Cyberspatialniche
Bryan & Patrick\’s Thoughts, Online Since 1999Obama’s Open Letter to Gay Americans
Posted on February 28, 2008I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans. Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBTAmericans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation.
In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.
Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system. The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.
We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma – too often tied to homophobia – that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones – and that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention.
I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached. Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBTAmericans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary. Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.
(from Andrew Sullivan’s blog)
For What Its “Worth”
Posted on February 06, 2008Here’s a comparison of the major candidates’ net worth. I bring this up because Hillary Clinton just took out a $5 million loan to help pump up her campaign efforts. Combine that with this interesting nugget:
Mr. Obama also has a money advantage because he has raised more money from small donations than Mrs. Clinton. An analysis by the Campaign Finance Institute, which tracks trends in political money, found that Mr. Obama raised about a third of his money in 2007 from donors who gave $200 or less. Only one-third of his money came from donors who have given the legal maximum of $2,300, compared to Mrs. Clinton who raised about half of her money from “maxed out” donors and only 14% from donors of $200 or less.
Even with the lobbyist money and decently large personal wealth, Clinton is still trailing behind Obama in money. Clinton’s river may run deep, but Obama’s runs deep and wide. And 2/3 of it are from people like you and me, not big corporations, not from donors who max out!
from Obama’s speech last night in Chicago:
The hope of the father who goes to work before dawn and lies awake with doubt that tells him he cannot give his children the same opportunities that someone gave him. Yes, he can.
(Crowd says in unison, “Yes, he can.”)
We are the hope of the woman who hears that her city will not be rebuilt, that she cannot somehow claim the life that was swept away in a terrible storm. Yes, she can.
(Crowd says in unison, “Yes, she can.”)
We are the hope of the future, the answer to the cynics who tell us our house must stand divided, that we cannot come together, that we cannot remake this world as it should be.
We know that we have seen something happen over the last several weeks, over the past several months. We know that what began as a whisper has now swelled to a chorus that cannot be ignored — (cheers, applause) — that will not be deterred, that will ring out across this land as a hymn that will heal this nation — (cheers, applause) — repair this world, make this time different than all the rest. Yes, we can.
Lessig on Obama
Posted on February 05, 2008Internet law guru Lawrence Lessig’s very reasoned explanation on why he supports Obama and how several recent attacks on him by the Clinton campaign are either outright lies or, at best, intentionally misleading.
Why I Endorse Obama (and not Clinton)
Posted on February 05, 2008
I have absolutely nothing against Hillary Clinton as a person. I likewise believe that we’re way over-due as a country in having a woman lead us as President. That said, I reject what the last 16 years of our politics have left us with – divisions. I see Hillary Clinton, if elected, as bringing an extension of the same liberal vs. conservative conflict that we’ve endured since her husband’s time in the White House. Her political tactics are too strategic, too careful, too (dare I say the word) calculated for my taste, reminding me very much of her husband’s and more recently, those of one Karl Rove.
I have read/listened to Barack Obama’s two books, I have listened to several of his more rousing speeches, and I have read his much of his campaign platform. I agree with him completely on voting against the Iraq war, seeing it for what it was, a convenient extension on a justifiable war against terrorists that ultimately has led to far more death and destabilization in that region that would have resulted in a continuation of the existing containment policy. I agree with him that universal health care should not be mandated but provided by the government working within the free market. I want net neutrality, guaranteeing that our bits are treated as equals as they transit the internet and that no private company or government agency is allowed to suppress our speech or invade our privacy. I want an executive branch that is balanced by the two other branches and will strive to reach across the political aisle to find a consensus, not constantly and bitterly battle over politically useful issues.
I’ve campaigned for the first time over the last few weeks for Orlando4Obama, and it has been remarkably empowering! I’ve worked with men and women of all races, ages, religions, and orientations in this campaign, all of them “fired up” and “ready to go” for Obama. They all believe, as do I, that Barack Obama not only has the ability to beat any Republican opponent but also, once the election is behind him, lead us in restoring hope in the power of the people to make government better!
Get informed about the various candidates’ platforms, listen to what they have to say. Get excited about your chosen candidate, spread their word, and inform others. Don’t vote out of ignorance or choose the lesser of evils, get fired up! Yes we can take back government, but it will only happen if we all take ownership in making it better.
