A Change in My 9/11 Schedule

Believing all members of a group are evil = overgeneralization

Since 2001 I have never missed a visit to the World Trade Center site, going to pay my respects and mark a year in my life as well. From the beginning I established a tradition of what I wear, what I carry with me as well as the order of sites I see--the Morgan Bank, Federal Hall, Trinity Church and then Ground Zero.

Tomorrow, however, I will be adding another stop to my pilgrimage, as I will be heading over to Park Place to the pro-Muslim rally being held there.  I am not a religious person but I am an ethical one and I feel so much disappointment and anger over the unfair treatment of the followers of Mohammed and the founders of the Cordoba Center.  I am embarrassed by the ignorance I see and hear on a daily basis in reaction to the construction of the center and I feel the need to lend my presence, as well as my words, in helping fight ignorance and prejudice over this issue.  

As we mark this 9th anniversary of the tragedy that occurred here, think of the good people of all faiths, as well as those without one, who were murdered that day in the name of hate. Hate is the enemy dear readers--not Islam. 

Targets Troubling Politics

Words + Actions = Intent

Click here to read the latest on Target's troubling politics



You can't have it both ways--either Target supports gays or it does not--put your money where your mouth is Tom. And I will put mine in the pockets of those who support me.

Has the Democratic Experiment Failed?

This is not a political blog by definition; it is a blog that is supposed to talk about side effects. The side effects of action. The side effects of complicity. The side effects of saying something most people won't say.

That said, I guess I am sticking to my mission statement in that I am talking about the side effects of a decision. Namely, the decision by the U. S. Supreme Court that corporations have the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns. This decision replaces Dred Scott as the biggest error the court has ever made.

What would be the side effect of that? Those with the biggest and deepest pockets get to select who wins elections. That, in effect, is what this decision says. How do you think being funded by major corporations will effect political decisions in the future? What is the side effect of unlimited corporate funding? What chance do you have if you don't agree with them?

This is serious folks. The Supreme Court of this country has apparently lost its mission statement, as this seems completely contrary to the basic principles of freedom of speech. What can be done?

Alan Grayson, a Florida congressman, is attempting legislation to put up some provisions to stem the major tide that is forming even as I type. Go the his website to sign his petition to support these efforts. 

This is bigger than party. This is the future of this nation folks. Try reversing this process in ten or twenty years, when everyone from the president down is hand-picked by IBM, or Microsoft, WalMart or Mobil Oil.

Obama and Expectations: One Year Later

(high expectations) = BIG disappointment

Years back when I was a professional historian, I would track down people and read letters and reports to them that they had written decades prior. Consistently their reactions were mixed--happy with some aspects and ashamed, even laughing, at other parts in embarrassment. In most instances words don't hold up over the long haul.

I just read the post I wrote one year to the day about President Obama and expectations. I am happy to say I did not find anything to be ashamed of; the facts hold up. If we expect too much from a person (or anything else) we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed.

Read my post on Obama from 20 January 2009 and tell me if I was on the mark.

The Brits Require Darwin in Their Schools

(science) / (myth + religion) = anti-intellectualism

In a pro-scientific move, the Brits have declared that Darwin is to be taught in all public schools across their country beginning in 2011. Thiw move makes a great deal of sense in that the theory of evolution is one of the greatest scientific achievements of the past two centuries, influencing almost all other intellectual disciplines in a way few other theories ever have.

Three cheers for the British educators realizing the value of a science-based. evidence-based education. Perhaps educational leaders on this side of the Atlantic who bemoan our dwindling science skills should consider a similar move. After all, weren't we the ones who fought so hard for a division between church and state?

Oh, on a related note; I am finally catching up with the Nova series Becoming Human. If you want the latest science on how we became the sophisticated (in some way too sophisticated?) animal that we are. here is the link.

Read the story on Darwin in British schools here.

How About Changing Veterans Day to No War Day?

(attempts) – (failures) = success

While exercising Sunday I caught Andy Rooney on the venerable 60 Minutes, someone who I have not seen on the air in years. He looks slightly different, sounds the same and  apparently still makes pretty convincing arguments.

His pitch this week was about Veterans Day. Rooney, a vet from World War II, had eight friends from his school class pass away in the last of the world wars and over sixty years later it seems he still feels pain at their death. His proposal was a simple one--change the 11th to No War Day.

I am results oriented and that is why I embrace science as a tool to determine what really works. As a scientist, and a historian, I can guarantee that war absolutely does not. No war in history has ever resolved anything without creating consequences that make more wars happen. Pain is transmitted and inherited via assaults and attacks. And while it may take generations or centuries to arise, retaliation in one form or another most certainly will.

One thing more. Mr. Rooney was roundly criticized on the CBS website for this  piece and I want to come to his defense. Many criticized him for dishonoring the memory of the dead. All I can think is if those men and women who did die for some patch of land in some war could speak for themselves, most would feel the same way. The eleventh can be a tribute to those who died and also a plea to make it a day we eventually will not have to celebrate ever again.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

On the Outside Looking In

(no win situations) = trouble

The Maine decision has come and gone and voters have decided that not everyone in their fair state is equal. As has happened thirty times before, a targeted minority, homosexuals men and women, has been denied their civil rights by a state's electorate.

