President Obama

We have actually elected a human being who is cool, calculating, brilliant and able to speak passionately from his heart.

What were we thinking?
He might actually ask us to think differently, act differently - even change.

Maybe we are America the Brave after all.

My prayers will be with him every night.

Hurricanes and Politics

I don't know if major hurricanes have disrupted national politics before. I can only watch what is happening now and wonder if we really are going to have to watch two PR teams duel on behalf of the candidates. Already the "Donation Wars" have begun. The RNC launching from the platform of their convention, asking delegates and the nation to text donations (don't ask grandfather, it's something new) to the Red Cross. Obama doing much the same via text messages to supporters and his website. I know why the PR machines are telling me this is the right thing to do... I mean I get the giving part. I'm just not sure that suspending the convention and campaign activities makes any sense.

We as a nation are in the last 10 weeks of what feels like the most important presidential decision in my lifetime. I have compassion for my fellow Americans as they suffer through the hurricanes. But, life goes on. Am I to believe that both candidates are incapable of multi-tasking? Really what are the campaigns doing during this time? Posturing. Are we going to postpone the election if this fertile hurricane season continues? I don't think so. 

If not now, when? If not me, who?

If not now, when? If not me, who? Blessings to us all. Prayers for the families of the children of Newtown.

Reasonable dialogue needs to start in this country about what we can do as responsible citizens to prevent gun violence. Our votes need to be utilized. It is insane that rather than address the issue head on, we are talking about "gun violence drills" and installing gun scanners in our schools.

This is not our children's responsibility to deal with, anymore than rape is a woman's responsibility to prevent. We need to talk about mental health, conflict resolution, gun registration, control and training.

Humans are capable of horrendous acts of murder and violence with a myriad of weapons. Current and past history bears this out. We are also capable of stellar and infinitely compassionate acts of love. We have a choice. Nothing has ever been created in this world that wasn’t first a thought, an idea, or an intuition. I choose to love.

We must love each other as brothers and sisters. The culture of fear's time has past. It is time to give peace a chance. Love is the answer.

Namaste.

I remember now.

I'm 56 now and graduated from high school in 1973,  college in 1977. I mention the dates because after listening to the news today, I realized that I should start recording my memories of high school. Apparently in 10 years or if I ever choose to run for president (not gonna happen, I promise), I will lose my memories of that period of my life.

So here are a couple of things I remember - I was regularly called a faggot and a homosexual through-out high school and college. Well actually it was more like "fag" and "homo".

I figured at the time it was because I was tall, had long hair and loved music, theater, singing and dancing. I was a little outside the norm during my school years, particularly after having accelerated in fourth grade. Nothing like pushing your desk down the hall in the middle of a school year to tag you as different. That in combination with my reaction to my father's death in sixth grade certainly made me feel different from others....or at least so self involved that I didn't care or have a clue whether I was like them or not.

I remember being regularly singled out and challenged to fight in junior high, at the bus stop, at my locker, surrounded by a half a dozen of my class mates. Apparently I was particularly scary in my polyester bell bottoms with matching neckerchief. The words I remember more than the fists.

I remember the verbal baloney got so bad during my senior year in high school that when I was cast as the lead in our high school musical, the theater and music teachers insisted that I forgo any other activities that put me in front of my schoolmates until after the musical was performed.  Huh.

In college the words continued to be used through my freshman year. Yeah my hair was down to my shoulders, I wore a fedora and an ankle length car coat with a fur collar when it got cold.

Now I'm sure that my behavior - particularly my mouth attracted some of this abuse. I have a tendency to say what is on my mind. Although I've never understood what having an active mind and exercising it in concert with my mouth had to do with my sexual orientation.

I was coached to brush off the words and the insults, reminded that, "sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you." So I created a facade. You can't get to me, I don't care.

What colossal rubbish.

I remember.

I choose to not remember who said what, but I do remember what was said.

I remember how I reacted to those words and what I chose to make them mean.

I'm fine now.

I do care.

I remember.

I learned.

Words. Are. Important.

