Deborah, Barak and Jael

In the story of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible,  Deborah, a married woman, was a judge and prophetess; Barak was a military leader then judge. Barak hesitated to lead his army against the Canaanites. Deborah challenged him to follow God's will. With her by his side, Barak led his army against the Canaanites and conquered. The result was 40 years of peace.

Has history repeated itself?  Did President Obama achieve a great victory when Hillary Clinton was by his side as Secretary of State?  I do not know, but I see no peace.

Perhaps there is another woman to be focused on: Jael.  She drives a tent peg through the brain of the enemy general while he sleeps.  With his death, the conflict is ended.  Deborah had predicted that the general would die at the hand of a woman.

Is Elizabeth Warren the next Jael?  Will she drive a tent peg through the capitalist system that controls our nations wealth at the expense of the middle class and poor?  I hope so.

Salomon de Bray, the artist, shows Jael, with hammer and pin, next to Deborah and Barak.

Media Against Senator Clinton

I was channel hopping today and found MSNBC once more going after Senator Clinton. Tim Russert had two guests who really had their knives out for her. There was no one to present to voice opposition to the comments or to give Senator Clinton’s true views. This was one-sided journalism at its worst. Evidently, NBC has dropped all pretense of fairness. Senator Obama is their candidate and their goal is to get him elected by destroying Senator Clinton.

I did not start out as a fan of Senator Clinton, but after my favorite candidate withdrew I realized my choice was between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama. I believed that Senator Clinton’s health plan was superior, so I decided to vote for her.

The media’s treatment of Senator Clinton has turned me into an ardent supporter. The male bias against Senator Clinton is mind-blowing. A good example is Keith Olbermann. One night in the last two weeks he went on a rant about someone in the Clinton camp saying that Fox news was fairer to Senator Clinton. How could that be he said, then listed every bad thing he claimed Fox had said about Senator Clinton. It was indeed a laundry list of negativity. Of course, what he neglected to point out was that Fox has been just as negative about Senator Obama, so the laundry list Olbermann could have given concerning Senator Obama was not mentioned. Conveniently, that left only a negative list about Senator Clinton in the minds of the viewers. I believe that was the whole point of his rant. Fox News is indeed fairer.

This morning Bob Schieffer went out of his way to state that Senator Clinton was telling superdelegates that Senator Obama could not be elected because of his race. Never has anyone come forward that has said that Senator Clinton even hinted that race was the disqualifier. Experience, Reverend Wright, but not race, may limit Senator Obama’s capabilities. Schieffer offered absolutely no corroboration for his statement, but now that thought has been planted in CBS viewers’ minds. The good, old boys are really at work.

The big networks may succeed in making Senator Obama the next Democratic Party candidate for President, but I, for one, will not forget their shabby treatment of Senator Clinton, nor, their equally ludicrous treatment of women in general. If the networks wish to reduce their market share, they have found the right approach. Instead of turning on a news channel or watching the national news at six, I turn to the internet. I expect this to continue as long as men control the networks, but I will not forget.

What Happened? I'm a Clinton Delegate

Never deny that God has a sense of humor. I have been less than a happy camper about this whole political process. I have been enraged by the way Senator Clinton has been treated because she is a woman. I thought some of Barack Obama's remarks about her had a tinge of sexism. I firmly believe that her proposal for health insurance is better than Obama's. He is wrong to let healthy people opt out, so that only the sick carry the burden of health insurance. With all that and after reading the story of Deborah and Barak in the Old Testament, I decided to vote for Senator Clinton which I did last week during early voting.

Yesterday for no really good reason, I decided to go to the caucus. While my mother was alive and I was her caregiver, I never felt it worthwhile to leave her alone or to get someone to stay with her while I went to a caucus. I received a canned phone call from Senator Clinton that advised going to the precinct by 6:30pm. Off I went. I did make one concession to my failing hip: I took mother's walker with a seat. I was very glad that I did. When I reached the polling place which was an old school cafeteria, I took a seat in the rear. Soon a poll worker hustled us all out into a hallway. Thanks to the walker, I could sit down. Without it, I could not have stayed. Someone should pay attention to the needs of the handicapped. From my vantage, the disabled are not welcome in this part of the Texas political process. There were no accomodations for the elderly or handicapped.

We waited. At 7:15 pm, an election worker came to the door for volunteers to help register voters as they made their selection. More waiting, except now I was on my feet. Just when I thought I had reached my limit (my hip is very painful), we were let in. I was in the front because I had arrived so early, so I did not wait long to enter my vote. I retreated to the rear of the room and a seat on my walker. I looked at the two sets of lines: one set for Obama, one for Clinton. Clinton's lines had an end; Obama's lines stretched out the door. ( There was a short line for people who did not want either Clinton or Obama or had problems with their voting record.)

Suddenly, a large number of Clinton supporters joined the lines. I was elated until I learned that there were several hundred people waiting outside to vote. These Clinton supporters were the only ones culled from that group. A young couple joined me and found some chairs. For the first time in my life, I had the feeling I was being looked after. Oh, well, they were very nice and very young, but they, too, supported Clinton. The voting went on and on. All the Clinton supporters had voted, so their lines were converted to Obama's. Some Obama supporters were suspicious of the Clinton lines and refused to go to the new lines. They need not have worried; you have to personally write in your candidate's name. Eventually, the additional lines made a difference and the voting was complete.

More waiting. And waiting. The votes had to be counted. Oh, there was a skirmish over who would chair, but the Obama people won. Their chair did seem pretty even-handed. The secretary elected by the caucus was a Clinton supporter. The votes were counted and recounted. There were arguments over how the delegates should be divided and more arguments, but all very civil. I wanted to stay to find out the results so I waited, then waited some more. A little after nine, there was a decision. The delegates would be divided: 76% for Obama, 24% for Clinton. There were a total of 611 votes cast, a record for that precinct.

