I poke my head up from personal busy-ness to note that as of yesterday, Dubya is in his last year of office! Here's to hoping that the person inaugurated on Jan 20, 2009, decides to look out for friends and business associates less and the public good more, lie to us less and stand up for us more, and rely less on cronyism and more on thoughtful devil's advocacy.
Wouldn't it be nice?
Monday, January 21, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Follow-up to Massachusetts Bar Lawsuit
Some of you may remember, a few months back some guy failed the Massachusetts bar exam, and sued because he failed by one question--the catch being that he refused to answer a question about Massachusetts' gay marriage law on moral grounds.
Apparently he has had a change of heart, and has not only dropped his lawsuit, but also publicly apologized for his idiocy.
In the same way that I was happy to mock him earlier, I would like to applaud him now. It takes balls to admit that you were that wrong, especially when it would have been very easy to quietly withdraw the lawsuit and fade out of memory.
I hope that as a result of his lawsuit, he had the opportunity to meet and talk to people in our community who reached out to him, and learn to see beyond the prejudice and fear that society instilled in him. Effecting change on a grand scale will come as a result of effecting change in a lot of individuals.
Apparently he has had a change of heart, and has not only dropped his lawsuit, but also publicly apologized for his idiocy.
In the same way that I was happy to mock him earlier, I would like to applaud him now. It takes balls to admit that you were that wrong, especially when it would have been very easy to quietly withdraw the lawsuit and fade out of memory.
I hope that as a result of his lawsuit, he had the opportunity to meet and talk to people in our community who reached out to him, and learn to see beyond the prejudice and fear that society instilled in him. Effecting change on a grand scale will come as a result of effecting change in a lot of individuals.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Newsflash
Just a quick heads-up to all those people who voted for Mike Huckabee in Iowa just because he's a minister:
AMERICA IS NOT A CHRISTIAN NATION.
Yes, many people who live here are Christians (in name, anyhow). But there is a big step from having lots of Christians to being a Christian nation. Church....State....SEPARATE.
I've actually heard some argue that if the majority of people in the country are Christians, then they should have the right to codify their religious beliefs into law. This is so ridiculously counter to the ideals this country was founded on, and the reasons why people came here in the first place, it makes me sick.
AMERICA IS NOT A CHRISTIAN NATION.
Yes, many people who live here are Christians (in name, anyhow). But there is a big step from having lots of Christians to being a Christian nation. Church....State....SEPARATE.
I've actually heard some argue that if the majority of people in the country are Christians, then they should have the right to codify their religious beliefs into law. This is so ridiculously counter to the ideals this country was founded on, and the reasons why people came here in the first place, it makes me sick.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Wool Over the Eyes
I saw the obituary for Eugene DePasquale in the PG today; I wasn't around here at all when he was in office, so the name was new to me, but what struck me was the summary paragraph on the PG homepage:
Not exactly the most flattering portrayal...certainly not what I would want to have as a summary paragraph of my life and career. Reading the whole obit, I found it interesting that at the same time that he was known to use the system for his own benefit, he was also celebrated as a "champion of the little guy."
I'm vexed and intrigued at how people can look at a guy who basically used political systems for his and his friends' benefit and seems to have personified the worst of old-boy network politics, and see him as a friend to the underdog. Sure, he may have started out as an underdog, but when you're cutting deals and awarding jobs based on loyalty, you can't really lay claim to being an egalitarian breath of fresh air. But, says Joe Pittsburgh, he got that pothole fixed, so he's a great guy. Wait, isn't this kinda how we ended up with W for eight years?
Eugene DePasquale was a devoted practitioner of old-school politics, wherein deals were cut and favors traded in back rooms, and jobs were awarded through the patronage system.
Not exactly the most flattering portrayal...certainly not what I would want to have as a summary paragraph of my life and career. Reading the whole obit, I found it interesting that at the same time that he was known to use the system for his own benefit, he was also celebrated as a "champion of the little guy."
I'm vexed and intrigued at how people can look at a guy who basically used political systems for his and his friends' benefit and seems to have personified the worst of old-boy network politics, and see him as a friend to the underdog. Sure, he may have started out as an underdog, but when you're cutting deals and awarding jobs based on loyalty, you can't really lay claim to being an egalitarian breath of fresh air. But, says Joe Pittsburgh, he got that pothole fixed, so he's a great guy. Wait, isn't this kinda how we ended up with W for eight years?
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