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Although I am an anti-religion Atheist, I like to consider myself open minded. That said, I occasionally watch religious documentaries and read books from the religious-right. Today I came upon this video on Netflix called “Lord, Save Us From Your Followers” which was apparently adapted from a book of the same name.

The author (and host of the movie) is an evangelical, but one I could consider liberal. Although he holds deep conviction in his beliefs, he also sees how the rest of the world views fundamentalist Christians and wants to change that perception. His message is that Christians are losing their Christ-like demeanor and actually going backward in terms of their sociocultural stances. Rather than focusing on love and turning the other cheek, they are becoming more combattive and militant – working to pass laws to deny women reproductive right and LGBTQ Americans civil rights all in the name of religion.

I am all for freedom of speech, it is our first amendment right after all. And although I am generally all for the ACLU, I do think they go a bit far with pressuring businesses not to celebrate Christmas or Easter. There is nothing offensive to me about a nativity, a “holiday” tree or the Easter bunny. We have gone too far as a society trying to keep everyone happy. Dan Merchant, in this film, goes as far as showing all of the cities with religious names such as St. Paul, St. Petersburg, etc and jokingly suggesting we rename them to New Leningrad. Although America is not a Christian nation, we are rooted in religious freedom, after all that is why our original settlers came here. Let Americans celebrate religious holidays and let cities keep their names.

What this ultimately gives us as Bill O’Reilly and Dan Merchant have suggested is a culture war in the US. We have the liberals (or “secular progressives” as Bill O’Reilly coined in his book Culture Warrior) on one side and the conservatives (the religious-right) on the other side. Neither is willing to accept defeat and in the past decade this has fueled a huge political “fire” which has come to define American politics.

Next the movie goes on to show a “Family Feud” style game show with liberals versus conservatives. The liberals whipped the butts of the conservatives, even when it came to religious topics. Dan Merchant’s message through this illustration is that liberals (secular progressives) understand the culture of Christians much better than Christians understand the culture and beliefs of progressives. He goes as far as saying that if this disconnect between the two factions doesn’t change that we are going to continue to live in a very divided country.

Drawing on the opinions of authors, politicians and lots of other big names in our culture, Dan Merchant touches on American consumerism. I know I personally am a “victim” (happy participant) in consumerism. I have been programmed by our society to live by the motto “want it, buy it; can’t afford it, charge it” and it’s a very bad thing. Christian, Atheist, conservative, liberal, straight, gay, male, female – we are all victims of consumerism. Consumerism is an issue we should all be concerned with. It should be the big issue, not gay marriage, not abortion.

Jesus Christ is someone that we all respect. Christians or Atheists – we all agree that Jesus was a great philosopher, he is a great idea. We can all apply his teachings to our life and make it a better life. We may differ on believing that he is a god rather than just a great man, but regardless we should all apply his teachings to our life.

In the end, although I may never see eye to eye with the religious-right, a difference in belief doesn’t mean we have to be enemies. I have tons of people in my life who are staunchly religious, including my mother. I love her dearly. I have friends, acquaintances, colleagues and family members who I love dearly and we don’t see eye to eye on really…anything. If I can get along with them, why can’t others in the American public agree to disagree with people? Like race and gender, religion and sexual orientation should be irrelevant in American culture. There is a separation of church and state in our country. There is also unlimited religious freedom (along with freedom of speech and assembly also guaranteed in the first amendment). Rather than always being at war with each other, we need to live and let live. Although I’m sure this culture war isn’t going away anytime soon, the only thing that is going to win this war is love (something profound that was said to me by a teacher from my high school). We need to learn to understand the “enemy”, learn to see the good in them, learn to love them, learn to work together for a common good that we can all agree upon.

All humans have the potential for love, for goodness. Lets put our differences aside and start loving rather than hating. Love conquers all.

So I’ve held off on writing about the ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker in California that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Of course I was excited, no THRILLED that it was struck down, but I wanted to wait to see how the religious right would respond.

