Politics and Hate Crime Bill

I hate politics! Most of my life I have avoided getting involved except to try and be an informed voter. In the last decade or so however, I realized that just being an "informed voter" was not enough. I needed to try and influence legislation that was necessary to promote the ideals this country was founded on. For example; before the civil rights movement, the "all men are created equal" principle was simply not being followed. Not that the legislation that passed in that era solved this issue completely, but it went a long way towards making that ideal a reality. Legislation assuring equal rights for African Americans, Women, and Disabled Americans have helped move our country in the right direction at least.

Equal rights for the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) community is struggling in this country, due in part to the religious right influence in politics - especially in the White House! Now to the reason I hate politics. The Matthew Shepard Act, a critical Federal hate crimes law, has passed both houses of Congress with the help of "The Human Rights Campaign". But now it is in trouble. Why? Well, Senate leadership employed a commonplace strategy with this bill. They calculated that the only chance of the Matthew Shepard Act surviving Bush's veto pen was if it were attached to a "must-pass" Department of Defense bill. But now that House and Senate are reconciling their versions of the DoD bill, it is under attack from anti-GLBT conservatives against hate crimes legislation, as well as progressive, pro-equality lawmakers who oppose some of the bill's provisions for the war in Iraq. Ooops! Backfired!

Now what has the hate crimes bill got to do with funding the war in Iraq? Why shouldn't this hate crimes bill just stand on its own? I guess the answer is politics and the way it works. Last week, the FBI reported that hate crimes rose nearly 8% last year. Isn't this reason enough to let the bill stand on its own? I guess not when our political process is so screwed up!

Till I whine again .........

Happy Thanksgiving

As I consider my blessings and what I am thankful for, family immediately comes to mind. My wife of nearly 17 years, our 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 1 1/2 great grandchildren, as well as siblings and their families add up to a multitude of blessings. We just had word that the 1/2 great grandchild up in Alaska is a boy (unless a girl was playing games with the ultra sound!). This ultra sound picture was the first one done at 9 weeks. (8/22/07)

Speaking of Alaska, Daryl's mother passed away recently. As I write this, he is in Michigan with his siblings and other family members dealing with the loss of a loving mother. We also lost a friend a few days ago. Bob (BG) Anderson died on Saturday after being in a coma for over a week. A 'brain bled" left him unconscious and the lack of brain activity led to removing him from life support on Friday night. His sense of humor, a multitude of jokes and his special friendship will be sorely missed. Several times a year I made the trip to Denver to play cards with BG and other Greenwood congregation friends. Just another reminder of how precious life is and why we shouldn't take it for granted.

Also from up North, I've added to my 'cool links' Pam & Daryl's Happy Howls Kennel website. If you like dogs and mushing you will really love this site. Good job Daryl!

We had hoped that Jessie & Katie would join us for Thanksgiving but they both have to work. Since they are both off on Tuesday we have decided to go to Laramie and take them to lunch for an early Thanksgiving celebration.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. ~Cicero

Colin * Halloween * Wedding

One of Amber's friends back in Knoxville has been sending us pictures of her baby, Colin, ever so often. Today I decided to make her a slide show, put it on a CD and send it to her. If you would like a sneak preview just click here. (turn up the sound) Colin's mom should get the CD in a few days. Meanwhile don't tell her about this site and spoil the surprise.

The trick or treaters that came to our door on Halloween reminded me of Colin and his "Tootsie Roll" costume from last year (above - also you will see it in the slide show). We only had a few goblins before we had to leave, but believe it or not, the weather was nice this year. It usually is cold, windy, and/or snowing on Halloween here!

Last weekend we went to a wedding near Lyons, Colorado. Paul & Vivian are friends from the Peaceful Heart Sangha that Nancy attends. While it was basically a Buddhist wedding it had elements from several faith traditions. Included in the ceremony was a Catholic chant, a Jewish blessing, a Hindu Prayer, and a Native American blessing on the food at the reception. It was a beautiful day for the outdoor wedding in a mountain setting.

Till next time ........