…doesn’t mean you should
I added my email address to my contact page less than a week ago.
Someone has already gone in and harvested it for a mailing list. Though the mailings seem to have a Conservative bent, I never consented to be added.
I have gotten 3 emails in the last 90 minutes from that person. Even if I had consented to receive the mailings in the first place, I would have regretted it after that sort of bombardment.
That has left a seriously bad impression on me, and is bound to color my perception of any communications going forward.
Think about how your actions will be received and perceived before you alienate potential allies
One of my Facebook friends (who I won’t name, he can choose to out himself if he is so inclined) posted a link earlier today to an article that suggests that Obama’s performance is paving the way for a Palin presidency, the subhead of which says “Be afraid. Be very afraid”*
If you read the article you will see it very clearly makes the claim that if Obama is voted out of office (and if Palin is on the ascendancy) it is because of racism. So, I commented. And he commented. And I commented. And I wanted to get more people involved, so here is the exchange:
Vox: How can you seriously reference an article that makes it’s point with a line like “who’ve emerged to redeem, or reclaim, the land from Northern carpetbaggers and uppity Negroes.”Come ON!
Him: Sometimes hyperbole can get to a point. It is exactly what seems to be happening, and the expression accurately describes southern Dems at that time. And have you ever heard the terms “northern liberal” or “liberal elite”…they are just less noxious terms for the same impulse being cultivated by those mentioned in the same article.
They are once again suggesting that anyone who disagrees with Obama or any of his policies is inherently racist. As far as “at that time” they reference Reagan & Palin, both fairly recent Pols. – neither one of which has ever displayed a penchant for keeping down “uppity Negroes” It is ridiculous and ineffective to distill every argument down to something so base – especially when it is not in evidence.
As someone else said, and I wholeheartedly agree, I have a lot of problems with Obama – the only thing I DON’T have a problem with is the color of his skin
What is the “color of his skin”? The article never mentioned Obama’s ethnicity; but I think he is half-black AND half-white. The article only draws a parallel to a group of people who felt disenfranchised after years of perogative (Southern whites) with those who also feel disenfranchised today (both white and black, Dems and the GOP). They are looking for a leader, and Palin is wisely cultivating that frustration. Without making any policy speeches, holding any elective and accountable office (she quit), she is perfectly invulnerable right now. It is working.
The article clearly (and repeatedly) referenced his ethnicity, and claimed that Palin was in the running due to her being one of a long line of politicians – sorry, “demagogues” – who are trying to save the country from “uppity Negroes”.
It also claims that “There’s an anger out there, and I have not seen it since my very first campaign which was George Wallace” – yet another jab at racism (Wallace actually was racist, and a Democrat, who luckily learned the error of his ways)
“And for black America, that’s the good news.” Why would the author think that especially good, or bad, for black America if he is not fixated on & alluding to the color of Obama’s skin.
“Consider the post-Reconstruction era, or the post-civil rights era, or even South Africa’s Afrikaners who responded to a fiscal crisis by electing the National Party which introduced apartheid in 1948.” Really, does he think Obama’s abysmal performance is going to usher segregation back in the US?
The Obama presidency is a slap in the face to MLK’s dream, wherein people would be judged not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character. Every time any resistance to Obama’s agenda (which is also a resistance to a lot of old white men..and women) is written off as the product of racism, the color of his skin becomes paramount to his character. Interestingly, and tellingly, the only people I hear mentioning “uppity Negroes” are on the Left – and trying to put it off on those that lean Right is projection. It reeks of desperation and an inability to argue the issues on THEIR face, not his.
He’s referring to the black constituency (consider this source). Lots of anger and feelings of unrequited love among these people. I don’t blame them; Obama has so far let down a lot of people.
Anyone want to continue the discussion?
* To be clear, I do think Obama’s performance, and that of his cronies like Pelosi, Reid, Frank, et al is paving the way for a GOP presidency, but not Palin. However, I see nothing to “be very afraid” about if she were to hold a higher office.
Oh that terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day when you realize that puppy breath is a thing of the past and it is dog breath from here on out….
[sigh]
 |
| Still cute, though, so I guess we’ll keep them |
Long, long ago, I signed up for a Flickr account. I added a few pics from our trip to Houston, and also began a postcard collecting/scanning/posting project. When I was approaching 200 photos, though, I got a warning that I would need to “upgrade” to a Pro account. There was just no reason I could see to pay for the service.
