Sunday, April 29, 2007

Guiliani reverses himself on marriage equality

Mayor Giuliani has just reversed himself on marriage equality. Which is not to say that he was ever in favor of full marriage equality, but I knew it was just a matter of time before he started pandering.

What a dick.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Ask Gov. Henry to Veto HB 1840

TOP PRIORITY
The Jewish Federation of Tulsa Community Relations Committee has been a founding member of the “Say No To Hate Coalition” since 1988.
The coalition is asking Governor Henry to veto HB 1840, the “Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007.”
The Hispanic-Jewish Task Force has also reviewed HB 1804 and agreed with the “Say No To Hate Coalition”.



We believe this is a mean spirited bill that will lead directly to discrimination against Hispanic/Latino people and others
throughout the state.



HB1804 should arrive on Governor Henry’s desk by this Friday so if you agree, act as soon as possible.

Call Tulsa Office: 581-2801

OKC Office: 405-521-2342
Ask Governor Henry to not sign HB 1804 into law.

SAMPLE LETTER

Governor Brad Henry April 26, 2007
State Capitol Building

2300 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Room 212

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

73105



Dear Governor Henry,



I am writing to ask that you veto HB 1804, the “Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007.”
Though the supporters of this bill must feel they are protecting Oklahomans but, in fact, this legislation will
have a critical impact on all Oklahomans, both documented and undocumented alike.



I believe that this legislation contains numerous provisions that will only serve to harm our great state. I am
especially concerned that the bill would make it a felony for a person to knowingly transport, move or attempt
to transport any immigrant or act in reckless disregard of the fact that the immigrant is illegally present in the
U.S. This felony would be punishable by not less than one year in prison and/or a fine of not less than $1,000.
Even though the bill makes exceptions to this rule for emergency medical and humanitarian situations, it is likely
that many individuals and non-profit organizations will not know or recognize the exceptions, leading to confusion,
inaction and potentially harmful consequences for sick or injured individuals who are presumed to be illegal
immigrants.

I am a descendent of immigrants who also suffered discrimination while seeking the American dream. Therefore I
am especially concerned with hate-based violence and bigotry directed at a person’s race, ethnicity, gender, religion,
national origin, ability, ancestry or sexual orientation. I believe that HB 1804 falls into this category.

To that end, I ask again that you veto this bill.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

More thoughts on Year Zero

Year Zero, the new album by Nine Inch Nails, is not just a musical masterpiece. It's a revolutionary project that fuses art, marketing, and activism. Trent Reznor collaborated with 42 Entertainment to build an "alternate reality game" (ARG) that engages fans in a cryptic investigation of mysterious websites detailing the horrors of a bleak, dystopian future.

It's not just a marketing campaign. If Reznor's only goal were to make a buck off his new album, he wouldn't have released it free on the Internet, in its entirety, two weeks before it hit store shelves. Indeed, with his elaborate, disturbing vision of the future, Reznor is making a broader political point about the erosion of civil liberties, the environmental destruction caused by climate change, and the real possibility of the United States sinking into totalitarianism in the event of another serious terrorist attack.

One website that has been created as a part of this alternate reality game is Open Source Resistance, which encourages fans to submit original art pieces and use their own blogs and websites to spread a message of resistance to totalitarianism. It has also sponsored "resistance meetings," a video of one of which is available on the website. This meeting featured a member of the "resistance" talking in surprisingly real terms about surprisingly real issues, such as the erosion of civil liberties. After his lecture, the audience was led into some kind of a concert hall and treated to a surprise performance by Nine Inch Nails, which was eventually "broken up by the police." These "resistance meetings" seem like a really good way to connect with a younger audience in a concrete way about the future, and what young people can do to make sure it doesn't end up like Year Zero.

The fusion of art, politics, and marketing that have created the Year Zero ARG will become a significant moment in the history of music, evocative of such other concept pieces as Pink Floyd's The Wall. Trent Reznor truly is a musical visionary, one who cares about his art, and his fans, and, most importantly, about the future.

It also helps that Year Zero is a fantastic album.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Jon v. John

McCain: 0
Stewart: 100.

Jon Stewart just ripped John McCain a new asshole. Which is difficult when considering how much of an asshole John McCain already is.

It was a beautiful sight.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Defeat OK Senate Bill 714

Senate Bill 714

The governor must sign or veto SB 714 by Wednesday, April 18, 2007. Please take action now!

