Untruths Become Facts in the Campaign
Current mood: determined
Category: News and Politics

Lie or fact? Campaign heat warps truth. 
By Jonathan Weisman
The Washington Post
updated 11:25 a.m. ET Sept. 10, 2008

From the moment Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin declared that she opposed the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," critics, the news media and nonpartisan fact checkers have called it a fabrication, a distortion or, at best, a half-truth. But yesterday in Lebanon, Ohio, and again in Lancaster, Pa., she crossed that bridge again.

"I told Congress: 'Thanks but no thanks for that Bridge to Nowhere up in Alaska,' " Palin told the crowds at the "McCain Street USA" rallies. "If we wanted a bridge, we'll build it ourselves."

Palin's position on the bridge that would have linked Ketchikan to Gravina Island is one example of a candidate staying on message even when that message has been publicly discredited. Palin has continued to say she opposed a project she once campaigned for — then killed later, only after support for it had collapsed in Congress.

As the presidential campaign moves into a final, heated stretch, untrue accusations and rumors have started to swirl at a pace so quick that they become regarded as fact before they can be disproved. A number of fabrications about Palin's policies and personal life, for instance, have circulated on the Internet since she joined the Republican ticket.

Aggressive repetition
Palin and John McCain, the GOP presidential nominee, have been more aggressive in recent days in repeating what their opponents say are outright lies. Almost every day, for instance, McCain says rival Barack Obama would raise everyone's taxes, even though the Democrat's tax plan exempts families that earn less than $250,000.

Fed up, the Obama campaign broke a taboo on Monday and used the "L-word" of politics to say that the McCain campaign was lying about the Bridge to Nowhere.

Nevertheless, with McCain's standing in the polls surging, aides say he is not about to back down from statements he believes are fundamentally true, such as the anecdote about the bridge.

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers noted an Obama advertisement released yesterday that says, with no citation, that McCain's economic plan would take money away from public schools. "Absolutely, it's a lie," Rogers said.

Quoting the National Education Association, Obama aides said McCain's plan to freeze discretionary spending would cut funding for local education agencies, Head Start, teacher quality grants and special education.

Dominant themes trump facts
John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said the campaign is entering a stage in which skirmishes over the facts are less important than the dominant themes that are forming voters' opinions of the candidates.

"The more the New York Times and The Washington Post go after Sarah Palin, the better off she is, because there's a bigger truth out there and the bigger truths are she's new, she's popular in Alaska and she is an insurgent," Feehery said.

"As long as those are out there, these little facts don't really matter."
For now, there appears to be little political reason to back down. A Washington Post-ABC News poll taken Sept. 5 to Sept. 7 found that 51 percent of voters think Obama would raise their taxes, even though his plan would actually cut taxes for the overwhelming majority of Americans. Obama has proposed eliminating income taxes on seniors making less than $50,000 a year, but 41 percent of those seniors say their income taxes would go up in an Obama administration.

McCain's pitch as a reformer — especially as an opponent of pork-barrel spending — does not seem to have been damaged by media reports of his running mate's pursuit of earmarks, first for her home town of Wasilla and then for Alaska. Obama's once-sizable 32-point advantage on which candidate would do more to change government is down to 12 points.

"We have created a system where there is not a lot of shame in stretching the truth," said Charlie Cook, editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
A slew of distortions that have spread through e-mail and on the Internet has also put Palin on the receiving end of some of that truth-stretching — so much so that the campaign dispatched a group of supporters yesterday to act as a "truth-squadding team." The unfounded charges include that Palin cut special-needs funding in Alaska and that she was a member of the Alaska Independence Party.

Palin actually increased special-needs funding and has never been a member of the Alaska Independence Party, according to FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Aside from the dispute over the Bridge to Nowhere, the Obama campaign has also complained about a McCain advertisement that says the Democrat called Iran a "tiny" threat, even though a chorus of media critics noted that Obama had listed Iran with Cuba and Venezuela as countries whose menace was tiny compared with that of the former Soviet Union. On Friday, in Cedarburg, Wis., McCain repeated that Palin had sold Alaska's state jet on eBay, although Palin herself was careful during her vice presidential acceptance speech to say she merely "put it on eBay." It did not sell on the online auction site.
McCain aides said yesterday that nothing they have said about the bridge is untrue.

