There only was one choice

Sunday, July 25, 2004

I'M A YANKEE DOODLE DANDY

Ok so that's a bit of a silly title but I figure it's appropriate as I am heading down to Boston tomorrow for the DNC. It should be a lot of fun, crazy of course, but fun. I'll be attending a few fairly big events and it looks like I may be in the building for Tuesday night's festivities. I'll head back on Thursday (I'm taking the bus since the trains can't operate) and actually watch Kerry's speech from the comfort of my own home. I think the highlight will be Barack Obama's speech Wednesday night, unfortunately I'll be attending two shindigs that night and won't be able to see it live. I'm having business cards made up today, have resumes with me and plan to schmooze it up.

I spent yesterday running around Maine trying to find a battery for my cell phone which regretably went to battery heaven friday night. This was not only horrible timing but was insanely complicated because no one in Maine sells T-mobile products. This was bad, finally, mercifully, a random guy with a boutique at the Maine Mall (note: Maine must be small if THE mall is called the Maine Mall, it's the only one) happened to have a compatible battery, I could have kissed him, but gave him forty bucks instead.

I also spent last night hanging out with some people I hadn't seen in years that I knew from high school. It was a good night, good discussions, cool people, decent food.

That's about the weekend thus far, I'll try to post on the Convention when I get back Thursday. Next weekend will be Krystn and Cory's wedding, replete with bachelor party, rehearsal dinner, wedding and Monday morning brunch, when we Zimmermans celebrate, we do it big.

David is leaving for San Diego early next month, I admit I'm jealous as I've wanted to get out that way for so long, a little more north than that but still that general direction. I just can't go without a job. I am not that worried about job stuff, I just have this gut feeling that my next job, whatever it is, will be a pretty long term thing. There has been some talk that if I find work in Portland and stay here I'll run for state rep. in the fall of 06'. I hadn't ever really planned on that before but it may just be something I'd consider.

Look out Boston, here I come

posted by Adam Sunday, July 25, 2004

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Blowin' in the Wind

So I know it's been a while, since March, have you missed me? I suppose between an insane schedule and just feeling like there was not a lot to tell despite the active life, I just didn't see the point or have the energy.

To briefly update life in the last five months. I worked for a great group of people who have a lot of expertise in issues based campaigning. I was responsible for helping to find management level staff through nationwide recruiting. The company is doing a great job and will be a powerful force in grassroots organizing.
June 1st I moved back to Maine, I couldn't afford Boston any more and I couldn't find an apartment. My employer let me work from home. Then they asked me to move to DC, to help run the office there, I did that, for a week, but I again couldn't find a place that I could afford. So, back in Maine now, and unemployed. Some solid prospects, money in the bank thanks to not paying rent in June or July, I'm doing ok. My mother is going to drive me crazy but that's nothing new. My brother is off to San Diego in a few weeks, he's got a job and an apartment out there. Him going just reminds me how deeply I yearn to be in San Fran, but I can't find any opportunities out there.
I'm having some issues with being in Maine, mostly not having any friends up here, and also the inability for someone without the ability to drive, to go anywhere independently.

Life is really ok, we'll see what happens. Anyway, there's a lot I could comment on politically but I would prefer not to at the moment. I promise to post again soon.

posted by Adam Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Saturday, March 06, 2004

WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE

I have had the political "fire" in my belly for some fifteen years now, ever since I stepped foot in Senator Mitchell's campaign office in 1988. The fire, I fear, is out. I am 25 years old, still waiting for life to really start. I can no longer internally justify spending 80 hours a week working for pay that barely allows me to get by. I will always be a liberal, and always be passionate about liberal causes and candidates but the time for me to be actively engaged in campaign work is over. It takes too much out of a person after so many years. Maybe it's my own fault for getting involved in the game so young, I figure that's why I'm burned out so fast. I desperately need to find a real job. I have two choices now as it is stands, keep doing this and loose my mind, as this is beating me down both physically and emotionally, or quit and move back to Maine til I can find a job somewhere else. I think, at least for now, despite how much I dislike it, I'll be working and not moving home, we'll see how long I can take it.

