tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687491775406385412024-02-20T22:30:39.267-05:00SPEAK \aut\Musings on politics, dogs, gay culture, and the intersection of these (and other) areas of interest.Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-18489128226756122102020-09-06T17:44:00.005-04:002020-09-06T17:47:54.613-04:00The Progressive Case for Supporting Joe Biden<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A friend of mine asked for assistance on social media. She is concerned that her 23-year-old son is not going to vote for Biden. She knows that he will not vote for Trump, but is concerned he might not vote, or will vote 3rd party.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Most of the suggestions on the thread were harm reduction. While lesser-of-two-evils is a VERY good reason to vote for Biden, it is not really a progressive case for the vote.</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>We are in an existential climate crisis, and we don’t have time for centrist solutions. We need bold action.</i></span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>College debt is overwhelming, and is one of the main reasons that this generation may actually be poorer than the previous generation.</i></span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Systemic racism is being exposed. It shows up in education, banking, housing, and in it’s most deadly form in law enforcement.</i></span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Health care through employers has become unsustainable, and has always made for large swaths of uninsured citizens (especially in communities of color … see above).</i></span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>In addition there is the idealism of youth, which I think more of us older folk should rekindle.</i></span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Biden-Harris have the most progressive platform of any major party in recent history. But really, that argument goes nowhere if you look at the somewhat-left-of-center records of Biden and Harris. Platforms are aspirational for the party, and I am glad the democrats have such high aspirations. But this is a hard sell to progressives who made the gains of 2018 possible, yet feel left behind in 2020.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I suggested a couple of "Thought Experiments" for my friend’s son.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Supreme Court</b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What if we elected Supreme Court justices directly? Would he vote for Ruth Bader Ginsberg or Brett Kavanaugh?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And in essence, that is the choice, because we elect the president, and one of the responsibilities of the president is to name Supreme Court justices. (BTW, if you think Biden would not nominate an RBG, note that RBG was nominated by Bill Clinton, who is far more of a neo-liberal than Biden)</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Congress</b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let's pretend that Dems take the Senate and hold on to the house ... but Trump retains the presidency. AOC (in the house) and Bernie (in the Senate) introduce a sweeping bill to address climate change.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Would Trump sign that bill?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Would Biden sign that bill?</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In other words, if you want to support the progressive people you DO like in government, it becomes clearer. Think of a vote for Biden as a pathway to progressive work in the other two branches of government.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am a proud progressive. Hell, I even embrace that dreaded word, liberal. Since FDR, the democratic party has had a near monopoly on progressive change. It is through the Democratic Party that the most profound changes in civil rights, healthcare, LGBT rights, and worker’s rights have occurred. We need a powerful progressive democratic government to right the wrongs of the last four (and more) years. We need all three branches of government. A vote for Biden is a vote for progressive voices in the Judicial and Congressional branches of government.</span></p><div><br /></div>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-16678267779938075792019-12-18T18:11:00.001-05:002019-12-19T14:42:00.005-05:00The Russians are Coming. The Russians Are Coming.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">I'm getting some work done in my studio. Martin is working in his office...which is also the TV room. Every time I go down there the impeachment hearings are blasting.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br />I just can't.<br /><br />And I'm usually the political one.<br /><br />The yelling and screaming (which have nothing to do with reality) is more than I can bear. Even the Dems are bugging me a little bit. But at least there is some reality on that side. Also they aren't yelling (as much).<br /><br />To be clear, I am glad this is happening. Trump has been using the office for personal gain since day one. Half an hour of research will show Trump's lawless past. It is no surprise that his presidency is equally lawless. His modus operandi has been to lie, cheat, and steal. When he is caught he sues and countersues. If it is a legal issue he throws lawyers at the government until they settle. Nothing has changed. So Dems, have at it. Get it on the record...and get all that evidence on the record.<br /><br />We know what will happen in the Senate. Don't get your hopes up over those occasional articles about potential Republican Senators voting to remove. One or two will. There will not be enough to remove him from office. I can't invest too much energy into a known outcome.<br /><br />I have no power to save our democracy from our lawless president.<br /><br />Instead I spend my political online time trying to save our democracy from the Russians.<br /><br />Have you read the <a href="https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_Volume2.pdf">Senate Intelligence Report on Russian Interference, part 2</a>. If you haven't, you should. It is 85 pages, but is actually a very easy read. Since you probably won't, let me give you my take on it.<br /><br />The Russians primary objective is to sow division in the US. Yes, they like Trump as President. He is friendly to them. But even more than that, Trump as President helps in their primary goal of sowing division.<br /><br />Remember Lincoln. Y'know. A house divided against itself cannot stand. He was right.<br /><br />The Russians post stories (often fake, sometimes based on a tiny kernel of truth) about pro-gun stories and anti-gun stories. Anti-abortion and pro-life. And especially stories about race. They have no skin in any of those issues. But they have a lot of skin in sowing division.<br /><br />Most 2016 Clinton voters did not hate Bernie, and most Bernie voters did not hate Clinton. But the Russians were VERY successful at convincing everyone that they hated everyone else. Hey presto...it worked.<br /><br />Please everyone. Watch the stories. It is incredible how much is out there. I rather like Mayor Pete (still not sure if which candidate is my fave...and I'd be very happy with many of them). But these days you would think that he is a Wall Street and Big Pharma stooge. And that he rings bells for the Salvation Army. Look carefully folks. I spent a lot of time digging into the Salvation Army thing. It's important to me. In spite of the Salvation Army's PR, the organization is still anti-gay. It turns out the Buttigieg/Salvation Army story is manufactured out of almost nothing. I won't bother with the whole background, but it is one of many stories out there about Pete, and Bernie, and Warren, and Biden, and on and on.<br /><br />Progressives ('cause that's who largely reads my stuff) think on this. If Biden were the nominee, he would probably represent a very progressive agenda. He wants to expand Obama Care. He is a huge voice for working people, and especially unions. The man has a solid background. But if you are a progressive you probably are thinking of him these days as somewhere around Reagan on the political linear scorecard. Nonsense.<br /><br />(Again...to be clear...Biden is not my first choice. I still have a hard time with his whole approach to Anita Hill, for instance. But the Russians have successfully convinced a good 45% of the Democratic Primary voters that he is Republican light or worse).<br /><br />There is nothing wrong with a robust primary and questioning of who our best candidate is. But be careful that you aren't doing the Russians work for them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">If you see me on a facebook feed questioning a story, it is probably just me doing my small part in combating the disinformation campaign. You should join the Disinformation Corps, as well.</span></div>
Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-86509331550382880842017-02-22T12:05:00.000-05:002017-02-22T12:10:33.234-05:00When We Rise<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Book Review and Political Commentary</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Okay...it's really a book review, but the last election has made everything a political commentary. </span></i></span><i style="font-family: arial; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This piece first appeared as a column in the February 21, 2017 edition of Between The Lines).</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I first read an advance copy of Cleve Jones’ memoir, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When We Rise: My Life In The Movement</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> early last fall. At the time our president was Barack Obama and we had every reason to believe that Hillary Clinton would be our next president. In that context my reaction to the book was that it was one of the best memoirs I’d read, and one of the best books of the year. Cleve Jones presents his life in an unvarnished manner. The purpose of the memoir was not self-aggrandizement, but rather to share one person’s story within the movement.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I note Jones’ use of the term “the movement”. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When We Rise </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is not strictly about gay liberation (or the later more inclusive movement for LGBT rights). Cleve Jones sees, writes, and lives a collective movement of liberation. The women’s movement, the civil rights movement, the LGBT movement, the labor movement, and all other liberation movements are spoken of collectively as simply, “The Movement”.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleve Jones was at the epicenter of much of the modern post-stonewall gay liberation movement on the West Coast. He was friends with Gilbert Baker, creator of the rainbow flag. He was a protege of Harvey Milk, and was the person who first came upon Milk’s body after the assassination. He was the creator of the Names Project, aka the AIDS Quilt, the largest ongoing piece of community folk art in the world.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jones tells us of the roots of his passion for the movement in the one-page preface. The movement saved his life. He tells of his childhood in Arizona. As early as the age of 14 he was marching for Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. He worked for the women’s movement. And yet, it wasn’t until a Life magazine article on the Gay Liberation Movement that he saw his own life in the movement he had already identified and identified with. In typical fashion he undercuts the moment from too much altruism. He has a fascination for the pictures of “handsome long-haired young men marching with fists in the air through the streets of Greenwich Village, Los Angeles, and San Francisco” which accompanied the article.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He pinpoints this moment, after a childhood of not fitting in, as a turning point, “I am pretty sure this is the exact moment I stopped planning to kill myself”.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When We Rise </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a powerful personal memoir and important piece of LGBT history. For that reason alone I thought of this book as an important addition to the literature.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read it again after it’s publication in late November after the devastating election. In this new context I read the book as not only a great memoir, but as an important call to action. Jones lived intersectionality as a youth, but learned intersectionality from Harvey Milk. It is no accident that the title of the book is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WE</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Rise</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Rise.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Starting February 27th ABC is presenting a seven part series, When We Rise. The series was previewed two weeks ago by Chris Azzopardi’s interview with director Dustin Lance Black at </span><a href="http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=79995" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=79995</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The series is partially inspired by the book. It is not a retelling of only Cleve Jones’ story, but of many of the people who were a part of the gay and lesbian movement of the 60’s and 70’s. In that interview, Dustin Lance Black echoes many of the sentiments of the book. This response sums it up:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“The reason I designed this show the way I designed it was because four years ago, I was concerned that social justice movements were becoming incredibly myopic and self-interested, forgetting that we need to work together if we're gonna get anywhere. Not understanding the intersections of our movements, losing sight of where those intersections are, and certainly forgetting the great power that we can gain by working together. So, I was worried. We were becoming divided, and it's why I insisted when designing the show that I find real people who came from other movements, not just the LGBT movement - people who came from the women's movement, the black civil rights movement, the peace movement, and the series eventually touches on immigration and healthcare.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the aftermath of the election, and especially since the inauguration, we are seeing millions of people standing up for all the colors of the rainbow. Gay people are marching in support of Planned Parenthood. White people are standing up for #BlackLivesMatter. Christians are standing up for their Muslim brothers and sisters.</span></div>
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Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-53918840504123881552016-12-09T14:41:00.001-05:002016-12-09T14:41:23.543-05:00In Search of Safe Spaces<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">My husband and I are the owners
of the \aut\ BAR, a gay bar and cafe. We work hard to provide good food and
drink. We strive to provide good, or even exceptional, customer service. In
general we are pretty successful at achieving those goals. Any bar and cafe
should strive to achieve these things. It’s how you survive. And we have
survived for 30 years. So we must be doing something right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">But that is not our mission.
First and foremost our mission is to provide a safe space for the LGBT
community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We live in a bubble called Ann
Arbor. This is one of the most progressive cities in the country. We had the
first openly gay elected official in the nation. Local ordinances protect us
across the LGBT spectrum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Across the country the last few
years have brought acceptance of LGBT Americans in the armed forces. We have
achieved Marriage Equality. We have openly gay members of congress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Our mission was beginning to
sound rather quaint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I recently had a customer arrive
directly from the hospital. He was hungry and came in for the good food and
drink (see above). He had spent the day at the VA hospital, as he had been
attacked the night before at a TGI Fridays by a Trump supporter. I am neither
knocking nor endorsing TGI Fridays, just pointing out that "safe space for
the LGBT Community" is not part of their mission statement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">One of the owners of another
business in our little courtyard was attacked in front of her house. She was
attacked because she still had her Hillary sign up. The rainbow flag was
probably a further provocation. Rainbow flags are being destroyed and
threatening notes are being left on cars and on front doors. We have been
hearing reports across the country of similar incidents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Suddenly the idea of a safe
space doesn’t seem so quaint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I often say we are a
neighborhood bar, except that our neighborhood is demographic, not geographic.
We try and build community and strengthen our political position: locally,
statewide, and nationally. We are even a footnote in LGBT history for our
<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=B2MEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=every+minute+counts+fred+phelps&source=bl&ots=IWfpb4VGuC&sig=ZRhqPnbNJQKmqrF9HKvH2Tm7IsE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_8aul7ufQAhXhylQKHaHsBR4Q6AEIIDAB#v=onepage&q&f=false">response to the late Fred Phelps</a> and the wackos from Westboro. We have
fundraised and lobbied. We have marched and protested.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Rev. Martin Luther King,
Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards
justice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That arc is not a smooth arc.
Look at the gays who celebrated their great gay life during the Weimar
Republic. Within a couple of years the Nazi party sent them to concentration
camps. They went from cabarets to wearing the badge of the pink triangle. Many
did not survive. Swastikas are showing up across this country. The white
nationalist movement believes this election was a mandate…not a mandate for the
business magnate Donald Trump, but for their white nationalist aspirations.
