Just say NO

Elizabeth Taylor RIP. I liked her in a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff. 

But we are an obsessed culture; obsessed with icons that at most give us a momentary diversion from the daily grind, give us a pretend life to wish for in the hope that the reality of daily life might suddenly turn into eternal sunshine, rainbows without rain, and blankets of wildflowers in late spring that last forever. 

The country, and probably the globe, spent much of last week mourning Ms. Taylor. During that time several thousand more dead were found in Japan, and because of radiation issues, thousands more are dying without knowing that they are. Ordinary people, who want a different life in the middle-east, have died or been imprisoned as they fight for change. And the two wars that Obama should have shut down immediately continue to kill.

I’m not offering a plate of sour grapes, nor do I want to take away from Ms. Taylor's life or death, but instead of mourning one human’s passing we should celebrate that one human—Ms. Taylor—singlehandedly forced our collective conscience to recognize HIV-AIDS as a serious disease, to force our leaders to recognize that to ignore this disease was unconscionable, that the disease preys on all equally: poor, uneducated, rich, gay, straight.

In forcing us—especially our “leaders”—to look at the disease she was a driven person. She refused to give up, refused to hear the word no, refused to accept that apathy and prejudice were a family value.

It is this same attitude that we must use to take back our government, reshape our economy, develop a forum for civil dialogue, and say NO to extremists—the Tea Party (America’s Taliban) and the politicians who superficially embrace them--who would redesign our country into a society mired in contention, hate, and a severe loss of rights for those who disagree with their agenda.

Will Whacko Politics become Mainstream?

It has been a strange legislative season across the country. The Democrats in Wisconsin fled the state to avoid a show-down over the anti-union bill. It didn't make a difference. The Republicans re-wrote some floor rules and passed it anyway. Will the legislation stand up to legal scrutiny? Who knows. The Democrats allegedly ran off to Illinois. Why? I've been to that state. Other than hanging out in some of the great blues clubs in Chicago, if it had been me, I would have headed to a southern California beach or a ski resort in Colorado. Ronald Reagan was born and raised in Illinois which may give you some idea of my feeling for the place.  Lincoln, Grant, and Obama were living in the state when they became President. Reagan had the record for the most significant increases in national debt until the Bush dynasty got finished with us. In a ranking of Presidents who have lead the charge to increase our debt load since Eisenhower, all have been Republicans starting with Nixon, then Reagan, and finally the Bush dad and son.
Source: CBO Historical Budget Page and Whitehouse FY 2011 Budget - Table 7.1 Federal Debt at the End of Year

But I digress. I try hard not to pound on any one party, instead I try to shame and humiliate both major parties equally. Both groups bear responsibility for our ecologic, economic, and social erosion. Both parties are, after all, controlled by the same big businesses.

The legislative season in Utah this year was especially troubling. Our single party legislature, who pride themselves on family values, low taxes, and limited government finally came out of the political closet. They tried and or succeeded in doubling the food tax, moved to legalize concealed weapons in public schools, went after women's rights through the limitations put on abortion, brought back the silver and gold standard, made xenophobia legal, tried to get a sweet deal for developer friends by trying to sell off the state prison grounds, limited spending on drug prevention and treatment and increased spending for prisons, and enacted legislation that further hid what government did in our state. There were a multitude of other crazy ideas and Gary el Pendejo Herbert has so far signed everything that he could find in his in-basket. And they aren't finished. They have until midnight tonight to pass more egregious mayhem. Stay tuned buckaroos! Keep a hand on your wallet and wear body armor. And if you're a minority carry several forms of proof that you're an American.