The Soccer Mom Vote

Land of the Free, Home of the Ambivalent?

As I sit to write this post late today, I am filled with the same feeling of embarrassment and nervousness that came over me most of this past weekend. My husband and two small children were given an opportunity that we could not pass up--a free trip and free room for the weekend in Reston, Virginia for his company's annual picnic. We would be a stone's throw from Washington, D.C., a place that none of us had ever visited, and all of us wanted to go. I was thrilled. We dropped all our weekend plans and decided to go because when would we have this sort of chance again really?

Unfortunately for us, we did not prepare for this trip. As we drove through Virginia, Maryland and then our nation's capitol, I was struck by so much history staring me at the face. Aside from the major things to see, there seemed to be a historic relevance to everything, from the homes that lined the streets on the way to the Mall, to the Dupont circle and the interesting smorgasbord of embassies on our way to Union Station.

And, here's where I get to the embarrassing part...and as I saw history flashing before me, I was also hit by the knowledge that I really don't HAVE a complete and solid understanding of our nation's past or how it is run presently. I really know so very little about what keeps our country a world leader today.

All through my school-age years, I made straight As in history classes. In college, I took enough classes in political science to qualify me for a second minor in that area. And, yet, as I stood in front of historical monument after monument, museum artifact after artifact, I felt my brain wracking itself to try and remember their significances.

Even worse in this sort of situation is when you have a seven and a three-year-old looking up at you asking what things are and what they mean, and you do not have the answers to give them. I am not saying that I did not know anything, but I did not know enough about most things, quite honestly.

I am not beating myself up here, although it may sound that way. I honestly feel like I represent a very large segment of the population. I am college educated, fairly well-read, and working to become more politically connected and active. I live in a very nice suburb of a major city. I pay my taxes every year. I vote in major elections. My own father has run for political offices in our rural Texas town and even served as Mayor for a term.

And, yet, I did not know my way around Washington, D.C. I could not tell you some really important facts about our nation's history and had to instead learn a lot of it from an overzealous trolley driver on our day tour. And, for that, I feel some shame.

How do we, as citizens of this great country, plan to grab onto this wonderful freedom we have, a freedom for which so many have and are dying, and use that to learn about why we are here and how we can make our nation continue to prosper?

How can we shake this ambivalence and apathy up enough to part that cloud in which so many of us seem to be living. You know the cloud? The one that you let fall over you and your home that allows you the excuse that you are too overwhelmed with your own life to worry about what is going on with a bunch of lawmakers across the country? What could your vote, your knowledge or your involvement really do to make a hill of difference to the country? Yeah, that cloud. I've been living in it for many years now. And, it is high time that I find my way out.

My whirlwind trip to D.C. was a learning experience for me in more than one way. I realized that it is time that I grow up, and I start making a conscious decision to know, to learn, and to really live in this great country I have been so blessed to be born in, instead of living with blinders on hoping for the best. How about you? Are you ready to join me?

What other truth do we need?

There are a lot of hot issues affecting our country for which I have strong feelings. There are other issues that I tend to be in the middle about, still unsure of my stance. This is mostly because I have developed a growing distrust of what I hear and read in the media today. Ironically, that is coming from someone who has a Journalism background and is taking small steps to move back into that career of choice.

But, I’ve made up my mind about one issue that divides the two major political parties and a lot of people in this country. And, I’ve done that without even watching the film that seems to be changing our country’s mind about things.

I buy into the whole global warming thing now.

I know that sounds silly, because many people have recognized and been on board with this for years. But, that journalism background I mentioned often forces me to want hard facts to prove the claims of this. Many of those around me believe whole-heartedly that the claims made by scientists and by films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” are not, in fact truthful at all. Actually, most of my family believes that movie is a complete fabrication, or at the very least extremely exaggerated for dramatic effect. So much so, that I have heard numerous rants and was even personally bothered some when Al Gore’s movie received an Academy Award for Best Documentary. Documentaries are supposed to chronicle real life. And with so much debate about the facts presented in that movie, I wasn’t sure it was worthy of a “Best Documentary” prize, to be perfectly honest.

However, lately, there have been too many things putting question marks in my head about the argument against global warming, than there are for accepting it as truth.

In a recent MSNBC article, the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced his stance on global warming. And, when the Secretary-General spoke, he pointed the finger at our country and asked what WE were going to do about it. Why is he singling us out? I wondered.

Because, the truth is that we may be one of the last major powers in the world to jump onboard the save-the-earth bandwagon. According to the article, the U.S. is THE biggest contributor to greenhouse gases, “the United States is the world’s top greenhouse gas emitter and accounts for about a quarter of the global total, ahead of China, Russia and India.”

Well, now…how embarrassing is that, I ask you?

