John Edwards Drops Out & I'm Faced With A Hard Decison

I must admit that I'm disappointed that he did not do better than a distant third place. John had some very interesting ideas and I think he was focused on a lot of the right issues. Perhaps his personal social position is life made it difficult for folks to accept that he was in favor of the average American, but the authenticity in his voice made me think he was for real and given the personal tragedy that he has experienced I think he is certainly able to relate to the average guy on the street. One thing about tragedy; it puts everyone in the on a level playing field.

So it is down to Barack and Hillary on the Democratic side of things and I guess it is McCain leading Mitt Romney with Mike Huckabee sucking up the rear and hoping like heck that something gives on Super Tuesday.

Gosh folks! What does it say about this country when the only option left to a conservative Republican is Hillary Clinton? I can't even begin to tell you why Romney isn't in my books (blogger.com has space limitations you know) and I sure as hell will never vote for another conservative Christian............Rudy is gone as well although I don't think he has officially withdrawn as of this afternoon. I can't see through the smoke and mirrors that Barack is using and an endorsement from Ted Kennedy was the kiss of death from my perspective..........anyone who openly courts the endorsement of Ted Kennedy is outside my zone of tolerance. That leaves Hillary or a write-in vote for myself, which is of course always an option.

McCain you ask? Nope, I can't go for a guy who wants to stay the course in Iraq. Someone has to be willing to make some hard decisions there and the only person I've heard thus far making any sense about that situation is Hillary; i.e.: get out as soon as we can without screwing things up anymore that they are today and with the lives of our troops at the forefront of any decision to withdraw. That actually makes sense to me......a lot more sense than just sound the retreat, which is what Barack is advocating. No, I have to go along with Hillary on this critical issue and while I don't necessarily agree with her on everything else, we aren't that far apart at the end of the day.

I know I'm really out on a limb here, but it looks like Hillary is my candiate now. Oh Lord, pray for me!

Feeling the Love

I had no idea that anyone outside of my immediate family and a few close personal friends actually read this blog and so I was a bit surprised to receive a few emails and the one comment regarding my entry on the situation with Joe. To everyone who sent their good wishes and prayers I send my heartfelt gratitude. To Jen, my hero for her ability to find the love within herself to navigate a situation significantly more complex than my own, I am especially grateful for your encouragement and kind words. You made my day so much better and put such a smile on my face........thank-you.

As for you Giants fans, you can all go to Green Bay and freeze your little tushes off because I'm certainly not following the playoffs after yesterday. Is it really in doubt any longer? Yea, I know......the Giants gave New England a hard time a few weeks ago, but that before all the injuries and quite frankly I just don't see them getting past Green Bay........but what do I know? I didn't see them getting past the Cowboys!

The Hawks beat-up on Chicago yesterday and I was there with Kate's Dad to take in all the joy that a big win for the Hawks brings to my heart. Now, all we have to do is win about another 25 or so games the same way and I'll be absolutely on top of the world! We will see, but ever the realist when it comes to the Hawks I'm not holding my breath. I see signs of great things to come, but a lot of the same old problems arise too frequently for me to be completely sold on the turnaround as yet.

When is that next primary? Is it Michigan or South Carolina? Do they and Nevada really matter with Super Tuesday looming in the near future? Rudy seems focused on Florida, New York, California, etc. Is that a better strategy than spending money in these early primaries? My Republican soul is literally torn by the possibility of voting for a Democrat again, but I think I'd rather my President was getting his or her jollies in the oval office with an intern than by sending thousands of kids to Iraq to face possible death or dismemberment. Did you know that the last time that this country faced so many traumatic amputations in one military conflict was the American Civil War? Any for what? The dollar isn't worth squat........oil is running at or around $100 a barrel.......our economy is on its knees and we are either in a recession or so damn close that most economist can't tell the difference. Forty plus million Americans are without health care........our educational system sucks and anyone who can afford is opting out for private education, which is creating a brain drain and making public education a joke.......and finally, we are so worried about political correctness that a sports commentator can't make a ha/ha on the radio these days without getting suspended and fined. What happened to our sense of humor America? What happened to the days when any public personality was fair game as long as it was funny or had some humorous context........and I'm not talking Dom Imus here.......he wasn't funny on any level. But the Tiger lynching comment was funny and I don't get the uproar! Hell, if I had my way we would put a sniper in the rafters and gun down quite a few athletes on the opposing teams that come into Philips Arena.......you know, a knee shot here and there and the next thing you know those teams would provide the proper respect for the Hawks.......now I suppose I'll get banned from Blogger for violent comments..........no you idiot, it's humor.......besides, I know you can't get a gun into Philips........maybe a bow and arrow though.........okay, enough of my rambling.