Palin did at one time support the Bridge to Nowhere, and the $223 million earmarked for the project was sent to Alaska. Some of it was used for other state projects, about $40 million was used to build an access road to the now scrapped bridge project and $73 million is sitting in an account, awaiting some other proposal to link the tiny towns of Ketchikan and Gravina, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation.

But, McCain aides said, Palin indisputably turned on a project championed by two of her state's Republican legends, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young. Even Alaska Democrats gave her credit for finally ending it.

"We're not relitigating the 2006 gubernatorial campaign and everything that was said," Rogers said. "We're not talking about that campaign. We're talking about when she got into office and what she did."

Tax cuts and 100-year wars
The claim that Obama will raise taxes is based on his support this year of a Democratic budget resolution that envisions all of President Bush's cuts expiring on schedule in 2011, a move that would indeed raise rates for everyone who pays income taxes. Such resolutions are nonbinding and irrelevant in future years, such as 2011, because budgets are passed annually. Moreover, this year's budget runs counter to Obama's tax plan, which would extend all of Bush's tax cuts for families earning less than $250,000 and provide new tax breaks for low-income workers.

Obama and the Democratic National Committee asserted for months that McCain wanted to keep U.S. troops fighting in Iraq for 100 years, when, in fact, the context of McCain's 100-year statement was a comparison to U.S. bases in Japan and Germany. McCain explicitly said the troops would be there only if the country was at peace and there were no casualties associated with their presence.

A McCain quote Obama has often used — that the economy is fundamentally sound — is months old. Since he said that, McCain has said almost daily that the economy is struggling. As for exaggerations, Obama said yesterday that he had supported a measure in the Illinois Senate to double the number of charter schools in Chicago. In fact, he was one of 14 state senators co-sponsoring a non-controversial measure that passed unanimously.
Staff writer Michael D. Shear, traveling with the McCain campaign, contributed to this report.

© 2008 The Washington Post Company
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26632984/

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Your Vote
Current mood: argumentative
Category: News and Politics

Who would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts,
stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison
population, skyrocketing Federal spending, 1 in 11 homeowners in some form of foreclosure or behind on mortgage, bank foreclosures, unemployment at a 5 year high, Inflation at 12%, and the dollar the lowest it's been since 1922.....


Let's look at the educational background of your two options for this
4-8 year job assignment:

Obama:
- Occidental College - Two years.
- Columbia University - B.A. political science with a
specialization in international relations.
- Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

&

Biden:
- University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in
  political science.
- Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
- United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899
&

Palin:
- Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
- North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
- University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
- Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
- University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

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Patriotism
Current mood: aggravated
Category: News and Politics

This blog is in reponse to some emails I've been receiving about American's "waning" patriotism, especially as it's being used to convince voters that Obama is somehow less patriotic than McCain.

One of the mottos that came at of World War II was "lest we forget," implying that we must always remember the atrocities of the war so that nothing this awful will ever happen again.  So I want to call upon my family and friends to remember a few other things about that war and our great country.

·         ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES OUR COUNTRY GREAT IS OUR SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE BALANCE OF POWERS FOUND IN THE SEPERATION OF POWERS BETWEEN THE LEGISLATIVE, JUDICIAL, AND EXECUTIVE BRANCHES!

o   My point is that it is important to be patriotic, but to be careful in how we allow our leaders to abuse our patriotism.  The strength of the American government is our system of accountability.  Because our government has been so successful it has been replicated in countries throughout the world, especially after World War II.  This balance of power is meant to not allow any one person (or corrupt party) get too much power to the point that they begin serving their own interests without consideration of the people. 

o   If a politician does something corrupt we have a system that makes sure he (or she) is taken out of power.  If we didn't have this system we would otherwise be a dictatorship.  In Russia and China, if you criticize the regime you are immediately imprisoned and most times executed.  So holding our politicians accountable is uniquely American, curbs corruption, and protects the people!!!! Not to mention is a core part of the United States Constitution.

In the words of Mark Twain, "Patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and the government when it deserves it."

·         World War II was fought against a tyrant leader, Adolf Hitler (and Mussolini) who used fear and media to suffuse his people with ultra-nationalism.  The result was that he was able to convince his people to systematically kill 35 million people who were labeled as "threats to the country."  The scariest thing is that the German system is not beyond America.  They too were Christians, and Hitler used their devout faith and pride in their country to motivate them to act within his aims. 

