Wednesday, November 4, 2009

One Kalamazoo Wins!

Did you hear that? I'll play that part again...

Cleve mentions Kalamazoo! You may remember my last post about the ordinance here in Kalamazoo that extends legal protections, re: housing and employment especially, to people regardless of their sexual or gender orientation.

This was the press release from tonight from One Kalamazoo:

November 3rd, 2009

ONE KALAMAZOO DECLARES VICTORY IN BALLOT FIGHT
Kalamazoo residents approve nondiscrimination ordinance

“Our campaign started with a very basic idea, and today voters confirmed that we are One Kalamazoo,” said Campaign Manager, Jon Hoadley.

With only absentee ballots outstanding, 65 percent of Kalamazoo voters have approved Ordinance 1856 by a vote of 6,463 to 3,527, adding protections for gay and transgender people to the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance. This margin is larger than the number of outstanding absentee ballots that are currently being counted.

“I am elated with the outcome of the election,” says Yes on Ordinance 1856/One Kalamazoo Steering Committee member and local resident Janice Brown. “This vote reinforces what our campaign set out to prove – that our fellow residents of Kalamazoo share the belief that all people should be treated fairly and equally, including gay and transgender people.”

The outcome of today’s vote confirmed that all hardworking people in Kalamazoo should have the chance to earn a living and provide for themselves and their families without fear of being fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance.

“Kalamazoo is a great place to live and the passage of Ordinance 1856 makes the city an even better place,” says local resident Rev. Matt Laney, Pastor of the First Congregational Church. “I am proud to live in a city that recognizes that all people deserve fairness and respect.”

The Yes on 1856/ One Kalamazoo campaign in support of the nondiscrimination ordinance involved hundreds of local volunteers and contributors, and had the endorsement of over 30 local religious, social, business, and political organization. The campaign would like to thank the Kalamazoo community for asserting their belief in the inherent equality of all Kalamazoo residents, and the countless volunteers for their hard work and dedication in recent months – and in some case, years – to ensure the passage of the ordinance.

AND, my friend Terry Kuseske, a gay man, won a seat on the City Commission! So with that good news to report, I apologize again for the infrequent posting. I will do my best to post more often in the next few weeks.
Posted by ConchExPat at 12:23 AM 4 comments

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

In Which "Well, Rachel, We Are Fighting Hard, Rachel"

Ok, I must be honest and admit that I didn't watch all of the clip I have embedded above. But the interviewee was overusing Rachel's name, and that always makes me flame with embarrassment. You think I'm exaggerating? Here's a brief bit of the transcript:
"JESSE CONNOLLY, NO ON 1/PROTECT MAINE EQUALITY: Hey, thank you, Rachel, for having me on.

MADDOW: Is it right to characterize the anti-gay marriage campaign in Maine as a tactical rerun of Prop 8 in California?

CONNOLLY: Yes, Rachel. I think that we are seeing here in Maine some very similar tactics that were put out in California by the same P.R. firm that you mentioned. But I think Maine people are fair-minded people that will hopefully see through these attacks and we feel really confident about where the campaign is headed as we head into the last two weeks.

MADDOW: What are you doing differently in Maine from the folks how lost on Proposition 8 in California? I know that you‘ve studied some of that campaign and the strategies on both sides.

CONNOLLY: Yes, Rachel, this is something that we haven‘t gone to overnight. This has been a multiyear effort by advocates that knew this was a two-pronged approach. They knew that there would need to be successful both on the state legislature and have the governor sign it, and then also simultaneously build for this people the referendum clause that we have in our campaign."
I get the same feeling from this sort of thing that I get from watching the Price is Right. But I understand the gist of the segment: gay equality=good; right wing wingnuts=bad. We have a battle going on here in my own city. Pam's House Blend had an article on it a couple of days ago. The basics: our city commission voted unanimously for a gay rights ordinance, protecting against discrimination particularly in housing and employment. Of course, this got the religious right's knickers in a twist, and with a petition, they had a referendum added to the ballot. More detail can be found on the One Kalamazoo website. We've had a lot of outside help on this one; cross your fingers.
Posted by ConchExPat at 2:16 PM 4 comments

Friday, October 16, 2009

Holy Shit!

Cold medicine apparently acts as truth serum for Dr. Maddow. I know most of you have seen this, but for those friends of mine who don't actually watch TRMS, please watch this beat down Rachel delivers on Tim Phillips from Americans for Prosperity. If you're short on time, watch the second one.


