May The Lion's Roar Echo

I've wept several times during televised coverage of the late senator's wake and funeral, I'm not ashamed to admit. He was a force of nature, and a powerful example to us all. Not aside from or in spite of his faults, but for how he remained dignified and focused in the aftermath of them. And not because of the personal tragedies he endured, but for how he managed to persevere, even thrive, through it all. For beyond the tales of drunkenness and womanizing, beyond the many family ordeals he faced, he was a man of strong principles and fierce convictions. This man, born into wealth and power, assumed that "the wealthy and powerful are able to look after their own interests," and so dedicated his life to service to the less fortunate among us.

What a remarkable job he did, too. What a tremendous debt all Americans owe this fine man, even the Republicans. He was a proud liberal who never shied away from the label even when the term and even its political philosophies were unfashionable. Today I read that Democrats are debating whether his legacy is that of pragmatic compromiser or dogged liberal champion. In other words, should they take whatever political ground the Republicans give them and be grateful, or should they charge and seize whatever ground they can overtake? It's not an either-or proposition, however. As an advocate for the people, Kennedy would take whatever he could get. Knowing how to compromise assures that you get something out of almost any deal. But it also means not giving up any more than you have to. To me, this is the difference between Ted Kennedy and most of the other Democrats on the hill.

Of the last forty years or so, a Democrat sat in the oval office for only twelve of those years. Democrats have been in the minority in Congress for much of that time, as well. They've learned to accept the scraps that the Republicans would mete out, and consider themselves lucky. All the while the Republicans have stood by their convictions, looking the American people in the eye and calling for lower taxes (for the rich), deregulation of communications, energy, trade, and banking industries, among others, all benefitting wealthy investors, corporate executives and boards of directors. And most Americans bought it! That is literally like selling ice to an Eskimo. You've got to hand it to the conservatives. And now they've got nearly half of all Americans believing that it's a bad thing to provide healthcare coverage to all Americans. Let the Democrats stand by their convictions. Most liberals truly believe, as I do, that theirs is the more compassionate, efficient, fair and superior political philosophy. So now that they have the ability to do almost whatever they want, legislatively, let them stand up now and slam healthcare reform through. Their opponents can choke on it. We all know it's the right thing to do. And even the Republican lemmings out there shouting down the debate in town hall meetings will be thankful, in a few years, that the Dems got it through. Of course, they'll claim it was John McCain and Orrin Hatch and Mitch McConnell and John Boehner who brought healthcare coverage to the people, and by the way, keep government out of it!

"Junior" Dem Senator Arlen Specter Uses Proxy Bale To Question Sotomayor

The former Republican 5-term senator from Pennsylvania and once-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is now the junior Democratic senator after switching sides recently in a bid to win re-election in 2010. But the old dog still acts like king of the roost, having worked in his office all morning on day one of judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing (knowing he wouldn't get to speak until mid-afternoon), and most recently, employing an obscure senate rule, using a proxy to ask the tough questions that a Democrat seeking reelection should probably not utter aloud. Enter one Christian Bale, thespian and, by most accounts, abrasive, egotistical asshole.

"I know Mr. Bale will serve admirably in my stead,"

assured Sen. Specter, adding "though I might not be entirely responsible for anything he says, depending on what that might be."

Day Three of the Senate Judiciary Committee Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings:

Committee Chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) acknowledges the highly unusual use of a proxy yet introduces the megalomaniacal űber-sphincter to the floor. "Thank you, senator. Now, Ms. Sotomayor, I see you were appointed to the federal bench as a U.S. District Court judge in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, and to the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in 1997 by President Clinton. Is that right?" queried the smarmy Welshman.

"It is, sir, yes," answered the judge.

"Ohhhh welllll goooood for YOOOUU, you fucking ASSHOLE!!!!!" ejaculated the prima donna to a startled but not surprised audience. "That's just FUCKING GREAT, isn't it!!??? You just wander in here with your FUCKING ATTITUDE and your wise Latina FUCKING BULLSHIT remarks, totally oblivious to the work we're trying to do here!!!!!!!!!" shouted a visibly irritated Bale. "How would you like it," continued the once-A-list star, "if I wandered into your courtroom and accidently broke your gavel?!! Huh?!!"

A strafed Sotomayor began to respond, "I don't think this language or tone is very produ..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" interjected the sociopathic, self-important fuck. "I'm gonna come down there and KICK YOUR FUCKIN' ASS!!!" screamed the Batman star. After three minutes and forty-seven seconds, police did manage to drag the actor from the committee chambers as he screamed "YOU'RE FUCKIN' AMATEUR, MAN!!!!"

