I don't mind paying taxes. Really

I get all sorts of cool stuff when I pay taxes. Like roads, free schooling for my kids, money when I retire - even if I don't save up, money when I get laid off from my job, safe workplaces, a healthier environment... And hey, if my taxes help someone else, all the better. I like doing nice things for other people.

But apparently many of my fellow Americans, especially those who are now in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, do not share the same sentiment. The Bush era tax cuts are set to expire soon. President Obama wants to repeal those tax cuts for those dual income households earning more than a quarter of a million dollars annually. But an emboldened right has vowed to keep every penny of those tax cuts in place.

The Washington Post published a comparison of the Republican and Democratic plans for the Bush era tax cuts. Yikes! Check out that bloat in the millionaires club! Ok, I'm biased. I would still get my tax cuts under the Dem's plan. And I'm not saying the wealthiest of the wealthiest shouldn't get a break. But come on! This is ridiculous!

Consider this:

The conditions which surround us best justify our cooperation; we meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot-box, the Legislatures, the Congress, and touches even the ermine of the bench.

The people are demoralized... The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion silenced, business prostrated, homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished, and the land concentrating in the hands of capitalists. The urban workmen are denied the right to organize for self-protection, imported pauperized labor beats down their wages... The fruits of the toil of millions are badly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of these, in turn, despise the Republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes—tramps and millionaires.

The national power to create money is appropriated to enrich bond-holders... thereby adding millions to the burdens of the people.

No, this isn't a rant from a political pundit commenting on the 2010 midterm elections. It's the 1892 party platform of the Populist Party. To all the Tea Party people who wanted to take back our government: Congratulations! The regressive conservative economic policies of the Bush era did take back our government - back to the 1890's.

Yeah, yeah. I know the Populists lost, but their efforts ushered in the Progressive Era of the early 20th Century. And guess what, the liberal reforms ushered in during that era weren't all that bad. Some of the reforms enacted as a result of the Progressive Era include the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1916 (I think we can all agree that this is a good one - e. coli is a total downer), the Mann Act or the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910 (again, I think we can all agree that sex trafficking is bad), and the 19th Amendment (anybody have a problem with me voting????). Ok, the 18th Amendment sucked, but they repealed that one.

And guess what - we survived these reforms! We didn't end up becoming a socialist nation! Children were no longer abused in factories, workers earned a fare wage, etc...

The robber barons of the early 20th century may be gone but we still have staggering disparities in our wealth distribution in this country. What's even more disturbing is that most people don't even realize the incredible gap in our wealth distribution. An analysis of real and perceived wealth distribution was published in Building a Better America – One Wealth Quintile at a Time, by Michael Norton and Dan Ariely of Harvard and Duke, respectively. Here's a brief summary of their report:

We attempt to insert the desires of “regular” Americans into these debates, by asking a nationally representative online panel to estimate the current distribution of wealth in the United States and to “build a better America” by constructing distributions with their ideal level of inequality. First, respondents dramatically underestimated the current level of wealth inequality. Second, respondents constructed ideal wealth distributions that were far more equitable than even their erroneously low estimates of the actual distribution. Most important from a policy perspective, we observed a surprising level of consensus: All demographic groups – even those not usually associated with wealth redistribution such as Republicans and the wealthy – desired a more equal distribution of wealth than the status quo.

Here's the pictoral of the authors' findings:

Can you believe it? The Left and the Right actually agree on something! The wealthy and the poor agree! Women and men agree! So why can't we agree how to make things a little more fair?

So Republicans - stop the fear mongering. Tighten that death grip on those tax cuts for the wealthiest of the wealthy, and give the people what they want: a better America.

Let's Talk Plutocracy!

It's been about a month since my last post. I've missed the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, the midterm elections, the A-Rod/Cameron Diaz break up... So what sparked my need to blog?

It relates to a web post that has been circulating that quotes a pamphlet entitled "The Ten Cannots" which was published in 1916 by William J.H. Boetker:

▪ You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

▪ You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

▪ You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.

▪ You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

▪ You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

▪ You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.

▪ You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

▪ You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.

▪ You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence.

▪ And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

"The Ten Cannots" have become a rallying cry for libertarians who want to see an end to government intervention into the economy or social issues and the anthem for those railing against President Obama's "socialist" agenda. Everyman for himself. Social Darwinism. Pull yourself up by your own boot straps... You get the picture.

Many who support his view also say that we should trust in the voluntary compassion and the charitable philanthropy of Americans to take care of those in need.

I’d love to trust in the compassion and charity of my fellow man – but I can’t. I can't because there are people out there who fall solidly into the "haves" category (whether they believe they are privileged or not) who take without giving. I can’t because there are people who feel entitled to everything they can get, yet feel no obligation to give back. I can’t because our political system has fostered a plutocracy that is more interested in protecting its wealth than protecting its people. I can't because when I stopped by my local food pantry recently, the shelves were almost bare.

Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines plutocracy as: 1. government by the wealthy; 2. a controlling class of the wealthy.

The United States has become a plutocracy and is in danger of being consumed by the value system of the wealthiest of the wealthy that got us to this point in history.

Don't think we live in a plutocracy? More than $270 million dollars was spent in the 2010 midterm elections. More than $72 million of that came from just three sources - American Crossroads (aka Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie), Crossroads GPS (also a Rove/Gillespie juggernaut), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the average cost of winning a House race in 2010 was $1.09 million, while the average cost of a Senate seat was $8.28 million.

With the Supreme Courts ruling in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, big money will have an even bigger say in who will be running our country. That would be all well and good if these corporations and the individuals who run them had any interest in furthering the cause of our country instead of feathering their own nests.

But don't take my word for it. Read Bill Moyers' October 29, 2010 speech at Boston University. It's a bit long, especially for those who favor sound bite politics, but it is definitely worth the time. Moyers lays out a cogent and powerful argument as to why plutocracy and democracy don't mix.

Sure - pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. I'd be down with that but what if the corporate robber barons have cut off your bootstraps and sent them to China? Leave it to the private sector to grow our economy and take care of our poor? Corporations are sitting on piles of cash reserves yet are not reinvesting in their companies, creating jobs, or stimulating our economy. Instead they are buying back stock and improving the portfolios of their CEOs. Too bad for the little guy who just wants a job so he can provide for his family.

As for relying on the private sector to provide a safety net for those left behind by our failing economy...that's like leaving the fox in charge of the hen house. It is the corporate practices of wage regression, overseas outsourcing, and the hoarding of corporate resources that is creating a growing underclass.

But back to our discussion of plutocracy... Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich recently called the rise of plutocracy a result of a perfect storm:

The perfect storm: An unprecedented concentration of income and wealth at the top; a record amount of secret money flooding our democracy; and a public becoming increasingly angry and cynical about a government that’s raising its taxes, reducing its services, and unable to get it back to work.

We’re losing our democracy to a different system. It’s called plutocracy.

As for those of you who believe that you can't help the poor by destroying the rich... Wake up!!! It's not a zero sum game. Ensuring a safety net for the poor does not mean that our economy will collapse. It means that a family may not have to live in the back of their car when Bank of America forecloses on their house because they defaulted on a mortgage that BoA never should have issued in the first place. It means that maybe some children won't go hungry tomorrow. It means that perhaps we can prevent another environmental catastrophe like the BP oil spill. It means we might be able to prevent another workplace catastrophe like the Massey Mine explosion. It means, that maybe, just maybe, some people will be able to pull themselves up from abject poverty to achieve the American Dream.

And for those of you who have taken Boetker's pamphlet to heart, I pray for you and yours that you never find yourself poor, you never find yourself weak, you never find yourself out of work, and never find yourself in need of help. But if you ever do, don't worry, there are still people who believe that:

You will not destroy the rich by helping the poor;

You will not weaken the strong by strengthening the weak; and

You will not pull the wage earner down by lifting the wage payer.

And you know what? Taxes suck, but they pay for stuff. Government regulations are a headache but they save lives. And some people getting government assistance will game the system, whether they are receiving food stamps and section 8 housing or massive corporate bailouts and tax cuts.

But guess what? We live in a civilized society. We’re supposed to take care of each other.

What are you teaching your children?

My oldest daughter is home sick today so my husband took Tess to school (or the Island of the Lord of the Flies as we now call it). Here's his observation of what happened:

... Most of her KTech class were sitting on a couple benches while an aide read to them. There was no room on a bench to sit so she went to sit by herself on the floor. As Tess entered the circle one boy said, "Here's comes a baby!" and the other kids laughed and a couple kids made a few similar comments. Tess made a forced laugh too. The aide did not think it was funny. She was very angry with the kids. She made the boy sit right at her feet, and the other kids immediate started saying to the boy that he was a baby and he would cry. Other kids, girls and boys, started making jokes about being a fat baby, and one boy said something about him being a girl and having "boobs". The aide grew even angrier and scolded the boy strongly, saying "we don't say that kind of thing to our friends", and made him sit at her feet as well. Meanwhile a couple of other kids repeated the word "boobs" and the others laughed.

All this happened within about 60 seconds. The first minute of Tess's day ... and she had been needled and seen other kids needled and heard at least half a dozen hurtful remarks from her peers and seen everyone else laughing at them.

On the plus side, I am glad to see that the aide recognized that the tone the group took with one other was essentially one of harassment and took steps within her power to quell it. And I suppose I can take cold comfort in the fact that Tess is not the only kid being bullied... On the down side, I was sad to see that the kids in my child's class treat each other this way, and I fear that Tess will learn to bully in order to fit in and deflect harassment.

