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Wednesday, 07 January 2009

  • So Long Folks...For now

    I have been thinking about this for awhile, and have finally decided to pull the trigger.  I am going to shut down this Xanga site.  There are a variety of reasons for this.   I would like to pursue some other forms of writing.  I had been asked by a local publisher awhile ago to consider trying a book.  I think I may start journaling again to see where that goes.  Also am technically no longer Lighthouse Dave, so even my Xanga name no longer works. 

    The last reason is that when my term on the School Board ends in June I am considering starting a political/news  blog and would like to start it under a new moniker.  Donna and I have canceled our subscription to the Grand Rapids Press out of protest for what we consider to be a biased way they cover this city. 

    I believe there needs to be other sources of news, and think the electronic format is the way to go.  If I start this local blog/news site, I will most likely use a different format like word press or something like that.  It would be a web site specifically for political blogging in West Michigan, where many people could contribute.  Besides, once I get off school board I can be more vocal about issues and not have to worry about it hitting the papers.

    So for now, its been fun folks!  Ta Ta for now

Monday, 29 December 2008

  • The GOP Needs to do some Soul-Searching

    Sam Stein has an interesting article on Huffington Post today regarding Chip Saltsman and the GOP.   In this article Stein talks about the importance discussions of race will play in upcoming Republican National Committee meetings this January.  Stein reports:

    The forums come at a time when the GOP is undergoing an intense bout of political soul-searching, made even more urgent by revelations that a leading RNC chair candidate distributed a racially insensitive CD as a Holiday gift.

    Then a high ranking RNC member said:

    "Look, the GOP needs to be inclusive and more sensitive,on the other hand if we are going to fall apart in pieces every time someone yells racism than we are going to lose the next four years.... Because that means that the left is allowed to talk about race but we are not. There has got to be a way to talk about the president's agenda without falling into this trap."

    I think there is a a significant difference between having a discussion about race and criticism over a candidate for the RNC Chair's distribution of a CD with a song called Barack the Magic Negro!  During the supposed scandal surrounding Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright, President Elect Obama gave what I believe to be a seminal speech on the issue of race.  I would recommend that the GOP find this speech on U-Tube and watch it...take notes.  President Obama is opening the door wide for a reasonable and rational discussion on race.

    Stein points out that:

    The GOP may need to entirely revamp its approach towards minorities in particular and politics in general if the party wants to regain a grip on power."The core play in the GOP playbook for 44 years has been the magic negro playbook," said Simon Rosenberg, head of Democratic organization NDN and one of the most well-versed party figures on racial politics. "They don't have another play or another playbook. Whether it is Willie Horton, or welfare queens and tax and spend, or the way they have dealt with immigration... they don't have a play in their playbook that doesn't start with the exploitation of racial divisions... They are going to have to reject 44 years of GOP politics in order to have any chance in the 21st century America."

    I believe that the GOP is at a cross road...America is at a cross-road.  Let the discussion of race and public policy begin, but let's be civil in our discussion.   In the words of Barack Obama, let us develop an environment where we can disagree without being disagreeable.

Sunday, 28 December 2008

  • Just When You Thought We Were Past This...

    Because I have seen NOTHING in the local Grand Rapids Press on this issue, I decided to post about this appalling story which has been unfolding this past week.  Chip Saltsman, Candidate for Republican National Committee Chair, distributed a Christmas gift to his fellow members of the Republican National Committee this past week.  It was a CD produced by the Rush Limbaugh show.  The CD is titled: "We Hate the USA, " and includes songs with the following titles:

    "John Edwards' Poverty Tour," "Wright place, wrong pastor," "Love Client #9," "Ivory and Ebony" and "The Star Spanglish banner."  As if these titles are not offensive enough, the most prominent song on the CD is titled, "Barack the Magic Negro."

    According to Chip Saltsman, "I think most people recognize political satire when they see it." Actually, and more importantly, I hope that most people recognize bigotry and racism when they see and hear it.

    For those who haven't heard of all the  tasteless gems thrown out by various leaders in the Republican party during the 2008 presidential campaign, let me emind you of a few.  First there is Diane Fedele, who produced the "Ten Dollar Obama Bucks" food stamp showing the then Democratic candidate's head superimposed on a donkey's body surrounded by a chunk of watermelon, ribs, a pitcher of Kool-Aid, and a bucket of fried chicken.

