleep

I want to write about the 1930s but I'm so tired...so I'm going to save that in draft mode and talk about sleep.

Sleep is so underrated. I don't think most people realize how their brain function depends on adequate and regular sleep. Your mood, your physical and emotional health are tied into this most basic of needs. I wouldn't have believed it until I started getting no sleep (read: motherhood) and then gradually worked my way up to having some sleep. I just feel so much better when I have sleep!

Exercise and a heathly diet are important too, but I don't think you can really benefit fully without a good amount of sleep (quality counts, too) on a regular basis.

Goodnight! zzzzzz

A Week Later

I just realized that I haven't written in a week. What happened this week?

I had a busy week trying to make some new friends in our new neighborhood. I even played Bunco for the first time. Totally fun and a much needed night out for mom! I've also been determined to find out how to put links on this Bean...so here it goes.

We went to the pool this weekend although the weather has been cooler as of late. Keep in mind that I have probably been living in Florida too long when I think that 90 degrees is cool! (My husband and I walked out the door and said, WOW how beautiful it is outside today! We should throw open the windows and turn off the a.c.! So we did. Yet, on the news later that day the weather man reported that the temperature was 92 degrees!)

I really have a false sense of temperature living here. I just don't go outside in the summer between 10am and 4pm. It's just too hot. So after a while I fool myself into thinking that it's really not that hot here in the summer. But it's much like Northern Virginia (where I grew up). It's so humid in the summer in D.C. especially in August. Most people go from their air conditioned house to their air conditioned car to their air conditioned place of work and then reverse at the end of the day. Or, they go to Nova Scotia. I recommend Rose Bay.

It's been ten years since I've visited N.S.

I know that much has changed in those years and it pains me to think of all of the relatives that have passed. Many childhood memories are wrapped up in that place. I just feel lucky to have those memories.

I read about the oldest woman living in the USA this week. (Verona Johnston is 114). She says "You can get too old to enjoy life...I never got that old." To have seen all that she has seen and to be so vibrant (especially mentally) at her age is rather inspiring. If I live to be 114 the year will be 2091 and if my oldest daughter lives to be 114 the year will be 2116. Yikes! When you look at it that way, doesn't it amaze you even more? Verona cites electricity as "the most important thing that happened to us." What is the most important thing that will happen in the next 114 years?

The final question of this post is: if you could pick to live your life in any point in history when and where would you live? I think America in the 20's, 30's, and 40's. More on that later...

It ticks me off when...

There aren't too many specifics here...but I think you know what I mean.

1. News organizations create a theory and then dig for evidence (no matter how thin the shred) to bolster that theory...versus uncovering bits of evidence and then forming a theory based on that evidence.

2. News organizations don't report how well, by and large, the economy is doing around the country (i.e. record home ownership--as well as record minority home ownership---and the fastest period of economic growth in 20 years...just for starters)

3. People by and large don't seem to like but will support Kerry because he isn't George Bush. Vote for Nader if you are against the war. Kerry is just too unpredictable.

Tennis

I'm a huge tennis fan. Up until about three years ago I would watch non-stop coverage of Wimbledon and as much as I could of the US Open. I would even get the strawberries and cream out on Saturday and Sunday morning. My favorite US Open moment was back in 1991 when Jimmy Connors had his last run and made it to the semi-finals. In recent years the Australian Open, which broadcasts in the wee hours of the morning, has been more of a draw for me, since I keep weird hours. I never did pay much attention to the French Open, but I suspect that's because Pete Sampras never did well there and he was my favorite player.

This year I watched an average amount of tennis. Unfortunately, this year's US Open was a particular disappointment. No Americans made it into the finals on either the men or women's side. Usually, that's okay from a fan standpoint, though, because there are a lot of great players that aren't American. But the finals (both) could not have been more anti-climatic. The All-Russian women's final was pretty one sided and the men's final (which pitted Australian Lleyton Hewitt against Swiss star Roger Federer) looked great on paper but was a complete blow-out. In the middle of the third set, I was hoping that Hewitt would quickly fold just to end the misery. (And, I NEVER usually give up hope for the player that's behind, even on match point.) It reminded me of the final between Hewitt and Sampras a few years ago when Sampras had a great tournament but totally didn't show up to the final and Hewitt embarrassed him.

