The first time I saw him I knew we'd be friends. I was at my first Texas high school football game. Though September, the summer heat lingered, making it at least 90 degrees in the stands. The spectacle of the entire population of Alice, Texas, both Anglo and Mexican, joined in one loud roar of support for their team was something I had never experienced in my "regular" life on Naval Air Stations.
The cheerleaders were yelling their cheers in heavily south-Texas accented dialect. I thought it was hilarious, but I joined in, thrilled at hearing myself participate in such a conventional thing.
Then I saw him.
He was in the row in front of me standing shoulder to shoulder with hoards of screaming football fans. The rare Texas boy not on the team, he appeared their biggest booster. Every time the team would score, which was constantly that championship year, Paul would leap up and down, "accidentally on purpose" bumping into everyone and knocking them down into the stands.
He made it look like an accident but from where I was sitting, I could see it was quite intentional, though none of his surrounding seatmates seemed to realize it. I knew I had to meet him. By half time I slid down onto his row and introduced myself. The conversation Paul and I started that night lasted for nearly 40 years.
South Texas was not a friendly environment for young homosexuals in those days. The only openly gay boy in our class, he moved to New York City at 21 to become an actor, and within a year he had met John, a well-known writer 10 years his senior. They fell in love and moved in together. In the 30 years John and Paul were together, I never saw a more loving and respectful couple.
Godfather to my first daughter, Paul sent her wonderful whimsical gifts over her childhood. Mr. Badger, from Wind in the Willows, sits on my bookcase as I write this. A picture of Irises that he painted two decades ago hangs on my wall.
When I married my second husband Tim, Paul called him from his sickbed to tell him what a prize he had won and to threaten him with bodily harm should he ever cause me any kind of unhappiness. Those last years, Paul and I continued our conversation by phone. He assured me that John was taking impeccable care of him and that they were fortunate because the hospital considered John "next of kin."
Other gay couples were not so lucky.
When Paul died New Years Eve 0f 2002, he left a heartbreaking void, and there are days that I cannot believe that he cannot be reached on the other end of a phone line.
Filing the obituary, John was told that he could not be listed as a survivor. In his grief, John remained stoic but it hurt me to see this one last indignity inflicted on a union that had lasted longer than most marriages.
I see him still... his tall slender self, gold brown hair falling into his intelligent eyes, lovely long artistic fingers, crooked smile plotting yet another outrageous escapade for the two of us.
This one's for you, Paul.
-Citizen Voices blogger Candace Suerstedt is a filmmaker and a mother of three who lives in Coronado.
]]>By the time the three of us walked back to the KPBS Green Room (which isn't green at all) CNN was announcing that the California Supreme Court had just declared the ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. Chuck's Blackberry was going crazy, sending him headline news via text, along with a playful proposal from his partner. As soon as I could connect my laptop with the wireless in the building, Chuck was racing around the Internet Superhighway, anxious for more details.
As a divorce attorney he was fascinated with the 172 pages of paperwork associated with the new ruling. As a gay man, he was thrilled with the possibilities. The video below shows Chuck's reaction to the ruling minutes after it was announced.
Whether you have been hoping for such legislative change or praying to prevent it, you know that what happened in the courts yesterday was historic and monumental.
Fundamentalists on the right are scrambling to gather signatures to create a constitutional ammendment that could overturn this ruling on the November ballot, making this decision and debate far from over. What happens in California over the next few months will be very interesting. For more information check out the following links:
- Citizen Voices blogger Trina Boice is an author and mother of four who lives in Carlsbad.
]]>Twenty, 30, 40 years from now -- that's how I'll answer the question about how I heard yesterday's news about the California Supreme Court's decision in In Re Marriage Cases. Alma, Trina and I had just finished an appearance on These Days with Tom Fudge at 10 a.m. I knew the decision from the court was due at 10:00, and turned on my Blackberry as soon as we left the studio to check the news.
