A Campaign Flashes Before My Eyes

Last I checked, we have some serious problems in (and out of) this country: floundering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an economy slowly sliding toward the seventh circle of Hell, a steadily worsening environment, roughly 47 million U.S. citizens without health insurance, and a substantial percentage of the population living below the poverty line, just to name six. But nevertheless, last night Rev. Jeremiah Wright spoke to an NAACP dinner last night in Detroit, MI, and CNN decided that they needed to break in for special coverage and show the entire address.

I didn't go out of my way to watch the speech -- I was merely at my computer with the television on when it began. True, I could have changed the channel, but part of me was slightly interested. And the result was that I saw Barack Obama's presidential campaign flash in front of my eyes.

I have a mixed opinion of Rev. Wright. First of all, I may be desensitized, but the 30-second clips of his that I saw did not throw me into an offended tantrum. Second, I don't believe that those same few 30-second clips can allow me to make an informed decision about a person and a life that has been considerably longer than mine. However, Rev. Wright has decided to reemerge at the worse possible time for Obama, after Obama could have thrown Wright "under the bus" (as they say) when the clips surfaced, but bent over backwards to not do so. So, while I don't think he can be written off simply as a whack-job, I also think that this is a poor way to repay Obama. If he wants Obama to win, he needs to disappear until November 5. And it's also sad that the current state of our national politics makes that so.

As I watched Wright's address to the Detroit chapter of the NAACP last night, my initial thought was, This is the end of the Obama campaign. Some of you may think that that is too cynical, but I disagree. There are countless voters in this country who will not vote for Obama due simply to the fact that Jeremiah Wright scares them (and many of these people also know that the Native Americans welcomed Christopher Columbus with open arms).

No one may want to admit it or agree with it, but this campaign is not only suffering from a racial divide, but also a cultural divide.

My Wallet Is Bleeding

No matter where you pump it, these gas prices hurt, and there is no getting around that. I returned from Maryland on Saturday, and I immediately noticed how much gas had gone up during my absence -- 20 cents. I was on 'E,' so I had to fill up on Sunday, and I did it reluctantly. I recently had three distinct gas experiences that I would like to share.

For whatever reason, the rising prices haven't caused me that much worry in the past, and I didn't think twice about filling up. $3.15/gallon? No problem. $3.24/gallon? Sure. $3.33/gallon? Why not? Then came Sunday night, when I payed $3.48/gallon, and that was the cheapest price around. I suddenly felt uncomfortable spending so much money to fill up my gas tank. A taxi driver was filling up his taxi next to me, and he began talking about how ridiculous the price of gas was. I agreed. He also spoke of being ready for $4 and $5/gallon. I agreed again. I don't know where the money is coming from, but I know where it's going.

One day while resting on a bench in Washington, DC, last week, it was tough to not overhear the conversation that was going on near-by. A woman with an Irish accent was commenting to her companion about how easy we Americans have had it when it comes to the price of gas. While it is true that fuel costs in Europe have been significantly higher for quite some time, the large taxes levied by European governments on gas go to provide their populations with services that us Americans have to pay separately for -- namely health care and college. And even if our prices are just normalizing with the majority of the world, its still not in our budget.

On our way back from Maryland on Saturday, while traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike, we decided to stop for gas -- obviously, because we were in Jersey and wanted to take advantage of their lower prices and full-service stations. We pulled off to the rest stop. Immediately we were plunged into a 100-car gridlock of people waiting in line for gas. And the worst part was that we couldn't even leave, because the way to the exit was blocked by the waiting cars. We lost at least half an hour. And as we sat there, I looked around at all the license plates -- New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts. I think I saw one New Jersey license plate.

Gas prices are hitting this country's economy hard. But what is to be done? John McCain has recommended that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the federal government suspend it's 18.4 cent tax on gasoline, as well as it's 24.4 cents tax on diesel fuel. Some have expected this move would cost the federal government somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 billion. How can the government afford that? How would they replace that revenue? Where would the government get the money for the infrastructure repairs that these taxes fund? These questions have gone unanswered.

