Chick-fil-A

I do not know why I avoided this for so long. But I have. And I feel shame.

We live in a country where we can stand up and make our voice be heard. We are free to be on either side of the issue. We can teach and guide our children in our beliefs. We can do the same with a company, a school or a group we found. We can hang it all out there.

To this end, I applaud Chick-fil-A. Good for them for shutting down on Sunday, there is nothing wrong with that. They follow the belief system set out for them by the religion they subscribe to. They voiced an opinion that will gain them a certain following but will lose them a group of consumers as well. In a world that often hides behind the guise and anonymity of the internet (hmm...does the finger point at me here?), they truly put their money where their mouth is.

History will find Chick-fil-A wrong. In fact, on a certain level, history probably already has. That is the beauty of history. But their rote dedication to the instruction of their religion will become their downfall. 

The beauty of the human race is that we learn, we evolve, we study our past mistakes. Our forefathers dealt with social issues of their time, it is our turn to deal with the issues we are confronted with today

If you have time, read this CNN.com article by Sarah Aarthun. If not, know that there are plenty who are willing to stand in opposition of Chick-fil-a.

"But at the local level, Chick-fil-A is meeting resistance from city officials in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney sent a letter to Cathy this week, telling the CEO in blunt terms to "take a hike and take your intolerance with you," and vowing to introduce a resolution at the next council meeting condemning the company.

"There is no place for this type of hate in our great City of Brotherly and Sisterly Affection," Kenney wrote.

San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee tweeted: "Closest #ChickFilA to San Francisco is 40 miles away & I strongly recommend that they not try to come any closer."

Mayor Emanuel, a Democrat, said this week that "Chick-fil-A's values are not Chicago values. They're not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members."

And in Boston, where Chick-fil-A is considering opening a location, Mayor Thomas Menino, also a Democrat, made it clear the chain would not be welcome.

"I don't want an individual who will continue to advocate against people's rights. That's who I am and that's what Boston's all about," he said."

This CNN.com article by Sarah Aarthun as well.

"The Jim Henson Co., whose Jim Henson's Creature Shop toys have been served up in Chick-fil-A's meals for kids, announced last week that it would no longer associate itself with the chain.
 
"The Jim Henson Co. has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over 50 years and we have notified Chick-fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors,” the company said on its Facebook page."

We are making progress. Too slow at times but despite the resistance, we are moving forward.

Shame on you

What is the purpose of government? I am here to suggest that the purpose of government is to look out for those who can not look out for themselves. As individuals, we can not always rise to meet the challenges that strike at our core. Which is why we rely on our government to respond for us as a collective.

Government supports a police force to protect its citizens. Fire departments to protect citizens from danger. First responders to respond to tragedy. National guard to respond to disaster. Military force to protect the nation from danger.

North Carolina passed an initiative that amends the state constitution to make civil unions illegal. The STATE CONSTITUTION. This bypasses a law that was already in effect that made civil unions illegal. Apparently that wasn't good enough. This is a law that in 20 years will be overturned. Why? It isn't a party line thing. The split was age. The older generations are against civil unions. The younger generations have realized that homophobia is the next civil rights battle ground. But the thing that hurts the most is that the same people who stood with MLK on civil rights for African Americans are now drawing a line in the sand and stating that their religious doctrines say that homosexuality is a sin. Shame on you for not seeing the hypocrisy in this. Shame on you for not standing up for your brothers and sisters who are now fighting a civil rights battle. Shame on your for not realizing the bible says many things and that you must cull the items which no longer make sense in our world.

Closer to home, here in Colorado, the GOP effectively blocked a civil unions bill by preventing any debate on the floor which, in turn, prevents an up-down vote on the bill itself. At some point, you people need to realize you are standing on the wrong side of history. While homophobia will never disappear, the tide is turning as you age yourselves out of the way. I only hope that you realize how wrong you are, the legacy you are leaving in your wake and at some point either step aside or concede that your younger generation will overturn your shameful decisions. Shame on you, House Speaker Frank McNulty, for keeping this from a vote. Your fear should not prevent the rest of Colorado from making a decision. Your fear should not prevent the government from creating a stance for those who have been bullied, derided, abused and discriminated against. Shame on you for forgetting that government is created to protect those in the minority, those who need the support and protection of a larger entity, those who are simply looking for the same rights afforded to their fellow citizens.

