I went to vote today at the Hermitage Library. First, I must say that I was a bit bothered that the woman who greeted me at the entrance to the room handed me an “I Voted” sticker. I hadn’t voted yet! What if I tripped and slammed my head into a table and had to be rushed unconscious to the hospital? Or, what if I had an intense panic attack as I realized the brevity of the decision I was about to make and I decided to flee the room and return when my mind was more resolute? It was quite preemptive of her to hand me that sticker. Not wanting to promote false advertising, I kept the sticker on the edge of my fingertip until I cast my ballot. Then, and only then, did I boldy place my sticker on the front of my shirt.

There is more to this sticker saga. The same woman who gave me my sticker also handed one to Catherine. My daughter will not be eligible to vote for another 16 1/2 years. I do not want my neighbors accusing me of voter fraud when they see Catherine with that sticker plastered to her onesie. But, Catherine was having great fun sticking the patriotic accessory to her hair and then ripping it off so I didn’t deny her the joy.  (I try to limit my denial of her joy to three times a day, and I was already up to two.  With five hours until her bedtime, I wanted to keep one act of denial in reserve.)

As we exited the library, I noticed that Catherine no longer had her sticker. I assumed it had fallen on the floor at some point, but allowed myself to absorb my guilt for littering and continued on towards the parking lot. It was not until Nathan got home several hours later and said, “Why do you have an “I Voted” sticker on your ___?” (please insert whichever word you believe my husband used to indicate the body part on which I sit), that I realized the fate of my daughter’s sticker. My guess is that the sticker ended up on my backside during the fluid motion that occurs when she has her arms wrapped around my leg and I reach down to pick her up.

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that Catherine and I played at the park next to the library for nearly an hour after I voted. I’m so glad the other parents and kids were witness to my butt sticker. Really, though, perhaps it’s not such an inappropriate placement considering some of the choices we had in this election.

My sister has started a blog and I encourage everyone to check it out.

If you are interested in the writings of a middle-class, New School-imported, beer-sipping, open mike night-clubbing, art studio-opening, public schooling, subway-riding, New York liberal (hat tip to Jon Crisp), then my sister’s blog is for you!

Catherine and I are far apart on most political issues and therefore have some great debates over the phone.  She is one of my best friends and I love her a lot!

Bob Clement’s latest negative attacks of Karl Dean smack of desperation. In fact, the ad makes one wonder whether we wouldn’t have been better off with Kenneth Eaton making the runoff rather than Bob Clement. From The Tennessean today

Clement, a former U.S. Congressman, started airing a TV advertisement Monday that said Dean “can think of lots of reasons to raise taxes” and quoted Dean saying at a recent debate, “You can imagine all sorts of scenarios.”

This past year, Tennessee Tax Revolt advocated a Metro charter amendment that passed overwhelmingly. The former congressman may want to take note that now only the people of Nashville can increases their property tax rate - not the mayor. He may also wish to recall that Karl Dean has made no statement that he is for any tax increases. And as the story cited above mentions, it is Clement who is planning to expand the government of Nashville in all sorts of haphazard, political kowtowing directions

Dean also said Clement had voted dozens of times for higher taxes, including nine votes to raise income taxes, during his 15 years representing Nashville in Congress. And he noted that Clement has promised to pursue the 2020 Summer Olympics, build a park for homeless people and create several new Metro offices and programs.

Right. So Clement wants to herd and corral the homeless and expand the size of Nashville government. If anyone is setting the city up for a major tax increase, it’s Bob Clement.

The annual rankings from The Princeton Review came out today.  And, Mountaineers, let me share something before you get all excited about your Number One Party School ranking.  These rankings make no sense at all.  I’m a huge Terps fan!  My alma mater knows how to turn out the crowds for basketball and lacrosse.  My most memorable basketball experience at Maryland was our amazing comeback win against #1 ranked North Carolina in 1995.  Cole Field House was packed to the rafters and the sound was deafening.  We can even get a bit rowdy during big football games (more so since I’ve graduated and we’ve actually had mild football success).  But, I’m not sure how this happened:

Students Pack the Stadiums: How Popular are Intercollegiate Sports?

1. University of Maryland — College Park

2. University of Notre Dame

3. University of Florida

4. West Virginia University

5. University of Georgia

6. Penn State University

7. University of Michigan — Ann Arbor

8. University of Southern California

9. Gonzaga University

10. University of Tennessee — Knoxville

I appreciate the fact that the rankings obviously look beyond football, but some of these schools (like Florida) seem to go all out whenever there is a ball in motion on any type of field or court.  What kind of research was used to make this list?

