Election Reaction, Part Three

The last of my reactions to the events of November Fourth will involve California's Proposition Eight, a ballot initiative that served to restrict the definition of marriage in the Golden State to a "union between a man and a woman," as the parlance goes.

I cannot tell you just how disappointed I am with the Californian electorate. Amending a state constitution to actually restrict in perpetuity the rights of a minority group is a step that I would expect more of our backward neighbors, such as Wisconsin and the Dakotas, than of a supposedly cosmopolitan place such as California. (Though, truth be told, I find such an amendment to be distressing no matter where it might exist; state constitutions are far better-used limiting the powers of government than the rights of individuals.)

Ultimately, of course, this issue comes down to the desire of the Christian majority in our nation to force their ideas of propriety upon us all (and to whine mightily about "oppression" if they can, on the rare occasion, not so compel us). There is no recognition of the difference between, nor proper separation of, church and state -- for, in their estimation, church and state should be separate only when it is someone else's church that is in question, not theirs.

Never mind that the civil institution of marriage is something that is entirely discrete from similar ceremonies undertaken at houses of worship. Never mind that churches would not be required to perform, nor recognize, gay unions. No, because of the codification of primitive, ancient fears and prejudices, they feel that it is their holy right, their duty not merely to run their churches as they see fit, but to coerce all of society in the same direction. To tell us that our gay and lesbian neighbors, friends, and family members are something less than full citizens of our nation, that they are not really "people" in the same sense that we straight folk are, that it is in some twisted sense moral to treat them differently under the law.

Just in the same perverted way that persons who were Native American or African American were once treated as something less than fully human.

I take solace in the fact that, seemingly, there is a generational shift in attitudes under way -- Americans who are younger than I are far less likely to oppose gay civil rights than those who are older. Time, it would seem, is on the side of those of us who believe in equality.

Still, it gnaws at me. For, as Doctor King observed, an "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." While justice for gays and lesbians may be only a matter of time, it can not come soon enough.

Election Reaction, Part Two

Okay, so, in an election-night conversation with my big sister, I was asked just what it was about Sarah Palin that torqued me off so badly. And my answer? That Palin, despite absolutely no knowledge of climatology, believes she understands the ideas behind global climate change better than do actual climatologists. That she sees the Bible not as a religious document, but rather as a biology text.

Does this make me a snob? Hell, yes, and proudly so.

I've previously commented upon the connection between big money interests and certain politicians' convenient "skepticism" concerning global climate change. As to the other subject:

Darwin's theory of natural selection (and, contrary to popular belief, he was not the man who came up with the idea of evolution; it was an observed reality long before he came upon the scene) is one of the world's great scientific ideas, at the very least on par with relativity, quantum mechanics and plate tectonics. It is the overarching theme that unites all of biological study. To deny it is as utterly ridiculous as to deny the existence of gravity or nuclear fusion, or to postulate that 1+1=29.

It was telling that, during the campaign, Palin decried the expenditure of public monies upon biological research involving, in her own words, "fruit flies, I kid you not, in Paris, France." The problem with said opposition? That academic work upon the Drosophila (remember that from high school biology, Governor?) genome has yielded major breakthroughs in autism research, for which Palin professes great support.

Were she paying attention, Sarah Palin might actually know that there has been extraordinary progress in the past decade in the fields of genetics and biochemistry, especially as they relate to evolutionary biology. That the deep connection between animals as different as fruit flies and humans is now more firmly elucidated than ever. That all living things are interrelated in ways more exquisitely beautiful than previously understood.

Instead, Governor Palin chooses ignorance, superstition and insularity.

That any candidate for public office might proudly (and successfully, in political terms) proclaim his or her illiteracy concerning an extraordinarily elegant scientific concept is a sad commentary upon a certain segment of the electorate.

You know who you are.

Election Reaction, Part One

Yes, I know, it's been a while since I've posted. In part, that is because I've been trying to soak it all in, to figure out just what has happened over the last two weeks. Here goes:

On election night, I held it together until I got back to my hotel room in Eau Claire; then, Barack Obama came onstage and delivered his first address as President-elect. I began weeping like a child.

Why did I cry? After all, I've previously seen plenty of other candidates -- ones I've fully supported -- successfully elected, yet never shed a single tear.

Certainly, there was the historic nature of the moment; after some of the horrible shit I've witnessed in my lifetime, I never dreamed that I would see an America in which a black man could be elected President. But, more than anything, it was the content of the speech: Barack Obama said, in a few minutes, so many of the things that I've been desperately hoping to hear from our President for the past 94 months. He plainly stated that our national difficulties are a collective matter, and that they would be overcome only through collective effort and sacrifice. He sought to unite Americans in common cause, not to divide us by race, by religiosity, by ideology. Barack Obama actually asked something of us, and, in so doing, treated us as though we are full and equal citizens of a free nation -- not merely consumers in service of an all-important economic machinery.

President-elect Obama has not yet assumed office. There are many problems that he, and we, face over the next four years. But by treating his fellow citizens like the adults they are (or should be) -- by appealing to the better angels of our natures -- he has already made a good start.

My Challenge To You

It's been a hard-fought election season, and tomorrow, November Fourth, it all comes to fruition. Obviously, if you read this blog at all, you know exactly whom I would prefer to win the Presidential race.

But, while it is easy to get caught up in partisanship, the basic truth is that we have far greater commonalities than we do differences, that there is much more that unites us than divides us. For we are all Americans.

I cannot pretend to have a crystal ball; I do not know who will win this election. But, no matter who wins, we face numerous challenges, both near- and long-term, as a nation. And we will have to face them together.

If Senator John McCain is elected tomorrow, if that is the will of the People, then he will be my President just as much he is the President of our nation's most stalwart Republican. And he will deserve the same loyalty that I would give a President Barack Obama, the same opportunity to make his case.

That is not to say that I will never disagree with the new President's actions, no matter whom is elected. But it will not be the result of "McCain Derangement Syndrome," nor "Obama Derangement Syndrome." It will be because I have a legitimate disagreement with his positions or policies -- just as it has been with the current Administration.

And I would expect nothing less of my fellow citizens. That is my challenge to you all.

Now get out and vote your conscience!

Desperation

So, this is a McCain acolyte making yet more unsubstantiated and insane charges against Senator Obama. Yet he can't quite bring himself to speak the words. What was he instructed to say? "Osama Bin Laden?"

