Yup. It's another guest post from my son, Richie. This also appears on his blog, The View from the Seven-and-a-Halfth Floor
What Would Joseph Smith (founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, and husband to too many wives to count) Do?
Try to change California law to define marriage as being between one man and one woman, of course! That's right, the Mormon Church is one of the key backers of California's Proposition 8, an initiative on the November ballot that is attempting to Constitutionally define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and simultaneously strike down California's recognition of same-sex marriages.
Before you go shouting "hypocrisy," it is important to point out that present-day Mormons do not practice polygamy (with the exception of tens of thousands of fundamentalists, who have been excommunicated by the mainline Church). Tacitly recognizing that social norms change (and that Utah wouldn't receive statehood if polygamy were still practiced there), and with a well-timed revelation from God, the head of the Mormon Church struck down the practice of polygamy over a century ago.
This is not the only time that the Mormon Church was affected by changing social norms. Their founder, Joseph Smith, was opposed to slavery, which was still legal in the United States at the time of the religion's founding. Joseph Smith, however, was no great civil rights crusader, either: His holy book exalted the white race above all others; blacks, as inferiors, were barred from the priesthood, an injustice that wasn't undone until another revelation (this one a little behind the times) in 1978.
In its early years, members of the Church were subject to violent persecution (Joseph Smith was jailed and killed for spreading his religion). Thankfully, changing social norms and increased religious tolerance have allowed Mormons to practice their religion freely and safely anywhere in the United States. Heck, we even had a Mormon contender for the presidency this year.
But, by the Church's apparent logic, changing social norms had nothing to do with their decision to abandon polygamy, nor with their more recent decision to accept black people as equals, so therefore changing social norms cannot be considered when deciding to whom we grant certain rights. Setting aside that whole pesky separation of church and state issue, and disregarding the fact that the Mormons accept that their holy book is dynamic and editable by their President, the Church has evidently decided that defining marriage as monogamous and heterosexual is a universal and unchanging maxim (not-too-distant Mormon history be damned!) that merits meddling in state affairs but--unlike those other hot-button issues--does not merit any modern prophecy and revelation.
"Hyp...hyp...hypocrisy!"
There, I said it.
UPDATE (7:20PM): Shortly after posting this, a group of dissidents--technically ex-Mormons, since they have left the Church over this issue--delivered a stack of letters and petitions to LDS headquarters protesting the Church's stance on the issue of gay marriage and its involvement in Prop 8. This also serves to demonstrate that the leaders and followers of a religion do not always see eye-to-eye, and there are likely many Mormons who remain committed to their Church but uncomfortable with its stances on civil rights.
UPDATE (10:15PM): Choosing sides: Mormons for and against Prop 8.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Buy Bye
Warren Buffett's "Buy American. I am." is a thoughtful, well intended piece trumpeting the long term benefits of investing in the stock market now. The flaw with Mr. Buffett's theory is that it overlooks the essential predicate for his position being feasible.
The ugly truth is that most Americans don't feel that they have sufficient assets remaining to be able to 'park' monies in the market for the next 15 to 20 years before seeing their investment pay off. Unless you were lucky or smart enough to have sold high, and now be in position to buy low, you have seen your net worth plummet in the past months.
If you are like me, whatever is left in the markets may be there long term only because the gate is open and the horse is out of the barn.
For us, unlike Mr. Buffett, we don't have the luxury of taking whatever we have not invested in the markets and plunking a portion of it into a raging inferno. We need the safety net in our pockets to get us through these difficult times.
So Mr. Buffett, while I applaud your desire to give us sage advice, I am afraid for most of us it is too little too late.
The ugly truth is that most Americans don't feel that they have sufficient assets remaining to be able to 'park' monies in the market for the next 15 to 20 years before seeing their investment pay off. Unless you were lucky or smart enough to have sold high, and now be in position to buy low, you have seen your net worth plummet in the past months.
If you are like me, whatever is left in the markets may be there long term only because the gate is open and the horse is out of the barn.
For us, unlike Mr. Buffett, we don't have the luxury of taking whatever we have not invested in the markets and plunking a portion of it into a raging inferno. We need the safety net in our pockets to get us through these difficult times.
So Mr. Buffett, while I applaud your desire to give us sage advice, I am afraid for most of us it is too little too late.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Is that all there is?
I got used to it, like waiting for the Monday night football game. It became a centerpiece of activity in my home. We would gather round the tv set, rooting for our favorite, shouting and screaming when things were not going our way, often shaking our collective heads that what was being portrayed on the screen had no touch with the reality of the day. It seemed like the longest running show in town, and it has no more episodes to run. The debates are over.
