Ten Years On

Ten years ago, during my first week of college, I remember waking up to a ringing phone. My mom was on the other end, and she frantically told me that someone had flown a plane into the World Trade Center. I scoffed, half asleep, and told her she must be mistaken. I tried to get off the phone and go back to sleep, but she was insistent, so I got up and turned on the T.V. She was right. I saw one of the twin towers engulfed in flame and frantic New Yorkers fleeing the scene. Moments later, another plane flew into the second tower. It was so surreal, it felt like I was watching a trailer for some cheesy terrorist movie. When the reality sank in, a feeling of sickness and shock hit me.

I remember many of the details of that day, but it was all in such a haze that it felt as if I was watching someone else's life from the outside. The whole thing was so jarring and incongruous because here I was a young, bright eyed college student embarking on an exciting new chapter of my life, and then this act of unspeakable evil occurred, threatening our safety and our lives. I knew that our nation and its people would never be the same after the attacks.

9/11 was my generation's Pearl Harbor or Kennedy assassination, not because the magnitude of either of those events is at all the same as 9/11, but because all three events robbed the country and its youth of their innocence. We were all different after 9/11. I saw firsthand how young people changed in the aftermath. Cynicism and hatred became more pronounced, war and its brutal effects were born out of those attacks, and many people I knew, and still know became irrationally fearful. Even though I wasn't directly affected by the events on that day, I do sometimes wonder how different my life would be if the towers still stood and all those people were still alive. It's silly to play the 'what if' game, and pointless because it did happen and we are living in a post-9/11 world. I just hope that we can someday get to a point where we are all a little more open, a little more trusting and a lot less fearful, like I was on September 10, 2001. That's my hope as we sit here, ten years on.

Finally!

Well people, it looks as if the two major parties put aside their differences enough to get something done for once tonight. If all goes well, the House and Senate will be able to put into effect a measure that will allow our country to avoid default before the August 2nd deadline. This entire process has made me very uncomfortable because of the seemingly endless back and forth from our leaders. Several times in the last few months people on both sides snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and kowtowed to extremists on each end of the spectrum. I know that there is enough blame to go around, and that neither party is completely innocent or completely to blame, but I do see one group as a bit more guilty than the rest- the Tea Party members of the House of Representatives.

These people, most of whom have spent precious little time in office, have come to Washington angry and full of bitter cynicism about how our government functions. It's too bad that they don't know how our government functions. I won't name names, but as I have watched this debt ceiling debacle play out, I have to say that never in my life have I seen a group of people so angry and ignorant at the same time. I know that people are upset about the economy and that the Tea Party has harnessed that anger and turned it into seats in the House and Senate, but anger isn't an agenda, and neither is simply saying no to anything and everything people to the left of you propose. There needs to be something else besides blind, ignorant anger.

I commend some of the older, more seasoned, level headed and capable people in the GOP who have stood up to the new breed of conservative legislators and told them that compromise isn't the end of the world, and that there needs to be substance in their political message. John McCain, John Boehner and others are not on my list of favorite people by any means, but these guys need to continue to put these flash in the pan Tea Partiers in their place because even though they want to make sure Obama loses in 2012, they can't have the debt crisis blood on their hands. I hope so much now that clearer, more pragmatic heads have prevailed that the uber-conservative newbies in the House will see that just being pissed off and saying 'no' doesn't amount to a rat fart when it comes to legislating and being a good public servant. It just breeds more anger, and that's what will get someone else elected in their place in two years.

I'm Glad...

I'm glad for many things, but here are a few that I am especially glad about at the current time.

I'm glad that my last name isn't Weiner, and that I'm not dumb enough to Tweet pictures of my man bulge to girls to whom I am not married. And I'm glad that I'm not dumb enough to deny it and then retract my denial.

I'm glad that I'm not graduating college right now. This is a tough job market for our 22 year olds. Hang in there, kids.

I'm glad Donald Trump isn't running for president. He would have just continued to piss me off.

I'm glad we got three free months of Starz from DirecTV when we moved and upgraded our service. Now I can watch Zombieland every day.

I'm glad my dog has a big backyard to play in.

I'm glad for the fact that John Edwards didn't end up as our president. His transgressions make Bill Clinton look like a monk.

I'm glad it's golf season. Maybe I'll recant this one after I play a few more rounds.

Closure

There was a modicum of closure tonight as the death of Osama Bin Laden was announced. The man who was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks is no more. To all our men and women who serve our country, I salute you, and to all those who lost loved ones on 9/11/2001, I am sorry for your loss. To President Obama, who gave the order to go ahead with the operation that eliminated an evil man, I thank you. 

The terror that Bin Laden unleashed was horrific and changed the world in a profound way. While his death cannot undo what was done, and nothing can bring back his victims, there is some closure tonight of a violent chapter in our nation's history. The unity that we felt as a country ten years ago was born of sorrow and anger. Let us hope that unity will once again sweep the nation in the face of a great accomplishment. I am proud of the U.S.A. tonight and moved by the scenes of people gathering in our cities. 