But, most disturbing to me was this statement:

“But the danger posed by war to all of humanity and to our planet is at least matched by the climate crisis and global warming.”

Could that really be true? Is the situation that dire? And, something else struck me after reading this. Much attention has been given to the global view of our War on Terror and our handling of the war. According to the claims, the United States has disappointed a great many of its allies with our actions in Iraq. Whether you agree with the war or not, that news is disconcerting. But, any war is bound to separate the global map into two distinct camps--those for it and those against it.  However, is it possible that our refusal to change our lifestyle to save the earth has also severely damaged the world’s view of our great nation?

A friend of mine made an excellent argument for working to save our climate recently. When I complained to him that I didn’t know who to believe anymore on this issue, he said he didn’t understand why people were so adamantly against cleaning up our environment and living a little greener. “What does it hurt to try to make things better?” He said.

And, I for one think he’s right. What if the claims of global warming are exaggerated? What if the warming trend is just a slow cycle of change in our world that has been going on since the beginning of its existence? So what? We save a few polar bears and protect some Alaskans from having to leave the only home they have ever known. What can that hurt, right?

So, I’ve taken some small steps and made some changes at home and I’ve started looking into how to make bigger changes.  I do have Gore’s documentary in my Netflix queue to finally watch sometime soon, and this time I really will watch it. But, I think I will be watching it with a more open mind. After all, I mean really--what do I have to lose?

The Audacity of Honesty?

I am one chapter into a book for which I've been on hold at the library to read for many months now. It is a book about someone who has managed to raise my curiosity a great deal. Barak Obama is the rising star of the Democratic party. Not since JFK has a young and fairly inexperienced politician raised this much enthusiasm and national attention. And, while I tend to vote more conservatively, I will admit that this man has my interest both for the potential of his political power and for what he might be able to do with it.

An October 2005 article the British journal New Statesman listed Obama as one of "10 people who could change the world." And, I certainly believe this. The man somehow seems to bridge the huge valleys that have been dug between the two political parties, not to mention he has the ability to transcend race by appealing to both black and white America.

In researching Obama for this post, I learned a great many things. His father was from Kenya and his mother from Kansas. He was the first black President of the Harvard Law Review. He worked the streets of New York and Chicago early on in his career as a civil rights lawyer. His first attempt to run for office was a miserable failure. In the book I am reading, "The Audacity of Hope," Obama discusses his insecurities and low feelings at losing his first run in politics. His words are what get me even just pages into the book--honest, direct, unafraid to admit his misgivings or flaws--just plain REAL.

His honesty could be his political downfall, although I hope that it is not.  He has admitted to experimenting with drugs in college during a period of personal searching. Never before in my recollection, has a potential presidential candidate been so open with his past mistakes. He is not afraid to say he "inhaled" and some would say with that he takes a big risk.

Although, I don't know about you, but to me this is damn refreshing. I feel that both the Bush and the Clinton administrations were darkened greatly by scandals and secrets. From Travelgate and Monica Lewinsky, to the many questions raised about Halliburton and Bush's real reasons for entering Iraq, I feel like the American public is sick of the smoke and mirrors among our politicians. I know that I am. Obama makes no apologies for his past indiscretions, but rather talks about them as if they were just a piece of a puzzle to who he is as a man. And, that's something to which most people can understand and relate. We all make mistakes. We are all searching for ourselves, and we hope that our mistakes can be the things that change us into the person God put us on the Earth to be, rather than things that continue to shadow over us the rest of our lives.

Quite frankly, I'd rather have someone running my country who can admit to mistakes but also show how he's learned from them. While national security must be protected, can we hope for a new era in politics of honesty coming from the Oval Office? Do we really have the audacity to believe it can happen in our lifetime?

Obama's name on the Democratic ticket could actually be even more significant than Hillary Clinton's, because he might draw out a segment of the population who doesn't normally get politically involved and vote. Perhaps he can invigorate Americans out of their political apathy and get them involved and learning about what is going on in the government again.

But, I have concerns too. Obama could hold back to let Clinton run, missing his window of opportunity. Should they both try to get on the ticket, he could split the vote among, thereby leaving the Democratic nomination on shaky and unpredictable ground.(Does anyone else have flashbacks to H. Ross Perot here?)

As a typically more conservative voter, all of these things should appeal to me, of course. A Democratic party split can only help the Republicans in their quest to remain at the top spot in the White House. A Clinton win for the race could anger a lot of Obama backers, thereby weakening the party's voting power. An Obama win could do the same for female Democratic voters. But, something else really strange and unexpected could happen. Obama could begin to win over those millions of people who fall in the middle and just want to see something good and positive happen for our country. What if party lines began to disappear at the voting polls? Stranger things have happened, don't you think?

