Listen Up, Complainers!

By LORI HOLMAN

Marine parent/OK native

Do you ever think some people are smellin' what they are shovelin'?

I suppose that John McCain's friendship with G. Gordon Liddy, or being one of the Keating Five doesn't count as "ties to extremists", "untrustworthy" "shady", "unpatriotic," etc., huh? Why is Obama voting against Operation Iraqi Freedom funding because there's no token timeline for withdrawal "UnAmerican, Against Our Sons, and Unpatriotic In A Time Of War!" - but McCain voting against funding because there IS a token request for a timeline, and voting against College funds and Veteran care "True Support Of Our Sons, Patriotism From A Real Hero!"?

BTW, don't EVEN get me started on military funding - I want my sons to have everything they need when they go to war. But that doesn't mean we can't save some money by slashing no-bid contracts to private contractors. Why not shift 90 percent of that taxpayer money to actually readying our boys for combat, making their missions more doable while they're there, then (gasp) taking care of them when they come home. But then, that's too radical, too restrictive, too. . . LOGICAL. My bad.

We won't even touch the whole "Let's actually go after the ones who keep attacking us" concept. I doubt you'd even listen.

And I know, it's just my own clueless, biased, I-don't-deserve -to-be- a-Marine-Mom- I'm-really -a-traitor -who-wouldn't-know-a-real-patriot -if-one-bit-me-on-the-butt because I voted for a "Muslim, terrorist pal, Communist, Socialist, Nazi, foreign-born, birth certificate-forging, immoral, untrustworthy (*whispering* uppity colored) man" opinion (golly, did I forget to mention he's unpatriotic?), but isn't the whole pouty "I'm going to fly my flag upside down or not at all for the next four years, he'll never be MY President, because Obama=Socialism not Patriotism” thing a bit...uh...much?

I am proud to be a newly registered Democrat/Liberal/Left-winger. I campaigned and voted for Barack Obama for President in 2008, and will do so again in 2012 if the situation warrants. I do not hate America. I do not sympathize with terrorists. I dislike extremism no matter from what direction it comes. I am not cultish (except for my support of the Marine Corps, and that's plain common sense). I am neither warmonger nor peacenik.

I do not believe Barack Obama to be either Messianic nor a benevolent father figure. I do not take lightly nor denigrate John McCain's service or POW experience - and I do not think those alone qualify him to be Commander in Chief over a candidate who did not serve.

At age 49, I am not youthful, nor am I disadvantaged; although I am ardently a believer in health care for all (a healthy society is a more productive and long-lasting society). I in no way view hard work as impractical or distasteful, nor do I prefer a hand out to a hand up to those who need it. I am highly concerned with practicalities.

I am well-read, well-traveled, and I painstakingly educate myself about events, people, politics and history. I take very seriously both my rights and the responsibilities that go with having them. I know how to use search engines, books, snopes.com, common sense and the brain that God gave me. And I'm sorry to disappoint, but I refuse to fit into the mold to which some seem so desperate to put "my kind." Those who do may kindly take comfort from someone else's failings, not mine.

Barack Obama IS our next President. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to being the same proud American I was before this whole election campaign started. It's just a suggestion, but you might try to do the same. It's less likely to cause a stroke for you down the line.

We'll take it up again in four years. Until then, TRY to have a beautiful day, y'all.

And God bless.