3 posts on the way: Our SoCal Trip, Being Fat (again...), and The Constitutionality of Healthcare "Reform"

Starting at 11am (PST), 11-20-09

We are in San Diego, and all is right with the world. Jack handles air travel like a champ (as in completely perfect), we got to taste good carne asada for the first time in what seems like forever, the weather is beautiful, family, friends, Henry Weinhard's root beer, what else is there?

I love this place. It's so good to be home again.

Being Fair to 'Going Rogue'

Right up front, allow me to say that I'll never read this book. Sarah Palin has nothing to say to me, and I don't need to hear anything from her. However, let me also be clear that I don't hate her the way that so many other people seem to. I essentially view her as harmless with one caveat, and I'll get into that in a bit. If she wants to clear the record (so to speak) and settle some scores with the McCain campaign, then that's cool with me. They took shots at her after they lost, which is odd considering there was no "Draft Sarah Palin" movement; they picked her. Anyway, the media blitz that surrounds her new book has inspired three thoughts:

1) The media was horribly unfair to her, and if you deny that then you're deluding yourself. I say "was" because she's now getting all kinds of access that she's just trying to sell a book, rather than run for office. In some ways they still are treating her unfairly. The Newsweek cover imbroglio is a perfect example. Seriously, they used a photo from a Runner's World profile (you know, those "I'm a runner" things in the back of every issue that profiles someone famous and cobbles together a bunch of pro-running quotes) as their cover shot (complete with short shorts and nice legs). It's not as if they didn't have access to other photos, and this was just a pretty brazen attempt to make her out to be a tart or something. Lame, really lame. Imagine if during the contentious Democratic primary election that Newsweek's cover story was "The Hillary Problem" and they put a picture of her looking hideous on the cover (because let's face it, they couldn't possibly portray her as a sex symbol). Do you think that would have happened? Can you imagine the outcry if it did? Double standards abound, and it's just lame...

2) ...especially in light of the media love affair with then-candidate and now-President Obama. If you deny that you're still delusional. Gosh, a little-known candidate, with a paltry record, no real accomplishment, beloved by a select few... this could be either Palin or Obama. You saw how they were treated. It's not to say that Barry isn't a likable guy, or a likable candidate. He was polished and confident, and ran a great campaign. I voted for the guy! But the media's job isn't to treat politicians like celebrities and turn elections into superficial popularity contests. The media should be holding people's feet to the fire, especially when they're popular and treated as if they're practically perfect in every way. I don't know if it was white guilt, relief that a candidate was oratorically gifted (post-W), like-mindedness, or what, but the media blew this one. Big time. How about we start basing our opinions on a candidates policy preferences? (looking back, I now love the Ron Paul movement and the devotees that pushed it) Which leads me to...

3) What does Sarah Palin have to offer the political world now? She is now just a celebrity that used to be a candidate, and I think you gather how I feel about candidates who are just celebrities. You could say that most of the GOP 2012 hopefuls aren't office holders, and you'd be right. However, Palin isn't a policy wonk, she's not a private industry success, she used to be a popular Governor and she resigned! To call her an author now would be a stretch. She's pretty much on par with Heidi and Spencer who appeared on the Joy Behar show along with Perez Hilton the other day. Now there's a bunch of people that do so much for America... ugh. But really, what's left? It would be great if she'd cross the country and raise money for candidates for the upcoming midterms, but the continued presence of Palin in the GOP has the potential to pull a Huckabee and cause the best contenders in 2012 to lose in the primary, thanks to the insane devotion that so many people hand over to an awful candidate. On the other hand, Palin's presence could either keep Huck from running, or split that segment of the population (you know who I'm talking about) and allow a real candidate to win.

There Goes The Neighborhood, part II

A semi truck just backed into my neighbors' carport. I repeat, a semi just parked in my hillbilly neighbors' carport. The dogs in the kennel across the way went nuts. Jack slept through it, because nothing says "sleeping baby" like a semi. Oh, and I went ahead and knocked on our other neighbors' door and told them to keep the bass down at 10pm last night. Their side of our duplex was as loud as a club last night. Then again, it was Monday night in Waco, which everyone knows is a massive party. I also told them to stay off my lawn, and I shook my fist for good measure. (Yeah, kidding about that) The confrontation with our neighbors last night wasn't as cool as the time that I went to war with our (Andy, Melissa, & me) Brazilian neighbors who lived below us in La Jolla. That was awesome.

Anyway, it's a great time for an extended vacation in SoCal, now just 60 short hours away.

UPDATE: I just got home from work and noticed that the semi is parked in front of our neighbors' Trans Am. How perfect is that?