The Obamamercial

I just watched the half-hour Obama campaign ad. Couldn't help but notice that there were no frantic allegations of John McCain being connected to terrorists, no ugly innuendo, no angry attacks. Instead, we saw a calm, thoughtful and well-reasoned case laid out as to why Senator Obama is the right choice as our next President.

Exactly the sort of well-thought-out argument that has been conspicuously absent from the Republican nominee's operations.

Decency. Reason. Steadiness. Exactly the reasons that I, in my absentee ballot, cast my vote for Barack Obama. I would urge you to do the same.

The Strange Case Of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio -- a.k.a. "Joe The Plumber" -- is illustrative of everything that is wrong with the presidential campaign of John McCain. Since last week's debate, Joe The Plumber has become a personal talisman, an emblem, for the Republican nominee concerning his economic religiosity (calling it a philosophy would infer far more thought than has actually been applied to the subject).

See, Joe Wurzelbacher confronted Barack Obama on the campaign trail, purportedly concerned about the Democrat's economic plan. “I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year,” he told Senator Obama, identifying himself as a plumber. “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?”

McCain seized upon one small sentence in Obama's answer -- "I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” -- as proof positive that Obama is out of touch with the entrepreneurial aspirations of the American people, that his proposed tax policy will hurt average Americans.

The only problem with McCain's assertions? They are based upon a lie. Or several.

Joe The Plumber, as it turns out, isn't actually a plumber. He has no plumbing license. He isn't about to buy the business for which he works; the fact that has a state tax lien upon his home makes that a practical impossibility. Even if he were to miraculously do so, the business doesn't make the amount he claimed; his employer reports that he is lucky to clear $120,000 annually (and if Joe were to purchase the business, he would probably clear less, considering the fact that he would have to employ an actual plumber). Wurzelbacher, in any conceivable reality, would be helped by Obama's tax plan. And it would seem that John McCain vetted Joe The Plumber about as well as he vetted Sarah The MILF.

Yet this is the perception of the Republican Party faithful: That "average Joes" somehow manage to make a quarter-million dollars a year without breaking a sweat (perhaps believing so because everyone that they know does). That it is somehow common or easy for a schlub making close to minimum wage to move into the highest marginal tax bracket (the economic statistics say otherwise). That the American Dream hasn't receded from the grasp of most Americans over the past 25 years of right-wing policies (again, the statistics say otherwise).

We live in a time when conservative pseudo-economics has held sway for over a quarter-century, when real wages continue falling for working people, when it becomes more and more likely that a working person will not have health insurance coverage, and when the disparity of wealth in America is at its highest point since 1929. We cannot afford to be duped by the fool's gold of the great right-wing lie.

Even when it is propounded by a previously-honorable man like John McCain.

My New Favorite Word

This post has been on the back burner a while (due to my preoccupation with electoral politics), so it's slightly dated. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Anyhoodles...

About the time that the film Tropic Thunder was released on August 13, protests broke out concerning a character's use of the word, "retard." It was a reflexive protest, divorced from any sense of context or appreciation of genre. Exactly the sort of thing that is associated in today's society with left-wing craziness.

But let me be absolutely clear: Nothing is more illiberal than political correctness. At its root, any attempt to control language is an attempt to control thought. In a free society, that is unacceptable.

To quote one of my favorite authors, Robert A. Heinlein:

"When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, 'This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know,' the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives."

In these times, there is much about the state of free speech that gives me pause. Just two examples: On one hand, hate-crime legislation that attempts to punish not one's actions, but one's purported thoughts as somehow divined by a jury; on the other, attempts to limit speech on private subscription services such as cable and satellite radio and TV, done in the name of decency.

Those on the far left and the far right seem to have only one thing in common: their desire to save me from myself.

And so, in honor of the Tropic Thunder protests, I have a new favorite word. That word is, "retard." As in, "Michael Phelps' latest interview makes me think he's a total retard."

Take that, thought police.

Off The Deep End

Lunatic fringe
I know you're out there
-from the song "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider

I was "lucky" enough to recently be exposed to the not-quite-sane philosophies of two lunatic fringers, from two wildly divergent points of view. It was an experience.

The conservative in question took the right's tendency toward self-righteousness to its illogical extreme, positing himself the sole arbiter of Good and Evil in the world (and you can guess which alternative he thought himself to be). He declared any disagreement (no matter how small) with any of President Bush's decisions (no matter how ill-fated) to be the result of BDS (that's Bush Derangement Syndrome) and thus invalid. And liberals? They all, every single one, hate America and want our troops dead.

The blind rage was astounding and frightening.

*****

The leftie wacko started out with an oldie but a goodie: George W. Bush is the real terrorist! Then came the inevitable follow-up: The 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by some combination of Bush, Cheney, the CIA, the NSA and the Mossad. And our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq? Well, it's all about oil, pipelines and the military-industrial complex, of course.

Again, mindless, blind rage.

*****

Nothing gonna stop them as the day follows the night
Right becomes wrong, the left becomes the right
-from the song "Ride Across The River" by Dire Straits

It certainly is easy to marginalize people of this sort, to simply tell them to don their tin-foil hats until the voices go away. But upon further reflection, I can't help but think: There, but for the grace of God, go I. It is doubtless that I have strong points of view, and that I can often get rather worked up about matters political. Is it really that great of a step from where I am to where they are?

Fortunately, I have my wife. She, when necessary, is more than capable of letting me know what a blowhard I can be, and is diligent in telling me when I'm full of shit. She is, as John Adams said of Abigail, "my ballast." Has been for over 23 years.

So, thank you, Barb. I love you. God knows how far off the deep end I'd be without you.

Separated At Birth?

Okay, okay, so Andrea Mitchell isn't quite as pasty-skinned as the Joker... and she isn't as flamboyantly dressed... but it's pretty damned close.

We Are Forced To Reap What You Have Sown

It was nice yesterday to briefly see the old John McCain, the one I used to like, the one I would've considered voting for. At Friday's town-hall-style rally in Lakeville, Minnesota, the Republican presidential nominee was forced to actually defend Barack Obama against an ugly mob that seemed about ready to form a lynching party (and doesn't that make me proud to be a Minnesotan!).

"He's a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues," McCain admonished his supporters in reference to Obama. "I admire Senator Obama. I want everyone to be respectful."

The mob's response? Boos and catcalls.

While I am happy that Senator McCain was willing to risk alienating his base in order to tamp the insanity down, this particular brand of madness is a direct result of the McCain campaign's actions over the past several weeks -- actions that seemed specifically designed to elicit just such a response.

