Archive: May, 2012
Here is what Barack Obama now has to say about same-sex marriage:
“I’ve been going through an evolution on this issue. At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”
Normally, I don't really pay attention to what actors and actresses say. I realize they are overly-impressed with themselves, and that much like the infant who is fascinated by his own toe (or the new parent mesmerized by the glory of his perfect poo) they have a tendency to exaggerate the importance of their thoughts.
It's not just stars who do it, of course. Anyone who blogs (mea culpa) has a tendency to think that their every comment is worthy of Alexis de Tocqueville treatment. It's only natural; humility is an acquired virtue in a society where women get attention for teasing their hair, getting drunk and wearing so much makeup they make the late Tammy Faye Baker look minimalist in comparison.
But every now and then, I notice a particularly offensive comment from a particularly offensive source, and it's hard to look away. It's like the proverbial accident; you simply cannot tear your eyes and ears away from the mess.
Giroux is suspended. Okay. The motto for tonight is 'Go out there boys and win one for the Tripper!' (Or Elbow-er, whatever...)
I am not panicking (Giroux.) I am not panicking (Danny.) I am not panicking (Bryz.) I AM NOT PANICKING (KATE!)
There is news that Chen Guangcheng might be leaving China. If that is the case, it is a small victory for those who believe in human dignity.
It is not, however, a true victory for the United States, which has shown itself to be more concerned with diplomacy and less with the principles that are engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
The poor, the sick and the tempest-tossed are now the bargaining chips for nations that care more about economies than they do about justice. The blind lawyer who risked his life by speaking out on behalf of the unborn, and then again by escaping house arrest may be coming to the United States. But if he comes, it won't be because Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stood tall and firm and granted him political asylum.
There is a man in China who is blind, but who sees with a clarity that shames so many 'sighted' Americans. His name is Chen Guangcheng, and he's a self-taught lawyer who has waged a courageous battle against his country's 'one-child' policy.
That policy, which violates every principle of human dignity recognized by the civilized world (to which China does not belong) forces Chinese women to abort any child after their firstborn, doing what some in this country feel is justified: controlling the population in order to conserve our precious and limited natural resources.
The fact that the most precious natural resource we have is our children is irrelevant, or at most annoying, to those who believe that abortion is a fundamental right.
There is a child in Western Pennsylvania who doesn’t want to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. And the law says she doesn’t have to. Almost 70 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that schools cannot coerce students into reciting the pledge. That’s why most schools have made it a voluntary act.
So it’s unlikely that the (of course) un-named child will have to show the proper respect to her country and her flag because she has the individual and fundamental right to be rude.
(I’m sure the civil libertarians out there consider it a fundamental right of conscience. You say tomato, I say to-MAH-to.)
Email Christine M. at cflowers1961@yahoo.com Reach Christine M. at cflowers1961@yahoo.com.
