A Few Thoughts After Watching the Convention Last Night and Listening to NPR this Morning

And listening to NPR this morning. Stop reading Didi if you don't want to hear my politics. Will blog about the boy next :-)

-I found that watching coverage of the convention was much more satisfying on CSPAN vs. MSNBC. It is distracting to watch all those talking heads (some of whom I like) to try to figure out the meaning or significance of what was said. If I had been watching on another channel, I would have probably missed Senator Kerry's speech as it came after Fmr. President Clinton's speech, and you know they would have had the tea leaves out over at MSNBC on his speech.

-I have a lot of respect for Fmr. President Clinton, not just because of all he has done, but as his skills as an orater. That said, I was fairly disappointed in his performance last night. I felt he did a fine job, but usually I am inspired by his speaking. After his speech, Senator John Kerry came out and did his speech. It was well spoken and inspiring. He spoke about being an American, about how the republicans don't have a corner on the market for being a patriots and certainly don't have the right to question anyone's patriotism. How challenging America's leaders and wanting to make America a better place is not unpatriotic. He spoke very respectfully of John McCain and stated the differences between the Senator McCain he has known for years and Candidate McCain who is vastly different in beliefs from Senator McCain. How he is against policy now that he himself wrote (on VA funding and immigration). I was very impressed that it was not an attack on character but a showing of difference on issues. I was crying by the end. I may as well have been watching Steel Magnolias for crying out loud!

-This morning on NPR they interviewed Rudy Giuliani who spoke about Obama's inexperience. Neil Conan asked about George W. Bush's inexperience when he ran for office. Rudy didn't have much to say about that except that Texas is one of the largest states in the nation. What Neil didn't say and what I was thinking was that President Bush did have some experience- and plenty of people around him to help him out. Like his friends in the oil industry and Enron. Remember them? But importantly President Bush seems to have been inexperienced in a couple of things I find pretty important: the truth, and the constitution of the United States of America. Which leads me to my final point (we're almost there folks!)

-This morning while trying to listen to NPR there was some crying and gnashing of teeth in our household trying to get Ava out the door to school. (Bloody Mary?????) Anyhoo, during one moment I heard them state that John McCain was planning a constitutional ban on same sex marriage. Now, I know there are several views on this, and the point I am trying to make is not whether same sex marriage is right or wrong; it's if it is the job of the federal government to tell us what we can and cannot do. Should that not be a position of the state government? Really if one lets one's imagination run, they can envision all sorts of things that could be constitutionally added and rights that can be taken from any and all of us. And when it starts to affect you and me, suddenly will we take notice? States should have more power in certain instances, and I feel strongly that this is one.

-P.S. TORTURE IS WRONG and the gentleman running for president that experienced it should know that it is inhumane, and doesn't work. Ironic, isn't it, that the man who knows this says nothing about it. Again, for those listening, regardless of circumstances, TORTURE IS WRONG AND DOES NOT WORK!

K, I'm done. Thanks. No more politics for me today. Even after I go to Huffington Post. And even after I hear about Biden's speech (I couldn't stay up for it last night- we are eastern time y'all!)