1) not just "coverage" but care
2) for anyone
3) no matter what
from: http://oaklandnorth.net/2009/09/16/healthcare-reform-rally-brings-protesters-to-lake-merritt/trackback/
Healthcare reform rally brings protesters to Lake Merritt
by Laurel Moorhead and Becky Palmstrom /Oakland North
Dozens gathered at Lake Merritt in Oakland Sunday afternoon at a rally for healthcare reform. First-time protest organizer Jeremy Gameros from Healthcare Reform Now said he felt the momentum of people in support of a reform has dwindled and that he is eager to see those numbers pick back up. The small Oakland rally came the day after an anti-reform protest in Washington DC drew tens of thousands to the west lawn of the White House. Oakland protesters marched around the lake, prompting honks of support from cars and cheers from passersby. Organizers cited Centers for Disease Control statistics indicating that nearly 45 million Americans (1 in 7) lacked health insurance in 2008, and that health care costs are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.
An audio slideshow from the event follows, plus an interview with one protester.
Lindsay Germain, below, is 25 years old and says she is unable to obtain health insurance. According to Germain, she left her job because the tendinitis she developed became so severe she could not fulfill her duties. After losing her health insurance through work she went in search of a plan on the individual market. Germain says three major health policy companies, including Kaiser Permanente, denied her coverage outright because of her preexisting condition. According to Lucy Johns, a healthcare planning and policy consultant, it is not illegal for insurance companies to deny individuals coverage outright for preexisting conditions. Click Play to hear Lindsay Germain’s story.
Labels: activism, health, polis, politics
| posted by Unknown @ 9/17/2009 08:46:00 AM
from Facebook: Brandon joined the groups 1,000,000 Strong to Overturn Prop 8 11:10pm
Labels: Christianity, homosexuality, justice, marriage, polis
| posted by Unknown @ 11/06/2008 11:28:00 AM
For the first time in my life I can say that, with all my heart, about a true statesman who "will listen, especially to those who disagree."
When I took the dog out for his walk tonight, after President-elect Obama's acceptance speech, it was onto University Avenue in Berkeley, past the victory party at re-elected Mayor Tom Bates' campaign office. Hundreds of automobile horns were constantly firing salvos of sound, strangers were waving and cheering and calling to each other, and hundreds swelled the street at Bancroft and Telegraph in front of the University in a peaceful and spirited street festival. It felt like what I imagine Victory in Europe celebrations might have been like, the difference being that, rather than returning to our shores after helping neighbors resist the fist of domination, after this victory, finally, my country may consider lifting its head again and re-enter world citizenship with eight years of shame behind it for being the purveyor of empire.
Coming home I passed four familiar homeless folks attempting to sleep on the concrete and pulling their blankets over their heads against the fierce chill and to mute the noise of a celebration they can't really share. Coming home past people who can't come home to hear about dear friends stripped of the right to marry the men and women they love, sobers me. Our President-elect sounded a similar note, not of triumph and victory over The Enemy but of getting down to the real work ahead - that of truly building an inclusive community that begins with measured and considerate listening, particularly to those who disagree.
That is public service at its finest and I am almost tearful not only for the honest pain that might finally get a hearing by an honest leader in power, but also with gratitude that I may feel proud once more to be an American.
====================
NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRENCH PRESIDENT
"With the world in turmoil and doubt, the American people, faithful to the values that have always defined America's identity, have expressed with force their faith in progress and the future.
"At a time when we must face huge challenges together, your election has raised enormous hope in France, in Europe and beyond."
HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT
"I applaud the American people for their great decision and I hope that this new administration in the United States of America, and the fact of the massive show of concern for human beings and lack of interest in race and color while electing the president, will go a long way in bringing the same values to the rest of world sooner or later."
MWAI KIBAKI, KENYAN PRESIDENT
"We the Kenyan people are immensely proud of your Kenyan roots. Your victory is not only an inspiration to millions of people all over the world, but it has special resonance with us here in Kenya."
JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT
"We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world. I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world."
TARO ASO, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER
"The Japan-U.S. alliance is key to Japanese diplomacy and it is the foundation for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. With President-elect Obama, I will strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance further and work toward resolving global issues such as the world economy, terror and the environment."