The Absurdity of Proposition 8 (to begin with)

2008 was a year of great victory for progressivism in America. We elected Barack Obama – our first non-white President – something unprecedented in American history. But on the same night – in California – arguably the most liberal state in the Union, citizens passed a law that amended the California constitution to make  gay marriage illegal. The Yes on 8 campaign was filled with lies and scare tactics to entice the ignorant-majority to vote in opposition to Prop 8. I even heard of people so confused by what Yes and No actually meant in regard to the proposition, that they voted opposite of how they intended to.

As Rachel Maddow so eloquently said this week on her show, when you put minority rights up to vote by the majority, the majority will subjugate the minority 100% of the time. 31 out of 31 states that put gay marriage up to a vote, voted against it. Rights should not be put up for vote, they should not be a matter of public opinion, even if many MANY people think they should be. Rights exist to protect people – if we didn’t NEED protecting there would be no need for laws. For example, look at universal suffrage for minorities and women as well as the civil rights battle in the 50s and 60s for minorities and women. Previously, they had a similar position in society as LGBTQ Americans and it took the government intervening to give them rights. Clearly the same was true in the case of Prop 8.

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The Overturn of the Discriminatory Law

Judge Vaughn Walker in California overturned Proposition 8 on Wednesday, August 4th 2010. An appointee of George Bush Senior (AKA Daddy Bush), Walker is assumed to be a conservative-leaning judge. Among other things, Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that “Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.” He also believes (and I agree with him) that “Denying marriage to gay people does not make heterosexual marriages stronger; it does not protect children; it does not have any ‘rational reason’ at all”. He further went on to say that it violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution on the basis of not providing equal protection.

Taken from Change.org:

“Excluding same-sex couples from marriage is simply not rationally related to legitimate state interest,” asserted Walker in his decision yesterday. And, in a direct strike to social conservative arguments on the “sanctity of marriage,” Walker ruled, “tradition alone, however, cannot form a rational basis for a law.” The old paradigm of rationalized, “reasonable” sexual norms was thus struck down, replaced by a new order, for now, that emphasized our historic “rationales” flaws.

To bolster his point, Walker contended, “The evidence shows that the tradition of restricting an individual’s choice of spouse based on gender does not rationally further a state interest despite its ‘ancient lineage.” Times have changed, he’s saying, and American law needs to keep up.

There’s no way Walker’s decision won’t be debated and discussed for years, perhaps even generations, to come. He totally reoriented previously entrenched ideas about “rational” sexuality and gender identities and placed them in a new context, a more relevant context.

Walker’s Proposition 8 reading totally revolutionized the nation’s idea of “rational reason,” and now there’s no turning back. Not that a reasonable nation would want to in the first place, right?

The Aftermath of Justice

Not unusual for the religious right, all was quiet on the bible belt front. They were so shocked that, for once, that they were silent. At least for a day. Now people on the religious right are calling for the impeachment of Judge Vaughn Walker. On what grounds, I’m not sure. I’m sure something along the lines of denying religious liberty – however, what they really mean is not passing laws derived from the chaos and brutality of the Old Testament.

According to the American Family Association, anything but an organization dedicated to preservingfamily, Judge Vaughn Walker should be impeached because:

(Taken from The Examiner)

• Walker’s decision overturning Prop 8 “frustrated the express will of seven million Californians who went to the polls to shape their state’s public policy on marriage;”
• “Judge Walker is an open homosexual, and should have recused himself from this case due to his obvious conflict of interest. “
• “Federal judges hold office only ‘during good Behaviour,’ and …Judge Walker’s ruling is not ‘good Behaviour.’”

While 6.8 million Californians voted for the Prop 8 gay marriage ban in 2008, more than 6.2 million voted against Prop 8. Moreover, the issue before Judge Walker was whether Prop 8 violated the U.S. Constitution, specifically, the 14th Amendment’s guarantees against deprivation “of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” and of “equal protection of the laws.” As Judge Walker pointed out in his ruling, these Constitutional protections for minorities of all types are not subject to the whims of a majority of voters.

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution provides for the impeachment of “civil officers of the United States” (including federal judges) for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Judge Walker did not do anything illegal or even unethical. He will not be impeached. Stop wasting time and costing the tax payers money in order to force religion on Americans.

As usual the religious-right is just a bunch of idiotic buffoons who are unable to come to terms that society has changed since the Middle Ages. It’s time to move on. The rest of society, including many moderate Christians, have already moved on. It’s time for the far right to do so as well.