·         When I think about my family and friends who are veterans of the wars I am grateful that they put their lives on the line (and sometimes lost their lives) in order to defend the United States and its Constitution.  Let's not lost sight of their sacrifices with hate and fear, and continue to remember and protect the strengths of our democracy.

·         We CANNOT go back on our role in international global affairs and relationships.  If we want to try and be a closed off nationalist country, than we have Zimbabwe and North Korea to model ourselves after, which to me is a very scary proposition and completely contrary to the needs of our country and its citizens.

o   After World War II the U.S. took a new position of leadership in global affairs.  Other countries trusted us because what we revealed in World War II was our humanitarianism.  Thus, the United Nations was founded and several other international initiatives to increase international dialogue, and create a system of checks and balances amongst global powers to spread justice and peace.

What America needs are leaders that we can trust, that are honest, that don't use fear to make us vote.  We need a president who is educated in world affairs to act as a diplomat and serve and negotiate our interests. 

Furthermore, I want to respond to the absurd accusation that Obama is a Muslim acting in the interest of Muslim extremists.  Don't believe this obvious lie.  He is in fact a devout Christian who has more closely lived the life of Christian values than McCain.  Let's not forget how McCain treated his first wife, in which he surprised her by leaving her for a woman half his age and who he admitted to having an affair with.   Obama is educated about Islam and its historic role in world affairs. In a time where Islam is the second largest religion in the world (1.5 billion people) and are the majority in 57 countries, the United States presidency demands that our leaders know about the history of Islam in order to adequately engage in international affairs.  Just because Obama is honest about his knowledge on Islam this does not make him a Muslim seeking to serve fundamental Islamic aims.  

Lastly, Islam is a diverse religion with different sects like in Christianity.  To demonize the entire religion is unfair, and doing very much what Hitler did regarding the Jews in World War II.  There are extremists in the Muslim religion, as there are extremists in Christianity who go on shooting sprees in churches or bomb abortion clinics, but if our country can take the proper diplomatic measures over the next several years and ally with other countries in the Middle East and beyond.  Then Americans will have the peace we seek and need.       

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Very Fitting 4 My Life
Current mood: content

5:39 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Ummm Hello????
Current mood: voluminous
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Hello hello! 

It’s been so long since I last updated everyone on my Peace Corps adventures I hardly know where to begin.  Well first of all, I’m still here and hanging in there despite some tumultuous periods and serious urges to come home!  March 6th was my first year completed "in-country" (as they say), and it also marked my 26th birthday. I have forgotten what the U.S. is like.  Literally.   I watched a synopsis of the Oscars the other night, and I had no idea what any of the movies were!  Ahhh!  I have managed to listen to a few new music albums and download them from States, but I may even be behind in that. 

All the volunteers have been trying to follow the elections as well as we can.  My good friend Josh is great about downloading some of the debates and Meet the Press.  Later we get together, drink wine, and fight over who’s more electable Hilary or Obama.  It’s really quite fun!  That is one of the best parts of Peace Corps is we really have become more informed about current events in the world, despite limited access to television.  Thank God for the internet!  The greatest invention since the wheel!   (Ha!  Or something like that.  I’m such a dork.)

How is my work you ask?  Well work is wholly frustrating, which is supposed to be typical.  Most days I am busy spinning my wheels trying to do my best work, which does not always occur as fluidly and efficiently as I’d like.  I have luckily found some local, trustworthy work partners, but trying to get different bureaucratic organizations to work together is disappointing.  It’s hard to get people in my community to work, and Peace Corps provides little, to no, logistical support.  I have two bosses, who are both overworked and overwhelmed with managing all of us.  I have to literally harass them to get guidance and support.  Not to mention they have to authorize every little thing I do!  

Furthermore, there is little money to actually do any worthwhile projects.  If I was in a village of a few hundred people, and not several thousand, I may be able to do a "Peace Corps" project. I have so many ideas and desires to accomplish interesting projects, but due to the nature of Peace Corps it’s nearly impossible.  There are some success stories of other volunteers work, so I’m still hoping that I will get something done in the next year. 