Needless to say, we're pulling her out of that school just as soon as we can get her enrolled elsewhere. We have an appointment at a Catholic school on Tuesday. But I'm torn about taking her out and leaving those other kids in an environment that has let this type of behavior develop. Part of me feels like I need to stick it out and make sure the school develops strong anti-bullying policies and programs. But I have to put my advocate hat aside and take care of my daughter's needs first.

Because this is a private school, I have very little hope that any action on my part would have a significant impact. I talked to another mother who's daughter was bullied there last year. That mother went all the way to the head of the company. Nothing was done and so she pulled her daughter from the school.

I think we need a national effort to teach our children respect - respect for themselves and respect for others. Children who respect themselves are less likely to be bullies and less likely to be bullied by others. I'm realistic. Children will be children and children can be cruel. But we, as adults, should make sure that cruelty is not the accepted norm in our schools.

We can begin by treating each other with a little more respect and serve as examples for our children. I'm not naive. I don't expect us all to just get along. We have different beliefs, backgrounds, etc. We don't have to agree about politics or religion. We don't even have to like each other. But we should treat each other with respect. We should lead by example.

This goes far beyond free speech, religion, politics, or bullying - it's an issue of basic human rights and dignity.

Bullies suck.

Last week I posted about the tragic deaths of three young men as the result of bullying in their schools. They were being bullied for their sexual orientation. I was outraged and saddened but in a distant sort of liberal pinko peacenik sort of way.

Now it's personal. My baby came home from kindergarden yesterday in tears. The reason - bullying. Pint sized bullying. For no particular reason, two little girls in her class have decided that it'll be fun to pick on my daughter. Look at this face - why would you want to make this beautiful face cry?

It started with my daughter being the only girl in her class (there are only 4 girls in her class) not invited to a sleep over. Then it was was the giggling and making faces at her when she walked into the building. Then it was calling her yucky and disgusting and ridiculing everything she says and does. They have figured out that this sweet little girl is a bit on the sensitive side and it's easy to make her miserable and bonus! it's fun.

I've spoken with the teacher who was blissfully unaware that it was going on. When I asked to have a conference with the parents of the other girls I was told it was against school policy and that they would talk to the children and their parents. Not good enough. They need more than a note home. I want these parents to see how their children's behavior is impacting my child. I want to hear from these parents what their plans are for addressing this behavior.

When talking to another mom about this, she shared that her daughter (I'll call her Suzie) was bullied for a good part of last year when she was in kindergarden - so much so that she refuses to take the bus this year. Yes, kids will be kids, but the bullying - especially with girls, seems to be starting earlier and earlier.

We need to start holding our children - even our youngest children, accountable for their words and actions. Bullying, even pint-sized bullying cannot be tolerated. We also need to give our children the skills they need to counter bullying.

And we need to start holding parents, teachers, and administrators accountable as well. If this kind of bullying is tolerated in kindergarden and first grade, just image what terrors these little girls will be by the time they get to high school.

To the parents of these two little mean girls in training: Are you going to tell me you don't see these behaviors in your children? Come on. I can see it in the 5 minutes I spend with your daughters before and after school everyday. Do you think it's cute or cool? Or do you just think that my daughter needs to toughen up? Just wait until it's your child that is the victim of bullying.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bullies aren't born, they're made. It's up to us to stop the cycle of bullying. We don't all have to be friends but we do need to learn to be respectful of each other.

It's about parking spaces, really!

I guess Brooklyn isn't far enough from Ground Zero for some people. On Sunday the Tea Party brought out their best vitriol to protest the building of an Islamic community center in Brooklyn, about 15 miles from Ground Zero. John Kenneth Press, President of the Brooklyn Tea Party stirred up 'patriotic' passions during his speech in which he framed the issue as not one of zoning but making America safe from democracy. These comments opened the door for hate-filled, racist shouts and chanting from the protesters.

Now John Kenneth Press is a nut job - even other Tea Party people think he's nuts. But it highlights the problem with the Tea Party movement. Too many nuts, not enough squirrels to bury them.

November is fast approaching and Tea Party candidates are flooding our airwaves. If you consider yourself a Tea Party supporter, it's on YOU to ask you candidates about what they believe. Are they couching racism and bigotry in terms of "culturalism"? Look past the easy rhetoric of lower taxes, smaller government, etc... and listen to what they are saying about immigration, Islam, and our own President who - just so we're clear on this - is an American, eligible to hold office, and a Christian (not that being a Christian should be a prerequisite for being President of the United States, IMHO).

This rally on Brooklyn should have been about zoning, traffic impact studies, and parking issues. To be fair, that's what the initial debate was all about. Some neighbors felt that the residential street won't be able to handle the additional traffic and parking needs of the community center. Hate should have been left out of it.

