Existential Punk

Afghanistan & Hope

 i really enjoy meeting people from different cultural backgrounds, so today i was excited to meet my very first Afghani, and here in little ol' Richmond, Virginia no less! He was working at the Exxon where i stopped to buy a bottle of water, and while ringing up my purchase i asked him where he was from. He told me that in addition to living in the USA he had lived in the Soviet Union. i asked him how he liked it here and he proceeded to tell me he liked it pretty well. i asked him if he missed home and he said he did very much. i told him how i had lived over seas for a couple of years and as much as i enjoyed it, it was way easier to live at home because i understood how things worked, how to get things done and where to go with much more ease than when i lived abroad. He smiled as he agreed. i asked him if he thought things would ever change in his country for the better, and his answer was that he had hope that things would change.

i love how Harvey Milk says, 'You Cannot Live on Hope Alone...but you can't live without it either.' Barack Obama also talks how he is not idealistic but has hope in what the collective 'WE' can accomplish together. i live in a rather peaceful and safe country, never experienced war-torn areas in my entire life, and i meet this young man from a country entrenched in war after war with different nations believing in hope for the future well-being and success of his homeland. This Afghan man is truly an inspiration to me. May i continue to have hope in all areas of my life personally and for my country. What do you think?

Dump Rick Warren

Here's a little humour to brighten your day! See more at dumprickwarren.com.

Washington Post's Cohen On The Obama/Warren Debacle

This commentary is succinctly and well written, and really gets to the heart of the Obama/Warren debacle, in my honest opinion.

HT Towleroad:

Richard Cohen's editorial in the Washington Post gets to the point, quite well, I think, attacking Obama's failings as a moral leader. Here's the end of it:

"I can understand Obama's desire to embrace constituencies that have rejected him. Evangelicals are in that category and Warren is an important evangelical leader with whom, Obama said, 'we're not going to agree on every single issue.' He went on to say, 'We can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans.' Sounds nice. But what we do not 'hold in common' is the dehumanization of homosexuals. What we do not hold in common is the belief that gays are perverts who have chosen their sexual orientation on some sort of whim. What we do not hold in common is the exaltation of ignorance that has led and will lead to discrimination and violence. Finally, what we do not hold in common is the categorization of a civil rights issue -- the rights of gays to be treated equally -- as some sort of cranky cultural difference. For that we need moral leadership, which, on this occasion, Obama has failed to provide. For some people, that's nothing to celebrate. The party's off."

President-Elect Barack Obama's Inaugural Program

Thanks to Radical Russ at Pam's House Blend for this little gem!

"Rick Warren, Obama, & A Big Mess"

In response to my post here, my friend Pete at Emerging Christianity had this thoughtful response to add to the conversation:

I have some conflicting thoughts about it (which is easy, safe, and comfortable for me as a heterosexual). So I want to first-off acknowledge and affirm the frustration Adele and many from the gay community must be feeling over this recent announcement.

When I first heard the announcement, my initial response was: "Smart. Very smart. He's reaching out to the Evangelical base and showing them he cares and can relate to them." Then I thought, "Hmmm... Warren is pretty conservative, I wonder if that's going to piss anyone off." Then I thought, "You know, he is awfully progressive when it comes to AIDS and HIV issues, and Global Warming, maybe it will be ok..." and then I remembered: "Oh yeah, he was pretty much in favor of Proposition 8." And then I thought: "This is going to be a shit storm."

And so it goes.

I caught myself saying to Jen (my wife) when I first heard the news, "Well, he's conservative, but if conservative Christians in general were more like Rick Warren, there wouldn't be much of a problem with the American Christian Culture Wars of the past few decades." And Jen raised her eyebrows at me, which generally means: I might be wrong. And I was. Because supporting politics like Prop. 8, legislating morality, in my opinion, IS engaging in Culture Wars; the last thing the Christian church should be doing. Christianity was not meant to be a religion aligned with political (or military, for that matter) power. Forgive me for saying this: I have little personal interest in trying to change people's opinions about issues like homosexuality - I believe there will always be faithful Christians on both sides of that fence, who can be faithful on both sides of that fence. But I have a HUGE interest in changing people's opinions about how they should treat others. Missional Christianity (I don't use that term much, but I love it) is about the active outworking of the Kingdom of God. That is not a kingdom of rules, bullet-point-legality, or socio-political attacks - it is a Kindom of love, of justice, of freedom, of transcendence, good fruit and good news!

On one hand, I think Obama's pick was politically daring and even savvy. Perhaps he can prove himself to some of the naysayers calling him a "Secret Muslim." But do those paranoid folks deserve to be placated?

I also think Obama's pick is an important reflection of his own character: Obama doesn't see the world in black-and-white, and he is tirelessly committed to building bridges and finding common ground. I can always get behind that!

But I do understand why my friend Adele is hurt by this move. And so I am wounded with her. Warren's political stance on homosexuality (apart from his theological stance, which could be manifested much differently) is inappropriate for a so-called progressive, 21st Century evangelical who claims to care about human rights.

Let James Dobson and Pat Robertson fight their culture wars. I wish Warren had emerged as a clear alternative for conservative-leaning Christians, looking for a kinder way.

Instead, this is becoming the wrong kind of political fodder, at a time when American needs hope, unity and grace the most.

