On the American Family Association

The American Family Association scares the crap out of me. 

(I’m not linking to their site. I don’t want to promote them. But if you’re curious, it’s not hard to find.)

Described in their mission statement as “a Christian organization promoting the biblical ethic of decency in American society with primary emphasis on TV and other media,” their main focuses seem to be to restore the word “Christmas” to it’s former place front-and-center of the holiday season, to hold up the “standard of traditional marriage,” as well as to criminalize homosexuality and eliminate pornography.

They like to boycott companies who are not in line with their values.

They like to boycott a lot.

Some of their past targeted companies include 7-Eleven, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Airlines, American Girl, Blockbuster Video, Burger King, Calvin Klein, Carl’s Jr., Clorox, Crest, Ford, Hallmark Cards, Kmart, Kraft Foods, S. C. Johnson & Son, Movie Gallery, Microsoft, MTV, Mary Kay, NutriSystem, Old Navy, IKEA, Sears, Pampers, Procter & Gamble, Target, Tide, Walt Disney Company, and PepsiCo. (PepsiCo was boycotted for controversy surrounding Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” video. You know, the one where she kisses the black Jesus and crosses burn?)

Oh, and they hate Marilyn Manson, too… but really, like that doesn’t have “duh” written all over it.

Currently, they’re after Tiger Woods. Tiger, watch your back. (And thanks for being yet another shining example of how much straight folks revere “the sanctity of marriage.”)

In 1989, AFA boycotted Waldenbooks for selling Playboy and Penthouse. In turn, Waldenbooks and some other companies sued the AFA for violating an act that allows businesses to conduct their business without harassment or threats. Go, Waldenbooks.

Some of my personal favorites (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

“In 2005 the AFA boycotted the company American Girl, seller of dolls and accessories, because the company supported the charity Girls, Inc., which the AFA called “a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian advocacy group.”

(Girls, Inc. - in case you’re curious.)

“In 2007 the AFA orchestrated a campaign to petition Congress to forbid the opening prayer of Congress from being given by Rajan Zed, an interfaith leader from Nevada. The AFA stated in electronic messages to members that “since Hindus worship multiple gods, the prayer will be completely outside the American paradigm, flying in the face of the American motto One Nation Under God.”

“On April 16, 2007, following the Virginia Tech Massacre, the AFA released a video titled The Day They Kicked God out of the Schools, in which “God” tells a student that students were killed in schools because God isn’t allowed in schools anymore. The video claims that the shootings at Virginia Tech, Columbine, and many other locations, are the result of, among other things, decreased discipline in schools; no prayer in schools; sex out of wedlock; rampant violence in TV, movies, and music; and abortions.”

“In December 2008, the AFA issued an “Action Alert”  which called for members to protest about the Campbell Soup Company, which had purchased two 2-page advertisements in the December 2008 and January 2009 issues of LGBT magazine The Advocate. The Action Alert included the statement “(Campbell’s) …sent a message that homosexual parents constitute a family and are worthy of support.”

…And just in case they weren’t prejudiced enough - they might also be Anti-Semitic!

“Media Matters claimed an article in the March 2005 issue of AFA’s Journal insinuated that raising children as Jews would lead to criminal lifestyles, and that it required a conversion to Christianity in order to make them productive members of society.”

Oh, and it’s been admitted that on their news page, they change all appearances of the word “gay” to “homosexual,” which triggered this delightful cartoon.

 

Groups like this, scarily enough, wield influence over politicians.

*Shiver*

Stuff like this is actually happening in the world.

Just wanted to mention it.

Alice in Wonderworld

The state of the world is… crazy.  It’s like a dark Wonderland full of strife, passion, pain, and joy.  There’s war happening and diseases taking lives, and it all looks kind of bleak – but the sense of change a’comin that holds firm in the air.

This is the stuff that weighs on my mind a lot recently.

For example, I’m a straight female, and the rulings against gay marraige technically don’t directly affect me.

Except that they do.

Three of the people I am closest to on this earth (and a number of other friends and acquaintences) are gay, and for the life of me I cannot see any good reason to deny them the same rights my fiancee and I have, just because between us we happen to be one man and one woman.

The Bible? Fine, if that’s what you believe, but I don’t remember America being a nation in which it’s mandated we all share the same religious beliefs. And pardon me for saying it, but I thought that was the point.  If you believe the Bible to be the direct word of God, cool. You’re free to believe what you want – just the same as I am. And just the same as my gay friends should be.

