Thursday, October 14, 2004 Political by nature I'm sad that the debates are over. Not because I've been glued to them -- I've actually gotten some good brainstorming and writing done over the past couple of weeks while they played in the background. But it signals the end of the real discussion about issues and policy (I mean, there wasn't a LOT of that sort of thing, but there was certainly some talk about the way things are and the way they ought to be) and the shift to down-and-dirty campaigning. So now we assume crash positions. I check the current electoral vote predictions every day. I bite my nails. I try and think about other things. For example: I have set myself an Unreasonable Goal. I have decided to finish the stupid romantic comedy screenplay before Election Day. Awaiting its chance to reward me is America: The Book, still inside its Barnes and Noble box, along with a hardcover copy of the Constitution I got for free (after pestering B&N repeatedly to hold true to its offer). I miss history textbooks, you see, because as I get older I fully begin to realize what an impact my two intensive years of US History had on me. The AP class I took in high school was fully comprehensive, tackling civic, economic, and social issues of the past 250 years. I read John Dean's book about Watergate and made maps of European troops in WWII with little army men attached and wrote a paper on Mary Pickford and the impact movies had on the working class American family in the 1920s. I had a blast. I also learned a lot. Like, for example, the Dred Scott Decision -- which is why I was super-confused by Bush bringing it up during last Friday's debate, especially in context. Dred Scott was an example of human rights being stripped away, not an example of human rights being reinforced. The analogy seemed to ring somewhat hollow. But thanks be to the left-wing blogs, because it turns out that gay marriage wasn't really the analogy at all. Dred Scott = Roe v Wade. Super. See how good I am at thinking about other things? Yeah. But while we're on the subject, Molly Ivins still rocks the mike right. Fair and balanced media usage takes one up the backdoor. Fictional John Edwards is still my boyfriend. And AIDS Walk LA is this Sunday. | permalink blog • archives • photos • about • contact This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. All content © 2004.