That’s what Obama has campaigned on, and that’s why I will continue to spread the word about him.
Why Didn’t He Run??
Posted on January 23, 2008I voted from Al Gore back in 2000, and I try not to think about how different things would be today had my dear home state not screwed up so spectacularly. Had he run for President again, I would have supported him without second thought. Now, I just wonder if he’ll step up and publicly endorse any of the current candidates before the primaries are largely done. The very fact that he hasn’t yet endorsed any candidate might speak to his hesitance to support another Clinton administration, but not out-right wanting to publicly dis them either. Or he just wants to stay out of it altogether. Either way, his thoughts on gay marriage ought to ring loudly in the ears of all the candidates for the Democratic nomination.
Smearing Obama
Posted on January 17, 2008While I’m certainly more sensitive to smears against Obama than any other of the candidates, I still believe that Obama has had to handle more than his fair share of nasty misinformation. What blows my mind are that some of my friends and family have believed or even passed along these claims. Here are some of the more pernicious ones and their factual responses.
Obama is a secretive Muslim – He’s actually a Christian, not that it should matter.
Obama belongs to a blacks-only church – His church Trinity Church of Christ, though predominantly black, welcomes anyone regardless of their color.
Obama won’t support Israel – Obama has frequently acknowledged the importance of supporting Israel, though not without acknowledging the plight of the Palestinians.
Obama doesn’t have enough experience – Though this one is less a smear than a simple opinion, Obama has actually been an elected official for longer than Hillary Clinton.
Finally, here’s Obama himself speaking to a paper in Nevada. In lieu of reading and/or listening to his two books, this interview is an excellent snapshot capturing a little bit of why I support him over any other candidate.
Random Musings – Digest Edition
Posted on September 04, 2007Politics
Larry Craig – so gay/bi-curious it hurts me just to type it. I’m sorry that he’s so repressed/horny that he feels the need to cruise airport restrooms. It’s bad enough coming out when you’re young and still learning life, so I can only imagine what it must be like dealing with these issues when your life is mostly behind you. Still, to stake your political career shingle in the anti-gay GOP these days and somehow try to be gay, albeit in a very secretive, sneaky way, is just hypocritical at the very best.
Come out of the closet, Larry. Take a cue from former NJ governor McGreevey (or even CO minister Ted Haggard) and just admit what happened. You’ve already plead guilty, so it will only help your conscience catch up with the law.
TV, Comedy, and Movies
Seriously, the writers of Showtime’s Weeds have just completely gone off the deep-end. Things are either abjectly depressing or batshit insane! I miss the first season’s funny, mostly formulaic stories, though the religious community storyline might just save everything for me.
Loving The Closer and Saving Grace on TNT. Why can’t networks make more solid drama’s like these? Ugh, sounds like I’m writing TNT’s ad copy now! Seriously, thees shows are well-crafted police procedurals with interesting characters! Take that CSI: Everywhere and Law & Order! Now, if only we could keep Holly Hunter from taking off any more clothes!
Speaking of Holly Hunter, thanks to The Sound of Young America podcast, I’m now officially a fan of the comedian Patton Oswalt. I had, of course, seen him on the Comedy Central roasts, and heard him as the voice of Remy in Pixar’s gorgeous Ratatouille. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to experience his stand-up, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Two great, recent summer movies – Stardust and Bourne Ultimatum. I also saw Hairspray, but I think I still prefer the original movie and the non-movie musical more. It was decent, but it didn’t really transcend the originals as Chicago ,The Producers, and even possibly Rent did. Next up, Elizabeth: the Golden Age!!
Video Games (and other geeky stuff)
String of great games – Bioshock (360), Puzzle Fighter HD (360), Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii), all absolutely amazing. What little time I have left at the end of my longer days, I now sacrifice to them gladly. While Bioshock and Metroid are at least finite games that I’ll probably play through only once or twice, Puzzle Fighter is the game that will probably steal away most of my life. With its various incarnations to date, I’ve probably spent about 1/8th of my life so far clearing its gems and dropping devastating drops on my opponents.