How will I fill the vacuum? From what seems like the beginning of creation until last night, we have been given an endless barrage of comments, replies and retorts. We have seen the candidates on the defensive and on the offensive. We have heard completely offensive statements, and been subjected to statements that could not be defended. We have listened with disdain to distortions, and half-truths. We have been overwhelmed by the candidate of our choice and underwhelmed by everything said by "the other" one. We have fallen in love with everything good and right in our champion, and have wondered, often loudly, how anyone in their right mind could possibly consider a vote for the unworthy opposition.
We got a brief glimpse of the fringe players in each party. We heard the rhetoric repeated ad nauseum. We left some of the participants in the dust ( Rudy Guiliani, what were you thinking?) and others wondering how everything got away. John McCain was pronounced dead early on, and is still standing, though he seems about to fall over at some points these days. Barack Obama took on the Clinton organization and steamrolled them into submission. We have seen what seems like a 100 round prizefight or a Tour de France that lasted for almost 2 years. Can there be anything left to say in the brains of the candidates that has not been said 10,000 times already?
What remains is the inescapable conclusion that almost everything discussed carries little or no relevance today. Like the poster that portrays New York City at the center of the universe, and the rest of the world having virtually no significance, the ECONOMY has now overwhelmed all other issues. We are shaken to our core and want to know only who got us into this mess, and how do we get out of it. The Democrats ( and most of the country) believe that the Republican mis-administration has led us into this nightmare. John McCain can only try to disassociate himself from the party that has put him into a leadership position for the last 26 years. His attempts to create a chasm between the economic crisis and his part in its occurrence, have largely been unsuccessful.
To tell you the truth, my head is spinning from everything that is going on these days. Like almost everyone else, I am walking around in a daze, unable to fathom what is happening. In less than 3 weeks, with the millions of words that each candidate has spoken over the course of 2007 and 2008 floating somewhere in the universe, we will pull the levers and wait for the outcome. Like people standing over a slot machine, we will stare intently to see if we have chosen a winner. Let us hope for all our sakes that the answer is a resounding yes.
How will I fill the vacuum? From what seems like the beginning of creation until last night, we have been given an endless barrage of comments, replies and retorts. We have seen the candidates on the defensive and on the offensive. We have heard completely offensive statements, and been subjected to statements that could not be defended. We have listened with disdain to distortions, and half-truths. We have been overwhelmed by the candidate of our choice and underwhelmed by everything said by "the other" one. We have fallen in love with everything good and right in our champion, and have wondered, often loudly, how anyone in their right mind could possibly consider a vote for the unworthy opposition.
We got a brief glimpse of the fringe players in each party. We heard the rhetoric repeated ad nauseum. We left some of the participants in the dust ( Rudy Guiliani, what were you thinking?) and others wondering how everything got away. John McCain was pronounced dead early on, and is still standing, though he seems about to fall over at some points these days. Barack Obama took on the Clinton organization and steamrolled them into submission. We have seen what seems like a 100 round prizefight or a Tour de France that lasted for almost 2 years. Can there be anything left to say in the brains of the candidates that has not been said 10,000 times already?
What remains is the inescapable conclusion that almost everything discussed carries little or no relevance today. Like the poster that portrays New York City at the center of the universe, and the rest of the world having virtually no significance, the ECONOMY has now overwhelmed all other issues. We are shaken to our core and want to know only who got us into this mess, and how do we get out of it. The Democrats ( and most of the country) believe that the Republican mis-administration has led us into this nightmare. John McCain can only try to disassociate himself from the party that has put him into a leadership position for the last 26 years. His attempts to create a chasm between the economic crisis and his part in its occurrence, have largely been unsuccessful.
To tell you the truth, my head is spinning from everything that is going on these days. Like almost everyone else, I am walking around in a daze, unable to fathom what is happening. In less than 3 weeks, with the millions of words that each candidate has spoken over the course of 2007 and 2008 floating somewhere in the universe, we will pull the levers and wait for the outcome. Like people standing over a slot machine, we will stare intently to see if we have chosen a winner. Let us hope for all our sakes that the answer is a resounding yes.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Arrest Sarah Palin
Whatever happened to politicians attempting to bring out the best in all of us? How has this been replaced by the lowest form of speech, intended only to bring out the beast in us? How has the stirring mandate of John Kennedy for one to "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country", been replaced by the hateful vile that now comes from the mouth of Sarah Palin?
She is yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theatre. She talks not of truths, but makes incendiary remarks meant only to flame the crowd into a frenzy of mass hysteria and contempt for Barack Obama, for the Democratic party, for blacks. She appeals to the basest instincts in her listening audience. She does this intentionally and with forethought. For this, she should be condemned, and hauled off the stage. For this she should be arrested. and charged with breach of the peace.
