Below are the 11 most recent journal entries recorded in irishmandolen's LiveJournal:

Monday, April 26th, 2004
5:59 pm	A New Update I know, I haven't updated in weeks. I apologize. Between classes, campaigns, RA stuff, and the boyfriend, I have next to no time to sit down and write. I got the New Hamphsire internship for the summer working with Senator Burt Cohen. You can't imagine how much I'm going to love that match up against Judd Gregg...the man who co-authored No Child Left Behind. Oh yes, I shall be having a terrific time. Especially since the mighty Lucas just so happend to get the job as well! My latest outrage? This going on in Texas...http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040510&s=pollitt Since when have we, as a nation, decided that women are yet again not of equal importance in our society. The separation of church and state is not a nice novelty, it is an innate need and so imperative. A woman should have the right to choose what to do reguarding her body and an unborn fetus that is growing in her body that her DNA helped create. Period. The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman, her doctor, and her God. Not for some politician to decide. Morality should come from our religious leaders, not our government. How, did our ancestors come to this nation to be freed from religious persecution (especially my Protestant AND Catholic Irish ancestors), and have we been so insistant upon making our political leaders the dictators of our morals and ethics. I'm sorry, call me ignorant, but I can not remember the last time I thought 'Wow, there goes Dick Cheney, I need to mold my life after him. He must be a better Christian than I am'. Oh yes, that does infuriate me. Why is it so difficult for our nation's voters to decide for themeselves what is of importance to them? Why are we being run over by the agenda of an uncaring administration? No, I'm sorry, I do not believe that I am being represented by Tom Delay. I do not believe that Kay Baily Hutchinson has my best interests in mind when she makes decisions about my future. No, I do not, in any way,think that George W. Bush knows more about my body and what is right for it than I do. ...I digress... (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 6th, 2004
1:57 pm	Reprint: So Dean's "Angry". Why is no one else? I sent this e-mail out to some friends January 22. I still feel the same way....... I was recently asked my opinion of the Iowa Caucus and if I would support Sen. John Kerry if he won the Democratic Nomination. The following is my response. A lot of criticism came to Dean for his 'bombastic' (or so the media is now calling it) speech after Iowa. Why must we keep on him and proclaim him as 'the angry candidate'? WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH THAT? Why aren't the media or critics upset about the things he's upset about? Their kids' college tuitions went up too. Why aren't they just as angry? Their sons, daughters, neighbors, family, and friends, are fighting and dying for a war that the American people were mislead into. How can they be so passive? Their parents and grandparents aren't getting any better on the Medicare program that refuses to be competitive with prescription drugs. When will they have 'had enough'? Their children can't find jobs. The ones they can find are menial. The ones they pass up due to low wages and lack of benefits are being outsourced. When are they going to put their foot down and demand change? The air they are breathing is just as contaminated and polluted as Dean's. The salmon they are eating is just as full of mercury as the fish on Dean's dinner table. The soil they walk on is just as imbedded with MTBE and other toxins as the ground beneath Dean's feet. What in the world are they thinking by wanting to support someone who doesn't see the imperative and immediate need for changing these dangers and injustices? It is utterly depressing that these issues aren't widely recognized. They should be. They need to be. On other topics. It was a sad event when Rep. Richard Gephardt dropped out of the race. I'm sorry he didn't do as well as he wanted to. And as a man he has done a fantastic job of keeping his nose clean in the political arena. But that's not going to challenge Bush, a man who has done nothing but destroy, desert, and damage. I want someone just as ruthless in provoking change as Bush is in his policies that are abolishing our civil liberties and our future welfare. If that makes me a left-winged liberal nut then THAT IS WHAT I AM! I have gone from being a Republican, to a Moderate, to a Centrist, to a Democrat, to a tree-hugger, to a Liberal because I have been forced to by this administration (that includes the nice help of Delay with Texas' redistricting). If I'm bitter it's because I don't so much like the taste of mercury and lead in my mouth from the water that comes out of my facet. If I'm angry it's because I apparently had it all