Finally...shame on me. Shame on me for not lending a more active voice. Shame on me for not taking the time to stand shoulder to shoulder with others who stood in support at our state Capitol. Shame on me for not setting an example to my children that we must be more politically active.

With that, I climb down from my soap box.

It's not about your politics

(Credit: Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

It's not about your politics, it's about being part of a team. As a team, you either live together or die alone.

Tim Thomas decided to forgo a celebration at the White House for last year's Stanley Cup victory.  I initially felt that it is his prerogative to decline an invitation from the President. Thomas' team released several statements about how it was not a mandatory event, that it was his choice, that it was his politics.

And then I read Thomas' horseshit Facebook post which he didn't have the chutzpah to post before his teammates and his general manager had to begin fielding questions regarding his noticeable absence.

Thomas' message: "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL. This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT" 

Really? It isn't the Democrats and it isn't the Republicans? At least try being honest. It is about Obama. Admit it. Have the balls to admit it! Of course you have the right to decline the invitation to the White House. We all do. But this was your opportunity to voice your opinion about what is going on in your country with the man America elected President. You could have taken the time to talk to him quietly about your view of politics in Washington. You could have posted to Facebook that while you don't agree with politics in Washington, you took the opportunity to express any of your concerns with the President of the United States. But rather than standing up with your teammates, you stood up alone.

As my father so aptly put it, if Thomas can't see past the politics to celebrate as a team, how will he feel about teammates who have alternative political views? How will they feel about laying down to block a shot for him? How about trying to slow down a forward crashing the net?

Tim Thomas, you have disgraced the nation. You have disgraced the American jersey you wore in the Olympics. You have disappointed me. I shared in New England's excitement when the Bruins finally won the Stanley Cup last year. Now, I will never be able to root for a team you play for. 

Finally, your actions took the spotlight away from a team that deserved to celebrate their victory. You are the black sheep that sullied that party. You have to live with being "that guy." You really do stand alone.

601(e.2)

I am struggling with this one. I am sitting in front of a computer screen, far too late at night, trying to transcribe thoughts to words.

I was called many names growing up in Central Maine. It was, unfortunately, inevitable as I was one of a handful of Asians who lived in the area. And really, the other two I knew were my brothers. So racial slurs are nothing new to me. And I've been called every name under the sun as the kids I grew up with in grade school tried to find a label that would get my attention. They ran through a litany of Asian epithets as they tried to determine if I was Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese.... Then they started in on the color of my skin: black, yellow, brown, red.... They tried to determine if my eyes were slanted up or down.

However, once I put the skates on at 5, things changed. Names on the playground persisted but in the rink, we were all equal. In 30 years of playing, coaching and officiating hockey, I have never once heard one player turn to an opponent and reference their cultural background. I never had a player come after me with a racial epithet. I have been told it happened and addressed as an official with players and coaches but I have never dealt with it first hand.

Until tonight.

Thursday nights are usually cake walks. We have this one league pretty well trained and all we do is drop the puck, call icings, offside and goals, and joke around with the players. Occasionally we may have to put our hand in the air for a hook or hold. And, of course, there have been less than a handful of fights over the years. But generally, we do not have to deal with aggressive penalties.

Tonight, that all changed. Tonight, I wanted to take the referee sweater off and go after a player. Tonight, we had a Bertuzzi-esque fight that ended with a third player entering into the fray and calling the instigator of the fight the "n" word.

It angers me that racism still exists. I know in my heart that racism will never die. But I continue to have hope that someday we will be able to quell it.

