Vote Vote Vote

Election 2012...

All I can say is "whew!"  I know there have been elections that were devastating, prop 109 (was that the number?), prop 22, comes to mind... or the stolen re-election of George Bush.  Anyways, relieved at the outcome... I started checking my computer at work about an hour before I left the office, and when I saw the early returns, I couldn't breathe.  Stress, worry, fear...

I almost went with Jill Stein, of the Green Party, who I think I was aligned with on 99% of issues with her, and something like 84% Obama and 2% Romney. But as they said on KPFK, I did like many progressives, and voted with the politics of fear.  Anyways, I was happy to see that Tony and Maiya together voted for Jill Stein, but then I had to explain to Maiya when she didn't win, about corporate media, the debates, and how most people have never even heard of Jill Stein.   I joked on FB, that if Roseanne Barr had stepped aside and backed Dr. Stein, then she would have gotten a whole 1% of the California vote.

Once I realized that Obama had won, I could scarcely believe it.  People were so excited on FB, but mostly I was just able to breathe again.  Then I remembered, oh the propositions.  I didn't have a good feeling about anything I had supported.  Over the past few months, we have been meeting at work regularly on Prop 30 outreach for our residents, families and clients.  In my own programs in child development, we were doing voter registration awareness, education on Prop 30 and 38, and had been following both very closely from many angles, for both parents and staff.  On its own, Prop 38 was so positive and would have reversed 5 years of budget cuts to child development and provided so much benefit to children and families, but I knew it couldn't beat Prop 30.  I talked to so many people who went to sleep not knowing whether Prop 30 had passed.  I was on refresh on my computer for hours, checking in every 5 minutes on the state's election returns.  I finally realized I needed to take a break, and went to work on my blog.  Anyways, I hope there is a next time for some proactive support for early childhood education, and that the 2 1/2 million people who voted for it will consider it again next time around.  It just shows that the field needs to keep at the message of how important early learning is, and how it impacts future learning, success in school, in college, and as  the next generation's leaders.

Another race that was really important to me was Prop 37, but with $45 million spent by Monsanto, Pepsi, Dupont and others, including many health food companies that started out as alternative foods, but have since been bought out by corporate food giants, it wasn't a complete surprise.

This morning, Maiya was asking me about the propositions.  I knew that she knew what 37 was about because she said that daddy had told her about it, but I was kind of floored when she said, "what happened with 34?" and I said, "do you know what 34 is?" and she said, "yeah, isn't that the dealth, I mean the death penalty one?"  I was surprised, but then I remembered a conversation we had about the kinds of people that are sometimes on death row and it turns out that they weren't really guilty and that many times they are people of color.  Anyways, trying to keep it age appropriate and in simple terms, but sometimes, my kid seems older and wiser than her 7 years on this planet.

Big congrats to Al Muratsuchi, who I have known for 15-18 years, back when he was fighting the JACL to support the New Otani hotel workers' efforts to unionize, and to Eric Mar in San Francisco, who was battling against known and unknown real estate developers who poured massive amounts of money in attack ads against him.  And also to the new and surprising firsts... new APIs to Congress and the Senate.

Anyways, I know most people will be happy not to see any more political commercials, but because I haven't watched much TV and chose to keep the radio off, I haven't been inundated with political ads, but I am glad it's over.  In all, with the election of my new friend Meghan Sahli-Wells to the local city council in April, who is the breath of fresh air that makes me happy, politically speaking, it has been a pretty good year.

Peace. Out.
NaBloPoMo12 #6
(Posted on 11/7/12)

February 2012 Update

February was a busy month.  I participated in a march and rally around LAUSD Headquarters supporting Adult Education and calling against the closing of 30 Adult Education sites with 300,000 adult learners, including the mommies in our Family Literacy program who attend 68 hours a month of English classes, parenting classes and parent/child literacy activities with their preschool children.  We were among 1,000 others that day. Furlough days continued for Maiya, and we were thrilled that my cousin Jackie came and brought her grandbaby Harper over to visit and have lunch.

