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wednesday, january 20, 1999, 01:36 i've got so much on my mind right now. it's all flying in and out and in and out so fast that i can't keep track of it. there's a lot in there about the state of the union address and the republican response to that. there's some things in there about patriotism. and something about getting more in touch with the world. and about dreams and how last night was the first time in a long time when i've had a lie on the couch with the candle burning and talk about stuff in a long time. but the politico talk comes first, of course, since it is just so darn prominent and all that in life. well, that's not actually true. you don't hear too much about it these days unless you go looking or unless the shows you want to watch happen to be premepted by a whole bunch of people in suits looking at some guy in a suit talking about the country that you're living in. this happend to 60 million people tonight. they all watched as the president talked about moving into the next millenium (well, off by one error and all, but we'll let it slide because the switching of those numbers from 1999 to 2000 is pretty damn cool, even though the eggheads will tell you that the real turnover is the year 2001 since there was no year 0 and blah blah i'm going to miss a really big party if i keep thinking like this blah blah) and talked about how we've got to make our coutry safe for our kids and we've got to spend more money on the environment and on defense because otherwise we're going to be totally screwed when someone decided that they want to toast duluth with their big old nuclear aresenal that they got for christmas last year. and granted a lot of the speech was typical state of the union "this is the stuff that i'm going to say so they realize that i care about this nation of ours and am working for the people" kind of stuff that speech writers fill the world with. but i've got to say that at least it made sense. it was things that a lot of people could stand up and support, and it was a lot of things that would be good if executed in such a way that, well, that isn't the way that things are normally done in our government. and every time he would say something that was mildly important, half of the house would stand and applaud. half. the democrats. woo! cheer! and then the camera would zoom over to the other half, and they'd be sitting there, like lumps. clap for that guy? not a chance. and what is the result. 60 million people seeing what children these people can be. 200+ years of governemnt and we've been reduced to a game of "you stole my barbie so i'm not coming over to play with you any more." but the republican response to the address? what was that shit? okay, so the first was okay. not that i can remember who delievered anything. there was an older woman and a younger man. the woman went first and said some things about social security and taxes. that was fine. i mean, it was kind of crap, and i really wasn't paying too much attention to it. she basically said the basic "thank you mister president (like she was saying 'weeeeell thank you mister man') but what you're saying is utter crap and if the american people want some action, then they should look to the republican party. (ah, here we go. loving cnn.com) jennifer dunn and steve largent. the soccer mom turned representative. the football star turned politician. a great team. anyway. largent comes on, "blah blah, let me tell you about my upbringing in the good old midwest of this great nation and what a good person i am and how naive i was about the governemnt until i learned what GOP actually stands for." and that's all find and good and he's setting himself up for something really big. and then he hits us with this little gem: First, we must preserve the notion that true liberty and freedom come from God and are his blessing on this land and that freedom reigns only as we act responsibly toward God, each other, and his creation. Our freedom was bought at a great price, and our most important responsibility is to defend this sacred gift and keep our country secure.that's right folks, the republican party is all about god. fear it and it will love you back. at which point he continues to talk and bring in every big issue that he could including taxes, big government = bad, reagan, bosnia, christmas and vince gill. and this was just too wonderful to pass up. On Christmas Eve my family and I packed up kids and gifts and headed to Grandma's house. In the car we sang along with Vince Gill's Christmas tape. As we sang one particular song, I was struck by the words and by their poignancy for our country tonight. The chorus went, "Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me."i must first note that he left out that "with liberty and justice for all" part of the pledge, which i personally feel is a pretty key point to that. next, might i just ask what the hell this man was smoking when he decided that this was what he was going to read in front of a nation of people who, for the most part, liked the president's speech. "let it begin with me?!" crackmonkey! if there was anything to be said about what clinton was saying earlier, it was that he seemed to geninely care about the country, or at least about his job which is mostly about the country (except when it's busy being about semen stains on dresses). if we look at the speech which followed, we are struck with the notion that not only must this man be taking some serious medication, but he probably forgot to take it all tonight, because not only was he acting like a serious moron, but he also sounded like an infomercial host selling me a vacuum cleaner that can not only produce that "great big sucking sound" but can also cut my hair. next. patriotism in this country is pathetic. i admit that i like this country. i am proud to be an american, and i'm proud to wave the flag and all that. but more than that, i think that other people should be proud as well. this is a pretty good place to be living, and not just in the "i can go down to the corner store and get me a beer and watch me some monday night all-american football" but rather in the sense that i can walk down the street and not be afraid that my street's going to get blown up because i'm on the border of a war being waged in my hometown. and yes, i'm really lucky to be where i am in my life today, both in location and in status. but that's no reason to believe or not believe in the country. that's not to say that i believe in our government, which i currently feel sucks my ass in more ways than i'd like to explore currently. but the government isn't the country. the country is the people and the history and where we are and where we might be going. it's not the fact that we do have rapists and murderers and people who sell porn on the internet walking the streets with our children and puppy dogs, but rather the fact that for all these problems, we've still got a pretty good quality of life for a large percentage of the population and we're probably going to be okay going into the next millenium (two years from now). i've talked too much. but i think that i'm going to start reading the drudge report on a regular basis. it seems like a good idea if i want to get in touch with the world, or at least one view of it, and it might give me some sort of insight and will give me a dose of opinion rather than just straight news. oh yeah. for the first time in years, last night i sat and talked with a friend about the future and didn't start thinking about my email or computers or slip into dork talk. we just lay on opposing couches and talked about options for future living and fear and confusion. and we dreamed a bit, and we talked a bit about some random stuff. and i was brought back to those late night sessions in high school when we would gather in the basement and play ping pong and talk about the future and the past and where the world came from and where we would end up and all those other things that are so great to think about in high school and so difficult to deal with when the future suddenly, and without warning, becomes your present. well, at the very least, this give me another future to look forward. i think the one that just expired worked out pretty well.
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