A great deal has happened in the last ten years, and I can say that for me, tonight marks a welcome bit of solace that I thought might never come. There will likely be violent repercussions for this act by our military, but perhaps America will have a renewed sense of pride and togetherness that can help end some of the bitterness we have felt of late and overcome the other obstacles that stand in our way. U.S.A! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

A Country Half Full

All I've been hearing from news media the last few weeks is how bad things are and how little confidence people have in the government and President Obama. I must say that even though things haven't been going exactly swimmingly (the Japan nuclear disaster, Lybia, the economy), whining and being apathetic isn't going to accomplish anything. It bothers me that people are so quick to point fingers and throw in the towel. Our country deserves better from its leaders and citizens. I will be the first to admit that Obama hasn't been the force for positive change that he seemed to be in January 2009, but we have nobody to blame but ourselves for that one.

Before the guy had even done anything we filled our glass of optimism to the brim and never bothered to think about the fact that it wouldn't be easy to right all the wrongs of the previous administration and achieve every item in an ambitious agenda. Not to mention that a bunch of other crap came up while Obama was tackling the existing issues. The BP oil spill, various revolutions and this recent tragedy in Japan only heaped more to do items on America's painfully long list. Rather than being so defeatist and negative, the nation needs to regain perspective and think about how unfair we made the expectations. Not even a dream team of leaders like FDR, George Washington and Ronald Reagan could have met the lofty goals we set two years ago. The glass needs to be about half full now, not mostly empty, because that's where we are.

This will be a good test to see if people in this country can see things as they are, without panicking, without getting angry or complacent and with a guarded sense of optimism. I'm not saying the glass won't ever be full, and I'm not saying it will be full soon, what I am saying is that politicians and citizens need to be less ready to build up their leaders, only to tear them down a short time later. If we were in charge we'd kill for that kind of mentality from those that we serve.

Do Ask, Do Tell

I, for one, am glad that the Senate voted to repeal 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' today, allowing gays to serve openly in the military. The argument that many are making in favor of the repeal is that anyone willing to serve, and potentially die for our country deserves the dignity and respect of everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, and should be allowed to serve openly as a gay man or woman. I agree with this logic, but I hope that this act is only the first step in a long line of measures that grant homosexuals more equality in this country.

We live in a world where people have been marginalized and discriminated against to the point of extermination. While many seem to think that we are in some post-modern wonderland where prejudice is a faint memory that only rears its head when a new film about the Holocaust is made, I say that we need to reexamine why something like 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' took so long to repeal. Anytime something like this comes up for debate, people who are afraid of what change might bring forget about the effect it has on the group being discriminated against. Many have trouble thinking about what it would be like if they had to deny who they are, and keep it a secret for fear of what might happen if others found out.

As a straight, white, well educated male I am never asked to not be who I am, or given a back seat because of my race, sex or orientation, but I know those who are. Everyone does, whether they want to admit it or not, and I cannot say what something like this act by Congress does for a group of people who yearn to be treated like everyone else. I see this as a good step in the right direction, but I hope that those in power will not be content with this one act. There is still work to be done.

Here Come The Schmohawks

Check out the latest Schmohawks.

THE REPUBLICANS

These Schmohawks whined and complained for the last two years about how Obama has not done enough to fix all the problems that their boy George W. Bush got us into. With the election last week they got what they wanted and now they need to put their money where their mouth is. Solutions are more than just offering criticism and I'm glad that they will be on the hook to work with the Democrats to get things done in Washington. Responsibility is now the word of the day. Be careful what you wish for, Schmohawks, you may get it.

THE DEMOCRATS

The symbol of the Schmohawk might as well be a donkey. The Democrats failed once again to get together on a consistent message, and as a result, lost a pantload of seats to the Republicans. Obama can't be held completely responsible for his party's failures in the last two years, but he also hasn't been perfect. Neither have other Democratic leaders who tried to throw the President under the bus in their campaigns. Let's hope that they get out Schmohawked by the GOP in the next two years and regain what they lost this week. Don't be surprised if the Schmohawkery continues, though.

THE PRODUCERS OF JAMES BOND

Hawk. Schmo Hawk. There hasn't been this much enthusiasm for James Bond since the 1960's, but you wouldn't know it. MGM, the studio that has produced 007 films for a long time, is in the process of being sold and that has stalled production on Daniel Craig's third outing indefinitely. It is sad that we might have to wait three or four years, or maybe more, before Bond is back on the big screen. Craig will want to move on if the Schmohawks in charge can't get it a script together and decide what is going to happen with MGM. Here's a thought, take 007 somewhere that isn't mired in financial woes- anybody who isn't a Schmohawk would love to be in business with 007.

