Friday, October 24, 2008
Another SNL Goodie
Yet, another hilarious video from SNL. SNL is going to be so boring once Obama is elected (but I'm okay with that!).
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I Didn't Vote For Obama
I Didn't Vote For Obama
by kentuckyscottMon Oct 20, 2008 at 01:24:08 PM PDT
I'm a middle-class white guy living in Jacksonville, Florida. I've got a wife and two kids. Because the kids had no school today, I took a vacation day from work, and took the kids downtown to vote early. Fifty-nine minutes later, two smiling children and I proudly sported "I Voted" stickers.
But I didn't vote for Obama.
I voted for my ancestors, who believed in the promise of this country and came with with nothing as immigrants.
I voted for my parents, who taught in the public schools for decades.
I voted for Steve, an acquaintance of mine from Kentucky. (Killed by an IED two years ago in Iraq).
I voted for Shawn, another who's been to Iraq twice, and Afghanistan once, and who'll be going back to Afghanistan again soon -- and whose family earned eleven bucks a month too much to qualify for food stamps when the war started.
I voted for April, the only African-American girl in my high school -- it was years before it occurred to me how different her experience of our school must have been.
I voted for my college friends who are Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and yes -- Muslim.
I voted for my grandfathers, who worked hard in factories and died too young.
I voted for the plumber who worked on my house, because I want him to get a REAL tax break.
I voted for four little angels from Birmingham.
I voted for a bunch of dead white men who, although personally flawed, were willing to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, and used a time of great crisis to expand freedom rather than suspend it.
I voted for all those people and more, and I voted for all of you, too. But mostly, I voted selfishly. I vote for two little kids, one who has ballet in an hour, and once who has baseball practice at the same time. I voted for a world where they can be confident that their government will represent the best that is in this country, and that will in turn demand the best of them. I voted for a government that will be respected in the world. I voted for an economy that will reward work above guile. I voted for everything I believe in.
Sure, I filled in the circle next to the name Obama, but it wasn't him I was voting for -- it was every single one of us, and those I love most of all.
Who else is there to vote for?
Got Hope?
Harvey Milk was the first openly-gay person to be elected to public office in the US in 1977. His most recognized speech, "You Cannot Live On Hope Alone," was given in 1978, shortly before he was assassinated.
Watch this video and come November 4th, vote for hope, vote for change.
Watch this video and come November 4th, vote for hope, vote for change.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A Letter From a Concerned Citizen in Napa, CA.
I am concerned.
Tuesday I was in San Francisco. Friday I was in Berkeley. Saturday I was in Healdsburg. Driving through these various cities -granted, they're all generally liberal - I didn't see one 'Vote Yes on Prop 8' sign. Yet each time I returned home, I was routinely greeted with a barrage of what seems to be an ever-growing collection of those - I call bigoted signs - speckled through Napa.
I have lived in Napa the majority of my life, save for college, and while I have known that it was home to many of the more conservative persuasion, I am shocked to see such an anti-gay sentiment in my hometown. In fact, I was prompted to write this article because I overheard a woman passionately explaining to her friend recently, as we all stooped over slashed prices in the isles of the newly bankrupt Mervyns', "Don't they know, they are ruining marriage for us all?"
They don't know, because it's not true. I'd like to take this moment to remind everyone that the California Supreme Court ruled a ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional. Let's just pause for a moment. Unconstitutional. This isn't an opportunity for voters to vote for or against gay marriage, that decision has been made by our Supreme Court - the highest court in California. This is an opportunity to change the California Constitution so that the California Supreme Court's ruling is not valid.
Think about that for a minute.
Does this concern anyone else but me? Many have fought long and hard to achieve equal rights in marriage, and because of fear we are willing to create a society of privilege? For all of you out there that don't condone gay marriage, I want you to keep your beliefs. I want you to have the freedom to feel the way you do according to your religion. In fact, if your church doesn't want to have gay marriage ceremonies, I want your church to have the right to say no. Considering that there is a Separation of Church and State, that only seems fair, since this is a Civil issue.
