Balance, Compromise, Action, Apathy

I hear a lot about balance and compromise lately, especially in light of the ever increasing polarized political climate we find ourselves in.

Recently, parents across the country became angry when the President wanted to address the nation’s schoolchildren via television. Right-wing parents screamed that this was an attempt to “indoctrinate” their children in “socialism” and pulled them out of class in droves. That the President only wanted to speak of the value of education and hard work was irrelevant. Then came the infamous “You lie!” shout during Obama’s health care address. Even though the point Obama was making was proven true by independent political watch groups, reform opponents refuse to deny the “liar” claim even if many of them do agree that the way it was voiced during the speech was inappropriate.

So why rehash this now? Everyone else has already mentioned these things. I noticed a few facebook friends had linked an article by Pat Buchanan to their pages, and normally I’d avoid Buchanan’s opinion at any cost but I decided to give it a read. The piece, published on the web on September the 10th is titled “Is America Coming Apart?”  Buchanan makes a few good points, rightly pointing out that when G.H.W. Bush went to a school in 1991 the left freaked out, and went on to mention that those of us on different sides of the “big issues” (like abortion, gay rights, environmental protection and conservation, etc.) tend to label our position much more nobly than our opponents label it and term their position in a much more derogatory term as well. Buchanan goes on to make various observations about cultural and political issues he feels further polarize us today. Oddly enough, he at one point laments that we’ve replaced “heroes” like Robert E. Lee with people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I have major problems with the idea that it’s a bad thing to replace Lee with King as a modern hero, and I find it silly that King should be considered “polarizing” when the things he stood and worked for are good for all of us, but that’s another issue altogether.

 Buchanan seems to think that we now have diversity but not unity. Those of us who feel drawn to do work that seeks to help people, to help society, to build things up and those of us with spiritual and/or religious lives, feel a need to be open, tolerant and to seek unity. But some people seem to think this means we must be more “balanced.” I follow that we should speak with respect, debate with care and love those we don’t agree with. Yet I feel it’s worth pointing out that we can’t seek peaceful balance at the cost of mediocrity or apathy. Buchanan asks “where is the unity?” in a way that suggests that we once all got along much more civilly from both sides. I grant him that with the advent of openly biased 24 hour news networks like Fox News and MSNBC, the proliferation of politics on the internet and a slew of amped up anger and judgment, things are more vocally polarized. Yet there have always been universal differences in the right and the left. If in the past those that strove to bring about equality and justice through the civil rights movement, the women’s movement and various peace movements in our country had been too concerned with peaceful balance, progress would never have been made. I stress that peace was necessary– Dr. King used pacifism and nonviolent protest to accomplish his mission. Yet the idea he should have had to “compromise” with the Alabama government without offending their beliefs that African Americans shouldn’t have the same rights as whites seems absurd.

We can have respect for others as people without compromising our beliefs on issues that are very important-take the health care debate. There are hard facts involved. The World Health Organization ranked the US 37th out of 191 on the list of all health care systems in the world in 2008. France was ranked at number 1. Yet despite this FACT, those on the right argue we have nothing to take from the system France uses and that the system they use is really worse than ours because it is “socialism,” the latest hip disparaging word used by a sector of the right that really have no comprehension of what socialism. The struggle to be bi-partisan, to reach across the aisle and to compromise in this health care debate is seemingly fruitless. There is no compromise, because those on the right don’t see a need for reform.

I struggle with knowing how to draw the line. There are people that I love and respect that I don’t see eye to eye on over many issues. Yet when it comes to speaking out on, writing about and working towards positive change and progress on these issues, I feel I can’t be overly concerned with being “balanced” if it means balancing fact, compassion, justice, hope and progress with misinformation, hysteria, prejudice, greed and selfishness. The current health care debate affects the health, wealth, well-being and security of millions of Americans. Any of us making less than $50,000 a year, even with health insurance, aren’t secure under the current system because one serious injury or illness could easily result in bankruptcy for us. Yet to speak these things is considered “polarizing.” What about the environmental issues, as Buchanan mentions? Despite conclusive and repeated studies and warnings from every major scientific mind in the world that state that unless major changes are made we will irreparably harm the planet, must we still “debate” and compromise over that as well, at the cost of all future generations? What about issues concerning women, immigrant, minority and gay rights? Must we compromise that some of these people simply do not deserve all of the rights the rest of us have?

 That ‘s where I see the urging for balance as being misguided. I wholeheartedly agree that we should speak to those on the other side of issues with care, respect and compassion. I agree we should be friends with those that share completely different political and religious ideals than us. We can always learn from them, they can always learn from us. A dialogue and a friendship can provide all of us with a better understanding of the “Other.” Besides, outside of politics and religion, surely we have plenty else to talk about with our fellow human beings in friendship. But, on these issues that affect health, justice, love and equality we must not be afraid to speak, write and work towards a better tomorrow. When facts don’t work to persuade the opposition, non-violent action and devotion might. I remind myself that, according to the Christian scriptures and ideas, even Jesus got angry. When? Anytime an issue of justice came up. Jesus loved and spoke with all, regardless of their personal sins and flaws. He befriended and cared for everyone on a human level. Yet he had no patience for any system , belief or practice that oppressed the “other.” If government, religion or marketplace devalued the rights of the poor, the different, the immigrant, the overlooked, Jesus spoke out. Most other major figures from the enduring world religions and philosophies did this as well. Would they compromise their opinion on justice so as not to trouble or offend anyone?

4 Innings of Great Baseball Sparking an Economic Question

The first four innings of the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox September 2nd game contained everything I love about baseball. Oddly enough, it caused me to think about some of the major problems I have with Major League Baseball despite my sincere fandom of it.