"The offense known as breach of the peace embraces a great variety of conduct destroying or menacing public order and tranquility.It includes not only violent acts but acts and words likely to produce violence in others. No one would have the hardihood to suggest that the principle of freedom of speech sanctions incitement to riot... or to exhort others to physical attack upon those belonging to another sect" Cranwell v Connecticut 310 US 296,308 ( 1940).
Palin embodies the worst of the Republican 'southern strategy', referring to a method of carrying Southern states in the latter decades of the 20th century and first decade of the 21st century .The underlying theory was to exploit racism among white voters. This strategy, while not originating with Richard Nixon, is often attributed to him. But even Nixon used some subterfuge and subtlety in his approach, campaigning on a platform of states rights and "law and order". These were code words intended to warn his audience to take action against civil rights laws that would have been repugnant to their racist views
.Bob Herbert, a New York Times columnist reported in 1981 of a discussion concerning Southern politics with Lee Atwater . "You start out in 1954 by saying "nigger, nigger, nigger". By 1968 you can't say "nigger"- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff".
It is ironic that this Strategy was used in 2000 as a method to defeat John McCain's attempts to run for President.At that time, a push poll suggested to conservative Republican South Carolina primary voters that McCain had fathered an "illegitimate black child".
But nothing could possibly rise to the level of the recent Palin comments. All pretense is gone. When Palin repeatedly speaks of Obama palling around with a known domestic terrorist, she crosses a barrier that is not to be crossed.When she says that "this is not a man who sees America like we see America", she does not speak to the subconscious of her audience but their conscious fears. She would suggest, by her words, that the enemies of the state are one with Obama. Such words cannot be tolerated or ignored in a civilized society.
She is yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theatre. She talks not of truths, but makes incendiary remarks meant only to flame the crowd into a frenzy of mass hysteria and contempt for Barack Obama, for the Democratic party, for blacks. She appeals to the basest instincts in her listening audience. She does this intentionally and with forethought. For this, she should be condemned, and hauled off the stage. For this she should be arrested. and charged with breach of the peace.
"The offense known as breach of the peace embraces a great variety of conduct destroying or menacing public order and tranquility.It includes not only violent acts but acts and words likely to produce violence in others. No one would have the hardihood to suggest that the principle of freedom of speech sanctions incitement to riot... or to exhort others to physical attack upon those belonging to another sect" Cranwell v Connecticut 310 US 296,308 ( 1940).
Palin embodies the worst of the Republican 'southern strategy', referring to a method of carrying Southern states in the latter decades of the 20th century and first decade of the 21st century .The underlying theory was to exploit racism among white voters. This strategy, while not originating with Richard Nixon, is often attributed to him. But even Nixon used some subterfuge and subtlety in his approach, campaigning on a platform of states rights and "law and order". These were code words intended to warn his audience to take action against civil rights laws that would have been repugnant to their racist views
.Bob Herbert, a New York Times columnist reported in 1981 of a discussion concerning Southern politics with Lee Atwater . "You start out in 1954 by saying "nigger, nigger, nigger". By 1968 you can't say "nigger"- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff".
It is ironic that this Strategy was used in 2000 as a method to defeat John McCain's attempts to run for President.At that time, a push poll suggested to conservative Republican South Carolina primary voters that McCain had fathered an "illegitimate black child".
But nothing could possibly rise to the level of the recent Palin comments. All pretense is gone. When Palin repeatedly speaks of Obama palling around with a known domestic terrorist, she crosses a barrier that is not to be crossed.When she says that "this is not a man who sees America like we see America", she does not speak to the subconscious of her audience but their conscious fears. She would suggest, by her words, that the enemies of the state are one with Obama. Such words cannot be tolerated or ignored in a civilized society.
Volunteer to Suppress the Vote!
Another guest post from my son, Richie. This also appears on his blog, The View from the Seven-and-a-Halfth Floor
(Alternate Title: Shut Out the Vote!)
Back in 2002, when I was a college student in New Hampshire, there was a tight and contentious senate race between Jeanne Shaheen (Dem) and John Sununu (Rep) (interestingly enough, it is being re-waged as I write this). In the run up to election day, the Republican party initiated a campaign of lie-spreading and fear-mongering on state college campuses, telling students such falsehoods as: (1) that they could not vote in New Hampshire if their family lived in another state; (2) that they would lose some or all of their scholarship money if they voted in New Hampshire; (3) that they had missed a voter registration deadline, even though New Hampshire had same-day polling-place registration at the time (and may still do so, though Republicans in the state house were trying to eliminate it at the time). [Related: Here's an article from The Dartmouth about the incident, and here's a blog post from BlueHampshire from 2006, both of which echo what I have just written]. The Democrats, as well as the college, pushed back hard against these lies.
