Life's Most Embarrassing Moment and There's an Elephant in the Room (believe it or not, these are two totally unrelated subjects)

Kat, from over at Just a BeachKat, has challenged us to speak of our most embarrassing moment in life. Well, geez...my list is long and varied so it's hard to pinpoint one. Unsurprisingly, most of my such moments have occurred because I tend to speak as I'm thinking. Some times, a person really should just wait a moment and let their thoughts fully percolate before they express them. Here's a case in point:
About 7 1/2 years ago, Randey and I were looking to buy a house. We hired a realtor who came up with a list of homes for us to view. In one such house, we were walking through the place, checking out the amenities, when Randey spied the microwave oven. It was placed in a low cabinet, maybe 18 inches off the floor. Randey remarked how cool that would be for the kids - they could use the microwave without our help. He said it would sure be "convenient". I took one look at it and said, "For who? A midget?" Then I turned around and...yeah, you guessed it, the homeowner, a midget, was standing in the doorway. Who could have known? Nothing else in that house gave a clue that the owner was a little dude. I was so embarrassed, I couldn't wait to get back in the car. That house could have been the house of my dreams, and I never would have stepped foot in it again. (Luckily, it was over-priced for our budget anyway so that wasn't an issue. For once, having a lower budget came in handy!) The moral of this story: Think and look before you speak, Kari. Think and look!!
That may not be my most embarrassing moment in life, but it's got to be in the top 5.
Now I have to address a comment left here by Jeanne. Jeanne, an Obama supporter, had this to say about my post-election post:

"Sen. McCain was much more gracious than you all are. This election galvanized the people of this country who till this point felt they had no voice. It would be for the good of ALL for everyone to unite and truly make these the United States of America."

I actually have two things to say about this. The first being that I think Jeanne may have totally and completely misunderstood my aversion to Obama. I wasn't opposed to him because he was a Democrat. I wasn't opposed to him because he has a funny name. And I wasn't opposed to him based solely on the fact that I wanted John McCain to win. I was opposed to him because I think he's a believer in Socialism, which is one step away from communism, which is the exact opposite of everything our country has ever stood for. I don't want my government to "spread the wealth". I want me and my fellow countrymen to earn our own wealth. And while that's one of the biggest issues I have with Barack Obama, it's just the tip of the iceberg. If his "world view" didn't scare the t-total hell out of me, I probably could rest a little easier with the thought of him leading our country. But be "gracious" about him being president, knowing all I've seen and heard from him? No. Not without seeing how he does. I don't give blind allegiance to any human being on this planet, regardless of their "position". You know, I was "gracious" when Texas whupped Oklahoma's butt in college football this year. I was "gracious" when the waiter walked up to our table and promptly tumped a full to-go container of hot spaghetti in my lap. I was "gracious" when my sister and I spotted the same beautiful red jar in an antique market and I backed off because I knew she wanted it more than I did. But be "gracious" when I think a socialist has been put in charge of our government and our military? No. I don't think so. But as I said in that post-election post, I will continue to pray that I am wrong about the man. I will keep an open mind. I will learn all I can about any given subject or decision he makes without jumping to conclusions. I will try to look at things from every angle possible. To do any less, would be remiss of me.
As to the part about "This election galvanized the people of this country who till this point felt they had no voice." I think that's pure bull-hockey. Let me just say here, publicly, what many people are saying quietly amongst themselves...Obama was elected in large part because he's black. (I can say this, you see, because I've already been called a racist, based on my opposition and questions regarding Obama.) Those "galvanized" people of which you speak weren't galvanized because of Obama's greatness or his demeanor or even his high-falutin' speeches. They were "galvanized" because he's a black man. All of those people had a "voice" before, they just didn't use it. Why? Because they didn't care before now. If these people felt disenfranchised, certainly in the last 30 years, it was as much their own fault as anyone else's. I get how exciting and thrilling it must have been for the black community to see a black man elected president. After Sarah Palin was nominated, I let my mind wander to the future possibilities. I thought to myself "Wow! If McCain wins, in four years, this country could probably have 2 women at the top of the presidential tickets. Hillary Clinton for the Dems and Sarah Palin for the Republicans.". And yeah, I felt exhilarated at the thought. A woman president. Woo-hoo! It was a "We've come a long way, baby!" moment. But had Hillary received the Democratic nomination this year instead of Obama and if McCain had selected a man for his VP, I still would have voted for McCain. As much as I would have liked to see a woman shatter that glass ceiling, I wouldn't have voted for Hillary Clinton because she and I don't have enough in common with our political views. Just by virtue of the fact that she's a woman would not have been enough to win my vote. Many people voted for Obama because of his skin color and for no other reason. I saw interview after interview of people supporting Obama with absolutely no clue as to what he stood for. That does not sit well with me. Now I'm not saying that everyone voted for Obama because he's black. I know of people who voted for Obama because they loved his "rhetorical ability" (that's a quote from Colin Powell). I know of people who voted for Obama because they just plain, ol' hated George W. Bush. And I know of people who voted for Obama because they believed in all his promises. But far too many people voted for Obama because of his skin color. Those people who just now "found their voice" should be asking themselves why a person's skin color "galvanized" them into action and why being American with the right to vote wasn't enough to "galvanize" them in the past.
Okay, people, now you can bring on the charges that I'm a racist. I know it's coming. I'm "white", therefore, in this country with all it's political correctness, I'm not allowed to state the obvious or state any sort of view on race, for that matter. I regret that I will be viewed as a racist by anyone. I have long held the belief that none of us is black or white or yellow or red....but rather, we are all just different shades of brown. That naivete' has been stripped away, however. I've come to realize that the "melting pot" reputation of our country isn't as true as I had been taught. It's obvious that our country suffers from great racial division and, as a "white" person, I'm not supposed to talk about it. Anybody ever heard that saying "There's an elephant in the room"? It means there's something very obvious sitting right in front of us but nobody will acknowledge it. How do we progress if we are afraid to talk openly with each other? I've stated a viewpoint and I fully expect to be skewered for it. Isn't political correctness grand?