KGALEMA MOTLANTHE, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT
"Africa, which today stands proud of your achievements, can only but look forward to a fruitful working relationship with you both at a bilateral and multilateral levels in our endeavour to create a better world for all who live in it."
STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER"I look forward to meeting with the President-elect so that we can continue to strengthen the special bond that exists between Canada and the United States. Ministers in our government look forward to building a strong working relationship with their counterparts in a new Obama cabinet."
KEVIN RUDD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER
"Senator Obama's message of hope is not just for America's future, it is also a message of hope for the world as well. A world which is now in many respects fearful for its future."
HELEN CLARK, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER
"Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis and global warming. We look forward to working closely with President-elect Obama and his team to address these challenges."
SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO, INDONESIAN PRESIDENT
Indonesia especially hopes that the U.S., under new leadership, will stand in the front and take real action to overcome the global financial crisis, especially since the crisis was triggered by the financial conditions in the U.S."
GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT
"We welcome his triumph in the same vein that we place the integrity of the US electoral process and the choices made by the American people in high regard. We likewise note the making of history with the election of Senator Obama as the first African-American president of the United States."
ALI AGHAMOHAMMADI, CLOSE AIDE TO IRAN'S MOST POWEFUL FIGURE
AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI
"The president-elect has promised changes in policies. There is a capacity for the improvement of ties between America and Iran if Obama pursues his campaign promises, including not confronting other countries as Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also concentrating on America's state matters and removing the American people's concerns."
SAEB EREKAT, AIDE TO PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS
"We hope the president-elect in the United States will stay the course and would continue the U.S. engagement in the peace process without delay. We hope the two-state vision would be transferred from a vision to a realistic track immediately."
SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL BLUE HOUSE
"We believe the election of Obama is due to the American people's support for his message of new change and hope. President Lee Myung-bak has made change and reform an important policy priority since his own election and the two leaders share their philosophy in this regard."PAKISTANI EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON
"President (Asif Ali) Zardari expressed the hope that Pakistan-U.S. relations will be enhanced under the new American leadership that received a popular mandate in Tuesday's poll."
(For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http:/blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
Labels: daily, obama, polis, politics
| posted by Unknown @ 11/04/2008 11:39:00 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Doris Bittar
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 10:25:29 -0800
Subject: Letter to Arab Community Regarding Proposition 8
Dear Friends,
I wanted to share with you a letter I wrote that the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of San Diego sent to the San Diego Arab American community regarding Proposition 8. Prop. 8 is the initiative that takes the right to get married away from those who want to enjoy the benefits and dignity of marriage, because they are of the same sex. If you would like to share this with other Californians or other interested parties, please do so.
Best,
Doris
Dear Fellow Arab Americans,
Proposition 8 is an initiative proposed to the California state constitution. It would eliminate the fundamental right of marriage for same-sex couples in California. Equal treatment under the law is a basic American value and is at the heart of what Arab Americans value, too. As Arab Americans, we understand the deceptive fog of ignorance. The real possibility of our civil rights leaders being arrested immediately following 9-11 almost occurred. At that time many Californians stood with us, among them were brothers and sisters in the gay community. Our culture tends not to discuss these issues openly. Yet, within our own families, men and women suffer, often silently from lack of love and understanding because of our discomfort.
Never before in the State of California has the ballot been used to single out a group of tax-paying, law-abiding Americans and exclude them from their constitutionally-provided basic rights. The constitution guarantees every Californian equal treatment and equal rights. This proposition treats long-term, committed, same-sex couples differently, and that is wrong because we personally know how that eats at the fabric of communities who are misunderstood.
Regardless of how you personally feel about marriage for same-sex couples, most believe that government has no business telling people who can and cannot get married, and people should not be singled out for unfair treatment under the laws of our state. Those committed and loving couples who want to accept the responsibility of with marriage should be treated like everyone else.
Please join us, the governor, and the mayors of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego and VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 8 in November. We are all interconnected and Arab Americans understand that valuing each person is how we keep our families strong and insures that all of our children are nurtured toward meaningful lives where they can reach their highest aspirations.
Doris Bittar
San Diego
--
Visit Doris Bittar's Web Site
www.DorisBittar.com
Labels: civilrights, homosexuality, marriage, polis, vote
| posted by Unknown @ 11/04/2008 08:49:00 AM
Hello all,
I have to add my voice to the No on 8 campaign in this election. Please consider this - especially if you are heterosexual:
How would it feel if you were married, your church community and family celebrated that marriage, but two months later the state sent you a letter annulling your marriage?