I find the “sanctity of marriage” to be a ridiculous concept, thanks to what 2009+ years of straight marriage have done to it. Why people are trying to claim marriage is a universally revered thing is nonsense in a world with arranged marriages between nine year old girls and sixty year old men, and TV shows where strippers compete to marry a washed-up rock star.  Not to mention, we’ve got so many cheaters and affairs we can’t even talk about them all. Some even make national headline news.  If you asked me to name the most stable couple I know, I’d show you Bob and Gator.  They’ve been together nine years (which is longer than my parents were married) and they’re simply a nice couple with a condo and pets. 

I hope we can get to a place where I can tell my kids “When I was your age, homosexuals couldn’t get married,” and it’ll seem an unbelievable concept to them.

You cannot force your beliefs to become the beliefs of all.

As someone who grew up sans religion, I take the seperation of church and state very seriously. 

Your belief in God should have no bearing on my female rights to control every part of my body, and to do what I choose with it. I include abortion in this. (I describe myself as pro-choice but not necessarily pro-abortion, and don’t even get me started on abortions after the first trimester. ) However, I am not going to call down those who disagree with me as sinners and bomb their houses, you know? I’m also not irrational enough to believe that I can make everyone on earth feel the same way.  I mainly just want the ability to rule my own uterus, thanks. I’d like to pass some legislation that limits the testicles, and see how the predominantly-male Congress reacts to that. (Maybe I’ll even get a Bible quote to back up my stance.)

 I don’t want to wake up in a world like that of young girls in the middle east getting their faces burned with acid just for trying to go to school. I’m not into fearmongering, but making it harder for women to get access to care for parts of her body harder strikes me as so incredibly sexist I’d like to go chuck copies of The Feminine Mystique at the heads of certain members of Congress. (I will forever hold that if men could get pregnant, abortion would not be an issue.)

As a woman, I feel at risk with current pending legislation. 

As a friend of the gay community, I feel under attack by current legislation.

What’s someone with a uterus and gay friends to do?

I guess my best recourse is to stay informed. Informed about which candidates are making choices I believe in, and which elected officials are holding to their promises (Dear President Obama, I’m talking to you.) as well as supporting causes I believe in.

I feel bad for President Obama.  When you’re put on a pedestal that high, you’re gonna have to come back down to earth.  Faced with drama like the collapse of the banking system (which should have been addresses long before he got to power) it’s got to be rough trying to get your own plans going. I think, even if it’s misguided, he means well.

I wish this Democrat/Republican pissing contest could take a backseat to an actual conversation about the problems of the world, even for a few minutes.

I’d like to slap Carrie Prejean in the face.

I’d like to slap Perez Hilton in the face, too.

Ignorance goes both ways, and knows no sexual orientation.

I would like to believe we’re not raising a generation of narcissistic princesses and ignorant douchebags. However, if you watch MTV’s current shows Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, and Teen Cribs, holding out hope becomes trickier and trickier. Sex and fame and money are not what makes you special, and yet people in our “ME” society want attention so bad they’re willing to make utter asses of themselves to get it. (White House Crashers? Balloon Boys Parents? Jon and Kate? Lindsey Lohan?) Intelligence, Purpose, and Character are things worth striving for. Family, Friends, Love, Laughter… Those things will last you longer than botox, rehab, and TMZ exposure. 

(This is what people aspire to?)

I’d like to see Athletes make less money – and teachers make more. I’m starting school for education in a few weeks, as I’ve recently realized the difference I can make in the world isn’t through theatre, but instead through literacy. Really, Kobe Bryant makes $40 million a year? And there are schools that can’t afford textbooks?

I want to leave something more behind than a life long quest to wind up in paparazzi photos and to obtain fifteen minutes of stupid fame. (Better to be Angelina Jolie than Spencer & Heidi, right?)

I used to be a celebrity gossip news surfer, which isn’t something I’m proud to admit. 

Over the past year, I’ve given up on Perez Hilton and the snarky, mean-girl blogs I used to frequent and realized there’s more to the world than who from Twilight is shagging whom.

One of my new years resolutions is going to be to blog …better. Not necessarily more, but better.

I feel like quoting Bob Dylan – “The times, they are a’changin’.”

(Though I’ll let Bruce Springteen say it for me.)

Sorry I have ovaries. Geez.

I was going to write a blog about the issue at hand of the limiting/elimination of women’s reproductive rights via health care legislation currently being passed on Capitol Hill, but organizing my thoughts was harder than I expected.

Then along came Kate Michelman, and she done knocked it out of the park.

Trading Womens Rights for Political Power. by Kate Michelman, New York Times.

(“I’m afraid of Americans..” – David Bowie.)

amazing read

“Likewise, there’s growing evidence that a cheap way to help keep high-school girls in school is to help them manage menstruation. For fear of embarrassing leaks and stains, girls sometimes stay home during their periods, and the absenteeism puts them behind and eventually leads them to drop out.  Aid workers are experimenting with giving African teenage girls sanitary pads, along with access to a toilet where they can change them.”