Also this month, I started volunteering with Meghan Sahli-Wells' campaign for City Council, attending fundraisers, helping on a phone bank, walking precincts, assembling and putting up lawn signs in the neighborhood with Maiya, writing a support letter that was published in 3 or 4 news blogs, and making some new friends.  After losing by 32 votes in 2010 on an eco-friendly campaign I could get behind, I had decided if she ever ran again, I would volunteer for her campaign.

New York Knick Jeremy Lin hit the big time, and we got the last Linsanity t-shirt at the mall (a gift for Kevin's bday), which the kids celebrated at the gymnastics center, where I tried to pull some old tricks on the equipment, reliving my old gymnastics glory days #FAIL.

LTSC Family Literacy supports ADULT EDUCATION at LAUSD Headquarters

Cousin Jackie and Baby Harper visit on Maiya's Furlough Day

Supporting Meghan Sahli-Wells for City Council!

Superstars #6 has the ball!  Playing against WLA boys

Linsanity goes full force in February!

Maiya & Eve

Kevin's 7th Birthday at the Gymnastics Center

Peace Out... that's February 2012
#activism #baby #bball #birthday #cousins #literacy #monthlyupdate
(Posted 10/27/12)

On Becoming a Democrat (#3)

I don't know when or how it happened, but in the last 6 years or so, I've become a Democrat.  Officially.  In yesterday's election, I voted strictly down the party line, no Greens, no Peace and Freedom candidates, no Independents.  I remember a few years ago my friend Tarabu asking me who I voted for and I told him the Green Party candidate (whose name I can't remember) and he said, "Wow Jenni, you sure do go for the long shot."  I've been disdainful of the Democrats as well as Republicans and I've been proud of being a left-leaning progressive activist.  In my heart I am really a Green, but in this climate with all the backlash against Obama on both the right and the left, and those crazy Tea Partiers, I have become more cautious.

Anyways, I am pretty happy about Jerry Brown becoming Governor again.  The youngest, and now the oldest.  I remember liking him when I was a kid.  I loved in his speech last night how he held his victory party not in some meaningless corporate hotel, but in the theater that had been vacant for 30 years that he helped to reopen, and worked to create the Oakland School for the Arts.  Very cool.  To say that he is going to do his best to support education and the arts, now that goes a long way with me.

Maiya's first time voting at one-month old (March 2005)

I hated Arnold from the time he was elected (or even before) and every time I heard him speak, hold a stubborn line, threaten, bully,  or take services away from people who really really really needed them.  I hated feeling like he didn't care about poor people and immigrants.  The worst was when he completely eliminated state-subsidized center-based childcare in this year's budget (which is why I am an active early childhood education advocate)  I know I was feeling the same feeling of dread every time I heard Meg Whitman's voice, and I could not support anyone who didn't vote until she was 46 years old, the age I am now.

I know we have some pretty rough losses around the country, but aside from some of the state initiatives I voted for that didn't make it, I feel pretty good about California about now.  Almost, dare I say, I have a feeling of hope.  Anyways, like I always used to say:  Peace. Out.

She got her sticker, did you?  (November 2008)

NaBloPoMo#3.

381 Miles for Justice and Back (in one day)

On Memorial Day weekend, Tony, Maiya and I rented a car and drove 381 miles to Phoenix to join the march protesting SB 1070, the recently signed Arizona law that will allow/force/legalize racial profiling against people of color.  It will authorize police to stop "suspected" undocumented immigrants based on the color of their skin and ask them for their papers.

We left at 3:30 in the morning, and arrived in Phoenix about 9:30 am.  I actually only slept about 2 45-minute naps the night before, and drove the first 3 hours.  Anyways, we found a place to park a few blocks from the beginning of the route, having seen that there was a train line that would take us back at the end of the day.  We had heard that the organizers were expecting about 50,000 people, but I really couldn't tell... altoarizona.com reported 100,000 people. Walking 6 1/2 miles in 90+ degree heat and not wanting to spend any money in Phoenix was something that I think our little family will always remember and was why we decided to go and come back in the same day.

