"He loves that little girl" a rant

[The Straight Story]

inspired by this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MIJShOqh8Q

This song reminds me of my little girl and my sons, two of whom have joined the Army.

It is a song about a man realizing what he has in life - How precious his little girl is to him, all when he thought she would be the one thing that screwed up his life.

I love my little girl. She is eight, and will grow up some day. She has hopes, she has dreams. All of a life better than this one now. A world without her mom sick. A world without people hating one another. A world devoid of torture, a world where people in power do the right thing for all those they represent.

Those with power don't want to give it up. They want to increase it, they want to work to keep it. At any cost.

She just wants to grow up and live her little dreams. A boyfriend, kids someday, a job, a future.

She is not invested in covering the asses of certain people in power - people who say they want to do what is best for her. She does not care what excuses you make for banks, wars, torture, etc and so on.

She wants to grow up. She wants a life. She wants choices - from abortion to whom she marries, from what she does for a living to her own personal choices in whom she chooses as a lover - be it male or female. And she does not want our government or some church telling her what is best for her.

She can figure all that out herself.

She does not want endless wars. She does not want people to be tortured in her name.

She wants to get an education. To grow up and have her own dreams. Not the ones I have, not the ones the X has, and not the ones anyone else has for her.

In the end...She is a little girl growing up in a world filled with pirates, nanny state folks telling her how to live - from the religious right to those on the left, sick freaks who go out and molest others, etc and so on.

what have we become? We were once the 'underground' here who fought against all things wrong with our government - more and more though it seems we have become a champion of those in power if they have the same letter after their name as we do.

I don't side with Obama first, I side with the people first. I cut him a lot of slack, and I defend him here - but I am not about to just roll over and let he his friends continue on policies I felt were fucked up during the bush administration.

At some point we must stand for what is right - and it does not matter who is in power or if they have the same ideals as we do.

What matters is if they truly hold the same core values and fight for them.

I'll back Obama, I will give him a chance, but I won't toss my principles out the window for anyone.

My little girl is counting on me to do the right thing. She wants a better world. And those in power not giving it to her can go screw themselves.

I want change. And I'll be damned if I give up my hope for that because I feel the need to prop up someone who shares a D with me.

Either you are a progressive or you are not. And don't you dare think you get a pass from me just because I want you in power over someone on the RW.

You work for me. You represent the future hopes and dreams of my baby girl. You represent everyone from gays to single moms, from the atheists to the religious.

If you can't handle the job, you will be replaced by those that can. Whether you be in local or federal government.

I want my baby girl to grow up in a free country. To have her dreams and live them. Not to grow up in a world you make based on your ideals and values.

Freedom and choice. I want that for my kids as much as I want it for me.

And if you want to take that away from her or me, well then screw you. Whether you wrap yourself in the flag or in a progressive label.

She deserves freedom to choose. She deserves not to have folks on the RW telling her how to live, and she does not need folks on the LW telling her how to either.

Freedom is something wonderful, and something scary it seems to some folks.

I can only hope my kids grow up with it, and no one - from the RW to the LW limits it.