Julie Pippert: Using My Words

Music can be oh-so-inspirational, can't it? Last week the DNC was labeled a rock concert, and certainly music was blasting in a lot of places. You all know I'm a die-hard Big Head Todd fan but even I was a little sick of Blue Sky after trailing Hillary for days. And so today, as I was biking and desperately reaching for the way to ease myself out of Denver and back into this blog space, I was inspired by music on my iPod. It occured to me that the candidates have their public face songs, but behind closed doors, perhaps they have secret favorites that appeal a little more to that inner seventh grader we all have. Thus...insight into today's political candidates via the iPod. (Also, before you ask, YES every one of these songs is on my iPod.) John McCain and George Bush have been on the outs lately and so I give them... Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes . I know these two have a hard-won relationship, and I like to see that sort succeed---who doesn't love ...

Several days ago, Liz at Mom-101 wrote Political Death by Middle Name? for MOMocrats. In that article, she informed us that some conservative right wing talk show guy had decided a good political tactic was to employ the George Bush Manufacture Fact By Proximity and Repetition technique to link Barack Obama to terrorism. How? Because he happens to be named after his father, which means his middle name is Hussein. That's right: Hussein. It's a name. That's all. Not everybody named Wayne is a serial killer, and not everybody named Bush is...well, best to not hoist myself on my own petard here. I read Liz's informative article, made a mental note, was annoyed, but thought, well, that's just too stupid to go anywhere. I underestimated the mental immaturity and reckless irresponsibility of some right wing talking heads. I overestimated people's sense of honor, mistakenly assuming that all of us have this interior gauge that prevents us from going too low. I overesti...

Image Source: Hillary Clinton photostream at Flickr . Last night I live blogged the Democratic debate for MOMocrats , a fantastic group of writers who use their words to share political views and news---a group I am happy to have recently joined. During the debate, I noticed one of the moderators' favorite things to do was take Hillary Clinton to task for her detracting remarks of Barack Obama. Obama hasn't been a perfect choir boy during this campaign, but Clinton is the one who has taken some fairly low potshots that smack either of self-righteousness or desperation. Both self-righteousness and desperation smell like weakness and appear as a challenge. Shark like reporters and detractors scent blood. Indulge me as I backtrack for a minute here... I always had a pretty good mind of my own. But in eighth grade we moved to an environment that was harshly unaccepting of that in me. I had a choice: bend and go along to get along, or break and be alone. I chose the former. By the t...

(Apologies in advance to anyone who gets offended...bygones?) Oh Friends. I think I need say nothing. I think this picture is worth a thousand words, especially the orgasmic expression on McCain's face. He just reclaimed his seat in the GOP. Let us not speculate at all about how. For the record: Loving this photo? Does not cause me to lose my seat in the Tree Huggin' Liberal party. I'm not sure if we are currently represented, but anywho... I will be baracking and ba-rolling tonight. P.S. As a fabutastic non sequitur, I'd like to reassure all Heroes fans that the writers of that show have had a source of income during the writer's strike. They've been speech writing for Barack Obama. I'd recognize that style anywhere. Also, I personally know that politicians like to hire out of work TV writers for speeches. AHEM Copyright 2008 Julie Pippert Also blogging at: Using My Words Julie Pippert REVIEWS : Get a real opinion about BOOKS, MUSIC and MORE Julie Pipper...

Recently I mentioned missing the lunch party at a private home for guest of honor Barack Obama. When Catherine Morgan ran that article on The Political Voices of Women (a great blog you ought to be reading if you aren't already, and I don't say that just because she listed me in her fantabulous 250 Political Women Bloggers ), a reader somehow thought I was saying Hillary Clinton was better than Barack Obama and used better fundraising techniques. Although I thought it was fairly clear that I was abusing all politicians equally, and expressing my disgust at a system of campaign fundraising that distinctly needs reforming as well as my consternation that an entire majority of voices are silenced due to lack of economic privilege, I grant that the reader's comment had a point. Therefore, when Hillary Clinton's invitation to a coffee and talk landed in my email this morning, I thought I'd better make sure to comment fairly and equally on her fundraising practices and...

