Can I just say that I LOVE that it's almost Christmas? I'm SO excited that my two favorite sisters ;-) are coming for a "sisters Christmas" that we've only been talking about for years. We have tanning to do, Christmas gifts to finish, lots of movies and popcorn and games, and unbeknownst to them, lots of baking and cooking. :) Well, I'm a little neurotic, so I don't actually expect a ton of help with the baking and cooking, I'm sure I'll do that all myself, but that's going to keep me, at any rate, pretty busy. Oh yeah, and I'm hoping for a short road trip to the nearest Sonic in Binghamton.
And you know what's even better? They're going to be here for my birthday! I'm already planning a shopping trip to Syracuse to eat at one of my favorite restaraunts (Chilis!) and spend some birthday money (Barnes and Noble!).
And, as silly as this is... what I look forward to most? Stuffing their stockings.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Condoleeza Rice @ Hamilton College
So last week I got the opportunity to see Condoleeza Rice speak at Hamilton College and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm sure there are alot of people that don't agree with her, but after hearing her speak, I don't think anyone could NOT enjoy her company! So graceful, well-spoken, a little witty, very wise, and really down to earth. The type of person you could find yourself in line next to at a store and not even know it.
I think - without even knowing it - I assumed since she served under George W. Bush that we would hear from someone who is decidedly conservative and Republican. While there is no doubt that she is on the right for foreign policy, I sensed something decidedly moderate (maybe even liberal??) about her views on immigration, human rights overseas, and the emphasis she puts on women's rights. These were the things you would expect out of a former political dignitary, but what I was pleasantly surprised how she viewed democracy, our founding fathers, and civil rights.
DEMOCRACY/FOUNDING FATHERS:
"Democracy is still the way to go". She reminded us that it took us nearly 200 years to provide voting rights to all people in the US, so we should not be so discouraged that democracy is loved and approved and equal to all the people living in Iraq and Afghanistan. (And to no surprise, she said that she was much more on the side of Hamilton than Jefferson! I knew I'd love this woman! Just an aside, as someone who read an amazing biography on Hamilton, while never president, that man had the incredible insight to understand what needed to happening in banking, finance, and economics that WAY preceded his time. We follow much today what he originally recommended.) I admit, while I'm more in the center with these issues, and I had never thought of it quite that way. In regards to the foreign policy decisions around these two issues, she appears to not regret the original intentions - to seek out the terrorists that attacked our nation and to remove a "homicidal pyschotic maniac" (she said something to that effect) in Iraq. She staunchly defended the invasion of Iraq, and stated that democracy was the secondary goal.
Interestingly enough - on the same topic of Iraq and consequently, the U.N. - she listed all the violations Sadaam had committed in conflict to the U.N., and the attrocities committed against people living in his own nation. But what makes this fact intriguing is when you combine it with this factoid: the same situation was taking place in the Yugoslavia region - lots of violations, no action - and we decided to go in anyway WITHOUT prior approval. And, that our conflicts that we've had in the last 50-60 years, have not been officially "approved" by the Security Council. Interesting, eh?
CIVIL RIGHTS:
She told some amazing stories about why she is republican (that's who would let her grandfather vote in pre-Civil Rights days in Birmingham, Alabama!) why she's Presbyterian, and how her family rose out of the ashes during the 1930s sharecropper days and into successful and educated people. (Neat fact: not the first woman to be so successful in her family! Her aunt is actually a professor - think about that for a minute. Condoleeza is 50-ish, so her aunt is 70-ish, so that puts her at accomplishing a great educational feat 40+ years ago... that's the 1960s!) She explained a connection between being a victim and entitlement. In her words, her family decided not to be victims of Jim Crow laws, but use that to push them further. That education was their ticket away from these travesties, and rose above it. She says it is allowing oneself to become a victim, that it directly leads to a sense of entitlement... I have been _____, therefore I deserve _______. It's very true... never thought it quite like that.
Her accomplishment most proud of: the amazing strides made in the Middle East.
Her greatest regret: that nothing has done to repair Sudan, and that genocide shamefully still takes place in Africa.
So, for anyone that attended it, please correct my facts or add your comments. I'm doing this all from memory for something I attended over a week ago :)
I think - without even knowing it - I assumed since she served under George W. Bush that we would hear from someone who is decidedly conservative and Republican. While there is no doubt that she is on the right for foreign policy, I sensed something decidedly moderate (maybe even liberal??) about her views on immigration, human rights overseas, and the emphasis she puts on women's rights. These were the things you would expect out of a former political dignitary, but what I was pleasantly surprised how she viewed democracy, our founding fathers, and civil rights.
DEMOCRACY/FOUNDING FATHERS:
"Democracy is still the way to go". She reminded us that it took us nearly 200 years to provide voting rights to all people in the US, so we should not be so discouraged that democracy is loved and approved and equal to all the people living in Iraq and Afghanistan. (And to no surprise, she said that she was much more on the side of Hamilton than Jefferson! I knew I'd love this woman! Just an aside, as someone who read an amazing biography on Hamilton, while never president, that man had the incredible insight to understand what needed to happening in banking, finance, and economics that WAY preceded his time. We follow much today what he originally recommended.) I admit, while I'm more in the center with these issues, and I had never thought of it quite that way. In regards to the foreign policy decisions around these two issues, she appears to not regret the original intentions - to seek out the terrorists that attacked our nation and to remove a "homicidal pyschotic maniac" (she said something to that effect) in Iraq. She staunchly defended the invasion of Iraq, and stated that democracy was the secondary goal.
Interestingly enough - on the same topic of Iraq and consequently, the U.N. - she listed all the violations Sadaam had committed in conflict to the U.N., and the attrocities committed against people living in his own nation. But what makes this fact intriguing is when you combine it with this factoid: the same situation was taking place in the Yugoslavia region - lots of violations, no action - and we decided to go in anyway WITHOUT prior approval. And, that our conflicts that we've had in the last 50-60 years, have not been officially "approved" by the Security Council. Interesting, eh?
CIVIL RIGHTS:
She told some amazing stories about why she is republican (that's who would let her grandfather vote in pre-Civil Rights days in Birmingham, Alabama!) why she's Presbyterian, and how her family rose out of the ashes during the 1930s sharecropper days and into successful and educated people. (Neat fact: not the first woman to be so successful in her family! Her aunt is actually a professor - think about that for a minute. Condoleeza is 50-ish, so her aunt is 70-ish, so that puts her at accomplishing a great educational feat 40+ years ago... that's the 1960s!) She explained a connection between being a victim and entitlement. In her words, her family decided not to be victims of Jim Crow laws, but use that to push them further. That education was their ticket away from these travesties, and rose above it. She says it is allowing oneself to become a victim, that it directly leads to a sense of entitlement... I have been _____, therefore I deserve _______. It's very true... never thought it quite like that.
Her accomplishment most proud of: the amazing strides made in the Middle East.
Her greatest regret: that nothing has done to repair Sudan, and that genocide shamefully still takes place in Africa.
So, for anyone that attended it, please correct my facts or add your comments. I'm doing this all from memory for something I attended over a week ago :)
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