by AZPEARTPORTNOY on 05 Jul 2007 23:25
[quote="Divemistress of the Dark"]I dunno. I'm (very) involved in local politics here in Tennessee. Not the least reason of which that things are really in the shitter down here - we have a 50% high school graduation rate. We're also #49 out of the 50 states in terms of women elected to office - I do a lot of fundraising for women state House and Senate candidates, because the good ole boys who run things around here are sure not going to help them do anything. Consequently, women are completely underrepresented as small business owners; way fewer women than average have health insurance; our infant mortality rate is terrible; etc.
It's a lot of factors. Many folks seem convinced it's because Southerners are inbred rednecks who don't deserve to have access to health care or education, and yet these same people are the ones carrying the charge for places like Darfur. I just don't understand why they're willing to cut slack to folks in other nations, and not in regions of their own, but that's another whole diatribe.
This work is easily the hardest I've ever done, and I've been working on political campaigns for twenty years. It's just tough when there doesn't seem to be any help in sight, in any significant way.
Portnoy, I was not the only one commenting on your avatars, but I'll take the heat for this if you feel like dishing some out. It's all good. Also, I can understand your idea that folks bashing Bush are bashing the country, but I don't agree with it, mostly because plenty of Americans think Bush has done a terrible job. Why wouldn't people in other countries?
[xpost w/Jenny] Yeah, I guess I've got ideas about the Iraq war partly because I live down the road from Clarksville, TN, home of the 101st Airborne. They've taken heavy casualties out of this exercise. It's pretty tough to run into uniformed guys in wheelchairs at the gas station, day after day.[/quote]
Boy, you go to work, come home and people are having great dialog about POLITICS? Dive, I admire the effort and the PASSION you have to change things for the better. You should not get down, you should be proud. People such as your self do make a difference, don't forget that. I wasn't placing the blame on the avatar switch on just you. As for the rest of your and others views on "world events" -------------------------------
that's a ten foot poll and I'm not touching it. I have to say it's tough for me to read some things and just let it go, but as one of my favorite Rush songs says "I will choose to resist". Although, it has been cool to see some give and take from a lot of forumers. Lastly, think that Bongo Boy should be given a standing ovation for his efforts to keep it happy.
Dive, I don't know much about Tennessee but I do know sports. So this avatar is for you. She is fully clothed and no cheesecake.