Don't Ask. Don't Tell...Let's Get Over It

The recent GOP landslide that took place Tuesday night most likely means bad news for opponents of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that has reared its ugly head for the past seventeen years.

Just a few months ago Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Obama and Democrats to lift the ban on gays from serving openly in the military. With the recent Republican gains in both the Senate and House, repealing this ban may be incredibly difficult.

This debate has a long history that dates back to 1778, when Lieutenant Gotthold Frederick Enslin was the first soldier discharged from the the Continental Army for sodomy.

I'll give you the short version:

Just before World War II the US added psychiatric screening to its induction process and homosexuals were snuffed out. This was followed by years of ugly debate and 'undesirable discharges' for homosexuals in the military. So in 1982 the Department of Defense enacted a policy stating that "homosexuality was clearly incompatible with military service" and anyone engaging in it would be discharged. So along comes President Bill Clinton in 1993, who issued the "Don't Ask. Don't Tell" policy, which was intended to be a compromise and meant that any male or female entering the military could not be asked about sexual orientation. So if you are homosexual, by all means keep your mouth shut or you may be discharged.

And that pretty much brings us to 2010.

I simply don't get it. Why shouldn't gays be allowed to serve openly in the military? And how is it that an openly gay man may be discharged from the military if his sexual orientation is revealed? It isn't right.

I admire those that are brave enough to sacrifice everything in their life to serve the USA in war. I believe who you love isn't any of my business and it certainly shouldn't prevent you from serving our country. I'm not picky and I don't think any of us should be when it comes to who can or cannot protect our freedoms.

Lots of people argue that homosexuals disrupt military life. Here's a thought: maybe it isn't the homosexuals causing the problem, but those who choose to harass and torment these individuals. I believe a cohesive military unit begins with respect.

I'm not in the military and I probably don't have much room to talk about this. But I simply believe that gays should be allowed to serve openly, just like anyone else. It's amazing to me that these men and women would even want to serve a country that doesn't allow them 100% of the rights given to a straight man. Pretty incredible.

So I wonder if the US will ever join Germany, Australia, France, England, Spain and all the other countries that allow openly gay individuals to serve in the military? Doesn't look to be on the horizon any time soon.

Democratic "shellacking" & The Future

Last night's mid-term elections proved to not only send a clear message to our dear Mr. President, but will also go down in the record books with a big red bang. It has been over seventy years since the House had such a dramatic party turnover. No one can deny the message that follows a night like this: Americans are fed up.

The GOP gained the majority in the House by picking up over 60 seats, therefore snatching the monopoly of power away from the Dems, who narrowly maintained the Senate. We're going to see a balance of power in the Congress over the next two years and I believe it will be a good thing for Obama, who now has his first real opportunity to live up to his bipartisanship promises.

Despite what some critics say, this election was a landslide and symbolizes how the American people feel about Obama, his policies, and how Congress has acted over the past two years. This GOP victory is largely due to the fire and spunk behind tea party activists across the nation, who I think have gotten a bad rap over the past several months. The media loves to showcase the crazies of any party and stations like CNN have made it their mission to report on any and every tea party supporter who acts like a fool. While there are some who are in fact crazy, the vast majority of these tea party members are hard working middle class Americans who believe banks should not be bailed out, government should have a limited role in our lives, and wasteful federal spending should be squashed. I think the whole tea party label should be done away with, simply because too many people associate this with the crazy bearded man holding a pitch fork in one hand and a rifle in the other. Let's replace that image with the small town woman who started a little cupcake business and is fighting to keep her head above water.

The question now is how will this affect you and me? The first thing that comes to mind is healthcare. Many of the Republicans elected last night promised to work towards repealing Obama's healthcare bill. I don't think that's possible, as some Republicans support aspects of the bill, (such as not being dropped for pre-existing illness) but I do believe we will see some serious cuts in spending here and major changes to this newly founded policy.

Secondly, I think Obama will have to adapt his policies to reflect a more conservative base, much like Clinton did after the so-called Republican Revolution of the 1994 election. Ultra conservative Rush Limbaugh predicts that "Obama's not going to slow down. Obama's not going to moderate, he's not gonna go incremental." I have to disagree with him here, because I believe Obama has no choice but to scale back his plans and work with the Republicans. Likewise, Republicans will have to meet Obama in the middle and find some common ground. Their first opportunity will come when Congress decides whether or not to extend the Bush tax cuts that will soon expire.

Needless to say, it should be an interesting two years and hopefully we can squeeze some jobs out of it.

I think it's exactly what the doctor ordered for the good ol US of A.