I’m sorry if conservatives disagree with gay marriage. In the 1940s, the majority denied the minority (blacks and women) rights. They disagreed that they were deserving of civil rights. In that case as well as this, the government had to step in. Now civil rights for women and minorities are just a fact of life.

I’m sorry if conservatives hold deep religious conviction that homosexuality is deviant behavior. But that’s just too damn bad. Church and State are separate in the United States. If they’d prefer a theocracy, they should move to Iran. Enough said.

Awesome parody video from The Onion -

New Law Would Ban Marriages Between People Who Don’t Love Each Other

I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Edit 19:20 August 6, 2010:

After posting my article I found an awesome article concerning Arnold Schwarzenegger and how he is an LGBT hero. Even the Republican governor of California supports marriage equality. You’d think, being Republican of all unpleasant things, he could be adamantly opposed to marriage equality. However, he praised the decision by Judge Vaughn Walker! And he’s not even up for re-election this year; it was genuine. Schwarzenegger pleaded that gays be allowed to marry immediately, opposing the stay requested by the far-right nutcases. You go Arnie! I love you and I’m proud to be a Californian and an American today!

Recently Target donated $150,000 to a Minnesota PAC supporting Tom Emmer, an anti-gay politician. Not only is Emmer anti-gay, but he supports a rockband who actually advocates death to LGBTQ Americans. As a national chain who has always been progressive in their support of LGBTQ employees with a 100% rating on HRC’s equality index, it baffles me that Target would support such a candidate.

Please stand with me (and the grieving mother in this video) in boycotting Target until they issue a public apology and make this right.

My e-mail to Gregg.Steinhafel@target.com

Hello Gregg,

My family and I have been long term shoppers and fans of Target. We were particularly impressed when you took a stand against the religious-right in not allowing certain dogmatic Christmas symbols. As a supporter of the HRC, I am also proud that Target has a 100% rating on the HRC Workplace Equality Index.

However, this recent news about supporting not just an anti-LGBT politician, but one who supports a rock band who encourages killing LGBTQ Americans, well that is just shameful. My family, friends and anyone who will listen to me will doing business elsewhere – at businesses who do not support hate with their money.

We would be happy to return our business to Target once there has been a formal apology to LGBTQ Americans and a promise to investigate candidates further before making donations in the future.

I’m hoping that Target makes the right choice.

Michael R Brant

I read three great political editorials this morning:

An editorial in the New York Times – Addicted to Bush

An editorial in The Daily Kos – Why Liberals Should Love the 2nd Amendment

For those of you in San Diego, CA – Southwestern College’s Proper Snack Bar (addressing the corruption at Southwestern College)

So my Mom is on her soapbox about drinking and smoking on the beach. Apparently there was some kind of floatopia event today in Mission Valley where consenting adults drank off shore to avoid the beach alcohol ban.

Apparently they are thumbing their nose at authority and being rowdy and rude. Whatever. Yawn. America has an alcohol problem from binge drinking to underage drinking because the culture makes such a big deal about it.

We went from prohibition (which didn’t work) to alcohol advertisements everywhere you look. But then there’s zero tolerance till you’re 21. Wake up people. Europe is way more laid back about alcohol and they don’t have near the problems we do. Maybe they have the right idea.

I was a bit shocked and surprised when I heard of President Obama being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and then winning it. As an American I am very wrapped up in our culture and our politics and not as aware of international affairs as I should be.

At first I found it a bit shocking and analogous to spitting in the face of other Noble laureates such as Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandella, Mother Theresa, Kofi Annan, Elie Wiesel, etc. My response was “what has Obama done other than talk?” Obama did not snap his fingers and pull us out of Iraq during his first 6 months in office, he did not magically resolve the problem in Afghanistan and he wasted time in Europe trying to get the Olympic games to be held in Chicago.

What I failed to realize is that these are all American issues and the Noble foundation is not concerned with American politics. They are concerned about issues on a global scale and Obama has certainly climbed a lot of mountains when it comes to international problems.

We as Americans need to unite together, let our political affiliations go and support our leader so we can make the world a better place. Obama is a great leader and a dynamic speaker, but he is still one man. He cannot magically solve problems, it falls us to citizens of this globalized world to make a difference.

