I just read this story: Obama Issues Directive to Shut Down Guantánamo.

I had to stop reading a couple of times to wipe my eyes. We’ve strayed so far from the path these last 8 years, it brings tears to my eyes when our president does something as simple as uphold the Constitution.

Read the last part of Section One of the 14th Amendment, and tell me with a straight face that extraordinary rendition, secret prisons, and indefinite imprisonment are ideals we should embrace. Here, I’ll quote the entire section for you, so you can see there is even a distinction between the rights of a citizen of the U.S. and the more broad “any person.”

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Life, Politics Politics

Last night, Skippy and I attended the vice presidential debate, showing at the Homer Theatre, in Homer, Alaska.

The crowd was surprisingly sparse, possibly an effect from last week’s failed attempt to show the first presidential debate. Or maybe Alaskans aren’t interested in the possibility of being made into the butt of a big Sarah Palin joke?

There were probably 50 people total, many wearing Obama buttons and t-shirts. When the candidates entered, one (1) person clapped and yelled “Wooo!” when Palin walked on.

The debate itself has been dissected by better commentators than I, so I won’t give a blow-by-blow account here. I do have some thoughts to share, though.

Palin needs more practice redirecting the discussion…or maybe just staying on topic. Several times she responded to an accusation about McCain’s record or judgment on important issues with “That’s not true, but I want to talk about something else.” Denial followed by non sequitur does not win a debate.

Biden pointed out more than one issue that was “the fundamental difference” between Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin. Remember, if there is only one item, it is the fundamental difference. If there is more than one item, the one you are currently talking about is a fundamental difference. Or maybe use “fundamental” less. Dictionary.app tells me there are more than a dozen synonyms for fundamental, why not use one of them occasionally?

If Palin is elected VP, will she give “shout-outs” to her brother’s (or whomever) third grade class during press conferences?

And Palin, for the love of all that is pure and holy, stop winking at me! This is a debate for future vice presidents, not a beauty pageant or a PTA meeting.

The crowd at the theater reacted to several moments in the debate, and proved that the majority did not feel any great love for their governor. There was a lot of cheering and clapping after Biden’s barb about McCain’s health care plan being “the ultimate bridge to nowhere.” Even more after Biden’s impassioned charge that Dick Cheney is the most dangerous VP in history. Around Palin’s third invocation of “back home in Alaska…”, the groans became audible. After Palin’s now classic misunderstanding of “what is your Achilles heel,” one audience member shouted a bewildered “WHAT?”

Skippy spent most of the debate pinching the bridge of her nose and trying not to yell at the screen. I spent most of the debate laughing. The constant smiling, the winks, the false sincerity, it seemed like something straight out of a movie. Sort of like this:

(Video removed because it’s causing trouble. I’ll repost when I get my Vimeo account going.)

Afterwards, Skippy and I shared a pizza at Fat Olive’s, and discussed the debate. Maybe she’ll post some of her observations on her blog? Then, of course, it was time to check the analysis on the political blogs. I think it’s funny that, no matter what actually occurs, you see your side as the clear winner. Conservative blogs trumpeted a Palin victory, despite no substantial content to many of her answers, and all but a few polls showing Biden winning. Though, I guess if the ability to not answer questions, instead reading pre-written soundbites off of notecards, and winking at the camera are the mark of a great leader, it makes sense. Maybe that’s what mavericks do.

Politics Politics, Video

I tried to watch the debate tonight, and was initially foiled. My first attempt was at the Homer Movie Theater, where they were projecting the webcast of the debate on the big screen. I had a tech support appointment until about 4:45, so I arrived a little after 5 to find everyone leaving. I peeked inside and I saw a big frozen image of Jim Lehrer with his mouth open, and a mouse pointer frantically clicking the Play/Pause button on the web player. After waiting around for a few minutes and not seeing any more progress being made, I followed the crowd and left.

Since it was mostly sunny today, I stopped and took some pictures of the fall colors at a spot I’ve passed a couple of times and thought “that would make a good picture.” What do you think?

Turn the camera 90 degrees right, and here’s what you see:

I hopped back in my car, and started searching the radio for the debate. Fortunately, the local PRI station was carrying it on AM, so I listened to it all the way home.

Here’s what I heard: Obama explains his position on a subject. McCain attacks Obama, then gets around to explaining his history with similar decisions. Obama defends himself, maybe takes a jab at McCain, tries to stay on subject. Repeat.

I had to turn off the radio when McCain told the story of his bracelet. I’ve heard enough heart-wrenching stories told about “real” people by presidential candidates. Sadly, I turned the radio back on to hear Obama’s “I’ve gotta bracelet too!” story, and turned it right back off.

I returned home and fired up the old interweb and watched the CNN live feed, in time to hear McCain say something like “North Korea being the harshest dictatorship maybe in the world, and South Koreans are 3 inches taller.” Huh? Maybe he meant something about malnutrition due to mismanagement stunting their growth, but without some sort of context, it sounded sort of crazy.

Each candidate had their little go-to nails to hammer during each answer: McCain’s was Obama’s “naivete” and “misunderstanding situations,” Obama’s was McCain’s support for most of the Bush Administration’s policies. I think McCain’s came off as more childish and arrogant.

Hopefully the theater gets their troubles worked out before Thursday’s VP debate, since Our Very Own Governor Sarah Palin will be center stage. The town seems to be very mixed in its opinions on her, and I would like to see how that pans out in public.

Photography, Politics Alaska, Landscape, Photography, Politics