How would you feel if your spouse of twenty three years died and, in front of you, the hospital staff turned to her parents as the next of kin to ask about burial plans?
How would you feel if, after her death, you called the insurance company and were told you were not considered an eligible beneficiary to your spouse's/partner's insurance policy?
How would you feel if you found out that you are not eligible for the pension your spouse created through years of hard work - because of a state or federal law?
How would you feel if you received NO social security benefits from the feds when your spouse died?
All of these things happened to me. Even though Mary and I were registered domestic partners! Separate is not equal.
Luckily, the union Mary worked for had sense of justice enough to CHANGE their by-laws to retroactively give me spousal benefits. The State Teacher's Retirement System did not do the same.
No on Proposition 8 is about equality under the law. It is not about religion. It is not about education. It is about justice.
The campaign is very close - all it takes is 50% plus one vote to change the constitution of our state - and the rest of the nation is looking at what we do here. Regardless of what happens in Tuesday's vote, I will not be eligible for Mary's social security benefits because that falls under federal law...but defeating this proposition is the biggest single step we can take toward the day when federal law also changes and equality is reality for same-sex couples.
I've never given to a political campaign before - and I am giving a second time this year (or is it third?). I hate that we have to spend so much money to assure equal rights - but that is the reality of politics in the 21st century.
If you have the wherewithal to give - the link is below. If you don't - please do what you can to urge others to vote NO ON 8. If you have already voted - good for you. Go to Equality California to donate:
http://www.eqca.org/site/pp.
I'm attaching (link below -ed.) one item. It is a detailed refutation of the lies being spread by the Yes on 8 campaign - written by a Mormon lawyer who is unhappy with his church's involvement in the lies. Food for thought. http://www.noonprop8.com/downloads/Thurston-Memo.pdf
I'm sending this email to most of my current email list - in and outside of California - because what's happening here affects us all. If you got this far - thanks for reading!
love and peace,
Judy
PS - feel free to send my message on to others - esp. California voters
Labels: justice, marriage, polis, society, vote
| posted by Unknown @ 10/31/2008 10:08:00 AM
This Wednesday, October 8th, Kayla Feder and Nick Walker will co-teach a class at Aikido of Berkeley in order to raise funds for the Obama/Biden campaign. A friend feels strongly about this and wrote to say so.
I'm sorry, guyz and galz, but I think this is a disgrace. It's an explicit statement that only those who are for Obama are welcomed to train at the dojo this Wednesday. It's also an implicit statement that those who do not support Obama are outcasts -- not part and parcel of the dojo -- which really has nothing to do with politics but everything to do with serenity, peace, and love.I responded:
And to perfectly clear, the problem has nothing to do with Obama either. It would be every bit as big a problem if the fund raiser was for Hillary, McCain, Nader or Paul. And I would be just as disappointed because I would hope for greater clarity of vision from such good people as I've found at the dojo.
Just put this simple test to it: Would OSensei have involved himself and his school in a partisan political campaign? Did he ever?
I miss you and it is lovely to hear (read) your voice! As ever, you may be relied upon to take a position with passion and it is a pleasure to hear (read) you again.
I disagree with a great deal of energy. I feel certain Kayla Senei and Nick Sensei will support the notion that anyone may feel free to train our not train on Wednesday or any other night, as always. A visitor might choose to pay a mat fee and ask that it go to the dojo instead of Obama if they do not wish to support his candidacy, thereby getting the benefit of training in the dynamic atmosphere that will undoubtedly ensue, but without having to support a cause with which they do not agree. This is flexibility I believe you would be unlikely to find in the "camp" of either the radical right or left, or the "radical" anybody for that matter.
I hear a concern that those who do not support the Senseis' and the majority view in the dojos involved will feel like outcasts and, as we are human beings, this must always be a concern. Aside from continuing to provide every evidence to the contrary on a daily basis, I'd love to hear suggestions from you about how we might make it clear that no one is outcast as we continue to act with clarity of vision on the strength of our convictions and navigate the shoals of difference. Perhaps by sharing this conversation? As Kayla Sensei has made super-clear that the AiBerk Yahoo group may not become a discussion list, I haven't approved your message for circulation, but I feel compelled to respond and invite the Senseis to do so as well precisely because Aikido of Berkeley and Aikido Shusekai (though I may not speak as part of that group until I can train with them regularly) do not, in my experience, exclude any person or viewpoint from the mix.
