Tiger Hill

This is what our country has become.  A nation where someone doesn’t like what you say, they can detain you for nothing more than exercising your rights of assembly and press.  The fact that the arrest of Amy Goodman and Nicole Salazar isn’t on top of Page One of every major newspaper in the US is just another example that our political discourse as gone horribly awry.  Below are the videos of their arrests.

I’ve been quiet this week due to changes in my job, and frankly, I didn’t know how to write about the biggest news of the past week–the nomination of Sarah Palin.  Don’t get me wrong, I knew how I felt about her the moment I heard the news; however, I just didn’t know how to react to news that someone in charge of an state that has less people than my hometown(Memphis, TN) and my place of residence(Austin, TX) might be thought of as someone ready for an office just “a heartbeat away from the Presidency”. [sorry for the cliche]  With that said, do I think that Will Wynn or W.W. Herenton would be prepared to be Vice President?  Of course not.

I do like John McCain.  Although his stances on civil liberties and the Iraq War make me voting for him impossible, I thought that he would at least make a serviceable President and as his campaign slogan states—Put America First.  However, his choice of Sarah Palin has convinced me that he is nothing more than a normal politician that will do anything to be elected.  If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t pick a Vice President that is not nearly as qualified as hundreds of others in his own party.  I almost understand his wish to pick a woman.  However, there are numerous women who are immensely more qualified than her—my own Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, former NJ Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Senator Susan Collins, Senator Olympia Snowe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, etc.  Why would he choose a woman who has only been a governor for less time than he has been running for President?  Why?  What would possess him to do something so short sided when our nation is at risk at home(civil liberties) and abroad(Global War on Terrorism, Iraq, Russian Resurgence, etc.)?  Do you really want her across the table from Vladimir Putin?  Hu Jintao?  Really?  I know I don’t.

New Orleans is once again possibly in the path of another hurricane.  To my friend, Val, living in New Orleans.  Get the hell out and come to Austin.  I’ve got an extra ticket to the Toadies.  It’ll be much more fun than this.  Everyone else, be safe and get out if need be.

FYI, Bush is scheduled to speak on Monday at the Republican National Convention.  What would the political ramifications be of President Bush speaking at a political rally on the day that New Orleans is getting hit by a hurricane?  I surmise that the Bush and McCain camps wouldn’t be idiotic enough to allow that to happen.  Bush would do what he should’ve done during Katrina–acted like he gave a damn–and the Republicans will move around their convention schedule.