I have a confession to make.  I am crushing a bit on presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.  He is an engaging speaker with a smart sense of humor (”Government spends more than John Edwards in a hair salon”… that’s good stuff).  Regardless of party affiliation, I know that we are all desperate for a president that can effectively communicate his ideas.  Huckabee seems to fit the bill here.  More importantly, I think he has a common sense and consistent approach towards the issues.

I was first drawn to Huckabee when I saw him on The Daily Show discussing his thoughts on abortion.  His position is posted on his website as follows:

To me, life doesn’t begin at conception and end at birth. Every child deserves a quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water. 

Yes!  I strongly believe that advocates of pro-life need to continue their concern for children after they are born.  Do not encourage a mom to carry her baby to term and then say, “Alrighty then.  Good luck!  Bye, bye now!”  I don’t think we hear enough about the need to provide a good life to kids once they have made it outside the womb.  I appreciate Gov. Huckabee’s approach towards the abortion issue.

Upon further purusing of Huckabee’s campaign website, I came across this statement:

Music and the arts are not extraneous, extra-curricular, or expendable - I believe they are essential … It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory. 

In my opinion, these creative disciplines should be required of all children through middle school and strongly encouraged in high school.   Being a proponent of states’ rights whenever feasible, I do not favor the involvement of the federal government in setting educational guidelines.  But, I do like that a presidential candidate sees the importance in promoting a well-rounded education.

I am not endorsing Huckabee for the Republican nomination (and realize that it would be irrelevant even if I did … not exactly a “stop the presses” moment) and have no intention of becoming a “shill blog” for the former governor from Arkansas.  There may be plenty of unsavory things I don’t know about Huckabee.  I’m just saying that, right now, I like the man and I may or may not have printed out his media schedule and taped it next to the TV so that I won’t miss a single appearance.

The Young Republicans continued their domination on the softball field, beating the Young Democrats 42 to 5. (Yes, that actually was the score … after four innings and a mercy ending.) Sean Braisted was in attendance and surprised everyone by stepping to the plate late in the game. He has already posted about the game, with promises of more details and photos to come. He did not mention that he wore a Clement shirt when he came up to bat …

My dear husband did a great job pitching and wielding the bat. Catherine clung to the fence and screamed, “Daddy!”, which I’m sure was not at all distracting.

As promised, both mayoral candidates were there. There were Dean and Clement t-shirts donned by members of both teams, showing the bipartisan appeal of both camps.

I had the opportunity to speak with both Bob and Mary Clement. The candidate shook Catherine’s hand (she responded with a confused, furrowed brow) and told me it was nice to see me again. Mary Clement and I shared a longer conversation. She told me all about her daughters, and I commented that I had seen them on TV and they seemed lovely. As we parted ways, Mrs. Clement looked me up and down and said, “That’s a beautiful little figure you’ve got.” Ummm … thanks? She actually was very sweet, and I know she was just being nice to a fellow mom. So, I appreciate her compliment. Just was not expecting it.

Richard Exton served as the umpire and called the game fairly for both sides. His son played for the Young Dems, as did new Metro Council member Sean McGuire and recent at-large candidate Peter Westerholm. Megan Barry, Luvenia Butler and Ronnie Steine all stopped by greet everyone. I do apologize if I missed any names of note. My attention to the game was somewhat limited. Catherine repeatedly tried to take the field, so we left for a bit to get out some energy at the playground down the hill.

Congratulations to the Davidson County Young Republicans for remaining undefeated in this annual event! Looking forward to next year!

Come on out to the third annual Davidson County Young Republicans vs. Davidson County Young Democrats Softball Challenge tomorrow at 11:00am!  The game is being played at Green Hills Park.

If meeting the two remaining candidates for mayor is not enough to make you come out in the heat (both Clement and Dean are scheduled to attend), then how about the chance to watch my husband and fellow MooreThoughts blogger do some damage at the plate?  I’ll leave it to you to ponder for which team my husband will be playing.  Catherine will be going to cheer on Daddy and I am her official driver for the day (she’s quite demanding).

Hope to see you there!

I sure am glad that we don’t buy many toys for Catherine.  Since her birthday in January, I have only purchased a clearance toy that makes animal sounds and a $2.00 set of wooden blocks from Goodwill.  I don’t really understand the point of buying a lot of stuff for a toddler.  I’ve noticed that much of the plastic, flashy items I see in some other homes gets used for two days and then ignored.  Also, if I don’t buy toys I don’t have to worry about all of these recalls.