Since I’m not really a fan or opponent of either team, I just happened to begin by rooting for the Sox but soon began to root for the Rays upon seeing their entire team exemplify to the audience and the viewers at home how to do everything right on the field and at the plate.

A depressing sight, however, occurred anytime the cameras panned the stands—which were practically empty. The commentators stated that it was unusual for a team playing very successfully and that had just been to the World Series the previous year to draw such dismal numbers. The Rays have been drawing several thousand under the average MLB team attendance this season. The sportscasters suggested that the local Florida fans had already fled for college football. While narrating they reiterated the oddity of local fans not supporting such a winning team but said that (to paraphrase) “however you wish to spend you disposable income in such an economy is up to you, but it’s just odd.”

So despite the excellent baseball I was seeing, I began to wonder how the national pastime would continue if the recession lasted a significantly long period of time. I could go on yet another rant about baseball being better than football in a historic, artistic and cultural manner and digress that it’s simply symbolic of short attention spans and degraded culture that has caused the almost usurpation of baseball by football. I’d do so primarily in jest, even though I can’t help but believe small aspects of those arguments, but that’s not the direction I thought in nor where I am going with this now. No, here I was watching Major League Baseball on a public television set—I don’t even have cable so unless the game’s on a network available by antennae I’m not getting it at home. I also quite clearly wasn’t at the park paying the ticket price to see it. So the organization wasn’t making a dime off of me no matter how much I enjoyed it. If the recession continued a long time, the general public simply wouldn’t have time or money to spend to go out to the big game. By the time a family pays for gas to the park, tickets to the game and a few concessions, they’re looking at over a hundred dollars for an afternoon’s entertainment.

How could we bring down the cost to see the big game? Of course many will still pay their large cable and satellite prices. Many will pay the additional dozens of dollars a month to expand that to get things like “Season Pass” to catch all the games no longer available for the general public on basic cable. Eventually, though, if there aren’t enough people in the seats something has to give.

How would the cost come down? Well, let’s see….these players are making millions of dollars to play this game. When that much money is going to the people playing, the tickets have to be expensive. If this game is truly a national pastime, how about we lower the ticket prices and fill the stands?

Here the argument becomes one very comparable to a complaint many have over health care reform (believe it or not). A common fear expressed by some Health Care Reform opponents is that if we pay doctors less we won’t have doctor’s that work as hard, we won’t have the drive for technological and medical breakthroughs and we’ll fall behind. A recent AP article took on 5 common health care myths and in addressing this one, mentioned many of the products, techniques and breakthroughs we use in the US that emerged from medical communities in France, Germany and Canada under socialized health care plans. Well, when it comes to baseball, the argument is that salary caps and cut pay rates for players accustomed to lavish lifestyles will result in the greats dropping out and the powerhouse years coming to a close. As much as I love many of the players raking in big money and I do recognize that many of them devote decent chunks of their money to needed community programs, I feel that even if they were to leave, there’d still be those that are just hungry to play the game. Look at the minor leagues alone. Ninety percent of those playing in AA and AAA teams will never see the big leagues. Granted, most of them have the hope or even the confidence that someday they will and that in that day they will make millions. Yet many, if not most, players in these leagues probably realize the odds say they won’t and yet continue to play very hard every time. These players make less than most middle class workers. They also spend their time shuttled around on the roads playing in out of the way parks for sometimes uninterested viewers. They wear their bodies out and live pretty hard. Yet many of them play the game with complete heart. So, say the average Major League player goes from making millions a year to making $400-500,000 a year. That’s still quite a bit more than an AA player making $20,000. Add fame, recognition and all the perks and do you really think the average AA or AAA player will struggle less to make the jump to the big leagues?

If we really want to return Baseball to its rightful place as a national Pastime and a populist sport, a drastic cut in salaries and restructuring could do that. I say this begrudgingly I guess, because I love the game and I love the big name players, the World Series, the entire thing and it’s so big scale now that a drastic restructuring would shake it up completely. Will this happen? Almost certainly not. Should it? Yes. Will I continue to watch either way? Yeah.

I love MLB, movies, music and entertainment. Yet hearing the sportscasters lament that the stands weren’t full and that our expendable income was our choice (but “hint-hint” we should probably spend it at the baseball park) made it appear even odder to me that in a recession, we the fans are asked to show our support. We the fans who make between 20,000 and maybe $200,000 a year are to support those that make 2 million and up a year? I hope the amount these players are giving back to the community and the world has gone up tremendously in these hard times, yet I doubt it’s gone up enough. Why do we pay those that entertain us so much better than we pay those that protect us, save our lives, treat us in clinics, educate us and serve us?

Throwing Another Two Cents in on the Health Care Reform Debate

 

The news has been full of coverage concerning the health care reform debate. Now with the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy, we see clips of a young Ted giving speeches calling for health care reform, stating that the availability of universal health care for every American should be a right rather than a privelege. The clips date back 30 years and put the current debate in a sobering context. Many have fought for reform for a long time, in great depth ever since the profit-gleaning shift in the insurance business that occurred during Richard Nixon’s presidency. An excellent clip from Michael Moore’s documentary “Sicko” plays a recording of Nixon approvingly admiring a move to “great financial profit for private investors as a result of a new system of health care” (to paraphrase). So, it’s been a long time coming and it’s still not here.

So we see this continuous coverage. An excellent summation of what’ s happened, what is currently happening and what will likely occur at the end of this strain of the debate is laid out in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone. “Sick and Wrong: How Washington is screwing up health care reform and why it may take a revolt to fix it,” by Matt Taibbi is a comprehensive, stomach churning and head shaking look at the mess we find ourselves in today.

