Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009)

"And this is the cause of my life -- new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American -- north, south, east, west, young, old -- will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege...

Yes, we are all Americans. This is what we do. We reach the moon. We scale the heights. I know it. I've seen it. I've lived it. And we can do it again.

There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination -- not merely victory for our Party, but renewal for our nation.

And this November the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to this cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on."

~from the Senator's iconic 2008 DNC speech

Interestingly, I can remember sitting in the Senate Gallery as a child, watching Senators milling about in their vaunted chamber when Ted Kennedy entered the room. To me it was a magical experience since that was the first time I had ever seen a member of the famed Kennedy family in real life. Mr. Kennedy really was larger than life, and the affection his colleagues had for him as backs were slapped and conversations were had was clearly evident in my then adoloscent eyes.

Later, as I grew older and more interested in politics, I developed a true admiration for the man in the Senate who, despite his station in life, defended the rights and dignity of the underprivileged, of minorities, of womyn, and of the gay and lesbian community. I pray that other progressive Senators will work to honor his memory, and will fight for equal rights for all people with the same indefatigable intensity that Senatory Kennedy did during his lifetime.

Listening to President Obama eulogize him, my admiration was furthered by learning that the Senator had helped move forward around 1000 laws during his career, and had penned 300 of them himself. Prolific is a modifier that simply does not do justice to this great man.

God bless Edward M. Kennedy - may his soul rest with the greatest of men...

Oklahoma City Memorial

(photos: JVG and Kristin Cook)

...and Jesus wept...

(on a recent cross-country roadtrip w/3 awesome people, we took the time to go to Oklahoma City and witness the Oklahoma City Memorial - we were all struck by the modern beauty of the memorial's design, and were moved by the solemnity of the whole experience...)

This statute depicting Jesus Christ stands across the street from the Oklahoma City Memorial, and serves to remind us of the great evil committed on 19 April 1995 when a domestic terrorist ignited a devastating bomb that cost 168 people their lives and injured nearly 700. What 2 atrocious men did was representative of the dangers of the extreme militia movement in the United States. In subsequent years, we have found that other types of religious and political extremism have also proven to be a great threat to innocent American citizens. When we cease to be able to view life and struggle from the viewpoints and life experiences of other people, other religions, other genders, and other political structures, then great loss seems to be the result. One must have no humanity left to be able to strike against unsuspecting civilians and at the same time be immune to the suffering and fallout from acts of unspeakable violence.

There are 2 black structures (the GATE of TIME) like this one in the photo. One has 9:01 inscribed on it and the other has 9:03. 9:01 am was the last peaceful moment before the blast and 9:03 am was the first moment of recovery from absolute devastation.

This building that now houses the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum was actually lifted off of its foundation when the blast occurred.



survivor tree - despite the impact of the Oklahoma City bombing, this tree actually managed not to die...

There is a chair to memorialize every person (man, woman or child) who lost his/her life that day. The chairs are located where the Murrah building once stood, and the chairs are arranged in 9 rows to represent the 9 floors destroyed. Each person's chair is on the row that corresponds to the floor where s/he was located when the blast occurred. Sadly, chairs that are half-sized are memorials for the babies and children who lost their lives. The chairs reflect light at night to serve as beacons of hope and understanding, perhaps a faith that this kind of violence can be abated or stopped altogether.

what remains of the original brick of the building - to me, the idea that any part of the building remains symbolizes the indomitable nature of good, and the power of understanding to defeat ignorance and hatred...

MJJ

MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON: KING of POP, ROCK & SOUL || 29 AUGUST 1958 - 25 JUNE 2009

never can say goodbye...

I am despondent over the death of a music legend/icon I truly adored. A genius in all senses of the word, Michael Jackson supplied art that has intrigued me all my life. I loved Michael Jackson and anxiously awaited every aspect of his artistic output. My fascination began at age seven when I saw Thriller on MTV. Complex dance moves, awesome choreography, stunningly beautiful music and lyrics - there's so much to say about this man's still-yet-to-be understood contribution to the world.

I sympathized with him - I felt that this man who was so well known by the world was actually quite misunderstood. The paradox here is that the man with so much access to all earthly venues was forced to become one of the most isolated persons on the planet. He was the ringleader at the circus. He was the ultimate and penultimate victim of the massive maelstrom of fame that accompanied the exponential rise of his genius. Truly, the final or last victims might just be the children he left behind: the babies who were not born in time to witness the apex of his career, which rose like a unique, breathtaking lotus from the working class community of Gary, Indiana, and who will not get the opportunity to witness his comeback, which most certainly would have been a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Michael was a lover of the innocent and pure because, as the front man of the Jackson 5, he was afforded no childhood. The artistic expression of the true beauty of his soul had no limits. While I thought the circumstances of his life were sad, I did also recognize that few, if any, people receive the type of opportunities afforded him. He was lucky. Tragic as the ending of his life may have been, it's downright joyful that we received and enjoyed so much from him, and that his immense catalogue of music will live forever. He was a musical raconteur who was equalled by none.

Dubbed by Dame Elizabeth Taylor as the KING of POP, Michael Jackson was and always will be one of those few transcendent artists who was a lover, a fighter, a social commentator, and an incomparable artistic genius. No one genre or socioeconomic group can lay claim to his gifts because he was one for the ages and a gift for all the world.

Andy Warhol once commented that he loved Coke because it was accessible to all people - that whether you're rich or poor, black or white, that smooth sugary flavor was available for a price anyone could afford to pay. To that extent, his work in the arena of pop art was all about highlighting people who were and things that were accessible to the broad spectrum of humanity. The life of Michael Jackson was like a Rorschach test that even the late great Andy Warhol would never have been sufficiently able to express on canvas or on any other medium for that matter (although it must certainly be said that when Andy Warhol did paint Jackson, the result was nothing short of beautiful).