Right now, Catherine’s favorite items for play are two big empty coffee cans, some pots and pans, plastic cups, poker chips (you should see her bluff … awesome!), and stacked cans of tomato sauce and beans that I haven’t gotten around to using yet.   Even more than those playthings, she likes the potted dirt that has desperately tried to sustain life in my dying flowers, sticks, leaves and rain puddles (remember rain?).  She gets to use her imagination, get dirty, work on hand-eye coordination and motor skills … and it doesn’t cost a thing!

There was a discussion going on blogs several weeks ago concerning the right of men to have a say in the abortion decision.  I’ve been meaning to write on the subject since first reading the arguments, but am just getting around to it now.

I start with the premise that Roe v. Wade is the accepted law of the land.  Whether or not that ruling is appropriate is a whole other argument.  That being said …

I believe a husband/boyfriend/random sexual partner should have an equal opinion in determining whether or not a pregnancy is aborted.  The baby shares an equal component of both parents’ DNA … it is their baby, not just her baby.  The laws of anatomy dictate that the female is the one to carry the baby for nine months.  The male should not be punished simply because he does not have a uterus.  The woman made the choice to have sex with the person whose sperm has now combined with her egg to form a life.  I firmly believe that you should not have sex with a person unless you are prepared for the possibility that you may be responsible for raising a child together (condoms break and a couple of my friends are “pill babies”).

In situations where the woman did not have a choice in sexual activity (such as rape and incest), then the criminal who forced sex certainly should have absolutely no voice in what womb-related actions occur.  Instead, he should be castrated and locked away for the rest of his life.

I cannot imagine making such a life-changing (in many ways!) decision such as having an abortion without the support of the other person who is also responsible for that growing life.  That is why I fail to understand the concept of “casual” sex.  When a man and woman come together and have sex, both need to have a mutual understanding of the consequences.  The question needs to be asked before the clothes come off … if a pregnancy results in this act, what do you think should happen?  If the answers aren’t the same, keep it zipped.

My choice of reading material right now is the book Is Bill Cosby Right? by Michael Eric Dyson.  The author decides that the answer to the question posed in his title is “NO”.  It is an interesting read.  Some of Dyson’s points are well-taken, as I do believe Cosby oversimplifies several major issues.  However, many arguments made by the author are less than convincing.  Take this reasoning behind the baggy dropped-a-load pants that unfortunately have been the trend for over a decade now:

The baggy pants style may represent, consciously or not, their restricted mobility in the culture.  Baggy pants, and oversize clothing in general, may also cover black bodies subject to unhealthy surveillance.  Maybe black youth who can’t hide in their skin are forced to hide in their clothes.  The more they are swallowed up in a sea of denim or cotton, the less likely they are to drown in naked scrutiny of vulnerable limbs. 

Oh, please … come now.  I really don’t think there is such deep psychology behind the decision to hang jeans around your thighs and show off a snazzy pair of boxers.  Perhaps I should head out to the local mall this weekend and complete a quick survey with the teenagers who pass me in the food court.  My questions will be as follows –

1. Are you wearing those jeans at mid-thigh and four sizes too big because of your need to cover from the unjust surveillance that is brought on by society?

2. Do you believe that those baggy pants help you to hide from the more unpleasant aspects of our cruel world?

3. Don’t you realize that your mobility would be less restricted if you threw a belt around those suckers and didn’t have to use one hand to hold them up when you choose to walk with any sort of purposeful gait?

4. As a white kid in the suburbs who just got dropped off by your mom in her Volvo, do you understand how ridiculous you look?

When I was in middle school, I wore stirrup pants with three layers of oversized socks from The Gap and ridiculously teased hair.  Perhaps the stirrups represented the confinement I felt as a woman who was already aware of the glass ceiling that loomed over me.  I needed all of those socks because I wished to masculinize myself by creating the illusion of trunk-like legs and therefore pass off as acceptable in a man’s world.  The hairsprayed stiffness of my bangs symbolized the strong facade I wished to present even as my self-esteem was suffering.

Or, maybe I just fell victim to the horrible fashion trends of the time … kind of like those ridiculous baggy pants.

Individuals involved in the other mayoral campaigns have already pledged support for Karl’s efforts to become Nashville’s next mayor.

Toby Compton, who was on staff with Buck Dozier, is now working in Dean’s camp. Word is that many other supporters of Buck will be openly announcing for Karl in the next few days.

