get donkey!

Textbook stickers

It’s the hottest trend sweeping the science-hatin’, gawd-fearin’ school boards of Red ‘Merika. Some fine folks at Swarthmore have come up with a few of their own. Check ‘em out.

November 30th, 2004 Posted by Rob | General comments, Politics | 2 comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every year, Mrs. get donkey! and I sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner, and every year Mrs. get donkey! asks me to say grace. Of course, every year, I have been too tied up preparing the meal to think about what I should say, and I either fumble through something I memorized back in nursery school, or end up channeling the spirit of Gaylord “Greg” Focker (you know, “to love thee more dearly, to see thee more clearly…”).

This year, however, I have decided to give “grace” a bit more thought, especially since, being a Democrat, I am supposedly some kind of immoral, godless heathen who is out of touch with the so-called “moral values” of America.

Anyway, I put together the lines below and I post them here with the hope that everyone on the internets and beyond have a peaceful Thanksgiving and if you are not an American just a darn good day.

We are thankful that we are gathered around this table and that we have made it through another year in comfort and health.

We are thankful that even in the face of a world increasingly filled with intolerance, indifference, selfishness, and injustice, we still awake each morning with the hope that this day will be better than the day before.

While we ask for the good fortune to gather around this table again next year, we pray that the discriminated against, the suffering, the impoverished, and the wronged will soon wake up not merely to the hope for a better day, but to a world filled with acceptance, love, generosity, justice, and peace.

Amen

November 24th, 2004 Posted by Rob | General comments | 3 comments

Boycotting the Wapo

I have removed the link to the Washington Post from my list of links on the right-hand side of this page. Additionally, for the time being, I will no longer link to any Wapo articles as part of posts on this site, or for that matter, even read anything on their site. If I had a subscription, I would cancel it.

If you want to know why, check out this post on AMERICABlog.

I know my small web-gesture doesn’t amount to much in the big picture, but there is no way I will promote a media outlet that unapologetically allows outright bigotry to appear in its paper.

November 24th, 2004 Posted by Rob | General comments | no comments

Fitting Lines

I have been reading some Kate Chopin lately, and as I was getting toward the end of her 1890 novella, At Fault, the main male character, David Hosmer, is speaking to the lead female character, Therese Lafirme, after (spoiler) they have finally been reunited. His words really struck me. They a bit dire and yet also hopeful. The quote pretty nicely sums up my mood at the moment. Since I have nothing better to write about, I figured I would share it here.

“Therese,” said Hosmer firmly, “the truth in its entirety isn’t given to man to know–such knowledge, no doubt, would be beyond human endurance. But we make a step towards it when we learn that there is rottenness and evil in the world, masquerading as right and morality–when we learn to know the living spirit from the dead letter. I have not cared to stop in this struggle of life to question. You, perhaps, wouldn’t dare to alone. Together, dear one, we will work it out. Be sure there is a way–we may not find it in the end, but we will at least have tried.”

November 23rd, 2004 Posted by Rob | General comments | no comments

Exit the “Moderate”

As I am sure everyone in the blogosphere already knows, Powell is out (as are some other “moderates” in the cabinet). I remember back in 2000, after Bush stole that election, that it comforted me a bit to know Colin Powell would at least be in at State to moderate things. Of course even he couldn’t quell the ambitions of the neo-cons and eventually he started talking and acting like one himself. Now he is gone. And so is his reputation. I wonder who will replace him. My early bet is on Condi Rice, one of the biggest liars and failures of the last four years. I’m sure that she will be sworn in easily, however, because anyone who dare assail her horrible record will be accused of either racism or sexism or probably both. Of course I can’t think of anyone else who wouldn’t be worse and even more frightening (Wolfowitz?).

On top of this, I have been reading this morning about the horrors in Fallujah (here and here and here). It’s just awful and it’s a crime. Of course you won’t hear much about what’s really happening there on your local or cable news.

God, I hope we all make it through these next four years.

November 15th, 2004 Posted by Rob | Politics | 2 comments

Administrative stuff

I’ve implemented a new feature where comments are automatically shut off on posts older than 30 days. Additionally, I have removed the approval restriction on comments. If what you write does not trigger the get donkey! comment spam watchlist criteria, your comment should show up immediately. Have fun. Oh and have a gawdawful smilie

November 10th, 2004 Posted by Rob | General comments | no comments

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

After today, there is one week down and only 202 more to go!

November 9th, 2004 Posted by Rob | General comments, Politics | 3 comments

Hey, Icehole

You can stop running your comment spam scripts. Your crap will never show up on this site.

It takes me all of 30 seconds to delete your garbage.

That is all.