I am only one chapter into Barak Obama's second book, and yet I already know that I will be getting on the library's list for his first book, "Dreams from My Father." While, I still do not know that I will vote for Obama should he run nor do I know where he stands on a great many issues as of yet, I feel like I'm looking at a man who can and will make changes in our country whether I agree with him or not. And, from what I have learned of him so far, he seems to reflect the thinking more of my own generation rather than that of my parents. And, all party lines aside, that interests me greatly.

Time magazine featured Obama last year and described him quite aptly as "the political equivalent of a rainbow--a sudden preternatural event inspiring awe and ecstasy." The world will learn February 10^th if he has chosen to run for President, or if he will sit back and let Hillary Clinton make a go of it this time around. And, as I continue my personal quest to become a more knowledgeable voter this year and learn more about this man, I for one am hoping for our country that his rainbow has a pot of gold at the end of it.

Opening up a can of holy worms...

My first topic of discussion in this forum is a sensitive one and one that I usually try to avoid on my personal blog. And, just like a can of biscuits left in the back seat of a hot car, if I attempt to poke at it and dance around the subject, I could end up making a gooey mess of myself. And, yet, somehow I must jump in, pull that label off the can and press into the seam of the matter—the real pressure points for me—to ever get to the buttery goodness inside. Right?

OK, so putting all really gross food analogies aside, (deep breath) here goes...

I grew up in a very small church in my hometown--population two traffic lights. I am still a member of this church denomination today, although I have had times of questioning which religion best fits with my beliefs. Our church has been embroiled in a major controversy between the national church and the head church in Europe over the consecration of a gay bishop. Have I narrowed this down enough yet for you to figure it out?

But, my church denomination is really not important because these issues are being discussed in most of the major Christian religions currently. It is more about trying to understand the generations before me and also about deciding whether certain political actions taken by my church’s governing body are, in fact, something that now puts a label on me if I remain a member of said church.

If you read my introduction to this forum, you know that I’m right in the middle, politically speaking. I tend to vote more conservatively. However, when it comes to social issues, I lean more to the left. This does not fit with most of the older generation of my family, as well as my church family. There are times I find myself cringing at their comments because I find something they say so utterly unacceptable.

Recently, I sat through a series of meetings discussing the whole same-sex unions/gay bishop consecration issue being decided in our national church. I live in Texas, a supremely red state. My church is known for filling the pews more with those 65 and older, than it is for attracting the young crowd. But, even with those facts in place, the events that unfolded on this particular evening shocked me.

Our new minister had just finished a long and rather rambling discussion of the current issues in front of our national church, and how he feels those issues will impact our church, as well as our connection with our church roots in Europe. At the end of the speech, he asked for questions. After more than an hour of sitting, I heard the rustling of everyone shifting in their chairs, and knew that something big was coming. Then, someone just asked the question most everyone there wanted to know—would our new minister support a decision by the national church to allow gay unions in our church or openly gay people to be ordained? Or would he follow our Bishop and the “old church” in forbidding such actions.

The new minister, now on the spot, basically said that he’d support our Bishop in this matter and the old church, and that he did not feel gay unions were to be recognized in a church at this time. But, before the words were out of his mouth completely, the room burst into applause. A few older men behind me even yelled out, “YEAH!” as if they were watching a football game and cheering for a great play made by their team.

My jaw dropped, as did my heart. I had recently become more involved at church and had started to make friends, even with some of the older crowd. I felt like I was witnessing something very disturbing and wrong. And, as the applause jolted me and my heart began to race, I looked up at our new young minister—who is only a year or so younger than me in age and has children the same age as my own. His face fell too, and he immediately and forcefully said back to the cheering crowd, “Let me finish, please! I will not condone same sex unions in this church, but I would lay my own LIFE DOWN if I allow a homosexual person to ever be run out of this church or be treated with anything but love and compassion here.”

As he said this, I heard a silence fall and then a few claps and words of approval, not so surprisingly from a few of the other younger families present. And, then my eyes met his and I could see in his the same disappointment and surprise that I felt as well. These dear people who give so much to their community and genuinely have wonderful and loving hearts, had in one moment shook everything that I believed in.

I came home and told my husband, who said the scene would have bothered him as well. When I could not get it out of my head, I emailed my minister. And, this is some of what I said. It describes very clearly how I feel on this subject

“…I know that people have strong viewpoints on gays in church, and I knew that coming in to the meeting. I guess I do not. I am not sure why this upset me in the way it did, but it really did.

Am I a liberal? Well, not really. Politically speaking, I find myself right in the middle. Personally speaking, I'm very conservative and so is my husband. But, none of that should really matter when I am in church. Right? That's not what church is about is it?