Granted, Taibbi makes Moore look look understated and unbiased. Taibbi writes in an almost Hunter S. Thompson-like gonzo, over-the-top and expletive laden vitiriol concerning social issues. Yet he nails every pressing point that gets swept under the rug on the mainstream television and radio. Tellingly, he lists that the so-called “Gang of Six,” the “bi-partisan” group of senators that are supposedly working towards a compromise on this issue all received major donations from the health sector in amounts ranging from $600,000 to a whopping $2,034,000 for Sen. Grassley, a leading Republican senator in the “gang.”  Do we really expect that such major donations don’t entail a “favor for a favor?” Each member of the gang has financially backed reasons for keeping the current system in place. Insurance companies make large profits under the current system, as do private investors and Wall Street bankers. Senators are untouched since they already have their own “public option” through the government simply by being senators. The only people that suffer under the current system are everyone else that have no, little or untrustworthy coverage.

Taibbi points out, like everyone else with clear reasoning in this debate including the 41 witnesses recently barred from testifying in a government review in favor of a universal plan, that the only option that is likely to work and make sense is one with a public option.  A public option will give everyone who is unable to purchase coverage in the current market and affordable means to do so. A public option will force the insurance companies to bring down their astronomical rates in order to be more competitive with the public option. Any universal plan without a public option will not do much of anything to sovle the current problems. In fact, any plan that passes without a public option as a “watered down” version of universal health care will simply leave the openents currently screaming “Socialism!” feeling vindicated and have them shouting “I told you so.”  If such a disaster occurs this country may never have a chance to pass a real and valid universal plan again. The major complaints voiced by senators in regards to the public option concern the existence and profits of the insurance companies. Taibbi quotes Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as saying that “private insurance companies will not be able to compete with a government option” and Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson as complaining that the public option will “win the game.”

So how have the opponents of the public option and of health care reform in general succeeded in what looks to be excising the public option from any possibly passing act?  By complaining– loudly, threateningly and accusatorily in hostile, misinformed and sensationalistic ways. Those on the other side share the blame by not addressing these loud and incorrect complaints fully. An excellent feature article in the Sunday, August 23rd edition of the Louisville Courier Journal compared the current struggle for health care reform to the many reform struggles faced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt over a half century ago. The difference now? FDR spoke out over the radio in a series of “fireside chats” to address the loud and false shouts of “fascism!” “socialism!” “communism!” and “total government control!”  that were hostilely being thrown at his administration. He decried the simple and shallow labels and fully explained that his reforms were in continuing with the American legacy of progress, reform and steady work to make this country a place where all have an equal chance and in which we can truly grow as a nation and as a people. Obama thus far has played it too safe in taking on his opponents in this issues. Now is the time to act, for there may not be an opportunity like this again.

A Brief Note Concerning the “Tea Party” …. and a post-note about the NRA

I have to comment on the so-called “Tea Party” folks briefly. It has to be said that these folks are not revolutionary agents of positive change or a worthwhile cause in any way, shape or form. What they are doing is misguided, factually ignorant and irresponsible.  What’s surprising is that so many people of middle to low income are protesting and working so fervently for the best interests of much wealthier individuals to their own detriment. Virtually every tax plan of Obama’s is and will continue to make the middle class paid-in taxes less and benefits greater, yet these Tea Party individuals are largely comprised of the very people who can benefit from Obama’s plans.  It seems the wealthy have managed to get the poor on their side in every factor by sticking with them on guns, abortion and homosexuality. Fervent tea-baggers in various cities and small towns across the country rallied their city halls opposing Obama’s tax and economic rescue plan while sporting NRA* hats and pro-life shirts as well, that is some of the ones who weren‘t wearing Native American garb, New England colonial costumes or cloaked as a founding father.

I wholeheartedly support the rights of the protestors. I think government protest is valid, viable and often necessary. I laugh at the cause they are choosing to protest. I do find organizing in the attempts of causing a new president’s plans to fail, when the very act of those plans failing will negatively affect all of us, mean-spirited and ignorant though. Yet they can and should protest if they truly feel so strongly. It’s simply sad that they can’t protest a more worthwhile cause…the rising costs of healthcare and the bankruptcy caused by not having proper coverage by folks who can’t afford it in the first place…the senseless violence, greed, corruption and abuse that arises from factors innumerable. No, they have to protest the fact that it is time to pay taxes. Taxes go for roads, schools, postal service, libraries, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, etc. Yes they also go for wars and less noble causes as well. The battle should be over where and how those taxes are spent, so that they can benefit the people who need the most help, not just to reduce those paid by the people who can afford them the most.

Next time on this site, hopefully back on track. Theistic interpretations, Pacifism Problems, Underrated and Overlooked and Book Reviews. Thanks for reading.

*** ( Ah, the NRA.  As Obama plans his first trip personally to visit with Mexican government officials in regards to the escalating violence arising from the drug war, Mexico points a finger at us…in many regards, rightfully so. Over 90 % of the 12,000 assault weapons seized from drug cartels and Mexican street gangs were manufactured and sold in the US. The gun lobby in this country who fights restrictions on the sale of automatic weaponry have much of the share of the blood spilled with those weapons on their hands because they allowed them to be sold for simple, dumb greed.) ***

Unrelated Preamble and “The Watchmen” Film Review

Flashes from the news this morning: yet another full story devoted to the media-dubbed “Octo-Mom,” this time in regards to a house donated to her and her close to 20 children by Dr. Phil. She’s a media sensation, she’ll probably get a book deal and inspire others to follow her example, and folks everywhere can snarl angrily and reinforce their false stereotypes that it’s Octo-mom type folks who drain up all the welfare from the good taxpayers.