Anyone seen a good movie lately? I'm desperate for a good flick. Tell me what to go
see!

Finally, the "A Town Dancers", courtesy of a recent game at Philips........they are actually a talented group of young ladies. Of course, being married to a dancer, my interests are purely academic.

A Lesson in Ticks

Spent this morning with a psychologist discussing our Joe's continuing struggle with Tourette's Syndrome. For those of you who are not familiar with this condition, the symptoms include both vocal and motor ticks, which can be involuntary squeaks or other sounds coupled with frequent jerks or involuntary muscle spasms. Tough for anyone to deal with, but especially for an eleven year old in his first year of middle school, where some of the meanest people in the whole world hang out. It was only our first meeting, but this lady specializes in this particular disorder and in the brief hour that we spent with her she open our eyes to a number of realities that we probably had been shielding ourselves from over the past several years. It is the first step in what will most likely be a long journey, but I'm delighted that we finally took that step and I sincerely hope that this is a new beginning for Kate and I as we strive to help Joe meet the challenges that this odd and frequently bizarre disorder creates for him. It's a dark day, overcast and dreary. My soul rests heavily at the moment as I think about this morning's meeting and all the struggles and challenges that face Joe as he continues his journey to adulthood. He is such a lovely lad and it just isn't fair that he has to deal with Tourette's, ADD and a sprinkling of OCS just to make things even more complicated. The doctor talked about genes and the confluence of my family and Kate's family genes and how they all combine to create that perfect storm that creates these challenges for Joe. Did you know that 1 in 100 male children are born with Tourette's Syndrome and 1 in 200 female children are also affected? Add ADHD, ADD and OCS and no wonder we medicate our kids, although in fairness the Doctor pointed out that the U.S. ranks 11th in the world in the medication of children and not number one as most folks would believe. I don't know if that made me feel any better given the meds that Joe has to take everyday. How do you get an eleven year old to understand that he has a condition that isn't a whole lot different than diabetes in terms of the medication and overall symptoms when he is the subject of ridicule and harassment by his peers? I suppose the good news is that this Doctor did give us some confidence that we can learn to help Joe cope better and that there are lots of kids running around leading perfectly normal lives who endure the same issues day in and day out that Joe faces. Unfortunately however, there are no shortcuts to the promised land and in the interim we are going to have to continue to deal with a school that is more focused on talking than helping and teachers who see Joe as a problem instead of an opportunity. I guess I sound a bit depressed and I know I have to get over it because at the end of the day everyone has to deal with something and it isn't going to help Joe if I'm hanging my head low. Besides, he's a great kid and things are going to be fine.......really! I just wish the sun would come back for a bit.

Meanwhile, the Hawks managed to pull off a surprise victory last evening over the Cleveland Cavaliers despite LeBron's 31 points. The difference: well, last night we saw balanced contributions across most of the bench, especially from Lorenzen Wright, the veteran center who added a lot of defense when it was needed most and more importantly, a lot of maturity to the floor when the young players were going completely off the rails. Am I still disenchanted with Coach Woodson? Yep! Do I think we can still do better at the head coach position? Yep! Do I think that one game is going to change the entire season? Nope! But it was an impressive victory and I'm pleased to be back at .500 on the season. I was most pleased however with the contributions the seasoned players made last night because while we do have a lot of youth energy, sometimes old age and treachery can make a big difference.

