Constitutional Amendment & Marriage

Over the coming months there will no doubt be much ink spilt (and KB used) to discuss, argue, cajole, criticize, comment on, etc. over President Bush's support of and request that Congress consider a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. It is my belief that while this debate comes down to election season politics (coinciding with the recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decisions and the City of San Francisco's issuance of marriage licenses to gay couples) it really is about civil rights — namely equal protection (Amendment XIV, U.S. Constitution) and, to no lesser extent, the full-faith and credit clause (Article IV, U.S. Constitution). That said (and I will comment on this in a later post), I think that in terms of a political solution (vice a legal remedy) Professor Allen Stairs of the University of Maryland in his piece on "Political Marriage" has said what I believe is the best approach to resolving the inequities in the law while balancing the politics.

A friend just reminded me of the haiku poem I wrote after I took the LSATs and was anxious over the score:

Dismal L-SAT Scores
Forever Middle Class Now
Angry Handguns Speak

Having recently returned from a short trip to visit my girlfriend's parents in the "Bible Belt," I am busting with observations. The trip's highlight was attending sunday services at a Southern Baptist church. Just a little teaser from the pulpit:

PREACHER: "The founders of this nation had a bible under one arm and a musket under the other. And if they couldn't pray you out of the way, they'd shoot you out of the way!"

Enough said. More on the way.

NBC Anchorman Tom Brokaw proposes an outstanding idea in his NY Times OP-ED "How the Home Front Can Help." Brokaw writes —

A United States general told me he was worried that Americans back home didn't appreciate the challenges and sacrifices of his troops. "Where are the victory gardens?" he asked . . . Here's one idea. American corporations, service clubs, education and health organizations could adopt villages and provide each with a generator to power donated computers and large-screen televisions. Then American and Afghan doctors, teachers, carpenters, soccer coaches and the like could appear in instructive software, videotape or television programming to supplement military efforts. Another possibility would be to convert one of those go-anywhere Afghan trucks into a classroom. Load it with computers and conferencing equipment and go from village to village.

Such a program would not replace the Army, but it would add a civilian face to the efforts to build a civil society. It would also tighten the bonds between the military and the American people. It could be the 21st century equivalent of a victory garden.

Normally I do not like Journalists proffering advice on how to get something done — just report the facts with a modicum of opinion or journalistic slant. However, I think there is some sound advice here. Except for the few that have relatives or friends in the military, government, or lost someone on 9/11, most American's I know are rather removed from the War as they go about their daily lives. This idea might be a way to get more average citizens involved while helping to reverse the tide (spawned in no small part by the Administration's arrogant foreign policy) of envy and resentment out there in the rest of the world.

Well its over. Howard Dean has tossed in the towel. As noted in an earlier post, I was motivated by the Dean Campaign and the enthusiasm and excitement that it brought back to the political process. I just don't honestly feel that way about the remaining candidates. The Party it it seems cannot get away from the old plain vanilla candidates. Not that I thought that Dean had a chance to beat Bush. But I wanted to believe that he might win. I have two hopes: 1. That whomever the Democratic nominee is will stick it to Bush and win the Presidency. 2. That the "Revolution" as manifested in the Dean campaign will live on to fight another day. For some inspiration check out the new Web Log by former Dean webmaster Mathew Gross.

The Union of Concerned Scientists in a report entitled "Restoring the Integrity of Science" has declared that "Bush administration has deliberately and systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad." Check out the news as reported by the NY Times. Sounds like the Bush Administration is taking a page from Orwell's 1984. Remember: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength." Or, my friend Omid's favorite: "You want a vision of the future? Think of a boot stomping on a human face....forever!" Ahhh....they don't write books like they used to. You just gotta love fiction. Oh, wait a minute, I'm living in this world.

France is considering sending peackeepers to Haiti. This is very interesting since the U.S. (via Colin Powell) has stated that they will not intervene. Josh Marshall of talkingpointsmemo.com notes that this will raise issues of the Monroe Doctrine. But what I really think it will expose is how stretched out our military is becoming.

I am a huge Johnny Cash fan. The man was an icon and a musical genius. But what can I say about this.....this article about "The Ring of Fire" speaks for itself.

For about three months now I have been participating inside a Fortune 500 company. To be sure, this is my very first foray into Corporate America. It is not as bad as I thought it might be. Certainly nicer accomodations than some of the dumps I once worked in. And then there are the meetings. I went to one of my first consultant presentations the other day, and I discovered something. Corporate Buzzwords. I learned some great new terms: "silos"; "knowledge management"; "portals"; "seemlessly"; and "turn key" just to name a few. Look 'em up!