wrong when I thought that America was designed and created to protect and honor its citizens. If I appear scared to you it's probably because I can't get on a bus, go to a restaurant, or drive my car by Ft. Hood without the fear of some kind of terrorist attack. And if I'm extreme it's because I can't, for the life of me, fathom why anyone would be so complacent and satisfied with the status quo. I don't think Kerry has the finances to be successful against Bush. I don't think he speaks for the distaste that is felt for this Administration. I don't think he's capable of being strong enough to lead a fight for the change our nation needs. .....But if he wins the nomination? I'll vote for him. A slug would be better than Bush. (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 25th, 2004
9:07 am	The Lives of Soldiers Sent on a Goosechase is Funny?! What kind of moronic speech writer incorporates a joke about not finding the Weapons of Mass Destruction? Well, let's give the guy a break, chances are he's tired of not knowing where they are either and wants Bush to look like a heartless moron. Which, in fact, he certainly did when he joked about the WMDs Wednesday. I'm sorry, but could someone please tell me how the lives of nearly four hundred soldiers, not to mention the grief of the families and those soldiers injured (either physically, mentally, or emotionally) is in any way justified for a laughing manner? Thank you John Kerry for being quick on the attack for that snafu. To the person who so eloquently commented on my last update, I'd like to tell you why so many want your beloved Bush out of office. It's not because he's of less than average intelligence. It's not because he is incredibly corrupt when it comes to the funding of his campaigns, and those who get nice tax breaks and kickbacks. It's not because he has such great disdain for women (reproductive rights), workers (let us send their jobs overseas), children (who cares if they have healthcare), and soldiers (doesn't matter if they receive any benefits. They risked their lives, we give them thanks by saying 'Thank you. We are a grateful nation.' What more do they want?!). It's not because he has continuously lied to the nation regarding links of 9/11 to Saddam Hussien, the search for al Qaeda, 9/11 itself, the Plume leak, WMDs, etc. It's not because he has so majorily laxed pollution plans that those with asthma are literally choking on the air they breath, but also those without asthma are choking on the air we breath, or that we are limited to how much fish we can eat, for fear the insane amount of mercuric contents will cause severe health defects. It's not because he's lazy and rarely spends his time in D.C. It's not because he spouts of arrogant condescending quotes such as "Bring 'Em On", "Mission Accomplished", or "You're either with us, or against us". It's not because he just so happened to involve the Carlye Group and PNAC in his cabinet and advising council. And it's not because he has lead so many young soldiers to a premature death for no other reason than to obtain Saudi oil, even a score with Hussien (to make amends with his daddy), and to get re-elected. Oh wait, maybe it is because of this. Maybe it's because of ALL of these. ....I digress... (Comment on this)
Monday, March 22nd, 2004
10:58 am	Spain, Home of the Voices Okay, so since I've been busy with Spring Break, not doing my homework, and cussing out my parent's slow internet connection, I'm back at school and ready to update. I would just like to state, that Spain's recent election is a prime example of democracy working. Does it hurt America? Yeah. But does it represent the people that run that state, the citizens. I mean, I wish the American citizens would have voted differently last election and we would have had a Democrat in office. ...oh wait... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, March 8th, 2004
10:37 am	That time again... Kerry is my fourth choice of the original democratic nominees. Most local Democrats are running uncontested. Is there really a reason for me to vote today? Yes, of course there is, right? ...right?...in fact, I'm sure there is. Only, right now, I don't seem to remember what it might be. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 4th, 2004
6:54 am	21 Today's my 21st Birthday. I need to write about my thoughts on Edwards' dropping out of the race. (...well there goes my THIRD choice...) As usual, however, I have been and will be far too busy to actually sit down and do that today. Let us hope that nothing 'too political' gets my irish up or else I may have to skip a class just to vent!!!:-D Also, I would like to thank Dot Snyder for making the most ridiculous commercials for her campaign. If her experiance of NOT having any kind of critical political background isn't enough to make you not vote for her, then perhaps her creepy-quirky (and not in the good sense quirky, either) tv ads will. VOTE CHET! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, March 1st, 2004