Running mate Sarah Palin has been telling the GOP faithful that Obama sees America as "imperfect enough that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." During her introductions at these events, it has been common practice to emphasize that Obama's middle name is "Hussein" in order to underscore his supposed otherness.

McCain himself has made his disdain for Obama quite apparent at the two presidential debates, refusing to even look at the Democratic nominee and referring to Obama as "that one." He has attempted to stoke racial fears by calling Obama a "man of the streets." And he has remained tellingly silent at other events, during which supporters have called Obama "a terrorist" and screamed "kill him" and "off with his head."

So, while it is gratifying that you have finally decided to do the right thing, Senator McCain, I think it is more than fair to point out that your supporters have merely followed your lead. We are reaping what you have sown, and the end result is a further poisoning of the American political process.

McCain's Plans For Your Health Insurance

Interesting column by Paul Krugman today in the New York Times. It includes this rather disturbing recent quote from John McCain:

“Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.”

Doing for health care what we've done for the banking industry? Super. Sounds great.

And if you don't believe me (or Doctor Krugman) as to the veracity of this quote, you can read McCain's own words here, in the piece he wrote for Contingencies magazine.

The more rope fed the McCain/Palin ticket, it seems, the more eager they become to hang themselves.

Hilarity!

Take that, tree-hugging pussies.

A Film Worth Watching

Today I was able to finally watch the much-talked-about documentary, Taxi To The Dark Side. Not exactly the feel-good movie of the summer, it is nonetheless well worth seeing for any concerned and engaged denizen of this planet.

I know, I know: some people will call me an America-hating monster for ever letting such treasonous photons enter my eyeballs. I would beg to differ.

Certainly, it would be easy to blind myself to the harsh realities of this world. I would wish nothing more than to believe that the U.S. is an unadulterated force for good, that our actions are always true and righteous. But I am no longer eight years old; those fantasies have been left behind as surely as have my G.I. Joe figures.

The world is not a simple, easily-explained place, unless you are a mental midget. And Taxi To The Dark Side gives -- or should give -- all of us things to ponder about the nature of our nation's place in the world, about the disparity between our purported ideals and our realities, and about what has been inflicted upon the servicemen and servicewomen whom we ask to do our dirty work.

Veep Picks and Facial Tics

So, the big V.P. debate happened. Yippee. My impressions:

First of all, it seemed pretty much pro forma; nothing that was going to change any one's mind, one way or the other. Each candidate made a minor gaffe or two, and stuck to the predictable talking points.

*****

It says a great deal about the recent difficulties of Sarah Palin that her mediocre performance at this debate was hailed as a major triumph: At least she didn't have a Tina Fey-worthy moment! Never underestimate the power of lowered expectations.

*****

Do you think that, during debate prep, Palin was told to use the word "maverick" repeatedly? Good lord, she beat that word like a rented mule.

*****

Just how many of moderator Gwen Ifill's questions did Sarah Palin actually bother to answer? Certainly not too many; she was far more concerned with getting back to her prepared talking points.

*****

What was the deal with Palin's bizarre facial tic that has, quite charitably, been called a "wink?" She looked a bit like Diane Chambers of Cheers fame... Maybe this is a signal that Palin, too, needs to be "written out of the series?"

*****

Or maybe it was a signal to the far-right faithful that all this talk about reform and regulation is just talk. Wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Don't worry, oligarchs and plutocrats, once we're elected nothing will change. A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat.

*****

One of the minor irritants in this election season is Governor Palin -- she, of the seven-figure net worth; she, who owns an airplane; she, whose RNC jacket cost more than I take home in a month -- referring to herself as "Joe six-pack." The woman's down-home appeal is about as credible as a celebrity rehab stint.

*****

But the single most telling (and frightening) moment of the evening for me was Palin's assertion that Dick Cheney is right, that the role of the Vice President is somehow constitutionally malleable to fit whichever investigation or whatever oversight you're currently attempting to dodge. The Constitution, as well as over two centuries of tradition and practice, gives the V.P. a very narrow set of duties: essentially, breaking ties in the Senate and succeeding the President, should the need arise. That's it. We don't need another "Imperial Vice Presidency." Good grief.

Dubya's Stalker Strikes Again

Gosh, I sure am glad to be represented by that woman.

Mixed Signals

Seen at a towing company near New Hampton, Iowa...

Another Glimpse Into Republican Economic "Thought"

The travails of Wall Street, and subsequent massive Federal bailout, that dominated the week's news cycle bring to mind a couple of thoughts:

1. "Taxation and regulation are counterproductive and immoral." That's the mantra that has been chanted at us by supply-siders for the last quarter-century-plus, and it has come to dominate the economic debate (to such extent as it exists) in our electoral politics. With it comes the explicit assertion that, if we just leave the ultra-wealthy to their own devices, it'll bring shared prosperity to us all.

The past week's events have quite clearly and effectively refuted that argument.

2. "Government isn't the solution, it's the problem." So they tell us... Except, apparently, when government can be manipulated into rescuing plutocrats from their own foibles, at the expense of the rest of us.

That's the dirty little secret of modern Movement Conservatism. Despite the rhetorical nobility of its supposed belief system, it is really just a well-organized and well-funded attempt to undo the egalitarian gains of the New Deal -- to return wealth solely into the hands of those who truly deserve it.

That deeply-held, laissez-faire conviction of Conservatism is readily abandoned when it is inconvenient, thus exposing the sad reality: Conservatives actually believe in nothing, other than their own right to hold power, both economic and political, over others.

Thanks, SNL

Funny. Uncanny resemblance, too.

What This Election Is Really About

Son Number Two -- that'd be Tristan, for those of you scoring at home -- has been working at fundraising for the Obama campaign for the better part of a year. And damn near every time that I see him, he recounts another phone call in which he is berated for being a "nigger lover," or some other such ignorant and ridiculous statement.

It makes me despair for the state of the Union.

Since more than 80% of voters believe that the Republicans have our nation heading in the wrong direction, but the presidential polls are virtually a dead heat, what does that say about our nation's electorate?

All of you readers who so fervently (and so irrationally) oppose Senator Obama's candidacy: just think about the stereotypes, both overt and covert, with which you're being bombarded... and the types of persons with whom you're crawling in bed, politically.

With what type of person do you want to be aligned?

Sunday's Quick Hits

My Minnesota Golden Gophers are 3-0 after beating the mighty Montana State Bobcats yesterday. Can you say, "Rose Bowl?" (Irony alert.) Rose Bowl, baby!