We learn so many lessons on the ice. I hate to think the lesson this guy will eventually learn because the hockey gods frown on this behavior and karma will, ultimately, come back to haunt him. For all I know, he may never play in this league again and I would never, ever feel badly about that.

I am lucky since, as the official, I have a rulebook that I can throw at a player in an instance like this. I can and did bounce a player from the game in this situation. But as a player at heart, I wanted to put the whistle away and go after him. Logic and common sense tempered my anger tonight. Yet still I am crestfallen that my children will still have to confront racism and intolerance at some point in their lives.

There is still a long road in front of us. Tolerance, on so many different levels, has still not fully taken hold. But as long as we continue down this path to creating a better home and a better world, perhaps be will some day reach that distant vanishing point.

Oh Gibson

I've always wanted, oh how I've wanted, a guitar from the namesake company of our dog, Gibson. It has always been one of those things I have kept on my internal bucket list. Until this morning.

I followed a link to this article about how Gibson, the guitar company, has been pulling strings on the right wing side to allow it to continue to import outlawed wood. If you read deep enough into the article body, and you really should...there are four separate pages, you will see that Martin and Taylor have not only followed the letter of the law, they also support the ideal of the law as well.

I'm disappointed. I don't love my boy any less. But the fact that his namesake continues to flagrantly disregard a law that is trying not only to protect our world's environment but also support American jobs in the logging industry. I know my money will not be going to the Gibson guitar company.

#44

I have been silent, politically speaking, recently.

Politics are what they are...seems like certain things never change.

Today frustrated me immensely. Why in the world do we need to extend the Bush era tax cuts to those earning $250k or more a year? Why? Can someone please explain this to me?

Why do the Democrats continue to kowtow to the Republican pressures and allow this? Take the fight to the streets. Explain to the dirt poor constituents in the Republican stronghold down south that the reason taxes are going back up is because the Republicans refused to extend the tax break because the rich were not included in the break.

All this to get an extension on unemployment benefits? Take that out into the streets and let the populace know that Republicans are fighting against it as well. See how well that flies within their constituency.

C'mon #44, grow a sack and get people mad. You are there to make a difference. You are there to make a change. Prove it to me. Be our leader, not our great conciliator.

Lesson Plan 2 - MLK Jr

Emiko, every year, my mother, your Noni, sat us down on MLK day, made us a cake for MLK's birthday, and we discussed what MLK meant to us.

My mother sent me the following email today.

Tomorrow is the celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday. Remember - ... they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character..."

Have we gotten any closer to this?

mom

I spent some time thinking her question before I responded.

Every day we are taking a step. Sometimes it is in the right direction, some days it isn't. For the most part, we are moving in the right direction.

Unfortunately, racism lives on, not only in our country but also in our world. And it is not only racism but discrimination too. Discrimination based on gender, skin color, income, sexual orientation, religion or political leaning.

I'd like to think that MLK would not want us to look back at him and his accomplishments. The civil rights movement he helped start was never about just him, he was not that selfish. I think he'd rather have us reflect on what WE have done and what WE need to do as individuals to move the civil rights movement forward.

It is a battle that is not yet over. Some day, the color of a person's skin will be irrelevant. Someones sexual orientation will some day have no bearing on their ability to profess their mutual love to the world. The religious right and the liberal left will eventually see that it isn't so much about beliefs as it is individuals core moral values that are shared by both sides.

We can all keep moving forward together under the inspirational memory of what MLK started. This great experiment of a nation we live in will ultimately be a leader in civil rights. We will remember MLK for his vision, his bravery and his guidance. His dream lives on in all of us.

I love you.

Dad

Automotive ruin

Chrysler claims it is shutting down production for four weeks due to the current economic crisis.

No.

a. Nobody wants to buy their shitty cars. Honda and Toyota continue to be successful.
b. People are still buying cars, they just are choosing to spend their money on more economical and reliable cars (see a.).
c. Chrysler shuts down for 2 weeks every year. Don't use the additional 2 week shutdown as loosely veiled propaganda as to why the US government needs to bail you out. The public is far smarter than that these days. I hope.