Let's do our part to make sure that this November's elections are about REAL issues and leave the politics of hate behind.

Sticks and Stones...

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me." It didn't matter how many times my mother told me to repeat those words when some bully was making my life miserable. They didn't work then and they don't work now. Because words hurt.

I haven't posted in awhile. School's back in session and between shuttling between schools, ballet, gymnastics, and tae kwon do, there's not been a lot of energy left over for social outrage. But I'm lucky. In fact, I'm blessed. My kids seem to be as well adjusted as a first grader and kindergartner can be. For now.

Other parents aren't so lucky. For the families of Asher Brown, Tyler Clementi, and Seth Walsh, this school year will not be marked by car pools, report cards, school plays, homecoming games, parent-teacher conferences, or tuition bills. As most of you know by now, these three bright young lives tragically ended in suicide in the past week as a result of bullying at the hands of their "peers." Their crime? Simply being what God made them. Gay.

There were bullies when I went to high school. There were also gay kids, nerds, and kids who just didn't fit in. I've been asking myself why my school didn't have a rash of suicides. I mean really, it was the 80s - even the most well adjusted kid would have considered the big sleep after listening to the Smiths' Hatful of Hollow and The Cure's Pornography a few hundred times.

Maybe it was my generation's faith in our savior, John Hughes, that kept us sane. In movies like Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink he made us believe that it would all be ok. The the social outcast would end up with the popular girl or boy. [side note: Am I the only one who thought that Molly Ringwald was definitely NOT pretty in pink? That dress was hideous!] And in the Breakfast Club he even made us believe, if only for a few minutes, that we could transcend our prejudices and stereotypes and that things would get better.

But things don't get better, do they? Bullies still rule the hallways of our nations' schools. And when those bullies grow up, they go on to get their own radio talk shows. Their hatred and bigotry are cloaked in religion, patriotism, and free speech. It's ok to hate gays because the bible says that homosexuality is a sin. It's ok to hate Muslims because they are out to destroy our country. And it's ok to bully a kid to his death because we all have the right to free speech. Yeah right - free speech. Free for whom? The free speech of a few bigoted, hateful teens cost Asher Brown, Tyler Clementi, and Seth Walsh their lives.

Free speech has become the bully's get-out-of-jail-free card. After all, the Constitution give us all the right to say what we feel, right? Yes it does. But words matter and we should be held accountable for what we say.

For those of us who have children, it is up to us to set the example. Kids aren't born bullies. Bullies are made. Listen to yourself when you start talking politics and religion. How could our words and actions be interpreted by young and impressionable minds? Do we reach out to the quirky kids in our neighborhood? The kids who don't fit in? Do we tell our kid that it's not ok to tease the kid who can't run as fast or hit a baseball, who wears funny clothes, or who is just "weird"? Do we stand up and speak out when we see hatred and injustice in society? If we don't how will our children learn to?

I wish I could tell all the kids out there who are suffering that it gets better - that the geek will find true love and that the bully gets what's coming to him and the mean girl gets hers. But it doesn't always work out that way.

There is hope though. Some people are using their right to free speech to reach out and make things better. Columnist Dan Savage and his husband have started the It Gets Better Project. They and other adults have videotaped messages of hope to kids who are being tormented by bullies.

On their website www.godlovespoetry.com Kevin Cobb and Andres Almeida are taking the hate filled vitriol of the Westboro Baptist Church's website www.godhatesfags.com and turning it into beautiful poetry as a reminder that even in midst of hate and anger, we can find beauty, acceptance, and understanding.

I leave you tonight with a poem from Cobb and Almeida's website.

HATE

makes the heart suffer

love for hatred

cause some to fall.

How shall we commemorate September 11th?

Saturday is September 11th. For many people it will be a day of mourning and remembrance for the friends and family of those who perished in the World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon, and in a nameless field in Pennsylvania. Some will be mourning the loss of nation's innocence. For millions of Americans this September 11th will also mark the end of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting. It's a time of reflection, prayer, and purification for Muslims - not unlike the Lenten season for Catholics, but more badass. We Catholics just have to refrain from meat on Fridays and give up chocolate for 40 days. The end of Ramadan is marked by the Eid ul-Fitr festival in which food is donated to the poor, people put on their best clothes, pray, and visit with families. Throw in some chocolate eggs and jelly beans and it looks just like Easter. And just like Easter, Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated on a lunar calendar which means that the date of the celebration changes each year. By chance, this year Eid ul-Fitr falls on September 11th.

Out of respect, many Islamic centers have decided to tone down Eid ul-Fitr celebrations this year. Unfortunately, one "pastor" in Florida has decide to answer respect with sacrilege. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL is planning to "celebrate" September 11th by burning the Koran. I know - this is just one guy who leads a "church" (man, am I using a lot of quotes to imply derision today) of 40 sheep. But his actions will resonate across the globe. And not in a good way.

