Three Women

(P1) Poetical

To My Surprise

When the Houston announcer summoned the crowd to stand, remove their caps, and sing "God Bless America" at the 7th inning stretch of the 3d game of the World Series (Oct. 25th), I braced for the usual dose of jingoism. Instead, large on the screen, came a beautiful picture of the truest of American heroes, Rosa Parks, who was the first of her race to claim her rightful seat on a southern bus. This singular act of bravery changed history by igniting the fire of civil rights in our nation. It was the first step in our country's most telling act of redemption. Rosa Parks did what no one had done, and she will live forever. I even forgave the producer who, for some misguided reason, focused a camera on Barbara Bush in the stands. Rosa Parks' achievement and memory will forever transcend politics. It is emblematic of what we each can accomplish as citizens if we seize the significant moments that may come our way. You may ask, "Why is this in the 'Poetical' section? Simple. Rosa Parks IS a Poem!


(P2) Philosophical

Answer to our New American Hero #2 Query

So here is the answer to our October 19th Guess-This-American-Hero "Contest." It's talk show host Randi Rhodes of Air America Radio. Randi was born in 1959. Let's see...that makes her 46. Because she spent her childhood in Brooklyn and Queens, she has a self-admittedly abrasive tone of voice. She had the courage to keep hers...I didn't. Interestingly, when left wingers attack her "patriotism," they forget or lose sight of the fact that she enlisted in the Air Force and served as a mechanic for 4 years. She's spent 20 years in radio in Texas, Florida and New York. No matter what you think about her irreverence and style of humor (which I find vastly refreshing), the most important truth about her is that she is a stickler for facts and, unlike her counterparts (O'Reilly, Limbaugh, and Hannity) on the right, offers citations to a wide array of newspapers, magazines, websites, government documents and electronic media reports. Rhodes takes on the roles of editorialist, satirist, comedian and news analyst. She is a leading activist for accountability and standards in the media, and has spoken at congressional hearings about creating a framework of national standards for what can be labeled "news." She also has won the American Women in Radio and Television award for Best Entertainment Programming.

A Few Pithy Randi Rhodes Comments From Nov. 2d

Nov. 2, 2005 - Just before I went to press with this post, I listened to Randi Rhodes' show and will paraphrase a few things I heard:

..."Every last Republican in the Senate(congress?) takes his marching orders from Cheney and Bush exclusively, and that, my friends is fascism and nothing less." Makes sense to me. What, after all is the need for a legislature if it follows the executive branch in lockstep?

George W. Bush (quite some time ago) "Over time, the truth will come out."

"Democrats want to find out 'who lied us into this war?' It's not America when people are scared to death of dissenting from the opinion of the president...It's not America when an ambassador tells the truth, and then his wife and her entire CIA network are compromised in retaliation....2032 dead American soldiers, and, as far as I know, that hasn't upset any Republican senator as much as the Democrats dragging them into a meeting to try to find out the true cause of the war." - RR

(P3) Political

Progress in Our Oprah 2008 CampaignThis is the October 24, 2005 cover of Newsweek. The article features Oprah Winfrey, her leadership style, and her current efforts in the fight against child predators and toward education in Africa. This woman is a lot more than a TV personality!

And lest we forget the incumbent and his words, "It’s time to restore honor and dignity to the White House." Bush said that many a time during the 2000 presidential campaign, and in at least one ad pledged to "return honor and integrity" to the Oval Office... and "Hypocrisy's" just a 9-letter word.

Gradually, however, another potential candidate is beginning to assume the ascendancy in my thinking. The main reason is due to Oprah's obvious reticence. Unless a groundswell bordering on acclimation develops, the Oprah candidacy, once again, as in 2004 may well not come to pass in 2008. Therefore, in a backup position, I'm looking seriously at John Edwards. The true dream ticket would be John Edwards with Barack Obama. However, more on this following a final two month burst of positive thinking directed at Oprah Winfrey.


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