Recycling

I know that I have an unusual name. Kimberly Spice. My parents named me after the kittens they had when I was born. Kimba didn't stick around too much longer after that but we had Spice until I was in 2nd grade. I'm telling you this because my parents are kinda hippies (at least when it comes to naming kids.) I told this story to the boy who shall be known as The Republican. So noted because his response was "Your parents are gonna love me. Hippies love Republicans."

I don't know much about politics. I prefer to watch Food Network to the news. It's not the world events don't interest me, it's just that...ok, well maybe most world events don't interest me. I try to stay current but there's always SO much happening, it's hard to keep up. So which political party stands where on what issues isn't my first choice when it comes to conversation topics. But I'll indulge him, just this once...

Seeing as my exposure to politics is limited at best, I gather information from the sources closest to me. My friends and family especially have always been the examples I've seen in how a Democrat thinks versus a Republican. My grandfather, for instance, thinks that W was the saving grace of the universe, that global warming is a made up scandal to get Democrats back into office, and that our new president is "dumber than Clinton and Gore combined." Forgive me, dearest grandfather, for I love you with all my heart, but I disagree with everything you just said. Which I guess makes me a Democrat.

Well Mr. Republican told me that he thinks my grandfather is a very smart man and that we need more men like him. Exhibit A:

He thinks Obama should be shot as he's ruining this country and is completely unAmerican.

Call me youthful and optimistic, but I voted for him.

He thinks that global warming does not exist, it's all just made up to scare us. Humans have no effect on the planet.

Really? Cause I remember a lot more snow as a kid and if the temperature went over 100 degrees it was newsworthy. Now it's an everyday occurrence through the summer.

He doesn't believe in recycling. At all.

What planet do you live on??? We've only got one Earth and I'm sorry to tell you that we're ruining it with the amount of trash, energy and oil spills it's being covered in.

He thinks the oil spill was bull shit.

Wait, so you're denying that one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in history even happened? I hardly watch the news but even I could tell you that sucker was BAD!!!

I don't know much but I do know this: I cannot go through life with someone whose views of the world differ so completely from mine. There are couples out there (you know who you are) who say that when a left-wing looney married a right-wing looney, Hell froze over just a little bit. They have to put their arguments aside to make it work and I respect them for it. I just don't think that my composting, energy saving appliances and multiple recycling buckets are in the foreseeable future for someone like this. Or that I could feel confident on Election Day knowing that my partner and I just cancelled each other out. Or that whenever the war is mentioned, where our American men and women are risking their lives every day and all I want is for them to come home safely and my partner wants to send more money / weapons overseas, that I could make polite dinner conversation around the topic. I don't think that I'd be able to control my feelings when jokes are being told about assassinating our elected governmental leader or comparing him to Nazi dictators. It's not a factor I'd ever considered before but it's certainly one that I'll take into account now.

I'm sure that this post will start some sort of debate and for that, I am sorry. If you don't like my views, you don't have to date me :-)

" Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money."