The seeds of O'Sensei's martial dedication are most often attributed to decisions he made as a child after his father was attacked and beaten by a gang of thugs hired by a rival politician. He went to war based on his beliefs and became personally involved in political affairs to the point that, in the Spring of 1912, at the age of 29, he moved his family into the wilderness of Hokkaido and became a politician of sorts (town manager?) himself. Though I am not an expert, by any means, on the inner workings of O'Sensei's history, I cannot imagine an strong spiritual and martial teacher of that era ignoring the social realities of his students. As politics and daily life were integrated, and character was certainly included in the training a master would give a student, I feel certain that political reality and martial study were related in the dojo community. Even if they were not, I am certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that a dojo is the ideal place, rather than the last place, to learn to work well together through conflict, the most important aspect of which, in this mechanized era, has to do with the decisions a group of any size makes based on the beliefs of its members, also known as politics.
"The Way of a Warrior, the Art of Politics, is to stop trouble before it starts. It consists in defeating your adversaries spiritually by making them realize the folly of their actions. The Way of a Warrior is to establish harmony." - Morihei Ueshiba (I believe from the Introduction written by John Stevens for Aikido)
You honor us with your opposition today and integrity in long relationship. I would LOVE to train, sit, drink, talk, and just be around you again at some point in the near future.
Peace,
Brandon
I'm writing today because I've been working 24x7 for the last week preparing for the stuff mentioned below and am simply exhausted, if very pleased.
Warmest congratulations to Aviv Goldsmith Sensei whose organization, Aikido in Fredericksburg, presented Aiki Kodomo Kenshukai - Teaching Aikido to Children Seminar from October 3-5, 2008 at Aikido of Berkeley in California.
As this work is near and dear to my heart, and as Aviv is Vice President of Aiki Extensions, and as the event was hosted by Aikido of Berkeley and Kayla Sensei could not join us this weekend, I endeavored to help Aviv and his lovely spouse, Donna Pienkowski, to make the event a success. It was, and then some, on many levels. Each presentations offered a sense of continuity of best-practices, as the most experienced teachers seemed to echo essential and basic principles supportive to the learning of each child in each developmental period. Each presentation also offered new techniques and tested approaches that make familiar techniques arise as though new in application to different challenges. I realize as I write this that I'm beginning to sound like a brochure, so I'll stop, but I must highlight the contributions of Aiki Extensions members that illustrated, almost by coincidence, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that aikido for kids is at the forefront of the contribution martial artists are making around the world to building cultures of peace.
AE brought Jose Bueno Sensei of Ação Harmonia Brasil to share his intuitive teaching techniques and offer a peek at the new video AHB is releasing right now, telling part of the essential story of working with children in the favelas (slums) of Sao Paulo, Brasil.
Tesfaye Tekelu, head instructor of the Awassa Peace Dojo, and his compatriot Meshu Tamrat, are touring the USA to appeal for funding to support the Awassa Children's Project, Youth Campus and Peace Dojo, the latter founded with the support of Aiki Extensions. The two trained in the seminar and then offered a video and an improvised gymnastics demonstration, while circulating and telling Awassa stories of welcoming hundreds of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS into their learning community and touring the country taking messages of awareness and prevention before news cameras and before thousands who come to their circus and theater shows. Beyond this essential work, it is also as a direct result of their efforts that aikido has come to be know nationwide, throughout Ethiopia, and is now required in all secondary schools in Addis Ababa.