People were asked to come forward if they wished to be a delegate. We were divided by candidate. There was a mob of people for Obama, but fewer for Clinton. Clinton supporters came up one short. The leaders asked if someone there could attend and gave the date and a vague location. I raised my hand expecting others to be raised, too. I did not see any, and the young couple next to me leapt to their feet, shouting that here was the needed delegate. They both pointed to me. The next thing that I knew I was filling in my name and information. I was a Hillary Clinton delegate.

The photos are by mlovitt and not my precinct.

Gender Bias

I have watched, listened to and read the various pundits expounding on why Senator Hillary Clinton is treated with less respect than Senator Barack Obama because she is a Clinton, not because she is a woman. Or because she was the front runner, so deserved less consideration. All I can say is stuff it. I have been there, done that.

I could give years of discrimination experience from the time I entered college until today. I have been told that a man who did not meet the qualifications of the job for which I met every qualification had been hired because he needed the job and I would not fit in with the small faculty (all male). Of course, this was told mein confidence. I have been by my host that the only reason I was interviewed was because they needed to have a woman interviewed, but I understood: a woman would never make it at the plant (big oil company). The list goes on. I quit science when I could no longer stand the hypocrisy. I had one professor tell me I was the most brilliant student that he had ever taught thermodynamics, but he would only write a letter of recommendation for me if I promised that I would never seek a position in his laboratory. He could not stand the thought of a woman in his lab. I promised because I did not want to have anything to do with the man. He did write a very good recommendation.

McCain lost any chance of my support when he laughed at the "bitch" remark. I bet he never thought of his lobbyist friend as a bitch. Barack Obama turned my stomach when he spoke of Hillary's moods. Too often, he is condescending. He has two daughters. How does he want them to be treated when they are adults?

The media annointed Obama and dissed Senator Clinton. The television pundits are the worst about gender bias. They use terms to refer to Senator Clinton that they would not use to refer to a man that did exactly the same thing. Senator Clinton is "playing the victim", while a man is "on the defensive", etc. MSNBC is perhaps the epitome of this male chauvinism. MSNBC should stand for "males superior no bitches capable."

A strong, African American male is perceived as less a threat to the status quo than a strong woman because African Americans are a small percentage of the American population while women are more than half the population. We are a nation that devalues women and their contributions. Today, the discrimination is more subtle, but just as real. Young women just don't realize it, so they will vote for Obama.

I plan to vote for Senator Clinton.

Photo by marcn

Austin Presidential Debates

The Democrats are holding a debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Austin, Texas. There will be 100 tickets available for the public. The spokesman for the Democratic Party said on television that the number was limited because of safety concerns. If I used profanity, I would use it now. Barack Obama has had huge rallies in Austin. Hillary Clinton has been drawing crowds all over Texas. The tickets to the public are not limited because of safety concerns. The tickets to the public are limited because the Democratic Party in Texas wants to hand out these tickets to their select, just as old party bosses handed out favors in years past.

The Democratic Party in Texas has been so afraid of offending the Republican majority that they offer only token opposition. The Democratic Party in Texas is a hollow shell filled with politicians of questionable merit.
The party structure does not want new ideas or new blood that might upset the status quo. They do know how to make money: you can buy tickets to a private debate viewing party.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton obviously don't want the public either. I am sure they will reward big money donors with tickets. Whatever their rhetoric, their true constituencies will be there, the wealthy and the well-connected. The poor, the handicapped, the elderly will not be allowed. The audience must have the proper image.

I will vote for the Democratic candidate for President because of the potential to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court. I doubt that once elected that they will do anything for most people. Just like tickets to the debate, benefits will go to business and the well-connected.

Uncertainty

Who will I support for President? I had been leaning toward John Edwards, but he dropped out. I cannot support any Republican because I fear who any of the Republican candidates would appoint to the Supreme Court. Realistically, I am left with Hillary or Barack. Because I live in Texas ( a Republican state), my vote will not count, so maybe I should forget about the Presidential race.

Still, there is a small chance that my vote might count in the Democratic primary, if Super Tuesday does not determine the Democratic nominee. I will have to study both candidates positions. My focus will be health care and stem cell research, but I also need a better feel for both candidates character.

I read the story of Deborah and Barak in Judges. Are we looking at a modern day parallel? My intellect says that is ridiculous; my heart says God speaks to us in mysterious ways. I will have to think and pray on this.
Choice can be so difficult.

A Cynical View

I have already grown weary of the political races. There is something wrong with a system that disenfranchises those of us who live in states that do not have early primaries. If you live in a state that is primarily Democratic or Republican, then even in the Presidential contest your vote does not count if you are in the minority party.

I live in Texas. If I vote for the Democratic candidate in the national election, my vote means nothing. If I vote for the Republican, my vote doesn't mean much more, only adding to a clear majority. Politicians wring their hands over lack of participation, but do nothing to make popular votes count in the main election. Neither party wants to upset the status quo, both are more beholden to big money than to the populace.

I don't see any changes coming soon. There is a lot of talk about change, but no action, no concrete plans. Obama talks change, but would not change the way health insurance is handled. He is satisfied to let insurance companies make life and death decisions. No change there. Hilary Clinton blew health care once, she won't buck the insurance companies. The Republicans don't even care. The more people die because of poor health care, the fewer there are to vote against Republican candidates.

I see no hope in the near future. Only when conditions are so bad that even the poor vote (or the poor are the majority of Americans) will there be a change. We need a strong third party, but that can only come from the grassroots. Americans need to wake up and realize that what's good for business is not good for them. We need to remember that Christ said to care for the least of those among us. Why doesn't this nation care? Where are the Christians?