Federer was the first man to win three majors in one year since 1988. He was the first man to win back to back US Open and Wimbledon titles since Sampras did it in 1995. Where was Hewitt today? Federer is a great player, but it would have been much more satisfying to see both players play at their best.

In the end, perhaps unpredictability is good for athletics. If in all athletic competition both sides always were able to play their best we'd never know the joy of rooting for the underdog. After all, we like an underdog; we like when the underdog wins. But when opponents seem to be evenly matched and then one just doesn't "show up"...it's really disappointing. I think the victory is that much sweeter when you know that your opponent was at the top of his game. Some might say, a win is a win, and while that is true, I suppose, as a fan, I like when the competition is high and the players are all doing their best.

Not a Great Year for Hurricanes

In Florida we've had two hit us in the last three weeks and fortunately we've been lucky in our little part of the state. We've only had minor damage in the way of downed trees and power outages. We are hoping and praying that Ivan will fade and that no more lives are lost in this devastating storm.

My First Political Post

What is the most important issue of the day? Terrorism.

Who will do the best job of screwing up the least as the commander-in-chief?

Hint: It's not Kerry.

Getting Older

It's been a few days since my last post but I've been wrapped up in the political news, chasing after my daughters, and yes, turning one year older. Yesterday I turned 27 years old. Throughout the day I spoke to people, all older then me (except my daughter of course!), about what 27 means.

I spoke to one friend, Deb, who just turned 30 in June. She said she had no crisis on her birthday because she felt like she was in a pretty good place in her life. She has a house, two children, and she's been teaching for six years. These were the milestones that she mentioned herself and it made me think...what do I want my life to look at 30?

Truthfully, I felt older on my 26th birthday than my 27th because I felt like, "Yikes, now I'm on the down slope of the 20's!" But, I didn't then, and I don't now, feel old. I bet you're thinking, "Nor should you!" But I am getting older. Like my friend, I also have a house and two children but not as much teaching experience. I've been a stay-at home mother since my first daughter was born in 2002. I did go through a phase when not working really bothered me and I was even excited about getting back as soon as possible. But, no longer. Call it wisdom, call it just something I tell myself to make myself feel better, yet I think it's more than that, nevertheless, I am no longer in a rush to do anything.

My children will only be young once. And at this point in my life I just can't see being apart from them all day or even part of the day. I respect women who chose to work and I respect those who stay home. Unfortunately, many women in each group don't have much respect for the other and I feel that this does a disservice to both groups. Women have fought so hard in the past 100 years to give us the opportunity to be anything we want to be. Anything means anything so that means it should be as okay to be a scientist or entrepreneur as it is to be a homemaker or stay-at-home mom.

Many women who work feel like they are doing their kids a disservice and many women who stay home feel like they are doing themselves a disservice. That is so unfortunate, because in this day and age we shouldn't be made to feel guilty about the choices that we make regarding our decision to work and raise families. It's taken several soul searches to make my peace with my decision because I was an active teacher and musician before I had children. I always knew that I would stay at home with my daughters, I just never knew how much I would love it. But, for a while, at least, I thought the more I stayed away from music and teaching, the more I would miss opportunities to stay fresh and current in the field and it would be too difficult to get back. But, then I realized it was just difficult to let that part of me, not just that part of my life, but a part of myself that I really liked--the independent, money-making, musician and teacher self- behind me. Now, I realize that I don't have to have a strict set of rules for my life--not everything has to happen at a certain time and place in my life--and that it's important to live more in the now. I hope this attitude will help me not to miss out on all of the wonderful things in my new life.

At 27, I feel like I'm in a pretty good place in my life. I have many blessings and many things to be grateful for today. So, I'm not even making a plan for 30. What will 30 look like? My first daughter will be five years old. Her turning five and being ready for kindergarten and me being 30 will definitely provoke some reflection, but I hope that I will have the wisdom to know that I am still not old, just older.