ABC is Association Building Community. Through a community building process, that created a three year ongoing group that began over a decade ago, I recruited a bunch of older activists who have been through any number of initiatives many of which went the way of the dodo. As is typical of bootstrap efforts that are not driven by cash, they imploded because of internal relational meltdown. Each of these elders had come to the conclusion independently that excellent and essential work craps out because even "peace" activists don't 1) assume there will be conflict 2) train in the process arts to deal with it as a first priority 3) apply their skills in their own situations 4) build their own communities by redefining peace itself as conflict done well. Tired of this immaturity, and often due to health related issues, they faded into the background ("personal work", meditation, prayer, etc.) and began contributing less to others after some three of four decades of service. Today we attempt to pay attention to our own process and life transitions (deaths, birthdays, illness, etc.) and build relationship with each other and then, at whatever pace seems appropriate, generate a project here and there over the years, from community building facilitator trainings, to offering umbrellas to new ideas needing support, to mediations for shared business owners about to sue each other, to consulting and providing as-needed services to community serving groups, to providing executive staffing service for other non-profits in serious trouble. Most ABCers go pretty slow and I, as the youngest at 39, try to bring our pulse up to what can be recognized from the outside as a sign of life. Right now I'm looking for more energetic people, at most my age, who can show up for community on a regular basis and will make passionate demands for guidance and support, and give energy to change the world we live in for the better.
Some times I just like to experiment with profiling...
I've always liked the warrior metaphors a bit too well, and become a bit addicted to their heroism, which is different from simply being heroic when required.SPRING | THE WARRIOR SPIRIT
Psycho-physio profile: The Warrior Spirit; typical fitness club member/trainer; large mesomorph, strong musculature; good competitive athletes. Intrinsic Motivator: Achievement/Action - Most Compatible Workouts: Conventional, highly physical or active exercise or T’ai Chi Ch’uan: Helps Springs stay connected, balancing their tendency to ignore their intuition and physical warning signals such as pain.
Springs are the quintessential go-getters. Their number-one intrinsic motivator is their initiative and drive for achievement. Springs are mavericks, pioneers, adventurers and entrepreneurs — “take charge” people. Springs have a strong mental component to their temperament, and like to think they have logical reasons for everything they do — although their decisions are just as likely to be based on emotion and instinct. They are competitive and impatient; others can sometimes interpret this as being pushy or controlling.
Springs love conventional strength/cardio workouts, which satisfy their need for stimulation and a sense of achievement. Their best intrinsic motivator toward regular exercise is a sense of competition — if only against themselves. Springs tend to lose focus or get distracted by the next challenge that comes along, So while Springs are the least likely to enjoy T’ai Chi, because T’ai Chi can help them stay in tune with their own body’s signals. It can also help them stick with an exercise routine through its depth both of different exercises and of its Principles, which provide logical reasons for them to work out.
This entry has rambled more than a little. May as well close on a down, Fall, heading into the Dark note, now that September is over. :-)
The loss of Aidan, as is often the case, remains a defining reality in my life. Metaphors abound that create the possibility to see it with a kind of understanding: wounded healer, Grail King, crucifixion, depression, resurrection, Death the Ultimate reason for humility and/or irrelevant terror, etc. All this applies while nothing explains much, of course. Greg Mogenson wrote an archetypal psychology book called God Is A Trauma which pushes open (a bit further than did his predecessors - which is always the hope) a door to how I understand much of religion, suffering, and psychology in intellectual terms.
Loss has sweetened even the meanest parts of my life by amplifying my desire to see beauty everywhere in a way that I would have passed over before for lack of need. Grief has crippled me too in a way that standing up where my heart can be seen requires some kind of Grace-fantasy as a prosthetic. I never knew it was possible to hurt like this. Now I do and that has changed me in a way that is simply so - way beyond submitting to a good-bad frame. Let me be clear this change is not one to which anyone in their right mind would ever submit willingly. There is nothing heroically transformative about sitting up again and taking nourishment after having your spiritual head kicked in for several months. It's simply the worst thing I've ever known, to date, and leaves dents from the kicking.
The future requires our attention and dedicated, collective action no less for being unlikely and fragile. If you value a child or can imagine yourself doing so, then you have a by god obligation to get your ass in gear and start teaching by example every young person you can reach how to live with the realities of ambiguity, fear, and finally death. Lack of this training is the root of the violence the large, aggressive children so often in power today perpetrate on the rest of the world. The next significant maker of peace, or of genocide, is a kid you know today.
Labels: aiki, Aikido, daily, dojo, grief, polis, politics
| posted by Unknown @ 10/06/2008 01:24:00 PM
| |
| Also listed in: Eugene for Obama | Geeks For Obama |
But after some people i respect got excited...