Cut to Rush Limbaugh, a clip replaying him snarling and shaking, jowls flapping as he says “ I hope the President fails!” So this is the supposed “face of the Republican party” as many have called him, “the base unifier.” This man who is the very picture of intolerance, hatefulness, divisiveness, and political ugliness. This man actually hopes the president’s policies will fail simply so he can point and shout “I was right,” regardless of the effect such a failure would have on everyone living in the country today. RNC head Michael  Steele lambasted Limbaugh in one of the few smart comments I’ve heard him make, only to retract it the following day.

Then the news cut to a roundtable of financial advisors grading Obama’s first 50 days as mediocre to poor. Each stressed that Obama focus on the economy and the economy only, refusing to admit that health care reform has anything to do with improving the economy, education improvement and increased accessibility has anything to do with the economy, and the stimulus package with spots for new jobs in the energy and construction sectors have anything to do with it either. Focusing only on Wall Street in the hopes of bouncing stock prices still leaves the other 50 percent of Americans who own not a single stock nor even an IRA or 401K ravaged by the rising cost of health care and it’s declining quality and unable to send themselves or their children to increasingly expensive schools with the hope of bettering their opportunities. Even a quick bounce will leave the stock holding 50 percent better off only in the short run because those above-mentioned factors will someday hit them just as hard as well if something isn’t done now. The first 100 days is the perfect time for a new President to cast all of their nets into the sea and see which will make a catch. Obama had kick-started the talk for health care and education reform which if successful will make long term progress, opened the door for stem cell research to make advances in health, science and technology, and placed a renewed importance on the education sector of America, thereby restoring a bit more hope to future generations. So yes, Wall Street and the economy is very important, and it will likely take the majority of Obama’s time as President to work on. So give the man time, there is no quick fix as much as we all wish there were in this scary economic environment.

Now on to the “Watchmen” Film Review.

First of all, “Watchmen” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is the best graphic novel of all time and is also easily one of the top 10 best works of fiction of any kind of the twentieth century. No joke. So if you’ve never read it, read it before seeing the movie. If you have already seen the movie, go and read it now, it’s not too late. My book review of “Watchmen” as part of my “10 Examples of Comic Literature” thread is in my archives, so click on “comics” at the bottom tab and scroll way back to last summer to find it and read it if you would like to.

That being said, this movie does not live up to the book. But it does amazingly well at getting it’s points and themes across, and it does better than I ever would have imagined it possible to do. All in all, I give it a B +, an 8.5 out of 10, 4 out of 5 stars, somewhere in those mixed systems. The casting is great, it’s as if Rorschach and The Comedian stepped right out of the comic and onto the screen. Everyone does a great job. The effects are dazzling. Yes it’s long, but at 2 hours and 45 minutes it was over before I knew it, it simply sucks you right in. The ending is different than the one in the graphic novel, much to many fanboys dismay, but it gets the same point across. The effect is the same, and arguably the film’s version works much better on the big screen than the book’s would have given the time and medium at work here.
The title screen may be one of the best parts of the whole movie. While Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changin’” plays, viewers see a summation of 40 years of major events in the Watchmen universe leading up to the 1985 setting of the film.

There are many things that simply cannot be reproduced in a film version of this story. Moore’s work was as much an example of what the comic and graphic storytelling medium is truly capable of as it was a story itself. There are so many wonderful explorations of the medium that were top notch and phenomenal just because they made you notice that such things would be impossible to do with any other medium.  Also with the length Moore had to work with, there was much more room for detail than this film has. That being said, the story-within-a-story “The Black Freighter” and the fictional autobiography “Under the Hood” sections that took place between each chapter are slated to be released as animated shorts in an upcoming straight-to-DVD release this month as “The Black Freighter.” Maybe someday there will be a directors cut DVD that interweaves them into this movie, I’d say it’s a possibility.

Other than that, most complaints I’ve read by fanboys and critics alike are overly critical. This movie was so mixed in its reception. Film critics were almost exactly split in half in their perceptions, ranging from A + praises, like that of Roger Ebert who said you should see it multiple times, to pans and F’s from folks like Gene Shalit. Fanboys that did complain chose funny things to complain about. One I read was mad at the soundtrack — “A song like 99 Luftballoons just jerks you out of the movie, and the ‘Graduate’ song at a funeral is just funny” (to paraphrase). I have to disagree. Of course, “99 Luftballoons” isn’t my favorite song but it worked perfectly in its brief use because it was very time appropriate since it was 1985 in the film, the song is a deceptively poppy song with lyrics about nuclear war, which the story is very much about, and the scene in question was a date so it doesn’t “jerk you out of the movie.” As for “the ‘Graduate’ song,” which is “The Sound of Silence,” really works better at a funeral than it did in “The Graduate,” as much as I love that film. The rest of the film soundtrack works perfectly, from Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan to My Chemical Romance, and the score is good as well. Another fanboy complaint I read came from a guy angry that details like Ozymandas owning a pet lynx weren’t explained. Umm, he’s insanely wealthy and eccentric and thus owns a lynx, what’s to explain?

All in all, it’s a very watch-able, suspenseful, action-packed, at times disturbing and entertaining movie. Sure there are missteps, but it’s always ambitious. I think the only complaint I have is that characters who in the novel have no powers seem to be insanely powerful here (Night Owl and Silk Specter rumble through the prison destroying everything in their path with seeming ease, but hey).

So check it out if you’re considering it. It’s worth it.