*****

It was quite amusing this week to hear Sarah Palin tout her foreign-policy credentials to ABC's Charlie Gibson: Gee whiz, you can actually see Russia from some places in Alaska! By that "logic," my coworker, Keith, who travels up to within a couple miles of the Canadian border on his weekly route, is eminently qualified to be Secretary of State.

*****

Also amusing was the reaction of the right-wing punditry to Palin's incoherence concerning The Bush Doctrine: "Why, 90% of Americans don't know what that doctrine is!" True enough. But what ever happened to the idea that we're supposed to be electing people who are actually more capable and better-informed than the average Joe? (And, since an ignorant truck driver like me knows what The Bush Doctrine is, I think it's fair to expect, at the very least, the same level of knowledge from a vice presidential nominee.)

*****

Does the McCain campaign believe that, if you repeat a lie (Palin "stopping the bridge to nowhere") endlessly, then it becomes true? Are they counting on the Liberty Valance Effect?

More importantly, is the American electorate stupid enough to believe it? I keep saying it, but only because it's true: If you continue to vote for this shit, then you get exactly what you deserve. (I just wish you wouldn't keep inflicting it upon those of us who are actually paying attention.)

Give Me That Old-Time Religion

I have a weakness that I must confess to you: During my travels about the countryside, I love occasionally listening to religious radio. I find it entertaining and downright hilarious! Whether it's James Dobson advising a wife that she should sex her husband up whenever he demands it, or Jimmy Swaggart verbally tiptoeing around his... er... working girl incident, or the self-righteous pronouncements of any of dozens more holy hucksters, it's always good for a laugh.

But there is a disturbing thing that I have noticed over the years: Even though these people call themselves "Christians," they really don't give much of a damn about Jesus.

Oh, sure, there are plenty of references to "Christ, crucified," but the things that Jesus is supposed to have actually said and done while he was here, in the flesh, on planet Earth, are routinely ignored. There's just not much reference to Matthew, Mark, Luke nor John; instead these folks are overwhelmingly consumed by a love for the writings of Paul - a guy who didn't even meet the historical Jesus. They ought to call themselves "Paulians" rather than "Christians."

Jesus the man? He was too concerned with ideas like social justice and forgiveness and turning the other cheek (the man dined with tax collectors, for the love of God!). I mean, jeez, that sort of thing takes introspection and hard work! Paul, on the other hand, was far more into being a self-serving moralistic prig -- just the kind of red meat that Evangelicals can really sink their teeth into. No, for them, Jesus is much more safely experienced through the amorphous ambiguity of the Holy Spirit, where he can be reduced to a cypher, a symbol, and then ignored when he is inconvenient.

I've watched the growth of this sort of "Christianity" (and the slow dwindling of older, more dignified churches) over the course of my life, and have come to believe that this phenomenon is strongly tied to demographic trends; I see it as a natural outgrowth of the narcissism of the Baby Boom generation. Churches are now something that I shop for to find the "right" one for me. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior.

And to hell with everyone else (just ask the fans of the "Left Behind" series). Even Jesus, the man.

Why Does John McCain Piss Me Off So Much?

...It's a question I ask myself. What is it about his candidacy that makes me see red?

I guess that it's really about disappointment. A year ago, I could easily have seen myself voting for John McCain. He is, after all, a genuine American war hero; he's a very likable public figure, capable of rare self-deprecation; he had shown an ability to learn from his own mistakes (can you say "Keating Five?") by co-authoring campaign reform legislation; he had refused to pander to the crazy religious right, correctly calling them "agents of intolerance;" he had been more pragmatic than doctrinaire on numerous policy positions, including climate change and progressive taxation.

But, in the last year, much about John McCain has changed for the worse; the man has turned against much of what made him worth believing in. He started taking his economic outlook from the Republican orthodoxy (in the persons of Phil Gramm, et al) rather than from Main Street; he began kowtowing to the likes of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and James Dobson; he abandoned policy for personality, honesty for obfuscation, straight talk for double talk.

As a proud independent, I have been let down by the Senator. Look, I understand the reality that he had to win the Republican nomination, and honesty doesn't fit into that equation. But these seemingly endless inconsistencies make me wonder if John McCain has any beliefs at all.

And that's something I can't waste a precious vote upon.

She Will Destroy Us All

No, not Britney Spears, nor Paris Hilton, nor Kim Kardashian, nor even Sarah Palin. She's the Kinetico girl... and I see her damned image everywhere:

I must admit, she freaks me out. Part of it, I suppose, is the fact that she's a prepubescent girl, all dolled up, JonBenet-style. The creepiness factor is through the roof.

But there's more to it. Look into her eyes. Really look. They are pools of inky darkness. She is Damien's little sister, and she is here to devour my soul.

An empty, formless void looms.

The MILF Speaks! Republicans Hear What They Want To.

Listening to Sarah Palin speak Wednesday night at the RNC, I couldn't help but be unimpressed. Her speech said essentially nothing, and certainly nothing new; it was just the same old cultural warfare, decrying us "elites" who believe in crazy notions like evolution and gravity. A couple of convenient lies, some snarkiness, but no substance. No policy. Nothing.

Others, though, seemed much more impressed. In part, this is probably because I always listen to speeches, rather than watch them; I do not wish to be distracted by empty images when I could actually be hearing the words. So, while most people were immersing themselves in Palin's warm MILFiness (and, doubtless, seeing the TV cut to adoring looks from the party faithful), I was left with her tired phrases, delivered in that high-pitched, nasal Alaskan whine.

But there is more to it than just imagery. In post-speech interviews, party delegates were utterly, over-the-top effusive in their praise, some even calling her the next Ronald Reagan. So why this wide gap between my perceptions and theirs? The answer, I feel, lies in what Sarah Palin is not.

You see, each of John McCain's other potential running mates was, to a greater or lesser degree, more of a known commodity. And each had some potential difficulty looming with one or another of the GOP's core factions. Palin, by contrast, is not burdened with much of a national reputation. She is a blank canvas upon which Republicans of every stripe can project all of their fondest hopes and dreams. And that is just what they're doing.

Now, in order to be elected, all McCain and Palin need to do is keep us (and especially the press) distracted for the next two months with red herrings -- you know, stuff like endless discussions of pregnant teenage daughters -- and we'll never have to think about pesky things like her record, nor who she really is.

Identity Politics Or Bust!

