You Wonder

McCain's proclamation that he wants to cancel the debate in order to focus on the financial straits of Wall Street/this country/us is ridiculous. You've got to wonder if the American public at large can't see straight through the smoke and mirrors. The guy wants us to think he's so concerned with the big issues that he won't stoop to the lowly efforts of campaigning. When indeed his very overture is a political maneuver.

So does the American public buy it? I sure hope not. No one I've spoken with does, but of course I hardly know any Republicans let alone speak to them. . . ahem. What Obama says makes the most sense: this is precisely what a debate should be made of--issues that that the American public needs to know about. We need to be able to hear what the candidates would do in this crisis, if the crisis were in their hands. And as Obama has also pointed out--soon this and all other crises WILL be in the hands of one of them. And here's another thing Obama pointed out: a president needs to be able to do more than one thing. Multitasking is a major requirement for this job. "Non-multitaskers" need not apply. But apparantly one already has. . .

The Shadow

My yoga teacher emailed me a "posting" by Deepak Chopra dated Sept. 5, 2008 that had been forwarded to her. This is a portion of that posting:

Obama and The Palin Effect

"Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. . . .

"She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of 'the other.'. . . "

My reaction:

The woman and what she represents, along with the 'positive' reaction she's had from a large segment of this country is frightening as hell. She embodies the counter to Obama. Chopra named it perfectly--'the shadow.' All the elements are there, twisted and misused, even her frequent references to 'God's will.' How can anyone believe that it is God's will that McCain and 'the shadow' are in the White House. HOW can the American populace at large not see through the transparency of Palin in particular. The woman embodies some kind of manufactured entity--the result of a marketing focus group--made to appeal to 'the masses'. She uses her own Down's Syndrome child as a prop for "pro-choice." Same thing with the 17-year old pregnant daughter, who--because she is now getting married--is being embraced by that same populace and Palin is congratulated once again for her 'pro-choice' support of her daughter. And then of course--the beautifully timed 'going off to iraq'--of her 19-year-old son.

I've found myself wondering if she is even real--as in is she really made of flesh and blood. Or if we were to scratch away at her skin, would we perhaps find a wireframe and would we gradually come to realize that she is not human at all--but a fabrication of metal and rubber and an assortment of other materials--all in the guise of a human female.

We're at a crossroads and it is a very dangerous one, because the wrong choice is so wrong it can spell disaster for this country and the world. We have a reseponsibiity here. We need to understand the concerns/beliefs of the 'other side' in order to try to convince them. We need to vote for Obama. We need to try to get every single person we know to vote for Obama and to get others to vote for Obama. I've urged my daughter to vote, to tell her boyfriend to vote, to tell their friends at work, at school. . . and we need to visualize what we want, not what we don't want. We need to make it happen.

crossroads

We're at a crossroads. It will be Obama, or it will be McCain. Both claim to be the right choice, the only choice for America. We've lost our footing in the world. As a child I saw an America that led the world, that liberated the country my mother lived in and that my father fought in. America was right, always right. Or so it seemed. When I grew older, I saw America could be wrong. Vietnam.

We're at a crossroads. But of course we always are--not just in things as large as an election, but in the little things we encounter everyday. Decisions we make. Buying this or that. Saying yes to an invitation, no to another. But some things we recognize as important crossroads. Stepping into one life, while stepping out of another. A job, a relationship, a lifestyle.

Who will it be? Obama or McCain? Who will bring the change most of us agree is so necessary to this country? Global warming, healthcare, foreign policy, foreign diplomacy, education, hope, freedom, equality--black/white, male/female. War. Peace.

Who will it be? One hundred years from now, will they turn back to applaud us. Or will they wonder whatever were we thinking?

We're at a crossroads. The sign tells us we can go right or left. One thing we know. We cannot stay where we are. We must choose.