The Last. . .

This morning, after I had taken Oliver out of his crib and given him his morning change, I went back to bed and my wife watched him while I tried to sleep off whatever ridiculous cold/flu/plague I can't seem to shake.  While I was sleeping, my wife watched Oliver climb out of the crib and almost fall to the ground.  Just like that, it was time to switch him to a toddler bed.

So we hit up Craigslist, and we looked at some options, and we ended up with a nice little toddler bed.  Oliver was thrilled to have a 'big boy bed,' and we laughed and clapped as we put it together in his room, and he jumped on it until he was dizzy and exhausted.

But then a thought occurred to me: last night was the last night I will ever put Oliver down to sleep in his crib.  Even sadder, this morning was the last morning I will ever see him standing in his crib, smiling, holding out his arms and saying "Up!"

And I didn't know.  This morning when I picked him up out of that crib for the last time, I didn't know it was the last.  If I had known, would I have taken an extra second to smile back at him?  Would I have cherished that weight in my arms as I lifted him?  Would it have mattered if I did?  Would I be more ready for this change -- all these changes -- all these little endings and beginnings?

Probably not.  Life can only be perceived in the rearview mirror.  Most of the important things we only recognize for what they are after they have passed.  So we have to mourn a little, shed a few tears, and then move on, lest we miss the next big thing -- like our freshly minted big boy's first night in his big boy bed.

From the Left Wing.

Twice in the past 24 hours, I've been caught in an argument against people who insist that voting independent is the only logical choice this election day.  I've been called a mindless drone and a lunatic for my stance, and I'm done with it.


Edit: First, there's the bizarre idea that a third-party candidate is somehow better than an establishment candidate just because of the third-party status.  Just being a Libertarian or a Green Party candidate doesn't automatically mean you're some hallowed savior sent to fix the system; like Democrat or Republican, it's just a label.

I do not believe for a second, especially in the context of the last two years, that the Democrats are 'just as bad' as the Republicans. No, senores. The Democrats haven't been actively blocking any attempt at improving the quality of life of the poor and middle class, while whining about expiring tax cuts for billionaires. The Dems haven't demonized everyone from Mexicans to Muslims to stir up fear and hate. The Dems haven't whined about deficit spending and refused to pass job-creating legislation, while also holding on to the tax cuts that will cost the country billions.


Most importantly, the Dems haven't embraced a culture of lies, willful ignorance, hateful stereotype, manipulation through terror, and anti-intellectualism. The Republicans have done all of those things, and more. Never before has an agenda been so transparent: protect the wealth of billionaires above all -- if a poor person having health care inconveniences a billion-dollar corporation, let the peasant die. If people getting unemployment benefits means rolling back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy, let the peasants starve! They'll still vote for us, because we'll tell them if they don't, terrorists and immigrants and commies will take over the country!


No, the Democratic party isn't perfect.  Yes, they've done a few things I don't agree with.  They lack the backbone to be truly progressive, to stand up to pressure and do the right thing.  They lack the discipline to get the entire voting bloc moving in unison, which leads to stalemates and deal-making (see the health care reform bill.  Republican smear campaigns led to polls which scared off conservative democrats, which led to horseshit in the back room, all the while Republicans were voting as a single monolithic bloc).  They're dead wrong about copyright law, and they are beholden to special interests.


But a lack of perfection does not mean they're the 'lesser of two evils.'   I think in this election we have one evil, one good-hearted but flawed, and one party you can vote for if you want the evil guys to win. So no. I'm not voting for some damn libertarian or green party candidate this election, when the very soul of the nation is on the line.  Maybe if the moderate right wing retakes the Republican party from these Tea Party, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck lunatics, then I'd consider risking them winning an election and cast a vote for a third party.  But not this time.