People are afraid, and have good reason to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A day or two after the election
I found myself in a small, cozy, and very warm room. I wondered if it would be
possible to hibernate in that little space for, say, four years. Many of my
friends report similar urges. Finding a safe space is a natural response to
fear. Hiding in those safe spaces does not contribute to the Dr. King’s
long moral arc. To quote Elie Wiesel, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never
the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Action is required. We are all
struggling to find positive ways to react. In these early days we are giving
money to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and other groups who can help. We are
calling Congress regarding appointments and issues. In the future we may have
to put ourselves into more dangerous positions such as signing up for Muslim
Registries in solidarity and other means of civil disobedience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad">Underground Railroad</a> was
resistance to the most brutal and de-humanizing American experience, human
slavery. Over the long course of its existence between 25,000 and 100,000
people escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The journey was composed of
points of safe spaces connected by perilous journeys. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">It is both a metaphor and a
model for us to follow. We need to be ready to put ourselves on the line for
the defense of civil liberties for all races, genders, religions, gender
identities, and sexual orientations. That will mean perilous journeys. Support
those organizations which will organize and fight: <a href="http://www.aclumich.org/">ACLU</a>, <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/">Southern Poverty LawCenter</a>, <a href="https://equalitymi.org/">Equality Michigan</a>, and <a href="https://www.democracyforamerica.com/">Democracy for America</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We need our safe spaces more
than ever. Support your local community centers (e.g., <a href="http://www.jimtoycenter.org/">JTCC</a> and <a href="http://goaffirmations.org/">Affirmations</a>), <a href="https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/">Planned Parenthood</a>, open and
affirming churches, mosques, and temples, and your local LGBT businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here’s a very important point
about the Underground Railroad…it could not exist without allies willing to
risk everything. We need allies in our struggles. And we need to be allies to
others. There are many of us who have suffered prejudice in the past: gays,
lesbians, transgenders, queers, Muslims, women, African-Americans, Latinx, to
name a few. Since the election the acts of prejudice have not just increased,
they have transformed into something more openly hateful and violent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">When a woman wearing a hijab
is being harassed we need to step forward and be an ally. When someone starts
spouting racist crap publicly we need to be the first voice that says, “sit
down and shut up”. And when some jerk dude starts telling a woman that we live
in Trump’s America now, we need to let the jerk know that America belongs to
all of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">None of us can predict the
future. But to ensure that Dr. King’s long moral arc is sustained we will need
the courage to stand up for what is right, and to protect the security of our
safe spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-91394748741452495412016-11-07T10:51:00.003-05:002016-11-07T10:51:41.998-05:002016 Election endorsementsElection Day is around the corner. Here are a few of my recommendations, endorsements, and thoughts:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Endorsement for President.</u></b><br />
<br />
Hillary.<br />
<br />
For me there is no alternative. If you are a Trump voter you clearly don't want to listen to reason or care about people who don't look like you, so you really don't care about my endorsement.<br />
<br />
However, to Hillary supporters my point here is, <b><i>get out the vote</i></b>. Tell your friends to tell their friends to vote. We need a big turnout. We need to make this an embarrassing loss for a Republican party which has been nurturing racism, sexism, islamaphobia, and homophobia for decades. That sub-current of hate has given birth to a giant orange growth that needs to be excised.<br />
<br />
And BTW, I am not a lesser-of-two-evils supporter. Hillary is supremely qualified.<br />
<br />
I know there are still folks out there who are choosing to vote for Jill, or Gary, or even Evan. They believe that a Trump presidency might finally give rise to a more progressive Democratic Party. I would argue the opposite. In the past conservative victories has just made the party move MORE to the center (or right-center). If we win in a landslide, and polls show overwhelming support from the Bernie wing of the party, the Bernie wing gains power.<br />
<br />
More important, an embarrassing loss for Trump (and down ballot) forces a redefinition of the Republican party. And it could be a major redefinition of the party. I think of history here...<br />
<br />
When one party realigns, it does not only change that party. It fundamentally changes the other party. Andrew Jackson and the Whigs. William Jennings Bryan and the Democrats. LBJ and the Southern Strategy. If the Republican party looks like a permanent 39% party, it will change, morph, or die. The new Republican Party (or whatever rises out of it) will be fundamentally different. And so will the Democratic Party. Predicting exactly what that realignment will be is a fool's errand. But given the insurgency in both parties, my guess is that the new focus will be more about the two wings of populism: The progressive democrats and the tea party. The best chance for a progressive Democratic Party is the annihilation of the current Republican Party.<br />
<br />
How is that for an odd endorsement?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Transit</u></b><br />
<br />
Vote YES for Transit<br />
<br />
Southeast Michigan is the only major metropolitan area without a regional transit plan. Let's change that on Tuesday. This could make a more profound difference in more lives than perhaps any single political race. This will bring a commuter train (finally) between Ann Arbor and Detroit. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes which will connect Detroit to the other counties. The RTA will coordinate fares and schedules over a variety of existing systems. This is big stuff.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.rtamichigan.org/">http://www.rtamichigan.org/</a><br />
<br />
If you don't know what BRT is, wikipedia does a good job explaining:<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>State of Michigan Supreme Court</u></b><br />
<br />
If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen my series "Me and My Constitution". It's an ongoing series of pics with me and my pocket constitution in various locales and situations. That pocket constitution is an ACLU pocket constitution which I've had forever. All this is to say, I love the ACLU. Michael Steinberg has shared his picks for this. He has made it clear that these are his personal picks, not those of the ACLU. However, Michael's personal values align with his professional values, so I'm listening to the guy.<br />
<br />
In short, Vote for <b><u>S</u></b>zymanski and <b><u>T</u></b>homas (mnemonic, remember <b><u>S</u></b>tar <b><u>T</u></b>rek). If you want to read his full endorsement, it is here:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B79heWfh1BSUeTVpS0NyXzg4VFU/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B79heWfh1BSUeTVpS0NyXzg4VFU/view?usp=sharing</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Rest of the Judges</u></b><br />
<br />
On my ballot, all of the rest of the judges are uncontested. This is a shame. Especially since one of them is the Dishonorable Archie Brown. Archie broke up LGBT families. I cannot vote for this man. I suggest you do not either. I am writing in Patti Smith. It won't count. Patti is not registered as a write-in. But it is my protest. I suggest you do the same. (I know I've been written in for this position at least once, already).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>City Council and Mayor</u></b><br />
<br />
I am in the Fifth Ward. I am strongly endorsing the incumbent Chuck Warpehoski. Chuck has fought for better transit. Chuck believes in affordable housing. Chuck believes in community. Chuck is an environmentalist. His "priorities" page spells out beautifully why I support this man:<br />
<a href="http://voteforchuck.org/chucks-priorities/">http://voteforchuck.org/chucks-priorities/</a><br />
<br />
Ward 5 is the only contested election for City Council or Mayor. So not that it matters, but my strong endorsements in other races are:<br />
<br />
Mayor<br />
Christopher Taylor<br />
<br />
Ward 2<br />
Kirk Westphal<br />
<br />
Ward 3<br />
Julie Grand.<br />
<br />
Ward 4<br />
Graydon Krapohl<br />
<br />
If I lived in Ward 1 I'd do a protest write-in vote.<br />
<br />
So why are there so few contested elections? Segue to..........<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ann Arbor Ballot Proposal: Increasing Term Length for Mayor & City Council</u></b><br />
<br />
I'm voting "yes".<br />
<br />
I have wrestled a bit with this one. In fact, this is now the third rewrite of this section of the blog. To see the full ballot proposal:<br />
<a href="http://annarborvotes.org/ballot-proposals-ann-arbor">http://annarborvotes.org/ballot-proposals-ann-arbor</a><br />
<br />
Kirk Westphal is interested in electoral reform in Ann Arbor Council and Mayoral elections. His first proposal would have made some significant changes. City Council rejected his original proposal by a vote of 7-4. This proposal is the leftovers. I believe the current proposal would be good in combination with other changes, most notably non-partisan elections. In this case, non-partisan simply means the top two vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election. If that happened we could have a robust political discussion.<br />
<br />
The arguments for this change are that more people would be involved in the electoral process by eliminating the off-year elections. I am sympathetic to that argument. But it is not real reform. My main concern if this passes is that we will be left with nothing else. Any argument for further reform may be left behind with the argument that "we already did electoral reform". It will not be the end of the world if this does not pass, but my endorsement is that I will be reluctantly voting "yes" on this proposal. It's not real reform, but at least a step in the right direction.<br />
<br />
Michigan Daily provided an excellent endorsement (and may have been the article which finally tipped me to my "yes" vote):<br />
<a href="https://www.michigandaily.com/section/editorials/daily-extending-term-limits-favors-democracy">https://www.michigandaily.com/section/editorials/daily-extending-term-limits-favors-democracy</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Library Board</u></b><br />
<br />
Who cares about this? Well...there are actually eight candidates for four positions, making it one of the more contested parts of the ballot. There are two "slates" running. I'm not endorsing either slate. Rather I am endorsing two individuals, who are on different slates: Jaime Magiera and Linh Song. I respect both of these folks, and think they will bring great perspective to the board. I will probably just vote those two and leave the rest blank.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ann Arbor Public Schools</u></b><br />
<br />
Once again, I'm going with the best advice I can get. In this case, it is Trevor Staples. Trevor was the force behind one of Ann Arbor's most successful community projects, the Skatepark. He is also a teacher, and seems to be in pretty much exact alignment with my politics. And his endorsement is, "I'm half-assedly voting for Hunter, Harmony, Jeff. I won't consider voting for one of the incumbents after how they've treated teachers over the past few years."<br />
<br />
Good enough for me<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>A few quickies (or this won't get out before the election)</i></b><br />
<br />
<b><u>Any House Race</u></b><br />
Vote Dem. We have a chance to take back the State House. That would be enormous. In my case, this is voting for the amazing Yousef Rahbi<br />
<br />
<b><u>State Board of Education</u></b><br />
John Austin<br />
Ish Ahmed<br />
<br />
<b><u>Congress - 12th District</u></b><br />
Debbie Dingell<br />
<br />
<b><u>Congress - 7th District</u></b><br />
If you are lucky enough to live in the 7th District you MUST vote for Gretchen Driskell. A combination of an excellent democratic candidate and a true troglodyte republican incumbent.<br />
<br />
<br />Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-43950326844291813572016-07-09T21:59:00.000-04:002016-07-09T21:59:20.085-04:00Governments are not Businesses<i>Every day we get to suffer as we watch the political back-and-forth. During election season it just gets worse. In this week's version of the game...</i><br />
<br />
Hillary stands in front of (the former) Trump Casino and criticizes Trump's bankruptcy, saying "he'll do the same thing to America"...i.e., default on debts and screw over the working class.<br />
<br />
She's right, but in a way which is much more complicated than the simple optics of the campaign stop.<br />
<br />
The Donald retorts that "This is what many elite businessmen do", suggesting that it shows how clever he is, and what a good businessman he is.<br />
<br />
He's right, depending on how you define "good businessman". He clearly means the businessman who is able to acquire the most value for himself and his investors. Isn't that an irony? The working man's hero is the guy perfectly willing to screw the common man.<br />
<br />
At its heart, this points to one of the biggest problems with a Trump candidacy (or heaven help us, presidency). Because here's the thing.....<br />
<br />
Governments are not businesses. And anyone who thinks governments should be run like businesses has no place being a public servant. There are some practices which are of value to both:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Don't be wasteful. That's a value which has a place in the Pentagon and at Ford Motor Company.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Build employee loyalty/morale. It's always easier to keep an employee, than hire a new one. This is true whether you are in the Department of Education or Google, Inc.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Give great customer service. This is how you build brand loyalty whether you are Delta or Amtrak. (For irony's sake I was going to use Comcast as my example, but I didn't want to lose you here).</li>
</ul>
<br />
The difference is in what the GOAL of those practices are.<br />
<br />
In the corporate world, the goal is to improve the bottom line. Your company may have great values and do great things for the community. In order to do that the company has to have a healthy bottom line.<br />
<br />
In the world of government the reason is to not waste taxpayer money so that you can provide the services which a government is supposed to provide for its citizens.<br />
<br />
We can argue about what constitutes the services a government provides. Does protecting our citizens include an invasion of Vietnam? Do we provide health care for everyone? Should we spend $400 billion on the F-35? These are all valid policy questions. But none of them are remotely like the policy questions of "running a business".<br />
<br />
This is also a big reason why privatizing the valid responsibilities of government is always a bad idea. If your business is educating children you will probably have a nice mission statement about education. But your function is to make money. The mission and function are at odds. As a society we agree on the necessity of an educated populace. And while we want to do that in an economically responsible way, the point is not to make money. The point is to make educated children.<br />
<br />
This is also why we should spend billions on infrastructure. Having a great infrastructure keeps our country economically (and yes, militarily) strong. When we spend money on good roads, businesses do better, citizens do better, and we have the added benefit of pumping money into the economy in a way which helps the middle class. We build roads, airports, train stations, bus rapid transit, locks, and levees for the greater good...not to enrich a specific company or person.<br />
<br />
To bring it back to Mr. Trump, declaring bankruptcy to restructure debt may, indeed, make him a good businessman. But his ability to enrich himself and his investors has little-to-no relevance to the ability to run the the Executive Branch of the United States of America. In fact, it argues against him.<br />
<div>
<br />
The refrain is a common one, "Hire me as your [<i>governor, president, senator</i>] because I know business, and we need a businessman running [<i>this state, this country, this congress</i>]". Here in Michigan we see what an abject failure that has been with Rick Snyder. His government-as-business have decimated social programs. His policies are destroying our schools and our infrastructure (just ask the residents of Flint).<br />
<br />
Strip away Trump's business successes and you are left with a narcissist with no real understanding of our constitution. You are left with demagoguery of the worst form, playing on our weaknesses of racism, xeonphobia, and islamophobia. I want a leader who encourages what makes us strongest as a nation, celebrating our diversity, and welcoming the world's tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to be free.<br />
<br />
<i>By the way, for my blog on immigration: <a href="https://speakaut.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-dog-and-immigration.html">https://speakaut.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-dog-and-immigration.html</a></i></div>
Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-68210131501747645422016-03-23T11:39:00.000-04:002016-03-23T11:39:03.854-04:00Run, Bernie, Run! <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7qamq" data-offset-key="6ecpj-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6ecpj-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Why should Bernie keep running? I can think of three good reasons. Perhaps you have others.