Clearly the Dean Campaign is beginning to implode. I was and am a Dean supporter, more for the ideas the man espoused than anything else. However, I have over the past few weeks begun to become disenchanted. I am thoroughly disappointed but as a good Democrat, it looks like I will be throwing my weight behind Kerry for President. I guess pragmatism won out over idealism and "straight talk." I think a good ticket would be Kerry and John Edwards. We'll see what happens to Dean after tomorrow in Wisconsin. Even if he wins, which now looks unlikely, the DNC hammer will finish him off soon thereafter. Like I said, I'm disappointed.

Taking off soon for my youngest brother's wedding. I still haven't finished (nor started for that matter) my "best man" speech. I'll post again in a few days. Can't wait to hit the bar. Ah..........the Whiskey Sour! Or better yet........a Manhattan.

This morning I was pleasantly awakened by music as I embarked on my ritual odyssey a.k.a. my commute to work. As always I traverse each day through Penn Station on my way to the uptown I.R.T. Often there are things that go on around us that we seldom pay attention to, especially during an early morning commute. Most of us are too transfixed on making our train connections, and avoiding the pan handlers and tourists to pay much notice. But this morning for some reason I heard a clarinet playing some Mozart piece. I could tell it was Mozart by the tempo and playfulness of the notes being played. For the 7 minutes or so that I'm in Penn, I felt slightly elated and thinking that it was a nice way to start the day. I know that there usually is classical music being played over the PA but only today did I notice it. Strange.

Check out this very interesting series on the Age of Empire by Jonathan Marcus of the BBC. I'll be commenting on this subject later on.

Alright. I've been dying to weigh in on the Janet Jackson Superbowl Half-time show exposed breast incident. What I find particularly annoying is the fact that the N.F.L. is making a federal case over the incident. The N.F.L. is one of America's leading organizations that indirectly (and sometime directly) promotes sex, violence, and drugs/alcohol for profit. The entire institution coupled with Madison Avenue made a mint peddling goods at outrageous advertising rates. Which all leads to my exasperation over the "shock" expressed over the nano-second of bare breast. I've seen more revealing outfits and tense sexual content from the cheerleader squads, line dancers, beer commercials and viagra ads than was displayed by Ms. Jackson. True, the N.F.L. is being "compelled" to express its anger over the incident because Colin Powell's son, the F.C.C. Chairman Michael Powell is raising Cain over the incident due to the fact that it was broadcast on the public airwaves. But let's be real. Ever since Mr. Powell got his rear handed to him over the public outcry over (and the Senate's vote to repeal) the F.C.C. rules regarding cross-ownership of media companies, he has been looking for a new public crusade. More to the point, however is the hypocrisy that the sports-industrial complex demonstrates when they claim that the sanctity of the game is at stake. Sex and violence have been expertly intertwined into professional football for so long that it would be almost impossible for it to cease. Bottom line is that the N.F.L. and its sponsors make untold millions on this unholy marriage and it is incredible to hear them now cry foul when they have profited from it for so long, and will continue to do so far into the future.

Heard on the streets near Penn Station:

Setting: Vagrant man (not necessarily homeless, but nevertheless ragged and poor) shabbily dressed holding a mini American flag and an envelope. He was shuffling and doing a small jig while loudly singing: "I got my check, I got my check, I got myself my Gub'ment check!"

-- Just another happy New Yorker

Heard on the West 4th Street "A" Train Platform by my pal Em: "I hate these fuckin' turnstyles. They never fucking work. I'm so sick of this fucking City. I'm gonna drop a fucking bomb on this fucking City. I'm fucking sick of this fucking place."

-- Just another bitter New Yorker

Heard on the "S" -- 42d Street Times Square/Grand Central Terminal shuttle: "New York, New York: the City so nice they had to name it twice!"

Observation: Have you noticed that as the piles of snow melt on each corner of the City, the flotsam and jetsom of the past few weeks is revealed? I'm talking about the assorted empty bottles, cans, newspapers (now rotton), animal crap, human fecal matter, jars full of bum urine, used gum, rubbish, condoms, and general scum. It's like a mini archeological dig of the past few weeks, except that there is no Ark of the Covenant waiting for the hapless pedestrian. Even the formerly frozen "yellow snow" slowly transforms back into liquid and melts happily away with not a care in the world.

Commentary: What is it about a snowfall that gives people license to treat the streets as if it was 14th Century Europe? Before you know it it'll be "Bring out yer dead!" and whoosh cadavers galore piled among the trash and other filth in the snow banks. Think about it.