Then, on election day, the Republicans sent thugs to the polls (I think some of them may have been real-life attorneys, but mostly they were just assholes) to intimidate and interrogate students. Stretching voter registration laws to their extremes, and then often simply breaking them, the Republican Voter Suppression Team challenged the validity of many students' voter registrations, without cause, creating long lines and confusion at the polls. Their efforts may have scared some voters away from the polls. (Full disclosure: I voted absentee in New Jersey because of doubts about a scholarship I received, sown by the Republican scare machine. I decided it wasn't worth the anxiety of voting in New Hampshire, despite a complete lack of evidence that doing so would affect my scholarship eligibility.)
Well, now the McCain campaign is actively recruiting vote suppressors for the upcoming election, and it's not too late to sign up! Don't be fooled by language like "fair", "transparent", "integrity", "open" and "honest" in their recruiting materials (apparently someone in the McCain campaign can still type "integrity" with a clear conscience). DO, however, take notice of the glaring and purposeful omission of phrases like "get out the vote," "make sure all votes count," make it "easy" and "straightforward" to register and vote, etc). Let me make this clear: Republicans, and John McCain's campaign specifically, are completely disinterested in making it easy or straightforward for people to vote, and have demonstrated this fact repeatedly, year-after-year in state-after-state. Even this year, the McCain campaign continually cries "voter fraud" because a couple of idiots decided it would be funny to try and register "I.P. Freely" and his friends to vote; At the same time, the campaign is actively trying to undermine voter registration efforts, early and absentee voting, and distract from efforts to investigate actual, provable, ongoing voter suppression by janky Diebold machines, and state and local officials. In fact, they'd like to make it a whole lot harder for anyone who might not vote Republican to vote (poor people, black people, poor black people, old Jews, etc). But since they can't just go and rescind the Voting Rights Act, as well as the 15th and 19th Amendments to the US Constitution, they have to resort to intimidation tactics.
That's where you come in! If you're a lawyer or a law student who slept through that whole class about ethics, or if you're just an angry, bigoted McCain supporter who's been honing your intimidation skills at campaign rallies/hatefests, you can help violate the Constitutional rights of millions of Americans, and potentially manipulate the outcome of this election!
On the other hand, if you happen to be of the opinion that all Americans of at least 18 years of age, regardless of race or political persuasion, ought to have the opportunity to vote in the upcoming election, and you value the Constitution which grants us this right, consider the following alternative:
Election Protection
Election Protection is a non-partisan effort to ensure that every eligible US citizen has the opportunity to register and vote, and further to ensure that every vote is properly counted.
(Full disclosure: Robert has signed up to volunteer for Election Protection this year)
(Alternate Title: Shut Out the Vote!)
Back in 2002, when I was a college student in New Hampshire, there was a tight and contentious senate race between Jeanne Shaheen (Dem) and John Sununu (Rep) (interestingly enough, it is being re-waged as I write this). In the run up to election day, the Republican party initiated a campaign of lie-spreading and fear-mongering on state college campuses, telling students such falsehoods as: (1) that they could not vote in New Hampshire if their family lived in another state; (2) that they would lose some or all of their scholarship money if they voted in New Hampshire; (3) that they had missed a voter registration deadline, even though New Hampshire had same-day polling-place registration at the time (and may still do so, though Republicans in the state house were trying to eliminate it at the time). [Related: Here's an article from The Dartmouth about the incident, and here's a blog post from BlueHampshire from 2006, both of which echo what I have just written]. The Democrats, as well as the college, pushed back hard against these lies.
Then, on election day, the Republicans sent thugs to the polls (I think some of them may have been real-life attorneys, but mostly they were just assholes) to intimidate and interrogate students. Stretching voter registration laws to their extremes, and then often simply breaking them, the Republican Voter Suppression Team challenged the validity of many students' voter registrations, without cause, creating long lines and confusion at the polls. Their efforts may have scared some voters away from the polls. (Full disclosure: I voted absentee in New Jersey because of doubts about a scholarship I received, sown by the Republican scare machine. I decided it wasn't worth the anxiety of voting in New Hampshire, despite a complete lack of evidence that doing so would affect my scholarship eligibility.)