The Women’s Crusade (New York Times)

Welcome, sir.

I tried to upload this the day OF the inauguration –

but wordpress was OVERLOADED with bloggers.

Welcome, President Obama.

GOD – That sounds cool.

Mr. President…

 

Texts I recieved last night following the announcement that Barack Obama had won the next Presidency of the United States.

“Can you feel a brand new day?” – Brent

“Welcome to a new world!” – Annie

“GObama!” – several people.

Though I would have loved to have been among the tame and happy throngs of people downtown at Obama’s rally last night, I made the decision that getting home from downtown would be a nightmare, so instead – after a long workout – I joined Eric at his apartment for the election results, brought to us by a tag team of CNN and Comedy Central.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were my backup plan – If by some sad occurence McCain HAD won, I wanted to hear it from their lips instead of Wolf Blitzers. And, by the grace of God, while laughing at  Colbert monologue, Stewart cut in and made the announcement.

And, I swear, the world erupted in cheers.

After a surprisingly gracious concession speech from McCain, and an eloquent and powerful speech by Obama, Eric and I met Brent and Chris at Sidetrack (who had been having their own election night party complete with Obama cardboard cut-outs and more red, white, and blue balloons than I’ve ever seen) for a celebratory drink. Cars were honking and people were cheering.

All around, it was a lovely night.

And now, it’s a lovely day….  There are challenges to come, but at least we will soon have a leader with the integrity, smarts, and – I truly believe – heart, to make good things happen. He won’t be a perfect President (but then again, who has ever been a perfect President?)  but he’s a man who cares, and his caring brought together a whole new demographic of voters who came out in spades.

My generation just won our first election.

Now, we bide our time until GWB steps out of the office (Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out) and then, as some dude talking on his phone on the bus this morning said – “Shovel the coal into the hope train, ’cause we got some mountains to get through.”

Go Obama. You got this.

Rock the vote.

 

I voted last week as part of the wonder that is early voting — So I won’t be standing in line today waiting to cast my ballot with most of America. I’ve never felt this much electricity around an election before.

Time to slay the dragons, kids –

Rock the vote.

Good, American, Me…

I did my obligatory American duty yesterday and voted. I decided to take a day off work and handle a bunch of things that couldn’t be handled from my office – closing my Bank of America account (THIS JUST IN! If you can’t get people to pay attention to the fact that they stole your money, email the CEO crankily. His lovely assistant will get back to you and the whole thing can be solved in a matter of days! Just sayin..), some other things, and voting early.

Thank goodness I took the whole day off. And thank goodness it was a gorgeous day.

Voting early took me a little over 2 hours – I waited in line at the Merlo Public Library on Belmont with a long line of other wannabe voters. I didn’t bring a book, but fortunately there were copies of The Onion. Watching all these people get told it was going to take 2+ hours and seeing how many got in line anyway was heartening.  People really do care.

I can’t wait to see this one play out.

ALSO – I’m reading Sarah Vowell’s “The Wordy Shipmates,” about the history of Puritanism in America. Check it out. It’s a delightful read. Vowell’s conversational style makes even the drudgery of pilgrims seem entertaining.

The pathetic campaigning of the McCain campaign

Things are getting ugly.

McCain and Palin are leading a pathetic campaign – using narrow-minded fear to try and cling to an election they’re losing.

Seriously. Go vote.

 

 

“Joe Six-Pack” is not my homeboy.

Can I just rant for a few? Please.

I don’t want “Joe Six-Pack” to be my Vice President. I know Palin thinks she’s appealing to average, everyday (ie, simple) Americans when she keeps throwing around that phrase to prove how mainstreet she is – but seriously. I’m from Alpena, Michigan – a town filled to the brim with “Joes.” They drive pick-ups and farm and shop at Wal-Mart and god bless them, they’ve lovely salt of the earth people, but that doesn’t mean I want them one step away from the most powerful position on earth.

I want someone with knowledge into how policies and government procedures work. Simply, I want someone qualified. Especially if that person is backing up the oldest man who has ever lived. (Have you been to thingsyoungerthanmccain.com yet? Do it. Riot.)

Joe Biden remains my homeboy. To quote that noted intellectual blog, Jezebel – “Biden gets shit done. Bitch is the new Black, and Biden is the new bitch.”

Meanwhile, Gov. Paliln – If the mean income of the American family is $47,000/year and you make $250,000/year, how are you “middle-class”….. Anyone? 

God, this is an awesome election.