Free Syria

I was downtown on Saturday and happened on this protest march. The people carried flags and posters and chanted: "Free, free Syria." Good luck to them and others in finding political freedom.

Waiting for Obama

Yesterday I did something political and this is somewhat out of character for me. Yes, I occasionally talk politics, yes I generally vote, but show up at a rally? Not likely. Nonetheless, how could I refuse when the latest rally was just down the block from me? So my husband and I walked a few blocks south, waited in line, submitted to security and stood at what felt like a rock concert with lousy acoustics. Being old, neither of us recognized the lead band but we otherwise felt right at home among the professors, students families and usual south side faces.



The rally was orderly, with kids playing ball, a few eccentrics in costume, a socialist or two, University of Chicago students reading textbooks while they waited, and so on. I wished I had brought a book but we were encouraged to leave any bags at home. Laptops were forbidden but not cameras. I had three in my pockets (so as not to have a camera bag) not counting my Blackberry. I also could have used gloves and a warmer coat once the sun went down and the wind came up. Actually the politicians weren't too windy. Daley was there to a chorus of boos (we Chicagoans are quite pissed off when he sold our parking meters to the highest bidder) as were the Governor and our alderman.



The choreography could have been better. There was too much down time and not enough Obama. By the time he showed up, I was overdue for child transportation and we actually walked out on the main event. This didn't mean I missed being stuck in motorcade traffic.
Was I overwhelmed with democratic fervor? Not really but I felt part of the process as I do every time I vote no matter how lackadaisically. And I can say forever more that I stood on the same field as Obama.

I stand corrected

OK, so I exaggerated. There are a few Native Americans left in Wisconsin! (See previous post and comments). I still doubt the Indian-themed motels I passed are owned by Native Americans. As for the casino, well I figure the first peoples need to take revenge on us "white folks" after all the years of oppression and displacement.
I'm just remembering all the fights over whether Indian names and mascots for college ball teams were insulting. I was at Stanford shortly after the school changed its team nickname from the Indian to the Cardinal. The decision was based on the impression that the use of an Indian name and mascot was disrespectful to Native Americans.
The University of Illinois retired its Chief Illiniwek mascot in 2007. Not all Native Americans were opposed to the mascot but the Chief retired anyway. I was amazed to discover in researching this bit of most-important American history, that Chief Illiniwek has a MySpace account. I guess it is nice to know that some fans are truly in touch with their inner children.
So I guess the logic goes, football team mascots are out, motel names are allowable. Or nobody has gotten around to suing for being tacky yet.

No Child Left Behind, a rant and a petition

Imperfect Genius directed my attention to a petition against the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). If I told you all the reasons I don't like NCLB, which seems to leave many children behind, I wouldn't get to eat dinner tonight. I have seen third graders terrorized after being told that if they didn't "pass" the year end tests they wouldn't be promoted to the next grade, anxious kids that I was supposed to treat so that they could do better on the test, and too many kids and parents who are angry that their education has been preempted by a federal mandate to raise test scores without thought to the deeper educational issues we have in this country. Some idiot bureaucrat seemed to think that if inner city kids aren't getting a good education, why, make them study their little behinds off to do better on a test and if that doesn't work shut down their school and bus them elsewhere. Sounds like a plan to me. Also all the teachers and principals who might get fired if the kids don't test better should take it out on the children. Right. If you agree with me, join 22,000 other Americans who signed the petition.
For more reading on the issues check out the Educator Roundtable.

Jim Webb's Books--Literalness vs. Literacy

I know the Virginia elections are a done deal, but I had to write about this and I only heard about it after the election, courtesy of a Chicago Tribune article. On November 8, Kathleen Parker wrote about Senator George Allen's attempt to smear his opponent on the basis of the novels he wrote about the Vietnam War. Apparently what you say in your novels can be used against you. Ms. Parker, like myself, feels that taking the contents of a novel out-of-context to smear an author is taking literalness too far.
Before writing this I went back to the internet and found the following press release from the Allen campaign: "Webb’s novels disturbingly and consistently – indeed, almost uniformly – portray women as servile, subordinate, inept, incompetent, promiscuous, perverted, or some combination of these," the Allen press release reads. "In novel after novel, Webb assigns his female characters base, negative characteristics. In thousands of pages of fiction penned by Webb, there are few if any strong, admirable women or positive female role models." (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2006/10/a_novel_attack.html). Part of me wants to say, "So racist comments are ok, but portraying war-time abuse of women and boys is not?"
More surfing, courtesy of Jake Tapper's blog for ABC, revealed that some of what Webb has written is indeed disturbing, notably a scene involving pedophilia. But Lolita is disturbing too and it is considered a classic novel by many. Bad things happen in real life and some of them are portrayed in novels. If I write a novel about a rape, it does not mean I approve of it. This may be true even if I write a novel from the rapist's perspective.
Kathleen Parker makes this point as well: "far more perverse than a staged sex act in a wartime novel is our incremental trending toward literalness at a time when literal-mindedness is the blunt instrument of those trying to drag Western civilization into a new dark age." In an age when Muslims riot over cartoon content and Salman Rushdie has to go into hiding, we should adamantly refuse to make our authors have to apologize for their fictional imaginings.
However, in order to have a more honest opinion regarding this debate, I have ordered one of Webb's books on Amazon. I'll let you know if I like it.
In the meantime, any politician who has the discipline and intelligence to write a publishable novel, has my respect until further notice. Imagine a novel by George W. Bush. Scary.

All Right Now, Baby, It's All Right Now!

We used to sing this after the Stanford football team scored a goal when I was in college. Of course, today you know I'm not referring to football. It really isn't all right, what with our current administration, Americans and Iraqis dying right and left in Iraq and the likelihood that the Republicans still will control the senate (stay tuned until December or January on that one) but vengeance is sweet. Global warming hasn't gone away either. It was also a fun, cliff-hanger sort of election. I had trouble committing to going to bed last night but once it was clear that the outcome of Virginia will probably be contested for the next month or two, I decided I might as well get some rest. My first patient today is a Republican so I don't get to gloat until my second one comes in (a staunch liberal).
I have more political thoughts to share, but they will have to be deferred. Some of us have to work after all. . . .
Signing off from a Blue State.