Currently, I am focusing a lot of my energy on finding midwives, or at least active women who will help me educate other women about maternal and infant health.  The challenge is finding women who are trusted and respected in their community and have assisted in other births.  It is also a challenge getting the women to trust me.  In order to create opportunities for them to get to know me, I spend a lot of time putting myself in really uncomfortable social situations.  Just recently (like the last few days ) I feel like I am finally accepted by the people here.  Women ACTUALLY go out of their way to say hello to me.  INTEGRATION!  Phew! This is a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders. Wooo hooo! 

Last week I traveled about 2 hours from community to a more rural town where people have no access to clean water or electricity.  The dirt road there is horrendous, and thus difficult for people to attend the health clinic.  I decided to go stay there for a week to better assess health needs and projects. I was terrified to go, and a little bummed that my adventure was set to begin on my birthday, but I ended up having a fabulous time.  It may go down in the books as one of the best experiences of my life. 

There were 11 children in my host family, of which 6 were girls between the ages of 3 and 12.  Everyone in the family and community were so eager to learn about health.  By the end of the week all the girls were brushing their teeth at least once a day, and drawing pictures of fruits and vegetables.  (It was fun.) 

I also taught dental hygiene and nutrition lessons at the elementary school. Children there walk 2.5 miles 6 days a week on the bleakest desert road to attend school.  It reminded of old-timer jokes about walking to school uphill both ways in the snow.  This walk is hellish like that.  Luckily my host brother let me borrow his bike, which I piled kids on and took them back and forth.  

One more story.  So in the family I visited, there was a little girl Itto about 7 years old, and she was the most sweet, tiny, hardworking, shy honey ever.  (NOTE: Kids out there begin hard labor at the age of 5.  It’s astonishing, and sad for me sometimes, but they are allowed to say no if they don’t want to work, well most of the time.)  One day I noticed that her right hand was absurdly swollen.  The day before she had slammed her finger so hard that the nail had fallen off, and since they don’t bathe or wash with soap a lot (mainly cause they have little knowledge about disease transmission,) I thought a major infection had spread through her hand.  It was so bad I was scared it was really serious.  Thus I began treating it, applying antibacterials and teaching her how to care for it, but the swelling just wouldn’t go down. 

In concern, I finally went to her mother who told me it was because her teacher had hit her hand with a ruler at school for not knowing an answer to a lesson.  Well as you can imagine I was infuriated!  Being the spicy Latina that I am, I was not going to stand for some teacher picking on sweet little kids (which happens a lot here.)  With permission of the mother, Itto and I took a trip to the school to have a chat with the teacher.  With a tall order of prayers to the sky, I hoped that I would handle the situation the best I could, but I felt someone NEEDED to say something to him.  So I did.  The best way I could.  And without going into ALL the details, I think it was successfully handled and there is hope that he will think before he hits small children that hard again. 

My other work is a lot of health lessons, mainly on family planning, pregnancy care, and hygiene.  I am also hoping to find funding to build a water chateau in my outer community (yeah I know good luck right?)   Additionally, I want to find materials for the girls dorm near the high school, like blankets, dishes, and beds.  The dorm is for girls to stay in during the week, because there homes are too far for them to walk to school everyday. 

I’ve also been teaching English classes, which I was hesitant to do at first, but the girls/women love it.  In a country where they already speak 4 or 5 languages, what’s one more right?  There are women in the class who have never attended school, and they are literally learning to read and write.  It’s amazing that I am lucky enough to be apart of teaching and empowering them.   The English classes have also helped me integrate into my community.  That’s right, it’s officially confirmed!  I am NOT a prostitute! 

One of the only things that keeps me going some days is the hope that in all the mess and frustrations of this experience I will be a better person, and in my developed character more capable of really loving and helping people.  Moreover, I realize how important my family and friends are to me.  I worry at times that I may not have always adequately shown my love and respect for many of you.  I have run through my mind every episode I have ever been in with any of you (hey being alone I have a lot of time to think), both good and bad moments, and all I can say is I love you.  All of you. 

Thank you for being so supportive of me as I run this gauntlet.  Your emails, cards, and packages bring a joy into what is at times a very lonely world. In closing, my life here has changed from lots of excitement and the blur of adventure to quit normalcy (well sometimes.)   But one thing is constant I miss you all!!! 

My mom will be here in a month so we’ll have to let you all know how we’re doing.  Keep us in your prayers for fun and smooth sailing. 