One need not wonder what John McCain was thinking when he named MILF Sarah Palin as his running mate. It is as utterly transparent as it is insulting.

In the aftermath of Joe Biden's announcement as the Democratic vice presidential candidate, it was mildly amusing to watch members of the right-wing media feign sympathy for the plight of poor, poor Hillary Clinton. After nearly two decades of using her as one of their favorite punching bags, did they now truly feel that Senator Clinton had been unfairly slighted? I think that both you and I know the answer to that question.

And now, with the choice of Palin, we see what all those distributed talking points were leading up to: The GOP believes that cranky, stridently Clinton-supporting PUMAs* will now flock to the Republican ticket because, like Hillary, Alaska's first-term governor happens to have a vagina. That is, apparently, all it takes -- never mind the fact that Palin has roughly the same worldview as Strom Thurmond.

Once, not long ago, John McCain didn't believe in pandering to identity politics. But how quickly things change. I sincerely hope that those who are targets of McCain's cynical maneuverings still have enough of their wits about them to know when they are being treated like idiots -- and to be appropriately angry.



*PUMA = Party Unity, My Ass

Connections

Yesterday, while in central Iowa, I caught part of Rush Lamebrain's show. And, from what was said, it seems that Barack Obama is a lying monster, bent on destroying our liberties, on creating a totalitarian regime right here in America.

At least that's what the hillbilly-heroin addict would have us all believe.

This is what much of the national political debate has devolved into. These whack jobs can't merely express the idea that they have some disagreements with Obama's policy; instead, they must demonize the man, turn him into something other than human.

*****

In other news, three different drug-addled morons were arrested Sunday in Colorado after making racially-tinged threats toward Obama. The idiots in question were equipped with scoped rifles, walkie-talkies and a bulletproof vest.

*****

Whether or not there is a connection between members of the right-wing hate machine and those who wish to turn their bile into action will be left as an exercise for the reader.

What I Believe

I know, I know, I spend a good deal of time on this blog writing about just a few of the Right's many misdeeds. And that will certainly inform you of the things that I am against. But I realized this weekend that it is just as important, if not more so, to make an affirmative statement of the things that I do believe in. Thus, today's post:

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Ultimately, what does it mean to be a liberal? To me, at its most basic level, it is a philosophical disposition toward social justice. I believe in the proposition that our society should provide opportunity for all of its citizens, not merely the wealthy, white and well-connected, that success should be much more a function of individual achievement than the circumstance of one's birth.

Furthermore, I believe that government has a positive role to play in creating such an egalitarian society. Historically, it is not the "default mode" of unrestrained capitalism to create the sort of society in which most people want to live; instead, it usually produces a world of vast inequality and crass, shameless plutocracy -- the type of world into which American society is now backsliding. The exception, of course, is during the period in which the reforms of the New Deal held sway. Government action, it seems, is the only way to blunt the excesses of the market. I take great inspiration from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's assertion that "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

I believe in the necessity of a social safety net -- not a system of handouts that create dependency, but a helping hand that gets families through hard times, creates opportunities for upward mobility, and safeguards citizens in their twilight years.

I believe in the power of the free market.

I believe in the power of regulation, law, and social mores to properly restrain that market. Corporations are neither inherently evil (as many on the left would say) nor inherently good (as many on the right assert); they are utterly amoral entities that exist solely to produce profit. Corporate behavior that benefits the social good is assured only when bad acts result in monetary loss.

I believe in substantive health care reform. Of developed nations, the United States currently spends the most health care dollars per capita, with the worst statistical results and the highest percentage of uninsured individuals. We can, and must, do better.

I believe in the Constitution of the United States -- not as the static document that the Textualists and Strict Constructionists would have us believe (thus rendering it a museum piece from our agrarian past), but as a living document that speaks directly to this post-industrial age.

I believe in the strict separation of church and state. Government has no business either promoting or discouraging any particular supernatural belief system, nor the practice thereof. The First Amendment's "Establishment Clause" is clear on this issue, and remains as relevant today as it was 217 years ago (if not more so).

I believe in fiscal responsibility. It is imperative that government start spending within its means and that our national debt be paid down. The ephemeral pleasure of today's tax cuts does not justify the massive liability that we are passing on to future generations.

I believe in active and strong government oversight. Tax dollars must be seen as a precious resource to be used as effectively and sparingly as possible while still accomplishing those tasks deemed necessary.

I believe in tax code simplification and reform, with new classifications aimed at encouraging small business growth.

I believe that elections must be decoupled from money if we are to save American democracy. In an egalitarian society, the expenditure of currency is not synonymous with free speech, and until the courts are forced (through legislation or Constitutional amendment) to recognize that fact, our nation will remain a place where "the loudest live to trample on the least," to quote Don Henley.

I believe that all children have a right to a sound public education that will prepare them for the rigors of citizenship and the challenges of our globalized economy.

I believe that, unlike now, all U.S. citizens should have a Constitutionally defined right to vote.

I believe in full citizenship and equal treatment under the law for all Americans, regardless of race, religion, age, gender or sexual orientation.

I believe in a military that is strong, efficient, well-trained, well-equipped, and used only when absolutely necessary. The young men and women who serve our country are our dearest asset; they should not be placed in harm's way haphazardly, nor should they be discarded and forgotten when their service is done.

I believe in a foreign policy that is consistent, reasoned, humble, generous, and grounded in reality.

I believe in the sanctity of human life -- not merely those not yet born, but all human life. Far too many of those who call themselves "Pro-Life" nonetheless believe that it should be open season upon the poor, the weak, and the disenfranchised once they leave the uterus.

Lastly, I believe in reasoned debate - the idea that reasonable people can respectfully disagree without questioning each other's patriotism.

Hillary Revisited

This is what I heard yesterday on the radio:

"Our philosophy, whenever we publish a book, is that there will be ten to maybe a hundred times as many people who hear about the book, compared to the number of people who actually go out and buy the book."

"Our approach and our goal is always to make sure that we use a book as a platform for an author to get out his or her message. And, by getting out that message on the media, whether it's TV or radio or print or electronic media, um, I think that gives us a sort of multiplier effect on whatever the message of the book is."

Those quotes come directly from Marji Ross, President and Publisher of Regnery Publishing, the house that gave us such hatchet jobs as Unfit For Command and The Case Against Barack Obama. If you don't believe me, you can listen to her speak those words here.