I took a closer look. Lawrence Lessig's video endorsement really hit me - all of his points, but especially when it raised in me the hope that an Obama presidency could lead to a reframing of the post-9/11 world. Frankly, tears came to my eyes as i imagined that tragic event not leaving us in a permanent attitude of war, but instead opening us to see the U.S.'s role in the world more clearly - what it has been, and more importantly what it could be.
In Obama's interview at Google, he shares specific policies for more transparency and citizen involvement. But more importantly, at about 38:30 in the video Google CEO Eric Schmidt asks him about race. Obama's response is to affirm it as a major issue for America in the 20th century, and suggest that the 21st century extension of it is "the other" - in general, the willingness and ability reach across the usual divisions, to acknowledge the humanity of everyone and find a way forward that works for all. And he clearly lives this out politically, in his willingness to work with opponents. The classic example is the unanimous vote in the Illinois senate to place cameras in police interrogation rooms - he won over police groups and Republican and Democratic politicians who initially opposed it. In the video he even uses Sri Lanka as an example, explaining that the long-running Tamil-Sinhalese civil war does not relate to race. (Lanka is close to my heart - for 10 years i was married to a Sri Lankan woman, and lived in the country for three years.)
Anyone who knows me knows this is a giant issue for me. The way he talks about the other is not primarily about race, or Democrats and Republicans, but as a general human theme, the millenia-old cultural habit of making people we have some disagreement with into irredeemable "bad guys" (see Assumptions of Power-with Culture). Othering, and its inverse inclusion, are a major theme in the Process Arts in general, and any particular process that holds my interest. As i've gotten older and taken science fiction more seriously, i've ended up exploring the theme of other sentients in the genre. Could we really have a president who takes the issue of inclusion seriously?
It hasn't been too hard to keep my feet on the ground. I don't expect a lot from him directly, and i won't hesitate to criticize him (FISA? the death penalty!?). But i can genuinely get excited about working to elect him, because i believe he really could play a role in shifts that matter to me, that i believe are crucial to our survival and thriving as a species.
So, during the primaries i gave money a couple of times (never done that before), and called twenty people in Ohio (never done any work for a campaign before). I even switched registration from Green to Democrat so that i could vote for him in the primary (don't worry, i'll switch back :-). And now i've connected with a very cool local organizer (hi Rosie!) and will be supporting her and the local effort as i can.
Stay tuned for more on my experiences in the campaign, and thoughts on an Obama presidency and how it might relate to power-with cultural/political shifts.
Labels: commons, daily, polis, politics
| posted by Unknown @ 7/27/2008 09:59:00 PM
I've decided to endorse Barack Obama publicly and unequivocally for President in 2008.
I have on more than one occasion advocated voting for parallel organizing (infrastructure that replaces the status quo through use rather than specifically reforming what exists from within) and third party candidates to build momentum for alternative, fully representative government.
Not this time.
I believe, like J.F.K., Barack consciously embodies what is required to step into the archetypal role necessary to re-energize the parts of the U.S. political identity most important at this time in history, namely the optimistic and fair-minded democratic populism that began with the Bill of Rights and Constitution and is the only authentic claim we have on a reason to exist as a nation.
We The People are unremarkable power-brokers and empire builders like every cabal that has gone before if we do not strive continually to build deep community and do conflict well among ourselves and with the rest of the world such that A More Perfect Union is always in progress at the level of our most fundamental infrastructure and policy. Obama will fall short, as certainly as Utopia is "no place", but I believe he will make his mistakes with integrity of purpose and in the context of relationship with a nation and world that is profoundly affected by the content and context of decisions made in the Oval Office.
I'll post materials for study and response here as I choose them. | posted by Unknown @ 3/20/2008 12:33:00 PM
We have a dilemma that is so obvious as to be almost past the point of mentioning. This necessitates mention because that kind of obvious is a next door neighbor to "that's just the way things are". I worry lest the other ways that have made us who we are (free speech, open dialogue, etc.) fade mostly into the past and personal attacks, which once upon a time marked a public figure as a desperate lightweight and not worthy of attention, fall into the place of everything that once was reserved for public and foreign policy.
It is Wikipedia which notes that "A pundit is, in contemporary English, someone who offers mass-media opinion, analysis or commentary on a particular subject area, (most typically political analysis, the social sciences or sport), on which they are presumed to be knowledgeable. As the term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities lacking special expertise, however, it can be used in a derogative manner. Pundit is also a slang term for politically biased people pretending to be neutral."