Additionally, former metro council at-large candidate Brady Banks, who ran one of the more creative and ingenuous direct mail campaigns in the at-large race, has joined Karl Dean’s campaign team.  As well, the Nashville Business Coalition has endorsed Dean’s candidacy.

Many former Gentry and Briley supporters are also now involved and behind Dean. If Clement the Angry has any magical spitting speeches left in him, this may be the time.

I am closing my eyes and taking some deep breaths.  Oohhmmmm.  Oohhmmmm.  My mind takes me to a happier place.  I almost feel like I’m actually there right  now …

I’m wearing my well-worn Maryland Alumni sweatshirt and my favorite pair of jeans.  There is a roaring fire going in the living room (safely confined to a fireplace, of course).  It’s five minutes until kickoff in the AFC Championship game featuring the Steelers and the Titans.  Nathan and I have placed a friendly wager, and I can already see him cooking dinner and doing the dishes for a week.  The pot of chili has been cooking in the crockpot all day.  It’s hot, spicy and ready for consumption with a cold beer.  Catherine is sleeping peacefully upstairs after a busy afternoon making snow angels and sledding down the hill in our backyard.  Light snow continues to fall now and it looks beautiful when highlighted by the light from our front porch.  What a perfect day!

… I’m roused from my daydream by the voice of the weatherman on TV, “Looks like another 100 degree day, everyone.  Be careful!”  No, I want to go back!  Oohhmmmm.  Oohhmmmm.

One of the undesirable side effects of having the unequalled in wonderfulness job of being a mother is exposure to children’s programming.  I was never a big fan of cartoons when I was a kid, only watching the Saturday morning shows to see the “One to Grow On” and Menudo segments that came on just before the top of the hour. Now, I am learning about the new characters that have sprung onto the toddler landscape.

I have a problem with one feature I have noticed both in the classic Sesame Street and the new program likely created under the influence of hallucinogens called The Wonder Pets.  In both shows, there is a character who speaks with a pronounced speech impediment (Sesame Street features Little Bear and Wonder Pets has, I believe, a baby chick).  For these animals, “serious” becomes “see-we-us” and “bear” becomes “ba-wah”.

I suppose the intention of the shows’ creators is to allow children who struggle with speech impediments to hear others who sound like them and therefore know they aren’t alone (just as it makes sense to feature children of different races and backgrounds).  However, isn’t a primary purpose of these educational shows to teach children about proper language and diction?  Shouldn’t these puppets serve as an example for the kids to model?

I assume that children who have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds will be provided speech therapy in school.  Why continue to reinforce incorrect practices until that point?  I don’t let Catherine watch Wonder Pets anymore and I turn off the sound when Little Bear comes on Sesame Street.  I don’t want her to think that those words are correct as she learns sounds for the first time.

Even though I have not taught high school in four years, I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night terrified that I forgot to prepare lesson plans for the day that would soon be arriving. I lie in bed in a state of half-slumber mentally developing a ninety-minute plan to excite high school seniors about the electoral college. The gnawing pain in my stomach is eventually enough to wake me up fully. I take a deep sigh of relief and realize that I am no longer a public school teacher. I used to have the same 3:00am problem when waiting tables at Chilis. I would actually put on my fabulous burgandy polo and navy blue apron before coming to my senses and reminding myself that I did not leave a customer there without his turkey sandwich.

Anyway, my latest night sweats over teaching led me to think about a specific incident that caused quite the stir. When I began my employment with the school system that hired me, we were told that our email accounts were to be used for professional reasons only (correspondence with parents, planning with other teachers, subscribing to daily updates from E! Online, etc). I used my school email account for its intended purpose and maintained great communication with parents about upcoming exams, the distribution of grades and other tidbits that the students did not want mom and dad to know. However, there were many other teachers in the system who I believed were abusing the email access. Not a day went by that I did not receive several forwards with cute teddy bears, enlightening stories about how the gruff businessman learned his job wasn’t nearly as hard as that of a teacher or advertisements for used trucks. I even got quite a few prayer chains with pictures of Jesus.

If these teachers wanted to share a favorite forward of a dancing penguin with other friends on the faculty who would be receptive, then I would support their desire to email to their heart’s content. But, these people were sending nonsense to every teacher in the county!

After a particularly bad afternoon of deleting annoying emails, I decided to take action. I sent my own email to the entire county, and I included the administration in the recipient list. I wrote that our email should be used for professional purposes only and that I did not want to receive an email with “Jingle Bells” rewritten about the harried life of teachers. We are fighting to be taken seriously as a profession on par with others that require certification (such as medicine and law), but I can’t imagine a doctor sending out an email letting every other doctor in a hospital know what her favorite color says about her personality.