I think part of the problem right now is that I am just angry, furiously angry, about being put in this situation. I don't like to use my sight as a scapegoat but as many of you know I felt my previous job searches have been severely hindered by perceptions of potential employers. I will never be able to prove that and I am not interested in suing people but more and more I am interested in making sure the three years of rejections I have faced, due in large part I believe to my visual impairments, never happen to someone else. Somehow I have to show these companies that I can do it if only they'd give me a chance to prove myself. It pisses me off though that I might have to work in the disabled community, I mean not that I have an issue with people with disabilities, far from it, but why should I be relegated to working within the disabled community, and if qualified people with disabilities only work in that community how will anyone outside of it ever hire them, it's a catch-22 as it were. I don't like being angry, but the more I think about the situation the more I am furious about it. Will anyone outside of the campaign community that expects you to work till you drop for next to no pay, ever give me a chance to prove myself? I'm starting to have my doubts

posted by Adam Saturday, March 06, 2004

Saturday, February 28, 2004

TRIP, STUMBLE AND FALL (COCO MONTOYA)

This is a direct reference to my date last night. Only I could be on a first date, having a really great time, and on the way to go to a jazz club when I took a dive, not just a little trip, but I took a DIVE, twisted my ankle brutally and could barely stand let alone walk. She was so nice, put me in a cab, even offered to pay, and the cabbie helped me into the house. My ankle was hugely swollen right away and even worse this morning. I had to cancel my first training session at the gym (I could tell when I explained why they didn't believe me) and also had to miss our short weekend session of work. I have had my leg elevated all day, wow did that hurt, hopefully it'll be better by Monday AM.

Oscars tomorrow, hoping Mystic River does well, also have to say that though I've seen Lost in Translation and Master and Commander I was underwhelmed, All that LIT was was Bill Murray being Bill Murray, as for the Russell Crowe picture, look, they are STILL ON THE BOAT, so boring.

It's odd for me to be doing recruiting, just a few weeks ago I was willing to take any job, now I am evaluating Ivy League students and I have a say in whether or not they are going to have a job with us. I like what I am doing and it's a pretty interesting situation to be in, but odd.

Anyway they say they are close to catching Bin Laden, I'll give you 10 to 1 odds they find him within 6 weeks of the General Election.

posted by Adam Saturday, February 28, 2004

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

So I am going to do something a bit different on my blog from now on, I am going to comment on my life and on larger world issues too, much like earlier today.

Storey points out that having a viable third party in American politics is a good thing. I completely agree, it is. That said a few factors, 1. Ralph Nader, the all conquering coster-of-elections is not running as a third party candidate, he's running as an independent 2. Nader tried to hold a gun to the head of the Democratic party saying that if candidates X or Y are your nominees I won't screw the pooch and re-elect Bush that's political blackmail and thank heavens if failed. 3. A viable third party, as it stands now, is not going to happen, real campaign finance reform and host of other things will have to happen for it to occur but right now it simply is not going to, letting the MUCH WORSE of two evils win ad nausea simply so that a hundred years from now we can a Green President (by the way we will have a gay African American female in a wheelchair before a Green gets elected and as much as I'd like to see both happen they won't for a long ass time) is to put it bluntly, INSANE! Kerry may not be a lot of liberals ideal but he is light years better than Bush, there can be no debate about that for a liberal, it's just true, also he is someone who served in the US military and then came home and protested the war, he's not a fan of war by any stretch, he's not perfect but he's also not more conservative than Nixon or Reagan, which Dubya, if you look at the policies he supports and the bills he's signed, is. This is election is going to pose a choice. Cast a vote against Bush by voting for Kerry, or a vote for Bush by voting for Nader, as much as I'd love to see a real third party the idea of doing so at the expense of getting Bush out of office makes me physically ill and should to anyone else who truly espouses liberal beliefs, I'm all for voting your conscience but what does it say about your conscience if you allow Dubya to appoint two or three new Supreme Court Justices who will future erode civil rights, take away a woman's right to choose, uphold discrimination against gays, and give this ultra-conservative carte blanche to do as he pleases, that's the choice we face, the decision can not be clearer.

posted by Adam Wednesday, February 25, 2004

THE BITCH IS BACK

So it's been a while.

A lot has happened since last we spoke, it's a new year even.

January brought many new leads but nothing solid, until the last week of it, in which I had three interviews, one which has led to gainful employment. I am working as a recruiter for a new political organization affiliated with the DNC. It's not quite what I would have hoped I would be doing, given the sub-par pay and longer than 40 hour work weeks which was precisely what I was trying to get away from, but it's work....for now. There is also one other opportunity up in the air right now but I think it best not to say anything other than, if it happens, it will be the chance of a lifetime.