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In the news: Jerome Corsi, coauthor of Unfit For Command, has recently released a new tome, entitled The Obama Nation, that attacks Barack Obama, in part by citing Corsi's own previous works as well as unsubstantiated right-wing blog posts. The Obama Nation has risen to the top of The New York Times Best Seller List, thanks in large part to bulk sales to right-wing groups that wish to draw attention to the book. The dubious work has been dutifully shilled by the Right's many media outlets.

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From June, 2006: The investigation into the misdeeds of right-wing lobbyist Jack Abramoff shows that conservative think tanks, including Americans For Tax Reform and The National Center for Public Policy Research, helped Abramoff launder his dirty money.

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From January, 2007: Republican Senator Rick Santorum, immediately upon leaving office (after suffering defeat in his 2006 re-election bid), joins the right-wing Ethics and Public Policy Center.


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From October, 2005: Longtime Republican Bruce Bartlett was fired from his position at the conservative think tank, The National Center For Policy Analysis, after daring to criticize George W. Bush in book form, thus showing that no dissension can be allowed in the ranks of Movement Conservatives.

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Fact is, I could go on all day, posting citations that show the interconnectedness of Movement Conservatism's many organs, the rewards that await those who faithfully serve the movement, and the disciplinary actions that will be taken against those who fall off the wagon. But those already cited serve well enough to illustrate my point: Hillary Clinton was right.

Since the then-First Lady talked about a "vast right-wing conspiracy" in 1998, she has been routinely dismissed and ridiculed, but the realities of American politics are impossible to wish away. (Believe me, I tried to discount the idea as mere paranoia, but, ultimately, the links become too obvious to ignore.)

It starts with huge moneyed interests, such as the Koch, Bradley, Olin, and Scaife foundations (to name just a few). That money supports the rest of the movement:

• The conservative think tanks, including The American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, The Cato Institute, etc.
• The magazines of the right-wing intelligentsia: The American Spectator, National Review, The Weekly Standard, et al.
• Daily rightist newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times (which is controlled by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon; in the most enjoyable of ironies, the Christian Right is joined to such apostates as the Moonies!).
• Rightist publishers such as Regnery, cited above.
• Electronic media outlets like The Drudge Report, Fox Noise and the Excrement In Broadcasting Network.
• The plethora of crazy fundamentalist churches across the nation that ignore the IRS' rules about involvement in electoral politics.
• And, of course, the Republican Party itself.

This is the massive network that uses its clout to manipulate many of you into voting for a movement that will do nothing to assuage your numerous cultural anxieties, but will ensure that your children are worse off than you economically. And this is what Movement Conservatism is all about.

I've said it before: If this is what you continue to vote for, it is exactly what you deserve.

The Politics Of Conflation

Yesterday, John Edwards finally admitted the truth of a story that had been percolating just under the political surface for several months: He had an extramarital affair in 2006. About the mindset that led to his affair, Edwards stated, in part, "...I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic."

Needless to say, John Edwards' political future is now nonexistent.

This is regrettable. Regrettable because Edwards was one of the few candidates actually talking about the vast economic disparities in our nation. Because of the public embarrassment that has been visited upon his already-suffering family. And because we will now see the inevitable Republican tactic in response: The conflation of the message with the messenger.

You see, the GOP would have us all believe that, because John Edwards is human, then the issues that he champions must be bogus. That, since Edwards schtupped a videographer, then people can be convinced that there is no truth to the actual statistics showing the divergence of outcomes between those who must work their way out of the economic hole into which they were born, and those who were born at the top of society's mountain.

Just look at the amount of time and energy that the Right still spends heaping scorn and ridicule upon Al Gore; if Gore can be made to look foolish, then it casts doubt upon the idea of global warming, climatological data be damned. And the ultra-wealthy, for whom the political right works, can then continue reaping the short-term economic rewards of fossil-fuel use.

Yet another illustration is last week's orchestrated ridicule of Barack Obama. You see, Obama made the mistake of stating the simple fact that basic conservation measures, such as all Americans driving cars that have properly-inflated tires and properly-tuned engines, would save us far more oil than offshore drilling could provide. But the Right used its media might to turn reality upside-down, and no one seemed to question the fact that they were, essentially, telling us that it would be a good idea for each of us to under-inflate our tires and cut a couple of spark plug wires.

That is just how stupid the Republicans and their media shills believe us to be. If we continue to vote for the idiot with whom we'd rather have a beer (or, in Dubya's case, snort a line), then a continuation of the current state of governmental incompetence is exactly what we deserve.

Prostitution And The Presidency

So... Yesterday I was crossing the wilds of South Dakota and listening to SDPR when a local report came on, detailing the excitement of John McCain's appearance at the Buffalo Chip Campground during the Sturgis rally. The featured audio clip included a befuddled McCain explaining that he had tried to talk his wife, Cindy, into entering the Miss Buffalo Chip pageant. Hmmm.

As a former resident of the Black Hills area, and as the husband of someone who worked security at the Buffalo Chip, I have some familiarity with the Miss Buffalo Chip pageant. And let's just say that what happens during the contest is something other than Jesus-lovin', GOP-sanctioned fun for the whole family (unless you happen to be David Vitter.) Just the type of stuff you might expect from a biker rally.

Which brings up a couple of thoughts.

1. Eeewwwww! About the last thing that I want to see is that hag (with all her cosmetic-surgery scars) in various states of undress.
2. Wow, John McCain feels so desperate now that he will do pretty much anything to get elected. Even serve as his own wife's pimp.

Yikes.

Rethinking The Hillbilly Gunslinger

The whole, never-ending Brett Favre saga that has unfolded over the past six months has been simultaneously gripping and tiresome, evoking equal parts fascination and nausea. But, I must say, recent events in this drama have certainly made me rethink my position on Ol' Number Four.

Previously, my view of Favre was that he was a singularly talented, but none-too-bright, drug-addicted hick with little respect for the integrity of the game (as witnessed by his record-breaking flop for Michael Strahan). But now, after acting like an utter jackass for the better part of a month, he has somehow managed to maneuver the Packers organization into:

• A) Offering him twenty million dollars, spread out over the next ten years, to remain retired.
• B) Looking like the bad guys in this surreal little scenario by making said offer.

Essentially, the Packers told him publicly: We don't really want you anymore, but we don't want anyone else to have you, either. (Jeez, most guys only hear that sentiment from their wives!)

What can I say? Except, "Bravo, Mister Favre! True genius!" Now, if only I can find a way to finagle some unsuspecting corporate entity into tendering me the same deal...

