The Unseen Convention, or How Romney Can Win

I must preface this post with an acknowledgment of my own conflict on the subject.

I believe another presidential term for Obama may well be disastrous, not only for this country but for the world -- as I also believe that the vitality of both our representative democracy and our economy is crucial not only within our borders but far beyond them. Yet I cannot ignore that Mitt Romney is willing, and some of his allies are eager, to roll back full civil and human rights for our GLBT citizens, one of whom is my marvelous and admirable older daughter.

I both hope and believe that the societal trend, at least in this country, toward full GLBT rights is sufficiently strong that even a Republican sweep of the institutions of federal government will not reverse it, or not for long. On balance, therefore, I believe that my daughters and their generation will overall, and eventually, benefit from a Romney victory.

Those who heard the Tuesday and Wednesday night speakers at the Republican National Convention may well be excited and optimistic about the future of the Republican Party. A host of past, present and potential Governors and members of Congress, female and/or from various ethnic minorities -- including Mayor Mia Love, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Gov. Mary Fallin, Senatorial candidate Ted Cruz, Former Rep. Artur Davis, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Luis Fortuno (pardon my ignorance of how to insert a tilde), and Gov. Susana Martinez -- showed that Republicans are by no means an exclusive collection of old white males.

Similarly, those hearing the speeches Thursday evening have reason to be excited and optimistic about the Republican presidential candidate. Speaker after speaker spoke from personal knowledge of Mitt Romney's drive, decisiveness, and business acumen, as well as his warmth and caring as a human being, his willingness to step forward and intervene with all his energy when he knew that help was needed.

The problem: almost no one heard these speeches. NBC and MSNBC generally cut away from the Tuesday and Wednesday speeches I've listed, perhaps finding them too challenging to the preferred liberal narrative about Republicans. Not even Fox News covered all the speeches by those whose businesses Bain Capitol  saved, or who witnessed Romney's hands-on turnaround of the 2002 Olympics or recounted his community and charity work. And how many potential voters waited until Romney was due to speak to tune in, or never bothered at all? Only those attending the convention and those who watched C-SPAN throughout it got the full benefit of this expertly crafted presentation. (Of course it was planned to present Romney and the Republicans in the best possible light. To the extent the Romney campaign was involved, the competence of that effort is its own kind of testimonial.)

For those who want Mitt Romney to win election -- those for whom his positions on social issues are either unobjectionable, or are not an insuperable objection -- there is a simple way to substantially increase the chances of that victory.

Get on YouTube, or your favorite search engine, and find videos and/or transcripts of some of these speeches. Share the links on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or any other social media outlet. (Of course, you can do the same for any inspirint narratives that may emerge from the upcoming Democratic convention.)

It's that easy for each of us to increase voter knowledge of the alternatives in this election.

Update re book whose author I interviewed in January

Back in January 2012, I posted an interview with author Terri Morgan about her novel Playing the Genetic Lottery. So here's an update: the book is now available in paperback on Amazon and on her website (at http://terrimorgan.net). Check it out!

Refinements for the Lifesaving Car Seat Idea

My husband and daughter had some good suggestions to add to the idea of a car seat with thermometer and cell phone built in:

--The seat should phone the parent(s) first, at a lower temperature, and if no one comes and extracts the child, then phone the EMT's.

--Since it may take some time for help to arrive, the car itself should somehow be part of the setup so that after the first call, the car windows could be rolled completely down. (This might be a feature one could turn off, depending on the neighborhood where the car will be left -- although the risk of kidnapping or other harm to the child from an accessible interior is probably far less than the risk of leaving the windows up.)

Someone needs to produce this car seat and save some lives

Another summer, and more children's lives lost when parents -- generally parents whose routine has been disrupted in some way -- forget a young child in the back seat of a car, and don't remember until too late. I've done a bit of reading about this horrific situation, and it can happen to loving, conscientious parents under particular circumstances.

I read something somewhere about the idea of having cars that would sound an alarm if there were weight in a car seat and the interior temperature went above some set amount. That's a beginning -- but current technology would let us do better. Why not have a car seat with a built in thermometer and a built in cell phone (GPS included)? If there's a child-shaped object in the seat, AND the temperature gets too high, the phone could call 911 or some other emergency responder with a pre-programmed message explaining that the situation and inserting the location.

I'm not trying to patent this idea. I'm hoping people will re-post it until someone with some connection to the right company can take it and run with it. If you think this idea makes sense and could save lives, please spread it around!

Republicans Need to Stop Defending Akin

Since Representative and would-be Senator Todd Akin came out with his moronic comments about how women's bodies reject the sperm of rapists (I paraphrase, but do not distort), I've seen a number of tweeted attempts at damage control. Most of these compare the harmful effects of Democratic policies and opine that these dwarf the importance of Akin's statement.

I know how important it is for Republicans, and for Independent fiscal conservatives, to get a majority in the Senate. But there's a limit. Akin revealed ignorance of a dangerous, offensive and toxic nature. Unless he demonstrates that he has learned something profound from the public reaction -- and I'd love to see that happen -- he should lose any election in which he's running.

First look at blurb for my next book

Here's the most recent draft of the jacket copy/blurb for my upcoming (and still untitled) novel. Comments are welcome! -- as are title suggestions . . . .

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Cassidy has her grandparents, Jack and Sarah, and her Great-Grandma; and they have her. And all of them have what may be eternity. Memories can be relived, or shared. The wonders of the world they left behind are only a thought away. And the one-way tyranny of aging is no more -- a white-haired and stooped great-grandmother one moment can be a laughing young playmate the next.  But nothing can ease Cassidy's longing for her mother, Eleanor; and Jack and Sarah know better than to hope that Eleanor's life has been a happy one.

Eleanor never wanted to leave the daughter she loved so much. The overpowering urge to wander -- to search, without knowing what she sought -- drove her away. She left Cassidy in her family's loving care. But Cassidy and the others died in an accident before Eleanor could find her way home.

Now, they are all reunited, with the chance to understand and heal. But the restlessness that shaped Eleanor's life still haunts her in death. Somehow, she must solve the mystery of her life -- or none of them will be at peace.