First time for everything.

Well I finally did it. I donated to a political campaign for the first time in my 41 years on this planet. I always figured that it was money better spent just giving it to someone who needed it directly... then I heard Sarah Palin speak.

For over a decade I have been disillusioned by what had happened to the "Republican" party and how plank by plank and value by value its platform has been disassembled and its honor sullied. The party I knew believed in smaller federal government, fiscal responsibility, leaving state issues to the states, and Duty, Honor, Country. Now it has become the home of the American Taliban. Where honorable veterans like John Kerry are turned into "cowards" by chickenhawks like Bush, Cheney, Wolfawitz and Rove. Where the patriotism of decent and honorable people is questioned because they dare to question the administration's policies. Where people are "better off" by having their families and friends drown in a hurricane and huddling in a makeshift shelter. Where political hacks edit scientific reports to tow the party line. Where our gay brothers and sisters should be told by the U.S. Constitution that they are not worthy of being full citizens. Where our air and water are polluted and the EPA's hands are tied by political operatives. Where the Justice Department is filled with ideologues instead of legal crusaders. Where people turn a profit on the misery of others medical woes and people are literally left to die for lack of health coverage. Where a bastardized vision of religion is injected into the state like we haven't seen since "Tail Gunner" Joe Macarthy. Where we deny the warming of the planet like the proverbial frog in the slowly boiling pot. Where we turn our backs to the genocide of Darfur but invade other countries for geopolitical strategic interest based on lies and distortions. Where the tragedy of 9/11 is used as a cuddle to stifle dissent rather then inspire national discourse. Where federal agencies ignore the will of a state and destroy the lives of people trying to provide comfort to glaucoma patients and the terminally ill in the name of the "War on Drugs" Where the rule of law is replaced by the rule of the powerful and connected. Where the Vice President can meet secretly with people who form policy but won't even reveal the names of those involved. Where our nation's heroic intelligence agents have to worry about being outted not by counter intelligence agencies but our own White House for political gain. Where a decent man is castigated for having the audacity to hope.

These are not the Republican ideals I was raised with. These are not American values. I too say ENOUGH! You see, I served not for myself but for my country not behind a desk but behind a rifle, not in an office but under a parachute then in the mud. I served for the protesters right to be heard even when it makes my blood boil. While I may hate the ideas and words I will die defending the right of and American to speak them because I hate oppression more. The Constitution is my commandments. The voice of reason raised against the howling mob is my Pledge of Allegiance. The dignity of an honest day's work, extending your help to a neighbor in need, the mentoring of a kid, judging a person by their character and not their melanin content or accent or who they choose to love, those are my values. Those are American values. While we as a people have struggled to live up to those values and fallen well short again and again, the miracle lies in the fact that we continue to get back up and continue to struggle on. The American spirit has always been to strive to be better that we are, to not settle for mediocrity but vie for virtuosity. This often confused and stumbling endeavor we call America is great not because of our wealth or power but the hearts of our people. The hearts of those huddled masses yearning to be free who came here and built a nation with nothing more that a dream and a gritty determination that we can be better than we are.

In Barack Obama I see a man who sees America not for what it is but what it could be. I have not been inspired for a very long time and have languished in the doldrums of cynicism and derision that has been our political process for most of my life but here in the unlikeliest of men, with the story that shatters the status quo, I find myself daring to hope. Hearing him speak of the America that could be has brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. His words have found a way into my jaded heart and given me a glimmer of hope that maybe just maybe if we work hard, stick together and believe in one another we can get back up and start struggling to be a more perfect union.

The moment I knew he was for real was not during a speech or stumping but when he looked into his beautiful wife's eyes during the "terrorist fist jab" moment. I have a beautiful wife like that. I judge myself as a man by the way she looks at me. I know that look. I trust Michelle because she is the real hero in that family like my wife is in ours. That fleeting moment when they stopped and looked at each other, time slowed, the crowd noise faded away and if you were paying attention you saw what it is like to be loved and admired by a great woman. I live and die for those moments with my wife. Those are the moments you can't fake and the derision they got for it shows you who doesn't get what's real and live those callow lives devoid of ever having a person look at them that way, for they themselves are neither decent nor admirable.