According to Richard Page, when he was recording a massive gathering for peace in Berlin during the 1980s, Huston Smith was reported as being a Moonie because he had defended their right to practice their faith. He was invited to go on the air in East Germany to respond and said that their right to practice their faith is guaranteed in our Constitution (implying he was just being a faithful American) and to construe from his statements that he is a Moonie would be like saying the Dalai Lama is a Communist because he supports communist people's right to govern themselves as they wish, while objecting as strongly as possible to their attempts to govern his people in spite of their wishes. The next day's headlines read
Last night at the 3rd International Womens Peace Conference in Dallas, where we (Assoc. Building Community) are audio and video recording "progressives" in progress (thanks to continuing work with Conference Recording Service), Nobel Laureate Betty Williams allowed as how violence is a choice. She lamented every pointless and horrible death on 9/11 - all 3,000+ who perished so needlessly in the Twin Towers, and the 35, 615 children around the world who died that day without notice or remark. She then talked about the responsibilities of a Nobel Laureate to stand up and tell the truth and to live with other folks' expectations. She drinks, smokes, and swears a bit and so tends to shock people who hear "Laureate" and expect Mother Theresa. It seems to her that it is easy to talk about Peace when, if you mean what you say, you should rather be living it. She is so frustrated with President Bush she'd like to kill him but obviously hasn't and made quite clear she doesn't mean literally. "How do you kill somebody non-violently?", she asked, to clarify the dilemma of keeping the natural response toward violence in check.
For a clip from my original source of what Betty Williams actually said please click on the Gcast player to your right. If you can't see it right away click on POSTS.
For a complete CD of the original recordings - audio CD or video DVD - visit conferencerecording.com and search "betty williams"
So, most of our (Richard, Lisa, and myself) today was dominated by tense running around by the more conservative upper-middle class white women who were very put out that Betty might say such a thing. One, on an errand to get a copy of the recording from us to deliver to the media, decided her time was better spent elsewhere and demanded "just give me the damn tape" when it became clear we didn't agree with her. Her main error was moving to dominate us before she actually had the recording in her hand. Later we spent hours working with Chris Salcedo (http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_193220448.html) of Channel 11, the Dallas NBC affiliate, to dig out some footage from our raw video masters. The video of the newscast from our footage is here. http://cbs11tv.com/video If it is not immediately apparent search the (if it bleeds, it leads) headline "I could kill Bush"
The issue is both honesty and flexibility of thought. Instead of talking about any of the very newsworthy things Ms. Williams said, which continue to escape coverage in most corporate media outlets, those whose power and income flourish in the presence of fear literalize and thereby purposefully misquote an obviously metaphorical but nonetheless weighty comment. This condescends both to an international public and our domestic body, dulling the potential for further authentically critical thought in the future out of habitual exposure to obvious spin for its own sake. This has ever been one of the most egregious of crimes on the part of public figures from Greece to our contemporary Capitol. Flim-flam doesn't have to be the rule. It can be the exception. Only We the People can insist on it. Call and write your purveyors of media.
Again wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demagogy
Demagogy (Demagoguery) (from Greek δῆμος, "people", and ἄγειν, "to lead") refers to a political strategy for obtaining and gaining political power by appealing to the popular prejudices, fears and expectations of the public — typically via impassioned rhetoric and propaganda, and often using nationalist or populist themes.
Labels: audio, conference, conflict, daily, peace, polis, politics
| posted by Unknown @ 7/12/2007 09:35:00 PM
When I say time to move on I mean:
In 2000, voters passed with 61% of the vote, Proposition 22, which added a section to the California Family Code to formally define marriage in California as a union between a man and a woman. In order to qualify for the ballot, Proposition 8 needed ... Read More694,354 valid petition signatures. The initiative proponents submitted 1,120,801 signatures.
Tuesday voters passed with 52.5% of the vote, Prop 8, which amended the California constitution to eliminate the 4-3 Supreme Court ruling that Prop 22 violated equal protection.
When a free and fair election determines my elected officials I may not like the results, but I respect the will of the people. I don't always get everything I want, even if I deem it to be of the utmost importance. California needs to get its shit sorted out. For such progressive state, it can't seem to reconcile the will of the majority with the will of a vocal minority.