My Heart on My Sleeve

I made this button yesterday, because I feel like wearing my heart on my sleeve.

Last year I decided to stop obsessing about politics, to stop monitoring every website and reading every critical article that came my way, and living half a world away the commitment has not been difficult to keep, but since I arrived in the United States it has become very obvious to me that the tide has turned for the Obama White House, much to my regret.

I am disappointed because I find the constant criticism terribly unfair. I happen to think that President Obama has done as well as he could given the circumstances. He has walked the mire and come out of it with major victories, I just don’t see what there is to criticize, and it’s pretty hard to ignore the fact that on the whole he is not being slammed for gaffes or miscalculations, but simply for being who he is.

I’ll speak frankly now and say that, in general, I consider Republican people to be rather mean and unfeeling folk, who care for no-one except their own kind, but if there is one thing about them that I think is worth emulating, it’s their willingness to stand up for their cause, as well as their unwavering support for their leaders. We Democrats should learn a thing or two about it, and while they can twist and manipulate the discourse in ways that are, in my view, nothing short of dishonorable, I envy them their mastery of the message, and the efficiency and confidence with which they control the discourse.

So if you are Democrat, if you are Liberal, I have a message for you: Make a statement, support your president and stand up for what you believe in, and for goodness’ sake don’t walk away from helping the politicians who share your values, and whether you think Barack Obama has delivered on every promise he made on the campaign trail or not, the only ones who will benefit if you withdraw your support are the same people who nearly ruined the country in the first place.

Do you really want to see Sarah Palin or Newt Gingrich as the President of the United States? Because I’m afraid that’s what’s going to happen if we continue to apologize for what we believe in and  fail to learn to be proud of our principles, which history and common sense have shown us are morally upright.

I hope we find our spine and fight the good fight, the country will be the loser if we don’t.

Button made using Da Button Factory.

Ten Things I Love About America

Once again I have made the long journey home to America for the summer with my two little kids, a couple of suitcases, and a handful of dreams.

I dreamed of a leafy street, of my mother’s kitchen and my father’s smile, my children’s laughter and their wide-eyed wonder. I dreamed of home.

H-O-M-E. It feels good to spell it out. I’ve been thinking about all the things I love about this country, and I’m amazed at how, regardless of the time I’ve been away, I seem to fit in the moment I get back.

I made a list, because things become real to me when I write them down.

1. Diversity. It’s good. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’ve seen what happens in a closed society, where fear and mistrust of outsiders are the norm.
2. Respect. For people, for animals, for dreams and hopes.
3. Opportunity. The chance to work for what you want, the chance to get it, the right to keep it.
4. Freedom. The right to be what you want, do what you want, dress how you want, love whom you want.
5. Work. There is so much a woman can do here, there are no limits.
6. Accountability. Actions have consequences, and carelessness and negligence do not go unpunished.
7. Education. You can be the best here, study anything, learn anything, regardless of your age.
8. Rules. Life is better for everyone when people follow the rules, from how to drive a car to waiting your turn and standing in line.
9. Order. I love properly planned houses and properly planned roads.
10. Efficiency. Things work as they are supposed to. The lights come on when you flip the switch, the water flows when you turn the tap, the shop opens when it says it will…

Good Wishes and A Link

Just a few words to wish you all a Happy New Year. May 2010 bring happiness, safety and good health.

Before I go, I want to post this link because I’m glad someone said what has been on my mind. I’m fed up with politics to be honest, but I can’t get over the hypocrisy and vindictiveness of people on the Right. And yes, you guessed it, I am a Liberal, and very proud of it.

Beautiful Life

FASHION WEEK IN KARACHI, day 4

Originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com

 

Pakistani women love fashion. At least, the women that I know. Trips to shop for fabric, lace, buttons and other notions are a weekly chore, and the tailor’s bill and punctuality a constant subject of conversation.

I have in the past been exasperated and impatient with what I’ve judged to be a rather frivolous and pointless use of time, energy and resources, but lately I have had the chance to re-think my attitude. In the face of terrorist attacks in schools and markets, hatred for women, and the impudent march of the wicked, I have come to realize that all these things, the clothes, the shopping trips, the haggling with the salesman at the fabric shop and dealing with the tailor, are part of the life that women make for themselves with the cards that they have been dealt.

I have learned that just because the whole thing seems foreign to me, it does not make it less valuable to them, and as such, I should speak up against those who would take it away, who would make it disappear, who would make women disappear behind a curtain of shame and rid their life of beauty and joy.

And so, here’s to Fashion Week-Pakistan, which ended yesterday.

Why I Want Health Insurance Reform

It’s very simple. I want everyone to have access to the same high-quality, timely medical care that currently only the well-off people can afford.

I have worked part-time for minimum wage to put myself through college. I know what it feels like to live without insurance, only I was lucky enough to be young and healthy at the time. I have been self-employed and I have bought my own insurance. I paid more than six-hundred dollars a month for coverage for me and my husband, and yet when I delivered my daughter by c-section, I still had a hospital bill that reached into the thousands because Blue Cross Blue Shield would only cover eighty percent of my approved expenses.

I want the people who get paid by the hour, the ones who don’t have fancy job titles and corner offices, the ones whose jobs don’t come with benefits and paid vacations, the ones who scramble every month to pay the bills and who can barely make it if they have an unexpected expense, to be able to have good health insurance that they can actually afford and to have the peace of mind that you get when you know your medical needs are being met.

Not everyone in America has a secure job and a stable home life that comes with a big house and an SUV parked in the driveway. It’s not a matter of being a grown-up or being lazy and stupid. It’s about a system that is basically unfair, that favors the few over the many.

It’s about a right that is more basic and more important than speaking your mind, or congregating in a place of worship, or joining a political party, because none of these things matter if you’re ill and can’t afford good medical care.