The responses were about three to one against me. One woman wrote to me to let me know she would be praying for me because I was obvious unhappy and bitter. Another teacher told me that she couldn’t get through her crazy day without funny forwards to cheer her up (which I found quite unfortunate). Others were happy that someone finally spoke up and assured me that I had plenty of support.

There were parts of being a teacher that I loved, and I took the education of my students seriously. I tried to share my passion for government with them every day. I spent hours grading and commenting on papers (I made them write A LOT) and planning creative ways to teach new concepts. Occasionally, through email, I would pass along an amusing story to my friends on the staff. However, I did not impose spinning smiley faces on several hundred teachers who I assumed were as busy as me. That is just plain unprofessional.

Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing

Though attributed to Vince Lombardi, it’s not a Lombardi original. It’s a Vanderbilt Commodore original. I never knew it.

No, it’s not the name of a medieval pope. It’s the new and fitting name of a candidate for Nashville mayor.

Former congressman Bob Clement let loose a peculiar tirade Thursday night after making the Nashville mayoral runoff, slamming his newly singular opponent Karl Dean with a litany of negative barbs, blaming Dean’s wife’s money for his success thus far in the mayoral race. No explanation came from Clement regarding his own personal shrinking popularity as election day neared, or how his name recognition advantage evaporated in a wispy fog.

Showing more than a bit of class, Karl Dean did not return the volley, refusing to cite Bob Clement’s father, the former governor, as the name-bestowing reason his angrily motivated son squeaked into the runoff. So we Nashvillians now have a showdown between a successful public servant in Karl Dean, and a hereditary politico in Bob Clement. Count me as skeptical of titleage based politics from the get-go. Add to that skepticism a backwards feeling agenda, a complete lack of statesmanship exhibited in a totally classless move, and I’m firmly in the Dean camp.

Clement’s strategists are some of the best negative campaigners around, and in that regard, are held in high repute. But to slam your opponent straight away in what ought to have been more of a victory speech is a bit much. Sources I’ve talked to have noted that there is some significant fallout from the Clement camp, and its based entirely on Bob’s angry tantrum Thursday night.

And then he spins himself yesterday as desiring a positive campaign. Spin only works when it’s credible. So far, the last five days for Clement the Angry have been most incredible.

UPDATE Another attack on Dean - this time from an anonymous poster. Very compelling.

The surge in Iraq has touched public perception in a positive way

In the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, taken Friday through Sunday, the proportion of those who said the additional troops are “making the situation better” rose to 31% from 22% a month ago. Those who said it was “not making much difference” dropped to 41% from 51%.

About the same number said it was making things worse: 24% now, 25% a month ago.

Of course, no good leader relies on polls to govern decision making, but the truth is that the stepped up American military presence, along with some ingenuous local diplomacy in places like Ramadi, have made a stabilizing difference on the ground. Add to this the lack of viable Democrat alternatives in the region, and this is the result one gets.

The challenge though is to parlay this concrete security success into Iraqi political achievement, which has been nothing but a completely frustrating endeavor.

The American public desires to be out of Iraq because it has been a mess. In all measurable ways, nothing has gone as we would have hoped. Largely this came out of an inherent American belief that democracy is desired by all, and allowing it to take root in the absence of a totalitarian dictator wouldn’t be all that difficult. We were wrong.

However, the only Americans seemingly consumed with defeat are hard core leftists (see that nonmoving last number in the quoted paragraph above). Most would be willing to stick it out if progress was being made. The surge is progress. Let’s turn it into something more permanent.

Driving into downtown Nashville this morning, something unusual helped alleviate the overbearing, oppressive heat that has pounded us for the last few days - cranes.

In fact, multiple sites, and multiple cranes. The sight of the crane is a sure sign that you live in a worthy place. Cranes are evidence that your city is headed in the right direction and growing, bona fide proof that we live in a metropolitan area moving forward, not backward. And these cranes, located over West End, SoBro and the Gulch, are the first of many to come. Just across the interstate, more high raises will soon be going up on Demonbreun. And having just lost the sight of cranes when the Veridian was completed on Church Street between Fourth and Fifth, and the near completion of the new Suntrust building on Commerce, we’ll soon see even more a block down Church. In fact, these new ones will be humongous cranes, as the Signature Tower begins its historic rise.  And then there is the Westin on South Broadway. And the recent excavations next to the new symphony center.

You know, it’s an exciting time to be a Nashvillian.