First Firsts
Now, I've had my ups and downs with Bill Maher.  I really, really, really am frustrated over his quite public, and quite frequent, support of PETA.  Often times too, he can be quite a smart-ass (after my own heart, sure).  But that can get annoying from time to time.  The week before last, though, he really hit a big nail on the head on the head.

The basic gist of his argument was: If not Obama, then who?  To explain in more detail, Maher was arguing that Obama is a terribly intelligent, young, inspiring, calculated, and capable candidate.  Who just happens to be African-American.  And he asked the question, if this guy isn't good enough to be the first Black president, who is??  He equated Obama to Jackie Robinson in similar regards.  He made the assertion, an assertion I'd heard before in sports circles, that Robinson was the perfect person to break the color barrier in professional sports because he was a very level-headed guy, who was smart and never let things rustle him, and had the respect of many white men in the sport who obviously weren't prejudiced towards him just because of his skin color.   I completely agree with that comparison.

Can you imagine how disenchanted and frustrated so many African-Americans are going to be if/when Obama loses the nomination?  I mean, I won't blame them if they all up and secede from the nation over this.  I'd do it.  To come so close to finally overcoming this obstacle, with a man of such incredible ability and potential, many I'm sure will throw their hands in the air, defeated, and angrily proclaim "I quit."  Yet, thinking about it more, it could be even more detrimental to have Obama win the nomination, but then loose the actual election. 

Now, to approach the next logical step in this discussion.  In a sense, yes, you could argue along the same lines for Hillary and that she might be the best chance women have of breaking through their own obstacles to the Oval Office.  But I would argue she's tarnished, she's not as blameless as Obama.  And she definitely doesn't have something Obama has:  a lack of connection with the whole "Washington Crowd."  Clinton is still a politician, and has a politician's ties with fellow lawmakers.  Not to mention a politician's ties to corporate interests.  Plus she has the presence of her husband always haunting her in the background. 

Taking it even another step further, I'd say ask the same question from earlier about Clinton.  "If not Hillary, then who?"  Is Hillary Clinton really the one you want to say is the first female president?  Can't we do better than her?  At this point, I will certainly concede that I'm prejudiced against her.  But certainly there are more reputable, more respectable, better qualified and more electable women than Hillary Clinton?  I'm a moderate fan of Olympia Snowe, who Wikipedia alleges is actually on McCain's list of potential vice-presidential candidates. So there's an interesting possibility there. Nancy Pelosi I would say is another good example of a woman who has the potential to serve as a fine and respectable president.  Condoleezza Rice, I can forgive your associations with this so-called administration, as I think you would likely make a capable leader as well.  So long as you can keep track of your in-office memos. 

Enough of politics though.

Stated goals for myself in the coming months:

1. Get something published in a semi to major publication (i.e. magazine, Web site, etc.)
2. Write 30 poems between now and May 31st.
3. Ask certain girl out for a date. 
4. Get rejected by previously mentioned girl then proceed to get really "emo" about it.
5. Omit any and all errors from Wednesday Night Massacre, my radio show on SCAD-Atlanta Radio. 
6. Listen to "...And Justice For All" all the way through without stopping.
7. See "Shine a Light" directed by Martin "Kubrick wished he was as fun as me" Scorcese.
8. Resist the temptation to buy a new computer.
9. Get tattoo on my person.  ( This has been a real source or procrastination, but that nonsense stops now!)
10.  Go work out at the gym.
11. Eat at Medieval Times again.

Have you ever been to that place?  Medieval Times?  Great Odin's Raven!  It's the absolute end-all-be-all of dining experiences.  It's expensive as shit.  $40 to get in, then like a fool I payed $22 for a beer stein as a souvenir/thing to hold my Samuel Adams in.  But, in compensation for all this money, I got a quite acceptable meal and 2 and 1/2 hours of watching people ride around on horses swinging maces and axes at each other in a dance of carnage and chaos.  All the while, driving myself to intoxication via said beer and Chaucer mead.  This intoxication in fact lead to much riotous shouting, yelling, and general cheering. It was a group of about 7 of us who went; me, Robzor, Melanie, Heavy D (Jason), DigitalPimp (Drew), Charles, and Makoto, who was visiting America for the first time.

When you're seated, they seat you in color-coded sections that correspond with certain knights who are part of the narrative of the play/story that plays out over the course of the show.  We were in the green section, and cheered furiously for the green knight in our quasi-drunken stupor.  After the show, the different guys who played the knights came out for photo ops and just general meet-and-greet things.  We got a picture of all of use huddled around our champion, who informed Drew that our cheering had made his night. Indeed, I knew in some way he acknowledged us, as over the course of the show when he would ride by us he would usually hoist up his lance or whatever weapon and shout back at us.  The best phrase I can think of to describe it is: Roman-Gladiatorial-Feast-Funtime.