P.S. It is with a heavy heart that I click on the "publish" button. I know I will have cast the dye that will cause so many to think ill of me. I can hear the gasps now. I guess I'm just tired of dancing around this subject. I hate racism. I hate that every person in this country, heck - in this world, doesn't believe that we truly are just different shades of brown. I have never, ever understood why skin color is so important. Why does it matter? If more of us, of every shade of brown, dismissed skin color as being a "defining characteristic", wouldn't the issue of racism become a thing of the past? Isn't it incumbent upon all of us to work towards that ideal? As long as it's okay for any segment of society to define itself by skin color, racism will never go away. And until we face up to and talk about how and why people focus on skin color with such fervor, we'll never be able to get past it.

Americans have made their choice...

It feels almost surreal. In fact, this old election has felt like something straight from here:

And now our odyssey begins....I fear it may be an odyssey of upheaval, a journey to a place of unrest and the first steps down a path of weakness for this country. I have never prayed so hard in my life that I am wrong about something. I will keep praying for that. I'd rather be wrong about Barack Obama and what he may do to this country than be right. The ability to say "I told you so" will be small comfort if and when it becomes obvious that he's leading us the wrong way.
I will say this to anyone out there who is hoping to start a political career: study Obama's campaign. It was brilliant. All the sheeple out there think it was McCain who ran a dirty campaign. The irony is almost unbearable.
I regret that John McCain will not get an opportunity to show America and the world just how right he would have been for the office of President of the United States of America. Wasn't in the cards for him, I suppose. But I thank him for giving me a chance to cast my vote for one of the finest Americans ever. I was proud to support you, Senator McCain. Learning your story and seeing you in action was both an honor and a privilege.

This is what I feel like today...

A nervous wreck. LOL It's this blasted election doing it to me!! This is what I look like (that's my sister on the left, me on the right):

See how this election is turning my hair gray????? (Oh okay, so actually, I'm just letting the natural gray grow out. I've declared my freedom from Ms. Clairol and her friends. ha!) Yeah, sure, I look all relaxed and happy, but in reality, I've been gnawing on my fingernails and wanting this election to be done (and successful for John McCain!). And by the way, yes - the wind was blowing pretty good. That's why Sherri and I both look like we're modeling new hairstyles from Mars.

