So I heard about this comment California Secretary of Education Richard Riordan made to this little girl. At first I thought what a dumb-ass thing to say to anyone let alone a little kid. But then I read about all the uproar that has gone on over it. It's obvious to the mother of the child no harm was done, and it's obvious to most people he was trying in a lame way to be funny and do what kids do and call each other names like poopy-pants and smelly-breath.
But after reading more of this I am struck by just how low this country has sunk when the NAACP is about ready to protest because they mistakenly thought the young girl was African-American as did Mervyn Dymally ..."
State Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally was quoted in the San Jose Mercury News Thursday saying the child was "a little African-American girl. Would he (Riordan) have done that to a white girl?"

First thing we need to ask ourselves is who are the people with true prejudice/racism in their heart? The man who called a girl a names or the people who heard a girl named Isis was called names. The girl told Riordan that her name means Egyptian Goddess, which it doesn't, it's actually a proper name of an Egyptian Goddess, but the girl is six and her mom is named Trinity(read hippie) so let's cut the kid some slack. People who assume that because the girl was named after an Egyptian Goddess is African-American have more issues than Riordan does.

The second thing we need to examine is why in the hell would race be a factor IF the girl HAD been African-American? Does every single thing that happens to someone have to be based on racism? I am pretty sensitive to such things as racism and sexism, but I also have a brain that doesn't let me become some paranoid nut about it either.

The third thing that bothers me is that when it was assumed the girl was African-American the NAACP was poised to protest, but when hearing she was white, they canceled. Why? If the thing Riordan did was wrong enough to cause a protest why cancel it? Obviously the NAACP has a race based agenda, and that's fine, so it makes little sense to waste their time. But why did they jump the gun to begin with? And then show a lack of concern for the girl by backing off when it's found out she is white? A wrong is a wrong is it not?

Now I hope that there wouldn't be much of an uproar beyond the 'what a lame thing to say' if Riordan was let's say Treasurer of CA. But while this isn't the end of the world as some would make it out to be. Neither is it in the words of someone I overheard at lunch today..."blown out of proportion by the stupid NWCP, the girl didn't care..." Well my ill-informed friend it should matter that the person in charge of Education for the state of California would even in jest call a six year old girl names. That kind of behavior is not appropriate and shouldn't be encouraged or tolerated. Yes it happens, sticks and stones and what not. But it is a schools responsibility to foster a safe environment that is conducive to learning. Making fun of people, as much as I may love to do it, is just not what is needed in schools or even the workplace.

Well I had pretty much hoped that John Kerry would pick John Edwards as his vice presidential nominee. As I pointed out on March 3rd, Kerry would have to pick a conservative Southerner. And that is who he gets with Edwards. Republicans will try to paint them both as liberals, but Edwards is much more conservative though he has an large degree of Populism in his speeches. I am pleased that the choice has been made and we can stop this whole John McCain talk. The way that the media ate that up and kept it boiling is just beyond me. Anyone with enough sense to keep a toaster out of the bathtub could have seen that it was just talk and would never have happened.
John McCain is a good and decent man, a bit gruff at times, but very Republican. And with his rise in name recognition he wouldn't stoop to becoming a vice-president to a Democrat. It would make no political sense.
The news media are so consumed with ratings and spin that they just can't let go of the little things. And Michael Moore is right to call the news media onto the carpet for not asking more questions about Bush/Iraq. But what do we expect when huge corporations own the major news outlets. As mergers and FCC regulations governing ownership of media are loosened it is no surprise that this country is slowly losing it's "free press." The one thought that keeps me from despair over this is the growth of Blogs and other online ventures that allow anybody to speak out. And more people are speaking out each day to a wider audience. Of course if GE or CBS offered to buy me out for a vast sum of money, maybe I'd be more than happy to worry about Lindsay Lohan's dad getting arrested instead of wondering what Bush will do to keep his promise to fight AIDS in Africa.
But that's a big maybe, and even then I don't think I would want to have someone else dictate what I can or can't say.

Independence Day. Everybody has their own way of celebrating it. Some don't even celebrate it. I'll skip the debate over how best to celebrate secular holidays for another time. Since TIME Magazine came out with their articles on Thomas Jefferson, I have been rereading some books about the man and his ideas. Today marks the anniversary of the day the Declaration of Independence was issued not just to Americans, but to the world. Our Revolution was an extraordinary event and one that inspired many other people to rise up against oppression. I hope it continues to inspire people here and abroad to respect the rights of man and uphold the ideals that helped create this country. The most perfect thing about this country is that we allow for improvement, for progress. That simple thing has always made me proud and grateful to be an American. For any other flaws or mistakes our government/country may have, the idea that it is up to the people to make those changes is the very essence of freedom.