Now with the new version on the XBox Live Arcade, I can waste ever increasing hours of my life defeating random opponents around the world. Yeah…<sarcasm>my life is exciting!</sarcasm> I guess its either that, reading my weekly (yeah, I’m an addict again) batch of comics, listening/watching the latest TWIT or Rev3 podcast, or updating my stupid Facebook page.
Lastly, I just want to send a huge THANK YOU to the BBC for doing whatever they could to hang on to David Tennant and Russell T. Davies (et al) for the next two series of Doctor Who. Yeah, 2009 will be kinda sucky with only the occasional special, but I’d gladly have that than potentially losing the creative team that has made it so awesome. With Battlestar Galactica now approaching its end, it will be a small comfort to know that, as it has for over 40 years, the Doctor remains.
Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb
Posted on March 23, 2007
Not surprisingly, your average American doesn’t know much about the world’s major religions. I admit, I have a slight advantage having been taught from cradle to college at Christian schools, but I did miss a few of the questions on their quiz, specifically those surround Catholicism. In spite of learning about Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, my religious education was woefully lacking in the practice of the original, universal church. It should, then, be no surprise that some of my teachers in high school considered Catholicism as removed from “true” Christianity as other religions.
Speaking of not-quite-Christianity, here’s a flub SO MASSIVE by Mitt Romney that its almost as if someone were trying to embarrass him. His success or (likely) failure as a conservative Republican candidate will be so fascinating to watch! I cannot see how fundamentalist, evangelical Christians will come to terms with his not being truly “saved”, by their standards anyway. Likewise with his rather pronounced “flip-flops” on issues like homosexuality and abortion. Or the fact that he was the governor of such a bastion of liberalism – Massachusetts.
Who’s Side Should I Be On?
Posted on February 25, 2007Now stop me if you’ve heard this one. An outspokenly anti-gay Baptist pastor walks into a bar. He tries to pickup a guy for some of the ol’ nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more. Hijinks (by way of the police, a nosy public prosecutor, and the ACLU) ensue.
I’m conflicted between my want to see hypocrisy punished and my need to protect every adult citizen’s right to engage in lewd, consensual acts with each other. I can only imagine how conflicted a parishioner of this man’s must feel…oh wait, I forgot about that whole “hate the sin, persecute the sinner” routine. Yeah, they’re probably ready to just run him out of town on a rail.
Karl Rove is a Dick!
Posted on October 28, 2006
Seriously, listen to this interview with NPR’s Robert Seigel. If any of you have ever listened to Robert Seigel on NPR, you know that he’s not exactly a confrontational radio host. Yet Rove decided that he was biased and brought some theatrics straight from the AM side of the dial. Here’s the money quote:
“You may end up with a different math, but you’re entitled to your math,” Rove said. “I’m entitled to ‘the’ math!“
Voting Record for the 109th Congress
Posted on September 29, 2006Click here to see the Voting Record for 109th Congress. Checking how your senators and house reps voted on key issues this past Congress is the most accurate way to determine how you’ll vote in a few weeks. After checking the recent vote on the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (aka the torture/enemy combatants bill), I was very disappointed to see Senator Bill Nelson vote to approve it. This doesn’t mean I’ll vote against him in November, given that his opponent is, well, Katherine Harris crazy.
Also curious enough is the fact that our House Representative Ric Keller actually didn’t vote. I wrote letters to all three of our Congressional representatives expressing my concerns about the potential implications of that bill, and only Senator Mel Martinez’s office wrote a letter back. The letter was actually quite well written, and though it didn’t change my mind, it certainly made me appreciate the job Martinez and his staff are doing in the Senate. Now if only we could get him to not pander to the Christian conservative base.
Anyway, check out the voting record, get informed on the issues, and vote in November. Its the least you can do as a citizen of these United States. And quite frankly, given the way things are going, we need all the informed voters we can get.
Write Your Representative/Senator
Posted on September 26, 2006If you live in Florida, here’s who you should talk to about issues up for vote in the Congress.
Your Local House Representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Senator Mel Martinez – http://martinez.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.ContactForm
Senator Bill Nelson – http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Please write to them about your concerns, whatever they may be.
Shadow of the Torturer
Posted on September 21, 2006Our President is currently demanding legislation that would prevent individuals accused of terror-related crimes from seeing classified evidence against them and would allow the US to “specify” its understanding of the definitions of torture as found by the globally accepted Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. Three leading Republican Senators, former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former Regan Secretary of State George Schultz, among others, are standing up to these demands. Watch our petulant Commander-in-Chief responding to these Republicans below.