That's all. Sorry for the profanity Mom.

Put up or shut up

Alright everyone. Do your civic duty. Vote.

And cross your fingers.

Keep an eye on it all here.

Dirty Politics

This is what it comes to. Call center workers walking out of their paid jobs because their script is too slimy.

Attacks on Obama trying to strike fear into our hearts because he opposed protecting kids from danger.

Giuliani himself claiming that Obama "opposes mandatory prison sentences." You have to note that he has struck the fact that Obama opposes MINIMUM mandatory prison sentences.

Karl Rove politics are alive, well and just as dirty as they have been in the past. I can't wait to see what turns up during the polling day. And finally, I am truly disappointed in the man McCain has shown himself to be. A politician I had admired in the past as a Republican I would have voted for is now showing where his values lie.

Despicable comes to mind....

Why we need to vote

Everyone should read this article. All ten pages. Take the time to read it all the way through, it is worth it, I promise. I'm not going to summarize it. I'll warn you that it takes a bit of time to get through. If you are subscribers to Rolling Stone, you may have already seen it.

Enjoy.

The Personhood Initiative

I love my morning dose of NPR. I was actually yelling at my radio this morning during my drive to work. Mind you, this has nothing to do with the basis of the actual story but the fact that a person did not have the willingness to speak of her convictions.

Colorado Public Radio does a fantastic job of finding interesting stories, getting far more in depth and asking probing questions. This morning, CPR interviewed three young adults who are getting more involved in politics. They found a young Republican, Democrat and Independent.

The young Republican was a 20 year old woman named Kristi Burton. She is working on the "Personhood Initiative" which all Coloradoans will be voting on this year and claims to be the spokesperson for said initiative. They are working "To see that the Colorado state constitution is amended to include pre-born from the moment of fertilization as having their "personhood" clearly established, so that they may enjoy equal protection under the law."

It is fairly clear the inquiring mind that this is the first step toward making abortion illegal. But would she admit this? Not at all. However, the CPR interviewer had the chutzpa to continue pushing this point. Eventually, Kristi was willing to admit that she didn't like abortion much. And finally, after additional prodding, Kristi came out with the statement that it is truly a movement toward condemning abortion.

My political views aside, if this is what you are focused on, have the nerve to speak to your convictions. Don't dance around and try to avoid answering the question. If you don't like, believe in or appreciate abortion, just say so. I felt like I was listening to a candidate bobbing and weaving. What a senseless waste....

Now, should I get started on the tenets of The Personhood Initiative? Naw, it's too easy....

We are at war

This is not for the squeamish.

I received an email with a video attachment moments ago. The video is of an A-10 warplane firing on a group of four soldiers.

Mind you, I'm not one to be turned off by a violent movie or novel. But those are images of fiction. This turned my stomach. Have we become so callous to what our American soldiers face every day that we can watch a trigger video and feel giddy about killing our "enemy"? That we have put American men and women into a position where they have to kill? That we, as a whole, only lament the fact that our armed services have to spend more time in Iraq? Afghanistan? Have we forgotten what we have sent them there to do? How that will affect them for the rest of their lives? That they, too, have guns aimed at their heads every day?

Is this what has happened to us? We view a video of four men being killed as entertainment for the masses? We can joke about it and post incredibly inhumane comments that are completely anonymous? This is sick.

I become, more and more, my mother's son with every passing day.

What are you going to do?

This past winter, Hope and I traveled back to Maine for the holidays. We got to see many close friends, folks we simply live too far away from.

One night, we were invited to a small party at Brandon's casa. After an amazing dinner (everything he cooks is amazing), we sat around playing a really goofy board game and then ended up in a conversation about politics.

Rob and Heather are from Maine but living in Australia. Brandon grew up in Maine and never left. Hope and I are from Maine (actually, Hope is from Alaska) and live in Colorado. We all share similar views and all agreed that we are voting the same way. Ultimately, that is 5 votes going to the right (or left, if you will) side. But that's not enough.