Maiya wrote and decorated her own picket sign: 

"SB 1070: It's Not Right! Treat People Good"

Tony's sign compares SB 1070 with racist laws in our

history that target individual communities of color

Phoenix was hot... we heard 97 degrees... 

this is before we got to the 6.6 mile start line.

We were towards the back of the march. 

 Lots of families and strollers where we were.

Trying to beat the heat with popsicles, fruit, veggies and water

This sign was at the very end of the march, and passed us a few times.

Maiya's Si Se Puede Yoda sign was a big hit--

many people wanted photos and kids loved it.

Our sign "We drove 381 miles for justice" caused several 

groups of Arizonans to thank us for the support

KuidaOsumi--together for social justice

Some of the signs we saw said things like "Do I look illegal?" "Brown is not a crime." "We are all human." "European American immigrants were illegal.  1492." After walking almost 5 hours or so, we almost made it to the end. We actually got within about 7 streets from the end of the march and we could hear the speakers and the music.  We could see the State Capitol building just ahead of us. 

Unfortunately, I had kind of a dizzy spell/episode where the world started spinning and I started to feel like I was going to pass out.  I went to sit down, and kind of fell onto the grass in slow motion.   Anyways, after yet another bottle of water and a 20 minute rest, I was able to walk back to the train (yes, we did actually spend $3.50 in Arizona for trainfare and $2 or $3 for popsicles from marching vendors) to take us back to our car, where we took pictures in the parking lot.

After that, we got in our car, and Tony drove us 6 hours back home, stopping in Blythe for gas and making pita bread cheese and salami sandwiches out of the cooler in the backseat of the car.  I am glad we were able to go--since we missed the Los Angeles May Day immigrant rights march on May 1st.  It was Maiya's first trip to Phoenix.  And the only other time I had been to Arizona was about 17 years ago when I went with my parents and my brother Darin to the Gila River Camp Reunion/Pilgrimage, where my dad was incarcerated as a 10 year old during WW2 for being of Japanese descent.  