“It is unacceptable to think…,” he said. Should any leader of the United States ever utter such words that seem to question someone’s very right to have or express thoughts with which they disagree? Do we really think that we have the moral high-ground to reinterpret the Geneva Conventions for the rest of the world without a reratification of those conventions? After the horrors of Abu Graib and some of the alleged abuses at Guantanamo Bay, can we really be trusted to change our laws related to torture to potentially forgive some of the torturers that our leaders have authorized and payed for?
Torture is immoral. Torture has been shown not to produce reliable intelligence. Jack Bauer might make it look heroic, but remember that he is only a fictional character. Torture should not be made legal, acceptable, or laudable in our world. President Bush must be stopped, and I can only be thankful that John McCain is one of those Senate Republicans brave enough to risk political peril to take a stand.
Rants
Posted on July 28, 2006Anyone who thinks Robert Wexler is foolish for his now immortal interview on the Colbert Report is absolutely clueless and tragically unhip. Any politician willing to be put in such an uncertain and potentially damaging situation as that should be given props for the bravery alone, nevermind those that go that extra step to help Colbert deliver the funny. I’m proud that the Congressman represents my district of birth, and I wish him all the best in representing the constituents in South Florida.
While I’m on a somewhat angry roll, I’d also like to make this observation – no one can force you to change your mind without resorting to brainwashing or perhaps blackmail. At the end of the day, only you can decide what you believe. Whether or not you defer your decisions to religious leaders, politicans, pundits, authors, whoever, or just plain figure out things for yourself, is your choice alone. In particular, people who go on the show 30 Days are not forced to believe anything different after their experiences. This might be bleedingly obvious to most of you, but there was actually some debate about this over lunch today. Some coworkers of mine were actually critical that the show “forces people to change their minds” about such issues as whether or not “all Muslims are terrorists.” Seriously.
Oh yeah, and this whole “we should just nuke the Middle-East” bit is getting really tired, not that it was ever anything more than a horribly glib, hopefully sardonic remark. The region has problems, to be sure, but lest we forget just how contentious the America’s, Europe, Africa, and Asia have all been throughout world history. The vast majority of the people in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc. etc. are all people just like you and I. They’re part of families, have their own dreams and art, and ultimately just want to live their lives in peace. The extremists, whether they be Jewish, Muslim, Christian, whatever, are in the minority. They just unfortunately have gotten into positions of power through the abuse of their religions and vacuums of secular leadership. While taking out Hizbollah is important, the innocent life that is lost must also be considered!
Closer to home, there’s one more issue about which I must write. Recently, the Orlando City Commission passed an ordinance restricting the organized feeding of the homeless on public land in downtown Orlando. While I do not know too much about the issues involved, I do respect Spider’s take on it as reported here. Should groups that want to combat hunger be forced to work under highway overpasses, or should be be able to serve food more than twice a year on public land? Take a read and see what you think.
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Blonder
Posted on July 22, 2006My apologies for not posting much recently, but I was spending entirely too much time “conquering the blank page”, “leveraging prior work”, and uh, writing a bunch of bullshit for work (pardon my French).� As such, the last thing I wanted to do was chat on GTalk, much less pull random thoughts and anecdotes from my nethers.� Enough said about that.
Things are better now.� I’ve spent the last few days relaxing, catching up on yard work, Keith Olbermann, and trying to bring my blood pressure back down out of the red zone.� Watching the Daily Show doesn’t help, unfortunately.� There’s too much craziness going on in the world (eg., Israel v. Hizbollah, America v. Terror, Kim Jong Ill v. Sanity) and too many nutters excited about it (eg., rapture-obsessed Christians, Mahdi-obsessed Muslims, South Park-obsessed Scientologists).� Jane!� Stop this crazy thing!
On a happier note, it now appears I’ll be back teaching at UCF this fall.� First, though, some history.� For three years, I taught electronic music technology for the UCF Music Department.� Then, less than a month before the semester started and as part of the ramp-up to accreditation, I was let go because my graduate work wasn’t in music (though it was in technology).� I almost returned to UCF to teach Digital Media this past spring semester, but unfortunately that fell through because of the split in UCF’s College of Arts & Sciences (the adjunct money for the department got slashed).
