Archive for December, 2008

Updated:

A couple updates on this:

First, was it just me or was Warren completely uninspiring?  I know this is days old but really… it wasn’t just the words in his invocation, it was the delivery and cadence.  Where is Brother Swaggart (a real sinner) when you need him?

Second, if you haven’t been following Dan Savage over at The Stranger (please please just deliver a bunch of copies to us each week), the term Saddlebacking is getting an “official” definition.  I can’t decide which I think is more appropriate.  And stay tuned… it looks like www.saddlebacking.com is going online next week.

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While the hoopla in the GLBT community is pissed off about Saddleback (whoa dude) Church pastor Rick Warren giving the invocation at the Presidential Inauguration, I get the feeling this is, or should be, a non-starter.  And I think Obama is correct in his thinking in the sense that diverse voices and civility should be the rule in this administration.  I still think Warren is a Jerk, and the last person that should be invited would be another teevee type evangelical.  After all, teevee evan-types are generally the nutsy needy rockstar types who worked their way to where they are out of some hidden inner narcissistic need to be loved (kinda like bloggers?) and should really only be considered in that sense.  But they have a following.  And the bigoted following of gay-hating jackasses are not only attending Saddleback Church (snicker-snicker) or watching PTL Network, they are also your neighbors, co-workers and… perhaps even your parents.  At some point, the GLBT needs to grapple with that (at least those that haven’t), and find another tact to hasten the equality they richly deserve.  I don’t know what that answer is, especially the “how”, but times are changing.

On the other hand, the GLBT community should give a big shout out to the evangelicals and thank them.  Yes, thank them.  Without their bigoted asses and their bigoted icons like Warren, so many of us straight folks wouldn’t have hardly noticed their bigoted asses and bigoted icons and thought “hey man, that shit just isn’t right”.  And thank the conservative movement and the sacrifices this country has had to endure because of it.  Because if they hadn’t had the control they have had, they would have been just another bunch of freaks nobody listened to.  And nobody would have noticed their bigoted asses and bigoted icons.  Instead, we got to hear all about their fear of penetration (and subsequently read about all the penetration going on) and how they subjugated the women folk first handed whilst they whittled away at our country and our democracy and it got our fucking attention.  And despite suffering things like Prop 8, many of us hear you loud and clear.  And more are to follow.

I learned an interesting lesson not long ago.  You see, I’ve never been a big fan of Jehovah Witnesses.  I think the religion is a crock of shit and their practices of excommunication (or anyone elses) is an example of complete idiocy and wrong headed faith.  But it seems I have a history of JW’s in girlfriends (and one ex-wife… not practicing).  My last girlfriend (not practicing) berated - in nothing but very stern words - on my views.  It wasn’t as much my views but how it affected my views on the individual.  The human being… and I took it as a lesson not to attack the individual because of their faith and frankly I probably should have known better (and in a large sense, I later learned she was right when I went on a motorcycle trip with a bunch of JW’s and found them to be fun as heck).  But It forced me to re-evaluate who my religious enemy is.  It’s not necessarily the individual.  They choose to believe what they want to believe as do I.  I don’t have to agree with their inner views or the dogma anymore than they have to agree with mine.  That basic, mutual understanding is the message.

GLBT’s, you own Rick Warren.  He has been tied up and is ready to be your “Saddleback” (eh…hum).  This isn’t his show.  It’s President-elect Barack Obama’s.  And while many evangelicals around the country are just as pissed about Warren giving an invocation at his inauguration as you are, others of his persuasion, of his general line of thought (without thought?), will be watching a moment of transition in this country and taking a second look at these issues in the coming months and years.  It’s the next step in the evolution of equal rights.

Bill is really fun if you find sensationalist blowhards entertaining.  But thankfully, Goldy puts it in perspective.

(As a side note: text message from a good, yet very “conservative” friend read:  “I agree w chris not oreilly”. -  Yeah Huh!)

As you can see from the picture in the previous post, just post election I had a little vacation.  A much needed vacation.  While I can’t say it was perfect, it was as perfect as it was going to get and I enjoyed myself, the ocean, and a few Mayan ruins while I was at it.  It was a reprieve from an election season that had more personal ups and downs than political for me.  But hey!  We got a new Prez!  Let’s just hope we don’t have a “nit”.  Odds of that are pretty low but tough times lay ahead for the big O!

Locally, I’m still licking my wounds over the Moser - Klippert race.  Klipperts last minute smear on Moser may have cost her the election.  A man of God?  We shall see.  But the bottom line is he got a free pass from local media.  Sure it was late in the game, but the bald faced lies Klippert tossed in voter mailboxes were as outrageous as Klipperts claim that he knows transportation issues because “he’s driven on Interstate 5″ (yes folks, he said that… and you voted for him).

Additionally, George Fearing’s campaign was a dissapointment as well.  I figured a good showing and possibly a win if all the stars aligned with the planets and a bug got eaten by a fish on Venus at just the right time.  But no such luck.  I guess fish on inhabitable planets are hard to come by.  But then again, so are strong Democratic candidates in Washington’s 4th CD.  Thinking a down ballot rush with Obama on the ticket didn’t turn out.  In fact, it may have been a backlash.  I’d never talked to so many people who were convinced Barack Obama was a muslim.  Or so many who just started to use the word “socialism” for the first time without actually understanding it’s meaning.  Well they all got a big taste of socialism in the form of corporate bailouts and perhaps more to come as we bail out automakers.

The irony?  Today, Obama and Biden were at a democratic governor’s conference discussing some real socialism.  Federal funding for state infrastructure projects that will help states jumpstart, or perhaps just avoid, the worst of the economic recession, as announced today, we are officially in.  I’m sure all my conservative friends think that is outrageous too?

So what’s in store for McCranium?  More than likely some big changes.  Details are being worked out and if all goes well, good things.  If not, well… still good things.  Just different.  More media, and more topics for sure.  It might take awhile but my guess is that there is plenty of time.  Post election buzzkill is in the air and despite the teevee news desperately reporting every move, I’m pretty sure most of us are just burned out.

Stay tuned!