All of My Love and Peace to You, 

Lacers

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America
Category: Life

"Buying is more American than thinking" -Andy Warhol

3:32 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Mi Abuelita
Current mood: loved
Category: Life

My cousin Catherine wrote this when she was in 8th or 9th grade.  Now she is all grown up and married.  It is beautifully written, and speaks to my heart and memories so I've decided to post it.  May peace be upon your soul my abuelita! 

ABUELITA: Little Gramma

There she stood over the stove in· her small farm kitchen, where she spent a good part of her day. When her children came with their children, she was always busy cooking or cleaning for them.

She was the typical Mexican grandmother, but there was something so outstanding about her. Her love towards her family shined so brightly in everything she did. It especially showed in her eyes when she smiled or laughed. Even the way her house smelled of freshly made tortillas and chili seemed loving.

The faint sound of a four-wheeler was heard, and I knew it was my two favorite boy cousins. There was Danny, who is a year younger than me, and Brian, who's a year older. I sprinted to the front porch, almost falling down the steps. I loved to see them and play our childish games we had made up together and continued to play each time we got to travel to Colorado to see them. They took my sister and me on a ride down the dirt road and teased us as they acted as if the four-wheeler had broken down, and we'd have to walk the long distance back to the little green house. We also rode down to watch the cows, although the smell was horrid. I enjoyed "mooing" at the cows just to throw tiny pebbles from the ground to get them to "moo" right back at me. Then we'd take a walk down through the mile-long fields of sweet corn that my uncles had been working on almost their entire life. Every once in a while we'd stop where we noticed that a raccoon had been there not too long ago and had eaten off an ear of corn. I'd think to myself, "Silly raccoons! Don't they understand this is a food for the cows and chicken? Don't they know how much my uncles have worked for this corn?" I would then stomp off angrily to the vegetable garden where I saw Gramma kneeling in her cooking apron. "Hola, Gramma!" I yelled as I ran towards her, with Brian ahead and Danny close behind. I stood there and studied how she worked skillfully with the pepper and tomato plants. Her hands moved so swiftly as her eyes followed them and my eyes moved to observe her worn-out face. Her lips were pierced together tightly with the wrinkles to prove it. Across her forehead there were even more lines running deeply. She startled me in my deep thought about old people as she pushed herself up to grab my hand and lead me inside. On the way in she let me ring the dinner bell, signaling that· she was ready to eat after a hard day's work. She patted me lovingly on the head and followed me inside.

It was dinner time and all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins crowded hurriedly to the tiny dining table ready to stuff themselves with homemade Mexican food. I never understood how all of those dishes of food could fit on the table, and then the numerous plates, cups, and silverware were squeezed in. After we said a prayer, there were what seemed like millions of hands reaching and grabbing for the delicious food. Then started the discussions between the men about how well or poorly the crops were doing, and the women spoke of their crazy husbands and sewing amongst other topics. My cousins and I were way too busy feeding ourselves with this heavenly food we got to eat only once or twice a year.

I loved to watch Gramma and think how she must have felt thirty or forty years ago when she was forced to raise eleven kids as a single-parent. What really boggled my mind was how successful her precious children turned out. I couldn't wait to grow up and have children like that of my own.

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On Emotional Intelligence
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Life

"Having hopes means that one will not give in to overwhelming anxiety, a defeatist attitude, or depression in the face of difficult challenges or setbacks.  Hope is more than a sunny view that everything will turn out right; it is believing that you have the will and the way to accomplish you goals"
-Daniel Goleman

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Hmmmm Bum Bum
Current mood: pensive
Category: Life

Some quotes that are really speaking to where I'm at in my life right now: "Every man is said to have his peculiar amibition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other [ambition] so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow man, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall suceed in gratifying this ambition is yet to be developed" -Abraham Lincoln

"Love one another" -Frances Seward

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The Latest and Greatest
Current mood: satisfied
Category: Travel and Places

Hi Friends!

Here is the long delayed (and hopefully long awaited) update on life in the wilds of Morac!  It's a little long, so maybe read it in parts.  Sorry it has taken a sec for me to get this out, somehow I'm busy.  