But there is still a way for Favre to snatch defeat from the jaws of public-relations victory. He is said to currently be considering Green Bay's offer; if he were to accept it, it would further cement his image as a vicodin-addled boob with no respect for the game.

Of course, he'd still be getting $20,000,000.00 for doing nothing. Bastard.

Panderers To The Left Of Me! Panderers To The Right!

Perhaps you've heard: Oil and gasoline prices are rather high. And no one really has a way to change that fact. Fortunately, though, our political class does have a method by which they hope to make me feel better about it: Pandering.

On the left, the Democratic congressional majority, in recent months, brought oil company executives before them for an utterly unilluminating inquisition. In an attempt to provide the illusion of doing something, both the House and Senate used those hapless execs, and the "evil corporations" they head, as verbal punching bags for a couple of days in the spring. And the end result? Nothing.

On the right, our Republican friends in congress have recently given us a new slogan: "Find more. Use less." In other words, drill and conserve. For people who supposedly cherish the "magic of the market," the GOP seems to have absolutely no grasp of market economics. Reduce demand? Sure. Makes sense. Unfortunately, though, the decreasing prices that would result from increased supply would, logically, serve as a perverse incentive against that goal.

Even The Decider, moron that he is, has likened our thirst for oil to the jones of an addict. So are Republicans telling us that the best way to wean a junkie off heroin is to supply him with even more heroin, at a cheaper price?

And candidate McCain's take on the high price of fuel? In a new campaign ad, he tells us that it's all Barack Obama's fault. (Wow! Obama has that kind of power? We'd better elect him President; if he gets pissed at us, there's no telling what kind of havoc he might wreak!)

I'm tired of being pandered to, from left, right and center. So why don't you all just shut up, go about the real business of governing, and stop the empty theatrics? And stop treating me like an idiot!

"Lighten Up, Francis."

Recently had a little paintball excursion with some of the boys from work -- my first such foray into that activity. It was, I must say, a great deal of fun. And, appropriately, that was the focus of it: fun.

I did have the misfortune of witnessing a few members of other parties on that lovely June morning, persons who took themselves far too seriously. Like they were freakin' G.I. Joe or somethin', for the love of Pete! Like they thought they were the Patton of the North Woods.

Tell you what, Billy Bo Bob Badass: If you really take it all that seriously and have such delusions of grandeur, there is a great place that you might want to check into; it's called the United States Army. I'm sure that they'd be glad to have you.

Otherwise, in the immortal words of Sargeant Hulka in Stripes: "Lighten up, Francis."

A Glimpse Into Republican Economic "Thought"

In the news: Top McCain economic advisor Phil Gramm has bestowed his "wisdom" upon us concerning the U.S. economy. The former Republican Senator and financial services lobbyist believes that our economic problems are all in our collective head, that we are a nation of whiners, that it's just a "mental recession."

Really, Mister Gramm? That makes me feel so much better!

The rising cost of food at the local grocery store? The falling sales of the company for which I work, and the corresponding cutbacks? The inflation of energy costs, both at the gas pump and the electric meter? Thank God, they're all hallucinations!

Or maybe there is a better, more rational explanation. Maybe Phil Gramm, like so many Republicans, lives in a flimsily-built, inside-the-beltway fantasy world, insulated from the hard realities of life by some combination of material wealth and irrationalism.

In a perfect world, some unemployed Rust Belt everyman would meet Gramm in a dark alley and beat the living piss out of him, with the same lack of mercy that he and his ilk have shown those of us who work for a living. Then we could assure him that the pains from his many contusions and broken bones, the blood issuing from his orifices, were merely figments of his imagination.

But I digress.

Ultimately, this kerfuffle merely serves to illustrate why we cannot afford a President John McCain. McCain himself has admitted that he knows little about economics (as an aside, one has to wonder why Johnny Boy, during 25-plus years in Congress, never bothered to learn much about the subject), and it shows: He has, in his campaign, simply fallen back on the standard Republican economic orthodoxy, leaning on the likes of Gramm for poor economic advice.

We are on the verge of a second Gilded Age. And this time, in this time of unreason, in this New Corporate Age, we cannot count upon a second Progressive Movement to save us from it.

What Is A Sport?

Random thought of the day...

How does one define what is a sport, and what is not? This is the question that momentarily passed through my addled mind today. (As has been famously said about pornography, I'm not sure that I can define it, but I know it when I see it.)

To me, I guess, a sport involves the following:
A) A ball, puck, or other such object.
B) A goal over or through which either the ball/puck or a player must pass.
C) Esoteric rules that limit one's ability to reach that goal.
D) Other players trying to stop you from reaching that goal.
E) Scores kept of how many times that goal is reached.

So, using that definition, what activities can be considered sports? Well, there are the obvious ones:

1. Football (including Canadian, Arena and Australian Rules)
2. Basketball
3. Baseball (and its bastard children, Softball and Kickball)
4. Hockey
5. Lacrosse
6. Polo (and, by extension, Water Polo)
7. Cricket (Baseball's crazy cousin)
8. Rugby (Football's retarded cousin)

Then there are a couple of them that just barely make it:

9. Tennis (real and Table)
10. Soccer (because it's so damned boring)

And that's all I can think of. Anything else in the sporting world just seems more like an activity that involves, to a greater or lesser degree, some athletic ability. Golf? No defenders. Boxing? Wrestling? Not unless acting is also a sport. Nascar? No ball or puck, just rednecks turning left.

Any other suggestions out there?

Ooh, me so patriotic! Me liberate you long time!

The Age Of Corporate Pseudo-Rebellion Is Upon Us!

So, here I am, watching my beloved Twins in a tight game with the Red Sox (by the way, Delmon Young, if you're reading this, they are deliberately trying to get you to chase that first pitch that's out of the strike zone!), and on the ESPN hype machine comes an advertisement for the X Games. This commercial features a supposedly-evil, yet supposedly-status-quo, antagonist, decrying some X-Gaming douchebag named Brian Deegan. Apparently, Deegan is a motocross rebel who must be stopped if society is to survive!

Okay, so let's momentarily forget the fact that Brian Deegan is appearing in a commercial on a massive corporate entity like ESPN. Let's just examine the fact that Deegan makes his living by riding a little motorcycle and doing stunts. What does this tell us? It tells us that Mommy and Daddy Deegan made lots and lots of money, affording little Brian the opportunity (and health insurance) to, essentially, masturbate his life away. And that little Brian was more than happy to suckle at that teat until he found suckers stoned or stupid enough to watch him do his little tricks.