</span><i style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
H</i><i style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">e could still win the nomination</i><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">.
At this point it's a long shot. But stranger things have happened. The role of super delegates is a little wacky, and worthy of a post all by itself. Suffice it to say, the super delegates will not determine the outcome. If Bernie were to actually run the table in the latter half and overtake Hillary, be assured that there would be significant migration of super delegates.
(Then why have them, you ask? Good question. Different post.) </span><b style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>
Bernie's presence keeps Hillary's message closer to the heart and soul of the democratic party
</i></b><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Bernie nomination is definitely a long shot. Even with Bernie victories, Hillary will keep picking up a share of delegates, and the math is looking bad for Bernie. There is lots of chatter for Bernie supporters to get in line with the nominee-apparent, Hillary. Stuff and nonsense. Even if it was beyond a long shot (and it may be in a few weeks) I'm happy to see the insurgent go all the way to the convention. I wish Howard Dean had done so in 2004. Howard dropped out as it became apparent that Kerry would be the nominee. He did so in the name of party unity.
</span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
But it also meant that Kerry started triangulating early towards the general election. And his campaign started sounding downright republican. I was proud to be a Howard Dean delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2004. That meant I got to hear Obama's inspirational keynote address in person...the address which set him on the path to the presidency.
</span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Amidst that brilliant rhetoric, Kerry painted himself as a war hero. And he was a war hero. But more important, he came home from Vietnam and became an anti-war activist. The campaign downplayed that side of him. Kerry had true liberal credentials. He was the only senator up for reelection who voted against DOMA. But you didn't hear about that from the campaign.
</span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
It is a road which Hillary could go down very easily.
</span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
It would be a big mistake.
</span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Hillary's politics don't entirely align with mine. She is more hawkish than I am. Her past history with incarceration and the death penalty are definitely to the right of my views.
She also has true liberal credentials. She has a long history of fighting for health care, women's rights, minority rights, children's health and safety, and more. If we are to win in November, we must win by staying true to our core values.
</span><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
In the words of Harry S Truman,</span><br /><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<i>"Given the choice between a real republican and someone who acts like a republican, people will vote for the real republican all the time."
</i></span></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Even as the math becomes more and more difficult, stay in there fighting for your guy as long as he is fighting the good fight.
</span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
As you fight that good fight, please do so in the manner of your candidate. Fight on the issues with civility. </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Though Bernie's rhetoric has gotten tougher, he still treats his opponent with respect. Hillary is not evil. Bernie has never called her evil. You shouldn't either. The "Evil Hillary" trope buys in to 25 years of right wing Hillary-bashing. The latest is a kinda clever Lord of the Rings bit (I've seen two versions of it) which paint Bernie as Frodo and Hillary as Saruman. It's clever and amusing, but ultimately its a </span><a href="http://onegoodmove.org/fallacy/falsean.htm" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">false analogy</a><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. (Though I might be able to buy into the idea of Trump as Sauron). If you want an exhaustive breakdown of the analogy, check this out at </span><a href="http://bluevirginia.us/2016/03/bernie-not-gandalf-hillary-not-saruman-trump-not-sauron" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blue Virginia Blog</a><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">.
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<b><i>We need progressives at every level of government, from alderman to senator
</i></b></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>
</i></b>Bernie's political revolution is not going to happen from the top down. If we can keep the progressive fire aflame, perhaps we can change the political narrative. Bernie's political revolution includes regulating Wall Street and overturning Citizens United. That won't happen without a friendly congress. If a future President Clinton nominates....let's say...Barack Obama for the Supreme Court (I can dream) you KNOW that the current Senate won't confirm him. If a future President Sanders calls for legislation to break up the big banks, this Congress will send that bill to a committee to die.
Bernie is succeeding in ways no one imagined ten months ago. Typically, candidates who count on expanding the voter base as a means to victory are disappointed by their enthusiastic base, many of whom never bother to vote. In caucus states, Michigan, and a handful of other primaries these folks have defied tradition and actually gone out to vote.
Let's hope that it is the beginning of a lifelong habit for these new voters. We know they'll come out and vote if Bernie is the nominee, but what if its Hillary? For the sake of a progressive congress, and state houses which can reverse outrageous gerrymandering, let's hope so.
Bernie supporters, you are dreamers. We need dreamers. Keep the dream alive. And please, dream with your eyes wide open.</span></div>
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Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-55822727949865442582016-03-22T12:44:00.002-04:002016-03-22T12:44:30.927-04:00A Little Collective Wedding Memory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Happy Anniversary to my husband, Martin. I'll have to tell him that some other way, as he doesn't read my blog.</div>
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It is not just our wedding anniversary. Over 320 couples were married on this day, two years ago. , Judge Friedman opened a window of Marriage Equality in Michigan, thanks to<span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> the first big victory in the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeBoer_v._Snyder" style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 19.32px;">DeBoer v Snyder</a><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> case</span><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">. That window lasted a bit less than 24 hours. The DeBoer v Snyder case was combined with three others, went to the Supreme Court, and ultimately won Marriage Equality across the U.S.</span></div>
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There are lots of wedding pics being shared on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter today.</div>
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To many people, weddings are about big extravagant events planned for years.</div>
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The "planning" for ours (and I don't mean Martin and I...I use a very big collective "ours") goes back to Evan Wolfson's pioneering work on Freedom to Marry, and many years of activism, and many disappointments. It goes back to April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse fighting for their kids, and a community full of people supporting their fight. And it culminated in Judge Friedman issuing a judgement full of empathy for the humanity of our community and scathing to a government preventing us from recognizing our relationships.</div>
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These pictures have people in jeans and jackets, as we had to wait for the doors to open on a cool spring day. They are pictures from a conference room in a county building, as we all had to move quickly before another part of the judicial system would slam the door on us.</div>
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We were surrounded by friends...but rarely family. Sometimes it was because our families shun us. But even those of us who had supportive family could not get them here quickly enough, whether across the state, across the US, or even around the globe.</div>
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These pictures which are being posted are not traditional wedding pictures. There is no wedding photographer, only friends with cellphones. Our wedding flowers were brought to us by friends like Kristin Schrader who realized, "It's a wedding. People will need flowers", and handing them out to whoever needed them.</div>
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Instead of a big wedding reception with an open bar we had Kevin Sharp stand outside the county building with coffee, keeping people warm and awake (many of whom had been waiting in line since before sunrise). Kevin and (his now husband) Rusty did not have the appropriate papers available to get married that day, but shared the day anyway.</div>
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Our witnesses, official and otherwise, were a community full of people experiencing something they never thought they would have.</div>
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Our weddings on that day are not the stuff for Modern Bride Magazine. (Is there such a thing as Modern Groom Magazine?) But our weddings were the heart and soul of what weddings should always be all about. Love conquering all.</div>
Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-35207944704558514892016-03-13T12:50:00.002-04:002016-03-13T12:50:54.967-04:00Hillary and Nancy<br />
There are many folks who, like me, are going to vote for the democratic nominee for president. As for WHO that nominee should be...well...that's a long story. I believe both candidates have great attributes, and both have a few weaknesses they would have to contend with in a general election. I've been supporting Bernie since he entered the race. However, as the primary season moved to my state of Michigan, I wavered.<br />
<br />
My Facebook wall was the home of an incredible, civil discourse on the merits of each candidate. I refused comments about why I should NOT vote for someone. I insisted on arguments to vote FOR one of the candidates. I encouraged people to share their passion.<br />
<br />
And in the end, I voted for Hillary on Tuesday.<br />
<br />
On Friday Hillary said something very stupid.<br />
<br />
She praised Nancy Reagan's record on HIV/AIDS.<br />
<br />
I've heard lots of explanations about this.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The idea that she was conflating AIDS with Alzheimer's just doesn't parse. Her commentary was clearly about HIV/AIDS, and substituting Alzheimer's makes no sense.</li>
<li>Apparently MSNBC had made a similar statement in their obit piece. They claimed that Nancy saw the light after her dear friend Rock Hudson died, and worked to get the administration to change its tune. Unfortunately this is just revisionist history, and hard to believe that Hillary would repeat it.</li>
<li>She was just trying to be nice to a fellow former first lady on the occasion of Nancy's funeral. While I personally could never say anything nice about Nancy, I understand this. But just leave it at her advocacy for stem cell research, and wasn't that new White House china beautiful.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I was pretty angry about this.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>In 1981 Nancy Reagan's commentary on New York's Pride Parade was, "What do they have to be proud of? They should be ashamed."</li>
<li>In 1984, concerning AIDS, she wondered why there was all this fuss over a self-inflicted venereal disease.</li>
<li>Her "Just Say No" campaign flew in the face of everything we know...and knew...about addiction and public health. That alone probably cost thousands of lives.</li>
</ul>
<br />
No I have no love for Nancy. But I understand the need for diplomacy at a funeral. There's a lot that could have been said without causing so much anger and pain to those of us who were living the hell of caring for dying friends, watching them die horrible deaths, shunned by their families, their communities, their churches, their government, and sometimes even their doctors.<br />
<br />
Hillary touched a very raw nerve.<br />
<br />
I want to get past this, because she will probably be the democratic nominee. (Just stop Bernie Bros. I didn't say anything bad about Bernie. And if he proves me wrong, I'll be supporting him...again....see paragraph one). If she is the nominee, I have to feel good about that.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/11/hillary-clinton-lauds-reagans-on-aids-a-backlash-erupts/">She apologized almost immediately</a>. She apologized for misspeaking. That's about one step better than the I'm-sorry-you-misunderstood-me type of apology. And certainly better than no apology at all. Her statement was a short apology followed by a laundry list of all she has done for HIV/AIDS in the past, and all she will do in the future.<br />
<br />
For me, it fell flat. Many people lauded her for apologizing. The message I kept hearing was "get over it" and "move on". This message was from Hillary supporters, most of whom did not live through the hell I lived through during the reign of Ron and Nancy. (Short sidebar here...My senior recital took place during that time. I commissioned a work by my friend David Colson which he titled "Ronnie's a Jerk, and so are you"). Hillary opened a wound and followed it with a self-serving apology which did nothing to acknowledge the pain her statement caused. You don't get over anger (or hurt...or grief) by being told to "get over it". The first step is acknowledging the pain.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://medium.com/@HillaryClinton/on-the-fight-against-hiv-and-aids-and-on-the-people-who-really-started-the-conversation-7b9fc00e6ed8#.ar97p0elo">Hillary put out a second apology on Saturday</a>. This is how it starts:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 29px;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-top: 29px;">
<span style="font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.048px; line-height: 25.28px;"><i>Yesterday, at Nancy Reagan’s funeral, I said something inaccurate when speaking about the Reagans’ record on HIV and AIDS. Since then, I’ve heard from countless people who were devastated by the loss of friends and loved ones, and hurt and disappointed by what I said. As someone who has also lost friends and loved ones to AIDS, I understand why. I made a mistake, plain and simple.</i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-top: 29px;">
<i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; letter-spacing: -0.048px; line-height: 25.28px;">I want to use this opportunity to talk not only about where we’ve come from, but where we must go in the fight against HIV and AIDS.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-top: 29px;">
<i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; letter-spacing: -0.048px; line-height: 25.28px;">To be clear, the Reagans did not start a national conversation about HIV and AIDS. That distinction belongs to generations of brave lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, along with straight allies, who started not just a conversation but a movement that continues to this day.</i></blockquote>
</blockquote>
It really is worth reading. It took her a day, but she got it right.<br />
<br />
Apology number two was clearly more thoughtful. I'm sure it was run by all the top campaign staff. It may have been penned by someone else (Are Robby Mook's fingerprints on it?). But she did more than apologize. She acknowledged the pain she caused. And (please do read it) she acknowledges the real heroes of the era, including the GMHC and ACT UP.<br />
<br />
Am I ready to "get over it"? Well...the whole thing remains a bit unsettling, so I can't say I'm over it. But I am ready to "move on". Hillary created a painful moment, but she has also begun a real healing process.<br />
<br />
Kudos to you, Hillary.<br />
<br />
Now we can get back to the important work of nominating someone to take on the republican candidate. Whoever is the republican nominee is part of the continuing problem with our public health response to AIDS. We need to restore AIDS education money. We need to make anti-retrovirals affordable for all who need them, both those infected, and those most at-risk for infection.<br />
<br />
We have two candidates who have different approaches to that end. We can continue the dialogue about the best approach. But, as Bernie said in an early February debate, "On our worst days, I think it is fair to say, we are 100 times better than any Republican candidate".Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-2838640011662458332016-03-08T14:17:00.000-05:002016-03-08T14:18:36.355-05:00Why Is Donald Trump So Popular...And So Dangerous?Ask a complicated question, expect a complicated answer.<br />
<br />
I'm going to take a break from examining the Bernie vs. Hillary dynamic to look at the other team.<br />
<br />
When Trump entered the field last year the whole spectacle was taken pretty lightly. It was revealed that he had paid to have a crowd at his announcement. He is a showman and celebrity who appeared to be looking for attention. It was even a bit of a surprise that he was running as a right wing republican, as his public persona seemed centrist, or even a bit left of center. His lifestyle seemed completely at odds with the evangelicals who dominate the right wing.<br />
<br />
I was afraid from the start, but not for many of the ugly reasons which have surfaced.<br />
<br />
First, how the hell did an arrogant, elitist billionaire become so popular. Many people have proposed answers to explain his popularity, and I agree with many of them, even though they can contradict each other.<br />
<br />
<i><u>He is an authoritarian</u></i><br />
<br />
Indeed, there is streak of people looking for authoritarian leadership. We live in a dangerous world and there is an appeal to someone who says with authority that he has the answers, even when they are ludicrous. <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/donald-trump-2016-authoritarian-213533">One poll </a>suggests that this is the single trait which crosses all of his support.<br />
<br />
<i><u>He is racist</u></i><br />
<br />
Racism is very much alive in America. We see it in the most overt ways (murder of young black males) and the most institutional (people of color have a harder time getting job interviews, let alone jobs). The many ways of racism are not just another blog post, they are entire books. I recommend Ta-Nehisi Coates <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Between_the_World_and_Me">Between The World and Me</a>. For all the racism in our country, it had become socially unacceptable in most places to be openly racist. This is a good thing, of course. However, Trump is giving these people a voice.<br />