I've been reading as other bloggers had exciting, motivating, and informational meetings with politicians. Momocrats and other political bloggers have been excellent sources of information and opinions as we try to sort through a rather crowded field of candidates for the next major election. Written platforms, news articles, appearances in debates on television and so forth are all well and good, but there is something to be said for a more personal, face-to-face venue. I was fortunate enough to meet Hilary Clinton in Nashua, NH, and it gave me a better idea of who she is...that chance to be in person. Therefore, I was extremely pleased to get an invitation to lunch with Barack Obama in a private Houston home. Barack Obama is one of the greenest of the candidates and I can't decide if that's a pro or con. He certainly says some extremely intriguing things, although it seems lately his message has been a bit watered down, if consistent. I imagine Howard Dean is still fre...

On Saturday, as we drove to Patience's soccer game I noticed the two schools we passed on the way to the fields were decorated merrily in red ribbons. I might not even have noticed, had it not been for my two sharp-eyed lookouts, who catch everything and catalog it for me. Over. And over. "Look Mama," Persistence cried happily, "Wed wibbons! All ovah!" "Wow, so there are, red ribbons, how pretty," I answered absently, scouting for a parking spot. "Wed wibbons!" she squealed. "Umm hmm," I replied, guiding the car into a spot. "Wed wed wed wed wibbons!!" And so on. On Monday, instead of our usual power walk to school---aka the 'we left too late to saunter and oh well it burns more calories woo hoo!' walk---we were running so late that I had to drive. This annoys me. I feel ridiculous. The weather is great for a walk, everyone benefits, and we live close to the school. And yet, here we were, driving, in order to not b...

By now, you've probably heard the story about Idaho Senator Larry Craig. An undercover policeman alleges that while in the airport bathroom stall next to Craig, Craig used silent signals and body language along with "stall peeping" that are "well-known" methods of propositioing for sex. Apparently men propositioning other men in the Minneapolis airport bathroom has become a problem, and the police began an airport bathroom sting four months ago. Since then, they've arrested 41 men including Senator Craig. The cause for the arrest? Peeking in a stall, placing one's luggage in front of the stall door, tapping a foot, and reaching a hand under the stall wall. This is exactly what Senator Craig did. Senator Craig protested the arrest and stated his actions had been misinterpreted; he also cited his position as a senator. However, when the police did not dismiss the charges, Craig quietly---without legal representation or disclosure---plead guilty to the mi...

Edited to add caveat and clarification: 1. I want to be clear that by challenging the notion of political correctness, I am not advocating saying whatever one wants however, whenever and wherever one wants. That's not what PC is in my mind. Perhaps I ought to define what it is in my mind better than I have. There is judiciousness and wisdom in speech---which is weighing what one thinks and wants to say against the other people involved and the situation at hand. There is courtesy in selecting how one approaches a topic and addresses it with others. I'm a big fan of this, of respect and consideration. Then there is PC, which includes empty and meaningless buzzwords; the idea that by editing language we have cured the problem; and a culture of conformity and repercussion for nonconformity of not just words, but ideas. That's PC and that's what I am challenging. 2. I want to be clear that I do not mean to harangue anyone about not participating. If you are busy, or this is...

When I was in college, a sensitivity movement began...a movement that has developed into a new overlayer in our culture. The idea began in the 1970s, my childhood, my development years. Its origin is allegedly Marxist-Leninist, intended to support the party line. In 1991, President Bush I issued a serious warning against this movement during a commencement address at the University of Michigan. By 1992, the year I graduated college, it had deteriorated into satire. Now, in 2007, it has only escalated in authority, tying our tongues. The movement is political correctness. In Wikipedia , I learned a little more about the history: The often quoted earliest cited usage of the term (in the form "not politically correct") comes from the U.S. Supreme Court decision Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), where it clearly means that the statement it refers to is not literally correct, owing to the political status of the United States as it was understood at that time. Not correct due to the pol...