Saturdays with Yoshiko

Partly Cloudy - Hi 77 Lo 57 for Baghdad, Iraq
Sunny - Hi 80 Lo for 46 Qandahar, Afghanistan
Cloudy - Hi 46 Lo 28 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Trouble Me, 10,000 Maniacs

Whenever I am a little blue, Natalie Merchant's soothing voice always brings me comfort.

Ramble:

The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself. - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

For the past couple of months, I have spent my Saturday afternoons with my mom. Initially, I thought it was going to be a nightmare… you see she purchased her very first computer… my role was to teach her how to use it. Try explaining how to use a mouse to a person who has never used a mouse… "Why do you right click sometimes and left click other times?" "I dunno… you just do…" How do you teach home keys? "Why are the letters not in order?" "I dunno…that’s just the way it is…" I found some great online tutorials and my mom has been steadfast in her eagerness and determination to master this contraption. I have to be honest… I was dreading this… my mom is stubborn and impatient and does not listen… but I must tell you, it has been surprisingly quite wonderful. We have spent more time together these past couple of months than we have in the past ten years. She has had a chance to get to know me… I have gotten to know her. The best part… we actually enjoy each other’s company. I have shared in this forum in the past my mom’s trials and tribulations. She is a woman that is inspiring… just in her being. She is self taught, self disciplined, self determined, self made. She had nothing as a child, she had nothing when she came to this country…She had even less when my father was around. She put my brother and me ahead of everything… she has endured more pain and suffering and yet sacrificed more than anyone I have ever known in my life. She is a savvy businesswoman and has been quite successful. She lives modestly, however, she can afford much more than what she has. Her story is the American Dream personified and one that should be held up for others to see and be inspired.

The election upset my mother. Having her beloved adopted country much less her home Ohio --- Hamilton County--- Cincinnati go Democrat was more than she could take. She has never depended on anyone but herself to make things happen. She never depended on government or the welfare system to provide for her. My father was absent and never paid child support. She did it on her own… I can tell you that she is pissed… She is hurt… the people in the country she loves so much have become so dependent and so willing to hold out their collective hands to take something never earned is just beyond her comprehension. Her heart is broken, but not her spirit and definitely not her intestinal fortitude.

I share my mother’s sentiments.

Barack Obama is to be congratulated on running an excellent campaign. His election is historical and should be noted and commended. He will join a small fraternity of Americans -43 soon to be 44. President-elect Obama has my respect – he will be the President of the United States and I will always have respect for the office.

I must confess--- I was so depressed Tuesday night. Although President-elect Obama ran a centrist campaign, all roads for him lead to a very left leaning, dare I say it, Socialist mindset. All one has to do is listen to the NPR interview, look at those he associates with and see what his philosophy is. He is all about bigger government… he wants government to be the answer to all our woes.

Wednesday I woke up still depressed. I heard John McCain’s concession speech… I turned off the radio and listened to my iPod the rest of the day. As Wednesday rolled along, I became angry. I realized that had Senator McCain won, I would have been extremely disheartened and disgusted by his presidency. Senator McCain is a gentleman. He is exactly what he has always been. His life story is one we should all revere. It can be argued, he has sacrificed and put himself on the line for our country more than anyone in modern American history. There is no doubt Senator McCain as president would have been strong on the war against terror. However, he would have reached across party lines and compromised on things I as a conservative would never stand for. I still am not clear on how he was going to secure our borders... or not. He would have presented good candidates for the Supreme Court. However, Senator McCain as president would not have been about smaller government. I was not keen on voting for him until he brought Sarah on board. As a conservative, I was left without a candidate. Voting for Barr was not an option and as far as I was concerned a wasted vote. I voted for McCain, but more so and more importantly… I voted for Sarah Palin.

The latest trashing of Sarah has me infuriated. The fact that Senator McCain even after his campaign chose not to come to her defense adds to my reasons for why he is not our next president. McCain's staff trashing this woman makes me believe even more that he would have been left of center on many many issues. The election was not a landslide… we are very much a divided country. It is a cultural battle. Senator McCain was not the conservative we on the right crave and believe is needed for this great land. We wanted to believe... we needed to believe. We want smaller government. We want to live our lives and stay out of the way. We want the government to defend our borders. We want the opportunity to strive towards our American Dream-- whatever it might be. That’s it.

My grandmother, a staunch conservative, active politically throughout her adult life, a member of the greatest generation asked the rhetorical question… How did we get here? I guess it started just a little bit at a time… no one notices that way… little things… it starts in the schools… subtle changes to how kids are taught... what they are taught… kids playing sports… everyone gets trophies… there are no losers…everyone wins… we are politically correct... we have changed the culture by changing how we speak... smoking is bad for you… became the big tobacco devil… now the 2 smokers left in the country are lepers and considered subhuman…traffic cameras to catch speeders under the guise of keeping us safe but we know it is more about the ability for our local communities to collect extra money... motorcycle helmet and seat belt and child seat laws... of course all good ideas... but mandated by the government? Law abiding gun owners are required to register their guns. Certain guns are banned. Guns kill... Trans fats are now banned… There are mandates on fast food in some cities. Before too long the obese person or maybe the slightly overweight person in line at MacDonald's will be sent off to be with the smoking lepers. Fat people are too ignorant to make a decision on what to put in their body. Kids are not being taught American history--- . Celebrity worship...panems and circuses... We in this country have lost our moral compass and have muddied the waters on what is right and what is wrong. It is more important for men and women to be equal, subsequently, we have a bunch of girl like men while women call each other dude... and we are more promiscuous all because once upon a time we had to figure out what the definition of the word "is" is... Along the way we forgot that we are very different creatures. Women now instead of raising and nurturing children are substituting dogs to obtain that love. With Obama as president no one (except those making over $250,000--- $200,000--- $150,000) will have the burden of paying for everything… I guess I should be happy—Michael and I can sit back and let someone else pay our mortgage… pay for our gas… no more worries. I must ask though, what else is on that slippery slope? The slope has become much more steep... What is next? I suppose it is just a matter of time before we are required to purchase carbon offsets, experience rolling black outs on a regular basis, in some areas of our country water rationing, and taxation on the amount of garbage we generate.

We have entered the age of self entitlement and subsequently developed an insatiable dependency on the government tit to think for us and provide for us.

Senator Mitch McConnell will receive lots and lots of notes from me—more now than ever before. He isn’t the conservative I would like him to be… however, I’m watching him. I will make sure he knows what I think… He is the Republican Minority Leader in the Senate and has a lot of work ahead of him. Those of us in Kentucky, those of us across the country need to pay attention and make him understand.

So, I look to the horizon. I think of Ronald Reagan and his shining city on the hill and the beacon we are supposed to be… I think of morning in America… I will pray for President-elect Obama, as I have prayed for President Bush. I INTEND TO BE THE LOYAL OPPOSITION. Meaning, I will be loyal to the country, I will be loyal to the office of the President. However, I am here… I am watching… I will not be nice for the sake of being nice. I love this country and that will not change. I will stand by my conservative values and will do everything I can to keep her the land of the free and home of the brave.

The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself. - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

God Bless America

Have a great week everyone!

Update 11/10/2008 7:30 PM: It's a rare day when my Scootertrash Hubby writes a blog post-- Despite the date of 11/5--- he finished it today so go check it out. It's worth the read--- Go check him out here.