If character counts, who should be President?

Have you ever thought about how the Presidential candidates would get along in Iowa schools today? I sure have. Character Counts! in Iowa is part of a national program and it’s very important in schools statewide. The six pillars of character are

• trustworthiness (honest, reliable, loyal)
• respect (treat others well, tolerant, good manners, considerate, deal peacefully with anger and disagreements)
• responsibility (good self-control, self-disciplined, accountable)
• fairness (play by the rules, share, be open-minded, not blame carelessly)
• caring (kind, compassionate, grateful)
• citizenship (cooperative, involved, informed)

Each has its own set of descriptors. Read them on-line.

Do you have a sense of which of our Presidential candidates was more likely a bully as a schoolboy? Read the characteristics of a serial bully and see if any apply to either of our candidates. Think about that when you vote.

Do you think that bullying is only for boys? Current literature defines the phenomena of female bullying and relationship aggression (Odd Girl Out [sneak peak video], Girl Wars, Reviving Ophelia). What are the tools of the female bully? Gossip, character asassination, group control, exclusion of others, cliques, incitement, intimidation.

Will John McCain and Sarah Palin please report to the Principal’s Office?

photo by flickr by Eddie~S

Acceptance comes with age

I’ve been traveling a bit lately, and I was talking by phone to a North Dakota boy Tuesday. Here are the three sentences that this good Republican named Stan had to say about the prospect of the election of Barack Obama:

First,

• “It looks like the young guy is going to win.”

He followed that with,

• “Well, that’s all right.”

And ended by saying,

• “We’ll just give him a chance and see what he can do.”

Acceptance comes with age.

Stan is in his late 80s and he has lived a lot of American history, gained a lot from living in America, and given a lot back. He has known

• hard work on a Great Plains farm
• the Great Depression
• service in WWII as a technical trainer at Chanute Air Base
• marriage
• a long career as a government accountant and his wife as a teacher
• a modest income and sound judgment in how it was spent
• homes (one at a time, not multiple homes)
• retirement in Arizona and
• declining health

Now in his sunset years he and his wife were having difficulty keeping up with the physical demands of their home, so they moved into an assisted living facility, and they put their house in Arizona on the market. You guessed it. A full year later their house is still on the market with little hope for a sale. There is no bailout in sight for these loyal Americans – veterans of the Great Depression and World War II. Why haven’t we heard these Americans mentioned by John McCain in the same sentence as Joe the Plumber? Why we haven’t heard them mentioned by Sarah Palin in the same sentence as the parts of the country she calls pro-America? Couldn’t those “maverick” Republicans at least refer in passing to the aging Americans who have started with nothing and are seeing 60 years of hard work and careful living disappear either slowly or quickly? To add insult to neglect, if McCain were elected these uncomplaining, aging, loyal Americans would be saddled with McCain’s proposed cuts to Medicare.

Celebrate, Stan. It looks like the young guy is going to win.

photo by flickr by rileyroxx

Joe, Sarah, Satchel and history

Check these three viewpoints on looking back.

• Edmund Burke, 18th century statesman and conservative political theorist
• Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.

• Sarah Palin, Republican Vice-Presidential candidate at the Biden-Palin debate
• Say it ain’t so, Joe, there you go again, pointing backwards again.

• Satchel Paige one of the greatest pitchers of all time
• Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.

1. Satchel Paige offers great advice for Sarah Palin.
2. Edmund Burke offers great advice for you and me.
3. Sarah Palin is hoping we don’t know the Burke quote.

Before you vote, think about these two questions.

1. Which parts of recent history would you like to repeat?
2. Why does Sarah Palin not want you to look back? Is recent history gaining on her and John McCain?

photo by flickr by earthpro, discoverblackheritage, BBrhuft, and stephen_bolen

Why McCain chose Palin

It’s fair to say that everyone is speculating on why John McCain, the Senior Senator from Arizona chose as his potential running mate Sarah Palin, the incumbent Governor of Alaska.

I don’t know for sure, but I can think of a few reasons. Remembering the phrase tongue-in-cheek, see what you think.

1. Alaska is far from Florida so he’s hoping voters won’t be reminded of hanging chads, Katherine Harris, and Jeb Bush.

2. Choosing an Alaskan is a good hedge in case bears win the right to vote by November.

3. Even if bears don’t win the right to vote, it’s still a good hedge because Alaskan bears can be sent to Florida to help count ballots in case the vote gets close.

4. The time will come when Senator McCain is looking for a few more retirement properties. Governor Palin can help him locate (and keep track of) good beachfront resort properties in Alaska (just in case this global warming business gets out of hand).

5. Her experience as Council Member and Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska dovetails nicely with McCain’s plans to allow her to ramp up U. S. participation in the Sister City, International program while toning down his own Bomb, Bomb Iran image.

6. Senator McCain was protecting Republicans from accidental injury. He knew that Sarah Palin, a lifetime member of the NRA, is a better shot than Dick Cheney, and thus fellow Republicans were less likely to be injured.

7. McCain also knew that Alaska’s reputation for pork barrel spending will appeal to pork producers in Iowa, and should help land the farm vote. (On a legitimate note, if you want to compare the McCain and Obama positions, check this rural voter guide.)

8. Hoping that clear understanding of the impact of the George Bush Presidency had not yet reached all of the voters, McCain was hoping some would associate the word Bush with Alaskan Bush.

9. Even if Sarah Palin and John McCain lose the debates, the basketball player formerly known as Sarah Barracuda will catapult them to a win at HORSE.

10. And finally, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin may not have his experience but all reports are that she is cuter than Joe Lieberman.

photo by flickr by GISuser, er3465, and Wigwam Jones