I may never by a loyal Democrat but I will always be a loyal American and there is only one party who is espousing the hope on which this nation is built. You have my meager donation and my vote.

Cardiac Kids and Chemotherapy

So here I sit in Bean Town during one of the most historic nights in baseball. I am not a baseball fan, but I cannot miss the significance of this night. It is the bottom of the 9th 2 outs and I am watching the game in my hotel room just like I sat in Cincinnati when they lost the 1975 World Series in what has been billed as the "best game ever" by many baseball historians. That irony is not lost on me. I was 8 years old and had every baseball card of both teams. The Sox just won! Coming from 3 behind to make the biggest comeback in baseball history. Sure most of the year they are a bunch of million dollar prima donnas but tonite they are a credit to the human spirit to survive. Transcending seemingly insurmountable odds when every one says it can't be done somehow transcends the sport and reminds us all that no matter how dark the night you can't give up. You have to rage against the dying of the light. My hat is off to you Sox. Thank you for not giving up. I will not claim to be a fan, somehow it's just too narcissistic to stake any claim to your moment of glory. I do however appreciate that I happened to be in town when it happened. A little piece of history I will take home in the form of a Red Sox hat to my best friend Chris. We have been closer that brothers for more than 25 years. He is fighting his own battle against one of the most deadly forms of cancer. Pancreatic. He too is raging against that goodnight. He is making his comeback and fighting seemingly insurmountable odds with much more dire consequences. I take it to him as a symbol of the hope that dreams can come true if you work hard and never, never give up. Besides, there is a practical side... it keeps his bald head from getting sunburned. I love you Chris. We have been through hell and back with water pistols and later with M16s. You are my Red Sox.
To those of you who are facing your own dark nights of the soul... GO NOT GENTLY.

Just a quick note

I guess I should have opened my blog with a little introduction. My name is Shannon Andrade-McCoy although I generally use Shannon McCoy. As you will see I have no shortage of opinions. Recently, I felt it necessary to respond to my loving, yet hopelessly misguided brother-in-law Nick Schweitzer on his blog (http://schweitn.blogspot.com/) and as you will see we will be jousting (however unfairly to him) via this new medium. Since I assume that readers (mainly Nick) will feel compelled to disagree with me I figured I would get a couple things out of the way now.

1. The name of this blog comes from the 1975ish Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Dan Akroid and Jane Curtain in a News segment called Point/CounterPoint where after Jane gave here editorial Dan would begin his editorial with "Jane you ignornat slut..." It is not a reference to you dear reader, regardless of your sexual proclivities or promiscuity. If you happen to be and ignorant slut, firstly, these comments are not actually directed at you personally and secondly, if you need a date, please click here as I know he could use one.
2. I am not a Liberal. I am a Conservative Anarchist.
3. I am a man and yes, I am aware that in the U.S. Shannon is a "girl's" name. It's not in Ireland and my Grandmother chose it either because she was not aware that we do not live in Ireland or just on a lark or maybe she really wanted a grand daughter.
4. I am a Veteran. I spent 3 years with my ass in the grass in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper line doggie. I was in the 82nd Airborne as was deployed to Egypt after we bombed Libya and spent a year with the UNCMAC Joint Security Force in Korea.
5. I had an American Flag on my car before 9-11 when it wasn't "cool" to be patriotic.
6. I drive an big SUV that has actual mud on it.
7. I am a SCUBA diving instructor, a rock climber, a snowboarder, a sky diver and an avid wakeboarder.
8. As a Californian I am convinced that one day there will be a huge earthquake and the rest of the country will slide into the ocean.
9. I have been on every continent in the world except Australia and Antarctica and have been to every state in the union.
10. I believe in the Right to Bear Arms and the Right to Arm Bears and even the Right to Bare Arms.
11. For a living I overcharge people for making their computers and networks work. I believe it is morally wrong to allow a naive end-user to keep their money.
12. I love my wife more every day even though she insists on talking to me.
13. I have Rottweilers because I think they are cute and cuddly.
14. I love my family and my country. I have and will put my life on the line for them.
15. I love my fellow Veterans and will never forget the sacrifices that they have made, continue to make and will make in the future. Freedom is not free. It is paid for by the blood of patriots.
16. I do not claim to be an English major. I am aware that my grammar sucks and I use commas at random. So before you respond with corrections of my syntax or grammar, go outside and play a long game of hide and go fuck yourself.
17. Oh, yeah...almost forgot... I curse. A lot. I am an adult and like to avail myself to of the entire language. I try not to use cursing gratuitously but... well, you can take the man out of the Infantry but you can't take the Infantry out of the man. If you can't handle four letter words I suggest you substitute acceptable words as you read or take the advise of number 16.
18. Don't pray for me. It just pisses God off. Believe me!
19. I get my news from every source I can. CNN International, PBS, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, NPR, Pacifica Radio, PRI, Aljazeera, Scientific Amerincan, Discover Mag just about any source except CBN, that stuff is just crap.