11:03 am	Cheney...what a Farce! Who else happened to catch Wolf Blitzer's interview with our astounding Vice President, Dick Cheney? Ah, so how many of you actually bought the crap he was dishing out? I'm sorry, but I can't, for the entire life of me, seem to figure out how a massive bomb explosion in Karbala that killed an estimated 143 people on the Shite Holiest Day, is an act of desperation by Al Queda groups. Now, if I saw some Al Queda tripping Shites and other Iraqi citizens in the streets of Mosul, Baghdad, Karbala, etc., then perhaps I'd call that an act of desperation. But to have an attack that was so carefully executed, I rather tend to think that was not at all of a group who is on it's last leg's doing. Anytime there are more soldier's who come home in a body bag, or more attacks in Iraq and animosity to American Troops or Iraqi Police, our current Administration seems to find a catch-all answer in first, blaming it on Al Queda, and second, saying that it's due to 'fear of a stable transitioning democracy in Iraq'. I don't buy it. And sure, I have a fear of a stable transitioning democracy in Iraq, I don't think it will work. (I'm actually doing research on this right now, so that'll probably come up in another entry later on.) In any case, I sure do think it's really nice that ol' Cheney could manage, in between cardiac failures and NOT traveling to any global location other than his big stuffy chair with a neat emblem on it, to have a chat with Blitzer. It's always a good thing for the American people to remember who they voted (or, rather, did not vote) for in the last election. Thank God it's Super Tuesday, now, if I could just make it to November.... (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 26th, 2004
9:31 am	Nader? NOder. Alright Cheryl, I have to say this and I hope you don't forever hate me for it! ....Ralph Nader is a distraction. And before that comes out sounding entirely wrong, give me a chance to explain. I'm all for independent and third parties. I think they help strengthen our political institutions, and not primiarily our societial interests. I also think they encourage voter participation from "our generation" (whatever that means). However, Nader will not win the 15% he needs to really make an influence. What he will do, is draw votes and support from whoever the Democratic nominee is. Let's face it, and I am agreeing with what Byron posted on his blog this morning as well, Nader can bash the GOP Admin. with some success, but he'll also attack the Dems in the same way. Honestly, what's the point? It's like for me to go on down to the Annex this afternoon and cast an early ballot for Dean. Sure, he's still on the ballot and voting for him can help gain delegates for him to send to Convention, but will my voice really be 'heard'? Let's examine why Nader is running. To be President of the United States? No. That is as unlikely as me abstaining from alcoholic celebration next weekend after I turn 21. It is of an entirely low possibility that Nader could really gain a portion of the votes to even be considered a real contender. So why run? Did Rove and his creppy cronies solicit Nader to run? Let's hope not. That's a conspiracy theory waiting to roll and I rather direct my attention at something substantial. So....maybe he wants his 'voice to be heard'. That's cute. But cuteness doesn't cut it in politics. Again, third parties are fantastic in that they bring in a new arena of voters and help to influence our democratic structure, but they do little else than distract. Fortunatly, I doubt that Nader will have much of an effect on this 2004 race. I don't really buy into the idea that Nader is the reason that Gore 'lost' in 2000, but I also don't think he helped Gore at all. So I think UT's demostration at Nader's speech on campus earlier this week was an appropriate display of their concerns and freedoms, but again, I think perhaps we're giving ol' Ralphie a little too much credit. In any case, now that Cheryl will never speak to me again, I'm stepping out... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 24th, 2004
8:16 pm	Good News So today went really well. I'm going to be working for Porter for the next ten months doing research on agriculture and environmental issues within the district. I can't even explain how excited I am about this. Since environmental issues are close to heart, as well as what I want to lobby for in the future, I'm estatic to be able to go ahead and start getting my feet wet, at whatever level. My home county of Erath is actually being sued right now by the mayor of Waco due to our incessent pollution of the Puluxy and Bosque, which feed into the Brazos. Not to mention, aside from that rift, we're known for having to slaughter hundreds of heads of livestock in order to get rid of 'Hoof and Mouth' (I know this from experiance as the Show Lamb farm that has been a staple of the