Restoring Education to It’s Proper Role

It’s about time we place more emphasis on knowledge for knowledge’s sake. So many throughout the past few decades have chosen to go to college and what they would study in college and ultimately what they would do with their lives based on how much wealth they could accumulate by taking that path. What happened to an actual widespread thirst for knowledge and a hunger for truth? Shouldn’t prospective students want to know how things work, what has happened in the past, what science reveals, what psychology says about us, how people do or do not worship and how such ways differ and affect entire cultures and societies, what is going on in the world today and how such things get to their respective points? Most important of all, shouldn’t the main concerns a prospective student has before picking a potential career path be: will this work make me happy and will this work make the world around me a better place for my having done said work?

Realistically, I understand that before undertaking the massive amount of work, invested time and accumulated debt one will accept in training for a career in a college or university one should be relatively certain that there will be a valid job awaiting for having such training that also will pay enough to cover the bills and make such an investment worthy of the time it required. Yet I also know that many of us often overstate how much is “enough.” Going through college to get a job that will make 40,000 dollars a year should not be a laughable goal. So often people assume they have to make 100 grand a year or its simply not worth their time. I think its quite clear that in most areas of the country we can get by (and get by comfortably) on much less. Living in a bit more moderate of a fashion is not a wasted life.

Education should not be limited to a fine area. Many undergraduate students throughout history have complained that they had to receive such a broad and across-the-board base coursework. Someone studying to be a physicist may hate that they have to take Literature, History, Philosophy or Psychology. Someone studying to be an English teacher may often loath taking Calculus, Biology and Geography. Yet it’s often the occurrence that a student may find their passion in a completely unexpected place by taking such mandatory’s. It’s also important that the experts in every field can understand a basic level of comprehension in those “across the board” areas. I think such broad learning should be extended. Today in schools across the country there are many students who find arts and humanities slipping from the curriculum because such areas aren’t deemed as important as Math or Science in acquiring a job. Although science and math may teach you how to apply skills in many professions, arts and humanities teach you who you are and open you up to the “why” instead of just the “how.” Obama mentioned in a recent address his desire that all adults capable of taking at least one class in a higher education setting – be it in college, technical school or wherever—is a great call. That class would benefit anyone whether it served as vocational training that deepened their job knowledge or simply an educational course that taught them more about history, science or math, even if that course simply served to inspire them artistically through art, craft or writing. The point is that no education is wasteful. No knowledge is bad knowledge. The more we as a country can learn the better off we will all be. The coming generations need as much broad and specific knowledge as possible to compete in the growing global market as well as to contribute to the rest of society through scientific development, historical discovery, artist output.

Furthermore, knowledge is essential to freedom. Simply knowing and being aware of fact, possibility and truth calls oppression, whether it is oppression brought on by a ruling class, a government institution, an oppressive religious organization, a personal relationship, a societal organization or simply ignorance itself into the light. I truly feel education has the power to destroy most prejudices, stereotypes, judgments and limited viewpoints.

Students for Justice in Palestine, Dina Babbitt, Jim Cramer Should Retire

There are two causes I’d like to quickly mention. Many may quite possibly be supportive of one and not the other, yet I feel both are positive things that could use any involvement they can attract. If you feel strongly enough about either enough to write a letter or an e-mail, make a phone call or do any work in its support please do so regardless of how you feel on the other issues discussed here.

First of all, there’s what Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts has done. That college’s trustees have agreed to divest from six groups over involvement with Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the violation of many human rights. This college took these steps after intensive work done by the group Students for Justice in Palestine. The Israel-Palestine issue has been at another volatile swelling point in recent months, and it will continue to recur in that way until a peaceful and just resolution is brought about.

I’ve mentioned the struggle for justice in the middle east between Israel and Palestine in passing before on this site. My mention of it here is very brief and I understand that if you don’t see the situation as being one of actual apartheid and you don’t feel that ours and many other governments have long been very partisan towards Israel in this struggle rather than being fair and open to both sides then you will no doubt find such a cause ludicrous. First and foremost, I want to reiterate that efforts like this are not anti-Semitic, prejudiced or mean-spirited. Quite often groups and individuals get angry when terms like “divestment” and “apartheid” are mentioned in regards to the Israel-Palestine situation. It is not defamation — there are Jews, Christians, Muslims and people of no faith at all living in both Israel and Palestine. To admit that Palestine is being occupied by the Israeli government and that many Palestinian people are displaced and barred from their land and from education, health and care facilities does not take aim at any race or religion. I will also say that those that support divestment and peace yet refuse to condemn tactics like suicide bombing on the behalf of Palestinian terrorists are equally in the wrong. People must recognize that wrong has been done on both sides for a long time, and justice will bring peace but only when honesty, integrity and compromise work together to treat all people with dignity. The group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is pressuring many other schools to support the cause of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) as a way of ushering in non-violent pressure on governments that violate international law and human rights. Non-violent justice is the only way all people in such situations can truly and fully be saved.

The other cause I’m mentioning is Dina Babbitt’s art. Dina Babbitt is an artist and a holocaust survivor. She was caught by Nazi’s doing murals of things like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” for children in a concentration camp. She feared they would kill her for such a thing but they instead transferred her to Auschwitz and kept her as an asset. Nazi’s had felt photographs of Jews and ethnic groups didn’t capture their “ugliness” and physical qualities that show their “inferiority.” Goebbels and the like felt full color painted pictures would better display such things. Ms. Babbitt painted detailed and realistic portraits of those prisoners set before her that portrayed them as nobly and humanly as art could allow—of course for a Nazi racist like Goebbels their prejudices saw in the pictures what they saw in the people themselves so they were satisfied with her work. Mrs. Babbitt knew that as long as she was working on a portrait of someone, they would be kept alive. The longer she could prolong the process the more likely they would be alive when the camp was liberated. Auschwitz was eventually liberated and Mrs. Babbitt was freed. She went on to work in art and animation for years to come.