Since then I have used Picasa intermittently, mostly since we got the puppies. I also tried uploading a couple of postcards, but I’m not crazy about Picasa’s mapping (though Flickr changed theirs, as well, and isn’t nearly as useful as it once was). I tried Photobucket for a few things, but found it a bit too MySpace-y.
However, I have been invited to join a Flickr challenge in February that sounds like fun, so I now have a Pro account. I’m still not happy about the charge, but as that is literally the price for participation, I guess it is worth it.
Besides the challenge I’ll be doing next month, I may as well start adding postcards again. So, if you are going anywhere interesting, why not send me something pretty (or even pick one up locally, show me what’s pretty/cool/unique where you live)
…and @ExJon
#Masen victory is great, but remember why the people sent Sen. Brown to DC. The people will turn on GOP if they return to high-spending ways
Praying the the GOP got the right message and cleans up their act across the board.
See more genius at Exurban League
As anyone who lives in Phoenix knows, a little bit of rain comes down and the drivers here completely forget how to properly operate their vehicles (not that they are really all that good at it in dry weather) Yesterday evening and through the night, we had a lot of rain.
Here is something new I learned.
A rainy day makes dogs completely forget how to properly behave on a leash.
At least my dogs, at least today.
The puppies have gotten very good at walking, slack leash, right next to me. So good that strangers comment about what good dogs they are. So good that I enjoy the time we spend trotting through my neighborhood streets. They always get rewarded for their good behavior with “relaxed leash time” where they are free to sniff, explore and play, usually at the park.
Today, I couldn’t get them to calm down, I couldn’t get them to stop pulling. They were barking at dogs in yards, lunging at every lawn we passed, choking themselves to rush ahead. I was so frustrated by the time we got home I wanted to scream.
If it is the rainy weather that is making them crazy, I am in trouble. The forecast calls for more precipitation through the weekend.
If they are suddenly acting crazy because they have entered their adolescence, it is even worse. That mess will be going on for months.
Going forward, it looks like our Arizona Blogger get-togethers may be bigger and more frequent – so…yay!
So far, we’ve kept to a few familiar restaurants: Sonora Brew House (which may be out of business which has changed names and is now Sun Up Brewery), Yard House, Four Peaks….
We should have more venues to choose from and I am trying to compile a list. I would love to hear from any of you with suggestions; where do you like to go and why? Let me know if they have great food, great service, great atmosphere, great beer on tap, great beer in general…whatever. If you happen to know whether they have a separate meeting area & WiFi, let me know that, too.
Mostly I’m looking in the Phoenix Metro Area, but would be interested to hear about your faves in Northern and Southern AZ, as well. We may just decide to take this show on the road.
Thanks!
During our Blogapalooza, there was a mention of the light rail – and the public art installations connected to it. To which a few people said, “There’s art at the stations?”
Yes, and it all cost a pretty penny, too. Here is the lovely sculpture to be found at the 19th Ave & Camelback stop.
Remember that the next time you are complaining about the budget cuts for essential services like police, fire, education. . .
UPDATE: Here is more on this sculpture – and all the “METRO Public Art”
..or be somewhere else and hear about it later.
It’s time for a “Ring in the New Year Blogapalooza” and I know just the crowd to pull it off.
Arizona’s coolest conservative bloggers will be sampling the fine food & beverages at Casey Moore’s on Saturday January 9th. We’ll be showing up around 1 p.m. to take advantage of the reverse Happy Hour that continues till 4 p.m. – though I imagine the laughter & conversation will continue long after the drink specials are gone.
This is also the inaugural event for the Arizona Bloggers – Conservative group, and it looks like we will have some new faces joining us this time thanks to the reach of Facebook.
Tell your friends 
I seem to have hit prime dog-walking time for this evening’s outing.
The park was crawling with canines, most of them relatively well behaved. Even ours
There was also some soccer practice going on, which was beyond exciting for the boys, as their latest toy has been a soccer ball. I’m sure they couldn’t figure out why I wouldn’t let them go chase the darn thing.
Tango & Cash got up close but not too personal with a gorgeous, very well-mannered pit bull. He was the size of a Smart Car and had a coat like chocolate velvet with a demeanor to match. Even when the boys got a bit feisty & restless, he stayed relaxed.
Of course, the prevailing odor led me to conclude it was prime marijuana smoking time at the park, as well. Perhaps the pit bull was just mellow from a contact high.
Guess it’s a good thing we left before he got the munchies.
