(Ir)religiosity

I am a political schitzophrenic.  Browsing through my posts on politics will prove it.  I’m happy that Obama got elected and I’m trying really hard not to be overly cynical about everything too quickly.  I do hope that things change — seriously change.  But part of me knows that he is just another politician and a member of the rich power elite who will likely maintain the general status quo.  I live with the tension.  And it causes me much grief.

Obama’s rhetoric has been inspiring, but if actions mean anything, then his recent appointments should indicate the general direction his administration will go.  So far he has enlisted help from the establishment, mainly old Clintonites who represent politics as usual.

I know.  The guy hasn’t even been sworn in yet.  I really am trying to remain positive.

BUT — I do have a random list of non-negotiables that will send me back into realm of dissent and criticism quicker than anything.  Here they are in no particular order.

1. Immediately close Gutanamo Bay
2. Seriously end the occupation of Iraq (and by seriously, I don’t mean moving troops around or reducing their number.  I mean seriously, like getting rid of some of those permanent military bases)
3. Repeal the Patriot At
4. Try George Bush and Dick Cheney for war crimes and crimes against humanity
5. Begin a serious health care reform (serious = a new system)
6. Enact a plausible energy policy that will eliminate our addiction to limited resources
7. Scrap No Child Left Behind and start over
8. Get on board with Kyoto
9. Make the executive office more transparent
10. Scrap the BCS system for college football (!!!)

This list is by no means complete and I realize that all of these cannot be accomplished as quickly as I’d like.  However, if several of them aren’t in process by or before the midterms I will be very, very disappointed.  If none of them are, then Obama has blatantly lied.

What are your non-negotiables?

“How long? Not long! Because no lie can live forever.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.

I’ve posted on homosexuality before, but I think some of that sentiment bears repeating.

I am a white, married, heterosexual male who attended one private institution for undergraduate work and is now attending another private institution for graduate school.  I was born into and continue to occupy a position of overwhelming privilege.  Simply the mere fact that I have both the time and the money to “blog” rests the case.

I don’t have the slightest idea what it feels like to be oppressed, subjugated, or marginalized.  I don’t know what it feels like to have fundamental rights stripped from me nor do I know the feeling of being told I cannot marry my partner.

That being noted, I feel that the least I can do is speak the truth as I see it and to stand in solidarity with those who struggle.  For me, silence is simply a ghastly affirmation of the status quo.  The written and spoken word are the tools of my trade so I feel that the least I can do is use them to raise my voice in opposition.  It is with that in mind that I wrote this post, because to not speak out would be dishonest on my part.

November 4 was a bittersweet night for me.  I was happy that Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, but at the same time I was deeply saddened to learn that Proposition 8 was passed in California.  Propositions banning same-sex marriage were put to vote in four states this year: Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, and California.  To be honest, I expected the first three to pass by a wide margin. What I didn’t expect was the outcome in California, where Prop 8 passed 52% to 48%.  I assumed that a state like California, with a high gay population, would maintain it’s open and progressive policy.  But it did not.  It’s one thing to deny a person or group their rights outright, it’s another to strip those rights from them after the fact. Read the rest of this entry »

Join in for some fun and commentary as we finally put an end to this seemingly endless campaign.

Check back here for live updates beginning at 7PM EST and continuing through . . . well I’m not exactly sure how long

I’m planning to run a live blog on election night beginning at 7:00 PM EST.  I wanted to let everyone know in advance because the last few times people have had problems joining after it has started.  I can take 10 names and add them to the list before we actually go live.  That will secure you a spot.  So if you can’t be there at 7, or just want to make sure you’re in, leave a comment with your email address and I will add you to the list.

All the more reason for me to like Apple:

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

[Ht. Dave]

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• Apple Giving $100,000 to Oppose Anti-Gay Marriage Proposition in CA [Civil Rights]
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It turns out that Joe isn’t really a plumber. At least not a licensed one. I’ve got nothing against Joe, I have more in common with him than the candidates, but I do have a problem with a campaign using someone for political gain.  It’s just patronizing.  “Like Sarah Palin, a great concept. But the McCain campaign needs to be able to vet its hood ornaments.” [Ht. Andrew Sullivan]

John McCain will have to manhandle Barack Obama — or in his own words “whip his you-know-what” — if he wants to stand a chance of winning the election.  I’m not sure what the chances of that are, but they’re not good that’s for sure.

Check back here for live updates at 9:00 PM EST.

In celebration of it’s 10th birthday Google is allowing people to search their 2001 database.  It’s pretty cool.  I did a search for Barack Obama and John McCain.  Here are some screenshots of the first couple of results.

You can see the results here and here and the archived sites here and here.

Interesting stuff.

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that the election is Obama’s to lose.  And I think the debate last night helped him in that regard.  I do agree with Dave, there wasn’t really anything new in terms of substance, but Obama came off as more relaxed, grounded, and in control whereas McCain — whose forte is supposed to be the town hall meeting — seemed annoyed, nervous, and anxious.  At times he just seemed to be trying too hard.  We get it John.  You want to connect with the average American.  But referring to us as “your friends” seems disingenuous and patronizing.

McCain barely made eye contact with Obama during the last debate.   While he did make and effort to actually look at him this time he still showed signs of disdain and even disgust.  At one point he referred to Sen. Obama as “that one,” a telling slip of the tongue methinks, and it looks like he even refused to shake his hand.

Though my mind has been made up for a while, I found an exchange between the two on health care to be very important.  If I was an undecided it would’ve been a game changer for me.

BROKAW: Quick discussion. Is health care in America a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?

Sen. McCain?

MCCAIN: I think it’s a responsibility, in this respect, in that we should have available and affordable health care to every American citizen, to every family member. And with the plan that — that I have, that will do that.

OBAMA: Well, I think it should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can’t pay their medical bills — for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they’re saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don’t have to pay her treatment, there’s something fundamentally wrong about that.

The difference there is huge.  In my opinion, every person has a right to quality health care solely on the basis of being a person regardless of the costs.  Period.  It’s not a responsibility we have if we can afford it, it is fundamental right that should be afforded to us all.

With that revealing point, McCain loses and Obama becomes President.

Come one, come all, and join the awesomeness that is running debate commentary!

FYI, C-SPAN will have some really cool video features– like a timeline that makes it easy to find specific answers to questions and the ability to splice together video–once the debate gets going.