Democratic National Convention

So, I would be remiss in my duty as a citizen of the Denver Metro Area if I did not at least mention the DNC that is going on here right now. So, this afternoon, I went downtown to see what all was going on. There wasn't much, actually, but then again, it was 2 pm, and I don't think they had anything scheduled officially until the big Monsignour Obama acceptance speech tonight at Mile High Stadium, blockaded I-25 included free of charge. Actually, the real reason I went down there is because the Public Relations department of the school needed some photos of students to make some promotional banners to display during the convention in the windows of their downtown buildings, and so I wanted to see my face overlooking thousands of east/west coast liberals huffing past, struggling to breath at altitude. And, let me just say, I was a little disappointed. It's not that great of a picture. See, look:


So I guess the message is all about self-empowerment, like, "Look what CU-Denver lets you do! I thrive! I improve! I respond! I create!" And, now, look what it says under my awkward photo: I position?!?! I don't even know what that means! Well, I have some guesses, but they all go way past double and into the territory of triple or even quadruple entendre. Oh, and the blonde girl above "I thrive" is in my class, but I don't know the other people. I was pretty impressed I got a panorama of part of Denver's skyline in the reflection of the window, though. And here's my reflection looking annoyed that I'm not more photogenic.


Thus ends my modeling career. Okay, now, the rest of this post is political, so if you don't want to read more, that's fine, go do something else. I've been hanging around some political corners of cyberspace, and it seems a lot of people are terrified of Obama being president; things like, if he is elected, then it will be an irreversible first step in our country's demise, that his inexperience will result in future political missteps that will cost our country dearly, that he would appoint judges and committee leaders that would tear down the Constitution, etc, etc. Normally I am good at not listening to people, but these words were coming from writers that I have often agreed with in the past, and so I started to re-think my Obama support. McCain would do fine, too, but if I voted for Obama, then I didn't want part of the blame for hastening the end of the world. So, I did a little research. Please to find below the things that the two candidates have DIFFERENT views on.

Campaign Finance:
McCain - accepts lobbyist funds, runs his campaign with public money.
Obama - accepts state lobbyist funds but not federal lobbyist funds, runs campaign with private money.

Abortion:
McCain - opposes a woman's right to an abortion. Wants to weaken Roe vs. Wade, but doesn't want to put anything about abortion in the Constitution.
Obama - is just fine with the abortion thing as it is now.

Oil:
McCain - wants to get rid of the gas tax, making petrol about 18 cents cheaper per gallon.
Obama - wants to keep the gas tax where it is

Iraq:
McCain - Does not want to schedule a troop withdrawal
Obama - wants to get troops out of there completely in 18 months

Death Penalty:
McCain - wants to expand what capitol punishment's reach, and limit appeals
Obama- wants to keep the death penalty for certain violent crimes, but with the confessions and proceedings all videorecorded to reduce wrongful convictions

And that is about it. Or in other words, those are the things they have different views on. Everything else? They have remarkably similar plans. Cuba? They both want to ease our sanctions against it and maybe enter into diplomacy with Raul Castro. Afghanistan? Increase troops. Education? Divorce teacher pay from standardized test scores and make parental choice more important in the kid's education. Same-sex marriage? They both oppose a constitutional amendment to ban it, but don't want guy/guy or girl/girl couples to be "married." Instead, have them enter into a civil contract that would provide the same insurance and legal benefits. Isn't that then the same thing as marriage? I guess they just want everyone to call it something else. Climate change? They both want to increase alternative energy projects and enforce tougher fuel-efficiency standards. Also, they both are open to increasing offshore drilling, but are both opposed to drilling in the Arctic. Gun control? Ban automatic and assault weapons, make background checks at gun shows mandatory. Health reform? No mandatory adult coverage, but require employers and the government to help cover premiums for underinsured folks. Housing? Government aid for those suffering from bad mortgage deals. Immigration? They both support the building of the Great Wall of Mexico, but are in favor of easing the path to citizenship and helping the people already here obtain it. Iran? Tougher sanctions and no talks with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just yet. Social Security? They're open to just about anything. Stem cell research? They both want to relax the restrictions. Taxes? Shift the tax burden onto the wealthiest. Trade? Both want to re-instate NAFTA.

I think I wrote a couple weeks ago that I thought McCain would be a good president, and so I'd be happy if he won. Now I am even more sure of that. But what I am also sure of is that Obama won't be the end of the world if he's president, and if he is, it sure seems like McCain would be the end of the world too. Now, even the things they agree on, they might go about it in different ways, and that will make a difference for sure, but I don't see how we can know all the consequences beforehand. I guess the real decision comes down to the things that they differ on. If those things are important to you, then, hey, go with who you agree with. I know quite a few people for whom abortion is a deal breaker; if the candidate supports abortion rights, then they won't vote for them, no matter what the candidate thinks about anything else. And if that's you, then great! We need people who have such strong convictions. But for me, I don't really have any deal-breakers. I'll probably have to perform abortions in my career. But the things that are most important for me politically are healthcare reform (duh, 'cause that's what I do), stem cell research ('cause it has the potential to advance medical knowledge and treatment), immigration (not because I am scared they will ship me back to...uh, Wales?...but because I think a person's stance on immigration is a good indicator of their level of global compassion and willingness to spread opportunity around equally) and energy (having a happy, healthy planet is not incompatible with having happy, healthy people). And, uh, the both of them seem to agree pretty much on all the things I look at closely. So, I still think I'll vote for Obama.

Let's lighten things up. Layla looked so cute in her dress for church, but we could not get a good picture out of it. So here's some awkward ones.