In addition to federal gas taxes, New York State levies it's own tax -- 41.2 cents per gallon for gasoline, and 40.3 cents per gallon for diesel. In comparison, New Jersey's gas taxes are 14.5 and 17.5 cents per gallon, respectively. It's no wonder so many people want to fill up in our neighbor to the south.

So, what can be done about this? Well...really nothing, except to use less to try to lower the demand, and invest more in renewable energy (though not products like ethanol, which not only uses a remarkable amount of oil to produce and doesn't burn very cleanly, but also contributes to the growing food shortage in the world). Until then, we'll just keep on paying. As my father says, "It's just money. You can't take it with you." Maybe, but my wallet is bleeding.

"You know – you know that since George Bush has become president, gas has basically tripled in price. Now, Bush is an oil man. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I’m just saying that if we had elected Colonel Sanders president and the price of chicken had tripled, I’d be a little suspicious."
-Bill Maher

The District of Columbia

I have returned from below the Mason-Dixon Line, and it is true that I did not want to come back. We stayed in Annapolis, MD, and it was such a nice area that making the drive north was regrettable (as are the gas prices, 20 cents higher than when I left 10 days ago). But I loved Washington, DC. This was my second trip to the city, but the first where I had a considerable amount of time to explore, as we spent five days in the nation's capital. Below are my highlights of the trip. It is important to note, however, that as we couldn't see and do everything, the picks below are simply based on our experiences, and cannot encompass the totality of the District of Columbia.

Best Tour:
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Preforming Arts - To be fair, the Capitol was a fantastic tour and overall experience, but there was something about the Kennedy Center that I absolutely loved. It's a very grand place, and the decor is late-60s, early-70s, which for some reason I am very fond of. You can lay the Washington Monument down on its side in the foyer. And the presidential boxes were pretty impressive, too. And the happy hour.

Most Disappointing Tour:
The Library of Congress - We liked what we saw, but we didn't see enough of it. Our tour guide began by telling us how massive in size the main building of the LOC is, but then she barely showed us any of it. The main building is a square (2 city blocks long on each side), with an octagon in the middle (the Great Reading Room), and goes as deep underground as it goes toward the sky. But we only saw the front section of the square, and we could only look down into the Great Reading Room (though it was impressive). The marble (all hand-carved), and the paintings on the ceiling were staggering, but we wanted to see more.

Most Bizarre Tour:
The White House - The White House tour was self-guided. They had the path through the first floor of the mansion all roped off, and you simply followed along. The Red Room, the Blue Room, the East Room, etc. We obviously couldn't see any of the West Wing, or the East Wing, or the second or third floors of the mansion, since those are the private residence. But, we thought that it was weird that we were able to literally wander through the White House. Sure, there were some staffers and security hanging around, but still very strange.

Most Exhausting Tour:
The National Holocaust Museum - The long days and all the walking gets very tiring, and your feet and legs begin to hurt quite a bit after a short time, but the National Holocaust Museum is especially draining -- physically, mentally, and emotionally. You walk through the three dark floors of the permanent exhibit, looking at pictures, video, and actual artifacts, and you read everything. Lots of reading. We suggest not planning to do anything after touring the exhibit -- we got food and decided to go back to Annapolis.

Best Restaurant:
The Old Ebbitt Grill - We ended up having two meals here, one on Tuesday, and one on Saturday. Tuesday was mid-afternoon, thankfully missing the lunch rush. Saturday was 1PM, directly in the middle of the weekend lunch rush (but we were only two, so we sat right down). Both meals were very good, reasonable priced, and the majority of the waitstaff was very personable.

Favorite Memorial(s):
The World War II Memorial - It's a new addition since my first visit eight years ago.

The Korean War Memorial - It shows the soldiers doing what they did most of, which was walking through the rice patties, and this sets it apart from the other memorials, in my eyes.