<br />
<i><u>He is Xenophobic</u></i><br />
<br />
One need to point no further than his two famous policy proposals: Building the big beautiful wall which Mexico will pay for, and banning muslims from entering the US.<br />
<br />
<i><u>He is Islamaphobic</u></i><br />
<br />
See above, as well as his database of Muslims and mosques. In spite of all evidence to the contrary, many Americans still want to blame 9/11 and all other terrorist threats on the entire Islamic faith.<br />
<br />
<i><u>He is a Celebrity</u></i><br />
<br />
This has to be mentioned. Many Americans regularly choose not to vote. However, Trump crosses over from the world of politics to the world of popular culture.<br />
<br />
<i><u>He rails against government</u></i><br />
<br />
There is (rightly) a huge frustration with government on all levels. From an obstructionist do-nothing legislature to local governments whose revenue has dried up (starved by state and local governments) and unable to provide some of the most basic infrastructure.<br />
<br />
<i><u>He is a Demagogue</u></i><br />
<br />
This word gets thrown around a lot. Its meaning is pretty simple. A demagogue tells the people whatever they want to hear. The worst part of this is that it signals a lack of principle. A demagogue tends to be someone who wants power at any cost.<br />
<br />
<b>If all of these seem rather ugly...well...I agree. </b>In fact, this list is not only why he is so popular, but why he is so dangerous. He puts forward very few actual policy suggestions. Rather he speaks to peoples fears and anger. If those fears and anger were to actually be transformed into policy blacks, gays, transgendered, muslims, latins, and more would be marginalized.<br />
<br />
Would they become policy? As Jimmy Carter noted, he is malleable. As long as there are checks and balances a demagogue is more concerned about holding and assimilating power than any particular policy. That can mean he could be anything from a ineffectual president, to a tyrant. I say, why take the chance?<br />
<br />
There is one more thing about him that is profoundly concerning to me. And this concerned me from the moment of his announcement.<br />
<br />
<b>He is a businessman who thinks government is just another business.</b><br />
<br />
We, in Michigan, have seen how well that works out. Here's what happens with almost every government function:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Cuts take place in the name of "balancing the budget", because that's what businessmen do.</li>
<li>After you starve an entity (city, schools, mental health, etc.) that entity fails.</li>
<li>You declare the failure and proclaim that private enterprise can do the job better.</li>
<li>Because you made the entity fail, it is a persuasive argument.</li>
</ul>
<br />
And before you know it you have charter schools, Flint water systems, crumbling roads, and a pathetic mental health system.<br />
<br />
Government's mission is not to make a profit. Government's mission is to<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Provide necessary services and infrastructure. </li>
<li>Keep us safe (fire, police, and military).</li>
<li>Regulate for the public safety and welfare.</li>
<li>Protect the civil rights of all.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Businessmen make terrible leaders in government. The combination of Trump in the White House and a conservative majority in the House and Senate would become a nightmare of privatization.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-90149951398788554502016-02-04T13:08:00.002-05:002016-02-05T13:10:08.346-05:00Too Big To FailI want to talk to Bernie supporters. I am one of you. I think his primary message of income inequality is the most important issue of our time. So many other things flow from this:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Yup...racism is a big problem that we have to confront on many levels, But when the assets of this country are flowing freely to all of its citizens through high employment and good wages many of the symptoms of racism disappear, and it is easier to confront some of the other institutional issues of racism.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Confronting climate change requires a fundamental alteration in the way we view, use, and produce energy. The monied interests are still fundamentally behind oil.</li>
</ul>
<br />
You get the idea. Confronting this one enormous issue touches nearly every other important issue of our day.<br />
<br />
So I like Bernie. I have incredibly little disposable income, but I send him a few bucks now and then. And I will probably be voting for him in Michigan in a month.<br />
<br />
But I gotta tell you guys (largely guys)...you gotta get off your high horse. Hillary isn't evil. I won't even call Donald Trump evil. He may be incredibly bad for America, and a self-centered jerk who doesn't understand world politics. But I would still be loathe to use the word evil to describe him. And yet...and YET...many of you are calling Hillary evil. <br />
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<br />
So why are so many left wingers calling Hillary evil (or some variation)? Is it because she has been politically fluid? Y'know, even Bernie is changing his tune on gun control. If you look at Hillary's overall record you see a consistent progressive message. And please don't bring up that Barry Goldwater thing. (a) that was over 50 years ago. That's more than most of you guy's lifetime. You've changed since birth. So can she. And (b) Barry Goldwater wouldn't even exist in today's republican party, with his support of gay rights and distrust of evangelicals.<br />
<br />
Is it because of her ties to Wall Street? I, too, wish this were not the case. It is one of the fundamental policy differences between the two. Bernie wants to break them up. Hillary wants to regulate them:<br />
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<ul>
<li>While regulation won't accomplish the economic revolution Bernie is calling for, it's a damn sight better than the deregulation every Republican is asking for.</li>
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<li>Hillary's policy on this is not fundamentally different that Obama's, and I don't hear people calling him evil. Well...okay...I do...just not from the political left.</li>
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This post is not about why we should be nice to Hillary. There is enough reason for that coming from our candidate who is asking for a campaign about the issues. This is about YOUR ties to Wall Street.<br />
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What's in your wallet?<br />
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Among the many things I do is wait tables about 16 hours a week. I wait tables at a gay cafe in a progressive city. I wait on a lot of Bernie supporters (Waiters hear a lot from their tables). And at the end of their meal they whip out their Bank of America card.<br />
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You want a revolution, but can't give up your ties to Wall Street?<br />
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Or even worse, they whip out your Amazon Prime card. And, yes, I hear you brag about your free shipping. Not only is there a big Wall Street bank behind that card, you are also supporting the 21st century American sweatshop which is at the core of the revolution you are talking about. You want to talk about evil....If you were to walk into one retail shop a day for the rest of your life, you would still not match the number of local businesses amazon.com has been responsible for closing. Okay...I just made that up. But it sounds about right.<br />
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And don't be fooled by the cute dalmatian or panda on your credit card. That is a big Wall Street bank standing behind that card.<br />
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And don't tell me that you pay off your balance every month, so they aren't making money off of you. Even if you really are paying off your balance (and really...are you really?) There is still somewhere between 1-1/2 and 4-1/2 cents on every dollar going to that bank from the other side of the transaction. Add in the 12 cents per annum (or whatever) on the buyer's side and you are doing a great job of supporting them.<br />
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Revolutions happen when a lot of people take action. And while a vote for Bernie is great, as long as you keep supporting those big banks it doesn't matter whether we have a President Sanders, Clinton, or Trump.<br />
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My bank is the Bank of Ann Arbor. I have also banked at, and could recommend, the Ann Arbor State Bank, and University Bank. You want a revolution. Take your money out of Chase or the Bank of America. Put it in your local bank. I know the presidents of two of those banks, and they know me. I see them at swim lessons for their daughter and my nephew. I see them at the local market. Same with other officers and staff of those banks.<br />
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Even more important, the more capital they have in THEIR bank, the more they have to invest in our city. Believe me, Bank of Ann Arbor has no interest in funding an offshore oil well. They want to write home mortgages and support local businesses. It's like "buy local" on steroids.<br />
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And if everyone takes their money and business away from those big banks, then fundamental change will happen...whether we have a President Sanders, Clinton, or Trump.<br />
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I know...you won't get your Delta Miles or Disney Rewards. No one said revolution was easy.<br />
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Do I need to remind you of this scene from "It's A Wonderful Life"? A lot has changed in banking since then, but it is still fundamentally true that a local bank is going to do more for the local economy than a big bank.<br />
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So please guys, stop hating Hillary and start building this fundamental economic revolution. You'll make Bernie proud on both counts.<br />
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Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-34835019063896179712015-12-06T21:08:00.001-05:002015-12-06T21:18:25.678-05:00Surely We Should Be United Against The Common Enemy...<div>
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There is a big controversy running through Michigan's LGBT community. We are not legally protected from housing and job discrimination. The entire LGBT community (and our allies) agree that should change. The controversy is whether to try and affect this change through the ballot box or through the legislature.</div>
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There are very good arguments on both sides (I'll get to them shortly). Meanwhile, there is verbal warfare going on. And everyone claims they know what I want and/or what is good for me. So far, I haven't voted, and no one has asked me to fill out a survey.</div>
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Just about every pronouncement seems to piss off the "opposition" even more while aggrandizing the loyal followers. So I have a few things to say which will piss <b><i>everyone </i></b>off. (Am I channeling Dave Garcia?).</div>
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<b><u>Stop acting like children</u></b></div>
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I am reminded of a great scene from Monty Python's "Life of Brian":</div>
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Sadly, I am reminded of this video too often in our struggle. We seem to be better at fighting each other than we are at taking on the right wing nuts running our state.</div>
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We have on one side Dana Nessel and the Fair Michigan Initiative, which is leading the move to put LGBT non-discrimination on the 2016 ballot. Dana was part of the DeBoer-Rowse legal team. She won us a big victory. She is brushing off criticism of her decision to move forward, saying these are the same people who told her not to push her case forward...that it was not the right case nor the right time.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To Dana, I say this one is more expensive and a loss could have bigger consequences. Let's make sure there is a community consensus before pushing forward.</i></blockquote>
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On another side we have Equality Michigan. I am thrilled that Equality Michigan has many new board members who aren't the same folks who have been running the organization for the past 10 years. I am also thrilled that they named Steph White as their new Executive Director. I've worked with Stephanie on a variety of campaigns over the years, and she is brilliant. I wish her the best in her new position.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To Equality Michigan, I say you have been an essentially meaningless organization since the days of Jeff Montgomery and Sean Kosofsky. Back in those days you were the go-to organization on all things legislative, as well as workplace and housing protection. But that was a long time ago. You're going to have to prove your leadership abilities to regain that position. And we do need someone to take leadership. But engaging in the mudslinging with Dana (and others) doesn't build confidence.</i></blockquote>
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On yet another side we have our allies in the Democratic Party. They are adamant that the legislative push is the only way forward.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To the Democratic Party allies, I say "Really". You're so sure of the legislative process. That worked out real well last year. Thanks to that debacle there is not a single moderate Republican willing to step out and back amending Elliott-Larsen. That one cost us dearly. And "Really". You're going to try to sabotage Brian Stone's candidacy because he supports a ballot initiative? If he is elected and there is a legislative push he would be an important ally. Remember, we all want the same thing. Don't trample allies just because they believe another road is the better route.</i></blockquote>
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And then there is Jack Lessenberry.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To Jack....I must first confess that I have never used the "f" word in my blog. It peppers my speech at appropriate times, but in general it is more provocative than helpful....to Jack I say "Fuck You". The ACLU has been one of the most important organizations in support of LGBT rights. They have expended more legal resources for our community than any organization. How dare you attack them on behalf of <b><u>my </u></b>community. You are so far out of line I don't even know where to begin. So I won't.</i></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>With straight allies like you, well, we're better off without.</i></blockquote>
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There are plenty of other players out there, and they are pretty much all out of line in one way or another.</div>
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<b><u>Stop Telling Me What I Think</u></b></div>
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How about you ask me what I think? Guess what? Ann Arbor's Jim Toy Community Center (JTCC) realized that what we need is communication. They felt that the way to a community consensus is conversation. Think about that. What an idea!</div>
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And now the leader of that move, Sandi Smith is under attack. Let's be clear. She is under attack because she has called for a community conversation.</div>
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Far from attacking her, we should be emulating her and putting together community conversations in Detroit, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Marquette, and anywhere else we can put together a group of people willing to talk. </div>
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<b><u>So What Do I Think? What is the Right Way Forward</u></b></div>
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I'm still working this out for myself. Here are the things I am considering:</div>
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I understand the idea that you don't put civil rights up to a popular vote. The real place for such protection is through the courts. But the lack of something is hard to take to the courts, unlike Marriage Equality where there was an explicit ban on same-sex marriages. The legislative route has not always been kind. (See above and the disastrous attempt to amend Elliott-Larsen last year).</div>
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Earlier this year Houston had an initiative to strip LGBT protections from their local ordinance. Note that. <i>The initiative was in response to a legislative move</i>. The legislative route, even if successful, is still vulnerable to a popular vote.</div>
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A popular vote would be expensive. And it would inevitably be at the cost of support for our community centers, HIV/AIDS organizations, and more. We have to be willing to spend the big bucks on this campaign if that is the way we move forward.</div>
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The trans community is concerned about the attacks they would endure, both in the media and physically. These are real concerns. On the other hand, even in above-mentioned Elliott-Larsen amendment fight the trans community was being thrown under the bus...and many Dems were considering supporting a G & L amendment without the B & T calculating that "at least some protection is better than none". I completely disagree with that strategy, and fear that a legislative push can endanger the trans community, as well. And that endangerment is more insidious because it divides what should be a united community.</div>
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<b><u>Community Consensus</u></b></div>
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And that is the crux of this. We need a United Community. I thought of titling this post, "How Many Allies Can I Alienate?". I really hope the answer is none. I hope the answer is that we can act like grownups. We need a community consensus. Until we have that everything else is hot air. Consensus, boys and girls, is accomplished by talking. Let's start.</div>
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Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-27912039427272426432015-07-30T00:34:00.001-04:002015-07-30T00:34:42.887-04:00Chip Smith for Ann Arbor's Fifth Ward<br />
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First, the most important public announcement. The Fifth Ward (like most of Ann Arbor) is heavily democratic. So whoever wins in August wins in November. Specifically, the election is next Tuesday, August 4th. More fun stuff about the turnout at the end (including videos with Duke). But first...my endorsement.<br />