As we were talking I looked down and saw the alert from the New York Times: The ban had been overturned.
Back in the Green Room, we eventually got a copy of the opinion online. One hundred seventy-two pages! We knew the outcome, but how did they get there? Skimming, skimming, skimming. Were there any caveats? More skimming.
Finally, on page 121, a signature. Back up to the conclusion. Ah, there it is:
Accordingly, in light of the conclusions we reach concerning the constitutional questions brought to us for resolution, we determine that the language of section 300 limiting the designation of marriage to a union “between a man and a woman” is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available both to opposite-sex and same-sex couples.
No limits. No caveats. Full equality as long as the loving couple never leaves the borders of California, and/or catches direct flights to Massachusetts.
Make no question about it; in my book this is a big day. As an attorney, as a gay man, and as a Californian this is a big day.
Today, the number of Americans residing in states granting full marriage equality jumped from about 6.5 million to about 43 million. This is one of those days where the grandkids will be asking 'where were you when you heard,' and I'll be happy to continue to reminisce fondly of KPBS and their comfortable Green Room even in my twilight years.
California has been a leader in marriage equality since outlawing racial barriers to marriage in 1948. Gov. Schwarzenegger has already commited to supporting the Court's ruling, and fighting the proposed constitutional amendment that could attempt to reverse the ruling in the November election.
Personally, as far as California is concerned, opposition will sooner rather than later be viewed as anachronisms to an earlier time, like Montgomery’s Sheriff “Bull” Connor and Alabama Gov. George Wallace during the earlier civil rights battles of the 1950s and 60s.
Sen. McCain has issued statements indicating he supports the right of California to determine this issue at the state level, even though he didn't think the decision should have been made by judges. I haven't yet seen any case specific reaction from Senators Clinton or Obama, but both are on record as opposing marriage equality while supporting separate-but-maybe-equal civil equivalents. It will be interesting if those positions hold and the Republican governor and presidential candidate end up supporting this outcome in November's general election.
Regardless, I think the California November election just got very, very interesting.
-Citizen Voices blogger Chuck Hartley is an attorney who lives in Escondido.
]]>Just the other day, Google honored KPBS with a special video about their use of Google Maps during the San Diego fires. I wanted to share this video with you, if I may.
This was a rather informative video. But, it brought back a lot of painful and scary memories. During the fires, I was listening to KPBS non-stop, and had the car packed JUST in case we had to evacuate. The TV was muted, showing videos from around the county, and I welcomed my birthday in complete terror as I watched the Eastlake fire inch closer and closer.
The city was quiet, even in Chula Vista. It was like we all held our breath in anticipation, but we were all ready to go if the call was made. During this time, I walked around my neighborhood and made a video of the area. You can still see the ash and smoke in the air, despite the crappiness of the camera I used.
But why dwell on the past? Why focus on all of these fires, and remember what happened? Because, in this coming election, I want to know what our candidates for mayor will do to ensure this doesn't happen again. San Diego's current plan, and it seems to be their plan for several years, is to beg the Native American tribes with casinos for fire fighting equipment. So, we have all this top-of-the-line gear, but only recently have we decided to pay the men who USE these tools what they are worth.
I think this is a good metaphor for how San Diego, as a whole, works. Look at our brand-new shiny toys, and look away from how we treat the people involved in it. Our schools have some high-tech gear 'for the children', but soon they won't have teachers to mold their minds. Our highways and streets have expensive cameras and deterrents to stop speeders and road rage, but barely enough police to cover the area needed.
So, I'm asking a question to our mayoral candidates. It's a serious question, and one that we should all demand an answer to. What, exactly, do you plan to do to ensure the fires never happen at this magnitude again? I'm not talking about giving news conferences every 30 minutes, nor am I talking about getting 'new toys'.
What are you going to do that will REALLY help ensure the safety of your constituents. Personally, I think paying our firefighters and cops a livable wage was a step in the right direction, but we need more. We need a candidate to come out with a clear plan that works with what we have NOW, and focus money into better fire monitoring, and better fire control.