Decision 2010

As the days wind down to Election Day 2010 I am struck by the apathy of many and the anger of others. Many people right now are upset with the plight of the nation, and I can sympathize, to a point. I am worried though about how extremists threaten to take our government by storm because their outrage and platform matches that of a small, loud mass of people who are pushing the panic button. It is hard for me to see our nation freak out and prepare to take a step backward in many areas with the rise of the Tea Party.

It is true that things have not improved in the way many people, including President Obama, thought they would. I am hoping to appeal to the more level-headed, less reactionary majority that Jon Stewart hopes to rally later this month in Washington D.C. Get out and vote! Show the loud, angry minority that they don't speak for all of us. Voter apathy is abhorrent to me, and if those on the left and in the middle stay home and let Tea Partiers dominate the polls we will lose something valuable. Prejudice and discrimination are at the core of what the extremists stand for, whether they admit it or not. I don't think our country can afford to take steps backward, and the only way to make sure that we don't is to get out and VOTE!

Co-opting the Past

It has become popular for people all over the political landscape to use history as a way to forward their agenda. This is not a new phenomenon, in fact, it is as old as the nation in which we live. Sadly, people have never been able to accurately portray the past in order to influence the present. Hindsight is always skewed, either to make the past look better or worse than it actually was. As a historian, I am appalled by how misinformed the general public is about their past. Many seek to relive prior eras that seem closer to our nation's core values and founding principles. Tea Partiers constantly invoke the "salad days" of the American Revolution and the great leaders of that time in their rhetoric. Yes, George Washington, John Adams and Co. were some of the greatest leaders we have ever known, but let's not forget that slavery and political strife were defining aspects of that time period. I hate to burst the Tea Party's bubble, but the late 18th Century wasn't like living in the Disney Cartoon- Ben and Me.

Also, let's dispel any of the rumors that the 1950's and early 1960's were so much better than the current decade. Women and African Americans, not to mention Homosexuals were all completely marginalized, mistreated and kept from being equal with straight white men. Anyone who wants to go back to the Leave It To Beaver world is forgetting these facts, as well as the fear of Communism that inspired McCarthyism, the Bay of Pigs threat, the Civil Rights Movement and the start of the Vietnam War. If you wish to invoke the past- invoke the reality of it, not the childish fantasy.

In addition to this, does anyone actually know about Adolf Hitler? Every time you turn around someone is comparing our current leaders to Hitler. I spent a majority of my undergraduate work studying Nazi Germany, and even though times are bad, I am 100% sure that the America of 2010 is nowhere near as bad as the Germany of 1944. Stop being ignorant and using the Hitler analogy when you make a political argument, please. Hitler's regime bares no comparisons with Obama's administration- no matter how many little mustaches you paint on his upper lip. I realize that sometimes it is common to exaggerate something to make a point, but unless any of our politicians in Washington engineer the mass extermination of a race of people, the Hitler comparison is not viable for any of them.

As a rule, it needs to be understood that no era, decade or century was perfect. Instead of trying to recapture bygone days, our country needs to look to the future. Times have changed too much to go backward, and the past should serve only as a lesson to learn from the mistakes we made. It isn't 1776 or 1955, it's 2010.

Happy Birthday, United States!

This year on July 4th I am going to be celebrating this great nation with beer and fireworks and fun with friends- not bad. In addition to that, I will also be reflecting on America's place in the world. I do believe our country is the greatest on Earth, but there are some things that would make us even greater. I am proud to be an American, but I could be prouder.

First, we need to allow gay people to have the same rights under the law as straight people. Let them be married and enjoy the same benefits that my wife and I enjoy. I feel like this struggle for equality is my generation's civil rights movement. The U.S.A. seems so out of step with the times on this, and also so bigoted. I'm so tired of these people who say, "marriage is defined between a man and a woman." Guess what, people used to say that women had no right to vote and that all blacks were slaves. Get over it, things change. America has always been about being inclusive and leading by example, but in this regard we are failing miserably.

Second, in the same vein, this country needs to get rid of these ridiculous immigration laws. Having to carry documentation around in the event that you get profiled by police doesn't sound like America. It sounds like some kind of fascist regime- you know, like the ones we fought so hard to bring down during World War II?   I'm not going to go all Glenn Beck on you and bring out Nazi props, but just think about where this kind of law is going to take us. Immigration is an important issue, but Arizona has made a huge mistake in how to deal with it.

Third, and finally, let's keep the Russian spies out of America. What is this, 1960? Do we need to call England and have them send James Bond over? I know the Cold War is over, but seriously, U.S.A., nothing seems more unAmerican than letting the Russians set up shop for over a decade to spy on us. Get it together, CIA.

America is my home, and I love it, but I want to love it more. Happy Birthday, U.S.A. blow out your candles and make a good wish- (hint- wish for all that stuff I just said).