Well, now the McCain campaign is actively recruiting vote suppressors for the upcoming election, and it's not too late to sign up! Don't be fooled by language like "fair", "transparent", "integrity", "open" and "honest" in their recruiting materials (apparently someone in the McCain campaign can still type "integrity" with a clear conscience). DO, however, take notice of the glaring and purposeful omission of phrases like "get out the vote," "make sure all votes count," make it "easy" and "straightforward" to register and vote, etc). Let me make this clear: Republicans, and John McCain's campaign specifically, are completely disinterested in making it easy or straightforward for people to vote, and have demonstrated this fact repeatedly, year-after-year in state-after-state. Even this year, the McCain campaign continually cries "voter fraud" because a couple of idiots decided it would be funny to try and register "I.P. Freely" and his friends to vote; At the same time, the campaign is actively trying to undermine voter registration efforts, early and absentee voting, and distract from efforts to investigate actual, provable, ongoing voter suppression by janky Diebold machines, and state and local officials. In fact, they'd like to make it a whole lot harder for anyone who might not vote Republican to vote (poor people, black people, poor black people, old Jews, etc). But since they can't just go and rescind the Voting Rights Act, as well as the 15th and 19th Amendments to the US Constitution, they have to resort to intimidation tactics.
That's where you come in! If you're a lawyer or a law student who slept through that whole class about ethics, or if you're just an angry, bigoted McCain supporter who's been honing your intimidation skills at campaign rallies/hatefests, you can help violate the Constitutional rights of millions of Americans, and potentially manipulate the outcome of this election!
On the other hand, if you happen to be of the opinion that all Americans of at least 18 years of age, regardless of race or political persuasion, ought to have the opportunity to vote in the upcoming election, and you value the Constitution which grants us this right, consider the following alternative:
Election Protection
Election Protection is a non-partisan effort to ensure that every eligible US citizen has the opportunity to register and vote, and further to ensure that every vote is properly counted.
(Full disclosure: Robert has signed up to volunteer for Election Protection this year)
Friday, October 10, 2008
Letting the Ayers out
I am thinking of running for political office. Just to make certain there are no skeletons in my closet that can be paraded out to deflect from the legitimacy of my candidacy, I think it critical that you know the following:
1. I stole a baseball card from my counsellor when I was 6.
2. When I was 11, I told 3 girls in the same night that I wished the phone wasn't there to separate us.
3. I had a crush on my Fifth grade teacher (she later became my Aunt).
4. I was a lazy student.
5. I am a bad driver.
6. I think I am funnier than I really am, and I think my singing voice is better than it really is.
7. I had pre-marital sex.
8. I once had a photo taken of me mooning the camera.
9. I get up almost every night to pee.
10. I drink diet soda.
11. I stole a sticker from Yankee stadium after the last game.
12. I don't like people who point fingers, make baseless accusations and seek to focus scrutiny on anything but their own shortcomings.
I feel so much better having gotten all these terrible secrets out in the open.
As such, I wish to formally announce my intention to move to Alaska and run against Sarah Palin when her term for Governor expires. We all know her 15 minutes is about to run out, and I am coming to get mine.
1. I stole a baseball card from my counsellor when I was 6.
2. When I was 11, I told 3 girls in the same night that I wished the phone wasn't there to separate us.
3. I had a crush on my Fifth grade teacher (she later became my Aunt).
4. I was a lazy student.
5. I am a bad driver.
6. I think I am funnier than I really am, and I think my singing voice is better than it really is.
7. I had pre-marital sex.
8. I once had a photo taken of me mooning the camera.
9. I get up almost every night to pee.
10. I drink diet soda.
11. I stole a sticker from Yankee stadium after the last game.
12. I don't like people who point fingers, make baseless accusations and seek to focus scrutiny on anything but their own shortcomings.
I feel so much better having gotten all these terrible secrets out in the open.
As such, I wish to formally announce my intention to move to Alaska and run against Sarah Palin when her term for Governor expires. We all know her 15 minutes is about to run out, and I am coming to get mine.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Get out the vote
As I listen to the numbers on the road to 270, I am encouraged but wary. What evil trick are the Republicans holding in abeyance, waiting to spring on an unsuspecting country? As the red disappears and blue crops up in places that were seemingly Republican strongholds, I want the election to move forward now. Let's not wait for 4 more weeks. What if the economy begins to strengthen? Will all those that have jumped ship from the Republican sinking boat, be tempted to get back on? What if Obama really has fathered 2 black children (oh, I forgot, he does have 2 black children)? Then it struck me. Let's not wait. Let's get out the vote now.
31 states permit no excuse early voting . That means that even if you could make it to the polls on election day, you don't have to choose November 4 as the day when your decision is made. Certain other states permit you to be an 'in person' absentee", by which method you appear in person before the election date, apply for an absentee ballot, fill it out and submit it to the election official. Some states require a valid excuse to vote early, such as college attendance or sickness. But what all of these states have in common is a right for you to do something other than pull the lever on election day.