I want to applaud General George Petraeus, the World Evangelical Alliance and leaders of other faiths for urging Jones to cancel the burning. Even Glenn Beck thinks it's a bad idea! Unfortunately Jones isn't listening to reason. Jones has a constitutional right to burn the Koran on September 11th. I pray to God he doesn't. If he does, I plan to offer my own, quiet counter protest. I will offer up a prayer for those who lost their lives on September 11th. I will then, in honor of Eid ul-Fitr, bring an offering of food to my local Islamic center, along with a letter saying that not all Americans are filled with hatred towards Muslims.

Care to join me?

In defense of Sarah Palin (no really, I'm totally serious)

No - I'm not getting addled in my old age. If you read yesterday's post, I mentioned the Vanity Fair article profiling Sarah Palin. The article portrays her as a money grubbing, paranoid, egomaniac. But can't the same be said about 99.99% of politicians out there (at least the money grubbing, egomaniac part)? Then I read the subtext. The author, Michael Joseph Gross, chooses to focus a number traits, behaviors, and incidents that are unique to women.

Gross talks about hairstylists coming to her hotel room. Are we supposed to infer that she is a vain woman, spending inordinate amounts of time on her hair and make-up? Well - many men spend time with their stylists before and event. Remember the uproar about Bill Clinton's haircut on Air Force One?

The author also talks about her mood swings:

"On the 2008 campaign trail, one close aide recalls, it was practically impossible to persuade Palin to take a moment to thank the kitchen workers at fund-raising dinners. During the campaign, Palin lashed out at the slightest provocation, sometimes screaming at staff members and throwing objects. Witnessing such behavior, one aide asked Todd Palin if it was typical of his wife. He answered, “You just got to let her go through it… Half the stuff that comes out of her mouth she doesn’t even mean.” When a campaign aide gingerly asked Todd whether Sarah should consider taking psychiatric medication to control her moods, Todd responded that she “just needed to run and work out more.” Her anger kept boiling over, however, and eventually the fits of rage came every day. Then, just as suddenly, her temper would be gone. Palin would apologize and promise to be nicer. Within hours, she would be screaming again."

Is he implying that PMS may be clouding her judgement? Are women just too temperamental to hold high office? One source for the article stated,

"...she “does not understand math or accounting—she only knows buzzwords, like ‘balanced budget’"

Sounds a lot like that old meme, "girls can't do math." The article goes on to highlight how Sarah Palin trots our her children as props on the campaign trail. Well, don't all politicians (male and female) do the same???? The criticism of her extreme spending of campaign funds for clothes paint her as a shallow clothes horse with a shoe fetish. Well - the same can be said of some male candidates. And I don't hear too much about male candidates' choice of 'intimates' yet Gross feels the need to specify that Palin bought Spanx girdles on while on the campaign trail. Now honestly, what self-respecting woman over 35 doesn't go out of the house without her Spanx?

What about the following passage? Does anyone else see the double standard?

"...There’s a general consensus in town that, at least since the start of the 2008 campaign, Todd has been shouldering the bulk of the parenting and that Sarah’s relationship with her children has grown more distant... An aide overheard conversations between Sarah and Todd in which Sarah tried to make a self-serving argument sound selfless, holding that the campaign was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that she could not deny the children. “I don’t care what it costs,” she said. “I want them here.” Although the couple hired a nanny to help the children with their homework, little homework got done."

Do we question a male candidate's decision to bring his children on the campaign trail? Do we question it when the wife of a male candidate takes on the majority of parenting responsibilities? Does the fact that she works and needs help to take care of her family make her a bad mother? That'll be news for the millions of mothers who work hard to support their families and have to call on their partners, family, and childcare providers for help. Now if you want to question her parenting, let's talk about her decision to name her kids Tripp and Trig.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it. Michael Gross defends his article and said that it does not have a sexist bias. He is simply highlighting that Sarah Palin has two personas - public and private. No - really???? A public figure with a private life? I'm shocked, shocked I tell ya! A two-faced politician??? Heresy!

Yesterday I called on parents to raise their daughters to think for themselves, speak with their own voices, and to become our future leaders. Today I'm calling on them to raise their sons to value women on the basis of their intellects, honesty, and values - not on the basis of what society now sees to be "acceptable" roles and behaviors for women. Teach by example. When criticizing a woman's behavior, whether in the workplace or a social setting, don't call her a bitch. Use the same terms you'd use for a man - aggressive, self-serving, cutthroat, etc... Don't refer to her as "emotional" (code word for hormonal) if she just has a bad temper. And realize that when women do get angry, sometimes we have a darn good reason for being so. Teach your sons (and daughters for that matter) to judge women by the same standards that they judge men.

Don't get me wrong - I still think Sarah Palin is bat shit crazy and completely unqualified to hold public office, but for reasons other than she's got a nasty temper and she likes her 4-inch heels.