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The race is between the incumbent Mike Anglin and the challenger Chip Smith.<br />
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There are distinct differences.<br />
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<b><u>First, the incumbent: </u></b><br />
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I had high hopes for Mike Anglin, with a labor background I thought he'd make a really great voice for the people....whether he exactly shared my beliefs or not, his labor background had me hopeful. I don't know if you've ever sat through a City Council Meeting. I try not to. However at least twice a year I find myself in council chambers for either a meeting or a working session. Mike Anglin is an embarrassment. His questions show an extreme lack of preparation, to the point of not even understanding the bill or motion in front of him. The other day he said...at a council meeting...that we really couldn't proceed without a traffic study. Two separate traffic studies were included in the board packet. The man had not even looked through, let alone studied, the packet provided him by staff.<br />
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If you want this job, it does take work and preparation. We are electing you to be a leader. I don't see that from the incumbent. I know of only one bill he has introduced (there may be others), and it was authored by someone else. I have heard him and his supporters say "I'm not against development, I'm just against bad development". Please name one tiny thing that Mike Anglin may have done to promote "good development". I'm not asking for what he may have voted against, I'm asking what he has done to promote this "good development" he talks about. Again, asleep at the wheel.<br />
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Frankly, after watching him in action, if he were running unopposed I'd write any name in.<br />
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<b><u>Next, the challenger:</u></b><br />
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Chip Smith has an urban planning background. That means he understands how cities operate. He studies best practices in the basic services....Precisely what local government should be focusing on. I've had talks with him about exciting infrastructure stuff like sewer systems, fiber optic backbone, means of funding infrastructure, etc. In short, the guy is qualified to step in on day one and be better prepared than Mike Anglin is after six years on the job.<br />
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Chip understand transportation, and how it plays into economic development.<br />
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Chip understands tax policy, and how it can be used to improve our services and infrastructure.<br />
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We've had some fine representation over the years, but Chip Smith may be one of the best prepared people to apply for this job. He is a clear and intelligent spokesman for the policies he believes in.<br />
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Please join me in making a difference on the Ann Arbor City Council by voting for Chip Smith. If you want to learn more about him, you can check out his campaign website:<br />
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http://www.chipforcouncil.com/<br />
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You will find fun videos there, as well as on his facebook page:<br />
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https://www.facebook.com/voteCHIP?fref=ts<br />
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Here's his "Introduction" Video. You can also see videos on "Basic Services", "Attainable Housing" and more.<br />
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<b><u>What Do Others Say?</u></b><br />
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I mentioned the incumbent's union background. In spite of this, the Huron Valley Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO) endorses Chip.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mlive.com/opinion/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/07/editorial_2015_city_council_pr.html#incart_river">Mlive endorses Chip</a>. The link contains all of MLive's endorsements. I don't agree with all of them, but what is notable is that in the other races they give the nod to the incumbent, and they do so on the basis of experience. And yet they ignore Anglin's six years of experience, call his lack of leadership disappointing, and basically give my assessment (though in gentler terms) of "asleep at the wheel".<br />
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<b><u>Why Should I Vote At All?</u></b><br />
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I know...you've heard it before. But even my dog has gotten into the get-out-the-vote action. Check him out. CivCity is a new 501(c)3 organization designed to promote civic engagement. They have done five videos on the subject of encouraging voting next week: a teaser-trailer and one for each of the contested wards. Duke is in several, but here is the trailer and Ward 5:<br />
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As Mar y Morgan points out, this primary is the real election. And VERY FEW PEOPLE SHOW UP FOR THESE ELECTIONS. If you don't think your vote matters, this is your time. A couple of votes could make the difference.<br />
<br />Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-71926622204326793712013-11-01T12:30:00.000-04:002013-11-01T12:31:57.676-04:00Three City Council Endorsements<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><u>Three City Council Endorsements</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><i>VOTE Tuesday, November 5th</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Politics have gotten nasty.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">I am sure that does not come as a surprise to you. And we have gone through this before in our history. When these periods happen it is because politicians place ideology above the job of governing. The end result is government does not do the things government is supposed to do. This behavior generally starts at the highest levels of government and works its way down to local government. That's because local government usually is more concerned about picking up the garbage and putting out fires than ideology. The closer you get to the citizenry, the more government is about providing services.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">This dysfunctional behavior has found its way to local government, and the time has come to turn things around. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Men and women of good will are easily drawn into this behavior. This is why people avoid discussing politics at family gatherings. It is too easy to be drawn into the ideological debate, which always ending up in a yelling match. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">We must be able to disagree on ideological grounds, and still find a civil way to good policy. I do believe that most people who serve as elected officials (and are paid for their efforts) or on civic boards (who serve without any compensation) do so because they love this city. We must respect that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">With that preamble, I have three endorsements to make. The endorsements are for different specific reasons, but are all made in an attempt to get City Council back into the business of making good public policy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><u>Sabra Briere in Ward 1</u></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Sabra is the hardest working person on City Council. She shows up at hundreds of Board and Commission meetings as an observer. She is not there to push an agenda. She is there to listen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Outside of those meetings, she researches and prepares. As she is forming her views on public policy she asks questions. She does not ask leading questions. She does not ask questions to embarass anyone. She asks questions because she wants to hear viewpoints (in the case of differing opinions) or learn the facts (in cases where policy should be science or fact-based). In other words. She asks questions because she wants to learn the answers. She listens. And then she applies her personal approach to what she learns.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">That is the correct methodology for devising policy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">I do not always agree with Sabra. And she doesn't always agree with me. But we still have great discussions on public policy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">As a short aside, this endorsement might surprise the folks in the middle of the ideological warfare. In their view, Sabra is not part of the "Mayor's Party" and I am regularly listed in that group. This division does nothing to advance policy, and is just plain inaccurate. Certainly the mayor has political allies, but he does not run a cabal. While I know the mayor, I do not know him well. I don't have personal contact information for him. If I want to talk to him, I do what every citizen does. I call the mayor's office. I have never gotten a call from the mayor or any of his allies telling me how to vote as a member of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><a href="http://sabrabriere.org/">http://sabrabriere.org/</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><u>Kirk Westphal for City Council, 2nd Ward.</u></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">I do not know Kirk well. We've met at occasional civic meetings. Even from those occasional meetings I can say he is one of the most warm and genuine people I've met.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">More importantly to this task, he is an urban planner who knows more about city, street, and sidewalk design than anyone in the city of Ann Arbor. He is articulate about the subject and passionate about the city.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Kirk has served for seven years on the Planning Commission, as well as having served on the Environmental Commission. He is a best practices consultant to local governments. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">This is a man who understands public policy in the geeky way (said as a compliment) that our City Council has not seen since Chris Kolb. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">The choice in this ward could not be more stark. Jane Lumm is very good at constituent services, which makes her popular. That is important. However I believe that her decisions are leading to poor public policy. She has voted to turn down federal transportation money on ideological grounds. She is part of the attack on the DDA, which is also ideologically based. The DDA is actually one of the best tools in the City's toolbox. City staff members know this and are privately aghast at the attacks. Ann Arbor has survived this recession with minimal cuts in services, no increase in operational debt, and no tax increases in no small part because the DDA has been able to subsidize the City by taking on projects that otherwise the city would have to have taken on, as well as providing important general fund dollars. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><a href="http://www.kirkforcouncil.org/">http://www.kirkforcouncil.org/</a></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><b><u>Write In Chip Smith in Ward 5</u></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">This is my Ward.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">I was simply not going to vote in the City Council election. That is not like me. However, Mike Anglin has been a big disappointment to me. I thought, with his background, that he would be a good man for our city.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">So I was thrilled to be given a last minute chance to vote. And not just an anti-Anglin vote. Chip Smith is the real thing. Chip (like Kirk) has a background as an urban planner. He knows how to make good policy. And he has lived in the Fifth Ward for nearly 20 years. He threw his hat in the ring late in the game because of his frustration with the dysfunctional City Council. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Ann Arbor consistently is mentioned as a high-quality places to live and work. That is not an accident. That is good urban planning. Chip will evaluate every public investment and ask how each contributes to building a stronger tomorrow for Ann Arbor's citizens. His four goals are:</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Healthy, safe and pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Economic development</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Think regionally</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Better capital planning and budgeting</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.988636016845703px;">Write-In candidates have a high bar to pass. A voter must be more intentional in the voting booth. Please take the time to Write In Chip Smith in Ward Five. And explore his website. Like I said above, he is the real thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.988636016845703px;"><a href="http://writeinchipsmith.com/">http://writeinchipsmith.com/</a></span></span><br />
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Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-62634441657312429522013-06-26T13:13:00.001-04:002013-06-26T13:14:48.923-04:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A Post-DOMA Michigan Update</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amongst all of the eupohoria of the day a friend posted on Facebook that she was not going to wait for Michigan to get its act together. She was going to New York to get married. (Okay...her language was a little stronger, but that's the gist).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEOW2tR6DMGa8XhFefJmzB1XZRKpYXPaNT15ty0BNJf24nHiYr-4wDPexPP8I-n4-dr9ROtadSPfUyR2GquUSvz49QvYWYvt7ZKAaeU_ayhAiRH6gTHdn44iqmXaRUvtC5DugIsiCaIo/s1600/doma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEOW2tR6DMGa8XhFefJmzB1XZRKpYXPaNT15ty0BNJf24nHiYr-4wDPexPP8I-n4-dr9ROtadSPfUyR2GquUSvz49QvYWYvt7ZKAaeU_ayhAiRH6gTHdn44iqmXaRUvtC5DugIsiCaIo/s320/doma.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rulings were in line with many predictions (including mine, below). DOMA was overturned, but the court took pains to overturn it as narrowly as possible. Prop 8 was overturned, in a roundabout procedural way which does not speak to any other marriage ban.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The court did not address the full faith and credit clause (at least a search of the 77 page opinion did not turn up that phrase).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, a marriage in New York is still not a marriage in Michigan. Michigan will not recognize the marriage, and it will probably take a separate court ruling to even allow that married-in-New-York couple to get federal benefits if they reside in Michigan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confusing? Yes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I believe the court wanted to leave it confusing. They were afraid of a sweeping decision which would affext all 50 states. They found exactly the escape route they were looking for. They acknowledged Marriage Equality, but ruled as narrowly as possible. They did not rule all of DOMA was unconstitutional, only the one man, one woman provision. DOMA specifically says that states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages in other states.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ruling is still exceptionally good news, as it opens a door to Marriage Equality everywhere. However, that door will have to be opened state-by-state. The Full Faith and Credit issue will have to be challenged.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The ruling is especially encouraging for Michigan.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a case in front of U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman, brought by a Hazel Park couple, April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse who want joint custody of their two children. The case questions the constitutionality of Michigan's ban on same-sex marriages. Judge Friedman decided to wait until the two Supreme Court rulings to make his decision. This bodes well for that case.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">April DeBoer, second from left, sits with her adopted daughter Ryanne, 3, left,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">and Jayne Rowse, fourth from left, and her adopted sons</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Jacob, 3, middle, and Nolan, 4, right, at their home in Hazel Park.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition, a majority of Michiganders now support Marriage Equality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, the stage is set for both political and legal remedies in our state. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to my Facebook friend, hang tough. Michigan could get Marriage Equality much quicker than any of us would have been able to guess 24 hours ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And for my local friends...The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/503631039702936/512851662114207/">celebration</a> is in Braun Court starting at 4:00 p.m.</span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-50508379023005138532013-06-25T20:24:00.000-04:002013-06-25T20:24:27.424-04:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>To Marry, or Not to Marry, that is the Supreme Court's Question</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are awaiting two decisions on Marriage Equality from the Supreme Court. As I write this the court has finished for the day. So today is not the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/503631039702936/"><b>Day of Decision</b></a>. We now know it will be tomorrow, Wednesday, June 26th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we reach the fever pitch around this single moment, I think its a good idea to reflect a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>A Short History of Marriage Equality</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evan Wolfson has done more for the Marriage Equality movement than anyone else. There certainly are earlier cases of people trying to get married and attempting to bring suits to gain access to the benefits of marriage. There are even a few cases of people who managed to hide their gender and get what they claim were valid marriage licenses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the suits all failed, and the anomalies did nothing to move the civil rights of gays and lesbians along.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evan saw the possibilities and began the <a href="http://www.freedomtomarry.org/">Freedom to Marry</a> organization in 2001. At the time, he was pretty much ignored by most LGBT activists who thought the more important battles were employment and housing protection. In fact, in my state of Michigan you can be fired for being gay. We are not an anomaly:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first victory for Marriage Equality was the recognition of Civil Unions in Vermont in 2000. While many consider civil unions "marriage light" or another version of "separate but equal", to social conservatives the Vermont move was anathema.