I want gay people to be able to get married in a Civil Court and have the legal rights they deserve. I want gay people to have equal protection under the law. I want gay people to be able to have marriages in the Churches they attend, because there are many Churches out there that support gay marriage. I want gay people to have marriages where ever - in places that are special to them, like people do. Because, gay people are people too.
I have come to the conclusion that anyone who votes 'Yes on prop 8' is a bigot. I chose this word carefully because I think it is most appropriate. Merraim-Webster's Online Dictionary defines a bigot as : a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices ; especially one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. I was raised that being a bigot was a bad thing.
I wish this issue was merely about bigotry, but it is about much more. It is about our Civil Liberties, that is, if we still have any, or care to have any. I took the time to write this letter because it saddens my heart each day I drive through Napa and see that people have let their personal beliefs trump their belief in Civil Liberties.
I do not believe that gay marriage infringes on a person's right to express their personal beliefs, but I do believe that banning gay marriage infringes Civil Liberties of MANY Americans. If you aren't already voting NO on Prop 8, I hope this gives you some insight into the importance of denying this bill. Or if you know someone who is on the fence, please share my message.
Thank you,
A Concerned Citizen
Napa, California
Tuesday I was in San Francisco. Friday I was in Berkeley. Saturday I was in Healdsburg. Driving through these various cities -granted, they're all generally liberal - I didn't see one 'Vote Yes on Prop 8' sign. Yet each time I returned home, I was routinely greeted with a barrage of what seems to be an ever-growing collection of those - I call bigoted signs - speckled through Napa.
I have lived in Napa the majority of my life, save for college, and while I have known that it was home to many of the more conservative persuasion, I am shocked to see such an anti-gay sentiment in my hometown. In fact, I was prompted to write this article because I overheard a woman passionately explaining to her friend recently, as we all stooped over slashed prices in the isles of the newly bankrupt Mervyns', "Don't they know, they are ruining marriage for us all?"
They don't know, because it's not true. I'd like to take this moment to remind everyone that the California Supreme Court ruled a ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional. Let's just pause for a moment. Unconstitutional. This isn't an opportunity for voters to vote for or against gay marriage, that decision has been made by our Supreme Court - the highest court in California. This is an opportunity to change the California Constitution so that the California Supreme Court's ruling is not valid.
Think about that for a minute.
Does this concern anyone else but me? Many have fought long and hard to achieve equal rights in marriage, and because of fear we are willing to create a society of privilege? For all of you out there that don't condone gay marriage, I want you to keep your beliefs. I want you to have the freedom to feel the way you do according to your religion. In fact, if your church doesn't want to have gay marriage ceremonies, I want your church to have the right to say no. Considering that there is a Separation of Church and State, that only seems fair, since this is a Civil issue.
I want gay people to be able to get married in a Civil Court and have the legal rights they deserve. I want gay people to have equal protection under the law. I want gay people to be able to have marriages in the Churches they attend, because there are many Churches out there that support gay marriage. I want gay people to have marriages where ever - in places that are special to them, like people do. Because, gay people are people too.
I have come to the conclusion that anyone who votes 'Yes on prop 8' is a bigot. I chose this word carefully because I think it is most appropriate. Merraim-Webster's Online Dictionary defines a bigot as : a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices ; especially one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. I was raised that being a bigot was a bad thing.
I wish this issue was merely about bigotry, but it is about much more. It is about our Civil Liberties, that is, if we still have any, or care to have any. I took the time to write this letter because it saddens my heart each day I drive through Napa and see that people have let their personal beliefs trump their belief in Civil Liberties.
I do not believe that gay marriage infringes on a person's right to express their personal beliefs, but I do believe that banning gay marriage infringes Civil Liberties of MANY Americans. If you aren't already voting NO on Prop 8, I hope this gives you some insight into the importance of denying this bill. Or if you know someone who is on the fence, please share my message.
Thank you,
A Concerned Citizen
Napa, California
The Invisibleness of Racism
Subject: What If You Reversed Information about Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin--Something to Contemplate
What if....
Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think about it.
Would the country's collective point of view be different?
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes? And was never given a command position.
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Educational Background:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.
What if....
Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think about it.
Would the country's collective point of view be different?
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes? And was never given a command position.
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Educational Background:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.
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