A Palin/Beck Presidency??? Happy birthday to me.

I don't know which is worse - waking up this morning to find that I am suddenly 41 or waking up this morning to learn that Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are both scheduled to appear, together, in Alaska to make speeches on September 11th. Hmmm, do I smell a presidential size announcement coming?

Which is scarier - a Beck/Palin ticket or a Palin/Beck ticket? Beck is already hearing voices and if you believe the recent Vanity Fair article, Ms. Palin doesn't seem to be far behind seem to be riding on the same crazy train. In case you missed the article. it's got something for everyone. For Palin haters, it paints her as a vain, emotionally unbalanced, paranoid, money-hungry harpy with a sense of entitlement that is matched only by her sense of self-importance. For Sarah Palin supporters, it reads as a hatchet job that was written by the biased liberal media that is just out to put down a good woman. What is true is that Sarah Palin was grossly under qualified to be either President or Vice President of the United States. At least in her 2008 bid for VP, her lack of qualifications were mitigated by Senator McCain experience. I am going to have nightmares if she and Beck team up.

I know many women liked seeing another woman getting the nod for the #2 spot on the 2008 Republican ticket, but honestly, is she the best the party could come up with? Democrats too haven't done a stellar job at finding qualified women for higher office. I know they have to be out there.

So I'm calling on all you moms and dads of daughters out there to step up and start grooming our girls for leadership. I don't care about your politics. Teach your girls to think critically about what they are learning. Teach them to read the newspaper. Broaden their horizons - and yours at the same time. If you only read the Washington Post try turning on FOX News for a little while and if your primary source of news is from Fox - try giving your ears a little break and turn on NPR - and LISTEN to the other side for awhile. I mean really listen. Teach your daughters to use their voices in class. Teach your daughters to stand up for what they believe in. Teach your daughters that they can make a difference. Teach them that math isn't hard. Teach your daughters to respect themselves and to respect others. Teach them to be self-sufficient. Teach them how to be strong yet flexible. Teach them to THINK!

They may come to share your beliefs or they may follow a different path, but at least you'll know it's their path and they came by it honestly. And maybe, just maybe, we'll have a female candidate for President whom we may not all agree with but we can all respect.

I'd like to buy the world a Koch and keep it company...

Oh wait, they've already bought me - or at least they've tried to. I just finished reading Jane Mayer's New Yorker article on the gazillionaire Koch brothers, Charles and David. The article outlines how the Koch brothers have bankrolled the Tea Party movement and have been using their millions to twist the political process to better serve their corporate greed.

If you're unfamiliar with the Koch brothers, here's a quick summary from Mayer's article. The Koch fortune comes from oil refineries, ownership in companies such as Brawny paper towels, Dixie Cups, Georgia Pacific lumber, and Lycra, to name a few. Koch Industries is the second largest private company in the U.S. The Koch brothers are major donors to such charities as the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute and The Smithsonian. David Koch is known as one of the biggest philanthropists in New York City. The Kochs sound like good people, non?

But look a little deeper into their "philanthropic" activities and you begin to see a different story. The Kochs have used their vast (to put it mildly) personal fortunes to bankroll political action committees, "think tanks," and citizen action groups to further their corporate interests. One of the Koch's pet projects is the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. You may have heard of AfP - they're the ones bankrolling the Tea Party movement. So much for a grassroots effort free from special interest groups and corporate influence.

Now the Kochs have a constitutional right to put their money where ever they want - but let's at least have some transparency. According to Mayer's article, Koch spokespeople deny the involvement of the Kochs in the Tea Party movement. "But what about George Soros?" my conservative friends may ask. Yes, George Soros has given disgusting amounts of money to liberal causes and pledged his personal fortune to defeat George W. Bush. But at least he was up front about it. If you're going to try an buy and election, just own it.

Another reason I don't have as big a problem with Soros throwing his money around is that he generally gives money to organizations and causes that are not going to better his bottom line. You may disagree with some of the things he supports (that Millennium Project to end extreme poverty in Africa is evil, pure evil, I tell ya!) but he's not making money off it.