So, I want you first thing today to take the necessary steps to qualify to vote absentee. Then I want you to circulate this e-mail to everyone you know, and everyone you think you know, and urge them to take this bold step towards independence from the shackles of the voting system. By next week at this time, I want enough absentee ballots cast by those who count, to make the counting on November 4 irrelevant.
Let's make sure we don't have to listen to a month more of personal attacks and insinuations. We have heard all we need to hear . We know all we need to know. We have, as a collective, made up our mind.
For all those grandmothers and grandfathers in Florida who have now heard of McCain's threat to use Medicare reform as a basis for generating more money into the economy, don't wait to cast your vote. No more hanging chads. No more voter suppression. You know what you have to do. You are not waffling. You are ready to protect yourself. You are ready to vote. It is the ultimate early bird special.
For those of you who have recently joined the ranks of the Republican disenchanted, you will never again be made the fool by the Republican rhetoric. You don't have to stand for their efforts to Palinize you for the next 4 weeks. You know the mess that is America, and you know where the blame lies. Get your absentee ballot, cast your vote, and let McCain talk until he is BLUE in the face, knowing his words are falling on deaf ears.
Let's have the first absentee ballot election in US history Let the voting booths be silent on November 4. Let's end this now.
31 states permit no excuse early voting . That means that even if you could make it to the polls on election day, you don't have to choose November 4 as the day when your decision is made. Certain other states permit you to be an 'in person' absentee", by which method you appear in person before the election date, apply for an absentee ballot, fill it out and submit it to the election official. Some states require a valid excuse to vote early, such as college attendance or sickness. But what all of these states have in common is a right for you to do something other than pull the lever on election day.
So, I want you first thing today to take the necessary steps to qualify to vote absentee. Then I want you to circulate this e-mail to everyone you know, and everyone you think you know, and urge them to take this bold step towards independence from the shackles of the voting system. By next week at this time, I want enough absentee ballots cast by those who count, to make the counting on November 4 irrelevant.
Let's make sure we don't have to listen to a month more of personal attacks and insinuations. We have heard all we need to hear . We know all we need to know. We have, as a collective, made up our mind.
For all those grandmothers and grandfathers in Florida who have now heard of McCain's threat to use Medicare reform as a basis for generating more money into the economy, don't wait to cast your vote. No more hanging chads. No more voter suppression. You know what you have to do. You are not waffling. You are ready to protect yourself. You are ready to vote. It is the ultimate early bird special.
For those of you who have recently joined the ranks of the Republican disenchanted, you will never again be made the fool by the Republican rhetoric. You don't have to stand for their efforts to Palinize you for the next 4 weeks. You know the mess that is America, and you know where the blame lies. Get your absentee ballot, cast your vote, and let McCain talk until he is BLUE in the face, knowing his words are falling on deaf ears.
Let's have the first absentee ballot election in US history Let the voting booths be silent on November 4. Let's end this now.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I'm Going Nucular
Is there some fundamental reason that the Republicans not only mangle every important policy issue but that they insist on destroying the English language? Is this the heritage passed down from one great intellect (Bush) to another (Palin)?
I don't mean to sound nasty, but is it impossible to get a concrete position out of the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate? I found the restraint of Joe Biden incredible as he listened to Palin's talking points reiterated ad infinitum irrespective of the question posed. As Biden listened and responded with clarity and precision to the question asked, on many occasions it appeared that Palin did not even feign to direct her comments to the inquiry. It felt like I was watching people talk not on different planes but on different planets.
I know that there were millions of Republican supporters holding their collective breaths, hoping that Palin would not do a repeat Couricesque performance. If she escaped calamity, she would be deemed a success. To those people, I am sure we will hear of her composure and ability to answer the tough questions. I believe there might even be a spike for the Republicans because she did not disintegrate on stage. But her performance was so lacking in depth and substance that it was frightening. Viewed against the succinct and specific comments from Biden, Palin's "answers" were often difficult to fathom. She took us on a repeated journey to nowhere, and hoped we would not notice. I noticed.
Facts were treated like some terrible disease to be avoided by Palin at all costs. Failed Republican policies of the last 8 years were not to be addressed, in Palin's view, as that was looking backward not forward (I guess voting records and policy positions of McCain would also fall in that category). Republican disasters at home and abroad were to be ignored, and we were just to accept, with a wink and a smile, that everything would change under yet another 4 years of Republican rule.