The Reason for the Season

This 4th of July, it occurs to me that most of us who set off whizzers and blossoms, Roman candles, sparklers, pinwheels, bottle-rockets, and M-80s, have little thought of the import and magnitude of the date we collectively celebrate. Unlike Christmas, during which many of us are wrongly accused of "missing the point," i.e. Jesus's alleged birthday, at Independence Day many of us truly are missing the point. It was a very big deal the day our colonial ancestors drew a line in the sand and publicly declared our independence from the British Crown. Technically, that day was July 2, 1776, but it took a couple of days back then to make such a declaration public. John Adams suggested that "July 2nd will forever be a day of celebration" for Americans in years to come. But we didn't have Tweeter or the internets then. Just print media.
The significance is more than shrugging off the yoke of imperialism. The big deal is our Founders taking that opportunity to create, from scratch, an entirely new and novel form of government. From the beginning they felt that it was not only possible, but necessary, that a just government be composed of the people, by the people, for the people. This is a powerful and elegant idea. One that would shape the future. It's an idea that we are still trying to reconcile with current events.
We are a nation of laws. Not might. Not Majority rule. Laws. That is what allows us to claim any superiority over other nations still stuck in totalitarian or other subversive forms of government. Nothing else.
As for Christmas, is Jesus the reason for the season? I really don't think so. If he lived at all, he probably was born in July or August, not December. This is from extrapolating data from the New Testament. There is much further evidence showing that the Roman Church co-opted many of the popular pagan holidays to make the mandatory transition to Christianity more palatable. Christmas is the main one. Our continued use of the Christmas tree is persistent evidence of this.

Be well.

Religious Practice

The iron in our blood, the calcium in our bones, the phosphorous, zinc, oxygen, carbon and other elements found in our bodies were all forged in the nuclear furnaces of giant stars that burned out and exploded, spewing their atomic gifts hither and thither many billions of years ago. These processes directly formed the essential building blocks that made the assembly of YOU possible. The day that you were born, the Universe once again gazed upon Itself through new eyes- your eyes. You are a child of the Universe, or if you prefer, a child of God. And you are of the Universe, or God, a piece of the Universe or God we call "Dave" or "Francisco" or "Fatima" or "Bettina," or whatever your name is.
The above paragraph is about the simplest way to express this profound notion. At least, according to how I see things. With this central view, there will still be many more complex ideas that flow from this hub. One could create a rich tapestry of religious tradition beginning with this core idea. Others will feel more comfortable with an anthropomorphic version. God did it. God willed it. And that's fine, too. Whatever path calls to you, works for you, is the right path, so long as the calling is genuine and not delusional.
The point is that religion is supposed to be a practice, not a set of rules or beliefs. If you practice, understanding will come. Nowadays, understanding is "taught," and the actual practice is secondary. When the mind is so corrupted with dogma *beforehand* and practical application is discouraged, then genuine insight is very hard to come by.
Does anyone else find it strange that monotheism was crystallized and codified in Judaism, and the other two "great" monotheistic religions (Christianity and Islam) *borne of Judaism* are basically at war with Judaism? Wouldn't you think these closely related faiths would sort of form a union or something?
Why we are here and what our purpose is are some heavy fundamental questions we all have. Religion seeks to provide some answers. The best answers are presented with the humble awareness that no such answer can be sufficient for everyone, and those that satisfy some are not universally true.
12 Step traditions speak of simply trying and applying their principles whether or not one understands them or even believes that they'll work. Act as if, and see the results, they say. Work and application are more important than authoritarian doctrine and dogma. Always.

Wonder Twins

I have met my beautiful nephews (not pictured at left), and it has brought some interesting perspective. Of course it seems so obvious since we all started as tiny babies, but I hadn't really thought much about it before. Nor had I much opportunity to spend time with newborns before. Having lived this long, with my own strengths and weaknesses, advantages and shortcomings, it's so very special to see how it all starts. Clean slates, so to speak. Certainly "nurture" has so much to do with who we will become and how we see the world and our places in it. But I can also see the genetics, or "nature" at work, firsthand. There are marked differences between these two. That may have a lot to do with the fact that they are not identical twins, which is good because identicals are creepy, man. Zane seems to require more food and cuddling. Dash needs these things, too, but he is a lot less vocal about it. It's hard to say what this means, at this point. Perhaps Dash is more content and easy-going, while Zane is more needy. Or, Zane could just be more assertive about getting his needs met while Dash takes a timid "wait and see" approach. Time will tell. Luckily, they're in good hands (and paws).