16 July 2010 Another nap may be in order. No such luck

16 July 2010 Another nap may be in order.


More sleep last night and no appointments today.

Hike with Mike took place in 89% humidity at 80-88 degrees. It was quite wonderful to return to the world of air conditioning.

Gloria is celebrating her release from post-op restriction by driving to Greeneville for meds and by stopping in at Lowes.

I stayed home to wait for mail. The fill-in carrier dropped everything off on the bottom step of the front deck, outside overhead cover. I’m guessing that he’s the one who didn’t bother to bring the certified package Monday, leaving it at the branch office but leaving a notice as if he’d knocked on the door to make a delivery. I’ll talk to the regular carrier before making waves. It is inadvisable to piss off a mail carrier out here.

The oil spill seems to be on hold. I’m hearing all manner of BS from the right wingers claiming that Obama ignored the event and some even claiming he caused it. Unless the federal government had nationalized all the oil fields and means of production I don’t understand how it was supposed to put equipment and expertise up against the blowout.

It ‘s comical and sad to hear the people who were screaming most loudly about “not wanting government interference” and “states rights” demanding that they be bailed out from the effects of laissez-faire capitalism. The BP blowout is a shining example of a free market corporation, unleashed from almost all regulation and oversight, cutting corners and disregarding all safety guidelines in order to save a day or two’s expenses. The couple of millions they hoped to save look rather insignificant against the approximate 40 billion dollars they are probably on the hook for now.

The political divide is becoming ever wider with the Tea Party mobs demonstrating truly ugly race-based hatred that I haven’t seen demonstrated on this scale since the 1960’s. There is no hope of any real bi-partisan work coming out of Congress in the next two years. The GOP trades in one lie after another. None of them should be believable but the mob and the blue collar unemployed, largely swallow them whole. I fail to understand how anyone can be convinced to vote for tax cuts for the wealthy while not seeing that their own incomes and benefits will be gutted to make up for the loss in revenue to the nation.

At the same time, the GOP is now trying to blame the Afghanistan war on Obama. Granted, he dithered around and then ramped up our participation. But that war began in 2001. The Democrats are hopelessly fragmented and unwilling to unite behind anything but the safest measures. Representatives spend hours debating the intent of biblical excerpts as if these should be considered in writing national law.

Every local candidate’s literature that I have read makes some reference to which church they attend. Some invoke the name “Jesus” as shamelessly and as futilely as local athletic coaches do at middle and high school athletic events. I will vote against any candidate that does this. I want to know what a candidates actual qualifications are. Has a Sheriff candidate attended formal university training to enable him to understand and apply legal and technical guidelines and skills effectively? Praying for supernatural assistance in locating a kidnapped person or in apprehending a criminal may play well on local television, but it adds only delay to the actual tasks involved in carrying out such duties. School board members, county administrators, and other such officials are entitled to their religious faith. But telling me about it in your campaign speeches or literature will only ensure that I find you unsuitable for public office. Jesus is not running for office, nor is he voting for you. And if you insist upon invoking the supernatural, you are not qualified to be a 21st century elected official.

Matters of personal decision, abortion, civil unions, evolution vs. creationism, do not belong in the public forum. Marriage, a religious ceremony, should be performed only by religious functionaries at the request of two people. The civil union between two people should be recognized by local civil authorities at state level. No religious import attaches to civil unions. No legal import attaches to marriage. There should be no government recognition or validation of marriage once a state legalizes civil unions.

Yes, we are married, it was a traditional religious service. The documentation which united us in civil union was the license to marry granted by the state of Maryland. The Ketubah, a marriage contract that we entered into is the Judaic equivalent of a secular civil union. One it is signed, before the religious ceremony, the pair is married.

Makes sense to me. Try explaining that to the homophobes around this nation. Nothing anyone else can do can damage or degrade our marriage. Only we are capable of that, and we take great care to avoid any harm to our marriage. It’s worth the effort!

Shabbat Shalom!