When I hear over and over, the "I know what it is like to be you" stance as the predicate for how to govern, I can't help but start to shake. It made me feel good when Joe Biden had a very human moment in talking about the difficulties he has had to face in his life, and seemed able to one up the Republicans on the humanity front. By the way, Democrats also know what it is like to be you, and they know better than the Republicans how to govern us out of the mess that has been created.
I refuse to accept this noise as a responsible, appropriate approach to deal with the magnitude of the problems that face us. Palin has made her grand entrance, now let her make her grand exit and spend the next 5 weeks sequestered, and away from public analysis. Let us not have to deal with the distraction that is Palin and let us go back to finding real answers to real problems. If this does not happen, and I am forced to listen to her talking points right up to the election, I may go nucular.
I don't mean to sound nasty, but is it impossible to get a concrete position out of the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate? I found the restraint of Joe Biden incredible as he listened to Palin's talking points reiterated ad infinitum irrespective of the question posed. As Biden listened and responded with clarity and precision to the question asked, on many occasions it appeared that Palin did not even feign to direct her comments to the inquiry. It felt like I was watching people talk not on different planes but on different planets.
I know that there were millions of Republican supporters holding their collective breaths, hoping that Palin would not do a repeat Couricesque performance. If she escaped calamity, she would be deemed a success. To those people, I am sure we will hear of her composure and ability to answer the tough questions. I believe there might even be a spike for the Republicans because she did not disintegrate on stage. But her performance was so lacking in depth and substance that it was frightening. Viewed against the succinct and specific comments from Biden, Palin's "answers" were often difficult to fathom. She took us on a repeated journey to nowhere, and hoped we would not notice. I noticed.
Facts were treated like some terrible disease to be avoided by Palin at all costs. Failed Republican policies of the last 8 years were not to be addressed, in Palin's view, as that was looking backward not forward (I guess voting records and policy positions of McCain would also fall in that category). Republican disasters at home and abroad were to be ignored, and we were just to accept, with a wink and a smile, that everything would change under yet another 4 years of Republican rule.
When I hear over and over, the "I know what it is like to be you" stance as the predicate for how to govern, I can't help but start to shake. It made me feel good when Joe Biden had a very human moment in talking about the difficulties he has had to face in his life, and seemed able to one up the Republicans on the humanity front. By the way, Democrats also know what it is like to be you, and they know better than the Republicans how to govern us out of the mess that has been created.
I refuse to accept this noise as a responsible, appropriate approach to deal with the magnitude of the problems that face us. Palin has made her grand entrance, now let her make her grand exit and spend the next 5 weeks sequestered, and away from public analysis. Let us not have to deal with the distraction that is Palin and let us go back to finding real answers to real problems. If this does not happen, and I am forced to listen to her talking points right up to the election, I may go nucular.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A game of chicken
Are we really supposed to believe that Nancy Pelosi's comments on the reasons behind this economic tsunami were the catalyst for the failed vote yesterday? We are all standing on the sidelines, watching the parties continue to try to flex their political muscle while the cost of inaction seems to increase exponentially by the hour. When is enough really enough?
There must be a resolution out there. I refuse to find it plausible that the continued destruction of the global economy is an acceptable option. When stock markets around the world plummet in a day in many multiples of the worst case cost of the bailout, then it is beyond time to stop the partisan rancor and find the answer.
Mr.Paulson on bended knee is a symbol. We are no longer strong, no longer immune from collapse. If resolution is not forthcoming in Congress immediately, the next picture will be of Mr. Paulson flat on his back, with the weight of the world holding him down. There is no more time for gamesmanship. There is only time for solutions.
Political survival cannot be the predicate for this vote. Let those worried about their personal futures be part of the answer. Don't vote against the plan,any plan, because you want to show your constituency some ill perceived notion about having the courage of your convictions. Guess what, you are showing everything but courage. Get down, get dirty and get it done.No more excuses, no more rationalizations. There will be very little America left to govern come November 5 if this downward spiral is not stopped now.
As we wait, stunned and dismayed, we look for real leadership. When that day comes, in the form of a bipartisan agreement, we can begin to have faith again in our system. Until then, we all feel you are playing a game of chicken with our futures. Stop the idiocy, once and for all, please stop the idiocy. We are all on bended knees. Help us up.
There must be a resolution out there. I refuse to find it plausible that the continued destruction of the global economy is an acceptable option. When stock markets around the world plummet in a day in many multiples of the worst case cost of the bailout, then it is beyond time to stop the partisan rancor and find the answer.
Mr.Paulson on bended knee is a symbol. We are no longer strong, no longer immune from collapse. If resolution is not forthcoming in Congress immediately, the next picture will be of Mr. Paulson flat on his back, with the weight of the world holding him down. There is no more time for gamesmanship. There is only time for solutions.