November 9th, 2004 Posted by Rob | General comments | no comments

Our true “moral values”

E.J. Dionne’s column is today’s get donkey! must read. It has a nice dose of venting, but I feel this is the strongest bit:

As someone who has been arguing for years that liberals should show more respect for people of faith, I’m happy that more Democrats are now saying the same. But the post-election talk is much too facile. Most of the voters who cast ballots for Bush because of abortion, stem cell research or gay marriage won’t suddenly switch sides because Democratic candidates pepper their speeches with prayers and a few more “God bless you’s.”

What’s required is a sustained and intellectually serious effort by religious moderates and progressives to insist that social justice and inclusion are “moral values” and that war and peace are “life issues.” As my wife and I prepared our three kids for school the day after the day after, we shared our outrage that we in Blue America are cast as opponents of “family values” simply because we don’t buy the right wing’s agenda. No political faction can be allowed to assert a monopoly on the family.

Amen.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this at a later date. Right now, I am a little too angry that Christianity is being hijacked by a group of people who rip a line or two out of Leviticus or take whatever bit of scripture they find ideologically helpful and use it to put a “Christian” label on their ignorance, fear, hatred, and bigotry. Anyway, I agree that the progressive tenets of civil rights; social and economic justice; and environmental stewardship are much more in line with the actual teachings and philosophy of Jesus Christ than what is now being bandied about by right-wing radicals. How we communicate these things in a way that resonates with a majority of the population is a challenge, but it is definitely one we progressives must address. Of course, whether these right-wing “Christian” evangelicals are actually open to or even capable of hearing a message of true “moral values” is another issue entirely.

Yesterday I wrote about the new progressive groups that came out of the 2004 election. In light of the Dionne piece and this new media focus on “moral values”, I’d like to add to that list two organizations that existed before the election: Sojourners and The Center for Progressive Christianity. I think supporting and listening to groups like these may be part of the answer. I’m sure there are other groups like this out there. If you know of any others, please leave them in the comments.

Of course, I am not advocating that the Democratic Party attempt to become a Christian Party. I am saying, however, that we need to figure out how to communicate our values in a way that appeals to the better natures of all Americans, Christians included.

UPDATE: There are a couple of diarists over on Kos that are also thinking along these lines….

stillnotkings Democrats’ Moral Compass is a good read as is seamus’ Reclaiming the Abortion Debate and JamesK’s proposal for an Anti-Abortion Act.

UPDATE II: Maybe all hope of getting through to the religious right is truly lost. From Slate’s Jane Smiley:

…The error that progressives have consistently committed over the years is to underestimate the vitality of ignorance in America. Listen to what the red state citizens say about themselves, the songs they write, and the sermons they flock to. They know who they are—they are full of original sin and they have a taste for violence. The blue state citizens make the Rousseauvian mistake of thinking humans are essentially good, and so they never realize when they are about to be slugged from behind.

Here is how ignorance works: First, they put the fear of God into you—if you don’t believe in the literal word of the Bible, you will burn in hell. Of course, the literal word of the Bible is tremendously contradictory, and so you must abdicate all critical thinking, and accept a simple but logical system of belief that is dangerous to question. A corollary to this point is that they make sure you understand that Satan resides in the toils and snares of complex thought and so it is best not try it.

Next, they tell you that you are the best of a bad lot (humans, that is) and that as bad as you are, if you stick with them, you are among the chosen. This is flattering and reassuring, and also encourages you to imagine the terrible fates of those you envy and resent. American politicians ALWAYS operate by a similar sort of flattery, and so Americans are never induced to question themselves. That’s what happened to Jimmy Carter—he asked Americans to take responsibility for their profligate ways, and promptly lost to Ronald Reagan, who told them once again that they could do anything they wanted. The history of the last four years shows that red state types, above all, do not want to be told what to do—they prefer to be ignorant. As a result, they are virtually unteachable.

Third, and most important, when life grows difficult or fearsome, they (politicians, preachers, pundits) encourage you to cling to your ignorance with even more fervor. But by this time you don’t need much encouragement—you’ve put all your eggs into the ignorance basket, and really, some kind of miraculous fruition (preferably accompanied by the torment of your enemies, and the ignorant always have plenty of enemies) is your only hope. If you are sufficiently ignorant, you won’t even know how dangerous your policies are until they have destroyed you, and then you can always blame others.

