chew on this chuckie...

I don't normally listen to Charlie Sykes on AM620-WTMJ. He's way to Republican-happy, Democrat-bashing for my tastes...and I can handle a bit 'o bashing.

However, today I just so happened to get into my car to hear Sykes state "All politicians lie." This had to be the most intelligent thing I'd heard from him. Wait for it... Then he decided to continue blabbering and ONLY name Democrats (read: President Obama) who lie and using low-ball tactics to get elected, thus leading to unfulfilled campaign promises.

Excuse me? Only Democrats lie to get elected? And what about Karl "Low-Ball Tactics" Rove? Didn't we have eight years of unfulfillment?

It should be obvious by now that I'm a Democrat and a relatively liberal one at that. And it really grinds my gears (thank you Peter Griffith) that people - especially conservatives - haven't even given Obama a chance to succeed, let alone fulfill any campaign promise. Obama still has three years to fulfill his campaign promises while "W" somehow managed not to fulfill promises over eight years.

Here are just a few examples of broken promises by the GOP:

• Promise: Make health insurance affordable for hard-working, low-income families. In 2000, 43 million Americans were without health insurance. Reality: Ten years later, 46 millions are without health insurance. Premiums have increased by 12.5%. Do the math. More people are currently uninsured and it's less affordable.
• Promise: Fully-fund the Pell grant program for first-year students with a maximum amount of $5100. Reality: The Pell grant amount was frozen at $4050 for three consecutive years. That's about $1050 short of $5100.
• Promise: Income tax cuts will benefit all Americans, especially moderate and low income families. Reality: The top 20% of earners received 70% of the tax cuts. This must be some new math I'm unaware of.
• Promise: The debt will be paid down to a historically low level. Reality: At the end of his term, the national debt was a record high of $7.3 trillion. This really needs no explanation.

And W couldn't even fulfill his promises with a Republican Congress.

Chew on that Chuckie.

information taken from Bush-Cheney website, CBS, Center for Policy & Budget Priorities, Census Bureau and USA Today

revelation: i'm an ass!

Due to the current political climate (especially this past week), each of our political persuasions are likely to be uncovered at some point. I don't really care what you align with; if it opens topics up for intelligent debate, even better. If we disagree on some issues, that's fine. Just don't try to ram your version of politics down my throat.

I will say I've had intelligent and insightful conversions with those on the other side of the fence (thank you Rob and Craig), but those are few and far between. While I don't openly divulge my political views (sans this week on the fb), I consider myself a liberal. Sorry Mom, I know you prefer me using just "Democrat", so for you I will be a Democrat liberal. (Note: Mom does not actually read this blog)

For some reason, that revelation seems to surprise people. And for the life of me, I'm not sure why. So, let's explore why their assumption is unfounded.

I went to Marquette University.
Marquette's defining statement states "Marquette is a Catholic, Jesuit university dedicated to serving God by serving our students and contributing to the advancement of knowledge." The mission reads, "Our Mission is the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to others. All this we pursue for the greater glory of God and the common benefit of the human community."

Yeah, I can see that - if you look at it at face value. My guess is that I overlooked any preposition or phrase that explicitly mentioned God or religion. I'm also certain that my parents thought me going to a Jesuit university would strengthen my religious faith. Epic fail.

However, if you look deeper into Marquette's mission there are four core values: excellence, leadership, service and faith - all of which we (per Marquette) should strive for in our lives. I would think that any educational entity would strive to instill the values of excellence and leadership in its students, at least on some level. As for service, I believe that everyone should dedicate time to service. While this value was instilled through my dad's own volunteer efforts, my involvement with service organizations at Marquette fostered it. Faith is likely only prominent in religious institutions. While usually referenced as a religious term, faith can also elude to trust in yourself and/or others or to belief in something. To quote Dogma, "It doesn't matter what you have faith in, just that you have faith."

I think I just partially de-religioned part of Marquette's core values. Thank you for teaching me to think critcially!

I was raised Catholic.
So was JFK...and he remains the only Roman Catholic president this country has elected. He was also a Democrat, and likely could have been one of the greatest presidents ever had his life not been cut short. But I digress.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a poll on religion in America. Overall, their study confirmed that the more often people attend services, the more likely they are to be conservative. Of course this varies based upon specific religion and its general doctrine and theology. (ie. Mormons are conservatives, atheists are liberal). I used every excuse I could to get out of church, as I don't believe you need to go to services to "prove" your worthiness. I am liberal. My mom goes to church religiously (pun intended). She is a Democrat as of 2002.

In fact, 38% of Catholics consider themselves as leaning to the left. I believe this is due in part to the strong dedication to service to others in the hopes of leading to a more just society. This "service to others" DOES NOT include the allegations against current and former Catholic priests.