Now, the ONE thing I won't knock is our evacuation plans. Well, except for the reverse 911, that was a bit of a fiasco. Nor will I knock our recovery plans, as those embarrassed the heck out of FEMA, and they should take a lesson from our city, county, and state. No, I just want to know, in plain terms, what will be done to help make sure fires of that level never happen again.
And I do not think I'm asking too much. In fact, I think it's perfectly fine to ask this. In a time of uncertainty over foreclosures, low job markets, and the like, I think it'd be nice to point and say, 'In this, at least, you are safe.' And that's what I think about that.
- Citizen Voices blogger Steven Garrett is a professional food blogger who lives in South San Diego.
]]>If all the Birch Aquarium's fish, cucumbers, seastars and horses too, could field trip it down the hill for a look around the Village of La Jolla - they'd fit right in. Weird species share the same habitat, are sometimes oblivious to each other and sometimes eat the other. Some La Jollans don't even believe they live in a village, but rather an art and bauble selling marketplace.
We all recognize the silky-shirted, rich guy breed of La Jollan. And who doesn't know to give wide berth on La Jolla side streets when you see giant sunglasses peeping over steering wheels? But what about the walk-to-work single mother or the old vacuum repair guy, the eyeglass repair guy, the Korean wine guy, the world-travelling-scone-making-poker-player guy and his muscle powder, mogul neighbor friend? The only things more numerous than the well-fed koi fish around La Jolla are the eccentrics.
There's a woman working on behalf of Promote La Jolla who finds nothing particularly odd about her battle against homeless people who sit on benches (O! karma! be gentle, she knows not what she does.) No need to mention the seal-loving, children-haters or the children-loving, seal-killers. La Jolla has got nothing if not character. Here's one of La Jolla's kindest characters - the sort of person that makes the place a Village.
- Citizen Voices blogger Chris McConnell is a bookseller, freelance writer, former high school English teacher and odd jobber who lives in La Jolla.
]]>
Have we become a nation of co-dependents who believe everything we hear without questioning the agenda or the pathological state of the pundit who's uttering it? It may be that we are so beat up by nearly eight years of completely unsubstantiated statements out of the White House, "Mission Accomplished", WMD's, etc., that we are unable to decipher fact from fiction.
Ever since KPBS gave me the opportunity to become a Citizens Voices blogger, I've felt the responsibility to investigate the source of everything I read, or hear on TV, whether it's on John Stewart or CNN or Fox. That often means researching the writer, and then the writer's affiliations, and finally, who's behind those affiliations. I can get lost in Googleland, just trying to track down the back-stories.
As I write this, I'm watching the primary returns from North Carolina and Indiana, and it's apparent that some of the network anchors and their "experts" hang onto racist and sexist rhetoric in spite of the fact that much of the American population appears to have moved past it.
What is their problem, I ask myself, and why should they be allowed to make it ours?
I listen to them and I hear the same old refrains. "Obama has failed to connect ... failed to connect." Really? He seems to have "connected" with a whole lot of people.
"Super delegates are "elitist" and they are made up of party bosses and union leaders," opines Leslie Sanchez, a former Bush staffer. Union leaders are now elitist? Since when are union bosses the elite?
Hillary Clinton's premature victory speech---what's with the guy with the boxing gloves? Were these props or what? Knowing the kind of security people face when they enter these political rallies, I have a hard time believing that they let a guy with huge red boxing gloves so close to Hillary if her staff didn't give them to him as a symbol of "the fight."
Oh my gosh, here's Lanny Davis again, "Obama has filed to connect....failed to connect...failed to connect with the working class, that is our base." John Edward's was undoubtedly the most connected to our working class and look where it got him.
"He is the most liberal senator in congress today" inserts Leslie Sanchez, in spite of the fact that that particular sound bite has been debunked over and over again.