Still thinking about Hillary's victory on Tuesday. My brother Jim and I had a chat last night and he said that he welcomed McCain's potential nomination by the Republican Party because McCain wants to stay the course in Iraq and he thinks that position will be his undoing. I agree. We need to get out and so far Hillary is the one running who seems to have a fairly decent grasp of what it will take to withdraw for that engagement. Barack's fairly tale about immediate withdrawal is just that.....a fairly tale and McCain's position is just going to get a lot more kids killed. Perhaps that is the connection to Nixon I keep seeing in my head. Old men seem quite willing to send kids to war and even though John served his country honorably, maybe he has forgotten the sacrifice the parents make every time they bury a son or daughter. We don't need this conflict......it's draining this country and tearing us apart. Never thought I'd say this, but it came down to McCain and Hillary I'm afraid I'd actually have to vote for her because I can't support anyone who supports the insanity of our involvement in that conflict. It didn't make sense when we started it and it sure has heck doesn't make sense now.

Anyway, a picture of Joe and Ellie on Christmas morning. Everytime I look at it I have to smile and think how great it is to be a kid.......well, most of the time anyway.

Winners & Losers

It would be a tad remiss of me not to take a moment to reflect upon last evening's election results given my propensity for ranting about politics in this country over the past year. I was attending the Thrasher's game at Philips Arena as the guest of Stuart Harvey, the President of Nova Information Systems (thank-you Stuart for a lovely evening), sitting in an upper-deck suite (they are so nice!)and following the elections more closely than the game, which unfortunately the Thrashers managed to lose by a score of 4 to 1.

Anyway, just before the game I was asked by one of the other guests who I thought would win the primary on the Democratic side and I said that I thought it would be a very close race between Hillary and Barack with Barack winning by a narrow margin. Well, at least I got the narrow margin bit right. What a surprising turn of events and what's makes last evening's results even more interesting is the assertion by Mr. Clinton that the press was riding Hillary unfairly and trying to force a certain result that was not necessarily obvious to him or most of her supporters. It turned out that perhaps he was on target and makes me wonder what we can believe going forward about the primaries and how the press presents them to us. Someone should start a grassroots news community focused on gathering real street level information on the pulse of the nation in each of these state primaries. Okay, I know that someone probably has already done so and I'm just behind, but if anyone knows of a really good site to follow I'd love a recommendation. I just don't think I can sit through another evening of CCN or Fox News. They just make me want to scream!

Was I okay with the results? Well, to be honest, I think so although I have to say that the more I listen to McCain the more he sounds like Richard Nixon, which isn't an entirely bad thing, but it is a bit weird when you listen to the guy.

I'm still not certain who I will support at the end of the day, but Edwards is starting to grow on me and I plan to investigate his proposals in more detail over the coming weeks. I can't imagine voting for a Republican, at least not any of the ones currently running. I think they need some time in the penalty box and four years sounds just about right from my perspective.

Barack has to come up with something more concrete than hope if he is going to attract the moderate conservatives...........I'm well passed the time when brilliant public speaking alone qualifies a candidate for the White House.......tell me what you are going to do. What are your 3 to 5 Key Performance Indicators for the first six months that you are in office and then I'll tell you if I'll support your efforts to get elected. No one has really done that as yet. Yea, I know, he is going to get us out of Iraq. Sure he is and that pink elephant flying over the sky at the moment is just as real; i.e.: what are your realistic targets for the first six months?

Anyway, Hillary surprised the hell out of everyone I think and in a lot of ways I'm pleased that she is still well in the hunt. I think she raises real issues and while I'm not a fan nor do I expect to support her bid for the oval office, I do like the debate she creates and after all, I did vote for her husband a couple of times despite my otherwise Republican soul. Hillary is good for this election and I'm personally delighted that she remains in contention.

Hell, even Ron Paul got 8% last night. A true dark horse if ever there was one!

Finally, I'm off to a Hawks Game this evening. They have lost four in a row and primarily due to the guy center in the today's picture; i.e.: Mike Woodson, my nomination for the worst coach in the NBA at the moment. Why? Because he can't win! Lots of talent and no excuses this year and he still can't win.....not the games he is suppose to win, not the close ones he should win, and with the exception of one or two games early in the season he isn't pulling off any upsets either. The Hawks are headed back to the cellar and the good Lord knows that I'm not looking forward to the ride. Of course, I still have the advantage in that the Cowboys are still in the show unlike those Steelers and Redskins fans. (Yea!)