Sadly, this is what passes for "rebellion" in the New Corporate Age: "I'll be a secondary corporate whore until I have the chance to be a primary corporate whore."

'Nuff said.

Go Twins!

Quick Pix On A Sunday Morning

Babies are awesome!

Here are a couple of photos from last week's family get-together: My lovely granddaughter Bailey ignoring the "Do Not Feed The Animals" sign, and my great niece Maura raising her arm in triumph. Have a great Sunday!

Top 35 Albums Of The Last 25 Years - The REAL List

Okay, so Entertainment Weekly has released their "new classics" of the last twenty-five years. And, as usual, they hosed it up royally. For supposed arbiters of taste, they have so little taste! I mean, Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Shania Twain were in the top 25 albums, for the love of God!

So, without further ado, here are the actual top 35 albums of the last 25 years, from 35 to 1:


35 - The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem, 2000
34 - Surfacing, Sarah McLachlan, 1997
33 - When It Falls, Zero 7, 2004
32 - Janet, Janet Jackson, 1994
31 - …Nothing Like The Sun, Sting, 1987
30 - Regulate… G Funk Era, Warren G, 1994
29 - The End Of The Innocence, Don Henley, 1989
28 - Come On, Come On, Mary Chapin Carpenter, 1992
27 - Diesel And Dust, Midnight Oil, 1987
26 - Oh Mercy, Bob Dylan, 1989
25 - Spike, Elvis Costello, 1989
24 - Crowded House, Crowded House, 1986
23 - Tunnel Of Love, Bruce Springsteen, 1987
22 - Mama Said Knock You Out, LL Cool J, 1990
21 - Green, R.E.M., 1988
20 - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill, 1998
19 - Stunt, Barenaked Ladies, 1998
18 - Faith, George Michael, 1987
17 - (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis, 1995
16 - The Joshua Tree, U2, 1987
15 - Time’s Up, Living Colour, 1990
14 - 3 Feet High And Rising, De La Soul, 1989
13 - Together Alone, Crowded House, 1993
12 - So, Peter Gabriel, 1986
11 - August And Everything After, Counting Crows, 1993
10 - Purple Rain, Prince and the Revolution, 1984
9 - Graceland, Paul Simon, 1986
8 - OK Computer, Radiohead, 1997
7 - Automatic For The People, R.E.M., 1992
6 - Ten, Pearl Jam, 1991
5 - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Public Enemy, 1998
4 - Sign O’ The Times, Prince, 1987
3 - Try Whistling This, Neil Finn, 1998
2 - Exile In Guyville, Liz Phair, 1993

...and the number one album of the last 25 years:

1 - Nevermind, Nirvana, 1991

Longing For A Cuba That Wasn't

Now that the presidential general election has arrived (in a de facto sense, at least), American eyes again turn toward that mightiest of swing states, Florida. And the saber-rattling toward Castro's Cuba is sure to ratchet upward.

For many South Floridians of Cuban descent, this is a sacred political cow. And understandably so; those who were pushed from their privileged status by Fidel Castro's revolution, as well as their progeny, can reasonably be expected to harbor animosity toward the current Cuban regime.

But why must this parochial concern be a fulcrum of U.S. presidential politics? Because of the vagaries of our electoral process, of course, in which small constituencies in key states often take on far greater significance than they otherwise would (or should) be accorded. And because conservatives in this country have seized upon this narrow issue (along with the four Gs*) as part of their divide-and-conquer strategy.

(*The four Gs, if you're wondering, are: God, Gays, Guns and Gynecology.)

So we get conservative pundits and politicians talking about the good old days in Cuba, and about how those days must be returned. About the necessity of maintaining our Cuban embargo as long as a Castro is in charge. (And this despite our current engagement with such characters as Pervez Musharraf, Hosni Mubarak, Hu Jintao, King Abdullah, and the list goes on...)

All of this in the name of a lie.

See, if you're not familiar with Cuban life under Fulgencio Batista, Castro's predecessor, then do a little research; it was not a pretty thing. In Batista's Cuba, poverty and illiteracy were rampant, especially among the nonwhite population. Health care was of third-world quality. The disparity of wealth distribution was obscene. Violent political repression was commonplace. The island was a haven for Mafia kingpins and drug runners. And it was all done with the active support of the U.S. government and American corporations. (Gosh, why would Castro have any hostility toward us?)

And so, the next time some Republican scumbag tries to lecture you about the impossibility of engagement with Castro's Cuba, just remember: They are selling you a vision of a Cuba that never was.

"All Men Are Created Equal," Wrote A Slave Owner

There was an interesting discussion Wednesday on NPR's Talk Of The Nation, looking at the African-American experience and its effects upon black views of patriotism. This conversation was spurred by Michelle Obama's comments earlier this year concerning her feelings about her country, and the negative (and often over-the-top and oblivious) reaction to those comments.

In the end, of course, this is about the great elephant in the American living room: Our inability, even now, to reasonably reconcile the nation's racial history with what we'd like to believe about ourselves. An awfully large number of the white folk that I know want nothing more than to believe that it's all in the past, that the page has turned and we have entered into a "post-racial" era. That that was then, this is now, and nothing more need be said.

But pretending that there is no problem is not the same thing as finding some solution to the problem -- and there clearly is still a problem, judging by black poverty and incarceration statistics, among many other things.

And so Wednesday I found myself driving across Northeastern Iowa, listening to this thoughtful discussion, thinking very soberly about race in America, and occasionally wiping tears from the corners of my eyes. And, most of all, wondering what I can do. In the end, after all, I'm just an ordinary guy, without power or position.

Compounding my feeling of helplessness is my own family history. My father's family, according to my wife's genealogical efforts, appears to have lived in the antebellum South (though it's unclear whether it was in any way connected to slave ownership or trade), and I am told that my paternal grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. How does one even begin to make up for such a background?

I decided, trite though it may seem, that one can merely do what one can do. I cannot change the past. But I can change my own reality here in the present, in the hope that it will positively impact the future. I can work to improve myself, to recognize and eradicate the small prejudices that I might still harbor. I can continue trying to raise my children to see persons for who they are, not what they are. I can have the courage speak up when I see injustice, and to confront those who are unenlightened or cynical enough to use race divisively. I can support policies and politicians that work toward a more just society.

And, perhaps most importantly (and most difficult in these times), I can keep my faith. I can believe that we, as a nation, will continue to move forward, toward the society that we want to be. That I want us to be. That we can be, if we dare.