"Obama should embrace the economic populace," said Maria Teresa Peterson. Could someone tell me what the heck that means? I think we are all populaces of some economic base.
And recently, one of my fellow bloggers repeated that tired old shtick about John Edwards expensive hair cut. What do you think Hillary's hair and face cost? She has to have a running posse of fix-er uppers, but then, they all have them. But it was Edwards whose hair became a "character flaw" that got repeated over and over, but meant nothing.
And finally my very favorite. Hardly a day passes that some "well-meaning" relative or friend doesn't e-mail a warning that "Obama is a Muslim," with stern instructions to "forward this to everyone I know."
There are several variations of the same toxic propaganda, all calculated to engender fear and hatred. I have followed the genesis of these false assertions, and they keep leading back to the same pack of jackals.
Dishonesty in politics is nothing new, but because of the pervasiveness of global communication, we are bombarded as never before. Basically, we have three extraordinary, if flawed, people running for president. This endless maelstrom of innuendos, distortion, and double speak has done us all a grave disservice.
Maybe it's time to sober up and break the habit.
-Citizen Voices blogger Candace Suerstedt is a filmmaker and a mother of three who lives in Coronado.
]]>I hate admitting such things -- like the time in high school I misjudged an intelligent and well-connected scion for a nerd with nothing interesting to say.
It may be time to say again, I was wrong. After reading Chuck's post about Steve Francis -- the independently wealthy mayoral candidate funding his own campaign -- I thought, "Why does this man (Steve, not Chuck) think he can step into the public sector and do well?"
It drives me kind of nutty when successful businesspeople try to impress voters with their cash and business acumen.
Admitting I wrote off Steve Francis may not be the same as admitting I was a near-sighted fool in high school. Then again, it may be better to slow down and give some credit where it's due.
First, Steve Francis caught my eye with a major endorsement from the Sierra Club. He actually spoke out publicly against a bridge project slated to run through scenic Rose Canyon. Promoting open space in San Diego may be popular today, but in the not so distant past, politicians, especially Republican mayoral candidates, were practically called communists for supporting such measures. Back then, the nasty catch phrase "smart growth" was to liberals what "going green" is to (some) Republicans today. Preserving whatever open space San Diego has left is a huge priority for this little Dem voting in City Heights.
Is it a big issue for you, dear voter?
Then, Mr. Francis came a-wooing with his strong opposition to a recent Blackwater Worldwide zoning permit. The city-approved permit allows the multinational private militia, er, security firm a big space for their controversial training facility center. Nothing says "vote for me" like telling Blackwater to hit the road out of America's Finest City. Get out and stay out, Blackwater.
Granted, Mr. Francis may have gone a little overboard by suggesting Mayor Sanders was improperly influenced and gave preferential treatment to his lobbyist ties when the city granted the zoning permit. However, suggesting an independent party conduct an investigation into whether Blackwater misrepresented their interests seems completely reasonable to me.
A big plus for Mayor Sanders (originally my first and only choice for mayor), is the personal and professional courage he displayed during his 2007 speech supporting his daughter and gay marriage. He did it at the same time he announced his re-election bid, which makes the stance even more impressive.
In the end, while my ears perked up this week with many of the endorsement-notches added to Steve Francis' campaign belt, he hasn't won this voter over completely. He's still a Republican for one, and that makes me suspicious of the grassroots message promoted on the website. And as Chuck pointed out, he is saying "no new taxes," but many of his programs depend on doing just that.
Given that Mrs. Right isn't running for office, do you think finding Mr. Right is possible this election cycle?
-Citizen Voices blogger Alma Sove has spent most of her life in San Diego and is currently attending law school.
]]>Do you really know how your city works? You may have a teenager who is required to perform a certain number of community service hours in order to graduate from school, but what have you done for your city lately? Dialogue is great, but I'm so sick of the whining.
Complaining is only worthwhile when it leads to action.
