Express Yourself

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I am having a hard time focusing on the Madonna post show glow due to the pending presidential election. I think this is a sign of old age or delirium or latent patriotism. Whatever it is, I am distracted by election-related emails, commercials, discussions, photo-shopped images, bumper stickers and lively banter. I want to talk about Madonna's wardrobe and the band-aid on her right thigh but I can't help but find myself laughing, fretting, hoping, contemplating the pending vote. Madonna herself was part of the presidential frenzy, with Obama (along with Nelson Mandela and the Dali Lama) receiving much support and Ol' Bush and McCain being in the same league as Hitler. One of the concert t-shirts featured a rainbow colored portrait of Obama with "Express Yourself" under the image. The crowd loved it. Of course, I'm guessing most of the rich Republicans were at some fancy pants fundraiser and not hanging out with the gay boys at a Madonna Concert.

So little time, so much political email fodder to share. Some are funny, some are serious, some are from YouTube, some are not real, some are scary because they ARE real. As we are approaching the finish line, I thought Id add a few of the email blurbs after the Madonna talk. How can I focus on Madonna, my Beloved Lady Chiropractor (who, by the way, was busy cracking my vertabrae this morning), the dogs, the wife, my job when there are political pundits busy 24 hours a day? (Um, I am wondering about why John Travolta is singing a song with Mylee Cyrus but that's only a moment of distraction from the campaigning.) How can I ever thank people like China Grrrrl and Grand Canyon Black Toes and EPA Guy for the photos, jokes, emails, links, videos?

I'll be honest. I'm worried. People lie. I'm concerned those polls are not even close to representing what will happen. People like to "look" progressive and as if they are against racial discrimination. Problem is, those people get in the voting booth and can't vote for the "black guy." Sigh. Madonna may have come far but the American public has not.

If you are Joe the Plumber, be brave. You can do it. You can get beyond race. You can go beyond the fear. You can vote the way you said you were going to vote......

Back to Madonna. I have GOT to talk about Madonna. I am still about Madonna. Let's see: the wardrobe choices. I did not like the dancers' costumes as much as I have liked them in previous performances. Maybe it's impossible to "top" the rollerskating outfits of the "Confession" tour. Maybe the costumes pale in comparison to the outfits being worn by "She Who Must Not be Named" during campaigning. Now, don't get me wrong, I was all a-titter with what was going on during Sticky and Sweet. I just wasn't as blown away with the wardrobe choices. Below: an example of costume choices that I DID like:
For those in attendance that needed an "old" madonna fix, there was quite the display of "old" madonnas via the dancers: one virgin bride, one Material Girl Marilyn, one from "Express Yourself," and one from "Open Your heart." A little something for everyone, just like the music!

Ah, the music. I already said it was loud. May I add that the arrangements were creatively awesome. Very creative, cutting edge. Love the way Madonna, the live band and live singers blended seamlessly with the recorded music and pre-programmed everything. You would think it a bad thing that Madonna is not singing all the words all the time, when in reality, it is a great thing. Gives great, consistent sound while maintaining the best parts of live performances and it's not like she's lip-syncing. She's singing 'with' herself, layered on top of herself. For $350, I don't want to watch someone stand on a stage and sing to me. I want a SHOW. I want to be ENTERTAINED. I want to see Madonna HOPPING up and down and challenging the crowd to do the same. So, pre-programming and pre-recording is all good with me.

Yes, Mrs. Soon-to-be-Ex-Richie was political, mostly via videos. She didn't say anything overtly political but a picture is worth 1000 words, so she really didn't need to say anything except "IT'S TIME" and that it's "YOUR WORLD." Her lyrics reminded the crowd that it's now or never and sitting around is NOT the way to get to a better place for all. No hanging on crosses, no calling the president naughty names, no fun-making of She Who Must Not be Named, no comments about emotionally retarded husbands....surprising. I guess she decided the video images would do the talking for this night in Chicago.

At the end of the concert, lots of the crowd remained, dancing in the stands to the Madonna music that was playing after the lights went on. It was fun to look up from the floor and see people dancing on all the various levels of the United Center. Madonna does not have an opening act and she does not have encores....so, dancing to her music is a good encore option for ending the evening.

For the record, I did not see Joe the Plumber on stage or in the crowd.

What's next for Madonna? I don't know....but, I do know I'll be waiting......charge card in hand.

Here's my encore....some email fodder.....

Dear Red States:

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California , Hawaii , Oregon , Washington , Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan , Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite!

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent believe Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

Peace out,

Blue States

Please take a moment to ponder the following:

· What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

· What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

· What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

· What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

· What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident?

· What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?

· What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

· What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

· What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

· What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe Obama would be in front? Or even a candidate????? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

Educational Background:

BARACK OBAMA:

Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a

Specialization in International Relations.

Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude, first African American President of the Harvard Law Review

JOSEPH BIDEN:

University of Delaware - B.A. i n History and B.A. in Political Science.

Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

JOHM MCCAIN:

United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

SARAH 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

Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.