It was a hot and physically exhausting day, but an unforgettable journey... As I said to one Latino man about my age who thanked us for coming such a long distance, "We had to come."  Because according to Maiya, "SB 1070:  It's not right!  Treat People Good."

~~~~~~
This post is dedicated to the memory of father, husband, activist, organizer, teacher, poet, friend, 
John Delloro, who passed away at the age of 38 on June 5th, may he rest in peace and justice.

We Can. We Will. (NBPM#17)

I post this in solidarity with UCLA students arrested and even tasered while protesting a 32% fee hike today. As background, I wrote this poem back in the depressing days of Bush in office, before I had ever heard of Barack Obama and his "Yes, We Can" slogan, after attending the 2007 Manzanar Pilgrimage and Manzanar After Dark program.
We Can. We Will.
dedicated to and inspired by mari, traci & tad

Today in the sun, my 2 year old ate watermelon and collected rocks at Manzanar. Too hot for a 2 year old, I thought. Tonight, After Dark, I witnessed the passion, heat & intensity of 250 people both young and old, eager to learn, hear, share, speak, heal…

Then later in the after-madness, I heard my sistah Mari say:

The president is never going to listen. To. Me.

Maybe not.

But We.
We have power.
We can change things.
We have the power.
We can start a boycott.
We can start ethnic studies.
We can rise up in the fields.
We can sit down at the front of the bus.
Not because we’re tired, but because enough is enough.
We can stop a jail in Little Tokyo.
We can fight redress.
We can write a poem.
We can make a film.
We can write a column.
We can. We will. We have the will.
We can start a letter writing campaign.
We can do our own petition. Online, myspace, mass email, in the paper.
We can organize the students, Nikkei, JA, Hapa, Latino/a, Chicano/a, Black, Muslims, gay, straight, transgender.

Mari also said:
It’s not just me.
There are a lot more people like me behind me.
They’re going to come here.
They’re going to be asking questions.

(It’s not a threat. It’s a fact.)

We have the power. We have the Baka guts*.
We can. We will.

4/29/07
manzanar, ca.

* Baka guts in reference to Manzanar Committee Chair Sue Kunitomi Embrey's family phrase about having the courage and guts to stand up for what you believe in, no matter what it is (baka in Japanese is stupid/idiot).

(NaBloPoMo#17)

Local Election Results

NaBloPoMo#4: One of the big reasons we moved to this city was for the schools, so I am encouraged by the results of Tuesday's election. I am excited that the Measure to directly support the schools that I voted for passed with 75% of the vote, and the 3 School Board members I voted for were the top 3 vote-getters. I think it was an all white and male school board previously, and now there are 2 women, including one woman of color with endorsements from people I know, two have a green agenda with a strong background of social justice.

Click for School Board results
Click for Measure EE results

And in other political news, last night I heard State Assemblymember John Perez speak in Little Tokyo. He was very impressive. I went to visit his office on Early Learning Advocacy Day in Sacramento a few months ago to get his support on early childhood education, but this was the first time I heard him speak.

Election Day & Nishi Halloween

NaBloPoMo#3: Don't forget to vote! My first Culver City election (Tony still registered in LA I think). Learning about very local politics is pretty interesting. It wasn't hard to figure out the people I support. I thought I would miss LA more, but actually I don't.

And here are some pix from Maiya's preschool Halloween. Again this year, of the girls' costumes, only 3 were non-princessy/girlish (Maiya-Dinah the Dinosaur), a lion and a Silver Surfer (comic character?). I'm pleased that my girl really wanted to be a dinosaur... yet another year that I dodged the princess bullet. So to the many who have told me that the princess phase is inevitable, it isn't. Not that Maiya doesn't like pinkish girly things, jewelry and dresses, but it's all a part of who she is, which includes the girl who turns maracas into numchucks (no thanks to all of Daddy's Bruce Lee YouTube sessions). But I am glad that I haven't yet heard, "Mommy, I want to be a princess."

Hikaru (Batman) and Rockett (Picachu)

LTSC/Nishi kids line up!

Dinah the Dino and Snow White

Teachers dress up too!

Speaking to the LAUSD Board: No on 1D

I was asked to make comments to the LAUSD School Board to urge the board members to pass a resolution opposing Proposition 1D. It was my first time in the Board room. Going up to the podium was a little bit nerve wracking, but luckily I managed to get through it with 5 seconds to spare on my 3 minute comment:

• Good afternoon. My name is Jennifer Kuida and I am the Director of Childcare at Little Tokyo Service Center. With me is Meliza Roa-Arreola, our Family Literacy Program Manager at Angelina Preschool. Our preschool is located a few blocks from here in Echo Park. Thank you for allowing me to speak to you today.