But the Kochs have given millions of dollars to organizations that oppose environmental regulation and support lower taxes for industry. Again, the Kochs are well within their rights. But come on - tell me there isn't a conflict of interest when George Mason University, a publicly funded university, accepts millions of dollars to host an institution that is controlled by the Koch family. Want a clearer connection between the Kochs and GMU? The Mercatus Center at GMU was founded by Richard Fink who heads Koch Industries' lobby efforts, is the president of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, director of the Fred C. and MaryR. Koch Foundation, and co-founder (with David Koch) of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. But what's the harm in such close collaborations between corporate wealth and so-called academic endeavors. Well...to quote Mayer's article, again,

"The Wall Street Journal has called the Mercatus Center “the most important think tank you’ve never heard of,” and noted that fourteen of the twenty-three regulations that President George W. Bush placed on a “hit list” had been suggested first by Mercatus scholars. Fink told the paper that the Kochs have “other means of fighting [their] battles,” and that the Mercatus Center does not actively promote the company’s private interests. But Thomas McGarity, a law professor at the University of Texas, who specializes in environmental issues, told me that “Koch has been constantly in trouble with the E.P.A., and Mercatus has constantly hammered on the agency.” An environmental lawyer who has clashed with the Mercatus Center called it “a means of laundering economic aims.” The lawyer explained the strategy: “You take corporate money and give it to a neutral-sounding think tank,” which “hires people with pedigrees and academic degrees who put out credible-seeming studies. But they all coincide perfectly with the economic interests of their funders."

Yep - perfectly within their 1st amendment rights. The groups sponsored by the Kochs have decried global warming and acid rain as myths. Of course, Koch Industries has been named as one of the biggest air polluters in the States. My favorite example of the Koch's philanthropic endeavors is the millions of dollars they have given to cancer research. They gave so much money that in 2004, then President Bush named David Koch to the National Cancer Advisory Board for the National Cancer Institute. At the same time, Koch Industries has been lobbying the EPA to declare that formaldehyde does not cause cancer - despite the fact that scientists have known for years that formaldehyde causes cancer! Did I mention that Koch Industries is a major producer of formaldehyde?

I could go on and on, but I've got to go assess the damage the kids have done to the house while I wrote this. But let's take a stand and say "NO" to corporate control of our political system. Write, call, send carrier pigeons to your elected officials asking for serious campaign reform (that means for George Soros too). Let's demand transparency in our political action committees and think tanks. In other words, SHOW US THE MONEY! If I'm going to be bought by corporate interests, I at least I want to know who's doing the bidding.

So much for religious tolerance...

I knew he couldn't keep it non judgmental when it comes to religion. You know who I'm talking about. Yesterday, just minutes after telling people to turn to god to restore our honor, Reverend Beck was, again, slamming President Obama's faith and accusing the President of not being a Christian. From the mouth of the Reverend,

"You see, it's all about victims and victimhood; oppressors and the oppressed; reparations, not repentance; collectivism, not individual salvation. I don't know what that is, other than it's not Muslim, it's not Christian. It's a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it."

Note his clever way of sneaking in the the "Is the President a Muslim??" question in his statement. What Beck is alluding to are tenets of social justice, which actually play an important role in Catholicism and the United Methodist Church (and Judaism, and probably many other faiths).

I don't want to turn this blog into a course on comparative religion since I'm not an expert on that subject by any means. But I do think that Beck takes one before he starts preaching about what is and isn't a Christian value. I do want to point out his hypocrisy and lies as well as the danger of his rhetoric.

As much as I may mock the Tea Party movement, I hope that the Tea Party rabble will mobilize into an official third party for the next round of elections. If Republican politicians don't have to kowtow to the tea baggers, they can focus on core Republican values of smaller government, fiscally conservative policies, and a strong military. Those are values I can respect and work with. It's time to take religion (or whatever that was that Beck was spouting) out of politics.

Being a pinko, peacenik, knee-jerk, Kennedy-supporting, gay rights supporting liberal, my voice doesn't carry much weight with the people for whom Beck purports to speak. I hope that my Republican friends (yes, I do have Republican friends - you know who you are and thanks for the pizza!) will stand up and say "This man does not speak for me or the Republican Party!"

BTW -- to learn a little more about Liberation Theology check out the link on the right.

A man with a dream, not a delusion.

Anybody else watching Beck's speech??

I'm tuning in late to the live feed on the Washington Post's website. I had more important things to do earlier (like taking the girls to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese). It seems that Beck is now styling himself to be a preacher. Faith, hope, and charity from the mouth of Glenn Beck. Ugh. My stomach is turning. But maybe that's just the pizza from the party...

This event seems to be more like an old time tent revival - complete with gospel singers and for some reason, bagpipes - than about honor. Unless the only way to have honor is to be religious.

I'm glad he's raised to much money for such a worthy cause. I hope that there will be something left over for the SOWF after paying for the costs of putting on such a display of false piety. As it says on the revival's - I mean rally's - website...

"The purchase of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is not a donation to SOWF, but all net proceeds from the sale of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is being donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF."

Call me a cynic, but I'm figuring precious little will be left over after all is said and done. I'll make my donation directly to the Foundation, thank you very much. How about following what the bible says about piety and charity Mr. Beck?

From Matthew 6...

¹"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

²"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

⁵"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Thoughts???

Restore your own honor Mr. Beck - mine's just fine, thank you very much.

