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.

Presidential Race

This will be blunt:

Seth --

This isn't hyperbole or exaggeration:

If we don't win this election, it will be because we didn't close the spending gap when we could.

Because right now we're seeing that voters have a choice between two very different men.

And the only way someone like Mitt Romney -- who's asking Americans to put him in charge of their taxes while refusing to come clean about his own, who wants to repeal Obamacare, end Medicare as we know it and give more tax breaks to billionaires who don't need them -- defeats someone like Barack Obama, is if the other side spends us into oblivion.

Tomorrow is the most urgent fundraising deadline of this campaign so far. Will you make a donation of $3 or more today to make sure we can keep this close over the last 100 days?

It's already starting on TVs and radios in swing states, and it's not going to stop.

In the last two weeks of this month, Romney and his allies had an almost 2:1 spending advantage in Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Virginia -- and that could be the election right there.

We've got more than 2.4 million grassroots donors building this the right way.

But we're running out of time to close the money gap when it really matters.

Please donate $3 today, and help make sure our message can get through to as many voters as Mitt Romney's does:

https://donate.barackobama.com/July-Deadline

Barack and I honestly wish we could thank everyone who contributes to this campaign personally. You're our second family, you know.

Thanks,

Joe

Mr. Vice-President,

This, too, will be blunt.

It is offensive to me that you put financing this coming election on my shoulders. I will do my duty and talk about my political views, get out and vote, and push others to do the same. I'm working my ass off over here. Two jobs to help keep my family clothed, fed, housed, educated and all else. If I had money left over after that, I'd consider giving it to you. But I'd also consider giving it to other organizations who likely need it far more than you do, especially if you lose this election.

Your job, besides helping steer this great country, is to make yourself electable. Or, as it may be, re-electable. Do not insinuate that if YOU lose this election, it is because I didn't open my wallet. Get out there and tell us why we need to re-elect you and the President. Win over our hearts. Win over our votes.

I am a loyal supporter. But your message makes me feel more like an offended supporter.

Seth Mukai

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.

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.

#44

The world felt different yesterday.

I was able to watch a bit of Obama's speech whilst trying to concentrate on work tasks as well. I think just about all of us here at Yeti were listening or watching.

Cheryl and Molly came over last night and we watched the replay on TV. What an incredibly momentous day. I had tears in my eyes as I realized the history that was playing out in front of me. I had tears in my eyes for those who came before us and were not present to watch what they had helped create.

As my father said, "This is the greatest day in American history during my lifetime." I will chalk that phrase up to one of the most memorable statements he has made.

I wish you all a good morning as the morning sun shines on this new era.

MLK

On this day every year, my Mother would bake a cake and sit the family down at the dinner table to talk about Martin Luther King, Jr. What he meant to her, what he meant to our family, what he meant to the nation, what he meant to the world and what he meant for civil rights. Though the cake was there to celebrate MLK's birthday, I think Mom made the cake simply to hold our attention and keep us around the dinner table a little longer than usual. Those nights were always special to all of us.

Our plan is to continue this tradition with Emi. It will start with brownies tonight (I'm not much of a cake baker) but I am planning to learn to make a cake by this time next year.

During lunch, NPR broadcast the "I have a dream" speech in its entirety. I don't think I've ever heard it completely in the past. I was enthralled and so happy that I had taken the time to drive home to visit with Emi and Hope during lunch. If it wasn't for Hope being sick and asking me to come home, I would have been out on a road ride and would have missed the broadcast.

Tonight, at dinner, we will tell Emiko about a great man who gave his life to improve civil rights in America and around the world. It amazes me that Emi will grow up in an era where it won't be unusual for there to be a black man sitting in the Oval Office. But we will make sure that she understands that while MLK's dream has been realized, we still have battles to fight against racism, sexism, homophobia and religious zealotry.

Before we began even trying to get pregnant, I was concerned about the world we would be introducing to our child-to-be. I know now that our country continues to mature. Emiko was born into a world that has noticeably improved over the past 32 years, we have made it a better place. I am hopeful that we will continue to improve our nation in the great American experiment.

#44

I am sitting with Hope as she works on an art project for Emi. We are watching part of the inauguration party...Springsteen singing The Rising. I can't help but fight back tears of joy as I see the direction we have taken our country...a country Emi will inherit.

What an incredible turn of events. I have to admit I never thought I would see the day. MLK would be so proud.

Hope and I have decided to hold an inauguration party on Tuesday night. And we will celebrate a very special day tomorrow as well.

And we will lead Emi by the hand into a better tomorrow.

Put up or shut up

Alright everyone. Do your civic duty. Vote.

And cross your fingers.

Keep an eye on it all here.

Madelyn Dunham

I'm not one who deals well with death...I never know what to say and words always seem to become flustered and choked.

But to you, I'd like to say a simple thanks. Thank you for sharing your incredible grandson with us, for raising him to become the man who stands on the verge of history in the making. I can only hope that tomorrow's election will conclude with him as the decisive victor. It is clear that the contributions you have made to his life and education created the star he has become and that your memory will live on. We should all aspire to raise our children as you raised yours.

Pax vobiscum.

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....

Wassup?

So much for a blog that was supposed to be about parenthood and hockey.

It turned political...watch this all the way through.

God Bless John Cleese

He doesn't make nearly enough appearances these days. Can you imagine the fun Monty Python would have with this election were they still together and willing to spoof American politics?

