I wish you a very Merry Christmas, I hope you had a highly Happy Hanukkah, that you're having a Joyous Kwanzaa or what ever other tradition you celebrate--just enjoy the holidays with your loved ones!
I had a wonderful holiday with my family and was able to relax and reflect on the importance of family and human life. Our lives are gifts and as such can be fleeting. We must treasure every single moment because we never know when we pass on. This is what a San Francisco couple is going through right now is going threw after a tiger mauled and killed their son at the zoo. The news story is so surreal and at first unbelievable, but it's true. It's tragic and it really begs the question: are we safe at our local zoos?
It's too early to jump to any conclusions, but it's possible that tigers have the ability to jump higher than we previously thought. If this is not the case then someone had to release the tiger unto the group of unknowing visitors. This tiger, Tatiana, had attacked before when it caused lacerations on an employee's arm. The feline was not put down because the zoo deemed it was at fault. This may be, but it's no comfort to the family of the dead 17-year-old boy and the families of the two injured young men.
In other news, Huckabee has really risen in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire becoming the shining underdog. He has become the alternative to many conservative, evangelical Republicans--especially in Iowa-- who weren't convinced with Romney, Rudy and the other Republican candidates. His meteoric rise is nothing short of miraculous and in a week or so we'll know how he fares in the primaries.
Huckabee had a very Christian Christmas commercial last week and some observers criticized him, but it may be just what the doctor ordered among evangelical Republicans. Oh, and the idea of Christ in Christmas??? shocking! NOT! Today, Huckabee was hunting pheasants in Iowa showing that he's in tune with many people in Iowa after Romey said he was an avid hunter when in reality he's only hunted a couple of times.
It will be interesting to see how Romney, Rudy and "underdog" Huckabee duke it out at the polls in January!
And the Democrats... experience or change? It's kind of a hard balancing act, especially for Hillary. She says she is THE insider and has all the experience to lead the nation, but when Obama says he brings change, she says she can bring it too! It's becoming somewhat tough to play that card, especially when Obama says being First Lady is not enough experience. Hillary says because she is the insider with the experience she has the power to actually create change. Things are getting ugly and the punches are coming. John Edwards--I haven't really heard anything about him and all the other candidates seem to be disappearing.
It's a fascinating time in politics and January will be an important time. I have a feeling, though, that this year all the primaries in February will be more critical than the January primaries in the long run. I just don't get why two states have so much influene in selecting the person for the highest office in the land when they aren't even an accurate representation of the nation at large. I think it's a tradition and tourism/revenue thing going on there.