The reason the Democrats have lost five of the last seven presidential elections is simple: A generation ago, the big capitalists, who have no morals, as we know, decided to make use of the religious right in their class war against the middle class and against the regulations that were protecting those whom they considered to be their rightful prey—workers and consumers. The architects of this strategy knew perfectly well that they were exploiting, among other unsavory qualities, a long American habit of virulent racism, but they did it anyway, and we see the outcome now—Cheney is the capitalist arm and Bush is the religious arm. They know no boundaries or rules. They are predatory and resentful, amoral, avaricious, and arrogant. Lots of Americans like and admire them because lots of Americans, even those who don’t share those same qualities, don’t know which end is up. Can the Democrats appeal to such voters? Do they want to? The Republicans have sold their souls for power. Must everyone?

Tough stuff and more than a bit elitist, but unfortunately, from where I am sitting deep in the heart of Texas, it rings true.

November 5th, 2004 Posted by Rob | Politics | 3 comments

Cold Cats

We’ve had a “cold spell” here in Houston which means that temperature has fallen below 70 degrees.

It also means that last night Baby (left) and Monty (right) stopped fighting, put aside their territoriality, and decided to snuggle up together on the TV room chair.

I look at is as hope for the future… or something.

November 5th, 2004 Posted by Rob (phone) | General comments | one comment

What’s next? I Have No Idea.

I tried writing this nice conciliatory post about how silver the lining to this awful election loss really is, but I keep coming across little anecdotal snippets of people who waited in line for 10 hours in Ohio, 6 hours in Florida, and 4 hours in VA (my brother and sister-in-law) and I can’t quite get over the sneaking suspicion that the election was stolen. I just cannot believe that people would wait in line for a whole damned day to vote for the status quo. How many people could truly be that afraid of gay people getting married or whatever “moral values” means? Of course, like I said, these stories are all anecdotal and therefore don’t, include verifiable evidence of fraud. I still wonder why Kerry folded so fast. I think he should have waited the 11 days for the provisional count in Ohio and had his legal team kick over as many stones as possible in the interim. I think he failed us there, but there is nothing any of us can do about that, and I can’t hold it against him.

On top of that I heard Bush’s press conference this morning and I almost had a stroke. His arrogance goes to 11.

At this moment, my political feelings can best be summed up by the chorus to the Bloodhound Gang’s “The Roof is on Fire”. It’s probably not constructive to feel that way, but that’s the way it is.

I don’t have any answers. I don’t know what the Democratic Party is supposed to do now. I don’t know who should lead it. I don’t know if they should swing right or left or spin around in circles. I do think there is a lot of entrenchment and inertia in the party hierarchy on all levels and somehow that needs to be cleaned out. Of course I don’t have a clue about how to do it

My gut tells me that some really bad things are going to happen in the next 4 years. I hope to God that’s not the case, but, if the far right really is allowed to fulfill its agenda, I hope it wakes people up to the fact that the most pressing social problem in the nation is not gay marriage.

There are a few slivers of silver, I guess. On a personal level, I have made a lot of friends and gotten to know people I would never have met had I not become involved in the political process. Those friendships will carry on. We’ll need each other for moral support.

On a larger, less personal level, we on the left have some nascent institutions that weren’t there in 2000. We now have groups like the Center for American Progress, Media Matters for America, MoveOn, ACT, the New Democrat Network, and Democracy for America. We have a new media outlet in Air America that will continue to grow. We have an online community that has real power when it is united (see Dean and Sinclair). We need to support all of this stuff and probably more so than the party apparatus. If I had to guess, I would say these new institutions are where our success lies and our new leadership and direction should come from.

For now, I am going to take a step back from activism in the purely political realm. For the immediate future, I’m going to focus my energy on getting involved in my community. Initially I have chosen to volunteer with an organization that mentors kids in inner-city public schools. I feel that I can make a difference there, and Lord knows public school kids will need all the help they can get in the shadow of No Child Left Behind. I think a lot of Democrats who don’t know what to do next would do well to try the same. It can only be good for the soul after this awful, brutal campaign. On top of that, secular non-profits are really hurting right now. They need help and they are surely not going to get it from this faith-based administration.

As for this blog, all I know right now is that I have no desire to spend the next four years posting articles about Bush Administration atrocities. Others can do that. Additionally, as much as I enjoy it, I will probably not post many articles about process. I think that was part of the problem with the Democratic effort this time. Many of us, myself included, got too focused on polls and strategy and electability and just being anti-Bush. Somewhere in all that mess we lost our message, or at least allowed it to be diffused. The truth is I don’t want to be solely against something anymore. That sucks up too much energy. I want to be for something. Maybe I can use this blog to figure out what that should be. At the very least it will be a convenient place to post pictures of my cats and dogs.

So that’s it for now. It’s over. And it sucks. But we are still here and we have to move forward.

November 4th, 2004 Posted by Rob | General, General comments, Interesting stuff, Politics, Texas | 4 comments