Is it just me...

or were Sarah Palin and Tina Fey separated at birth?

I just hope Palin has the sharp-tongued wit that Fey has, she's gonna need it. I'm already seeing where Huff-Po bloggers are dreaming of a moment where Biden says something along the lines of "I know Hillary Clinton, and you ma'am are no Hillary Clinton."

Here's hoping that Palin just smiles sweetly and says, "Thank you."

Convention wrap-up

I was so determined the first night of the Dem convention to blog it like crazy, but after a few speeches it all started to sound the same: the country needs change...blah, blah, blah....McCain is just another 4 years of Bush... blah, blah, blah... we love our country, especially the men and women serving in the military (still don't know how any of them said that without choking on their organic arugula)... blah, blah, blah.

A couple of moments that really tugged at my cold, cold heartstrings:

Joe Biden said that "These are common stories among middle-class people who worked hard and played by the rules on the promise that their tomorrows would be better than their yesterdays." Who made that promise to them? No one's made that promise to me. I was always told life isn't fair, get used to it and play the cards you're dealt the best you can. Bad things happen to good people. Just ask Abel. He did everything God told him to do and his own brother turned against him. Sorry Joe, but there's no way you or anyone else can insulate the American public from future heartache and tough times.

Then last night before Obamessiah descended upon His people, they paraded a few of the "least of these" to sing His praises. One woman actually came up there and started off her spiel with "Wait until you hear what happened to me." Oh honey, do tell. And she did. She told about her husband having heart surgery (scary and tragic, yes -- unusual, not really) and then of course he couldn't work and subsequently lost his job, the true injustice of which was that (altogether now) "HE LOST THEIR FAMILY'S HEALTH INSURANCE." And she just couldn't afford the insurance, which I'm thinking may have been COBRA, on her nurse's salary. Okay, okay, stop right there! She's a nurse! If she needs a job with decent pay and health benefits, she shouldn't have a problem finding one. I worked in a Louisiana hospital as a graphic designer and I can tell you nurses were more sought-after and better compensated than we were. They could pretty much write their ticket. Guess sometimes it's easier to sit back and whine about everything than get off your butt and do something about it. Why take personal responsibility for your situation when the Dems are ready to fix it all for you? And here's the best part, you won't have to pay for it -- your neighbor will. And isn't that what he deserves what with driving around in his fancy car and sending his kids to private school? Bring him down to your level, sister, and let him feel your pain!

Uncle Ted

I actually found Ted Kennedy's speech kinda moving, especially when you consider that this could very well be his last public speech. I'm impressed that he was able to speak so clearly and with such composure when you know he had to feel like crap.

And I also noticed that the only one in his family who got teary-eyed was Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger -- you know the one married to a Republican. See, we're compassionate -- even if each tear did cost us like 50,000 votes for Obama.

But still, I do have to say that if you're producing a video tribute to Ted Kennedy, you don't want to open with a shot of a rippling body of water.

Madame Speaker

I'm watching the Dem Convention tonight and for someone whose title is Speaker of the House, Pelosi's not that great of a public speaker.

Obama's Requirements for VP

As the tension mounts over just who the "messiah" has picked as his running mate, let's review his requirements for the post. I've inserted my own comments in the first-person so we can all appreciate the gravity of the decision before him:

“Obviously, the most important question is: Is this person ready to be president?” (because I'm sure as hell not) he said. “The second most important question from my perspective is, can this person help me govern? (because, sweet Mohammed, I need all the help I can get) Are they going to be an effective partner in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally? (because Michelle always handled that stuff for me, she was the one making the big bucks, it was all above my pay grade)

...Or You Could Just Have A Glass Of Wine And Chill

I'm reading this story where Nebraska just passed their Safe-Haven law which is the law that allows moms of infants who feel they aren't able to take care of their babies the chance to leave them at specified locations without questions or repercussions. I think the idea behind these laws is a good one because it's aimed at girls/young women who might otherwise abandon their newborns in a dumpster or field somewhere to die (question: if the babies were left at a hospital in Illinois when Obama was a state senator, would anyone there attend to their needs or would they be simply left in a soiled laundry closet until they stopped jerking around and showing signs of life? Would this be considered the equivalent of a botched late-late-late-term abortion? Should any woman at any point in her life be forced to have a biological child walking around if she no longer wanted it?)

Well the legislature in the great state of Nebraska has decided to take all those philosophical questions a step further and extend their law to parents of ALL minor children (in NE that's 19 and under, but they're saying it's "common law minors" which would be 14 and under -- whatever). Oh yes, if you suddenly decide after 10-15 years of parenting that it's just too gosh darn hard and you're tired of having to shop at Wal-Mart for everything because that's all you can afford with gas prices what they are, and you're getting nothing but rolled eyes and backtalk in return, you can drop the little (or large in the case of teens) ingrates off at the nearest SafeHaven location and wipe your hands clean of the whole ordeal.

Proponents of the bill say they're hoping that extending the child's age beyond babies will result in fewer instances of child abuse. I guess that argument works if you don't consider abandonment itself to be child abuse. I especially love this quote from the guy who introduced the legislation. To be fair it only included infants to start with, but the guy later caved to the revised age range stating, "The main interest I have is that it gives the mother or a parent another option of what to do with a child before they do something drastic."

Nice to know that if I dump off my 7-yr-old some place where she doesn't know a soul and I disappear from her life never to be seen again, it wouldn't be considered drastic. I'm sure she'd be just fine.

Skirting the Issue

I just saw this article and it made me think of my brother who's a big fan of kilts.

Washington Letter Carrier Going Full Kilt Ahead

Happy Birthday To Me!

Just in case anyone might forget, thought I'd post a reminder that today is my birthday!

Cake, candles, and party hats for everyone!