My friend sent me this on Facebook, which changed my mind about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

By the number of adamantly negative responses out there, I was almost convinced that Obama has not done one productive thing since having been inaugurated. Then, I actually checked up on his presidential act…ions since being in office, and was reminded that he indeed has done quite a bit of good since going into office. It’s so bemusing to me that when someone simply lists facts (not vague opinions on issues, but indeed solid facts) in support of the “wrong” cause, one is immediately deemed a hater. So, please spare me the childish sarcasm and cynical-minded comments. The following is simply a list of facts for those who would like to find out more about what Obama has actually done since his inauguration.

Check out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/PresidentialActions/
for a more detailed list,
And for my die-hard republican friends, go ahead and check fox news too. Apparently, Fox News also reported that during his first 100 days in office alone, President Obama was responsible for:

Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

Setting a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enlisting, with modest new assistance, European allies in a new multi-layered strategy there and in Pakistan.

“Returning science to its rightful place” by lifting the Bush restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

Signing laws to expand children’s health insurance.

Signing a law meant to improve the ability of women who allege pay discrimination to sue their employer.

Diminishing the role of lobbyists in the White House.

“Forge a meaningful statement from the United Nations” criticizing North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile.

Lifting travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans who seek to travel more frequently to the island and send more US currency to their immediate family.

Engaging world leaders in Europe, Turkey, Latin American and the Caribbean with “strength and humility.”

(http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/21/adviser-says-obamas-days-productive-fdr/)

Before, I start listing facts, please be reminded that each of the following does not simply require signing a piece of paper. Anyone who has actually been in an administrative leadership position will understand all the difficulties, politics, and follow-through headaches that go with setting agendas and orders on a small scale… now imagine doing it for the nation.

Also, considering the number of the issues that need to be fixed in our system of government, without delegating and establishing committees, how can the best and most thorough resolution be reached? How can we possibly reach congruity in our policies and more comprehensively aware solutions to our societal problems, without the aid of a leader (like Obama), who has made many successful efforts at coordinating communication between various departments in order to make sure that policies do not infringe upon the rights of otherwise neglected members of the population (i.e., The White House Office of Urban Affairs and the White House Council on Women and Girls).

Further, nearly all if not all of Obama’s policies and strategies have come with specific and immediate timetables. Not only has he established this on the domestic level, but also on a global level as he has successfully opened discourse with countries that we previously neglected to engage.

Some people say that all he does is talk, but if to progress on issues of “peace-making, trade, war, economics and culture,” we need diplomacy… and diplomacy is defined as “the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states” and “[finding] mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge,” then the G-20 Summit, the 60th Anniversary NATO Summit, and the U.S-E.U. Summit (plus all the other talks with various other leaders) are blaring evidence that Obama is doing his job successfully (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy and http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign_policy/).
Is diplomatically and successfully changing the world-perspective of America not in itself a great accomplishment?
How can we expect to have a roof (i.e., the end-all solution to world peace, hunger, and our horrible economic situation) without a proper building foundation (i.e., talking with world leaders, talking through with other policy-makers about the best method to achieve such goals, etc.)? And after several years of detrimental national policies, the cleaning up done so far is laudable in and of itself.

As our President, Obama has also had to spend quite a bit of time appointing the best people to fill numerous offices. Further, setting the foundation for future actions always takes longer than simply issuing laws, because there is also the accompanying pressure of determining the best policy, while taking into consideration its long-term effects.

In response to the outcry over Obama’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize, here is what he has done for foreign policy:

As far as foreign policy is concerned, President Obama:

Appointed Special Envoys for Climate Change, Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Sudan, and a Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Announced a plan to responsibly end the War in Iraq.

Announced a new strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Announced a strategy to address the international nuclear threat.

Agreed to negotiation of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia.

Established a new “U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue”.

Announced new policy steps towards Cuba.

(copied directly from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign_policy/. See this link also for very specific links and more information on each.)

Further, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html), Obama won the prize for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” A huge feat that the American people seem eager to disregard.

“The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.” Apparently, coming to agreement on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia (18 years after the last one was signed) was a task any one could have accomplished and is not good enough to win a prize either.

“Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized the tremendous work Obama has already put forth into the realizations of anyone’s dreams for a better society, but apparently, we can’t.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

The world has his attention, but we can’t give him a moment of ours. We are not eager to work with him or to do our part for a more peaceful world, while the rest of the world is grateful that America is finally getting off its high horse and recognizing it needs the rest of the world to help improve humanity.

“The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that ‘Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.’

The sad part is that we’d rather tear his appeals apart and remain bitter cynics.

Ok, so the rest of the world appreciates what he’s done for global progress. Here’s what he’s done for America:

As far as energy and the environment is concerned:

$11 billion for a bigger, better, and smarter grid that will move renewable energy from the rural places it is produced to the cities where it is mostly used, as well as for 40 million smart meters to be deployed in American homes.

$5 billion for low-income home weatherization projects.

$4.5 billion to green federal buildings and cut our energy bill, saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

$6.3 billion for state and local renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts.

$600 million in green job training programs – $100 million to expand line worker training programs and $500 million for green workforce training.
$2 billion in competitive grants to develop the next generation of batteries to store energy.

Increasing, for the first time in more than a decade, the fuel economy standards for Model Year 2011 for cars and trucks so they will get better mileage, saving drivers money and spurring companies to develop more innovative products.

The President issued a memorandum to the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances, like dishwashers and refrigerators. Through this step, over the next three decades, we’ll save twice the amount of energy produced by all the coal-fired power plants in America in any given year.
Supporting the first steps of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide.

On Earth Day 2009, the President unveiled a program to develop the renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. These regulations will enable, for the first time ever, the nation to tap into our ocean’s vast sustainable resources to generate clean energy in an environmentally sound and safe manner.

(copied directly from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/energy_and_environment/; look here for specific links and more information)

That, was only for energy and the environment, the list goes on if you continue to peruse through the very accessible whitehouse.gov.

If the above wasn’t specific enough for you, I’ve also included a very few of the many specific executive orders and presidential determinations that Obama has passed, also directly from the White House website:
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/PresidentialActions/)

September 14: Set a policy regarding human trafficking, by stopping certain funding to several nations for the fiscal year 2010, including but not limited to Zimbabwe and Burma, until their governments decide to comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Determiniation-regarding-major-illicit-drug-transit/)

October 5: President Obama signed an Executive Order that set “sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to set a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days; increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water; reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-signs-an-Executive-Order-Focused-on-Federal-Leadership-in-Environmental-Energy-and-Economic-Performance/)

October 1: President Obama signs an Executive Order for “Federal Government-wide prohibition on the use of text messaging while driving on official business or while using Government-supplied equipment” to “demonstrate Federal leadership in improving safety on our roads and highways and to enhance the efficiency of Federal contracting.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Federal-Leadership-on-Reducing-Text-Messaging-while-Driving/)

June 12: Set up a national policy that ensures the protection, maintenance, and restoration of the health of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources, that enhances the sustainability of ocean and coastal economies, preserves our maritime heritage, provides for adaptive management to enhance our understanding of and capacity to respond to climate change, and is coordinated with our national security and foreign policy interests.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-National-Oceans-Month-and-Memorandum-regarding-national-policy-for-the-oceans/)

May 12: Furthered the efforts of the Clean Water Act of 1972 by issuing a timed strategy for the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, working towards ending pollution of “the largest estuary in the United States and one of the largest and most biologically productive estuaries in the world.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Chesapeake-Bay-Protection-and-Restoration/)

April 8: “Established the White House Office of Health Reform”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Establishing-The-White-House-Office-Of-Health-Reform/)

March 9: Issued an order to remove limitations to “fund and conduct human embryonic stem cell research, to expand NIH support for the exploration of human stem cell research, and in so doing to enhance the contribution of America’s scientists to important new discoveries and new therapies for the benefit of humankind.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Removing-Barriers-to-Responsible-Scientific-Research-Involving-Human-Stem-Cells/)

I hope this assists in clearing up some of the confusion out there about Obama’s time in office. And I sincerely hope that, at some point, we too will realize the importance of the values that Obama has held himself and his staff to since being in office.

