Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Drive-by Post
Colt McCoy's early endorsements:
http://www.your-arcade.com/games/10002/colt-mccommercial.html#play
http://www.your-arcade.com/games/10002/colt-mccommercial.html#play
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Time on our side
Here is a graph I found on Andrew Sullivan's blog. As you can see, the % of Republican voters is getting older and older. This is because the whole strategy of emphasizing God, gays, and guns that won the Republicans the last two presidential elections really is a turn off to young people. Young people do not care about moral values. We do not care if "One Nation Under God" is on our currency, this is not 1950. Old people view gays as sinners and a threat to the moral fabric of society. Young people view gays as people, and the only beef we have with them is the programming on the Bravo! channel. Old people are stuck in the cold war and think that there are great powers mobilizing against our nation. Young people see that our enemies are scattered nutjobs who live in caves, and that most of our national security problems can be solved by throwing around our economic and diplomatic clout around. Would the apocalypse happen if Iran got nuclear weapons? It wouldn't be good, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
I saw this on cnn.com today. There is no way this can be true. I know Sarah Palin is less intelligent than everyone who reads this blog, and probably less qualified to be President of the United States, but she thought Africa was a country? I mean Dad is smart and he seriously considered (if he did not actually do so) vote for this ticket.
I saw this on cnn.com today. There is no way this can be true. I know Sarah Palin is less intelligent than everyone who reads this blog, and probably less qualified to be President of the United States, but she thought Africa was a country? I mean Dad is smart and he seriously considered (if he did not actually do so) vote for this ticket.
A Bittersweet Election
Ahh, the campaign is over. The presidential campaign reminds me of Lost. They have fun new characters, the threat of explosions, addictive catch phrases, and mysterious polar bears. Both are fun for a while, then it gets old and boring - like the actual job of the President, or stark reality of being stranded on an island. There will be moments, oh yes. They'll find a hatch, a Supreme Court justice will die - and I'll tune back in for a modicum of excitement. It will soon be over and I'll go back to taking away homes from poor people.
While Obama's victory made me proud of America, I was saddened at the passage of Proposition 8 in California. I admit, I wanted the discriminatory and hateful constitutional amendment to fail. But this bitter taste in my mouth is not from the closed-mindedness of the older generation or the ironical bigotry of the African-American community.
The legal system cannot be expected to force marriage equality on an unwilling majority. One lesson of law school is that the Supreme Court and all courts underneath have no real power. They can't enforce their judgments or opinions. A judge can see anything he wants, but if the people and institutions do not believe it, it will fail to implement. Timing is everything. And while reason may be on our side, we have simply not made our case to the majority of Americans.
It is our responsibility to stand up in our communities, our workplaces, our churches and demonstrate that love does not know gender. Marriage equality needs to happen now. But it will not, and should not, be forced down our throats by the courts. It is our duty, our responsibility, to make the case.
It is too easy to cover. We all do it. We downplay disfavored traits to blend into the mainstream. We downplay our religious beliefs so as not to appear preachy. Women downplay their gender to "act like a man" when the situation, or the mainstream, expects it. Gays cover their sexuality at work so that their bosses see their work for what it is, in new social settings so as not to ostracize a new acquaintance and in public so as to call to the attention of others our affection. Everytime we introduce our loved one as a friend or a roommate, we cover.
African-Americans did not have the privilege to "cover" their disfavored trait. They were forced to stand up for equality. We have to choose. It's a choice we have to make everyday. I brag that I've never encountered someone who explicitly ridiculed me for being gay or shunned me for my sexuality. But should I be bragging? Or should I realize I am just good at keeping quiet?
If we do not make our case, we will never achieve true equality. We must meet the older generation - our grandparents, our bosses, our neighbors, our churches - head on. The courts in the 50's and 60's were only able to bring racial equality to America when the majority of the country believed in it. Only then did the court's rulings give power to the country forcing the minority South into equality. If we continue to hide in shades of gray, we will not achieve a democratic majority. And sadly, the courts can only take us so far. If we want the responsibility of marriage, we must accept the responsibility to make our case.