It is true that historically, a vast majority of Catholics have a strong opposition to abortion. According to the findings, this isn't necessarily the case. Catholics are split on the issue: 48% believe abortion should be legal in most cases, with 45% illegal. The Catholic church itself, with all its doctrine and high-and-mightiness, may be opposed; but apparently its followers live in the 21st century.

I am not a follower and refer to myself as a "recovering Catholic", but I indeed live in the 21st century.

Strong military history

Numerous members of my family (grandddad, uncle, cousins) have served in the armed forces and my parents were civilian employees. The Navy, to be exact. Traditionally, the armed forces and the GOP go hand in hand. In a non-scientific poll of my friends and family currently serving or having served in the armed forces, this would be proven correctly.

However, this "tradition" can also foster ignorance (and perhaps stupidity). Case in point: during the 2008 election, a co-worker saw that I voted prior to coming into work. The conversation that ensued:

Ignoramus: Oh did you vote for your man McCain?

Me: How is McCain my man?

Ignoramus: Your dad was in Navy so you voted for McCain because he's a Navy veteran.

Me: Umm, no I didn't.

It's true. I proudly voted for Obama. And you know what? So did my dad.

Overall, I believe it's the experiences (not circumstantial facts) that leads one to their beliefs - religious, political and otherwise - that make each one of us the person we are today. My parents gave me the blueprint; I built the model known as Bec. Politically, Bec is a liberal Democrat.

But in the grand scheme of things, it's a model that really doesn't fit into any mold.

cayenne(s)

Driving home from work yesterday, I saw a Porsche Cayenne on the road - a sight that is rare is these parts (or any parts for that matter). This is Porsche's foray into the SUV market. Critics say that while this SUV indeed handles like a Porsche, the acceleration is weak and there's limited cargo space. It is also not as capable for off-roading.

When I got home, I was greeted Cayenne the AmStaff terrier - a sight that always puts a smile on my face. This is my first foray into dog ownership. Friends agree that Cayenne indeed has the exuberance of a terrier, his acceleration is full-force and he takes up a lot of couch space. However, he is game for off-roading (read: hiking) and is one of the sweetest dogs ever.

I think I have the better Cayenne model.

♣ Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh! ♣

Or for those of you not versed in Gaelic - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For many, this holiday is much like another New Year's Eve: the revelry, the camaraderie and oh, yes, the drinking. Many partake in these festivities whether or not they are Irish (hey, only some of us can be perfect the rest of the year) and everyone has a grand old time.

However, have you ever wondered about the history behind St. Patrick's Day celebrations and customs?

St. Patrick's Day began as a Catholic holiday and is actually an official feast day. Over the years, the holiday has evolved into one of secular nature and serves as a celebration of Irish heritage and culture.

St. Patrick's Day is in honor of St. Patrick (duh!), a native Brit who was kidnapped by the Irish and taken to Ireland as a slave. At some point, he fled from captivity and returned to Britain. Upon his return, he studied to be a priest and was "called" to Ireland to convert them. Thus, St. Patrick was responsible for introducing Catholicism to the Irish or as they say "chasing the snakes out of Ireland" (and you wondered how Lakefront Brewery came up with the name Snake Chaser for their tasty Irish Stout). According to folklore, he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit). As a result, the shamrock continues to be a prominent of St. Patrick's Day celebrations today.

As the Irish immigrated to the USA, St. Patrick's Day observances moved from a religious to a political nature. The first known observance (known as a parade) was in Boston in 1737. Irish immigrant workers marched to make a political statement about how they were not happy with their low social status and their inability to obtain jobs in America. New York City began its observance of the holiday in 1766 with a parade (which started at a tavern) in protest of the unfair treatment of the Irish immigrants. NYC continues to have the largest parade and celebration of St. Patrick's Day outside of Ireland, and it is likely not political in nature. Almost 300 years later, most major cities with historical Irish ancestry also stage parades in celebration; Chicago even dyes the Chicago River green for the festivities.

Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in the US by bloody everyone (Irish or not) by the wearing green-colored clothing and accessories (i.e. boas, funky ass hats). Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched affectionately. If you are pinched for not wearing green, you have my permission to kick them in the "lucky charms". If you are wearing a traditional kilt, you can pinch or kick anyone you want...and look authentic doing it (regardless of ancestry).

Another modern-day tradition includes hitting local pubs, taverns and bars (again, Irish or not...in reference to the watering hole and the revelers) at 6 am on St. Patrick's day for free swag and libations (which should include a shot of Jameson). And in the States you'll hear a lot of U2 played. At least in Toronto they'll also play the Cranberries, the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. "Drunken Lullabies" seems appropriate at about midnight on a day like this.

And why the green? The color originally associated with St. Patrick was blue. However, green is one of the colors on the Irish flag. And that little shamrock has something to do with it as well.

But please, don't drink the green beer. It's an abomination of the holiday. Really. Try a Guinness or Harp.

♣ Sláinte! ♣