Aside from that, went to the Bay area for a week. Caught up with Storey, as well as stayed with folks that Bob had put me in touch with who are really great and who keep telling me I should move to DC because I am so into politics. I really love it out in California, I had a great time. I got to see SF, Berkeley, San Jose, even made it up to Ahnold's turf in Sacto for a job interview. Still hoping to hear from several of the people I met with while I was out there. Also saw Shoshi, a friend from college debate, for her B-day party, it's a shame we are separated by 3000 miles, not that I expect it would matter much but she's a really cool person I'd like to be able to spend more time with. To tell you how hectic the trip was, I spent 8 nights in Cali, at no point did I sleep in the same place on consecutive nights, we went like this, Berkeley, San Fran, Sacto, San Fran, Berkeley, San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland.

While I've been gone it seems the Senator from MA is going to be our nominee, first of all I know I said it would be Dean the day that Gore endorsed him, shows what I know. About three weeks before Iowa a friend who is at the Kennedy school told me Kerry would pull it off, he was the only one I know or that I read of or heard from who called that, pretty impressive. Good, I'm glad, I never liked Dean and I've explained why. This should be a very interesting race, already it's getting ugly which is a shame but boy, if ever there were a time for me to stop not believe in negative politics, it's now, that's how important it is that we beat Bush. By the way, Ralph Nader, FUCK YOU!!! If that little maggot costs us the Presidency again I may have to end my pacifist tendencies.

So on his site recently Storey cited a post by Beth about why egg and sperm donation is a bad thing, saying that her argument simulates his very well, that bothers me a lot, because the argument, which I'd link if I knew how but you can find Storey at www.bluepyramid.org, basically asserts that it would emotionally be really hard to know there was a mini-me out there somewhere. I don't dispute it would be hard but two things, number 1. with sperm and egg donation you never know if your sample was used so that mitigates some of that, but 2. and far more important is that the same argument could be made for adoption in fact I would say that is much harder because the mother actually gives birth to her child before giving it up, now I would imagine that Storey and Beth don't object to people giving their children up for adoption. I would argue that it is in fact a noble act to donate an egg (by the way hardly donation if you've seen some of the sick amounts of money women can make) so that a couple who can not conceive can have a child to love, that's a very noble thing to do. But beyond that adoption of course is not only noble for the couple getting the child but also for the child themselves, it is a very selfless thing to do to recognize that you can't care for a child and so you allow two people who will love it to do so. Yes it is incredibly hard but that is part of what makes it so noble, on both counts.

Let's talk totally immoral now, writing hate into the US Consititution, yet another reason Bush has to go. I personally don't see gay marriage as a big issue, the war, the economy, those are big important things, allowing two people who love one another to marry in comparison seems obvious and small. Let's look at some of the arguments the Homophobes use.
1. Sanctity of Marriage: Ok, so do these same people also object to ever allowing a divorce, if they don't they are hypocrites.
2. Religion: No one is making your church/synagogue/mosque/temple recognize a gay marriage, only the state you live in.
3. Sends the wrong message to our kids: If allowing two people who love one another to marry sends the wrong message to our kids what the hell does hating those two loving people simply because they love one another say to those kids?

Lastly for today, The Passion of the Christ by Gibson is coming out today. If seeing this movie helps people to genuinely find faith that centers around love that's good, but from the overly graphic nature of it, from the blame game it plays on the Jewish people (of which I am one) and the contentiousness already surrounding it I find it incredibly hard to believe this film will do more good than harm. It will re-create a climate of the blood libel (the Jews killed Jesus) Europe is experiencing a massive outbreak of anti-Semitic acts, in the US it is often said that the Arabs hate us because of our support of Israel, all of these things make it ok to be anti-Semitic right now, and that's scary. Gibson's father hates the Jewish people and one can only infer since Gibson is unwilling to criticize him that he was indoctrinated with that hate all during his youth. This film is not, according to roman historians, accurate in terms of who is to be faulted for the crucifixion of Jesus and that, compounded with the uneeded graphic images of the whole event can not, in the end, be good for anyone.

posted by Adam Wednesday, February 25, 2004