I just learned that I have comments going back for 2 months that I needed to approve so that they would show up. I don't think I ever turned on that feature. Whatever. I've got that fixed now, I think. The fact that the comments all show up in October and that new comments have appeared is reassuring.

I was pretty thrilled on Tuesday when Barack Obama announced the formation of his exploratory committee. As a general rule I don't like to believe in politicians. They're all kind of dirty to me. However, I really like Obama. I think after 6 years of listening to Bush stutter lies I would fall for anyone well spoken. If they sound sincere while they're correctly pronouncing words I'll fall hard. Obama does both things, and he does them extremely well. I think he might be the kind of candidate I wouldn't be embarrassed by later on.

The other thing about Obama that I think is important is that because he's an individual of color, and his father was an immigrant, that he can respect my point of view and how it is formed. He has the experience to understand how varied experiences create varieties of opinions and that those opinions are valid. The current administration seems to label everyone a coward or a traitor if they disagree. I don't think Obama will do that.
Most importantly I think Obama will stand up for people like me. There was an article in Slate about how Justice Marshall stood up to Rehnquist when he called undocumented students in Texas "wetbacks". Marshall immediately confronted him and didn't accept any lame excuses. He pointed out that Rehnquist's comment was unjustifiable. As long as Justice Marshall was on the court you knew there was one guy in the government you could trust, who was on your side, and who wouldn't twist the truth to benefit the wealthy or the empowered. I don't think there's anyone in the government besides Obama like that right now. I think it's important to support someone who is going to support people regardless of their viewpoints, someone who is going to stand up to racist/sexist/backwards remarks. This may not be the traditional civil rights leader, but times have changed. I love Al Sharpton, he speaks truth to power, but no one wants to work with someone who's going to turn them into a punchline. Obama offers respect and that's going to get true equality closer to reality in the long run.
Personally I could give a crap about religion. I don't think it says anything about an individual. There are moral and altruistic atheists and corrupt, lying, selfish god fearers. Obama strikes me as someone who is going to talk about religion in the terms of mercy and compassion. Kind of like pretty much every religion claims it does.

I'm ready at this point to throw my lot in with Obama. The only legitimate criticism is that he doesn't have a lot of political experience. I think what he may lack in political experience he makes up for in actual experience and intelligence. Obama can learn on the job, he can figure out why he might have made a mistake, and he can take steps to do better in the future.

Obama's collection of attributes encourages me to think he's worth supporting. As we find out more about him I hope that I have reasons to maintain my enthusiasm.

I'm totally thrilled with this new band Los Abandoned. I bought their CD and have been listening to it non-stop. It's got the perfect mix of poppy new wave and power pop, Latino and Anglo. This band shines with the beauty of cross cultural pollination. This is the reason I became a pocho in the first place. I've never heard Spanglish sound so hooky.

Here's the video for Van Nuys Es Very Nice. I think she's reading Ingles Por Dummies.

One of the many treasures I brought back from El Paso was the exclusive Chico's Tacos Coffee Mug. It's so beautiful I even photographed it. I feel one is obligated to shine joy into the darkness of other people's lives whenever possible. That is why I am sharing this picture of my Chico's Tacos Coffee Mug with you.

I was totally thrilled to get my coffee cup home and pour some fine Stumptown coffee into it. When I unwrapped my mug I found a warning label on the bottom of it.
Apparently the lively colored paint, meant to bring the festivity of enjoying the El Paso tradition straight to your coffee, is lead based and has some other chemicals in it. There was a list of health issues that the paint could cause. Small stuff like birth defects, neurological disorders, testicular cancer, a large goiter, impotency, and so on. I thought, "Shit, all that can happen to you just from drinking the tap water in El Paso."
After a little thought I decided that I should use my mug as a pen holder in my office. The mug is like the double order of tacos. It's something that should be enjoyed sparingly, maybe just around Christmas Time or every other year. If you ate them everyday I can't imagine what would happen to you. You'd probably look like Fat Cousin Memo, and just like testicular cancer, nobody wants that.