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a grand irony, marriage equality became an issue because the Republicans made it one in 2004. While Republicans had made gains in the 2002 election, there was a big backlash against Bush and his war on Iraq. The Presidency, and both the House and Senate looked vulnerable. Marriage Equality was not a Democratic Party priority, however, the Republicans saw it as an opportunity to drive a wedge into the voting public and make the election about cultural issues. The plan was to get social conservatives out in big numbers to vote against gay marriage. The strategy worked in the short term. Bush was re-elected and Republicans made big wins across the nation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But now, less than ten years later, the strategy is backfiring. Marriage Equality became the rallying cry of the gay and lesbian community, and our families, neighbors and friends rallied to our defense. The majority of Americans now believe in Marriage Equality, and some conservatives are acknowledging the issue is lost and are moving on to the next culture war.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(BTW, I am using the term gay and lesbian instead of LGBT because this issue is not strictly a trans issue, though many trans activists remain important allies.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>What Will Happen Tomorrow</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe the court wants to stay in step with America, but does not want to step out in front. In other words, they will find a way to strike down DOMA and Prop 8, and do it as narrowly as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not a big fan of Justice Robert's politics. However, he seems to want to leave a legacy of a Court that can make decisions based on the law, and is suspicious of too many cases having the same 5-4 votes. I believe we will see DOMA unequivocally shot down. However, they will give little or no direction as to what that means. In other words, it opens the door for other suits to gain access to Federal Benefits, and implementation of the Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution (this is the clause which generally lets one state accept another state's marriages. For instance, if a 15 year old is legally married, and moves to a state where you must be 16 to marry, the marriage is still valid).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similarly, I believe Prop 8 will go down, but likely on procedural issues so that it does not set a precedent for other states or suits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those hoping for full Marriage Equality now, this will seem a disappointment. However, the fact that the door will open a bit, allowing for further gains down the road is huge. The reason I even reviewed the history of Marriage Equality is to show that what may seem like a baby step, and to many people a disappointing baby step, is in fact, the beginning of the end for the bias in our marriage laws. In the long run, tomorrow could be a bigger beginning than all the states which currently allow Marriage Equality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then again, perhaps the conservatives on the court will win out, and DOMA will have the imprimatur of a Supreme Court victory. If that's the case, we must do what we have been doing for the past half century...Organize and Fight. There are rallies planned across the nation. Google <b><i>Day of Decision</i></b> to find out if there is one near you. Mine is the work of the <a href="http://jimtoycenter.org/">Jim Toy Community Center</a> and the Community Center Network. It will be held in Braun Court at 4:00 p.m. Braun Court is the home of the <a href="http://www.autbar.com/">\aut\ BAR</a>, <a href="http://glbtbooks.com/">Common Language Bookstore</a>, <a href="http://www.trilliumrealtors.com/">Trillium Real Estate</a>, and the Jim Toy Community Center. Check out the event facebook page at </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/503631039702936/">https://www.facebook.com/events/503631039702936/</a>. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are one of my far-flung readers, find one near you. We hope we are gathering to celebrate. But if we are not celebrating, we'll be fighting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-6843159912122079052012-01-18T16:58:00.001-05:002012-01-18T16:58:48.468-05:00Gay Families Matter<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I just got back from Lansing, where about 250-300 LGBT and allies rallied under the theme of "Gay Families Matter". We were protesting the passage of 4770 and 4771, and the general atmosphere of intolerance in Lansing.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Lansing. Capitol Steps. 1/18/12.<br />photo Sandi Smith</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It was a wonderful empowering experience. It reminded me of the wonderful, empowering experience of one of my first marches down Woodward circa 1980. Yup. There were queers back then. I think a triceratops may have been in the vicinity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It reminded me of that time, because the atmosphere in the capitol today reminds me a lot of the attitudes of most people back then. It is not even intolerance. It is homophobia and hate. (It should be noted that Representatives Sean McCann and Jeff Irwin joined us in the cold, because they understand that Gay Families Matter).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Unfortunately, it also reminded me of the numbers we gathered back then. A march of 250-300 people seemed like such a HUGE number of gays and lesbians in those days. It was exciting...and kinda hot. (And in those days there were no bisexuals or transgender folk. Oh how young and naive we and the movement were).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am not unhappy about the number of people who turned out today. There were some great things accomplished. This rally was put together on about ten days notice, in the middle of a workday, in the middle of January. Further, many organizations across the state came together for this rally. Antonio David Garcia showed real regional leadership by bringing this coalition together. That is going to be a great legacy of today going forward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am also aware that in this economically challenged state it is not easy to drop everything and run to Lansing. I'm lucky. Martin stayed behind to get the restaurant ready to open, so that I could be there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">However, if we are going to make an impact, we need more than the 250 people who showed up to work for the cause. As David rightly pointed out, we need our straight allies to "come out of the closet". They need to be active and vocal about our civil rights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But we can't expect it of them if we don't do it ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I probably personally recognized 75% of the people at this rally. I recognized folks from Equality Michigan, Affirmations, Jim Toy Community Center, and the ACLU. I recognized folks from the Prop 2 campaign.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And it was warm and fuzzy...like a family reunion. So it felt very real chanting "Gay Families Matter".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But we need a bigger "family".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And you'll see great pictures from Between The Lines and OutPost in their next respective issue. Unfortunately you will NOT see pictures in annarbor.com. Or the Detroit Free Press. Or any other publication. Because frankly, they don't care.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We have to make them care.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Mattachine Society</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And we have to get our friends and family to care.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The other feeling I had was how much this looked like Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings, and the dozen or so folks in the Mattachine Society who marched in front of Independence Hall, walking around and around in a small circle. Out of that small group a movement was born. It is our responsibility to walk in their shoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Its up to all of us to figure out if our gatherings will continue to feel like warm and fuzzy family reunions, or the voices of a large community daring to speak truth to power.</span><br />
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<br />Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-42087718018867928932011-11-25T13:51:00.001-05:002011-11-25T15:20:39.544-05:00The Buy Local Movement...in Kerrytown<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tomorrow is "Buy Local Saturday".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Buy Local movement has gained a lot of ground over the past few years. The Occupy Wall Street movement speaks to a lot of the same issues (and frustrations) as the Buy Local movement. Our economic system is letting down millions of hard working Americans. It seems we have so little control over Bank of America (to name one), while Bank of America has so much control over us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Buy Local is one way we do have control over our economy. We keep money in our local economy, allowing more money to flow into the cultural and social institutions that create quality of life for all of us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And its personal. Let me tell you about my neighborhood:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You want something for your pet, or a dog or cat-loving friend? Stop by Dogma (catmantoo) on Fourth Avenue. Alice Liberson owns Dogma. She is passionate about animals. She also supports dozens of local charities. Duke and I love to stop in there and visit. Alice is a licensed vet, and currently practicing veterinary acupuncture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://dogmacatmantoo.com/">http://dogmacatmantoo.com/ </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Just across the street you could talk to Paul Tinkerhess at Fourth Avenue Birkenstock. He has footwear and also a Sleep Shop (mattresses and other items to make sure you get good sleep). He is a local activist and musician. He and his family are a part of First Amendment history. Don't ask me...stop in there and ask Paul about it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/birkenstock.store?sk=wall">https://www.facebook.com/birkenstock.store?sk=wall </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Around the corner from both Alice and Paul is Vicki Honeyman's Heavenly Metal. Vicki had a profound influence on the growth of the Ann Arbor Film Festival some years back. She has remained active in social and artistic causes. She calls Heavenly Metal a "unique boutique". It has apparel, footwear, recycled metal art, and more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.heavenlymetal.com/">http://www.heavenlymetal.com/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Need a break...stop for coffee at Cafe Verde, run by the member-owned People's Food Co-op. And though it is member-owned, the "face" of the Co-op is Kevin Sharp. Kevin shares a passion for Border Collies with me. He is also the reason Sculpture Park is kept clean and the landscape is well-tended. The "People's Park" owes a big debt to this community-centered guy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.peoplesfood.coop/">http://www.peoplesfood.coop/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Or you might stop for your coffee in the Kerrytown Market and Shops at Sweetwater, owned by Chris Hutton. Chris serves on the Kerrytown District Association Board, and seems to always be involved in some fundraising activity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.sweetwaterscafe.com/cafes/kerrytown.php">http://www.sweetwaterscafe.com/cafes/kerrytown.php </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">While in Kerrytown you can visit Mary Cambruzzi on the second floor at Found, a truly unique store...part antique, part collectibles, or Jan and Sharon at Mudpuddles, or Bob at Sparrow Market, or Mike at Monahan's. And especially Mary at Everyday Wine. She is a big part of making An Ann Arbor Wine Cellar (benefit for HARC) a success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://foundgallery.com/">http://foundgallery.com/ </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kerrytown.com/mudpuddles/index.htm">http://www.kerrytown.com/mudpuddles/index.htm</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.sparrowmarket.com/">http://www.sparrowmarket.com/ </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.monahansseafood.com/">http://www.monahansseafood.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://everyday-wines.blogspot.com/">http://everyday-wines.blogspot.com/ </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I'm almost afraid to send this out...I don't want to forget Nina Howard at Bellanina or Deanna Relyea at Kerrytown Concert House, or Sherry Knight at Knight's Market, or Don at Kosmo's, or Gene Alloway at Motte and Bailey's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.bellanina.com/">http://www.bellanina.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com/index.php">http://www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com/index.php </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://knightsmeatmarket.com/">http://knightsmeatmarket.com/ </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kerrytown.com/kosmopolitan/">http://www.kerrytown.com/kosmopolitan/ </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.mottebooks.com/shop/motte/index.html">http://www.mottebooks.com/shop/motte/index.html</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">See...I have names to all these businesses. When you buy local you are supporting Alice and Vicki and Paul and more than one Mary, and so many others. And they support the community, and their employees are a part of the local community and the local economy. I feel like quoting the "Bank Run" scene from "It's A Wonderful Life".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu2uJWSZkck">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu2uJWSZkck</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So if you survived "Black Friday" (or "Boozy Friday" as we are calling it at the </span><a href="http://autbar.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">\aut\ BAR</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">), please do not forget to BUY LOCAL.</span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-49787569521762147252011-03-02T18:27:00.006-05:002011-03-03T10:20:57.802-05:00Westboro and the Supreme Court<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://portland.indymedia.org/icon/2008/11/382727.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://portland.indymedia.org/icon/2008/11/382727.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I have a history with the Westboro Church. They picketed me.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I was not the first. Their first pickets go back to the 1980's. They would show up at funerals of people who had died because of HIV/AIDS. Outside of the gay community no one was taking issue with this. Legislators were not passing bills limiting how far pic</span>keters had to st<span class="Apple-style-span">ay away from funerals. In fact, it appeared that most of America had no problem with the Westboro Church.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">They first made mainstream news when they picketed Matthew Shepard's funeral. The brutality of that murder actually brought some compassion from folks outside the gay community. And there was even a bit of outrage that this nutcase was picketing this funeral.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">The Phelps family has always thrived on publicity. They were drunk with pleasure from all the publicity they got from picketing Matthew Shepard. Pissing off gays wasn't getting them what they wanted. They needed to piss off a lot more people.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Queers who paid<span class="Apple-style-span"> attention understood that they pissed people off so that other people would engage them. If they engaged them physically, the family took them to court. They also sued local municipalities for not protecting their First Amendment rights.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">THIS IS THE MAJOR SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR THE PHELPS CLAN.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">That is VERY important to note. Let me rephrase it. If the Phelps can get you into court, they make money.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Fred Phelps holds no degree from any religious seminary or other institution. The "Reverend" title is self-proclaimed. Note that I NEVER call him Rev. Phelps. No one else should, either.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">His background...he is a disbarred lawyer. He was disbarred for an enormous number of nuisance lawsuits. Several of his children are lawyers. They do the courtwork now.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">If you ever go to one of his protests you will see a guy nearby videotaping everything. His job is simple. He is collecting evidence.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-ocaRAL3-3JSC_a4Qw1GAAtJiRX6_Zr4niDtD8eEwytWHZxFoJS9o_e5Om5A_suWbjJafNnVigc1r208MRdhAIJow0Nsm3nazT4FZmW58Z5zaM6WYOkLKFggj-vIdcNyU6aoMhSreTs/s200/fashion-fail.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579643738198436946" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">When those planes slammed into the twin towers, the Phelps clan put out a news release that they were happy this happened. It happened because America was being so nice to all of its gay citizens. And then they picketed the funerals of people who died in the 9/11 attacks. As America went to war in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, they started picketing military funerals. Brilliant. That really pisses people off, and they had a lot more lawsuits. If you are a member of the Phelps clan, that means business is good.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">One of those funerals was for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; ">Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "></span>Lance Cpl. Snyder's father sued the Phelps Clan. I feel sorry for Albert Snyder. He lost his son to war. And then he had some nutjobs show up at his son''s funeral. I know how horrible it is because Phelps has been doing that to the queer community for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">But I am very angry with him for engaging the Phelps family in court. What was he thinking? The Phelps clan got a lot of publicity. They LOVE bad publicity.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">And they have a Supreme Court judgment in their favor, and I am sure a hefty monetary settlement is on its way, if it was not a part of this judgement.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">That will keep them picketing for a LONG time to come.