• Little Tokyo Service Center has been a grantee of First 5 LA’s Family Literacy Initiative for the past 7 years. One of 22 grantees in our program, we have served 90 families with a highly intensive 4 component program, including full-day year-round early childhood education, adult education where we offer daily ESL and computer classes, weekly parenting education, and provide opportunities for parent and child interactive literacy activities, such as our Lending Library, Mommy and Me, Read-A-Thon, and parents reading to their children every night before they go to sleep.

* Proposition 1D would rob our children of the most important early learning opportunities needed for school success. School readiness programs, family literacy skills-building classes, and access to preschool give our children the greatest chance for school success.

* We have these programs in LAUSD because of First 5 LA and Proposition 10 funding. Now, when we need these programs most, state leaders want to cut them to balance their budget … and, I might add, a very small portion of the state budget.

* First 5 LA’s family literacy programs like Little Tokyo Service Center’s Angelina Preschool Family Literacy program are proven successes. Our program works to improve the literacy skills of parents and preschool children, engages parents to
become involved in their child’s school once their children enter the school district, and teaches families the importance of reading as a key to learning and, ultimately, as a key to success in life.

* First 5 LA-funded family literacy programs have improved literacy levels of both parents and children, and have resulted in families bringing many more books into their homes, and a number of positive benefits that are known to boost students’ success rates.

* The education safety net in Los Angeles County is at risk if Proposition 1D passes on May 19th. Proposition 1D is so over reaching that it takes almost 67 percent of First 5 LA’s yearly funding. We don’t think that’s fair.

* The children of Los Angeles County should not have to pay this high a price to balance the state budget. This ballot measure is completely deceptive.

In closing, We’d like to thank you on behalf of children and families in Los Angeles and our Family Literacy Program and urge you to support this resolution opposing Proposition 1D.

(The resolution to Oppose Prop 1D passed at the May 12 LAUSD Board meeting).

Grace on Living for Change (#29)

Maiya Grace with Big Grace in April 2007

Here is an excerpt from Grace Lee Bogg's new article in the Michigan Citizen (Nov. 30-Dec. 6):

"Two weeks ago in my first post- election column, I wrote that I will not be among those organizing or participating in protest demonstrations against Obama’s actions or inactions, trying to hold his feet to the fire. Neither will I wear a hair shirt, regretting that I voted for Obama instead of Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney whose policies are more in line with mine.

That is because my support for Obama was never based on his policies or promises which, with few exceptions, are not that different from those of other Democrats. From the outset my eyes were on the people at his rallies, especially the youth who, inspired by his persona and his eloquence, shed the fears instilled by the Nixons, Reagans and Bushes since the 60s and, imbued with a new hope, began organizing on his behalf.

For me, not just Obama’s victory but that transformation of “we the people” from Fear to Hope, from passivity to activity, from looking on as spectators to participating as citizens was what was so historic about this period.

As I wrote last week, “Every time Barack insisted that it was not about him but about us, we were reminded of our potential for becoming a better people and a better country. When he talked about change we can believe in, and we shouted back “Yes we can,” we were discovering the room for growth in ourselves.”

Now that the campaign is over, let’s not turn all our attention to the Oval Office, constantly comparing Obama and his actions or inactions with FDR and the New Deal, refusing to face the reality that our time is not the 30s. and forgetting the millions who were transformed during the campaign and who need to continue this process of transformation into active citizens if we are to save our planet and ourselves.

Instead of throwing billions at the economy in order to get our financial system working again, we need to take steps, however small to begin with, towards creating a local sustainable economy that enables us to work, eat, and take care of our families, bring the neighbor back into the ‘hood. and slow down global warming. Together we can create a local food system, local health clinics, local safety and security committees – and happiness."

Dear Barack (#15)

President-Elect Obama (now that has a nice ring to it) is hard at work getting this country back on track, but he’s counting on input from all of us. I just signed a congratulations card to Barack Obama from MomsRising - Breadmakers and Breadwinners.

I also wrote in to share my vision for where President-Elect Obama should lead the country. Here's a note and the photo that I sent to Barack Obama tonight. It's not real eloquent, but it is from the heart and from the top of my head.

Dear Barack Obama:

Congratulations! Continue with the ideas that together we can help to change social policies for families. End the War in Iraq and find ways to help save the planet. Continue to listen to women and families. It's not just the middle class, but low-income families in our cities and rural areas around the country that need a change, to survive and thrive. Also, I'm sure you know about Prop. 8. in California. We need your help to repeal Prop.8 for marriage equality. Best wishes to you and your beautiful family in your new job!

Jenni

Now here's your chance to give your input, from the bottom up: http://www.change.gov/yourvision

Coming Soon on NaBloPoMo #16-#30: Joy's Red Egg & Ginger party and HomeWalk 5K for Homeless from earlier today. Still on the back blogger: Zoe & Rockett's Bday, Kyle's Bday, Granny Franny & Zeyde Don's visit... and more.

It's not over (#6)

Sometime yesterday, someone started a Petition to Reopen Proposition 8. When I signed it at 5pm tonight, I was the 164,800th person to sign it. I just checked it, and it is already at 225,400. Protesters against the proposition are taking it to the streets. It will go back to the courts. Regardless, women will love women, and men will love men, and they have the right to marry who they love. How something so simple and lovely got so twisted is just beyond me.

Sweet victory, bitter disappointment (#5)

Image and t-shirt design: Mike Murase

Never have I felt so emotional on election night... we have a new president! So happy for Barack Obama, his beautiful family, and all the people who believe in the message of hope and change. He sure has his work cut out for him after 8 years of Bush's failed administration, years of lies, arrogance and deceptions. But I have hope that Obama will provide leadership and good policies for the next 4 years. I hope that he can end the war in Iraq, and push through some of his ideas.

There has been a lot of talk about the first African American president and people's amazement at "never thought I'd see the day" is really touching. But I also like to think of my new president as a Hapa dude from Hawai'i who grew up eating Botan rice candy and has an Asian American sister named Maya! They never say that in the media, why not? :)

But, the night was also tinged with bitter disappointment in 52% of Californians who voted for Prop (H)8. It is completely inconceivable to me that people would vote to eliminate rights to people to marry, would vote to discriminate against gays and lesbians, would vote to invalidate the union of over 10,000 couples in California since May 2008. We're talking about people's right to get legally married to the people they love. I think even Jesus would have been for marriage equality. I would love to hear from people who voted yes, because I just don't understand it.

No on 8!

Cross blogging on the Little Tokyo Unblogged... API Marriage Equality in Little Tokyo

Stop the Hate. No on Prop 8!

Don't Undo "I Do."

Tony wanted me to share this... he just sent $36 to help defeat Prop 8. Marriage for same sex couples has been legal in California for over two months! But we must work now to preserve the victory. No On 8 is leading the campaign to defeat Proposition 8, a November ballot measure that seeks to eliminate the right of same sex couples to marry. Please consider contributing to No On 8 and help us spread our message across America.

Donate to No on Prop. 8!

Peace. Out. Vote.

Sidewalk to Nowhere

This is kind of shocking footage of McCain supporters outside a campaign rally.



Peace. Out. Vote.

Media Matters

A great article written by our friend Shea who is the Chair of Communications at Oakland University north of Detroit.

THINKING FOR OURSELVES
Media Matters
By Shea Howell
Michigan Citizen, September 14-20, 2008

The Republican convention revealed two fatal weaknesses in the mainstream media, Most coverage substituted personal drama for substantive discussions of issues. Personalities were hyped over politics.

At the same time the media failed to cover police repression of dissent, the most brutal at a political gathering since 1968. The images of heavily armed police beating protestors, charging peaceful gatherings and throwing reporters to the ground came to the public only through independent media. The mainstream press, cowed and manipulated, missed what may well be a major turning point in government response to basic rights of protest.

Republican strategists skillfully exploited the media tendency to focus on personality rather than politics to ward off any serious examination of Sarah Palin. Selected to shore up McCain’s lack of appeal to far rightwing sectors of the Republican party base, and signaling his willingness to embrace divisive and extreme views, Palin came wrapped in a strategy designed to portray her as a classic American archetype: tough frontier woman. The image of her standing tall against the onslaught of the wilderness strikes deep chords in many Americans, feeling besieged by forces out of their control.

Key to portraying this tough gal image is an orchestrated effort to position her in opposition to a hostile media. The outlines of this strategy emerged shortly after her selection. Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager , told Fox News that the media would not be allowed to bully Palin into giving interviews. Why should they throw her into a “cycle of piranhas?”