On that note, Michael Jackson was a delicious singer whose lyrics and music mean an infinite number of things...infinitely.

God bless Michael Jackson as he journeys into the infinite majesties of the universe - I/WE will listen forever.

Congressman Polis: progressive views on Iraq and Afghanistan

(photo:  Joshua Casto)

While attending recently (April 14th to be exact) a Jared Polis-centered event at Johnson and Wales University, it became refreshingly evident that there are some new, fresh voices in Congress.  What Congress needs more of, in fact, are voices like that of Mr. Polis.  Jared Polis, a young entrepreneur who founded Proflowers.com and the New America Charter School, happens to be the very first openly-gay non-incumbent elected to the United States Congress.  Inasmuch as he is a pioneer, he brings a business-like and efficient tone to Washington.  There's nothing worse than a representative who makes little sense or communicates poorly.  Congressman Polis, a man only in his 30s, brings to Congress business acumen and a finely-tuned sense of the importance of social welfare in America.  Social welfare, as such, should not be confused with the welfare state.  Social welfare refers to the overall wellbeing and the efficacy of safety nets in society taken as a whole.  It's sort of like we're only as strong as our weakest links:  people can and do lift themselves from lives of crime and poverty when the wealthier sectors invest in useful programs and create educational and business opportunities.  Congressman Polis' New America Charter Schools are an example of a belief in reaching out to the underserved in that they are English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) focused.

IRAQ

It was refreshing to listen to the Congressman, especially as he spoke at length regarding his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan just prior to his Johnson and Wales speaking engagement on April 14th.  To begin, Mr. Polis was an opponent of the Iraq Invasion.  And not without reason:  IF THERE HAD BEEN NO FOOLISH INVASION OF IRAQ, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN BUDGET SURPLUSES IN 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007.   Certainly, it was an ill-thought and horrendously-planned attempt at spreading democracy and nation-building that really just turned into an extended colonization of a fractured Middle Eastern state.  It was heartening when the Congressman reported that the casualty rate from  accidents in Iraq and Afghanistan has actually surpassed the casualty rate from conflict.  This fact should provide some comfort to the family members of the brave men and womyn serving in our missions abroad.  The United States should be out of Iraq by 2011 - and this, most certainly is a good thing.  Additionally, it was reported that the Iraqi government is mostly, but not entirely, stabilized.  The downside is the resurgence of religious and social fundamentalism that has been ushered in by a democratized Iraqi government.  Because of the recent drop in worldwide per barrel oil prices, Iraq now finds itself in a budget crisis as their revenue has halved.  Of concern, however, is Mr. Polis' report of the use of Peruvian mercenaries to guard the so-called green zone.  In what I consider a very valid manner, he identified the risks of using essentially jack-booted thugs with no particular loyalties to provide protection and security in and around Baghdad.  Chief among those risks is the potential for the exportation of violence once the services of the aforementioned mercenaries are no longer required.

And regarding an issue of particular importance to me, Iraq clearly has a problem when it comes to the lack of safety for homosexuals.  When I asked the Congressman if homosexuality or homosexual acts were illegal in Iraq, he replied no.  There is no uniform, national law criminalizing gays.  That circumstance notwithstanding, the rise of fundamentalism in the country has posed a serious threat because many law enforcement officials there are all too willing to ignore violence against gays and there is little legal intervention available when gays are imprisoned if for no other reason than to punish them for being simply who they are.  As Mr. Polis aptly pointed out, HUMAN RIGHTS = PROTECTING THE LEAST POPULAR AND MOST MARGINALIZED BY ANY CULTURE OR COUNTRY.  If Iraq wants to be taken seriously as a modern and thriving democracy, then I believe it must do a better job of protecting gays.

AFGHANISTAN

As we all recall, President Obama campaigned on a promise to shift our focus to finding and destroying the terrorists where they live.  I was in attendance at Mile High Stadium last summer when he bravely made this promise.  And he's reiterated it on many occasions.  What we know is there are about 5000 Al Qaeda fighters|terrorists|cowards living in southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border.  Much to my alarm during his discussion, Congressman Polis noted that there is an average lifespan of 46 years in the country and a literacy rate of approximately 25%.  There are illiterate police officers and, in fact, a police sergeant is not required to have more than what in America would be a 4th grade ability to read.  And as for the treatment of womyn:  DISGUSTING.  Taliban morons throw acid in the faces of girls whose only crime is pursuing an education.  Afghanistan is a marginally stable state that has been in a near-constant state of civil war for the past 30 years.  There is little wonder why this country is a breeding ground for terrorists:  it's a haven for ignorance and backward thinking.  The Pashtu tribe near the Pakistani border provides a willing human resource for Taliban extremism.  There is no doubt in my mind that increased war efforts in Afghanistan are crucial to bolstering American national security.

Congressman Polis' voice and presence in Congress is important.  There are others like him (notably the Honorable Diana Degette), but MORE are needed.  I believe elevated consciousness is contagious, and as Congress becomes increasingly populated with progressive thinkers, American policy will reflect a stronger and sounder body of more compassionate and results-driven ideals...

DC marvels...

The astounding attendance of Barack Obama's Inauguration was something that could only be appreciated in person. The overwhelming sense of optimism and faith in the power of progressivism and positive change were infectious - truly a testament to the future and power of our shared humanity!

SITES of the 56th INAUGURAL

Former President William J. Clinton and former First Lady, Former Senator (D-NY), and United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton!

SITES of the INAUGURAL

President Barack Hussein Obama 

44th President of the United States of America