I point these things out so that you can get a feel for the kind of person that I am. Most labels do not stick to me but before you disregard my opinions as a regurgitation of someone else's rhetoric read the list again. I form my own opinions from as many sources as I can and actually believe in the power of thought and insight. I am not afraid to be wrong but I am afraid to be silent.
I look forward to working out my mental aggression on the unfortunate souls who stumble on to this blog.
And thanks for taking the time to read this schlock.

Living in a glass house...

Like it or not the rest of the world is watching us and holding it's collective breath. I recently saw an interesting report on CNN's World News about how our election is being followed by the rest of the world and it reminded me of how small our little blue rock can get sometimes. For years now we have been bombarding the rest of the world with images of our culture. Through radio, television, satellite, print and any other marketing medium we can devise, we put ourselves on display for all the world to see. Why do we find it so surprising that the rest of our would watch our election with any less vigor than our Baywatch? Apparently more people in other countries have been watching our debates and political coverage than our own citizens. The report commented on how in many countries the entire, translated, transcript of the debates is published in the following days paper. We don't even devote entire paragraphs to actual quotes in our papers. A couple of sound bites, some pseudo-intellectual dumbed-down translation for the mid-westerners and maybe a picture or two. It seems them damn "furiners" care more about who our next president is than we do. There is even a site( www.tellanamericantovote.com ) for non-Americans to chide their American friends to vote. There is a point that we should all consider as Americans and earthlings. That point being that up until now the rest of the world has not associated the actions of our government and it's foreign policy with the American people. That will not be the case if we re-elect George Bush. The polls of over 30 countries are 66% for John Kerry(or against George Bush however you like to phrase it ) including our "Coalition" partners. Those of us who travel outside the borders will have to contend with the fact that we will all be seen as Jerry Springer audience members by the population of the host country we happen to visit. Bush me once shame on you. Bush me twice shame on me. This has practical applications that bear consideration.

We do a lot of business abroad and that business can easily go to our competitors. Much of international business it nuanced and cultural. If you walked into a business meeting with a bunch of Libyans you might have some pre-conceived notions about them before word one was said. There are plenty of conservatives that will not see a Michael Moore movie, regardless of topic, on principal alone, just to deny him the price of admission and yet they will vociferously potificate on it's contents until your eyes bleed. Ignorant? Yes (usually proudly so). Surprising? No. But it illustrates the point that people's preconceived notions about you, however ignorant, aren't necessarily fair or accurate and that it can effect you financially. Don't sell your products overseas it's called a TRADE DEFICIT and that causes INFLATION and/or RECESSION.

Security is another consideration. If Joe Public is directly associated with the foreign policy of our government we will become open targets for those who seek to deal a blow to our government. Not just by Jihadists but any group with an ax to grind with our government. Then we can really see what it is like to be Israelis. My opinion is formed from the years I have spent with ordinary people in countries all over the world, including the Middle East. We as Americans are more associated with Happy Days and MASH than we are with the government. Change that association and we will feel what it is like to be an young Muslim looking man in New York. The primary assumption about us will be negative and prejudiced. We are not used to feeling this and before we go hurtling over that precipice I just think it bears consideration.

I am not saying you shouldn't be willing to stand up for what you believe in, even if it is not popular. I am just suggesting that you consider the real cost you will have to pay for your stand.

Yee-Haw is not a foreign policy.

P.S. I will be on plane today for business and gone for a week so if I don't post or reply right away it's not intentional I'm just trying to do my part for the economy.