My whole life people have told me how bad the gay lifestyle is. Growing up I had it explained to me that because homos won't not settle down and have kids, they can "never understand being an adult." Since gays won't act like adults, the logic went, they are doomed to a life of loneliness and misery.

Happily as I grew into adulthood a different scenario came onto the scene--the gay marriage movement. "Wow," I thought, "this will be an opportunity for gay people to be what most people said could not be--real adults, with responsibilities to a spouse, children and a mortgage."

How foolish I was. For the same people who complained about queers tricking all night and not settling down WOULD NOT ALLOW HOMOS THE SIMPLE ABILITY TO DO SO. The had created a room with no windows and no doors. Queers were damned for not being "adult" and damned for wanting to be one.

No win situations can create anger, depression anxiety and a variety of other emotions as well. I wonder what the end result of denying a minority of tax-paying adults the right to marry will create in the long run?

New Found Respect For George Bush?

While listening to the news, I had a revelation. I think the former president, G.W. Bush, was right about his presidency looking better in the long view.

My ephiphany began as I was walked to the snobbiest cafe in Brooklyn and listened to the daily broadcast of The Takeaway. The delightful Femi Oke reported some rather shocking news--that President Obama will soon issue a memo extending federal benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. What? Obama? Isn't he the guy who just, not five days ago, agreed to enforce DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), saying that states are within their rights to deny legally married gay couples the extension of federal rights? Yes he is.

In an attempt to make everyone happy, Obama moved right, then banked left, and then stepped into the same position. Let's all study that dance step, called "The Middle Position," and then never do it. If we attempt to make everyone happy, in the long run we make no one happy at all.

How does this connect to the former president Bush? Rather you liked him or not, he stood by his word. He would have never particiapted in this sort of cha-cha-cha. He would have supported DOMA and completely ignored the partners of federal employees. He had a position and he stood by it. Unlike the "change president" who apparently thinks that spouting platatudes is a valid substitution for a point of view, however invalid it may be.

David Ezell will be answering the question "How Can I Change Someone I Love?" the Monday, June 22nd at 8 pm in midtown Manhattan. Want to attend? Click this link to join his Meet Up Group and get the details. Seats are limited...

Rowe vs. Wade

Let's take a moment to think about Rowe vs. Wade and it's significance in the history of these Untied (sic) States.

Giving women control of their bodies to make their own ethical choices is a principle that has to be preserved. Giving women--giving people--the adults to make decisions is a basic right guaranteed by the founding documents of this nation (recall "the pursuit of happiness"). But beyond that it is the primary way we as humans grow.

Are some people going to be irresponsible? Certainly. Are some going to make bad choices based on their circumstances? Absolutely. But it will be their choice and not a dictate from a small clutch of judgemental thinkers acting in some pseudo-parental capacity.

Living is growing and learning. Learning comes from making decisions, good as well as bad. I actually think the bad choices are the ones that in the long run are far more valuable. Rowe vs. Wade as well as gay marriage are related in that sense. Empowering those without rights to make choices and discover consequences creates people who feel empowered and more adult, even if they made the wrong moves.

Here's to making the wrong moves--as well as the right ones.

Obama and Expectations

(high expectations) = BIG disappointment

I just skimmed the web with the phrase "Obama memorabilia" and was amazed at all the items I saw. Not since FDR have people been so pumped to own a piece of a man and have a stake in his vision.

Congratulations to our new president on this special day! I, like so many of us, look forward to a new positive force in the Oval Office.

I see so much excitement, so much hope in people in a way I do not think I ever have before. And that concerns me a little. I am not trying to be negative and I hope I don't sound that way. But I am concerned that people's expectations--which are very high--are so stellar that they will be impossible to achieve no matter how much good he does in the days, weeks and years to follow.

Many of us are tired. Many of us feel disenfranchised. Many of us are hungry for a new vision. I understand that. But all of us need to be realistic about what one man can do and how quickly he can do it.

Keep your expectations in check over those upcoming days, weeks, months. If expectations are too high, that means you have a long way to fall. As I mentioned in my post "Lose Your Big Stomach in 2 Days!?," what took a while to get in will take a while to get out. And quick fixes come with strings...

Congrats President Obama on this happy day!

Clinton Sees $1.1 Trillion in Excess Revenue in Decade

This is the headline from an article in the New York Times, 3 February 1998. While it was not that long ago, in some ways it feels like it is from another lifetime.

Perhaps the saddest/funniest part is a few paragraphs in:

In just five months, Mr. Clinton's forecast has become much more optimistic. He now predicts that the Government will run a surplus of $216 billion in 2007, which is $49 billion more than he predicted in September.

Let's not forget it happened. And let's try to believe that it can happen again.

Have a great day as this historic transition occurs.

Slaves Were Used to Build the White House

I just skimmed Obama headlines (are there any other on this day?) and found myself recalling the fact that slave labor helped build the White House.

When I Googled it I found a reliable source, the White House Historical Association. And yes, slave labor was used to fill gaps when European workers failed to show at the soggy, hot work site. Slave labor, as well as free helped make a new home for the leader of this new land. They also helped build the Capitol Building and many other buildings as well.

Yesterday I found myself thinking about what an 80 year old MLK would think about our new president. But can you imagine what these men and women, slave, indentured and free, would have to say about this astonishing accomplishment?

I am very critical of our democratic experiement. But at this moment, as I type the words, I get the feeling that at times it actually works.