WrongWrongWrong

We just had the most wonderful vacation.  Threatened by windy weather that never became more than a Wednesday shower, we had 6 out of 7 great days at the beach, with one rainy day to be tourists and rest. There were 13 of us — 3 families of four each (four girls and two boys ages 7 to 11) and a great aunt.

We read books on the beach, played in the sand, swam in the ocean, looked for shells, looked at surfers (there was a competition down beach), hung out in the heated pool and hot tub, ate too much fabulous food and drank too much great wine.  We visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  Took the ferry to Ocracoke a couple of times, once stopping at a beautiful beach there, Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, voted America’s #1 beach in 2007.  The kids went letterboxing.  We had dinner out, just us adults one night, and there was actually a RAINBOW on view from  the marina outside the restaurant.

Really couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect, except that it came to an end on Saturday, and now it’s Sunday and I’m unpacking, checking homework, finding laundry for the Monday morning back to school/work rush.

I would really love to find a way to live on that beach year round.

Half truth — is that a glass half full or half empty?  Are we optimists to cling to the shred of truth at the beginning of the bald-faced embellishment?  It’s such a waste of time and energy.  It’s so discouraging to have to explain to your 10 year old that even a war hero cannot be trusted.  My 10 year old, who from time to time announces that she would like to be president when she grows up, doesn’t fully comprehend why as sisters in GIRL POWER!! we can’t celebrate the coronation of Sarah Palin, potentially the first woman president of the United States.  So I am going to have to explain that in a moment of fuck you cynicism, exploiting a perceived weakness in the Democratic ticket, a man who might be President and his team of advisors selected a woman who is not qualified for the job.  This political game all the grown up players and media find so funny, that is filled with ironies and gotcha moments — is costing us.

This week we lost a war hero, the integrity that usually shines through in the face of a hockey mom.  Possibly we will lose the opportunity to see Barack Obama sworn in as the first African American President of the United States.

I’m tired of throwing up my hands and laughing at the ridiculous.

Come on, everyone — are we so jaded that we can’t agree it’s heartbreaking?

I was really rooting for Hillary Clinton, even though I also very much admired Barack Obama. They are both wonderful options for the country. I just felt that Barack would have time later to be prez, and Hillary’s time really had to be now or never. I wanted both of them to end up in the White House.

I knew I wouldn’t have to choose between them after the Virginia primary. And even though I was disappointed that Hillary did not win the nomination, I am thrilled and inspired by Barack Obama. He is someone I would like to have a beer with — a standard we should hold our friends to, but not enough to ask of a presidential candidate. But more than that, he is well-educated, intelligent, thoughtful, inspiring, considerate, curious, open-minded, and wise. Other than the fact that I am really pretty much an atheist, we have similar political views. (Someone in the White House who doesn’t profess some kind of Judeo-Christian faith? That’ll be the day.)

I was inspired and uplifted by the Democratic convention. But something very very scary happened the day after the convention.

McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Sarah Palin might in fact be very smart. She might have the charisma to be a great leader. But that just doesn’t matter!

She’s advocates teaching creationism in schools. Yikes! Don’t fundamentalist Christians ever worry that in some ways (without the violence, of course) they are just like the Taliban — clinging to a system from thousands of years ago, ignoring science, disdaining art, repressing women with their antichoice views, their abstinence non-education sex education?

She’s on the record as not giving one trace of a care about the environment.

She has already lied to the American people about her supposed reform record, her handling of the Bridge to Nowhere.

I’m pretty liberal. While I’m glad women are finally being considered for, are running for, high office, there’s not going to be much else Sarah and I can agree on.

Those Americans supporting McCain and Palin are giving them a passing grade on their college performances and on their lack of intellectual strength that they would never give to another professional — would you want your doctor to admit he graduated 5th from the bottom of his class, your plumber to admit that she had to keep changing colleges to finally get her degree?  But for president of the United States, that’s OK?

Which brings me to the single most disturbing thing about her entry onto the campaign scene — the reception she’s been given. I can’t bear it. I can’t bear to believe that half the country is so backwards intellectually and in their belief systems that the gloss of a few catchy social issues (born again, guns, having my baby, damn those elite educated snobs who think they’re better than us) can so totally distract them from the fact that they are so dissatisfied with the way Bush has run the last 8 years.

Sarah Palin is the intoxicating equivalent of a Friday night margarita to those who support her. They want to leave the work week behind them, ignore the war, the energy problems, the economy, all these problems, and just have a drink, dammit. The problem is — Monday always comes.

I can’t sleep knowing that Sarah Palin — and evidently, millions like her — are out there.

And I mean WAY OUT THERE.