I tried to wake up this morning. Honest, I did. I had my alarm set for nine o’clock, but I so couldn’t wake up. I shut off the alarm and immediately went back to sleep. I repeated that process at 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00, until finally I decided this was just getting too ridiculous when I woke up again and it was 4:30. Even then it was hard to pull myself out of bed, but I knew I’d have to get back to sleep tonight, so I might as well stay awake for a few hours.

Despite my marathon sleep, I’m still ridiculously tired and this stupid headache is still clinging to the back of my head. Oh well.

I remembered another funny thing from the Howard Dean rally that I went to yesterday. There were several statements that people shouted responses too, and believe me, it was all I could do to restrain myself from answering. Finally, one of his closing statements just irked me too much and I couldn’t stand it. He literally said, “You’d be hard-pressed to find any other nation that wants to be America right now!” I was so frustrated that 4,000 people were cheering this ridiculous statement, that I semi-shouted “CHINA!” I mean, come *on*, there are a million and one countries and groups of people that want to be America so badly. I read a report recently that said America is one of the major reasons why communism is falling in China. So many Chinese people want to be American capitalists that they’re starting to revolt. The reason Shanghai is now so capitalistic is because of an American influence. The Chinese people want the freedom of America, the freedom of enterprise, the social freedoms, everything.

And that’s just the beginning. In Tokyo, there’s a neighborhood called “Little America” where tons of Japanese people flock to this tiny area to get “real American hamburgers”. They love wearing blue jeans, they love western movies, they love McDonald’s, they love American music.

If no other country wanted to be America, why do hundreds of people risk their lives every year trying to hike their way across the desert simply to make it to America? Why do Mexican women brave the heat just so they can give birth to their children on American soil, so their children can be American? Why is it that a woman in my neighborhood who just gave birth to a premature baby who now weighs only two pounds, cry every time she sees her child being cared for in an American hospital, repeating “Never in Argentina do they give them life,” as she pointed at the oxygen mask over that baby’s tiny mouth? Yeah, she doesn’t love this country…

Sure, America has its problems like any other country, but come *on*. It’s a complete and utter lie to say that no other country on the face of this planet wants to be America. If that were true, we wouldn’t have more immigrants than we can handle.

Even when I said “China” in response to Howard Dean’s statement, I got so many dirty looks. Why did they give me dirty looks? It’s not like I voiced an opposing political opinion; I voiced a fact. And they gave me seriously nasty looks. Why? That makes no sense to me. I didn’t tell them they were stupid, I didn’t shout an obsenity, I voiced a complete and total fact that refuted his ridiculous statement. All I could think was you poor people. Do you really have no idea what it’s like outside of this country? Have you seen how other people live? It makes me sad that these people can’t even be grateful for what they have because they think we’re so pitiful and we’re in such horrible conditions. You know what, go to the mountains of China. Go to Slovenia and see all the children with club feet, cleft palettes, living in sad conditions. Go to South and Central America. Then come back to America and tell me no one at all wants to be us.

Okay, sorry, rant over. I didn’t even mean for that to be that much of a rant, but it makes me mad.

Time for another quick rant – at the beginning of the rally, a woman came out to sing the Star Spangled Banner. I didn’t see another person in the crowd who actually put their hand on their heart and faced the American flag. You’re telling me you want to “Take Back America”, but you don’t even know how to show respect to your own country? It always upsets me when I see “proud Americans” who won’t salute their own flag, but this really upset me. It’s not that hard; right hand goes on your chest, eyes toward the flag you’re singing about. It’s simple, but it means a lot. Figure it out.

*sigh* People. You’re so silly sometimes.

I think I’m gonna… do something. I’m tempted to go back to sleep, but it’s too early for that still.