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">And it was ENTIRELY predictable. If Mr. Snyder had asked a queer, we could have told him what was going to happen.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I actually completely agree with the Supreme Court decision. If unpopular speech is not protected...well...we wouldn't have even had an LGBT rights movement. The answer to hate speech is not to legislate against it. The answer is to use the hate speech to educate rational people of your cause.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I am proud that when Phelps picketed me we beat him at his own game. We raised money instead of him. And the message the media picked up on was our message, not the whack job's. Other folks have found clever ways of meeting him head on without giving him publicity or money.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I wish Mr Snyder had.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">............Keith</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">p.s., here is an old press release about our response to Mr. Phelps: <a href="http://www.autbar.com/fred_phelps_press_release.htm">http://www.autbar.com/fred_phelps_press_release.htm</a></span></div>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-46985008647554904202010-08-02T12:50:00.002-04:002010-08-02T13:17:06.763-04:00Ann Arbor Primary 2010 Endorsements<span style="font-family: verdana;">We are on the verge of Michigan’s Primary election. In Ann Arbor we have a shockingly low voter turnout. I mention this not as a civics lesson (though I do wish more people would engage in democracy), but rather as a strategic comment. Your vote really could make a difference. We had an election decided by a half-dozen votes in the recent past.<br /><br />There are six endorsements that Martin and I are making:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://vote4sandi.com/">Sandi Smith</a>, 1st Ward Ann Arbor City Council</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.voteirwin.com/home.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Irwin, </span></a>53rd District State House (Rebekah Warren’s former seat)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.rebekahwarren.com/">Rebekah Warren</a>, </span>18th District State Senate (Liz Brater’s term-limited seat)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://hieftje.org/">John Hieftje,</a> </span>Mayor, Ann Arbor</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.garrypostforstaterep.com/index.html">Garry Post</a>, </span>47th District State House. Howell, i.e. republican country. Openly gay man running unopposed in the Democratic primary</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.votevirg.com/">Virg Bernero</a>, </span>Governor</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’d like to specifically talk about three of them, because they all share a common theme…long history of significant support of the LGBT community. I am not a single-issue voter. However, most people who care what I think are interested because of our position in the LGBT community. <br /><br />In 2004 the gay community was under attack. The republicans had a strategy of putting marriage bans on the ballot before the gay community was ready to press forward with them. They piggy backed conservative candidates with the proposals in 17 states across the United States. Michigan was one of the target states.<br /><br />Many politicians whom we thought were our friends treated us like the plague. One of the reasons I was an early Dean supporter was because of his early support of Vermont Civil Unions. As a presidential candidate he talked about LGBT issues wherever he went. With Howard Dean these were not red state/blue state issues. These were civil rights issues.<br /><br />I was very active in the No On 2 campaign in 2004. Three people currently running for office put their political necks on the line for us. Their support of the LGBT community has been tested by fire. I will always stand by these individuals.<br /><br />In 2004 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rebekah Warren </span>was the Director of the Michigan Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (MARAL). I often say about Rebekah that she did more to try and defeat Prop 2 than any straight person in the state of Michigan. She saw the attack on gay rights as the same as the attack on women's reproductive rights, as a gender-based discrimination. She marshaled enormous resources for us. Since that time she has gone on to serve in the Michigan House. She is active on issues as diverse as the environment, health, women’s rights, biotech, and more. Most important, she builds effective coalitions to effect real change. Rebekah is a great friend of our community, and I am honored to call her a friend of mine.<br /><br />As an aside, this is one of those elections that I have been saying we have two good candidates. I believe Rebekah is the better choice. I have explained to people why, with the proviso that I had nothing bad to say about her opponent, Pam Byrnes. Pam has changed that in the last several days. The amount of negative mailings coming from her campaign has profoundly changed my opinion of her.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Irwin </span>and Kathryn Loomis actually refused to marry as long as there were folks in Michigan that are unable to marry because of State Law. The only reason they relented was when they had a child. For the benefit of their kid they needed the many protections and benefits that marriage provided. Jeff truly understands the importance of the issue of gay marriage second-parent adoptions. Other elected officials talk a good talk. On LGBT issues Jeff truly understands what it is to walk in our shoes. In his current position of Washtenaw County Commissioner he was largely responsible for Washtenaw County offering domestic partner benefits to County employees. In 2004, when others were running from the gay community in fear, he supported us without a second hesitation. He understood that in matters of civil rights, being on the right side is more important than political expediency. To me that is profoundly important.<br /><br />I have known <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sandi Smith </span>since 1995 when she and a group of activist men and women founded our LGBT Community Center. In 2004 there would not have been a single yard sign in Washtenaw County saying NO ON 2 if it weren’t for Sandi and just a few other dedicated folks. She was a critical part of the organization that assured an overwhelming victory in Washtenaw County for the defeat of Prop 2.<br /><br />In addition, Sandi has been one of the hardest working folks on City Council to find a way to balance the budget without cutting basic services. She helped expand bed counts for the homeless during this last bitter winter, is a tireless advocate for expanded public transportation options, has built partnerships with the DDA and the AATA, served on more committees than I can enumerate, and is always the hardest working and best prepared member of any group she belongs to. Ann Arbor is truly a better place because of Sandi’s work.<br /><br /></span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-55304081245795045762009-06-27T18:53:00.003-04:002009-06-28T23:56:06.637-04:00The State of Common Language<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkaBUjTP8ZBzAbQIW33w-oImn2SeP-x0M6tRPmQP1EpouTcwDWbwj2n3xry2XqkO4BMGByLagJN6GySd-3pivM-OeOMZoVQ1iWyq5aBVu-iUXwBtE6-zX_0-XJPBtaU9Zfhi-QA36J3w/s1600-h/CL+Dancing+Books.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkaBUjTP8ZBzAbQIW33w-oImn2SeP-x0M6tRPmQP1EpouTcwDWbwj2n3xry2XqkO4BMGByLagJN6GySd-3pivM-OeOMZoVQ1iWyq5aBVu-iUXwBtE6-zX_0-XJPBtaU9Zfhi-QA36J3w/s200/CL+Dancing+Books.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352593205536451458" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >Common Language Needs Your Support</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">There is no easy way to say this. Common Language is not making enough sales to support itself. Its very existence is in peril.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >Shaman Drum Bookshop Has Announced They Will Close June 30th</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Karl Pohrt and Shaman Drum have been an important part of the book community for 30 years. They have always been supportive of the rest of the community. Their voice as an independent bookseller will be sorely missed. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Independent bookstores, and especially LGBT Bookstores, have been closing with increasing and alarming frequency. With the closing of Oscar Wilde the LGBT community has lost the world’s oldest (and perhaps coolest) LGBT bookstore. A Different Light in West Hollywood recently closed. New York City and Los Angeles are without an LGBT bookstore. And these are just a few.</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" ><br /><br />Common Language Could Be Next</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Common Language Bookstore has been serving the LGBT Community since 1991. We have “taken the show on the road” to LGBT conferences, Michigan Womyn’s Festival, Rainbow Families-Great Lakes, and more. We are the last remaining comprehensive feminist/LGBT Bookstore in the State of Michigan. We believe Common Language is too important a community resource to lose. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Without an independent LGBT bookstore such as Common Language:</span> <ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">We lose a safe space to explore our sexuality and culture. While Ann Arbor may seem like a nice safe bubble for the LGBT community, folks who are coming out have a hard time checking out books from the library or buying books from Borders. I know a professor who had her psychology students play out various scenarios at Common Language and Barnes and Noble. The scenarios were as simple as buying a gift or card for an old High School Friend who had invited them to their (same-sex) commitment ceremony, to as complex as dealing with a father who was coming out as Transgender. Many of the students simply COULD NOT play out their scenarios at Barnes and Noble. And these were largely straight folks pretending to be in an LGBT situation.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Authors and publishers lose an outlet for their work. Borders has perhaps 100 books in their LGBT section. We have 7500. Amazon.com may have lots of books available, but they don’t have whole sections you can browse, and they do not have a staff who can direct you to what you are looking for, whether it is the latest gay fiction, help on coming out, or what to do after your HIV diagnosis.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">There are several publishers that would probably cease to exist without independent, and especially LGBT Bookstores to distribute their books, for example Bella Books, Bywater Books, Firebrand Books, Lethe Press, and Alyson.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Many of your favorite authors might never have been published. Augusten Burroughs may be a huge author now, but it is because independent booksellers read Running With Scissors, and recommended it to their customers. 95% of the authors on our shelves might never have been published without the outlet of independent bookstores.</span></li></ul> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >What Have We Done Already?</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />We have trimmed costs. We have subsidized the store with personal savings. The \aut\ BAR has subsidized the store. We have run promotions and sales. We bring in authors. We have worked hard to have an up-to-date website.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />One of the things we can <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NOT</span> do is raise prices. Books have a published price and an established markup. Publishers dictate to us what our “cost of doing business” must be.</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" ><br /><br />You Can Be A Hero</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />All we need are customers. You can be one of them and become a Common Language Hero.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">You can be a customer by buying books from our shelves, or special ordering books not on our shelves (at no additional charge), buying gifts, buying lube, buying toys and erotica, and by buying cards.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />You can also become an advocate. If you are already a regular customer, encourage your friends to come in. Bring them in with you. Buy them a Gift Certificate to try and get them as hooked as you are. Send far-flung friends to the website.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Just by stopping in you help us out. The sense of community is so important to this store. When you come by, even if just to browse, you help the store become more viable.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />You can also tell us what it would take for you to become a customer. Do we need to stock a different brand of lube? Do we need to do something different with our website? Should sections be moved around or reorganized? </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />And to give us an idea of how much community support we can count on I have set up a (non-binding) pledge form online. Give us some idea of how often you'll stop in, and how much you think you can spend, as well as any suggestions you may have. Click through to the "<a href="http://glbtbooks.com/Save%20the%20Store%20Pledge%20Form.htm">I want to be a Common Language Hero</a>" pledge form.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />An article about the closing of Oscar Wilde interviewed a fellow who lived less than two blocks away from the store. He had no idea that the store was in jeopardy and said if he had known he would have shopped there more regularly. It sounds like he wanted to be an Oscar Wilde Hero.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />No one wants to be a Hero-Wannabe with regrets. That’s why we are going public with the store’s situation now. Your opportunity to be a hero is now.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Thanks for your support.</span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-40469356463768985542009-03-22T13:14:00.004-04:002009-03-22T13:23:44.740-04:00Rites of Passage<span style="font-family: verdana;">Martin and I are in Corpus Christi during the big Spring Break. We are not here for that reason, however. We are here to visit Martin’s Dad. Actually his dad doesn’t live in Corpus Christi. He lives in a little town called Orange Grove. It is a town that lives for Friday Night Football. Go Bulldogs. The team colors are orange and white. There is no gay bar. We choose to stay in Corpus or San Antonio when we visit. It just feels safer.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Witnessing this Spring Break has me thinking about Rites of Passage.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Back in college days I never did a spring break trip. I was working my way through school. The symphony did not take a spring break, plus I could always pick up extra shifts at my other job at the old Ann Arbor Inn.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />In other words, all I know about spring break is what I have learned from the movies. And that is that Spring Break is the chance for slightly post-pubescent boys to try and get laid, but will probably just get drunk and arrested.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />My research of the last few days seems to confirm that for once Hollywood got it right. I watched an amazing interaction:</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">(drunk) boy meets (drunk) girl</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The parties seem very interested in each other</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Drunken friend of boy pulls him aside for more shots. He goes willingly</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">By the time shots are consumed girl has disappeared into the crowd.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />In spite of all protests to the contrary, the drinking seems more important than getting laid.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Martin did take Spring Break trips…with fifteen of his closest friends. He reported the other day after some hot vacation sex that it was the first time he had gotten laid on Spring Break. Apparently way-back-when he would stay in one hotel room with all of those fifteen friends, so there was never the requisite privacy. Besides, what he really wanted to do was find a MAN…but those fifteen close friends were not yet aware of Martin’s proclivity for same-sex activity. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />In fact, there would be occasional warnings about going down to the beach late at night, since that was where men were cruising. Martin was trying to figure out how he could lose those fifteen friends and get down to the beach late at night.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />I do not recall anyone I know going on gay spring breaks in the late 70s. There was very little organized gay activity at the college level. And where would a bunch of gay boys go. Instead, most gay boys were doing what Martin did…pretended to be straight and went with all of his straight buddies on a mission to get (heterosexually) laid and sloppy drunk.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Gay men and women of my generation did not generally have socially recognized way of learning about sex and relationships. We did not go to school dances with our boyfriends, and have a nervous first kiss. Our boyfriend’s dad did not take us aside and tell us that if we did anything to harm his son he would have our neck. <br /><br />Our fathers’ did not tell us about the birds and the birds…or would it be the bees and the bees. In fact, most of us did not have boyfriends. At most we had buddies that we would tentatively “fool around with”…with the understanding that what we were doing was completely wrong.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />We did not have our first loves at 14, 15 or 16. We may have had crushes but they were unrequited either emotionally or sexually. We did not give them out class rings or letter jackets. We did not agonize over what boy might ask us to the senior prom.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />When we did get laid for the first time it was probably NOT something we bragged about or excitedly shared with our brother or best friend. We did not go on Spring Break to get laid.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />And, of course most of us still have not had the straight rite of passage called marriage.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />There were good and bad things about that state of affairs. When you had no rules you got to make up your own. And given the poor track record of heterosexual relationships, re-invention is not necessarily a bad thing. I know there are folks that believe the only difference between gay people and straight people is the gender of our sexual partners. I subscribe to the belief that we are different than straight people (regardless of the nature vs. nurture debate). </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />However, I can’t help but think that some of us (and I include myself here) would be much less fucked up if we had had some societal guideposts.