We concluded that simply discussing the same issues among friends would not be enough. We aren't going to change each other's minds and we don't need to. A simple vote, while important, is not necessarily enough to ensure a victory for the Democrats. We needed to become more involved. We needed to spend some time trying to lend a hand beyond the one that pulls the lever at the ballot box.

Hope caucused this year for Obama. I stayed home since I am a registered Independent. As summer progressed, I continued to have the same conversations with friends and continued to ask what we are going to do to help out. But I never really asked myself what I would do.

Another conversation with a like minded individual opened up the idea of volunteering for the convention in Denver. And that is exactly what I am going to do. I have signed up as a volunteer. I have received my ticket for the orientation. I have found at least one other person from my neighborhood to carpool with. And I head down to be orientated on Saturday.

I will not, however, drink the koolaid.

The slackjaws

Had another run in with the slackjawed kids from next door the other day.

One of them was inside the garage playing around and the other burst in through the open door and exclaimed, "What the hell is going on in here?"

My calm response was that "we don't use that kind of language in this house." The child had a blank look on his face. Not unlike the one that past across my mind.

An internal conversation began immediately. "What the f**k did I just say? We don't use that kind of language, what the f**k does that mean? Who am I, Ned Flanders? Hi diddly ho neighbor-ino, what can I do-diddly-do you for?"

I'm in a flat spin out to sea....

Things I love

News such as this make me happy.

I know I'm up way too late. But this just makes me giddy. I'm glad to see Maine is on the right side of the sword when it comes to homosexual rights. Cutting edge? No... but leading edge I can work with.

I told Hope years ago that I refused to marry until my gay friends were afforded the same right by our government. Granted, we all now know who wears the pants in this relationship but I still know that there is no reason they are denied the ultimate expression of their love in front of the families, friends and peers. The right wing party even managed to win an election by getting out the vote based on the pervasive Christian fear of homosexuality. I know, I know. Not ALL Christians...I wasn't talking about YOU.

Well, John Q. Public spoke up in Maine. $821 in contributions? "Yes for Marriage and Equality" is a joke. I can only hope their latent homophobia is dragged out to some far reach in Maine and left to rot in a swamp somewhere. Actually, that's too good a burial. Run it through the Portland sewage treatment plant and send those cleansed waters out to sea. The one thing that irks me is that they found 5,000 signatures to affix to their petition. Then again, that's what? .4% of the overall population? I know, we'll annex Coburn Gore to to Canada and let the Quebecois deal with them!

Let's usher in a new era. Somehow, we are going to fix this country one step at a time. I know we can't bend everyones vantage to our liberal panorama but hopefully we can at least let them see how an open mind will not destroy that which our founding fathers and mothers set forth for us oh so long ago. 

Thank you, my fellow Mainers, for helping lead the way in these uncertain times. Thank you for proving that a rural state can still be open minded. Thank you for making me smile and laugh so late at night. Thank you for doing the right thing. Thank you.

Next on the agenda... getting rid of Maine's "boiled lobster" license plate!

XKCD Redux

I hate to post nearly twice in a row about this comic strip but here I am.

Check this one out.

Now, while my good humor can elicit a smile while reading this, I find the actual message far more poignant when I think about friends and family who are native. And I think of the conversations...arguments, really...that I have had with others about the concept of one national language.

My thoughts turn to the things we, as Americans, forget. The lessons which I thought we as a nation had learned (or should have learned) long ago continue to haunt us. Immigration. Nationalism. Wrongful internment. Gay rights. Civil rights (and yes, they are two separate and equally important things...MLK would shake his head at the lack of progress in 2008). Gender equality. Education. Fiscal responsibility. Environmentalism. Health care. Justice. Separation of church and state. My, how this list goes on.

These are battles our parents have fought but it is time for us to take over the reins and ensure that our nation continues to learn and grow in the right direction. My friends, when will WE stand up and make a difference?