So we're in the final countdown to Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally on the Mall tomorrow. Beck carefully chose his date to coincide with the anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Purely coincidence? Yeah right. The man's an idiot, but he's not an idiot, if you know what I mean.

I suppose I should be thankful that the Great and Powerful Beck is going to restore my honor since I didn't even know that I had lost it. The idea of Glenn Beck restoring anyone's honor is laughable. Beck does not know the meaning of the word honor. He will do anything, say anything for ratings. He is manipulating the masses for money and to feed his own ego.

But I digress. I'm sincerely trying to think the best of people (even the worst people) these days. I think Beck deserves our sympathy instead of scorn as he does say that the voices are screaming at him pretty loudly these days. Mental illness can be very scary and isolating so I applaud Mr. Beck's efforts to build a strong support system for himself. Personally, I would have started with a good psychiatrist and some strong pharmaceuticals - but hey, a rally is another way to go. But don't worry Mr. Beck - help is out there! When you are ready for professional help the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a OBAMACARE) will ensure that your mental illness can not be cited as a preexisting condition to deny you insurance coverage! See, we liberals aren't the completely soulless fascists that you paint us to be. We care. Even for bigots like you.

Best of luck tomorrow Mr. Beck. And if those voices start getting too loud, I've got some tinfoil we can fashion into a hat for you. I hear that works wonders!

How far away from Ground Zero is a respectful distance?

Ok - this one is a few days old, but it speaks volumes. Tell me again that the opposition to the Islamic center in NYC is simply a case of being considerate of the sensitivity of 9/11 survivors. Sure it is.

Check out the link to Jon Stewart's take on the Tennessee Terror issue.

I'm Catholic, albeit not a very good one. But I went to Sunday school. I received 1st Communion and was confirmed in the Catholic Church. I must have missed the lesson on how Jesus preached hate and intolerance. Would some kind christian please show me the passages in the New Testament where Jesus calls on his followers to ostracize those who do not follow his teachings?

Our world would be a much kinder, peaceful place if the so-called "christians" spouting hate and intolerance actually began practicing the teachings of Christ.

First they came for the cabbies...

When voicing my outrage at the stabbing of a New York cabbie I was recently blasted on my Facebook page for co-opting Pastor Niemoller's poem regarding his silence during the Holocaust. Apparently, since I am not Jewish, I am not allowed learn from Pastor Niemoller's mistakes. I have also been blasted for supporting the building of an Islamic community center a few blocks from ground zero in NYC. I've been told that if I'm upset by hate mongers such as Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck, I should just ignore them.

Well isn't that just the lesson that Pastor Niemoller was trying to teach us? Our silence in the face of intolerance makes us complicit. The Holocaust (and apparently, as a non-Jew I am not allowed to reference the Holocaust in any way, shape, or form) did not begin with the concentration camps. The Holocaust did not begin with the wholesale execution of Jews in Europe. The Holocaust began with mistrust of others. The Holocaust began with words. The Holocaust began with revoking the civil liberties of those with different political leanings, religions, and disabilities. The Holocaust began when people were silent because the intolerance was targeted at "them." But trust me, it won't be long before we become "them."

Dove World Outreach, a supposedly christian church in Florida is planning on burning the Koran on September 11th. Is this really how we want to express freedom of religion in the U.S? Yes, this guy is a whack job. But more than 6,000 people on his Facebook page have supported his hate filled "rally." One guy is a whack job; 6,00o people is a movement.

Know who else held rallies and burned books in the name of protecting the people from "them?" I'd say his name, but as a non-Jew whose family did not perish in the horror that was the Holocaust, I am not allowed to say his name (I'll give you a hint though, it begins with H and the guy had a funny mustache).

Back to my point about how "we" will eventually become "them." I try to ignore Glenn Beck. Really, I do. But this megalomanic is hosting a "rally" on the Mall this weekend. It's not a political rally, really! Yeah right. But beware. When this guy is done with the Muslims, he'll come for you next. In July he referred to Jews as being responsible for the killing of Jesus Christ (note to Beck: Maybe you need to go to a real University and take a comparative religion course. It was the Romans who put Christ to death, not the Jews.). It's this type of rhetoric that fans anti-semitic attitudes.

But let's stay away from the anti-semitism thing for a minute, 'cause like I said, I'm not Jewish. But I am Catholic and Beck recently called for Catholics to leave the church (I guess to worship at the Church of Beck) because Catholics are communists and fascists. So apparently I'm a communist now because I am Catholic. First they came for the communists... Beck is not stupid enough to outright condemn the Catholic Church or the Jewish faith, but such veiled rhetoric is nothing more than carefully crafted, socially acceptable hate speech.

Okay - enough of my impassioned rant for now. I've got hungry kid who are yelling for mac n cheese. But I'm going on record that I believe that hate IS NOT an American value and I am speaking out against hatred and intolerance. Want to join me? No? then feel free to ignore me.