08/31/2004 - 7:20 PM

-John McCain - how quickly the folks I admire can fall. You truly have sold your soul to the devil because you know you will be the "chosen one" in 2008, whether or not Bush is re-elected. How quickly you can forget what the campaign you are supporting did to you in 2000. How quickly you can dismiss the apparent connection between the Swift Boat Veteran ads you detest and the party you are affiliated with. How quickly your standards fly out the window. How quickly the Right boot will hit you in the ass as they show you to the door after their victory feast.

The RNC Convention - what a show of martyrs, offering themselves up to the wolves of New York, and walking away from this week invincible. The Republicans will come across as common folk, and the protesters will look like freaks and radicals. It doesn't matter if there are a quarter-million people in the streets...they're New Yorkers. They're not LIKE us...

The Democrats - am I the only one that believes that this party could be given the Presidency on a platter and STILL lose? I'm quickly becoming an Independent, since I've become totally disgusted with both ruling parties. They both engage in despicable tactics, they both lie to get votes, and they both are corrupted by the money they bathe in. How ballsy would it be for a Democrat that's NOT running for office (or in jeopardy of doing so) to just say outright that they reject any form of discrimination, racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, etc, without some type of concession that makes them look less "radical". And how did equal rights become a "radical" concept in the first place?

-The Olympics - okay, I enjoyed watching some of the events, and of course I root for the home team (especially the men in the less than conservative outfits), but how arrogant are we that we HAVE TO HAVE THE MOST MEDALS? This isn't about sportsmanship...this is about greed, bragging rights, and domination.

And then I walk away from the computer, fit to be tied, and look out the window. It's another Colorado does-it-get-any-better-than-this sunset behind the mountains to the west, and I realize how good my life is. I've been fixated on just how spoiled I am with the things I have in my life, and how the people that share my blessings make up such a small portion of the world's population. I came home tonight, hopped on the computer, and was prepared to be disgusted because my Internet connection wasn't up and running. Not to be a bleeding heart or anything like that, but most people don't HAVE a cable modem that keeps them connected to the Internet 24/7, let alone a computer. So it puts things into perspective, although that won't necessarily keep me from having the same knee-jerk reaction again.

So social justice has been on my mind more lately, and yet I wonder what I can do to help. One person, one voice, blah, blah, blah...is there a cynic lurking in all that "save the world" rhetoric? I'd like to think that I could make the sacrifices to do something to help those less fortunate, but I either can't find the time, the money or the energy to even seek out opportunities to do anything.

I don't have any solutions...it's just something that's been on my mind for a while, and if I'm going to complain about what is going on around me, somehow I feel like I shouldn't be immune from that criticism. The Catholic upbringing, or something...I don't know. I guess I just feel like I could be doing more.

What I'm Listening To: Green Day - Brain Stew

First Word That Comes To Mind: mush

What I'm Currently Reading: