And today the country can be reborn into something bigger, brighter and better.

And one totally devoid of good ol’ boy-isms, lack of intelligence, pithy, degradation.

And for those who think Obama was the weaker choice and will not end up fixing this country at all, I challenge you to pause and consider the damage of 8 long and exhausting years then do the math for how long it would feasibly take to renew the country and put out all international fires that have burned our national public image to cinders.

I am proud to have voted for Obama and am grateful that he won by a ridiculous landslide. I think our country is in better hands that those of octogenarians or gun-toting right-wingers with lower IQ points than tree sap.

I am so glad I got to be a small part of history.

And God bless Hilary as Secretary of State….Condaskeeza Rice was a waste of space.

And I can’t wait for presidential speeches that are literate…

And for my contribution to personal change…trying to write an blog post more than once every three months.

Ok, re-design has been completed.  I have to stop myself before I get too insane. The site should remain like this for a while (in theory) so enjoy what I hope is the final version.

Well, wait, a few more tweaks and I will REALLY be done, but they are mostly content adding things.

Oy…

Why even have bothered with the second to previous post when this man just does it SO friggin’ well.

This is only temporary…I like it a lot…but it has its limitations that I do not like.  It’s just an inspiration sounding board for now until I get off my ass and do something new.

I know..I change my designs willy nilly all the time with no rhyme or reason…

Oh Proposition 8 (or 2 for Floridians)…what a baseless and senseless loom you have chosen to weave your banal limitations on.

Ok, most anyone who knows me well enough knows how ridiculous I think the institution of marriage is.  It is neither sacred nor holy…it is, at best, in this country at least, a laughable and antiquated expression of union stolen by Christians and bastardized by adulterers.

The idea of marriage goes far beyond the reaches of the church when it was seen as a literal joining of the spirits.  This was not about God or tax breaks or insurance incentives.  Somewhere along the line, the good ol’ church decided, in another step to eradicate those heathen pagans, to take the ceremony and turn it into something else.  No raping of a bunny as the gatekeeper of plaque and cavities this time around.

Never, as far as I know and I am open to being wrong, were people asked to vote on marriage itself.  So why on earth would we be asked to now.  Yes, yes, I know the wording of the propositions is such that they narrowly escape being slammed on another separation of church and state issue…but let’s be realistic about this.  Though they may have a legal leg to stand on, those that drafted the proposition, and lobby for it, and marketed it, do so from no other impetus than a religious one or a personal “icky” factor – you know, the one where the thought of one guy’s dick up another’s ass is just “icky”…yet somehow lesbian love is pretty…oh patriarchy.

Granting same sex couples the right to have their union recognized in NO way damaged the economics, politics, or culture of the country and the legal jargon being thrown to hide the religious/personal issues hold absolutely no water.  Par example:

1) What is to stop someone from marrying their pet or a dead relative?  Really now…seriously??

2) God will reign down a plague of fire and brimstone.  Hate to tell you this but I seriously doubt God cares that much when he has his hands full dealing with the hurried prayers uttered in desperation by rich old men whose secrets are about to come pouring out.  Note:  they are usually fo the religious right ilk.

3)  The Bible says…and so on, blah, blah…lest we forget that the Bible also says no seafood or mixed fiber clothing.  And don’t give me that old vs new testament crap.  You wanna pick and choose then you deal with the loopholes you create.

At the end of the day, WHO THE HELL CARES!?  I mean, come on now.  Straight couples have all but destroyed the notion of marriage for life and for love.  I know gay couples who have lasted longer.  And why should that even be an argument: the lasting of one kind over another.

If you want to hate on it because you personally find it disgusting or think God hates it, then, fine.  But have the balls to just say it and not hide behind punctured-bag logic.  If the mo’s and the lez’s wanna get hitched and have equal rights, I say let ‘em.  Marriage is an antiquated and dead idea best reserved for those who wants a strong coach in their corner should guilt and fidelity ever come up.

In other random news, I really should finish this site design and get to my writing.

Oh the elections…

I gotta say, I am SO glad these are the first elections I have ever voted in as a still newly minted citizen.  And I am enjoying the embarassing defeat of the red (so far).  While one never knows which way the tide will turn at the last minute, I will savor it for now.

Of course, I am enjoying the republican reaction to all the electoral votes for Obama even more.  I mean, come on, criticizing his votes as gimmick votes is a little crying over spilled milk considering that McCain is just as gimmicky with that whack job Palin who did NOTHING to help his cause.  And anyone who actually likes and supports her obviously needs to get his/her head examined  You would have to be a class A moron to like her.  Him, fine, he has the smarts and the experience, I will definitely give him that.

Now, this whole popular vs electoral difference frankly does still somewhat confuse me.  For a process that is based on the people I find it odd that the numbers that make the difference is based on politically drawn lines.  Just another example of how democracy is just so flawed in this country and incapable of being instituted in other countries that supposedly “need” it and would fare better.

At the end of the day, whoever gets voted is going to have four years of cleaning up A LOT of shit to revitalize the country and its identity.  Eight years under a mornonic megolomaniac with a severe Napoleon complex has rolled the country back a few decades.  And should Obama win, I think changes can BEGIN to be made (and maybe he’ll get another four if he doesn’t fuck it up).

And to all those minorities (and I mean across the spectrum) who love voting Red…do realize that if the Reds had their way your asses would be shipped out of the country post haste. YOU ARE NOT A RICH OLD WHITE MAN.

Have these people never heard of governments falsifying documents?  HELLO????

—————–

BEIJING (AP) — Despite persistent questions about the ages of several members of the Chinese women’s gymnastics team that won the gold medal, the International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated.

The IOC asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate “what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies,” spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.

“So far, everything that has been received demonstrates we have no problem for the eligibility of the competitors,” said Christophe Dubi, the IOC’s sports director.

If the federation had found evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could have affected four of China’s medals. In addition to the team gold and He Kexin’s gold on bars, Yang Yilin won bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars.

Chinese coach Lu Shanzhen told The Associated Press they gave the FIG new documents on Thursday to try to remove any doubts about He’s age, including an old passport, residency card and her current ID card.

Lu said all the documents were issued by various departments of the Chinese government, and that he had nothing more to put forth as evidence.

The FIG has said repeatedly that a passport is the “accepted proof of a gymnast’s eligibility,” and that China’s gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls’ passports and deemed them valid.

Andrei Gueisbuhler, secretary general of the FIG, said the federation would release a statement later Friday.

“For the time being, there is nothing I can add,” Gueisbuhler said.

A gymnast must be 16 in an Olympic year to compete at the games. But questions about the ages of at least three of the athletes have persisted. Online records and media reports suggest three Chinese gymnasts — He, Yang and Jiang Yuyuan — might be as young as 14.

The IOC said previously that it had verified the passports of all athletes competing at the games.

“We are not in a position to say ‘It’s good, it’s not good.’ It’s a government document,” FIG president Bruno Grandi said earlier this week in an interview with the AP.

The IOC did not give details on what new information prompted it to act now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.

“With some questions still remaining, we asked the federation to take a closer look,” Davies said.

The Chinese women won six medals, including the team gold and He’s gold on uneven bars. Media reports include a Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government’s news agency, Xinhua, that suggest He is only 14. Asked earlier this week about her age again after winning the uneven bars title, beating American Nastia Liukin in a tiebreak, she said:

“I was born in 1992, and I’m 16 years old now,” He said. “The FIG has proved that. If I’m under 16, I couldn’t have been competing here.”

Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.

“We played fair at this Olympic Games,” Liukin’s father and coach, Valeri, said after they arrived back in the United States. “… If somebody cheated, shame on them.”

Added Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics: “USA Gymnastics has always believed this issue needed to be addressed by the FIG and IOC. An investigation would help bring closure to the issue and remove any cloud of speculation from this competition.”

Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. Younger gymnasts are considered to have an advantage because they are more flexible, and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren’t as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure.

North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts’ ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.

Even China’s own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 in 2000.

Well, well, well…looks like my assumptions were not too far off base:

E.M. Swift: Finally, proof that gymnastics scoring needs an overhaul

These people need to get their act together and come up with a better and smarter scoring system wherein people do not get screwed and judges are scrutinized more closely.

And why does Alex Despatie, the Quebecian diver, look like he is smuggling a small Himalayan child in his crotch.  I mean seriously, it’s inhuman and obscene and just frightening.

So, four years ago, commentators bandied about the phrase “The China Syndrome” when discussing Chinese gymnasts who just fell apart under the pressure of competing.

Fast forward 4 years to Beijing and they are sweeeeeeeeping the gymnastics events (give or take some of them cracking, but nothing like 4 years prior).  However, this year they should change the syndrome to reflect the Americans who, frankly, just sucked this year.  I have always thought the Russians and Romanians were the ones who exemplified perfection in the sport (and who does not love bad girl Khorkhina).  I never really thought the Americans were superb (outside of Retton and Strugg).  And granted, the Chinese genetically are much more easily matched to a sport like gymnastics thanks to their lean bodies and freakish flexibility (just watch diving for the same comparison – the more solid divers just lack grace and lines).

I always feel bad for Chinese athletes who don’t meet with the Chinese national standards of gold or nothing because I know there is so much at stake for them than for many other countries.  I don’t even want to assume what penalties get inflicted on them by the government if they don’t step up to the plate.

Some weird turnabouts are in the men’s horse (which I think is just some Germanic torture event to have to put on someone) and a UK gymnast ( a sport virtually ignored in the UK…they probably think it is too twee for them) wins a medal…as does a Croatian.  Talk about odd odds.

I don’t get the same thrill watching gymnastics as I used to.  There are no real personalities or on-fire folk.  I used to hate swimming and have no fallen in love with it; most probably because of Phelps-mania.

And what’s with the digitally enhanced fireworks for opening ceremonies…really now???