Damn the Mississippi . . .

Damn the Mississippi . . . Damn the Levees . . . Damn the Rain

I am really so damn proud of her.  She wears the uniform of a soldier.  She has been to Iraq twice.  And the stripes on her arm are those of a Seargent.  But this will be night seven.  Night seven of knowing that she is walking the top of a levee, wearing night vision goggles and a life vest, looking for signs that the levee is not going to hold.  Night seven of worrying that the levee won't hold where she is walking.  Night seven of knowing she would have it no other way.

Night seven of missing her and knowing I can't live without her.  Night seven to wake in the dark startled that she isn't there.  And one less night until she is home again.

Heinz pulls Mayo Commercial over Men Kissing

Don't know if you've seen it or not, but Heinz had the cutest Deli Mayo commericial that only aired for a week in the UK.  The commercial showed a gentleman (a New York deli man) in a kitchen making sandwichs for the kids.  As they leave for school, another man enters the kitchen, grabs his lunch and makes to leave.  At which point, deli man asks, hey - you forgot something.  Second guy turns around and gives deli man a peck.  It was pulled because it apparently offended the sensibilities of some of the viewers. So what about the sensibilities of Heinz' gay consumers?  Didn't they think pulling the ad would offend us?  Don't they realize we have quite a large commercial presence and offending us could hurt their bottom line?  When will companies stop bowing to the pressures of a shrinking minority and just publish the ads they produce?

Gay Marriage is Good for America

I didn't expect to see this op-ed piece when I logged into the Wall Street Journal this morning.  But there it was.  An opinion in one of the most conservative papers in the U.S., for all the conservatives to read.  Wow - I'd love to see the reactions on main street this morning.

Anyway, Jonathan Rauch makes an excellent case for why gay marriage is good for America.  His words lead the reader to imagine life the way most gay people live it, without the hope for marriage.  A world where committment usually means 'until something better comes along' and where abandonement and lonliness abound.  Pieces like this move gay marriage closer to acceptance than the pictures that are shown on CNN or the Nightly News.  This kind of writing attempts to put the reader in the shoes of the lesbian who can't protect her partner's inheritance or the gay man who isn't allowed to make medical decisions for his partner of many years.

Keep up the good work, Jonathan.  With more editorials like this I may just see gay marriage accepted all across the country before I die!

I Kissed a Girl . . .

For those of you who use iTunes, check out the number one song.  It's by Katy Perry.  And get this - the name of the song is "I Kissed a Girl"!

Responses to the 2008 Flood from our Politicians

Keith Olbermann, on Countdown, focuses on the responses to the current flooding in the Midwest. See how Bush, McCain and Obama have responded to this current crisis.

Sunday's Will Never Be the Same

Political junkie, Sunday mornings I have a ritual.  Go to the kitchen and start the coffee.  Walk out front to pick up the paper.  Turn on NBC to watch Meet the Press.  Had to have my weekly dose of Tim Russert and the fair view of our political landscape he would paint.  Today just wasn't the same.  Tim, you are missed.  And you will be missed for many years to come.

Ceasar fiddled while Rome Burned . . . Bush dined in Paris while IowaFlooded

He gave up golf because it would appear unseemly for a president to be playing a game while America's finest were involved in a war in Iraq. But he still travels the world and meets with world leaders, just as a president should. But President Bush still hasn't discovered when he should be home responding to a crisis and when he should on his diplomatic jaunts. Iowa is currently experiencing a flood worse than the 100 year flood of 1993. In fact, some are saying it could be a 500 year flood. And where is our president? Well, you can find him in Paris, dining the French leaders. Surprised?

Lesbian Kiss at Mariners Ballpark

Last week, at a Seattle Mariners game, two people engaged in a public display of affections.  Like many other couples in ballparks across the country, they kissed.  And another patron at the game complained that their action was inappropriate.  Why?  Because the couple was a same-sex lesbian couple and the woman complaining didn't want to have to explain two women kissing to her child.

Like the parent at the stadium, there are those who don't want their kids exposed to what they call perversion. They don't want tolerance taught in the schools because it is seen as pushing an agenda they don't agree with.

So how does this parent respond when her kid comes home talking about the new kid in class who has two mommies or two daddies? Should the new kid not be allowed to go to school in order to keep the other children from being exposed to the idea that not all families are alike?

You don't have to believe that homosexuality is moral, but you do have realize that your children are going to be confronted with the reality of homosexuality at young ages. I have several friends in same-sex relationships who have children. Their kids will be attending school. And if the other children are not taught tolerance, then my friends kids will become the victims of bullying or worse.

There are reasons to expose children to things you may disagree with. They exist in society. You cannot shelter your children. Teach them. And if you must believe that homosexuality is wrong, teach them to hate the sin and love the sinner so that they will not inflict harm on the children of same-sex relationships.

And maybe they will grow up to see that we are all the same.

Chief Justice Ronald George - Unlikely Ally

Most who disagree with the California Supreme Courts decision legalizing gay marriage in California would say this is what happens when courts are made up of activist judges. You know, those activist Democratic judges appointed by Democratic governors and approved by Democratic legislators.

But how to account for this California court? It's made up of a majority Republican bench, elected by the people of California. Who's ever heard of an activist Republican judge? Maybe it's because the judges aren't activist. They are following legal precedent set by rulings from an earlier time. They are doing what our founding fathers expected of them - examining the constitutionality of legislation and protecting the rights of the minority from the will of the mob majority.

None knows this better than Chief Justice Ronald George. Justice George even took it upon himself to pen the ruling, willing to take the heat of controversy he knew would be coming. And, even knowing of the controversy to come, he did what was right casting the deciding vote for justice and right in the face of fierce opposition from those in his own party. Thank you Justice George. History will smile favorably on you.