landscape out by my Grandparents, my Granny's, my Aunt and Uncle's, and Craig's family's homes, had to terminate all of their sheep last summer. The smell of burning sheep flesh lasted for weeks.), as well as having drought concerns when there isn't the ability to graze the livestock. In any case, it will be interesting field work. Aside from that, I suppose since today is Ash Wednesday I should figure out what I'm giving up for Lint will be. Of course, not being Catholic kinda has an adverse affect on that decision, but I feel obligated to give up for Lint if so many of my friends are (who, strangely, are also not Catholic). Last year I went on a man-fast that kept me from finding myself in a committed relationship, which, luckily for me I suppose, was successful (...even PAST Lint!!!). It was good for me, as I was able to focus on the non-dramatic dating life, and got to get out of dates with 'just friends' types by proclaiming 'I'm on a man-fast'. However, I did reach the conclusion that I like the man, and another bought of that hiatus would be survivable, but not enjoyable. So, alas, I am still at a loss... (4 Comments |Comment on this)
9:24 am	Porter For Congress So today Jon Porter, the Congressional Candidate for Texas District 31, will be speaking at UMHB. I'm seriously excited about this, but at the same time, a bit nervous. It's always difficult planning something of this caliber and not being totally sure of who shows up, or how many. In any case, I think it will be a great event. Today is apparently a slow news day (other than the Earthquake in Morocco that killed over three hundred people). Looking at Byron's site (www.burntorangereport.com) I saw a poll stating that many Americans are not supportive of the new proposal for a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage. I'm not sure what exactly that research was done on, so I'll look more in to it. I like what Jon Stewart said last night 'Well I remember back in the early 1900s when we had a little Constitutional Amendment that banned alcohol. A little amendment called 'Prohibition'? Yeah, that worked so well! All the problems related to alcohol just...magically wiped away! And the next decade was known as the sober 20s!' Since when did morality become a defining political characteristic? We don't want our government to tell us how to pray and worship, but we'd be fine if they told us that marriage is a sanctified union under God? We can't have it both ways, folks. If marriage is such a Holy Union, and granted, I'm not denying that it is, then divorce should be criminalized. It is a slap in the face to every gay couple, for the gov't to declare their love for one another is not the same as the love shared between a man and a woman, and then let that man and woman have up to five divorces. Yes I do think that marriage is a holy service, I'm Episcopalian, I know what 'Holy Matrimony' means, but I don't think that the government has the right to dictate over that. In any case, I need to go get ready for Porter, and get off my soapbox! (Comment on this)
Monday, February 23rd, 2004
9:23 am	New So, as I'm busying being bored not studying for the five tests I have next week, I scrolled across my AIM buddy list and found Cheryl's livejournal. I have a diaryland account, but really, the things I've written are moronic. It's as good a question as any, I suppose, to want to know if I will actually keep updating this, and I guess the answer to that is that time will tell. (How totally grammatically incorrect was that last sentence! OH YEAH!) I'll probably just write mainly about my political frustrations. ....Speaking of which, there is a rally at the Gov's Mansion today in which the protesters have signs that proclaim 'It's okay to be Gay!'. In response to the recent rumors that Governor Rick Perry was found in bed with his Secretary of State....who just so happens to be of the male species, many UT students are up in arms. Of course, no one can really say that Perry's being secretly gay would change the fact that he is STILL a horrid governor, but man-oh-man, can this guys life get any worse?! He's been Tom Delay's little wench here in Texas. I won't even get into how horrible a political-partisian-powergrab he played here with the redistricing. And seriously, how many times has he had to call special sessions in order to ATTEMPT to balance the budget; a statute that the Texas Constitution says is a must? Texas is the 49th state in education,and 50th in health care, in pollution, and in obesity. (I'm sure there are more areas where we suck, I just get awfully depressed thinking about them.) Oh yeah, let us not forget that his approval ratings are in, what? the 40%. That's nice. One can only hope he'll get voted out come 06. But then, Hutchinson wants that job, and Carter (whos voting record is the same as Delay's) wants Hutchinson's Senate Seat, so who's to say that's going to be any better?! Ah, in any case..... (2 Comments |Comment on this)