Amendment 51

I had another NPR moment this morning listening to NPR's Colorado Matters. They were discussing Amendment 51 and whether or not Colorado should increase sales tax another percent to help pay for the developmentally disabled.

But I am not here to argue the merits of such a proposal. I'm still not sure where I stand on this matter...it seems that Colorado should be able to find some extra funding inside our current tax dollars to help handle this initiative. Then again, a couple extra cents on a sale would be a small price to pay to help families and individuals in this situation. Socialism anyone?

No, this is about Douglas Bruce who was interviewed and argues against this increase. Keep in mind that Mr. Bruce serves as a State Representative here in Colorado. A self proclaimed Ronald Reagan Republican.

Mr. Bruce had the gall to compare using tax dollars like this to George Orwell's 1984. WHAT? Mr. Bruce, have you ever read 1984? Do you have even the slightest notion as to the premise of 1984? Have you been waiting years to be able to throw "this is like 1984" into an argument?

This is a situation where the government is being upfront about a tax increase. They are telling us specifically where and why these dollars will be allocated. This is to help a group of our citizens cope with the additional stress of caring for children/adults who are unable to fully fend for themselves.

Wow. I'd say Douglas Bruce was the last person the anti-tax movement should have offered up to make an argument against Amendment 51.

That said, I'm still not sure how I will vote.

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.

OK...for real?

This is the choice McCain made for veep? For real?



Does this remind you anything?

Like...

Thanks Mom

This truly is a sincere thank you, Mom.

I was driving home tonight, from the rink of course, and I was listening to the BBC's coverage of the Republican National Convention. And I was thinking about how all of McCain's speeches lacked in substance, seemed very empty and were largely just him talking about...himself. He just sounds small when you listen to only his voice.

And I thought of all I heard during the DNC. The Clinton's pledging their very existence to Obama's canidacy. And how Obabama seems larger than life. And then I thought of this comic that I saw in Newsweek earlier tonight during dinner.

It brought a tear to my eye. I was simultaneously reminded of how we, as a family, celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King every year. Mom has always been fastidious in her yearly reminder to her sons to reflect on who MLK was, what he meant to our country and our society, what he had started but had been unable to finish.

Recent years have driven that home even more. NPR's yearly memorial to MLK have been fantastic. They have delved into MLK as a human, a man, a father, a friend. They have picked apart his words to prove that we are all his children, we are all part of his dream.

So with that, thank you Mom. MLK's dream lives on in all of us. His dream will be passed to your grandchildren as I expect you to pick up where you left off with us, celebrating his life every year.

And I hope and dream that a change will happen shortly. Imagine an African American man serving the highest post offered in the US. If only our dreams and reality are able to intertwine, the very fabric of our society will be rewoven again as we move forward. Our country can be such an amazing place....

Let's not forget that our country is still at war...Part Deux

The current word on Steve is that he is in outprocessing. The Army has seen fit to deem him medically unacceptable for deployment. His 500 day tour in Iraq is coming to a close before it even starts. Everyone is ready to do their little happy dance but we are trying to hold off until he is actually out and home with his family.

Cross your fingers...

Volunteerism

Well, I have received my first assignment for the DNC. I am driving on Thursday night from 3-11.

I have avoided writing about this too much as of late because I did not know quite what was going to happen. I received a couple of requests to sit at desks at various hotels. I sit at a desk all day long so it didn't quite seem like my cup of tea.

The real reason I haven't blogged about it? Ok...

I went to the driver orientation session out at DIA a few weeks back. It was...interesting. We met the folks in charge, we sat through a great deal of speechifying, watched an inordinately lame video on how to operate the vehicles donated by GM and then did a driving test.

Let's start with the video. This was a budget film. Done by two staffers for the DNC motor pool. Not only were their jokes incredibly poor, the sound sucked (wind blowing past the microphone the entire time) and it was poorly edited. Could I have done better? Honestly, no. But they were explaining how to unlock the car, use the a/c and adjust the mirrors. Are we really that low brow that we can not figure this out on our own?

Then there was the "driving test" which answers the previous question.

I was paired with three other volunteers and our instructor.

The first took about 3 minutes just trying to figure out how to operate the mirrors and adjust everything to fit properly. The volunteer also spent a ridiculous amount of time checking out the features of this brand new car. Then, we were carefully backed out of the space and off for the first driving test. This went ok but the steering movements were jerky and I was incredibly uncomfortable in the backseat since the volunteer rolled the front window down (on a 110 degree day...I'm not kidding) and proceeded to drive down the highway at 65.

The second was not any better nor any more memorable. I drove third. And then there was the fourth....

The vehicle was floored away from our stop at the airport terminal. We were doing 45 mph over speedbumps in a 25 area. Then, hard on the brakes when trying to merge. And we were jerked all over the road as the operator veered from lane to lane whilst trying to drive in a straight line. I was holding on to the holy shit handle in back...white knuckled. I was happy to get out of the car back at the depot. But this final operator couldn't figure out how to open the door. Continuous pulls at the door handle but to no avail. A cursory glance at the door lock (locked) and then additional pulls which ended in the same result.

These people will be driving our elected officials around Denver. Elected. Congress and Legislature. From both the national and state level. VIPs for the convention.

We have our best and our brightest on the job. I go to work on Thursday....