That was bracing, was it not? Whew.

As I've mentioned before, when she has these confrontations I feel so tense myself. My co-dependency is showing. Last night, at the height of the interview, my phone rang and I jumped a foot. I am wondering if this harsher tone is here to stay. I don't know if I can take it. Last night, after the show, someone tweeted that Keith Olbermann confronts through the camera, and Rachel does it face to face. That seems accurate.
Posted by ConchExPat at 3:43 PM 8 comments

Friday, October 9, 2009

In Which My Maternal Side Takes Over The Keyboard

I share Rachel's obvious delight in smart girls. She geeked over the spelling bee champ:

video

And, last night, Caroline Moore, that wicked smart young lady who discovered a supernova, was back on to discuss the moon bombing with Rachel:

There are so many reasons to love this clip. First of all: bombing the moon! Awesome! (Although less awesome when it actually happened this morning) Secondly: Rachel's affection for geeky girls, no doubt because she was one. Thirdly, and the best reason, is Caroline herself: funny, adorkable, poised, articulate, her parents must be so proud.

As the parent of a young woman myself, there is a special place in my heart for girls who, despite societal pressures, are just themselves. In Caroline's case, she seems to revel in her geekiness, she is enthusiastic at an age when sullenness is all the rage, and she offers no apologies for her smarty-pants status.

And how many guests on TRMS are awkward, ill at ease, ramble on, and are looking everywhere but where they should be? (very distracting, Sarah Vowell) But here comes the delightful 15 year old Caroline, who acts as though she's been on national tv all her life. This kid's gonna do something good, people. You can just tell.
Posted by ConchExPat at 10:49 AM 4 comments

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

In Which I Try To Force My Way Through Writer's Block

Ok, Ok. I know I have been posting with the frequency of a total eclipse of the sun; I am battling a hard core case of laziness. I've read that the best way to battle writer's block is just to write. Anything. I apologize ahead of time. Here goes:

I am not good at confrontation, which I think I mentioned here before when Rachel interviewed Tom Ridge. At the beginning of the Rick Berman interview last night, Rachel began with a pretty long rant. And it appears that Berman is sitting right there.

This is when my stomach began to tighten. How can she do that? I think that what that says about me is that I would much rather talk about you behind your back. I wish she had pushed him to answer why he thinks it's ok to call out lefty organizations to disclose who their donors are, when he so clearly defends his right to not disclose the same. Although she did get this little dig in:

Here's what I think. These fake grassroots right wing organizations that Rachel has been calling out have every legal right to hide who is funding them, same as the left wing groups do. But here's the difference: In America, by definition, liberals are anti-corporation, pro-union, speaking up for the disenfranchised, and support government caring for the poorest of our people. By definition, conservatives are pro-corporation, anti-union, and are not looking out for the little guy, at all. As has been said before on TRMS, liberals have the moral high road here. So why not frame every argument in terms of "liberty and justice for all?" I don't know what donors the lefty groups are hiding, but the end game of groups advocating for say, a higher minimum wage, isn't waging a war on behalf of money and power. The right can't say that. So, for instance, in the health care reform debate, the only thing we should be hearing from the left, and the voices are getting louder, is that the right of the individual trumps the right of the corporation. Whew. Enough of that "substantive" stuff.

Don't you think Connie Schulz, "Pulitzer Prize winning columnist," is too cute?

Smart, funny, on our side, and also very attractive. I've got a little crush blooming here.

So. did you see @WillAtWork's tweet about Adopt-A-Liberal? What a list! Their blurb on Rachel:
"Rachel Maddow, Radio and Television Show Host
Maddow is an openly lesbian radio and television personality who pushes her liberal viewpoints in the media. She favors same-sex marriage, claiming that it decreased divorce when such marriages were legalized in Massachusetts. Maddow has also called for an emergency halt on military discharges of openly homosexual soldiers."
My favorite, however:
"The Unknown Liberal
There will likely be additional liberals the Lord may bring to mind who desperately need your prayers. Feel free to select your own unique liberal and adopt them for prayer, perhaps even nominating one or more liberals for listing on our website by emailing us at liberty@LC.org"
Your prayers are welcome, my self-righteous friends.
Posted by ConchExPat at 10:24 AM 2 comments
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