Both houses of the legislature have now passed a bill that will prohibit termination of pregnancy at state-funded institutions except for the life of the mother. There is no exception for the health of the mother or lethal birth defects of the baby. This bill is touted as an anti-abortion bill by its proponents, but in reality it amounts to legislative interference in the medical decisions made by doctors and their patients.

The bill defines medical terms and defines "the unborn child" without the input of medical professionals or medical ethicists. The wording is vague and there is no indication of how the language with be interpreted, or by whom.

There are many maternal and fetal conditions that are medical indications for termination of pregnancy. Many compelling situations can exist that do not immediately threaten the life of the mother, but that can significantly impact her health. Doug Cox, M.D., the only physician in the legislature, proposed amendments to the bill that would give exceptions for maternal and fetal conditions, but these amendments were not allowed. The legislature has not been willing to listen to medical professionals during this process and has not held any public hearings about the provisions of the bill.

The impact of the bill is not limited to patients at public facilities. This bill prohibits private insurance companies from covering terminations except for the life of the mother. With the language of the bill the Legislature also captures political subdivisions of the state, including community-based hospitals like those in Elk City, Lawton, Norman and many other communities.

The Oklahoma State Medical Association, the Oklahoma section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Osteopathic Association, and the Nurses' Association all oppose this bill. These organizations do not take positions on abortion issues, but they all feel that this legislation inappropriately interferes with medical decision-making.

The only option to keep this bill from becoming law is to ask the Governor to veto the bill and ask the legislature to sustain the veto. The Senate needs only one more vote to sustain the veto.

Please contact the Governor by phone at (405) 521-2342 or through his website at www.governor.state.ok.us. You can contact your state senator at www.oksenate.gov/.

Contact the eight Democratic senators who voted for the bill and ask them to change their "yes" vote and uphold a veto of SB 714.

Please contact the sixteen senators who voted against the bill and thank them for their vote.

Monday, April 16, 2007

A slightly less venomous version (as submitted to the Tulsa World)

Mr. Hagee's night "to honor Israel" does nothing to honor Israel. Instead, it brings to light some fundamental philosophical and theological differences between most modern Jews and a large portion of fundamentalist Christians. It is impossible to honor the Jewish people and the Jewish state while advancing a homophobic, anti-feminist, anti-environmentalist, theocratic political agenda. To truly honor the Jewish people, evangelicals should hearken to Jewish ideas of equality, social justice, religious liberty, and environmental stewardship. Until evangelicals abandon the politics of hate and divisiveness, many modern Jews will not be comfortable allying with them on the issue of Israel.

In addition, a lot of Jews are uncomfortable with the apocalyptic undertones of Mr. Hagee's organization. We don't really think that one can truly "support Israel" if that support is conditioned on the second coming of Jesus and the destruction and/or forced conversion of the Jewish people to Christianity in the "end times." One simply cannot genuinely honor the Jewish people while secretly hoping for our destruction.

True support of Israel means support for the Jewish people, as we are, and of our right to religious freedom in our homeland and here in this country. Religious freedom means freedom for all religions, and freedom from interference in our religious affairs. Thus, if evangelicals really want to support Israel, they should say "we support Israel and the Jewish people," genuinely mean it, and leave it at that.

A message to evangelical Christians who "support Israel"

Please do so quietly, and don't try to involve us in your festivities of misunderstanding, distortion, and fanaticism.

We Jews are a little bit uncomfortable with those of you who "support Israel" because it fits into your apocalyptic world view that, ultimately, includes the forced conversion of all of us to Christianity.

So, Mr. John Hagee, please, your night "to honor Israel" does nothing to honor Israel. Instead, it brings to light a devious and bigoted religious agenda that has nothing to do with actually honoring the Jewish people or the Jewish state, and everything to do with advancing a fanatical Christian theocratic agenda.

Now, if you will excuse me, I will go back to being Jewish and having no plans to be converted forcefully to Christianity or burning in a lake of eternal hellfire. Thank you very much.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The long-awaited fall of a bigoted jackass

MSNBC is no longer simulcasting Don Imus's radio show.

Good.

Now all we need is for Bill Orally, Flush Limpballs, Sean Hatenity, Joe Scarbooger, and...well, all of the other blowhard right-wing asshats to say racist things and get canceled.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Hmm. I may have to change my endorsement

Bill Richardson just signed a medical marijuana bill. That takes guts.

Anyone have any thoughts on Bill Richardson?

I hate to have prematurely bumper stickered my car for Edwards...