Local elections are coming up next month. Have you received your sample ballot in the mail yet? Have you looked at it? What are the local issues you're most interested in right now? Are you even going to vote this time around?
A few local cities in San Diego County have created programs to create a more informed and involved citizen. Last fall I graduated from the Carlsbad "Citizens' Academy" and would love to see each city design a similar program. It was really terrific. The Carlsbad Citizens' Academy is a seven-week program held on consecutive Thursday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm, with the exception of one session that includes a citywide bus tour beginning at noon.
The city's Web site boasts the following benefits from attending their program:
They didn't even mention the other fun perks such as:
Other cities in San Diego county with similar programs include Poway's "Community Leadership Institute", Chula Vista's "Leadership Academy" and Vista's "Citizens' Academy."
If your city doesn't have one of these great programs call your City Manager today and encourage him or her to create one. Rather than complain about the problems, learn how you can contribute to the solution instead.
In the inspiring words of President Kennedy, "Ask not what San Diego can do for you, but what you can do for San Diego" or something like that.
If you don't think your city government is doing a decent job then get in there and help. You might even discover some of the good things that are being done. Rather than complain endlessly, stop and smell the rosebuds.
- Citizen Voices blogger Trina Boice is an author and mother of four who lives in Carlsbad.
]]>If it were a fight about issues, I might be interested. If the two remaining candidates had competing visions for the future, the race might earn some attention. Rather, if anything, the primaries have become a battle of electability, and that doesn't serve the country well.
George W. Bush proved to be more electable than John Kerrey and Al Gore. Bill Clinton was more electable than George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole. I wouldn't call either a great leader. But they were both electable, and both became two-term presidents.
They knew how to raise money. They had records absent of major failures, which also seems to mean absent of significant risk.
Hillary Clinton can talk all she wants about her gas tax holiday. Pandering or not, and I think it is, at the end of the day it's still just talk. Until she's leading the fight on the senate floor for the Clinton-McCain Tax Holiday Bill, or the Health Care Reform Act, or the abolition of Don't Ask-Don't Tell, her rhetoric exposes her to no risk of failure. Even voters like to be pandered from time to time, even if results would be nicer.
While I disagree with the presumptive Republican nominee on a number of issues, Senator McCain has been a risk-taker during his career, and I can respect that quality. He seems to believe that some causes are worth fighting for, whether it's campaign finance reform or the torture of prisoners.
President Bush is going to leave many issues unresolved when he finishes his second term in January 2009. Among others, the wars in Iraq will probably be continuing, the disposition of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay will probably be unresolved, and the economic problems caused by the current state of the housing and credit markets will still need correction.
Hopefully we'll have a president taking office that will focus more on resolving these issues than just using them to embarrass his or her opposition.
-Citizen Voices blogger Chuck Hartley is an attorney who lives in Escondido.
]]>In other news, Hillary Clinton and John McCain are both urging for the 18 cents of taxes to be removed from gasoline for the tax season. Well, today they heard about it from economists around the world. All of them screamed, "NO! What are you thinking!?"
At first, I was perplexed by this. I mean, I want cheap gasoline. Then I read their reasons, and I could see their main point --that we'd never SEE this price cut, and the 'tax cut' would just equal to higher profits for oil companies. Can I have a hydrogen or electric car now, please? Pretty please?
In a surprising turn of events, ABC News took a page from the Daily Show and wrote an almost satirical article about the Democratic Presidential candidates for president. Personally, I both love and hate this ongoing election fight. But, it still angers me that ALL of this could be pointless, and Hillary Clinton could just be 'appointed' by Superdelegates, no matter what voters say. Because, in the end, that is what I predict what will happen.
Bad, bad Democratic Party! Remember 2000? Remember George W. Bush being 'appointed' to the office of president, and your anger over that? Why on earth are you going to allow this to happen to your OWN party!? Why!? Can anyone explain to this outsider how this could be justified?
- Citizen Voices blogger Steven Garrett is a professional food blogger who lives in Chula Vista.