Political survival cannot be the predicate for this vote. Let those worried about their personal futures be part of the answer. Don't vote against the plan,any plan, because you want to show your constituency some ill perceived notion about having the courage of your convictions. Guess what, you are showing everything but courage. Get down, get dirty and get it done.No more excuses, no more rationalizations. There will be very little America left to govern come November 5 if this downward spiral is not stopped now.
As we wait, stunned and dismayed, we look for real leadership. When that day comes, in the form of a bipartisan agreement, we can begin to have faith again in our system. Until then, we all feel you are playing a game of chicken with our futures. Stop the idiocy, once and for all, please stop the idiocy. We are all on bended knees. Help us up.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
has anybody seen my "too"?
I always like to think that everyone can see my inner cool. In my mind, if you are really looking at me then you can see that I am the fifth Beatle, crossing Abbey Road just out of the picture. I like to believe that those in the younger generation understand how cool I am, notwithstanding my outward appearance. Despite the fact that I can't have any kind of alcoholic beverage without feeling sick, I have only smoked pot once in the last 20 years, and my sense of humor ranges from bad to please don't repeat that, I like to pretend that the world perception of me is in keeping with my own fantasies.
That is why my slip up during a conversation with a family of friends last weekend haunted me. What makes this family so unique for me is the sometime multi-colored hair of their daughter, the goatee of the father, the ear piercings of the son (now a freshman in college) and, most importantly, the multiple tattoos of the mother. For me, they are the type of people, at least in outward appearance, who find me to be very unappealing. Thus, to be embraced by this group only served to reaffirm in my mind that the world can look past my mundane exterior.
Family tattoos, at least for some of their crew, were scheduled for this past summer. Last weekend, as we all gathered together over bagels, I brought up the topic that was of keen interest to me. "What new toos do you have to show me", I asked in my ultra-cool manner. I remembered that tattoo was a word that was shortened among those in the know. Unfortunately, as it turned out, no one knew what I was saying. "What is a too" I was asked? "You know, a tattoo". "Oh, you mean a tat" was the bemused reply.
It was as though I had been struck down. The fifth Beatle disappeared from view and never made it to Abbey Road. The person who throws up at the first hint of liquor stood before the gathered crowd. The long hair and the beard was replaced by a bald head and thick glasses. I was there naked and exposed.
Somehow, the rest of them just passed it off as another in the long history of reasons why I was a somewhat lovable idiot. While they laughed about my failed attempt at being something other than I was, and then they went on to the next topic, I was left behind in my own little world. I knew that never again would I be able to convince myself into thinking that I was fooling those gathered in this room of the fascination of being me.
But, I now realize there is always hope. I recognize that there is still a whole world of unsuspecting people out there. I can still go to the next wedding or bar-mitzvah , sing along with the band at the top of my lungs, and know that those gathered in attendance will be awed by the beauty of my voice. My ultra -coolness continues to reside within me.
That is why my slip up during a conversation with a family of friends last weekend haunted me. What makes this family so unique for me is the sometime multi-colored hair of their daughter, the goatee of the father, the ear piercings of the son (now a freshman in college) and, most importantly, the multiple tattoos of the mother. For me, they are the type of people, at least in outward appearance, who find me to be very unappealing. Thus, to be embraced by this group only served to reaffirm in my mind that the world can look past my mundane exterior.
Family tattoos, at least for some of their crew, were scheduled for this past summer. Last weekend, as we all gathered together over bagels, I brought up the topic that was of keen interest to me. "What new toos do you have to show me", I asked in my ultra-cool manner. I remembered that tattoo was a word that was shortened among those in the know. Unfortunately, as it turned out, no one knew what I was saying. "What is a too" I was asked? "You know, a tattoo". "Oh, you mean a tat" was the bemused reply.
It was as though I had been struck down. The fifth Beatle disappeared from view and never made it to Abbey Road. The person who throws up at the first hint of liquor stood before the gathered crowd. The long hair and the beard was replaced by a bald head and thick glasses. I was there naked and exposed.
Somehow, the rest of them just passed it off as another in the long history of reasons why I was a somewhat lovable idiot. While they laughed about my failed attempt at being something other than I was, and then they went on to the next topic, I was left behind in my own little world. I knew that never again would I be able to convince myself into thinking that I was fooling those gathered in this room of the fascination of being me.
But, I now realize there is always hope. I recognize that there is still a whole world of unsuspecting people out there. I can still go to the next wedding or bar-mitzvah , sing along with the band at the top of my lungs, and know that those gathered in attendance will be awed by the beauty of my voice. My ultra -coolness continues to reside within me.
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