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/ethics/) The world recognizes these values as integral to the causes of human rights, environmental protection and sustainability, and international peace efforts. What we do with regards to our domestic and foreign policies affects not only our future but also our future world standing and the future of other countries. It’s about time that America’s leader embraces the help of fellow peacemakers and leaders worldwide to endorse humanity’s progress and not simply be satisfied with self-centered, sectarian interests.

All of that said, I think he really does deserve the prize and I wholeheartedly regret doubting his ability as my President.

It is weird to use a phrase that Bill O’Reilly coined, but it is very true. Racial Witchhunter (noun) – one who tries to find racism and discrimination in the most petty things.

I saw the following comment on Facebook today and couldn’t help reply. I admit, I did not know how they meant their statement, so I did jump the gun a bit on assumptions, but I still stand to my comments.

Racial Witchhunter: “Cali is most def. not the place for me…it’s more racist folks here than it is in the backwoods of Mississippi! At least down south you already know wat the deal is…people are just so damn IGNORANT”

Me: “I hate to be devil’s advocate here, but everyone is racist in some way. I know a lot more black people who hate white people than the other way around. And yes I know that my ancestors enslaved them, but I didn’t personally so for them to hate me is pretty silly. But overall I think CA is a lot more accepting than anywhere else. Except for the idiots in like Lakeside and Santee I don’t know of too many overly racist people here.”

Racial Witchhunter: “michael first off you really do not know wat the hell you are talking about! i did not say anything about YOU or YOUR ancestors, or anybody hating you or white people for that matter and you have know idea wat i experienced or went thru o make any comment on the matter… I am the last one to blame the entire white race for wat happened in the past. your comments are without merit and furthermore not everyone is racist, period. And you also made an assumption that I was talking about white people, so the next time you decide to coment on an issue you know absoutely little to nothing about, DON’T!”

Me: “I did not accuse you of having any of those sentiments, I was generalizing racism as I see it in California and in the US. IE: my opinion, not a fact. I am sorry you are so angry but people disagree on things it is part of life. It’s pretty childish to explode on them.”

Racial Witchhunter: “Actually its pretty ignorant to go in or comment on any situation in which you have zero to little knowledge. I do not disagree with you because you have no grounds to stand on. I could say that I know plenty of white people who hate black than you know black people who hate white people, but THAT would be childish of me. And f.y.i, just because the observations you partake in within California does not negate the experiences other peole go thru let alone negate the fact that it exists. Obviously your world is much more sheltered than me and for that you must feel O SO LUCKY!“

Me: “It does exist and it sucks. I felt it every day at CPH being the huge ethnic minority. But you’re right, I don’t know the background on your comments and making assumptions is obviously bad, so I apologize if my musings offended you.”

I should have known better than to comment on something about racism coming from 1) an African-American female and 2) someone with the political views “if it ain’t Obama, it ain’t no good” but I couldn’t help myself. I’m used to educated people who can listen to other people’s opinions even if they disagree.

The facts as I see them: everyone is prejudiced in some way be it sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, weight, age etc. Society programs us to favor straight 20-something fair skinned upper-middle-class males.

If not prejudiced or “racist” in some way, this racial witchhunter is at least very hostile with a lot of bitterness toward people who disagree with her. But I would go as far as to say has some kind of hard feelings toward white middle-class males since she reacted in the way she did. Perhaps males in general. She reminds me in so many ways of Chima from Season 11 of Big Brother on CBS.

She accuses me of making assumptions about her but then turns around and makes assumptions about me that I am 1) accusing her individually of being racist and 2) accusing her of thinking all white people are evil for enslaving her ancestors. I said no such thing, I was speaking in a generalization of racism in California and America as I see it.

Next is her comment that I know nothing about “racism”. I went to a predominately hispanic high school where I was discriminated against every single day. Walking down the halls I would be called things like “pinche guero” (fucking whitey) every day. On top of that I am gay, so I know a lot more about being discriminated against than she does. She can at least get married and have children legally.

Next is a personal attack on me. She assumes I am sheltered because I have different opinions than she does. Honestly, I did have a sheltered life, but I’m a pretty cultured person as well. I have traveled a lot, I have friends from all different walks of life, many of them African-American friends. I worked with a friend on an African-American clothing line and I voted for Obama. I was raised to be color blind and I still am. I judge people on ignorance and rudeness, not color or any other factor out of their control.