    Then there is Marcia Stirman, the chairwoman of the Otero County Republican Women in New Mexico, who wrote in the Alamogordo Daily News that "I believe Muslims are our enemies," and that "Obama isn't a messiah or a Democrat. He's a Muslim socialist."

    Of course don't forget Jeffrey M. Frederick, the Chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, who likened Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden in a pep talk to campaign volunteers, explaining that "Both have friends that bombed the Pentagon. That is scary."

    Of course leading the choir is Rush Limbaugh who, on a daily basis issued countless hours of slander and racially tinged commentary towards Obama and his campaign, like calling him a "street thug" or a "hip hop candidate." 

    Racism is based on ignorance and fear.  Upon Obama's landslide win this past November, I had hoped that America took a huge step forward...away from our racist past...a step towards healing.  Leave it to ignorant fools like those I mention in this post to attempt to keep the ugly head of racism alive and well in our country.

    Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, and Mary, and writer of Puff the "Magic Dragon" puts it well as he said:

    The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, "Barack the Magic Negro" is not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme. It flies in the face of America's deeply held hope for a new era in which common ground and mutual respect characterize the exchanges between our national leaders.

    I and my co-writer of "Puff," Lenny Lipton, have been eagerly awaiting an end to the mean-spiritedness, outright disrespect and bigotry that was commonplace prior to this last presidential election. What might have been wearily accepted as "the way it was" in the campaign, is now unacceptable. Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not -- and taking a children's song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.

    It is almost unimaginable to me that Chip Saltzman who sent the CD, would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee.

Wednesday, 24 December 2008

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

  • Melissa Etheridge on Rick Warren

    Oscar and Grammy winning songwriter, and long time outspoken advocate for the gay community, Melissa Etheridge has a great piece on Huffington Post about Rick Warren.

    Apparently Etheridge was to perform a song at the recent Muslim Public Affairs Council.  When she got there, she discovered that the Council had asked Rick Warrren to give the key note address.  Etheridge describes how she immediately wanted to cancel and make this a political statement.  However, the focus for the evening's event was top promote peace.  Etheridge in her article describes her internal struggle and finally asked herself the question...

    Do I stand for peace or not?

    So Etheridge decided to invite Warren to meet with her.  Warren readily and heartily accepted.  Prior to their meeting Etheridge had this to say about Warren:

    I hadn't heard of Pastor Rick Warren before all of this. When I heard the news, in its neat little sound bite form that we are so accustomed to, it painted the picture for me. This Pastor Rick must surely be one hate spouting, money grabbing, bad hair televangelist like all the others. He probably has his own gay little secret bathroom stall somewhere, you know. One more hater working up his congregation to hate the gays, comparing us to pedophiles and those who commit incest, blah blah blah. Same 'ole thing.

    However, when Warren and she met, Etheridge saw something completely different as she says,

    Before I could say anything, he told me what a fan he was. He had most of my albums from the very first one. What? This didn't sound like a gay hater, much less a preacher. He explained in very thoughtful words that as a Christian he believed in equal rights for everyone. He believed every loving relationship should have equal protection. He struggled with proposition 8 because he didn't want to see marriage redefined as anything other than between a man and a woman. He said he regretted his choice of words in his video message to his congregation about proposition 8 when he mentioned pedophiles and those who commit incest. He said that in no way, is that how he thought about gays. He invited me to his church, I invited him to my home to meet my wife and kids. He told me of his wife's struggle with breast cancer just a year before mine.

    Etheridge ends her piece with this statement, one which I think everyone should heed in regard to Warren's choice as she says:

    Brothers and sisters the choice is ours now. We have the world's attention. We have the capability to create change, awesome change in this world, but before we change minds we must change hearts. Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise that are beginning to listen. They don't hate us, they fear change. Maybe in our anger, as we consider marches and boycotts, perhaps we can consider stretching out our hands. Maybe instead of marching on his church, we can show up en mass and volunteer for one of the many organizations affiliated with his church that work for HIV/AIDS causes all around the world.

lighthousedave

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