...says everything I want to say, only better.

This is one of those times.

Today, I'm proud to say I'm a Californian, even if I only lived there for four years.

The CA Supreme Court did the right thing and ruled for marriage equality, confirming the right of all people to marry the man or woman of their choice.

In doing so, CA follows the lead of Massachusetts, who affirmed gay marriage several years ago. And I'm sure the CA Supreme Court was emboldened by the MA decision. Contrary to the bloviations of Christian Right nutjobs, Massachusetts has not collapsed into a sea of anarchy, nor has it been struck by a meteor, a hurricane, an earthquake, or any other form of natural disaster. In fact, since they legalized gay marriage, teams from MA have won the World Series twice. (Maybe that's what reversed the Curse of the Bambino.)

Now we need the other 48 states in the Union to follow California's lead. Time to make marriage equality the law throughout the United States of America. Illinois should go next; if they legalize in the next few months, maybe the Cubs will win the Series this year.

Labels: California, GLBT Rights, Politics

Forgive me for going into theological arcana for a moment: I'm a strong proponent of using "debts" and "debtors" in the Lord's Prayer. (For those who aren't familiar with the issue, there are three different ways of saying the "forgive us our _____, as we forgive _____" in the Lord's Prayer. There's "trespass/those who trespass against us," "sin/those who sin against us," and "debts/our debtors.")

Why is this? Several reasons. The first is practical: Trespassing isn't really relevant to a vast portion of the society. Even for those of us who do own land, trespassing is hardly something that requires deep forgiveness. Particularly given the extent to which the American economy is defined by indebtedness, the idea of forgiving and being forgiven debts has a much more personal meaning.

The second is theological: I agree with Yoder that when Jesus came to earth, he wasn't just proclaiming spiritual messages but practical ones. "The Kingdom of God is at hand" had very specific meaning to 1st-century Jews; it meant Jubilee, the year when all debts would be forgiven, all indentured slaves would be freed, and the land would be redistributed. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" didn't just have spiritual meaning; it was at least partially taken as a literal command to forgive debtors. Debt, as we're seeing now, can be a great tool for those who want to economically exploit others; to make forgiveness of spiritual (or literal) debt based on one's own willingness to stop exploiting others is a very moral command.

Which brings me to a question: Given the magnitude of the subprime crisis, and given that a lot of these debts are now worth very little, why couldn't well-heeled churches or well-heeled Christian individuals demonstrate "Forgive us our debts" by buying up some of these subprime loans - and simply forgiving them, no questions asked, no strings attached? What better demonstration of the love of Christ could there be than spending a little of one's own money to get someone else out of a lot of trouble?

Just a thought...

Labels: Debt, Economy, Religion

The University of Michigan - half an hour from where I went to high school - has long been considered one of the best public universities in the country. It accepts a much higher tier of student than other public universities, mostly because it can: its faculty and research facilities are top-notch.

I don't know how much longer that's going to last, now that the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the anti-gay amendment passed by the voters several years ago prohibits the University, or any other State organization, from providing domestic partner benefits. Not only will this make it harder for UM to hire GLBT faculty - who are some of the top scholars in many fields - but it'll make GLBT-friendly straight people like me think twice about working there as well.

I'm told that Michigan voters really, really didn't intend for this anti-gay amendment to actually hurt gay people in any way; it's time for them to put their money where their mouths are and repeal the amendment. Better yet, do what you should have done in the first place and extend full civil rights to GLBT citizens, including the right to marry whomever they want.

If this is permitted to continue, don't be surprised to see yet more jobs and more employers saying No! to Michigan. Progressive companies - you know, those high-tech companies you're trying to get to move to the Big Hand - tend to have GLBT people in high places, and they won't look kindly on a state that doesn't seem to look too kindly on their existence.

Labels: GLBT Rights, Michigan, Politics

...but why is the anti-abortion PAC National Right to Life robocalling Indiana voters urging them to vote against Barack Obama tomorrow, when Obama and Clinton are indistinguishable on choice issues?

Possibly for the same reason Rush Limbaugh is urging his audience to vote for Hillary Clinton? (Warning: Link goes to Rush Limbaugh's site. Do not click link after, or before, eating.)

National Right to Life members - are you sure you want your PAC to be associated with Rush Limbaugh's loathsome dirty politics campaign? Isn't NRL supposed to be a Christian group?

Time to get on those phones.

Labels: Abortion, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, National Right to Life, Politics, Rush Limbaugh

...because this is ironic.



I'll probably be updating about this often for another few weeks... it's crunch time and I have way too much to do.

Labels: Politics