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />I am amazed by the socialization of many gay youth today. I’m not a Pollyanna. Gay kids still have at best a hard time and at worst a dangerous time growing up. However, in more and more places they have gay dances and proms. There are social clubs and networks for them. I am still floored every time I hear a high school kid refer to his boyfriend or her girlfriend.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Rites of Passage for gay people of my generation (I am 51) differed somewhat from person to person, largely because we did not have society giving us any direction. Many people passages might look like this:</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Realization that we are attracted to the same sex. </span>This often occurred astonishingly early. I remember starting to understand this about myself as early as five years of age.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our first sex. </span>It was nearly always exciting, and then shameful. And in spite of the shame, the yearning to do it again. Our first kiss often was at some point after our first sex. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our first gay bar. </span>Amazing how important this is. Straight people just don’t have the same attachment to their first bar. They might remember (fondly or otherwise) the first time they got drunk…but stepping into a room ful of people like yourself is an astonishing moment for gay folks.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our first date. </span>Yup…so often our first real date is long after sexual experience.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coming Out. </span>Because of all of those negative messages from our families, friends, and peers we did not come out until we REALLY knew we had to do this, after our first sex, first gay bar, first date, and maybe even our first lover.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Deaths of friends and lovers. </span>Yes, my generation was the plague generation. And it was a rite of passage that both scarred us and created a generation of activists.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Notice that marriage is not a part of this list. None of us really expected to get married in our lifetime.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />I’m sure the youngest queer generation has a very different set of rites of passage. I know many kids who figure out they are gay, come out to their parents, get boyfriends and go on dates, engage in heavy petting, but abstain from sex until later.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />I know others who do not have the parental and societal support to come out so early, whose rites look a bit more like mine.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />I am curious about the current state of gay rites of passage. And I am even more curious about the future. Are our rites becoming more aligned with straight America? Will gay marriage, if it ever arrives on a national level, create a parallel track for young gays and straights.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />And most important, are gay kids going to somewhere in Florida thinking they will get laid, only to get shitfaced drunk and arrested? Or unlike their straight counterparts are they actually getting laid?<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Postscript: </span>I use the terms gay and queer to refer to all men and women of the gay community in this article. I do not address transgender and bisexual people. I firmly believe that their struggle is our struggle. However, their Rites of Passage are very different from ours. I invite others to make that examination.</span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-1527578325482044652009-02-10T20:30:00.002-05:002009-02-10T20:55:17.173-05:00The Closing of Oscar Wilde Bookshop<span style="font-family: verdana;">When Martin and I travel we love to check out the local LGBT bookstores. One of our favorites has always been the Oscar Wilde Bookshop in New York City. Oscar Wilde is an amazing store filled with history, and has been influential to several generations of LGBT people. This last summer longtime manager and current owner Kim Brinster stopped in our bookstore, Common Language in Ann Arbor. She was very impressed. I was weak-kneed to hear her praise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here's a newsflash: Oscar Wilde Bookshop is closing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is alarming news for at least two reasons:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Gay Businesses Support Gay Causes</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A separate African-American economy began in the late 18th and early 19th century and flourished in the early 20th century. Though invisible to white America, it was a thriving retail and service economy. However, all that economic activity was slowly absorbed into the greater economy from the 1950s to the present. On the one hand, that is a victory. Economic activity, like schools and marriage, should not suffer from a "separate but equal" status. On the other hand, it was that alternate economy that helped to fund traditionally black colleges, the NAACP, Freedom Rides, and more. Unless you believe we are in a post-racial world the loss of those businesses is the loss of funding for change.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">An LGBT economy is a much more recent phenomenon. Public admission of homosexuality meant certain ruin for businesses as well as individuals. It was only as the LGBT movement made it possible for people to venture out of the closet that such a thing as "Gay-Owned Gay-Operated” was created. But it has become integral to our social change movement</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Check out sponsors of national LGBT events and organizations and you'll see names like PlanetOut, Inc., the Advocate, Arcus Foundation, and the Gill Foundation. Even when you see the Ford Foundation as a sponsor (for example) that funding has been the result of lobbying by LGBT workplace organizations and other funders and activists. Without that support, those "non-gay" funders would melt into the woodwork.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Check out local organizations and you will see a similar pattern. WRAP, Affirmations, Triangle, HARC and more are funded by Pride Source (publishers of Between the Lines), Pronto, the \aut\ BAR, and more. And again, what about those Ford or Paramount Bank sponsorships? That funding exists because of strong LGBT advocacy within the organization.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unless you believe we live in a post-gay world, the loss of LGBT businesses will mean the loss of funding for OUR change.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">LGBT Bookstores Provide Information and Culture to our Community</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">LGBT and independent bookstores are the primary advocates for LGBT fiction and non-fiction literature. Think how often you hear about a Library Board banning books like “Heather Has Two Mommies”, “The Sissy Duckling”, and most recently the incredible “10,000 Dresses”. The big chains focus on Best Sellers, not LGBT literature. The last bastion of diverse free speech is the independent bookstore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This weekend I was talking with author Sal Sapienza who described how important Oscar Wilde had been to him when he was a college student in New York and struggling with his identity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">When the last independent bookstore disappears the only voice you will be able to read will be the voice that corporate America wants you to hear. It may not be the voice that you want to hear.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">As Christopher Rice pointed out a couple of years ago, if you liked “Brokeback Mountain” and want more like it, head to your LGBT bookstore, because it is the health of those bookstores that will allow the next story to be presented to the public.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What can you do?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have already heard many people meet the news of Oscar Wilde’s closing with sadness and nostalgia. It is not a time for sadness. It is a time for resolution. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Resolve to buy your books at LGBT bookstores.</span> Even if you do not buy books, you can support them with your purchase of lube, magazines, and DVDs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Resolve to do as much business as you can with LGBT businesses.</span> When you use an LGBT lawyer, realtor, doctor, therapist, auto dealer, or any other business you are “Buying Gay” in a profound way.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The LGBT community was recently reminded that it is within the power of the larger community to limit and take away our rights. The Change WE believe in must be supported within our communities.</span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-91299650404345770262008-10-25T21:21:00.009-04:002008-10-27T21:27:28.269-04:00McCain's Concession Speech<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >John McCain has spent last Saturday complaining that Barack Obama commissioned a draft of an inaugural address. It turns out that it is yet another tempest in a teapot...a kerfuffle without substance. The speech in question was a draft published six months ago in a book titled "The Power of Progress" by John Podesta. It was written before Obama had become the nominee, and was intended as a study rather than as an actual draft for an Obama Inaugural</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" > Be that as it may, it seems to me that if Obama has a draft of an inaugural address, then McCain should have a draft of a concession speech. I humbly submit the following for his consideration:</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> My Friends...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> The people have spoken. It is the strength of the great democratic experiment that is America that the people vote, and power is handed over in a peaceful transition. I have asked Dick Cheney to come out from his undisclosed location and prepare to hand over the keys of power to President-Elect Obama.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> No, my friends...I know you are disappointed. But this is the American way, and we shall respect the decision of the electorate. I am afraid that when you lose by a landslide the Supreme Court cannot save you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> We can only ask ourselves where we went wrong. I could look back as far as eight years ago. When I lost the Republican nomination to George W. Bush in 2000 I decided that my fate was in the hands of the most radical right wing parts of the party. I kowtowed to them and to President Bush shamelessly. Apparently obsequious subservience does not look very presidential.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Perhaps we went awry more recently when we selected Sarah Palin as our running mate. My friends, I really have no idea what I was thinking. I had wanted my friend Joe Lieberman to run on the ticket with me. I knew that Joe-mentum was what my campaign needed. But the party advisers made it clear that the choice of Lieberman would lose the right-wing base of the Republican Party. I agreed with them, and we threw a dart at a map of the United States. Improbably, that dart landed on Alaska.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> I guess it was inevitable that my campaign would falter. I was no longer true to my ideals, but rather had become a machine that would do anything for the role that had been denied me in 2000. My friends, I had become a caricature of my former self. I would preach Bush Doctrine one day, and bash Bush the next. I would claim environmental credentials in one speech, and cry drill, baby, drill the next. I claimed the mantel of champion of the middle class, yet backed policies that destroyed unions, pension plans, health care benefits, and equal pay for equal work.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> And my friends, its true, I became a rabid campaigner on whatever issue of the moment came along that I thought would knock down my opponent rather than put forward my qualifications. I used Reverend Wright, William Ayers, and most regrettably Joe the Plumber. I thought Joe was an icon for my campaign. Like all of my erratic political decisions of the last year the process was not pursued with intellectual vigor. Joe was not who we thought he was. We put forward an icon with one hand to represent us, while on the other hand our Vice Presidential pick was becoming an icon that destroyed us.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> We thought she would represent us and carry the working women of America. She would bolster our standing with the right wing of the party.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Instead, she represented the worst of personal political power. It came out that she had abused the powers of her office as Governor of Alaska. Far from representing Hockey Moms and Joe Six-Packs, she represented spending sprees at Saks Fifth Avenue. Her stylist became a higher-paid, and more important employee of the campaign than my foreign policy adviser.<br /><br />She became a loose cannon. Every interview and speech bolstered the suspicion that she did not have the background, experience or gravitas to take over as President should that be required. She was better fodder for Saturday Night Live than potential commander-in-chief.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Her inexperience destroyed my assertion that Barack Obama was not experienced enough for the job of President. More importantly, her obvious lack of qualifications called into question my qualifications for the presidency. After all, her selection was my first presidential decision.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> And finally, at its heart, my campaign's problem was that I did not address the hopes and dreams of the American people, but rather played on their fears. Ultimately my campaign tried to be about Barack Obama's past instead of America's future.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> For that, the American people have spoken, and though their words hurt me and us this morning, we cannot be true to ourselves if we do not acknowledge that their message is clear, "The dreams of the American People are more important than the political aspirations of one old soldier".<br /><br />I have had a lifetime of service to America. I do not regret the service, I only regret that in the end, my ambition became more important than the duty that had been my lifetime commitment. This old soldier thanks you for all you have done, and may God Bless America, and God Bless Barack Obama. </span>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768749177540638541.post-628964108766732912008-10-20T23:52:00.004-04:002008-10-21T00:02:25.380-04:00The Fight for Marriage Equality<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eqca.org/siteapps/personalpage/ShowPage.aspx?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=4384975&sid=8dKIKSOpGeLQJRMiHhF"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqRDbyAyeA3JnbSjk1kSeaUiqonIgK7DYnLYq4dGQ0OPRGZpuGuHjj2jBG4_nJf68tucIufH8lUKlpNcRQDsCvb7ej-iCNWL-LaPaiTALDS23pfDw-2ihHTUu1uqw4hLuiNszyMuY-fI/s200/Donate+Now.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259451883204057810" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="left">In 2004 Michigan passed the hateful and discriminatory Proposition 2. This proposal enacted a constitutional amendment to outlaw marriage equality (among other things)</p> <p align="left">Martin and I have been together 22 years. The fact that our home state would build discrimination against us into our constitution was hurtful. We know people who moved away from the state because of Prop 2.</p> <p align="left">Over the last several years many states have enacted similar amendments. However, we <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">have</span> had a few victories in the courts, most notably Massachusetts, California, and now Connecticut. We have only had one victory at the ballot box. In 2006 Arizona (of all places) became the first state to explicitly turn down an anti-marriage amendment.</p> <p align="left">And now California is being put to the test.</p> <p align="left">This one is different than the others. If this passes it would take away rights already earned. A loss in California on their proposition 8 would be devastating to this civil rights movement.</p> <p align="left">California (and especially San Francisco) has always been something of an 'Atlantis' for the gay community. It is our lost homeland. Their fight is our fight. We must do what we can to support our queer brothers and sisters in the city-by-the-bay.</p> <p align="left">Martin and I will be dedicating the week of October 20 - October 27 to helping them. And what they need now is money. The religious right is flooding California with money to run the campaign to take away marriage rights (Yes on 8). Money is coming in on our side (No on 8) as well, but the stakes are high, and I want the folks playing for us at the table to have the bank to not have to fold when the heat is on in the last week.</p> <p align="left">Here's how you can help:</p> <ul><div align="left"> <li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Donate online at our </span><a href="http://www.eqca.org/siteapps/personalpage/ShowPage.aspx?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=4384975&sid=8dKIKSOpGeLQJRMiHhF"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Equality California webpage</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">. We will match the first $100 in donations!<br /></span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Donate at the <a href="http://autbar.com/">\aut\ BAR</a> or <a href="http://glbtbooks.com/">Common Language Bookstore</a>. We have donation forms available.<br /></span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Buy Wedding/Marriage books and cards at Common Language. 10% of sales will be donated to Equality California<br /></span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Show up on Monday, October 27th for our Marriage Equality Night. This will be the culmination of our week-long pledge drive. We will have laptops available for you to make online donations that evening, so that the funds will be immediately available for Equality California for the final week of the campaign.<br /></span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Have your picture taken with your spouse / significant other / boyfriend / girlfriend / date / friend / bartender / or just by yourself. Proceeds benefit Equality California<br /></span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Send this link to as many people as you can that you think will want to help prevent California from sliding backwards into discrimination.</span></li> </div></ul>Keith Orrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508003082707724080noreply@blogger.com0