While Obama's victory made me proud of America, I was saddened at the passage of Proposition 8 in California. I admit, I wanted the discriminatory and hateful constitutional amendment to fail. But this bitter taste in my mouth is not from the closed-mindedness of the older generation or the ironical bigotry of the African-American community.
The legal system cannot be expected to force marriage equality on an unwilling majority. One lesson of law school is that the Supreme Court and all courts underneath have no real power. They can't enforce their judgments or opinions. A judge can see anything he wants, but if the people and institutions do not believe it, it will fail to implement. Timing is everything. And while reason may be on our side, we have simply not made our case to the majority of Americans.
It is our responsibility to stand up in our communities, our workplaces, our churches and demonstrate that love does not know gender. Marriage equality needs to happen now. But it will not, and should not, be forced down our throats by the courts. It is our duty, our responsibility, to make the case.
It is too easy to cover. We all do it. We downplay disfavored traits to blend into the mainstream. We downplay our religious beliefs so as not to appear preachy. Women downplay their gender to "act like a man" when the situation, or the mainstream, expects it. Gays cover their sexuality at work so that their bosses see their work for what it is, in new social settings so as not to ostracize a new acquaintance and in public so as to call to the attention of others our affection. Everytime we introduce our loved one as a friend or a roommate, we cover.
African-Americans did not have the privilege to "cover" their disfavored trait. They were forced to stand up for equality. We have to choose. It's a choice we have to make everyday. I brag that I've never encountered someone who explicitly ridiculed me for being gay or shunned me for my sexuality. But should I be bragging? Or should I realize I am just good at keeping quiet?
If we do not make our case, we will never achieve true equality. We must meet the older generation - our grandparents, our bosses, our neighbors, our churches - head on. The courts in the 50's and 60's were only able to bring racial equality to America when the majority of the country believed in it. Only then did the court's rulings give power to the country forcing the minority South into equality. If we continue to hide in shades of gray, we will not achieve a democratic majority. And sadly, the courts can only take us so far. If we want the responsibility of marriage, we must accept the responsibility to make our case.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Gays to the back of the bus
Sorry, this will be kind of an angry blog. Prop 8 passed. California sucks. I have one thing to say to the proponents of Prop 8: Die already. According to exit polls, the only age demographic that supported Prop 8 was the 65+ crowd. They need to die and let smarter voters take their places. Hey old people, remember how you thought it was ridiculous when your parents supported segregation? Thats how we feel about you. Ages 50-65 was 50/50, and in every younger age demographic, Prop 8 was defeated. Ironically, there was a huge black turnout due to Obama in California, and they overwhelmingly voted in favor of Prop 8. Really, black people? Nobody in America has faced more discrimination under the law over the years than you, and now you want to dish out a new round? Shouldn't African-Americans be able to relate? Honestly, who cares if gay people marry?
At least we got the presidential election right. I thought McCain's concession speech was very gracious. It looked like the old McCain. I think if he would have thrown less mud and attacked W more, he might be the president today. The state of Texas voted for Bush a 5th time by going for McCain. Good work, Texas.
A lot of my friends have posted stuff on Facebook like "OMG, I am so depressed about the nation. I am going to move out of the country". So, a 72 year old social conservative loses an election to a cool black progressive guy, and my party friends in their mid '20s want to move out of the country? Where are you going to find a more conservative nation? Iran? Saudi Arabia? The Vatican?
At least we got the presidential election right. I thought McCain's concession speech was very gracious. It looked like the old McCain. I think if he would have thrown less mud and attacked W more, he might be the president today. The state of Texas voted for Bush a 5th time by going for McCain. Good work, Texas.
A lot of my friends have posted stuff on Facebook like "OMG, I am so depressed about the nation. I am going to move out of the country". So, a 72 year old social conservative loses an election to a cool black progressive guy, and my party friends in their mid '20s want to move out of the country? Where are you going to find a more conservative nation? Iran? Saudi Arabia? The Vatican?
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