Sherri was in town with her husband Ken and our brother-in-law Andy. (Sherri and I are sisters who are married to Ken and Randey, respectively, who are brothers). Yeah, that seems a little confusing maybe but that's not the point. The point is, they were all in town this past weekend so that Randey, Ken, Andy, Kaleb and Jacob could go to the Nascar race at Texas Motor Speedway. Here they are before the race:

What a motley looking crew, eh? I don't get the whole Nascar thing myself, but these 5 seem to think it's the way to go. Sherri and I took advantage of their "need for speed" and went shopping while they went Nascar-ing. I had a great time and I'm so glad she, er....I mean, they came to visit. lol (My checkbook, however, is still whimpering in pain.)

Tomorrow's the Big Day

God willing, we'll have an end to this election by tomorrow night.
Who'll win? John McCain, a moderate Republican with a stellar reputation (recent slurs from the left not withstanding) of service to our country? Or Barack Obama, a person with no record of service to our country?

Before the Obama fans start screaming, I'll concede that Obama does indeed have a record of service...service to Chicago, to the Chicago political machine, to the Reverend Wright, to ACORN, and to his radical friends. Still...all that service doesn't really measure up to John McCain's record, does it? But I wonder if it will matter? Will people vote for the person with a plan or will they vote for the person with the misty promises of "hope" and "change"? What will the future bring us here in America? It's no secret to anyone who reads my blog...I, personally, dread the thought of an ObamaNation. But I know there are those of you who dream of that possibility.

Strange how our political views divide us here in Blogland. I thought to open dialogues and discussions when I first took to writing about politics. I wanted to understand the draw to Obama. When I didn't hear anything to convince me of his worth, I started posting about why it is that his views concern me and why it is that I don't think he should be elected. I contrasted the differing views on abortion, as well as the support of women's rights. I talked about ACORN and the massive voter fraud and the extended effects of voter registration fraud. I talked about the media bias and the brutal treatment of Sarah Palin by the media. I hi-lighted the Obamas' apparent lack of pride in our country...to me, it seems like they only feel proud if Barack is in charge. I talked about all manner of things in this election that interested me and, I hoped, would interest any readers of this blog. I thought a dialogue would be productive. In retrospect, I think I may have been wrong. It's a funny phenomenon in this country (and maybe worldwide, for all I know), that the more we talk about our differences in politics, the more set some of us become in our ways. I may have been somewhat snarky at times in some of my writings about my lack of understanding for why people support Obama. Mainly because I could never get an answer to some of my questions. I'd ask about this or that and the response would be "I want change" or something equally as intangible. I thought there would be more "meat" out there to explain the support for the man. And when I didn't find any meat, I questioned the reasons for the support. It simply did not make sense and still doesn't.

This has been an interesting "journey", if you will. The back and forth between me and those who have left comments has been quite revealing. Since I started writing political posts, I've been called a racist (among other not-so-nice names), I've been sniped at by those I thought were my friends, I've been called a lover of the rich and a hater of the poor...and not one of the people who has said and done these ugly, hateful things has ever asked me about why I support John McCain. No one has ever said, "Kari, look at McCain's record. How can you vote for someone like that?". No one has ever said anything even remotely in that vein. Rather, the only concern has been that I have had the audacity to question the viability of The One. To those of you who have felt the need to call me names and put labels on me, to you I say this: You are damn right I question the viability of Barack Obama. I am an American and that is my right. It was your right to respond, if you so chose. And for those of you who chose to respond with hateful and pissy comments, I believe it speaks volumes about your fears and your attitudes and your inability to articulate any coherent arguments for your candidate. I wanted to hear your views, your opinions, and your thoughts on the candidates because the discussion of politics matters to me. Instead, some of you felt the need to give me your views, opinions, and thoughts on me. I was saddened whenever I received a comment that was tinged with spite and I'm equally saddened to know that I've lost friendships by openly stating my feelings about something such as politics. It brought to mind the realization that some friendships, like politics, are measured not by the differences we can bring to each other, but rather the sameness we can use to shore up our beliefs that we are "right". But, as sad as it was to realize this, it's still good to know for it has been a very valuable lesson to have learned.

Now that the end of the election is in sight, I'd like to say happy voting, America. Let's let the chips fall where they may, eh?