]]>It goes something like this: an elitist, upper-middle class, pseudo-intellectual snob goes into a group of his or her peers and begins spouting advice on how to fix their inbred, uninformed, and sad little lives. Not funny? No, it really isn't too funny. But for many non-Democrats (such as, Libertarians, Republicans, neo-cons, the apathetic masses, the creators of South Park, etc...) this is the vision of a liberal.
So, is there any truth to the stereotype? Does John Edwards' $400 haircut amidst New Orleans' ravaged Lower Ninth Ward signal what's wrong with liberalism? Or does the unseemly image of a bleeding heart Democrat preaching to the poor masses fog up the lens of perception?
In this stretch of the presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have taken aim at who can connect with "real America," i.e., the blue collar worker. They've bowled, downed shots, and scarfed down hot dogs and apple pie, all in an effort to distance themselves from the "pointy headed intellectual types". Sometimes, they've even affected a folksy rhetoric for town hall meetings.
But how many of us don't believe both Democratic frontrunners also pine for the occasional latté and a copy of the Sunday New York Times?
Maybe the dichotomy of a wealthy poor man's advocate doesn't sit well because of the unsaid corollary of who foots the bill for the liberals' pet projects: government by way of taxpayers. It's not so bad when someone is telling others what worked for them personally. But when someone tells us what should be fixed at our expense for the benefit of others, it irks and galls the electorate.
Is there a way for Dems
to get their message across without sounding like condescending,
guilt-tripping nouveau hippies? The only way to reconcile their
idealized message with a our mundane lives is to see the big picture
and acknowledge that politicians inevitably sit on the hill (Washington, D.C. or
otherwise). We either need to accept these politicians as our only hope for real change, or take the reins of power ourselves.
Voters are the ones yearning for commonality with our elected representatives. Maybe this will be the year voters resist the urge to have a beer with the president, and vote for the wisest pointy headed intellectual.
Where do you stand on image versus message in the presidential election?
-Citizen Voices blogger Alma Sove has spent most of her life in San Diego and is currently attending law school.
]]>The controversial company received a permit in March for a training site in Otay Mesa when it became apparent that Potrero was not going to allow them to build a facility in East County. They were able to gain a business permit from the Development Services Department by using the name of a subsidiary, Raven Development Group, and describing their business as a vocational training facility. (Raven has been in the business of designing and constructing facilities for Blackwater since 1997.) The permit was awarded without public hearings, in spite of the recent evidence of public resistance to such a facility.
Raymond Lutz, who is a candidate for California Assembly District 77, actively opposed Blackwater's presence in Potrero. His website, Citizens' Oversight Projects, tracks issues of interest to voters, including current efforts by Blackwater to gain a foothold in the sensitive border area.
Blackwater's new location is only a few blocks from the U.S.-Mexico border, and between two airports. Brown Field and the Tijuana Airport are both within minutes of their facility. It turns out the U.S. Border Patrol is just two doors down. Blackwater, in addition to their contracts in Iraq, is a recipient of a border-security contract awarded by the Bush administration, to provide wide-ranging support in global counter-narcotics operations.
Fortunately, three of our local representatives held a press conference last Friday to express their opposition to Blackwater's presence in Otay Mesa.
Rep. Bob Filner (D - CA) questioned the "vocational" nature of Blackwater's business. He described them as a mercenary army that has historically demonstrated that they are not answerable for their actions and he expressed concern for their lack of transparency. Filner observed, "Mercenary soldiers are a prelude to problems in a democracy... mercenary soldiers are the way people come to power, undemocratically". He called it "a dangerous, dangerous development... and not what our community needs."
Perhaps most passionate of the three was the address by Ben Hueso, councilman for District 8. "We don't know what authority has been bestowed on them by the federal government and even who is guiding them." Hueso, who has worked for six years to engender a spirit of cooperation between Mexico and the United States in this area, feels that a Blackwater presence is "contrary to everything we've worked for." He concluded his statements with a disturbing observation. "This is a private company that will profit from instability and insecurity on the border... it's of interest to them that we have conflict, that we have problems, because the more there are, the more they'll profit."