In the end I was the bigger man and apologized if I offended her. Life is too short to get so upset over something so insignificant. It would have been fruitless to continue the virtual argument because it would have only got me deleted from her Facebook account.

Based on this huge overreaction I would say her “racism” is more due to ignorance than her race. If she blows up on people for disagreeing with her and hates other groups (which she obviously does) then who can blame people for being rude to her?

It is ignorant to call California a racist place; it is more accepting than anywhere else in the United States that I have been. It has more opportunity than anywhere else I have been. But the sad reality is that no matter where you go, not everyone will like you. People will always find something wrong. Such is life, get over it, accept reality, move on and enjoy life for what it is: an awesome adventure.

As an atheist raised in a Judeo-Christian household, I find this topic to be particularly interesting. As someone who watched all of the Dr. Dino videos in church as a kid, I am very familiar with a lot of the far-right “intelligent” design arguments (see http://www.drdino.com/). Without getting too political, I was horrified that so many schools in the bible belt (Southern US) were trying to get “intelligent” design put into schools, presenting religious dogma as science, especially during the presidency of George W. Bush. Creationism is NOT science and has no place in a science classroom; if presented in public schools, it should only be presented in a comparative religions class giving other religions equal emphasis. Creationism and Intelligent Design are not scientific theories because they do not follow the scientific method. They do not analyze data proving or disproving a hypothesis and they are not open to peer review. They must either be accepted or rejected. Intelligent Design is figuratively black or white whereas science has a lot of grey area and is constantly changing and correcting itself. To be objective, Intelligent Design in its most recent manifestation is finally at least making an effort to be loosely scientific. Creationists are now trying to disprove science, citing religious dogma as evidence, instead of using a completely faith-based approach. For instance at http://www.intelligentdesign.org/ they actually say that Intelligent Design has nothing to do with the bible and is common sense regardless of what one’s religious beliefs are. When asked if creationist theory is the same as intelligent design, they reply “No. Intelligent design theory is simply an effort to empirically detect whether the “apparent design” in nature acknowledged by virtually all biologists is genuine design (the product of an intelligent cause) or is simply the product of an undirected process such as natural selection acting on random variations. Creationism is focused on defending a literal reading of the Genesis account, usually including the creation of the earth by the Biblical God a few thousand years ago. Unlike creationism, the scientific theory of intelligent design is agnostic regarding the source of design and has no commitment to defending Genesis, the Bible or any other sacred text. (http://www.intelligentdesign.org/faq.php)” One would have to question the truthfulness of this statement however, noting that “god”, “bible” and various pronouns for “god” are capitalized, implying that his site has a Judeo-Christian affiliation. Regardless, it is downright untrue for this website to call Intelligent Design a scientific theory.

A very interesting article validating my opinions is http://is.gd/2pBMP (link has been shortened), which was written by Glenn Branch, the deputy director of the National Center for Science Education. His ultimate conclusion is “Creationism is not just a legal failure. It is a scientific failure as well. Scan the scientific research literature: There are no signs that anyone is using creationism, whether as creation science or its newfangled form of intelligent design, to explain the natural world. In contrast, not a year passes without the appearance of thousands of scientific publications that apply, refine, and extend evolution (http://is.gd/2pBMP). “ Ultimately, thank your deity of choice that we have a supreme court that enforces the separation of church and state clause in our constitution. Otherwise the American education system would be even more flawed. Hopefully during his presidency, President Obama will make a difference in the science education throughout the US, especially in the Southern states, enforcing our laws requiring educators to acknowledge only evolution in the classroom.

It is a shame, in this day and time, especially in a place as liberal as California that Proposition 8 was upheld in court. I would think that everyone, even super conservative christian bigots would want others to be happy. Equality should be for everyone, unconditionally, not just for people who support the conservative agenda.

The far-right in America continues to amaze me in their slamming of President Obama. I admit that I’m still a little doubtful about his economic stimulus, but I am keeping an open mind. But otherwise I have 100% approval of him. He is doing a very good job with foreign policy and rebuilding the bridges that George Bush burnt down.

