Follow Me on Twitter

Well, it's been almost a year since I last posted here. I just haven't had the time and/or energy for blogging. I have discovered microblogging, however, so if anyone happens to stumble upon this blog, follow me on Twitter (@tiff_ellis). My views haven't changed any, but I tend to keep it around 140 characters these days.

I'm Back (to Indoctrinate your Children)

Ok, I am sufficiently outraged as to start blogging again. I took a break for a while (a long while), partly because of school, because I moved, and honestly, because I didn't have much to complain about for a while. True, I've been quite disappointed by the reaction of many Central Texans to Obama's election, but not enough to write too much about it. Let me clarify that statement. I do not expect everyone to bow down and worship Obama. Many of his hard-core supporters think there are some things that he could be doing differently. No, I am simply sick of the fearmongering that is swirling about. I'm tired of Obama's critics tossing out a few political catchphrases designed to get their based good and riled up, and then listening to the ensuing chaos.

One more qualification: I was a Bush-basher. I have a bumper sticker on my car that reads "So the Dixie Chicks were right after all." I was an informed Bush-basher, however. I can handle debate; I can handle disagreement. What I can't handle is the ignorance. If all you've heard is the Fox News version, then please either a.) sit down and shut the up, or b.) do some more research. If you've learned some things about what you are bitching about, and still have the same opinion, bring it on. I'd love to talk to you. If neither choice a. nor b. applies to you, get a hobby or something. Join a monastery and take a vow of silence. Learn to knit...anything but this.

What's gotten me so annoyed is the uproar over Obama's address to students on Tuesday. I'm hearing people saying they are pulling their kids out of school that day. There are so many reasons why this is ridiculous. First of all, my understanding is that the speech is going to be a standard, "hey-kids-stay-in-school-don't-do-drugs" kinda thing. I remember watching George H.W. Bush do the same thing when I was in 1st-2nd grade. There may have been an uproar then, but I was a little to young to join in on the fun. Anyway, unless Obama will be sending subliminal messages to the kiddies, I highly doubt that any of them are going to be receiving instructions on how to get a quickie abortion, join the gay rights movement, hug a treee, or become a Socialist. The message is to do well in school, which, ironically, is best achieved by having good attendance. So, go to school on Tuesday, kids.

All in all, I think this is a minor thing that will hopefully blow over. We have bigger fish to fry. It's not worth getting this upset over. We've got some real problems to fix.

On a side note, I'm going to try to post more often, now that I'm settled at my new school and in my new apartment. Before, I kinda wanted people to read and comment my blog, now I don't care. This is just an outlet for my frustrations. If you like it great, if not...that's also great. This is going to be my equivalent of a punching bag from now on.

I needed a vacation...

So i realize that i haven't posted in about a month. In the past month, I have barely even watched the news or read the paper. There has just been too much to do. With the holidays, and finals, and falling for a Republican, there has just been too much going on in my life. I am ready to join the real world again, so I will do my best to catch up and start posting again. Since I've been gone, I do know that Hillary got the Secretary of State position and Governor Blagojevich got arrested. I haven't been living under a rock, after all...
Anyway, for the one person who might read this, expect new stuff soon.

Still Alive

On the slim chance that anyone reads this blog, here's a message. I'm still alive. Busy with work, and school, and life in general, but still alive. There will hopefully be new stuff soon.

Senate Race Update: 1 down, 2 to go

Okay, this is old news, but I've been busy. Mark Begich has won the Alaska Senate race. On Thursday, Ted Stevens said goodbye to his lengthy career in the Senate. Every other senator that spoke gave him glowing praise, as well. In fact, many of his colleagues who had rallied for his resignation gave very moving tributes to Stevens.

Anyway, Mark Begich, a relatively conservative Democrat, will take over for Alaska. This gives the Democrats (including Lieberman) a 58-42 advantage in the Senate. This means that we still need Franken to win the recount in Minnesota and Martin to win the runoff in Georgia.