 

For starters during June and July I lived with my host family by the name of Ait CherHi (capital H for the extra throaty sound you make when saying it.)  They are one of the longest standing families of Ait Atta, which is the name of the tribe of Berbers in this region.  Ait Atta literal means "warrior."  The neighboring town, Tingher, is Ait Tadoghat which means "farmers." Although I respect farmers, I do like being a warrior .

Pretty much everyone and anyone is somehow related to this family.  I am still trying to keep organized all the aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, children, so on and so forth.  Not an easy task when up until about a decade ago people were having 6-10 children.  I just smile and nod and pretend to know everyone, and when one of them wants to try and test me I just make sure my language skills magically fail me!   On the upside the fact that my family is so large and of such good standing in the community has really helped me to integrate and be accepted by people.

 

So for the most part my family stay was wonderful.  They live about a mile outside of the center of town on a small, very lush farm.  My host mom's food is delicious!  I knew I was in the right spot when I discovered they cook their tagine and couscous with jalapenos (tififult.)  Not a common practice in other places in Morocco.  I also got to eat freshly baked bread and fruit picked from the garden everyday!  

 

My family did everything they could to make me happy and comfortable.  My days consisted of getting up early in the mornings to go to the health clinic to conduct observations.  Then I would return home for lunch at 12:30, after which I would nap or lay around until about 4 p.m..  Many of you may be shocked by the length of our siestas, but when you live in 110-130 F weather with no air conditioning you can't help but lie there comatose!   This summer was supposed to have been a little better than others, because it frequently rained in the afternoons.  At first people were so shocked and excited about the rain that they would literally stand out in it and clap and sing.  If I can help it, I'm gonna run away to Norway next July (here I come Kimee) to miss the most brutal part of the summer next year.  No work gets done anyways cause it's just way too HOT! 

 

Most of my afternoons during my host family stay consisted of my walking a mile into town to visit family and friends.  These visits always consist of ultra-ultra surgery mint tea and cookies or peanuts.  Most of the time I sit silently, struggling to make out words hoping to eventually understand this most obscure language.  Many of you would be shocked at how quiet I am!  You would hardly believed it was me.  I am appreciating this time to learn to be silent and listen .  People keep telling me to quite being timid (can you imagine? Yeah neither can I! )  The tea visits are a common part of the women's lives here, and it is their time of rest after working really hard all morning.  

My favorite part of my host family stay was eating and sleeping under a star filled sky.  There isn't much light pollution so you can see the night sky really well.  Two consecutive nights I saw the most amazing meteor showers I have ever seen!!  This wasn't just a few falling stars speckling the sky, but huge meteors cris-crossing the sky!  I've never seen anything so amazing in my life! 

During the last week of my host stay my host mom (or as she corrects me and says sister) Zahara had a little girl.  She delivered the baby in her sister-in-law's house sans doctors, nurses, or medicine!  These women are soldiers!  For the first 7 days the mother stays in bed with the baby, and no one is really allowed to touch or look at the baby.  They believe if you dote on the baby too much it attracts the evil eye and will curse the baby and the mother.  The baby also doesn't have a name until the seventh day, and on that day the father slaughters a sheep or a goat and names the baby.  My host dad named her Tifowt, which is a Berber name.  Up until recently I have heard that it was illegal for Berbers to name their children other than Arabic names.  Yet there is a long standing Berber pride movement (well really the appropriate name is Amazigh), and they are fighting to establish their rights as a viable people in this country.  It is really quite tragic how oppressed these people have been over the centuries, and not allowed access to resources. 

So Tifowt.  It was really hard for me to constrain my want to dote on this beautiful newborn baby girl.  Not to mention it is typical for the father to not be involved with the birth, and so he didn't even look at his baby girl for the first two days.  It took everything in me to not grab him and scream at him!  It was awful and hurt my feelings for my host mom and that new little girl.  But I guess this all through my cultural lens.  I'm still glad it's different in the United States!

Inter-gender relationships have been a huge struggle for me here.  Men and women are not allowed to be friends, unless they are family members.  Most marriages are arranged by the parents, and it's not uncommon to meet a recently married and pregnant 15 year old girl.  Wives are not considered companions or friends.  Although these ideas are gradually changing as the culture is increasingly exposed to Western ideas about relationships and marriage. 