Well, that same class that I almost taught in the spring has now been offered to me for this fall.� The course is named “Internet and Interaction”, so as an excercise for the reader, I’d like your thoughts on exactly what that should mean.� As a hint, the two technologies that are expected to be taught include Flash and some kind of web programming language (eg., PHP, Perl, Ruby, etc.).� My goal is to carve up a course that includes the above, works in some web services, and really tries to capture the student’s interest.� Oh yeah, and maybe some Marshall McLuhan for good measure.
On top of that, I’ll also be teaching a survey of computer concepts course at Seminole Community College in the fall.� I’m really looking forward to this course because of its broad, shallow scope and non-technical audience.� In addition to the expected computer and Internet basics, I’m going to throw in some basics of programming and Internet cultural items to mix things up.� If I’m really cheeky, I might even find a way to tie in some of my material from the I&I course, my past Web Publishing course, and even my Computer Music course from way back.� Happy Happy, Joy Joy!
Spider asked for a schedule of my band’s performances, so until further notice, here’s the deal.� We’re booked to play the George and Dragon Wednesday nights from 7:30-12:30 until the British tourist season dies down, which typically occurs around October.� After that, we’ll be playing at the Cypress Cove Nudist Resort the Saturday night before Halloween.� Good times!
Finally, here’s a list of do’s and do not’s, from me to you!
Do
- Listen to the new albums by Muse and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke .
- Watch the new season of Cheap Seats on ESPN Classic.
- Check out MST3K’s Mike Nelson and his new project RiffTracks.
- Listen to Drew and Savannah on The Morning After Show on 105.9FM.
Don’t
- Freak out about the end of the world.� Doing the stuff above should help take your mind off the chaos.
- Stop.� Thinking about tomorrow!
- Waste your time watching the new Blade TV series.
- Miss any moment of the Colbert Report or Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
Miscellany
Posted on June 12, 2006She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has released another book, and thus to help further her sales has said something rather naughty about 9/11 widows. Whether or not her thoughts on how victims can be afforded an unfair amount of protection for their political views is valid, she is definitely using a rather vulgar amount of rhetoric to advance her business interests (ie., sell more books). I think that this profitting off the statements about the 9/11 widows is unarguably more reprehensible than victims of any tragedy speaking out from their unique and unfortunate perspectives. On 9/11, we were not all widows, and we should respect those who were’s opinions for what they are – personal, passionate, and uniquely informing.
In better news, I had a beautiful moment at the airport Saturday night upon returning from DC where upon my mp3 player performed the Mark Isham’s title music from Crash at just the right moment. That track usually makes my hairs dance with delight anyway, but this combination of the right place (airport terminal) and the most sympathetic frame of mind (that post-disembarkment calm) with Isham’s glorious sweeping synths just about blew my mind. Music for Airports 2: Electric Boogaloo?
Speaking of global warming, I had the good fortune to find myself invited to see An Inconvenient Truth while up in Washington D.C.. Just as a warning, I have developed quite a fondness for our planet in the last 29 years of my life, so I might just have some bias when it comes to the issue of protecting it. I also cannot see the serious, long-term harm in being overcautious about the environment. Even if human society doesn’t contribute significantly to the trends seen in global warming (which would be against the vast majority of scientific findings), wouldn’t it just be safer to assume the worst and try to mitigate what we’re doing? I’m not going to go on about this other than to just suggest, whatever your opinion on the matter, to be more informed about the facts, whichever side they support.
Finally, as we all in Florida look incredulously at our weather reports (its only mid-June!!!), let’s talk about God (deities, man). I am reading such an interesting book on the development of God in the world’s major religions. A History of God by Karen Armstrong was my travelling companion last week on the flights to and from DC. I must admit that I’m a rather slow non-fiction reader and am thus only up through the first 100 pages, but even still I am receiving such a great refresher course in theology! I’ve always been fascinated with theology and used to study and argue it with my teachers at ye ol’ Protestant parochial school, but its been far too long since I last seriously tucked into it. Another post, perhaps, I’ll share with you some of what I’ve learned and relearned.
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