conventional wisdom...

my head has been filling up as of late and has wandered much...perhaps it is due to the fact that my current reading is absolutely miserable (another excuse for academic analysis that is actually just repeating of failed freidman ideals)...

saw a film by werner herzog, encounters at the end of the world, about antarctica and the folks that are drawn there. most of them were explorers and wanderers...and then there were the penquins. there was a scene in which some penquins crossed paths, one set heading back to the sea, another heading back to the nesting grounds. and one simply stood pat until the others were near the horizon...and then he took off towards the mountains. after about 50 yards the penquin turned and looked back, pausing briefly, perhaps reconsidering a trip to the interior...and then he continued on. and there was a penquin that had gotten nearly 50 miles off course in the same direction - wandering through camp on his way into the interior of the continent. penquin explorers...and for a week now I have been wondering what they were thinking - what was driving them? did they just want to see what was over the mountains? were they looking for some steeps? were they just like those ill-fated human explorers of lore? either way, godspeed my tuxedo-donning friends...

the local school district provided sexual exploitation workshops for their teachers recently. apparently my tax dollars are being spent to fill teachers with such wonderful misguided things as a "fact" that 1 out of every 20 men is a child molester. that's right, according to APS, 5% of men diddle kids. see if you can pick out which one's in your office are the culprits. and something that might help in choosing is another gem from APS - beware of the "creep" factor in guys wearing bad sweaters and turtlenecks. I truly wish I was kidding...

another air raid in afghanistan...looks like 90 civilians killed, 60 of the children. never again always means "until the next armed conflict."

now the afghani government wants an agreement that foreign troops can only stay if they quit kicking in doors of homes and stop air raids. seems pretty reasonable to me...

this morning al roker was tracing his heritage on the today show...in the bahamas he was seeing the names of his ancestors on slave rolls, learning that the roker name was the name of the owner of his ancestors. and he noted that when other people talk of "heritage" they talk of their past as people...while blacks talk of their past as property. I cannot fathom such a reality, and will be forever glad that I don't have to live with it...

which raises the question - if we can spend a few hundred billion to kill arabs, why can't we spend a few bucks to make payments for the faults of our ancestors? and for all of you that claim "I never owned slaves" or even "my family never owned slaves" - I would be willing to bet you would have been at the front of the line demanding german reparations after WWII and the holocaust, paid by an entirely different government and a generation uninvolved in the horror (they were not paid in full until the 1970's)...

I have managed to catch most of the speeches from the democratic convention thus far...and most have been a complete dud. michelle obama's was masterfully given, but was painfully written - an ode to the media pundits would be an appropriate moniker. everything she said that little bit in the back of my head kept saying "they made her say that because..." hillary was good, ironically, I think obama made her a better politician - more connecting. and I have a newfound respect for her as she refused to say god bless america...and I am sick of hearing that at the close of every major american speech. bill was flat...but got on a role towards the end (even if he will never admit that he was a huge part of the problem). biden did his job...which is pretty much all you can ask. john kerry showed us why he was one of the worst picks ever for president...he sounded bitter and reminded that he is one of the least inspirational speakers in history.

still, it will never cease to amaze me how much the "liberal" party has agreed to play on the republican field. every single speech played into rove-ean talking points...there was the token "we can be just as belligerent as you" tough guy talk all the way to the "we are too patriotic!" it is embarrassing to see the democratic party trip all over itself to out-republican republicans.

but if you have been watching coverage by the major networks and their affiliates you probably missed the best speech given thus far - jim leach, a republican, delivered a stirring historical perspective that was likely lost on many in the audience. it is disappointing that his speech did not receive airtime on anything but pbs, because it was one of the few worthy of the day. it was not a "obama is my main man" bullshit that conventions are typically known for...it was much closer to obama's 2004 address. and it was a quick glide through history and the progressive tradition of america...it was a great reminder that we get too caught up in "liberal" vs. "conservative" because the true american ideals have always been progressive, regardless of if they are viewed as liberal or conservative. so if you didn't happen to be watching pbs the first night...read this speech (http://www.clipsandcomment.com/2008/08/25/full-text-former-us-rep-jim-leach-speech-to-democratic-national-convention/).

as much disappointment as I have felt in obama as of late, it is very difficult not to get back on board. I still feel that he could have a profound impact on the future of american politics and that, win or lose, he is one of the few that could return us to that progressive heritage. and I am certain that he will deliver tonight, and I will be eating crow again...

but it is also an emotional moment for anyone with any sense of historical perspective. a black man, born to an african father, is a legitimate contender for the white house and will represent one of the two major parties on the ballot. and perhaps he is tempting fate by delivering the address in an outdoor stadium on the anniversary of king's dream speech...but being a cubs fan, I am deeply rooted in history, and perhaps it has to be this way. regardless of what happens in november and after, regardless of whether obama fulfills the promise that I see in the movement that has gelled behind him...it is a remarkable step, 150 years (and much longer) in the making. so despite my cuss-filled tirades of past...tonight I have a simple message...godspeed...