Council President Scott Peters said, "Blackwater does not share our community's values -- human rights, ethics and integrity and respect for the law." He also said he's concerned that they exploited a loophole in San Diego's zoning code and used a subcontractor's name on the permit to keep our community in the dark. Peters is a candidate for city attorney, so it is gratifying to see him step up to the plate on this issue.
Historically, the emergence of a paramilitary force has been dangerous to the rights of ordinary citizens.
We must ask "Who do they take orders from and who defines their mission? What controls are there on their actions? What is their true objective in planting themselves in this border region?" Without answers to these questions, we run the risk of abdicating our autonomy, just a little at a time.
Sound familiar?
]]>"What about separation of church and state?" you worry (or in the case of Florida, the separation of church and plate). Where in the Constitution does it say as a nation we can't pray for divine guidance? Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history. Benjamin Franklin observed "the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men... and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"
I would submit that a nation can certainly fall without it. Some would say that America is on a precipice right now, very much in need of inspired aid.
In 1863 a divided nation accepted President Lincoln's proclamation of a day of "fasting and prayer." The issues that divide our country today are many. Do you pray for heaven's assistance to our nation? Do you want a president who does? I do. The Supreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in Marsh vs. Chambers (1983).
Religion has played an interesting roll during this election year so far. From Mormon Mitt and Holy Huckabee to whether or not Obama is a Muslim and if he truly believes Reverend Wright is wrong, Americans seem concerned with where our future leader stands spiritually. According to a Gallup poll last month, 56 percent of Americans consider religion to be very important in their lives and six out of 10 Americans believe religion can answer all or most of today's problems.
Beliefnet.com has an entertaining and enlightening "God-o-Meter" where you can see how the presidential candidates rank on their religiosity or perceived spirituality. Do I have to agree with a candidate's religion? Of course, not. But I'd much rather have a president who prays to God than one who thinks he is God.
In Mitt Romney's Kennedy-esque speech on religion in politics, he stated "No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."
I really like www.presidentialprayerteam.org where a free membership provides you with a weekly email about what important meetings and decisions our country's leaders are facing so that you could include them when you pray to God, whatever you see him (or her) to be.
If a candidate doesn't live his stated religion, then perhaps it doesn't matter what religion he claims. Maybe that's all the more reason to pray.
]]>Thousands from around the state, the country and the world attended the festival. Most youthful, most liberal – but surprisingly few showing their political colors. A few Obama jerseys were spotted, never caught sight of any Hillary shwag - but as always, festival icons Leonard Peltier and Che Guevara were in full effect. Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters sent a blood spattered dirigible pig floating over the crowd emblazoned with a sword wielding Uncle Sam Death Head, “Don’t Be Led To Slaughter” scrawled alongside. The pig’s underbelly was stamped with a disconcertingly hopeful message: a ballot check marked next to Obama’s name. Not exactly the sort of endorsement that warms a politician’s heart – but still, a shout out from Roger Waters is a shout out from Roger Waters. Prince said he was so sick of debates – he couldn’t stand it anymore. Hillary and Obama as the bickering parents in “This is What It Sounds Like When the Doves Cry”…
Gave a jump start to some Mexican kids in their twenties from Calexico – all studying to be lawyers. They shared their beer and we did the Spanglish thing for a while. We drank to Mexico and the U.S., neighbors and friends – they raised their beers, but were hesitant to really believe the friend part. They wished it was so, but I had to agree that most of our national gestures appear to be those of a perturbed neighbor rather than a friend…
Spoke to a Marine the other day four days away from the end of his enlistment. Back from his second tour in Iraq – he says things are now definitely better in Western Iraq, things are definitely better now than they were in 2004 when rockets fell on him from day one. Though he conceded, there is “real #%$&@! going on in Basra.” In the best soldierly sense – what concerned him most was keeping his buddies alive. The insurgents take to using children to wield AK’s or lob the occasional grenade. This Marine said he hesitated after spotting a near ten year old raise his rifle – he had a hair trigger moment to take the kid out…It was just a kid. He hesitated. The kid fired, hit a platoon member and the platoon opened up on the kid. The wounded soldier survived, the kid was eliminated. The Marine took no pleasure in the story, but seemed still puzzled by the impossible situation he was in – troubled that he almost got a buddy killed. He seemed also uneasy about the fact that the kid will not be showing up on any casualty lists. The Department of Defense does not consider children battle casualties even if they are involved in hostile activity. The kid is gone, his death does not officially exist. No matter your politics, that seems a heavy load for a twenty four year old soon to be ex Marine from Washington who wants to make San Diego his home. This Marine seemed up to the task – a So Cal transplant, a nice kid, a young guy with a future and a veteran…
Please read no further unless you are a Citizen Voices Blogger.
