1. Do yourself a favor. Go see Weezer in concert. OK, it doesn't have to be Weezer but it should be. You'll feel free from worry or care for a solid two hours...and you might even shake your booty for a minute, which the world needs a little more of just because it's the right thing to do.
2. Sign up to work at a polling station. Trust me, you owe it to your country. If you've ever worked a polling station, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, do it once and you'll understand the importance. You really really really should do this. No matter what your political views are, the elections, especially this one, needs you. All the existing poll workers will be gone soon - and then what will we do? Plus you get 50 bucks or something, which is good for a nice date night. Or 1 Weezer ticket.
3. Don't believe everything you hear on TV, CNN, NPR or read in the Washington Post, National Enquirer or local paper . Yes, some are more sensational than others, but it's worth doing a little due diligence beyond modern media. It's very sad the way the media have breeded two decent presidential candidates into WWF superstars. If a person knew nothing of John McCain or Barack Obama before 2008, then they probably have a somewhat distorted view of who they really are and what they stand for. After the debate tonight, Kennedy leaned over to me and said, "I don't want to be the president. It seems really hard." Despite a person's political beliefs, any person running to be the president of the United States deserves a little respect for their efforts. Which is also why I bit my tongue and nodded yes when she checked out a book on George Bush at the library today.
4. Don't believe everything you hear on TV, part deux: As a member of the LDS church, I have met many a person who has asked me how many other women I share my husband with or if I enjoy living in a covered wagon. Anyone who knows anything about the LDS Church and its members knows that this is absurd. You see, when people don't know a darn thing about your beliefs or what you do, they jump to assumptions. Another word for it is ignorance or lack of information. This is happening A LOT in this election. I don't care who you vote for...but it is vital that you get correct information. Before this week, most Americans had never heard of an organization called Acorn. I say again, I don't care who you vote for, but please, get correct information about ACORN. This is one of the greatest organizations in our country today. Learn about what they stand for. Learn about what they have done in New Orleans in the last three years and are continuing to do this very day. If you don't like being judged erroneously, then we should do our best not to be guilty of it ourselves. I pick and choose my battles – and this is one that really gets me. I do think it might be for the best though since now all of a sudden the entire country knows about ACORN!
5. Find a sports team that you really love: There is nothing better than the sense of pride one feels in watching their team do well. It feels so good to have pride in something.
5. Find a sports team that you really love: There is nothing better than the sense of pride one feels in watching their team do well. It feels so good to have pride in something.
6. Speaking of pride…If you went to a public university or college, you should really think about giving back to it…just a little. I know, I know…but I warned you…this is MY soapbox entry, OK? Public universities/colleges are hanging by a thread….literally. Once funded entirely by government, most schools now only get 35-50% of their money from this source. The rest has to be raised privately or painstakingly in competition with other schools who are in the same boat. They’re way behind in fundraising strategies (since they never had to do it before…). Private universities are a different story. They’re doing fine (well, they were). They have endowments the size of texas. Anyway, you get the idea. Remember, it’s your kids that will inherit what those schools will offer 15 years from now.
7. For the women: If you are walking down the street and happen to get accosted by crude or offensive men who can't suppress the need to comment on your womanhood, simply take your middle finger and start picking your nose. If you really feel ambitious, you could also actually connect with something up there and pull it out and look at it. You could also take another approach, which would be to lift your arm, sniff your pit, and then whince as if you were in excruciating pain. Trust me, this works. And, it makes light of a very uncomfortable and ridiculous situation. Things like this make the world a better place.
8. Last but not least, know your political party. In the year 1980, I was in the 3rd grade. It was an election year and my first memory of learning about the political process. I remember very distinctly deciding then that I was a democrat. I remember being confused that my mom would vote for Reagan and not Carter (although my memory says it was Mondale, but that was a few years later). In 1992, I was finally old enough to vote in a presidential election. I remember very distinctly having a better understanding of what i was doing and still being excited about being a democrat. That said, it is clear that I began forming my platform early on...despite being only 9 years old. Over the years, I have continued to question these ideologies. Every time I vote, I do my best to understand the issues and understand the democratic view of such issues. Sometimes i agree and sometimes i don't. The most important thing to do is to continually review and understand the party ideologies.
OK, I'm done. If you made it down this far, thanks for listening. I promise I won't do it again - at least not anytime soon....Nov. 5 at the earliest...
Happy Americanism.