In recent years she has been trying to get the Auschwitz paintings back. They are on display at the Auschwitz Museum and she has lobbied to have them returned to her for years—after all she painted them and never authorized their sell anywhere. She is more than happy to let the museum display high quality copies of her work, but she wants the originals to herself before she dies. Ms. Babbitt is aging and in poor health now. Comic artists, animators and civil liberty spokespersons have all written and asked the Museum to return what is rightfully hers to her. Politicians, governments and large groups of lawyers have all put work into this effort.

Granted, personal letters aren’t guaranteed to change any minds, but if you feel strongly about this and the issues that are at stake as well as the general dignity deserving of a woman like Mrs. Babbitt, who has went through so much, please send a letter or an email to the museum.

Here’s the address: muzeum@auschwitz.org.pl

Last of all, now that I’ve mentioned two causes here’s just a general angsty complaint. Is it just me or is Wall Street and the stock market in general just incredibly fickle and apt to plummet or spike over the most random of events? It seems that in its modern form it’s just an illogical machine, but one that is unfortunately ingrained in our national economic well being. Jim Kramer, host of Mad Money on MSNBC and frequent “expert guest” on new shows abounding should perhaps just retire. His blood pressure must be through the roof and from what I gather he never gives any truly productive advice, he just adds to the general sense of unease when’s he handed a microphone. This morning on the Today show he bemoaned Obama as so drastically “radical” for such “bad times” saying that the real peoples priorities are on Wall street and Obama’s administration should do everything to strengthen it and inspire investors. Well, fickle investors who want to regain wealth would love tax cuts to huge corporations and anything else that promotes big business—outsourcing, oil money, and trickle down economics. Of course, 50 percent of people have stocks. So making such concessions in the hopes of spiking wall street would help those 50 percent regain some of their wealth for the time being. The other 50 percent of folks would be left in the cold like always. As I’ve said before, it’s time to work things in new ways and it’s time to give support to progressive plans. If these plans fail, it’ll likely be due to the constant attacks, obstruction and intentionally created unease that the GOP is doing now. Basically they’re distancing themselves from the plan, loudly speaking their opposition and trying to block it, hoping it will fail so that they can regain popularity. Rather than reverting, scaling back and narrowing his focus so that only Wall Street is focused on, Obama would merely cause temporary success for half of the population and put off real change and success for another time. If policies that can fix the ailments of modern US society can be implemented now to help all people in much better and longer lasting ways, even if it will take some time and some people will temporarily do worse than they traditionally have done (in easy speak, if rich people have to be closer to middle class for a few years so that we can create a strong and thriving middle class, lift up the lower class, and eventually build that same upper class up again, so be it).

That’s it, I’m done for now. Next up a slew of non urgent articles, starting with the next “Under-rated and Over-looked Album Review #4”

Obama’s First Major Presidential Address and Jindal’s Response

Obama gave his first “big” speech since becoming President last night, and it seemed to be a successful address. He touched on most of the pressing matters facing this country today- – health care reform, the economic recession, education, the needed deficit reversal and budget reform, troop withdrawal from certain areas and the bank situation involving the need for expanded flow of credit.

I admit I was an Obama supporter from almost the beginning and that unlike the general consensus of folks who seem to say that their opinion of the stimulus package is one of” not sure, too soon to tell “ (which frees them up to be for it if it works or against it if it doesn’t), I feel it is a great move full of potential and I feel that many, hopefully most, of its parts will be successful. Having said that, I still am leery of the political machine as a whole in Washington. I feel Obama has great plans and could institute great progressive change, IF GIVEN THE CHANCE. See, when FDR ushered in his sweeping reforms that brought the U.S. out of the great depression and regulated areas that for far too long had been neglected, he received almost universal support, unprecedented power and positive hand-in-hand work from all sides. Judging by the GOP in this day and age and the average armchair economic and political “experts” at home, not to mention “news” organizations like FOX news, it’s doubtful Obama will get anywhere near that kind of support. The nation’s appearing to be very supportive of Obama and his administration so far and they seem to be placing a great deal of hope in what he is attempting to do, yet there is a constant murmur of the importance to be “bi-partisan.” I can’t help but think that this is really just code for “more conservative” at best or a settling on mediocrity at worse. When Bush was president over the last 8 years there was really no attempt at any “bi-partisan” decisions. It was full speed ahead on the modern version of the GOPs methods including trickle down economics, tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations, the repeal of environmental safeguards, the almost complete stop on funding for scientific and medical research, an ever expanding military budget, a health care system ran by profit seeking organizations in a highly competitive (and greedy market)…I could continue for pages, but I think it’s clear that practices like these ran unchecked and heavily supported by other Republicans during the Bush administration. Very little ear was turned in the direction of the Democratic party or any citizen who was even slightly a political moderate, progressive or liberal. The past 8 years were the GOP trying it their own way, and we see how well their way has worked. Now, Obama has a chance to try things in a politically progressive manner and the voices are loudly crying out for his administration to make “bi-partisan” decisions—in other words, balance his progressive plans with a bit of the old policy styles that have failed us for 8 years. Throughout the years every political liberal has had to make concessions and become first a moderate, then ultimately a borderline conservative to simply make it in public office. The true radical, progressive liberal methods are often shelved because congress, the senate and the “armchair “experts (not to mention the lobbyists, the insurance companies, Wall Street and the CEO’s of the nation) have forced them to be.