Notable Moments in DC:
1. Watching the House of Representative and the Senate in session - We got tickets to the House gallery from the office of Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), and to the Senate gallery from the office of Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). This was a great experience. In the House, we watched a group of congressman debate a new tax law proposal, and the first half of a vote. In the Senate, we watched Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) debate Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over the issue of judicial confirmation. And we would have stayed in these galleries for hours if we could, be we had to catch a train. And by the way, the Senate and House chambers are very small. Shockingly small. They look so big on television -- especially the House chamber during the state of the union -- but they are not. Also, the one Secret Service Agent posted in the House gallery was charging his iPod while on duty. Classy.

2. The Geneseo Congressional Staffer - We were standing in the old Supreme Court room in the Capitol building, when a congressional staff-led tour comes in. I immediately recognize the tour guide. 'I know him,' I thought. As he was leaving, I stopped him, and sure enough he went to Geneseo. In fact, he was in some of my political science classes. He's now interning for a congressman. Way to go, GSU.

3. White House Secret Service Agents - When we stepped out of the White House mansion, we encountered two Secret Service Agents dressed in tactical clothing and equipment, each carrying a machine gun and 200 rounds of ammunition. A number of people on the tour stopped and spoke with them for about 10-15 minutes. These guys were impressive. They said that they were the "special forces" of the Secret Service, and that if they are involved, the situation is pretty serious. They explained some abilities of their weapon, gave some more detail of the White House, and the one agent explained how they don't get fed on the job -- but the government has a microwave for him to heat his Lean Pockets. "I feel very safe," said one tourist. "You should," replied the more talkative of the two agents. "You're getting the protection of a president for free." Awesome.

4. 'Happy Birthday, Holy Father' - As you probably know, the Pope was in Washington, DC, this past week. We, luckily, missed the crowds that he drew. However, on the day before he arrived, we were in front of the White House, and the chorus was rehearsing for his arrival the following day, which was also his birthday. And they were singing:

"Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, Holy Father
Happy Birthday to you"

No joke. I will forever remember that.

5. The size of the Library of Congress - I may not have been satisfied by the Library of Congress tour, but when that tour guide stated that the LOC is as deep as it is high, I nearly fell off my chair. The place is huge, and that's only one building.

6. The Nazi Pre-Protest - We had heard earlier in the day on Saturday that there was going to be a Nazi protest. As we made our way to the National Mall after our White House tour and lunch, we found them. They were sitting on the ground, surrounded by about 25 police officers. Most of them were teenagers. We watched, then left, walking up the mall toward the Capitol. As we got near the Capitol reflecting pool, we saw more cops...specifically hundreds of them, dressed in full riot gear, lining the sides of the street and walkway leading up to the building. And then there were more, in heavier riot gear on the grass. And more, with rubber gloves on, ready to search those taken into custody. We hung around for as long as we could, but in the end the Nazis were just taking too long, and we had to get on the road. I guess there prejudice and hate blinds them to keeping to a schedule -- I can't just wait along all day to see white supremacists, for I have a life. In the end, all I got was to see a lot of cops, the Nazis sitting on the ground not causing a ruckus, and more sun than I wanted. Thanks, Nazis.

So, in the end the trip was amazing, and I loved the District of Columbia. But, again, I didn't see the whole city. And I drove through parts of the district that were not as well-kept as the area around the National Mall. Washington, DC, is, in fact, about 80% black in population, but it's a side of the city that you don't see if you only stick to the 'seat of government' section of town.

The Sprinting Marathon

Those of you who regularly drop in on my blog should be forewarned: do not expect any posts from me for the next 8-10 days. Why, you ask? Because I'm traveling southward, to the place where the men become men and the boys become....well, not men: Washington, DC.

It's not so much of a vacation, so much as it is a sprinting marathon. With so much to see, our schedule is packed:

Washington Nationals game - check.
Capitol Building, Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, National Cathedral - check.
National Holocaust Museum, Supreme Court, Senate & House office buildings - check.