Namaste,
Lon

Is no news, good news?

I am turning off the news more often than not these days. The only legitimate reason I find to read or look at whats happening in the world beyond my own backyard, is to determine who is in need of my prayers the most. What is up with that?

A beautiful place in Australia.

School taught me that an informed citizen was a responsible citizen. I can remember devouring newspapers and news magazines. Journalism was a fascinating subject to me and was practiced by many excellent organizations.

Today, I believe there are very few organizations that allow their writers to be journalists. We are being informed by a generation of writers who were not given the time or experiences to develop the skills to truly investigate a story. In a culture that often values speed over accuracy; profits over integrity; our writers rehash what they are told. Told by messengers who work on carefully crafting the message of their masters, governments, corporations or [fill in the organization of your choice].

We have devalued journalists so thoroughly that the organizations that used to develop and pay them are disappearing. Rapidly. Our Fourth Estate is dying a not so slow death.

I Stand on the Side of Love. Join me.

Racism is ugly and so is FOX news.

The constant noise from FOX News trying to connect the outbreak of Swine Flu to "illegal immigration" is shameful and racist.

Sometimes I wonder who watches this channel. Then I remember, I have friends who are demonstrably bright, learned and great parents; yet, they watch FOX News. I watch for brief moments now and again, but in a concentrated effort to keep my television from being destroyed, I've learned to change the channel, rather than throw the remote at the screen.

The FOX News mission to promote hate and fear by linking Swine Flu to "illegal immigration", is reprehensible; yet overshadowed by the constant pounding of the "water boarding is not torture" drum. Saying something loudly, over and over is a time honored tactic of all bullies.

I guess in this age of multiple media, we all get to choose what and how we want our news. I encourage you to choose to listen to multiple sources. Yes I know that the cable channels seem to have points of view. MSNBC and CNN try to present the story and find the truth. FOX News will lie to you if the truth doesn't jive with whatever editorial position they've been asked to take.

Perhaps one of these days, reason, integrity and a desire to practice journalism ethically will return to FOX News. In the meantime, please watch in small doses with a strong antidote at hand.

Integrity - Jeannette Rankin

Nicholson Baker writes in his book Human Smoke : Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives, voted against declaring war on Germany. It was April 6, 1917.

"I leaned over the gallery rail and watched her," said her friend Harriet Laidlaw, of the Woman Suffrage Party. "She was undergoing the most terrible strain." almost all of her fellow suffrage leaders, including Laidlaw, wanted her to vote yes.

There was a silence when her name was called. "I want to stand by my country," Rankin said. "But I cannot vote for war. I vote no." Fifty other member of the House voted no with her; 374 voted yes. "I felt, " she said later, "that the first time the first woman had a chance to say no to war she should say it."

I don't remember learning about Ms. Rankin in school, shame on me. Her integrity is undeniable. Her sense of self and awareness of her place in history astounds me. I hope it's just my bad memory and not our schools who have forgotten to teach us about this amazing person.

Here is a link to the Jeannette Rankin Foundation.

A film was made about her life called "Peace is a Woman's Job".

I hope peace is a job we all own.

Peace.

Over the Rainbow

I live in a country that just nominated Barack Obama to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Wow. We Rock! 

My sixth grade teacher Miss Mokros must be over the moon. As a freedom rider in the early sixties she must be so proud to see that we as a people have come this far. Miss Mokros, if you are still with us, thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

Congratulations Mr. Obama! Now let's go kick some Republican ass!

Common Sense

If I've learned anything in my 52 years on the planet, I've learned that common sense, isn't that common. Just think about all of the stupid things you and your friends did growing up. Oh, you didn't have that kind of youth? Well then think of all the ridiculous things you've seen at work, at school, in your own home.

Mr. Mccain tells us that "he trusts in the common sense of the American people". Sounds great...but.... Really? Really John. You are making your decisions based on the guidance of people who bought Pet Rocks, Beanie Babies and still believe that we went to Iraq because Saddam had weapons of mass destruction? Really?

Uh uhhhhh.