I have faith that Obama has a clear and good vision of what needs to be done. I feel that for the first time in a few decades the average citizen in America is in support of those styled plans. For the first time in decades, there is an actual chance to move away from prehistoric, prejudiced, spirit crushing modes of politics into something positive, life affirming and opportunity expanding. We can actually see a renewed emphasis on science and education—more average folks may begin to view education as important, worthwhile and attainable. We may see policies that seek to end discrimination and prejudices—to give basic and undeniable rights to people of all races, national origins, genders and sexual orientations that have been denied them even into the 21st century.
We may see a true overhaul and reform of the crumbling, destructive, debt inducing and inadequate health care system that exists in the U.S. today. We may see environmental laws that folks like Teddy Roosevelt emphasized make their return to this country.

Viewers of last night also got to see the new Palin, that is the new “up and comer” GOP mascot detailing that they too can be youthful and diverse, the Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.  His response to the speech? Tow the party line: He urges us not to “saddle future generations with debt,” by “spending money we don’t have on things we don’t need.” Hmm…we don’t need quality education, affordable healthcare, a free flowing system of attainable credit, safe and functional highways, roads and bridges built and repaired in a way that will also create thousands of new jobs, new and safe renewable energy and a strong push away from foreign oil dependency, regulations and practices that protect the environment for the safety of future generations, the creation of new and lasting jobs…all of these things, all covered in the stimulus proposal and thus most of these things are what Jindal says we “don’t need.” Of course the package bears a heavy price tag, one which Republicans seem to think will burden future generations for years. Yet at least some of these expenses are successful, future generations will have ample opportunities in which to pay it back, opportunities that the current direction has been leading away from. The path we have been on in this nation would have left future generations living in an unsafe and polluted environment, dependant on foreign oil to the extent that national security is null and void, unable to afford health care and thus living with a shorter life expectancy, with very few jobs to choose from and with very little education. Heck, the supporters of Reagan and his policies in the ‘80s saddled future generations with debt and disparity due to a lack of education and little job choice. Those policies created ghettoes and are largely responsible for a flood of crack cocaine and the spread of AIDS since research and acknowledgement of such things was missing. See, the system that has been put in place has left those of middle and lower class lacking serious opportunities in this nation, yet the upper class has been able to continue their extreme success down throughout the generations. This new plan could very well level things off enough to where all children have a chance at a decent future– if the “price tag” that awaits future generations will coincide with broader opportunity, better healthcare, more education and fuller lives, I think it’s one well worth accepting.

It’s noteworthy as well that we managed to apparently see the support of certain plans by different politicians. John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Mitch McConnell all got camera close ups at moments in which they appeared to grimace and disagree with statements being made, as well as at moments in which they seemed to be grudgingly agreeing with Obama. Interestingly, when Obama pointed out certain events he has already accomplished in his first days in office, he mentioned providing thousands of poverty stricken children with healthcare that didn’t have any before, the cameras displayed a large group of Republicans that remained seated and appeared to be frowning heavily. I suppose even something as noble and compassionate as that isn’t universally appreciated, which goes to show how difficult it is to implement progressive politics and appease staunch political conservatives simultaneously.

Last of all, Obama did indeed make a gaffe that has made the press already– The U.S. did not invent the automobile, Germany did. I guess we can all benefit from more education each and every day.

The Scary Reality of Poverty

I was speaking with someone the other day and the subject of social work came up.
The person I was speaking with was asking me about different social organizations and charities I was interested in working with. I mentioned one regarding displaced people from other countries involved with state refugee programs as well as various homeless shelters and poverty aid programs. When the subject of poverty and homelessness arose, she spoke very sympathetically of programs dealing with homeless and poor children because “they don’t have any control over their situation,” but said that such work would be too emotionally draining for her. “Working with adults would be easier because their situation is more a result of their choices,” she said (of course poor children are likely to grow into poor adults, but that’s another story). This person meant well, and is not mean-spirited, but the implications of such a statement are wide ranging and tragically commonplace enough to almost be a general consensus. I even hear such claims from folks on the borderline or just north of the edge of poverty themselves, and I think possibly they feel their hard work is keeping them ahead and that all others should be able to do the same thing.

When you really look at the factors that lead many to extreme poverty, it’s scary how many of those factors are undiscriminating, random and uncontrollable. Poverty also tends to reproduce itself and be both cause and effect quite often.  Beth Shulman’s excellent book “The Betrayal of Work” thoroughly  describes the emergent caste system in America, a country where the gap between the haves and the have-nots is a wide gulf that widens every year (one startling stat from the book points to the disparity between the US and a country like Germany–in Germany the lower class often makes around 35 percent of what the upper class makes, in America the lower class makes only around 7 percent of what the upper class makes). Of course, there are factors that are a result of personal bad choices: running up credit cards on frivolous purchases, drug use, etc. This of course doesn’t mean such folks don’t deserve help, but I assume such qualities would make the situation less heartbreaking for someone who desires to find a rational reason that someone else is in dire straits so that they themselves can seek to avoid such things.

The truth of the matter is, though, that a huge percentage of adults that find themselves in extreme poverty and often in homelessness end up there due to factors largely beyond their control. An average person without a college degree, or without even a high school diploma will find it hard starting out in life locating any sort of job that will pay them adequately enough to  cover their own bills and expenses, much less those of a spouse or children. Even many with a college degree find it increasingly difficult to find a well paying job and most of them start out with an added layer of debt, so they too are not immune to financial risk. An average person, no matter how hard working they are, may realistically find themselves working in the service sector making minimum wage at worse, around ten dollars an hour at best. In an average city, even with 40 hours a week at the high end of this range, rent, health insurance, car payments, utilities, food and necessities are barely attainable; insurance is often the first thing to be cut. One major health issue without insurance, and quite often even with insurance, can result in a large (and largely un-payable) bill. Little other than an unpaid medical bill can as quickly destroy a person’s credit. Once a person has bad credit it’s even more difficult to find a “good” job since many of those good jobs do extensive credit checks on potential employees before hiring them. Credit is something that seems to be as important, if not more important, as actual income and personal savings. Credit is hard to build and easy to destroy. A large medical bill is not the only thing that can destroy a person’s credit, deplete a persons savings and ultimately land a person in extreme poverty. A divorce, accident or any number of other commonplace personal hardships can do that as well.