It pains me when I receive bullshit e-mails like this. But this time I sent a heated reply.

E-mail

Obama Audacity, Obama Arrogance & Obama Ignorance

Arrogant Americans, Mr. President? Arrogant Americans, Mr. President?

Peter Heck – Guest Columnist – 4/14/2009

As I was sitting in church waiting for the start of the service, my grandpa came walking towards me pointing his finger. No matter how old I get, and no matter how long he’s been out of the U.S. Navy, that’s still an intimidating sight.

As he approached me, his voice quivered as he said, “We saved that continent twice…how dare my president apologize for this country’s arrogance.” My grandpa is right.

Americans need not apologize to the world for their arrogance; rather, Americans should apologize to their forefathers for the arrogance of their president. Barack Obama’s first foreign trip as President of the United States has confirmed the naiveté so many of us feared during the election cycle.
But worse than that, it has also demonstrated that our president suffers from either a complete misunderstanding of our heritage and history, or an utter contempt for it. Neither is excusable.

Garnering cheers from the French of all people, President Obama declared, “In America, there is a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.” Consider that Obama spoke these words just 500 miles from the beaches of Normandy, where the sand is still stained with 65-year-old blood of “arrogant Americans.”

Indeed, columnist Mark Whittington observes, “One should remind Mr. Obama and the Europeans how America has ‘shown arrogance’ by saving Europe from itself innumerable times in the 20th Century. World War I, World War II, the Cold War, and the wars in the Balkans were largely resolved by American blood, treasure, and leadership.” But all that appears lost on the president’s seemingly insatiable quest to mend fences he imagines have been tarnished by the bullish George W. Bush. If Obama wishes to continue trampling the presidential tradition of showing class to former office holders and publicly trash Bush for his own personal gain, so be it. But all Americans should make clear that no man – even if he is the president – will tarnish the legacy of those Americans who have gone before us. Ours is not a history of arrogance. It is a history of courage, self-sacrifice, and honor.

When abusive monarchs repressed the masses, Americans resisted and overthrew them. When misguided policies led to the unjust oppression of fellow citizens, Americans rebelled and overturned them.

When millions of impoverished and destitute wretches sought a new beginning, Americans threw open the door and welcomed them. When imperial dictators were on the march, Americans surrendered their lives to stop them.

When communist thugs threatened world peace, Americans bled to defeat them. When an entire continent was overwhelmed with famine and hunger, Americans gave of themselves to sustain it. When terrorist madmen killed the innocent and subjugated millions, Americans led the fight to topple them.

This is the legacy that generations of Americans have left. If President Obama seeks stronger relations with the world community, perhaps he should begin by reminding them of these very truths, rather than condemning his own countrymen on foreign shores.

This “obsessive need to put down his own country,” has caused blogger James Lewis to call President Obama a “stunningly ignorant man” who has evidently never spoken to a concentration camp survivor, a Cuban refugee, a boat person from Vietnam, a Soviet dissident, or a survivor of Mao’s purges.

Unfortunately, I can no longer bring myself to give Mr. Obama that benefit of the doubt. Not after looking at the pain in my grandpa’s eyes…a man who still carries shrapnel in his body from his service to this country.

As a student and teacher of history, I recognize that America has made mistakes…plenty of them, in fact. But one of the great things about our people has been their courage and humility in admitting and correcting those mistakes.

God willing, they will prove that willingness again in four years and correct the mistake that is the presidency of Barack Obama.

My Reply

They forget to mention that America did not join WWII to help Europe, America waited until they saw Hitler as a threat to their own interests and only joined to protect American interests.

They had full knowledge of what was happening to the Jews and did NOTHING to help them because they thought they might have to emigrate them here. Obviously we learned nothing because look at Darfur and Rwanda.

America is hardly the noble country that this is making it out to be. I think Obama is doing a good job, I’m very impressed with him.

Further, America was minimally involved in WWI and the whole idea of the cold war was America vs. USSR. If anything the non-Communist parts of Europe helped US. Not the other way around. The Far-Right needs to stop being so emotional and read up on their history. I hated history and I know more than the person who wrote this forward.

I should clarify that none of my words are aimed at the American soldiers who fought and died for our corrupt government, they are aimed at the government and it’s poor decisions.