It is really exhausting to deal with the attention I get from men, which is usually due to the stereotype that Western women are "sexually open," and if it's not that they are trying to marry me to go back to the States.  I am always asked after the first or second sentence of any conversation if I am married.  I HATE IT!    But I am figuring out amusing ways to answer questions from men, like "That's my business," which is entirely ok for me to say since inter-gender relationships are considered so private.  My tutor says it's because men don't have sexual education, and they don't know how to manage their urges and attractions.  BUT if you were to ask any member of my community, it's my fault for attracting them with my lustful, feminine ways.  This is the single most stressful situation I have had to deal with here, with lots of ugly and frustrating encounters with men, but I'm learning and still going strong in my site.  Thank God!  

Other than that I rarely sense anti-Americanism, in fact I experience the opposite.  People are very curious about the United States.  Well of course they don't like Bush, but they love Clinton.  It is really quite embarrassing how much they know about our culture, and how little I knew of theirs before coming here.  I guess a lot of that is also due to T.V..  The only people that have expressed any anti-American sentiment from are the people called Ait Lhrage (or people of the outside). These are the immigrants that go to France, Spain, and Holland, and they are considered a "lower class" "uneducated" people in these countries (and as you can imagine they are treated as such.)  They usually return in the summers to visit their families.  Migration to Europe is a major problem, as it is with Mexico and the United States.  But can you blame them when people with 4 year university degrees still can't find work in their own country?  Unemployment in Morocco is at 26+%, compared to 6% in the United States.  That is four times worse than the US of A!  Count your lucky stars friends we have such a great economic system!  Poor Morocco though!  Hopefully it will get better here!

I also had  the unique experience to observe elections in Morocco.  Some people don't want to participate, because they argue it's all to corrupt.  I went to a public forum for my tutor's uncle, who was running for Parliament.  He won!  Which was really exciting!  Maybe I'll get to go visit him in the capital!  Anyways, it was fun to witness all of this firsthand, and talk to Moroccans about their thoughts on their electoral system.  I have some fascinating observations, but that's for another email.  The results were the secularist politicians won over the more fundamental Islamist political party despite their message to clean up corruption.  Interesting. 

My time with my host family went very quickly, and I was a little more than scared when it was time for me to move into my own house.  I've never lived by myself before, and here I was doing it in a foreign country!  The first few days were really quite lonely, and I definitely had many rounds of freaking out.  But I'm getting settled in, and finding I adore my palatial house.  I really do have one of the most beautiful homes in probably all of Peace Corps Morocco.  Considering that most of the volunteers are living in mud huts and such, I am definitely grateful for a beautiful home.  I am discovering that I am as neurotic about cleaning as my mother (love you ma!), and even more shocking was my realizing that I like to cook!  All of the food here is so fresh it doesn't take much to make a delightful meal!  I may become a lady just yet!

On that note, here I am heading into Ramadan.  For those of you that don't know, this is a month long holiday in which people fast from sun-up to sun-down.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is allowed to pass the lips.  No water, chapstick, you're not even allowed to lick a stamp!  I am not participating in Ramadan, namely because I'm not Muslim.  People have been amazingly tolerant of my not fasting.  If I choose to fast later, I will stay with my family and wake at 3:30 a.m. to eat breakfast, then sleep until 9 or 10 a.m., and then not eat or drink until 6:30 p.m. when the sun sets.  Then stuff my face with dates, pomegranates, fat bread, donuts, chabekia, peaches, and figs.  Yum!  This may not sound too trying, until Ramadan (which follows some other calender- not the Gregorian) lands during the summer.  Yikes!  I can't imagine!  

Last but certainly not least, what do I do to keep sane you ask?  Well I travel.  I have spent a weekend in Marakesh, cool but sketchy city.  Thank God I speak the language cause I would have gotten robbed wide awake in that city!  I also spent an extra long weekend in Essouria, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  Lastly, spent a good chunk of time in the gorge/grand canyon esqe city of Agdz.  It looks like you're on Mars!  Really beautiful. 

 

Ok folks, that's all she wrote!  For now at least. Things are good, and I'm trucking forward!  I've been here 6 months already if you can imagine.  I can't, but hey maybe I will wake up tomorrow and realize this has all been a grand dream!  

I love you and miss you all!  Come see me!

Adig-rabbister (Goodbye/May God protect you),

L to the C

P.S.  More pics at  www.flickr.com/photos/l_ramirez777/ 

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