So the factors that can lead to poverty and ultimately homelessness are for very many people just a bad credit report, large medical bill or accident away. Considering that there are millions of “working poor” in America, those that sometimes work up to 2 and 3 jobs at a time in the service sector or multiple hours in 1 of them, each potentially a month away from such a situation means that it isn’t so easy to assign personal fault for someone’s station in life. The working poor are the people who work as hard as they can in areas as various as childcare, education, daycare, restaurants, banks, retail stores and as janitors, flight attendants, secretaries and call center operators.

The misnomer that those that are poor, those that have low-paying jobs and that those that are homeless are largely responsible for their own situation must end. Even those that are responsible in part or in whole for the situation they are in still deserve help, compassion and consideration from those that seek to serve their fellow human. Yet many, if not a majority, of people end up in a dire financial situation through little fault of their own. It’s time this nation recognizes this emerging modern day caste system and does its best to slim the gap that has done nothing but widen over the past few decades. So many people place such a high emphasis on work as a value in and of itself. I hear all the time people brag about never missing work due to illness, and in every corner of employment I’ve ever had I’ve often heard those in management chastise others for taking off for reasons ranging from sickness and family time to wanting to attend a concert or take a college course. This value of work shouldn’t be worshipped for the sheer sake of work alone, and an occasional request off for reasons and events that tend to the body (recovery from illness), creative sense and passion (concert), mind (college course) and family (holiday, etc) is a good and needed thing. Work should often be a means to an end, and its value should come from that which it provides for the participant and also for the good it accomplishes in the society it emerges from. If work is important, and so many derive so much of their personal sense of being from the work that they do, then let’s allow a system to emerge that takes care of those that do their work with skill, hard work, patience and thoughtfulness. Let’s make sure in America that those that work hard will have enough to take care of themselves and their families. Let’s make sure the system takes care of those that become ill and cannot work, let’s institute a system in which working hard doesn’t lead to defeat and despair but to potential and positive results. And as long as the current system exists in the form that it takes today, that of corporate hyper-capitalism and borderline social Darwinism, let’s never for a minute think that those at the bottom of this structure are there merely due to bad choices of their own–because many of us can be there at any moment. Our current economic system relies more on connection, luck, and pre-existing power than it does the actual “American Dream” that was once thought to be possibly attained through sheer force of will and dedication.
***I recommend Beth Schulman’s above mentioned book, “The Betrayal of Work- How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans,” as well as Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America” for extended looks on the current economic situation (and this was pre-recession, believe it or not) and the documentaries “Sicko” for a scary look at healthcare and “The Corporation” for a look at the social Darwinism system at work in our country today. Of course, if you’re honest with yourself and have ever worked for very long in the service sector as a retail salesperson, cashier, grocer, teller, secretary, waiter or janitor you probably already know more than you could ever want to know about much of this.

Is Change too much to ask for, Mitch?

Thank you so much, Kentucky. I say this because every time someone on the news says that certain Republicans are slowing down and grinding Obama’s stimulus package to a halt they zoom in on Mitch McConnell’s face. Of course I realize not all Kentuckians were misguided enough to keep Mc in for yet another term–I currently live in Kentucky and voted against Mitch in Novemeber and thought he had been in the senate too obscenely long years ago.
One of the things Obama trimmed from his stimulus proposal early on to try and appease the Republicans was a provision for increased distribution of birth control. It’ s sad that this is something the GOP wanted cut. Aren’t they vehemently opposed to abortion, welfare and single mothers? Wouldn’t birth control being more readily available to those that cannot afford it work in the reduction of such things?
Anyway, Obama’s been trying to get this stimulus package off the ground and the GOP will not give him a break.
The thing they keep insisting be added in much more abundance to the bill are further tax cuts for the wealthier percentage of the population and the more profitable businesses. In short, the GOP’s idea of economic stimulus is the same as it has always been- Trickle Down Economics. Obama proudly stated yesterday when pressed on giving these breaks yet again that “That’s not what the American voters voted for.” Good. It isn’t what we voted for and it is not what we expect from Obama. Trickle Down Economics have never worked, not when Reagen used them or when either Bush used them.

FDR accomplished great things and ushered in sweeping reform, evolving this nation and saving it from its economic bleakness. He did this because he had a clear vision and plan, this country was in desperate need, and as a result senate, congress and the American public gave him full support and unheard of power to institute his plans. As a result programs that still benefit us greatly were implemented and this country emerged from its depression.

Now it’s 2009. Obama has consistently reached out for GOP support and made concessions yet Republicans have repeatidly refused to budge and have instead stubbornly clung to economic plans and political ideals that are ignorant, dangerous, greedy and illogical. Clinton had to clean up Reagen and HW’s voodoo economics and now Obama has to clean up W’s catastrophe and is finding very little bipartisan support.

Pass the bill and pass it soon. We voted against the GOP’s tired and useless “Greed is Good” mentality in the hopes of progressive politics. Fall in line, Mitch and team.

Okay, maybe now I can move on to working on and posting the articles I have been planning. Two religious themed ones are coming up soon, the first is “Two Christs, Multiple Christianities,” the other is “Why I Don’t Believe in the Same God as John Piper.”