Elections & Orange Chicken

The mid-term elections are coming up next week and I'm actually pretty excited to see what happens. I wouldn't call myself a news junkie, but I do watch a good hour or two of news each day and frequent the BBC website multiple times a week. I do my best to see both sides of the issues so I try to flip back and forth between CNN and Fox News, but I always watch the O'Reilly Factor while I'm cooking dinner, it's actually become a bit of a tradition in my house.

So I'm pretty jazzed about Tuesday night. There has been so much debate about which side is going to win, Donkeys vs. Elephants, and I'm just glad to finally see the end of this. Everyone's got their big concerns: the economy, the war, taxes, jobs, ect and this election is going to be a significant indicator of which way things will go over the next two years.

Another reason I'm glad this election is almost over? COMMERCIALS! I mean really, how many more ugly political ads can I endure? I think I've reached my limit and I'm ready to see them disappear...I can't believe I'm going to say it, but I'm actually looking forward to the Christmas commercials. Eek. I'll also be happy to see the little annoying signs go away, you know the ones that are practically stacked on top of each other on the side of the road or in front of the library. Do they really think 10 neon yellows signs will change my mind?

Back in 2008 the Hubster and I ordered a whole mess of take-out Chinese food for the night of the Presidential election. We stayed up super late watching all the numbers roll in and it ended up being a really fun night. (Yes, we are nerds!) So our plan is to re-create that night this Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to a big ol' plate of Chinese food and cuddling up on the coach with my boy as we watch everyone freak out as results come in.

Perspective is everything.

The hubster and I were in the fabulous town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado not too long ago. It's one of my favorite places in the world and I suggest you add it to your bucket list if you haven't visited. It is seriously awesome. For me, it's one of those places that just demands that I slow down and think...think about myself, life, my future, everything. I always come away from Steamboat feeling refreshed and better prepared to take on life. This last trip was no different and I realized something about myself: I'm always in a hurry.

For a long time now I've been focused on 'figuring myself out'. I've been obsessed with finding my 'path' in life and in many ways it's actually made me crazy. I'm always trying to figure out my plan and constantly checking myself to make sure I'm working towards a goal. And I'm always in a hurry, always. I'm probably the most impatient person in the world. I know, it's not a good thing.

While this mentality has actually helped me achieve a lot of my personal dreams, it has also been somewhat exhausting. I find myself always looking to tomorrow and not necessarily focusing 100% on today. I think this kind of thinking can only lead me to never be totally satisfied with where I'm at or what I'm doing in life. Which is ironic, because I'm the one who is always saying, "Live for today, don't worry about tomorrow." I guess I wasn't listening to myself.

So I decided it's high time for me to slow the heck down and realize I don't have to scratch everything off my bucket list tomorrow. I want to cut myself some slack and dare I say it...be ok with failure. I often feel ashamed of my past failures, things I've started with all the optimism in the world only to fall flat on my face. But this trip to Steamboat actually made me thankful for those failures. Crazy, I know. My perspective changed completely and I started to realize that everything I've done has put me where I am today. (This is actually harder to do than it sounds, really.) I'm pretty tickled with life right now, I just need to calm down a little so I can enjoy it.

So thank you Steamboat, for your thought provoking landscapes and your oversized cinnamon rolls. You are lovely.

This totally rocks.

Wowa! I haven't written in a while, huh? I'm sorry internet, life seems to have kept me rather busy lately!

Anyway, I just wanted to share something that totally and completely rocks! As you might remember, I started a little social business called Sis Hope, which works to lower the high rates of menstrual related absenteeism among school age girls in rural Uganda. I've partnered with a super awesome group, Afri Pads, that employs local women in Uganda to sew reusable cloth menstrual pads which are then distributed at local schools and health clinics for a really affordable price. Disposable sanitary napkins are rather expensive in Uganda and most girls simply cannot afford to buy them, so they resort to using ineffective homemade materials that just don't cut it when it comes to Aunt Flow. Unfortunately, these girls stay home from school during the week of their period because they simply do not have an effective way to manager their period. They fall behind in their school work and many eventually drop out. So this is where these affordable, reusable pads come in from Afri Pads. Girls can afford to buy these pads, which can actually be washed and reused for an entire year, without one bit of trash. Awesome, right?

Well we partnered with Afri Pads because there were still girls who, despite the lower costs, were still unable to afford the pads. So that is where Sis Hope comes in. Check it out at www.sishope.com. You can find a ton of information about this issue and what we're doing to help. It's pretty awesome.

So this weekend a group of girls at the Ndegeya Vocational School for Children with Special Needs in Uganda were given menstrual kits from Sis Hope. Now these girls can stay in school everyday, even during their period. It makes my heart smile.