As of right now, it appears that Franken has cut into Coleman's lead slightly. However, the end appears to be nowhere in sight, as counting is not expected to be finished and reported until December 5th. Then litigation begins. This one may not be decided until next year.

In Georgia, both candidates are still trying to raise money and jockey for position. The runoff will be hold on December 2, with turnout expected to be much lower than that of the general election. It is arguable whether this favors Chambliss or Martin. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

The positive here is that Begich pulled off the victory in Alaska. Besides the obvious Democratic win, there are other advantages to this. Had Stevens been elected, and then subsequently expelled from the Senate, there was talk of Sarah Palin taking over his seat. Needless to say, that could have been disastrous. Entertaining, but disastrous.

Quotes of the Week

Seth Meyers on SNL's Weekend Update:

It's official, for the next four years, it will be pronounced nu-cle-ar.

Barack Obama met with Hillary Clinton on Friday to see if she would be interested in a role in his administration. "Of course," said Hillary. "I'll take president."

Kathleen Parker, in a column entitled "Giving Up on God.":

Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth -- as long as we're setting ourselves free -- is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.

The choir has become absurdly off-key, and many Republicans know it.

But they need those votes!

So it has been for the Grand Old Party since the 1980s or so, as it has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners.

Short break as writer ties blindfold and smokes her last cigarette.

Conan O'Brien:

The Republican party is considering naming the first African-American chairman in their party's history. Isn't that incredible? That's big news. First African-American, yeah. Yeah, unfortunately, Republicans are having a hard time
finding an African-American who's white.

And since it's been a busy week towards the end of the semester, and I have spent more time reading my textbooks than the newspaper, here's a letter that I wrote to the Waco Trib:

One thing that this year’s election has proven is that the White House can be won without the South. With the exception of North Carolina, Virginia and Florida, southern states were largely irrelevant in the presidential race. Even without these southern battleground states, Barack Obama would have won the presidency hands down.

Some of us are quite eager to “join the Union,” as Dwight Allman, associate professor of political science at Baylor, put it. Others, judging from the blatant racism that has been apparent in Central Texas since the election, are clearly hell-bent on maintaining the world’s image of Texans as a bunch of reckless, arrogant rednecks.

Part of what makes our country so great is that we can disagree with each other and not have civil war break out in the streets. What we cannot do is continue to try to resuscitate the South as it was during the actual Civil War.

A co-worker told me the other day that the South would “rise again.” Without getting into the unspeakable violence that happened in the years following the Civil War, I wonder why there are some who insist on deepening the divide that has already split this nation.

Despite the chance for a fresh start, there are some seemingly “average” people who have chosen to participate in old-fashioned Southern racism rather than listening to reason. It is evident that we have not yet reached total racial equality. To move into the 21st century, along with the rest of the nation, we must let the Old South’s legacy of racism and hate die quietly and find a way to come together.

Palin Book Deal?

Apparently, there are rumors that Sarah Palin is close to being offered a book deal. While I seriously doubt that she would actually be putting pen to paper-- imagine a book longer than War and Peace that never made a single point-- she could make millions from this.

So, that got me thinking. If Palin were to "write" a book, what would the title be. I have some suggestions:

The Audacity of False Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming My Dignity

Dreams from Joe the Plumber: A Story of Fake Plumbers and Socialism

To Kill an Elephant

Of Moose and Men

The Five People You Meet at Neiman Marcus

Sarah Palin and the Order of the Dead Elephant

Her Eyes were Watching Russia (From Alaska, of course.)

The Sour Grapes of Wrath

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Mavericks

Much Ado About Nothin', You Betcha!

The Maverick, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

2012 (Think 1984...she will describe how Obama will destroy society by 2012, and why we should elect her to fix it.)

And here are a few that have already been taken, but would have been perfect:

A Confederacy of Dunces

Things Fall Apart

The Comedy of Errors