One of the piranhas seemed to be CNN reporter Campbell Brown. In an interview with Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesperson, Brown tried to get an example of Palin’s executive experience. Bounds became agitated and continued to recite vague qualifications. Shortly after the interview, Maria Comella issued a sharply worded statement from the Republicans canceling McCain’s appearance on Larry King. "After a relentless refusal by certain on-air reporters to come to terms with John McCain’s selection of Alaska’s sitting governor as our party’s nominee for vice president,” she said, “we decided John McCain’s time would be better
served elsewhere."

In this strategy the media represents the forces of an uncertain, fearful world against which Sarah stands tall. In this way every questioning of her experience or her extremist views is transformed into an opportunity to show how tough she is. Thus she and McCain are transformed into strong, father-mother figures, standing up heroically against a wild, unpredictable world.

In this strategy actual positions and political policies become secondary. The American public is assured that, as uncertainty about the economy, jobs, and a hostile world grows, it can count on McCain and Sarah to ride to the rescue.

Meanwhile, outside public view because it was not covered by the mainstream media, the combined police forces of the Twin Cities, the FBI and Homeland Security targeted peaceful, lawful dissent. Nearly 300 people were arrested in the first day of the convention. Invoking the Patriot Act, independent journalists were targeted for arrest, their equipment seized. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now and two of her reporters were arrested. SWAT0 teams invaded the house where I-Witness, the group responsible for documenting much of the police brutality in New York at the 2004 RNC, was staying.

These actions have led to a groundswell of protest. Over 60,000 people signed petitions for the release of those jailed and the ACLU will be fighting much of this. But behind this fight a new and dangerous pattern of infiltration, repression, intimidation and outright brutality is emerging. The inability or unwillingness of the mainstream media to report on any of this shows just how weak these piranhas really are.

Obama: Surreal tonight

Obama's speech tonight in Denver was incredible. It really blew me away. On the 45th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. The crowd in the stadium was unbelievable and amazing. If you didn't see or hear it, I've linked the text of the speech above.

"Change happens because the American people demand it – because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time."

Peace. Out. Vote.

If Preschoolers Could Vote...

Wednesday night at dinner:
MG: Mommy, I don't like Barack Obama.
JK: Really? Why not? I like him.
MG: I don't like him.
JK: Oh. Well do you like Hillary Clinton?
MG: No.
JK: Uhhh... (pause) do you like John McCain?
MG: No, I don't like him either.
(Jenni and Tony let out a sigh of relief and look at each other across the table.)
JK: Oh ok, well maybe you like Cynthia McKinney? Daddy voted for her.
MG: No.
JK: Well, who do you like?
MG: AUNTIE KEIKO!!!! (Big smile)

Hahahahahaha.

Thursday morning:
As we're running out the door, Maiya pulls the newspaper out which is sitting on the end table and opened to a photo of Barack Obama pointing and speaking.
MG: Mommy, I don't like Barack Obama.
JK: Why? He's running for President. I voted for him.
MG: He is a bad man. His eyes are mean.
JK: Maiya, his eyes look like that because he's talking about Hope and Change.

I mean, really where does this come from? Too much background TV? Kids at preschool? Honestly she caught me off guard that she even recognized his picture in the paper. Yesterday was the first time I ever talked to her about him, when I was showing her his myspace page. Well, I guess I have to take a deep breath and be proud that my child will have thoughts and ideas that are different from mine, but I really didn't think it would be the 2008 Presidential primaries. I better get to work on some age-appropriate politicking, so she can make an informed preschooler's decision.

Here's Barack Obama's stand on Education. It's actually pretty refreshing.

FWIW

For what it's worth, I took a little quiz, and this is who they say I should vote for based on my responses of the issues. Never heard of Mike Gravel before, but a quick glance at his website confirms that the quiz is fairly accurate for me.

84% Mike Gravel
82% Dennis Kucinich
72% Barack Obama
71% John Edwards
68% Joe Biden
67% Chris Dodd
66% Hillary Clinton
65% Bill Richardson
38% Rudy Giuliani
33% Ron Paul
33% John McCain
29% Mike Huckabee
26% Mitt Romney
14% Tom Tancredo
14% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

On another completely unrelated note, there is a new show on Nickelodeon about a Chinese American preschooler that starts in February. We don't have cable, but it will be interesting to see if it's a good show or not. It's called Ni Hao, Kai-Lan.

No! Yes!

No. No. No. No. No to the Propositions. No to Arnold. Yes!!!