the ladybug and the lion

The Cost Of Hope.

I know I'm not the only one disappointed by Obama's recent decisions (supporting the telecommunications bill, forgoing public funding).  In fact, it's probably easier for me to deal with what some see as his sudden change in direction: I wasn't one of his ardent supporters during his primary campaigns.  I voted for Clinton and remained a Clinton supporter throughout the entire primary, not because I didn't recognize her downfalls, bad decisions, and political game playings, but because nothing about Obama counteracted her positive points enough to pull me to his side.  People tried to convince me, but unfortunately his speeches and message did nothing to inspire me nor give me enough hope.

But after he won I did remain hopeful that he would turn into that next great president that so many believe he could be.  And I certainly never thought that those hopes would be squashed so quickly.  I don't know how anybody could not turn into a "politician" within the U.S. political sphere, but I thought he was stronger; I thought he would hold out longer, at least through the presidential election, before acquiescing to political spin and bad decisions made in the name of image.

The worst is that now I know in November I'll be going into my ballot box to cast my vote between "two evils"... again.  Although I supported Clinton, I was excited about both candidates.  Come November I was planning on voting for Obama with pride.  Will I still vote for him?  Pending some drastic change, yes.  But unless he explains his recent decisions in a way that reinstates my belief in him then I won't do so with any sort of pride.  I will vote for him only because he's not McCain.

Content Life.

Due to concern for pollution (and, admittedly, gas prices) I often take the bus to work.  And while I enjoy being able to converse with the day laborers, gardeners, and housekeepers of Malibu today I had another, more fun, reason to appreciate public transportation: a band.  As I was walking from one bus to another I almost walked past, but then stopped and listened and danced to a band that was playing on Santa Monica Blvd. right by 3rd Street. From the comments on their myspace page they seem to be regulars, but I'm trying to avoid consumer culture these days and am not a regular patron of the Promenade.  Hence, if I'd been driving as opposed to taking the bus I would have completely missed them.  They had a large crowd (probably about fifty people) that had stopped what they were doing and were listening to them and, in some cases, dancing.

The band, John David Rushton's Content Life, is made up of four people: John Rushton on guitar and vocals, a Salvadoran called Mauricio Hernandez playing a djembe and singing backup, and two guys that looked like they were homeless (I apologize if they aren't) and had been pulled off the street to play along: one was wearing chains around his angles that jingled when he stomped and held a chunk of chains in his hands which he used like a less precise shaker, and the other had a tambourine.  I bought their album, which is good, although I think they're better in person.  There's something especially about those chains that adds a unique sound, whereas the album is only John Rushton singing with his guitar. 

But mainly I was just impressed that they drew such a crowd, that they got people to dance, and that people were continuously dropping cash into their jar and buying CDs.  I've never seen a street band be that successful. It was pretty amazing.  And they deserved it.

Peace.

I recently read this and thought it was extremely interesting.  One of my possible post college plans had included the Peace Corps, but I never followed it through because I was afraid of being "that" American: the one that crusades around the world trying to fix problems that we actually are, at least partially, at fault for creating.  So I didn't.  And after reading the intro to Alternatives to the Peace Corps, I'm quite happy that I chose not to.  I'm sure it would have been an awesome learning experience, but especially considering the continuing events coming from our superiors, I'm happy not to be even more associated with the U.S.'s foreign policy.