*breath*

National Archives, various Smithsonian museums, National Mall - check.
Monuments galore, Arlington National Cemetery - double check.
National Zoo - check.

*breath*

Mount Vernon - check.
Last day of the Cherry Blossom Festival - check.
Papal visit - check.

*deep breath*

White House - check.

My first trip to DC in eight years will be like "The Godfather: Part II" of vacations: longer, better, and more complicated.

See you on the other side.

Bad Staff Work

Of all the cities in the United States of America, the officials of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games decided to run the Olympic torch through San Francisco yesterday. Those in charge of the Olympics being held in the country that is the most frequent and public human rights violator decided to run the Olympic torch through the most liberal (and most vocal) city in the nation, as an attempt to build international support for the games. Fantastic planning.

San Francisco has the largest "Chinatown" district in the country, so it's not completely beyond logic that they would choose to run the Olympic flame through the city. But, San Francisco is notorious for being both liberal and outspoken, and China is notorious for not letting their citizens be either, so a red flag (no pun intended) should have been raised at some point in the planning. Though, I don't think the protests could have been avoided completely; if they had run the torch through Wainwright, Alaska, Richard Gere probably would have been there, along with other protesters. But Wainwright would have at least had a smaller local base of protest support in its population of approximately 550.

I understand why people are protesting and calling for a boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games. China is oppressing many, many innocent people. However, I think that boycotting would be a bad idea, for two reasons:

First, right now the United States needs China. We are currently fighting two wars (one of which we're neglecting, one of which is a black hole), and China is footing the bill. You can blame those in charge for that one. Also, we need the Chinese markets. The US economy is going through a very difficult time, and a large portion of our exports go into the Chinese economy. I disagree with many of the Chinese government's actions, but I don't think it would be a very good strategic move if the United States were to alienate one of the world's emerging powers, especially one that we're so dependent on.

Second, this is how diplomacy works. The United States government is trying to bring China out into the open, to bring it into the light. That is done by doing business, communicating, and trying to slowly pull China closer to us, and away from their terrible human rights policies. China does atrocious things to people, and getting them to change is a long, arduous process. Boycotting the games will not make China suddenly change their policy.

We can't have all the things we want.

But all I'm really saying is that they could have chosen a less controversial city than San Francisco.

Call it bad staff work.

Bobby Watson: Mr. Cojones

Disbelief is the only word that I can use to describe my feeling when I read this article. Bobby Watson, the former superintendent for the Poughkeepsie City School District, is asking people to please contribute to his legal defense fund. I didn't think this man could shock me any more than when he ran for Poughkeepsie School Board while he was under investigation by the state, but I obviously was wrong. Mr. Cojones.

I lack the capacity to find the words to say anything else about this issue, except that if I were his lawyer, I would tell him to do everything that he can to STAY OUT OF THE NEWS!

MLK - 40 Years Later

Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated more than 16 years before I was born, so I have no first-hand, personal knowledge of the man and his work. All I know is what I have learned, and I am no authority on the topic. I'm currently reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, and I coincidentally read the section on the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 60s only yesterday. Of course, I know about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the march on Washington, and the "I Have A Dream" speech, and his assassination, having learned about these events in school. But there is much about the man, and the movement, that I do not know. Others are more fortunate in this area.

I spoke today to a friend of mine who grew up in Atlanta, about 10 minutes from where MLK lived. She was 11 when King was assassinated on the balcony of a Memphis motel, but she remembers going with her mother to Ebenezer Baptist Church specifically to see him speak prior to his death. Her mother said, "This man is changing the world, and you need to see him."

During the group conversation, the question was posed: if MLK could come back today, what would he think of the current state of society? "We've come a long way; we've got a long way to go -- which is the same for any society."

And I would imagine that the argument can be made that even though he is gone, he is still changing the world.