Dear Trina, Candace, Alma, Steven and Chuck.
Let’s mix things up. We’ve met about five times and I read all of your posts. And enjoy reading them – all thoughtful. All different. We’ve proven than when you send six citizen strangers to blog for PBS; we start being nice and keep being nice (like most PBS type people in general). For no other motive than mixing things up, I propose we mix things up. Next week, let us all post original video blogs. On any issue? Or perhaps a specific issue? Or any other ideas? Maybe you don’t have a camera? We can get one for you. Maybe you don’t know how to edit online? It’s easy, someone will show you. Maybe you don’t want to be on camera? Don’t be on camera. Maybe you don’t have time? There will be time for lawyering, teaching, koshering, activisting/producing and momming for many years to come – now is the time to make your directorial debut. I rest my case and humbly request that you register a vote in the comments section with a negative or affirmative regarding this suggestion. Or to make a much better suggestion.
Earnestly Yours,
Chris
P.S. I will regard the first responding Citizen Voicer as my dearest reader and the last of you to vote as an incurable humbug.
]]>With every major presidential candidate forced to speak all over the country about the economy, (i.e., NAFTA, ethanol and corn crop production in conflict, rice shortages, food prices rising, gasoline prices soaring), the housing crisis could arguably be called, along with high oil prices, a major component in why the country faces a tough economic road ahead.
I was pleased to see a local Democrat take initiative and organize an informational event such as this, even though it might not affect me personally the same way as it will those people choosing to remain in California. (My husband and I plan to move out of California to improve the cost of living.) Still, the event impressed me enough to convince me to cast my affirmative vote for Assemblymember Lori Saldaña.
During the event the best resource by far I found for homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure was the San Diego Home Loan Counseling & Education Center.
The San Diego Home Loan Counseling & Education Center is a Housing of Urban Development (HUD) approved, certified non-profit agency that offers (among many other services): budget and credit counseling; counseling assistance for re-qualifying as a home buyer after foreclosure; and default/foreclosure counseling services.
The fees for these in-depth counseling services are charged on a sliding fee scale however, Mr. Dean Brown of the SDHLCEC told me that right now the fees are waived (free!) thanks to grant funding. These services are free or very moderately priced otherwise, and the consumer value must be very high.
For first-time home buyers, there were lots of resources, such as the California Housing Financing Agency, the Housing Opportunities Collaborative, and especially great for veterans who are first-time home buyers, the California Department of Veterans Affairs home loan program.
For consumers ready to file a grievance against a lender, broker, real estate agency or other business that misleading buyers into unprincipled deals, the Attorney General's office has a consumer complaint division that takes legal action on the public's behalf. However, for this system to work, consumers must file a complaint. The good news is that it's a straightforward process.
The Housing Fair provided a place to consider the consumer's role in a sliding economy. I hope readers use the information and consider which candidates show leadership beyond hoping to be elected this year.
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