And, maybe that is why the uproarious applause to your first statement about gay marriage bothered me. You see, I am not someone who knows every passage of the Bible. I grew up in a small town church that was too small to even have an organized Sunday School.

So, I find myself learning much more as an adult about the foundation of our church and its beliefs. But, whether I can quote the Bible or not, I am a Christian all the same. I may not fully know the passage where it says that being gay is an abomination of the Lord, but I do know that the Lord asks that we not judge others. I know that church is about love and acceptance. It's about reaching your hand out to another person, no matter what they believe or what sort of sinner they are, and holding it in prayer and thanksgiving--because we are all sinners. And, what I believe is that it is not my place to judge whether or not two gay people are more worthy of God's love than I am. We all sin. We're all very blessed to have God's love. Period.

I don't know why I am writing you this, except that when everyone cheered for the "no gay unions" part of what you said, I saw a surprised look on your face that seemed to match my own. And your response was so touching to me, because it is exactly what I believe. Church is about loving others. And, that's what our focus should be.

My minister replied back with a really supportive email and enthusiastically asked if he could share my letter with the vestry of our church, because he said he felt it really reflected the feelings of a lot of our generation in a way that they might understand. I was honored and glad that I spoke out. But, it really doesn’t change a lot. He also told me he’d been told later that the applause was more because people were just glad that someone took a clear stance—and didn’t dance around or avoiding the subject as the higher ups in our church have done for so many years now.

This sort of rhetorical dance-around is present in responses by the international church body to the recent actions of our national church to begin making provisions for developing public blessings for same sex unions:

“We urge all provinces that are engaged in processes of discernment regarding the blessing of same sex unions to engage the Communion in continuing study of biblical and theological rationale for and against such unions. Such a process of study and reflection needs to include clarification regarding the distinction, if such exists, between same sex unions and same sex marriage. This call for continuing study does not imply approval of such proposals.”
Excerpt from the Lambeth Commission’s “Windsor Report”

My church is still in a state of controversy and flux, and I find myself more torn than ever. Our Bishop has said if the national church approves same sex unions, which would be in open defiance of the old church in Europe, we will split from it and remain connected to our European roots. Because that is what the overwhelming majority of his church congregations believe and want to continue to follow. Should this happen, I don’t know what I would do.

Some, when faced with this stance by their church, might quickly separated themselves and find a denomination that better mirrors their own beliefs. But, is that the answer really? There are so many things about my church that reflect what I strongly believe Christianity embodies. Is it better to walk away in protest over one policy for which I disagree, or stay and work to make things better? Or is the issue at hand such a huge one in terms of human rights that I should refuse to accept this discrimination? Am I being weak in staying? What do you think? And, if given the same situation, what would YOU do?

Taking My Place on the Team

I guess my first task in being a part of this great new website is to introduce myself. My name is Steph. and I've been writing over at my personal blog, Crazy MomCat, for about a year and half. I suppose that I epitomize a "soccer mom," as much as I hate labels. (SUV, check...kids in organized sports, check...living in the 'burbs, check...)

More than seven years ago, I chose to leave my job as a technical writer in the high-tech industry to stay home with my first child. Leaving my career behind was a very hard decision, and one I still find myself struggling with from time to time. However, I feel so blessed that I had the choice to stay home and spend this time with my children too. My son is seven-and-a-half and my daughter is just over two-and-a-half. I live in a suburb of Houston, Texas, where I find myself sometimes reinforcing that at-home mom stereotype of no-makeup and sweatpants, as much as I hate to admit that.

Another thing that is difficult to admit is how complacent I had grown with politics and voting in recent years. At 36, I now find myself really wanting to define where I stand politically, religiously, and morally in this life. Part of that search has been chronicled on my personal blog, and I expect a lot of that will be reflected in my writing on this blog.

Working through college in the television industry, I became very interested in the local politics where I lived. Texas is definitely a big "Red" state in every sense of the word, and my background and family members certainly follow those true Republican lines. But, I don't feel my beliefs fit into a classified party, preferring to call myself an Independent. In truth, I do follow more conservative beliefs when it comes to the economy, national defense,and reducing government involvement in our daily lives.

But, most recently, I have felt I was moving much more towards the left. While I'm a fairly conservative person, I tend to be more liberally-minded when it comes to social issues, such as human rights.

And, if all of this back and forth is making your head spin about now, then you know how I feel most days! It gave me great comfort to read Sandy's first post because she so eloquently described her beliefs in a way that really didn't ramble on, as I just have. It is so wonderful to know that there are other moms out there who find themselves not quite fitting into a political party too!

So, hello out there, readers! I look forward to contributing here, as well as reading what all the soccer moms have to say. We can be a powerful force in the world, and can most certainly enact change if we get involved and get vocal. And, I say, it is high time that we do that. So, game on, my friends. GAME ON!