Creator Of Obama Picture Upset Over Warren Invite

Time's Person of the Year issue goes on sale tomorrow morning featuring President Elect Obama. Cover illustrator Shepard Fairey has just posted a statement on his site calling the moment "bittersweet because I’m very disappointed by Obama’s appointment of Rick Warren."

He continues, "Rick Warren is against gay marriage and reproductive rights, and he does not believe in evolution (maybe he offers himself as proof of lack of evolution). I understand that Obama is trying to appeal to conservatives and evangelicals, but this move is symbolically a slap in the face to many people. Warren is not a uniter, but a divider… he is intolerant in many of his views. I still think Obama is the best choice for president, but I can’t condone Warren’s involvement in Obama’s inauguration, no matter how insignificant it is."

Fairey also says he'll be donating a "chunk"of the proceeds from the Obama inauguration poster he was asked to create to the movement to overturn California's Prop 8.

Full statement at  ObeyGiant

Fairey's Defend Equality poster donation.

HT Towleroad for this report.

Rep. Barney Frank On Warren Choice

i just feel flabbergasted at Obama's decision here to do this. i get what he is trying to accomplish at bridging a divide. Yet, it's like we were just kicked in the teeth with the passage of Prop 8 and still have fresh wounds. Then with this decision we get kicked in the teeth once again! i am really pissed and hurt. If he wanted to bridge a divide, there were plenty of others people he could have asked. i acknowledge Warren has done good things with regards to HIV/AIDS and poverty. YET, Warren equated the LGBTQ community with pedophilia, incest, and bestiality, which none is true. He also lied and said if Prop 8 did not pass he could be legally in trouble with hate speech if he preached against gays. So, YES, i am with the LGBTQ community in my outrage and hurt. We have to choose our battles and this IS ONE that needs to be fought.

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish for reporting what Rep. Barney Frank's thoughts on the whole matter are:

"I am very disappointed by President-elect Barack Obama's decision to honor Reverend Rick Warren with a prominent role in his inauguration. Religious leaders obviously have every right to speak out in opposition to anti-discrimination measures, even in the degrading terms that Rev. Warren has used with regard to same-sex marriage.  But that does not confer upon them the right to a place of honor in the inauguration ceremony of a president whose stated commitment to LGBT rights won him the strong support of the great majority of those who support that cause.

It is irrelevant that Rev. Warren invited Senator Obama to address his congregation, since he extended an equal invitation to Senator McCain.  Furthermore, the President-Elect has not simply invited Rev. Warren to give a speech as part of a series in which various views are presented.  The selection of a member of the clergy to occupy this uniquely elevated position has always been considered a mark of respect and approval by those who are being inaugurated."

 

"The Warren Problem": Firedoglake's Jan Hamsher on CNN

Gregg Levine of firedoglake.com reports this:

Jane addresses the problems with having Pastor Rick Warren give the invocation at Barack Obama's inaugural on CNN at this hour.

Update: Jane spoke with Rick Sanchez who repeatedly asked why “the left” would have a problem with inviting Warren to speak at the presidential inaugural. Jane told Rick what has been noted repeatedly on these pages, that Warren is a bigot that equates homosexuality with incest and bestiality. Jane went on to add that if the president elect had wanted to be inclusive, he could have invited a Muslim or Jewish cleric, or a Christian minister that was less divisive.

I will add that if Barack Obama wants to invite different voices to a discussion, fine, but that is very different from having a known homophobe give a speech at what is likely to be one of the highest profile events in recent US history. That’s not a dialogue—that’s a signal.

A bad one.

What's your take?"

Letter to Pres-Elect Obama on Choice of Rev. Rick Warren to Deliver Invocation at 56th Presidential Inauguration

   "Today the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, sent the following letter to President-elect Obama on the selection of anti-gay reverend, Rick Warren, to deliver the invocation at the 56th Presidential Inauguration set to take place on the West Front of the United States Capitol on January 20th. "

Read the letter here. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is an email i sent to Obama's LGBTQ liason:

Dear Parag,

As an Obama supporter who donated time, money and energy to help him get elected, and a queer Christian woman, I am appalled by the choice of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Obama's inauguration. It is one thing to pick people from the other team to build coalitions and bring reconciliation, but quite another to allow a homophobic man to participate in this historic event. Warren has been quoted saying only Christians should run for public office, marriage historically has been between a man and a woman, and why should we change laws to appease 2 percent of the population.

WTF is Obama thinking. i am so very disturbed and disappointed in this decision.

Best regards,

Adele Sakler

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security."
  - Benjamin Franklin

__________________________________________________________________________________________

YOU CAN EMAIL PARAG at parag.mehta@ptt.gov

50 Facts You Might Not Know . . .

about Barack Obama:

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

• He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball

• His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili

• His favourite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini

• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father

• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

• He has read every Harry Potter book

• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali

• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream

• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars

• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia

• He can speak Spanish

• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead

• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea

• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn't

• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia

• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs

• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name

• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister's fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived

• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy

• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books

• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck

• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.

• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees

• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date

• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker

• He doesn't drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol

• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician

• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine

• His daughters' ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)

• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside

• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal

• His house in Chicago has four fire places

• Daughter Malia's godmother is Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita

• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry

• He uses an Apple Mac laptop

• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300

• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes

• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)

• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire

• He was given the code name "Renegade" by his Secret Service handlers

• He was nicknamed "Bear" by his late grandmother

• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His speciality as a cook is chilli

• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were "street urchins"

• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life

• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government