Looking For Space: Journal of an Undecided Voter

Monday, August 25, 2008

Journal of an Undecided Voter - Vol. One

This will be the first entry in my journal of an Undecided Voter. I really have no idea which candidate I will choose come November. When the political surveyors call, I honestly tell them I am completely undecided. Were the election held today, they ask, who would you vote for. I don’t know, I answer. If you assigned a particular candidate a percentage of possibility, what would it be? Fifty percent, I answer, much to their consternation. But, I digress.

So, here’s what's on this undecided voter’s mind – Obama’s choice of running mate. When I read he had finally announced, I went to the most impartial source I knew for information, BBC news. Sideline – if anyone knows of a reason not to view this source as impartial, please enlighten me.

Joe Biden. Interesting on so many levels. Not one of which makes me feel better about Obama as a candidate. I agree it is an admission of his inexperience. Admitting he doesn’t know what he’s doing in the foreign policy arena. Admitting he doesn’t appeal to the most basic sector of the population.

And exactly how is this good old boy, this Washington insider going to aid Obama’s campaign for change? Biden is supposed to help woo the blue-collar vote. But, aren’t we to be voting for President, not the package? I know that’s the way it’s done in politics, but when all is said and done, the signature that matters won't be Biden’s. What guarantee is there that Biden will have any input at all?

And does anyone else see the terroristlike names? Osama Bin Lauden? Bin Lauden – Biden? Barack Hussein Obama? Osama – Obama? Sadam Hussein – Hussein. Ok, Ok, I know they are just names, but still, feels a little weird in the mystic or sci-fi kind of way.

But what disturbs me the most in the selection is what I’ll call the Cheney Syndrome. The inclusion of a pseudo-elected character in the power pool. Face it; we let Cheney get away with a lot of things solely because he wasn’t the President. He acted under the radar. Acted with as much power and authority as the President. I don’t want to get into that scenario again. If a candidate cannot get elected on his/her own merits, they he/she shouldn’t be president.

Joe Biden as a cabinet member may be a great choice, as a VP it causes me great concern. Just who will be running the government? Cheney- Bush (funny how his name came to mind first) at least stood on the same platform. Will Obama-Biden use a bi-level platform, a split stage, individual soapboxes?

I don’t know, it just doesn’t gel for me.

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Book Reviews

Inn Keeping with Mr. Fawlty - Andy Hageman

If anyone dreams of retiring, buying a hotel and leading the simple life, first read Inn Keeping with Mr. Fawlty. A hilarious look at what really goes on behind the desk, kitchen door and pleasant expression of your hotelier. “Basil” fills us in on the trials and tribulations while keeping his sanity to a degree Mr. Fawlty couldn’t begin to aspire to. I’ll never look at staying at a hotel in the same light.

Not having seen the infamous BBC series prior to reading, I was in the dark as to some of the references, however, the book stands upon its own merits. Now having watched most of the “Fawlty” episodes, I can’t wait to reread the book.
Rumor has it Andy Hageman is soon to publish another book of inn keeping secrets. I can’t wait to discover what else “Basil” has been up to.

A Farewell To Arms – Ernest Hemingway

First, I have to say it feels the greatest act in pomposity to write a review of Hemmingway. It is more I should be ashamed to admit I am just now reading this classic.
That said, I’ll proceed anyway.
A Farewell To Arms was a delightful surprise in that so many classics can be torturous to read when all one mainly wants is a story.
I’ll not regale you with a synopsis of the plot except to say, no Suzanne Sugarbaker, it’s not a story of a guy who lost his arms.
One thing I find interesting, knowing how challenging it can be, is how authors write of the opposite sex. Catherine was such a ‘good wife’. Were women really that submissive or was it merely Mr. Hemmingway’s impression? I also was hooked by the prolific lies of the ambulance driver. Is it charm to tell people what they want to hear, even though they know it to be a lie? Or was it a survival tactic of wartime?

If you, like me, have neglected your education in never reading this classic, go to the library and get reading.

The Copper Beech – Maeve Bincy

Now, this novel did not in the least disappoint me. Once again Ms. Binchy writes of the lives of everyday people proving a plot doesn’t need to be grandiose or bizarre and writing doesn’t have to be ‘clever’.
Shancarrig, a small village in Ireland, provides the setting and its inhabitants the drama. Even in small places, there are hopes, dreams, loves and secrets. The Copper Beech tells of the lives of eight children who attended the village school together. Equal in youth, their lives diverge once leaving school only to repeatedly intertwine.
The Copper Beech is a wonderful read that I cannot recommend highly enough.

I Heard That Song Before - Mary Higgins Clark

It has been a while since I’ve read a Mary Higgins Clark novel. I remember her stories as can’t put down riveting. Unfortunately I Heard That Song Before didn’t live up to her past work. I had more difficulty picking it up than putting it down. It reminded me of a Victoria Holt novel. Where was the tension? The edge of your seat suspense? The best I can say is it was an OK read.

Moving to the Country
By Anna Cheska

Moving to the Country is heralded as a thinking woman’s romance. Well, I suppose so. Then again, isn’t the storyline of empty nest woman done wrong by cheating husband finding fulfilling life of her own a bit overdone? To temper the wronged woman side of things, we have the daughter and sister involved in affairs with married men. It seems no one wants to faithful except the main character. It might have provided an interesting twist had the husband been given some depth of character instead of being a womanizer who was in love with his wife but unable to be faithful to her. That said, it was a readable book and not completely predictable.

Mrs. Fytton's Country Life - Mavis Cheek

Mrs. Fytton is a product of the 70's Feminist movement, a woman who really did 'bring home the bacon, fry it in the pan and never, ever let her husband forget he's a man'. Until middle age strikes. When this grooved in London superwoman makes a change in her life, she changes it all. Now unencumbered, she moves to the country where people are honest, true and as clear as a crystal brook. Or are they? Mavis Cheek's wicked humor makes Mrs. Fytton's Country Life a can't put down delight.

The Lilac Bus - Maeve Binchy

OK, yeah I realize this book is 20 years old. What can I say; I’m a library reader.

The Lilac Bus is the story of seven passengers who commute from Dublin to their country hometown of Rathdoon every weekend in Tom Fitzgerald’s lilac colored minibus. Each with their own secret lives amazingly hidden from the communal consciousness of the village. Some of the secrets are dated, others perpetual.

What bothered me about this book is I didn’t realize it was this story, plus four others. So, once each passenger’s story was told, I was expecting some further resolution. The same with the first of the included short stories. I felt cheated that I had invested that much reading in each character to then have it end abruptly.
Otherwise, the stories were engrossing, if somewhat sad. Infidelity plays a large role in her plots. Another sign of the times? Women didn’t have as many options in the early 80’s as they do today. Or are the intrigues, complications and consequences of infidelity eternal?

Looking For Space

Monday, August 25, 2008

Journal of an Undecided Voter - Vol. One

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