The other thing that brought race to the forefront of the national psyche was just not-ready-for-prime time politics. A US representative in talking about his opposition to a health care reform proposal was trying to discuss the issue of federal funding being used for abortions. In making a point, he used Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and President Barack Obama as examples. Basically, he said if abortions were publicly funded decades ago would "...the great minds of Thomas and Obama been aborted?". The common factor between Obama and Thomas is that they are both Black men. If you hear the representative's whole speech he actually talks highly of both men and admires their intelligence but he did not use his own intelligence in making his point. In a matter of seconds, he killed any aspirations he might have had for a presidential run in 2012 and maybe 2016.
If you think about it, this covers the options of Black women and White women but it still sounds bad. I know he wishes Governor Sanford would hold another press conference. :)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Race, race, and more race
Recently, there have been two big incidents that have dealt with race (ethnicity not Tour de France). Speaking of the Tour de France, I was really pulling for Roger Hincapie to take the lead for a day. After riding 63 miles, I have a new found appreciation for the Tour de France riders.
Last week, a prominent Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Black man, was arrested in his home for disorderly conduct after being questioned by a town police officer about his presence in the home. To review, around noon he and his driver were trying to get into his house. A passerby called the police. After Gates, got in the house through the backdoor he and his driver attempted to get the front door to open because it sticks. While they were trying to get the front door open, a police officer arrived at the house. Both parties agree that the police officer stated that he was investigating an attempted break-in and asked Gates to identify himself. Gates identified himself and showed both state and Harvard ID. Both forms of identification had his picture and name. The state-issued driver's license had the address of the house on it. The police officer says that Gates was agitated and asked or suggested that if he were a White man the officer would not be questioning him. Evidently, there was a verbal back and forth, but neither account states any use of profanity or derogatory language by any of the parties. The interaction was ended by Gates being led out of his house in handcuffs. He was arrested for disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped today.
The various reactions to this incident are very interesting. CNN asked its viewers to weigh in on the interaction. Personally, I do not like opinion polling on news events like that since no one but Gates and officer were there for the whole thing. Walter Cronkite died last week and he was concerned twenty years ago that news was becoming more entertainment than information. Well, I think he just could not take it any more. After seeing newscasts covering American Idol and Brangelina.
If you think this country is past racial issues, then you should visit the posts on CNN. No matter whether you side with Gates or the officer or see both sides, race comes up again and again. Either that is how it is for the Black man or this is part of the hypersensitivity of Black people. The only post that was race neutral was the one that felt that it was more about the elite versus the common man and Gates wanting special treatment.
When things like this happen, I think it shows us that this country has a long way to go because we can not or do not talk about these issues until something major happens.
One thing I would like to clear up is that you are not required to produce identification when asked. You are required to identify yourself to police officers but not show them identification. This is a different standard than TSA or customs. There is a simple reason for this. Currently, we have no required state or federal ID. A driver's license is required to drive a motor vehicle but we are not required to drive a motor vehicle.
Last week, a prominent Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Black man, was arrested in his home for disorderly conduct after being questioned by a town police officer about his presence in the home. To review, around noon he and his driver were trying to get into his house. A passerby called the police. After Gates, got in the house through the backdoor he and his driver attempted to get the front door to open because it sticks. While they were trying to get the front door open, a police officer arrived at the house. Both parties agree that the police officer stated that he was investigating an attempted break-in and asked Gates to identify himself. Gates identified himself and showed both state and Harvard ID. Both forms of identification had his picture and name. The state-issued driver's license had the address of the house on it. The police officer says that Gates was agitated and asked or suggested that if he were a White man the officer would not be questioning him. Evidently, there was a verbal back and forth, but neither account states any use of profanity or derogatory language by any of the parties. The interaction was ended by Gates being led out of his house in handcuffs. He was arrested for disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped today.
The various reactions to this incident are very interesting. CNN asked its viewers to weigh in on the interaction. Personally, I do not like opinion polling on news events like that since no one but Gates and officer were there for the whole thing. Walter Cronkite died last week and he was concerned twenty years ago that news was becoming more entertainment than information. Well, I think he just could not take it any more. After seeing newscasts covering American Idol and Brangelina.
If you think this country is past racial issues, then you should visit the posts on CNN. No matter whether you side with Gates or the officer or see both sides, race comes up again and again. Either that is how it is for the Black man or this is part of the hypersensitivity of Black people. The only post that was race neutral was the one that felt that it was more about the elite versus the common man and Gates wanting special treatment.
When things like this happen, I think it shows us that this country has a long way to go because we can not or do not talk about these issues until something major happens.
One thing I would like to clear up is that you are not required to produce identification when asked. You are required to identify yourself to police officers but not show them identification. This is a different standard than TSA or customs. There is a simple reason for this. Currently, we have no required state or federal ID. A driver's license is required to drive a motor vehicle but we are not required to drive a motor vehicle.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Oh no they didn't
Today, I cruised around the art fair with a co-worker and her friend. It was toward the end of the night and we stopped to get funnel cakes. Funnel cakes are great going in but not so great sitting in one's stomach. Oh well. After the funnel cake I wanted a sno-cone so I got one of those, too. Essentially, it is shaved ice with flavoring. While the flavored syrup is not great, getting all that water is actually good and refreshing. As we were standing near the food stand a man comes up pulling a woman in what best can be described as a leopard print adorned rickshaw. The guy was quite muscled, had a shaved head, wore a metal chain-link collar, a black t-shirt that stretched across his pecs with the word "cuckold" in white letters, and some khaki shorts. Other than the rickshaw, the t-shirt, and the collar he looked pretty normal. The woman was in a nice dress that was pretty low cut and she had a parasol, I think. The neckline was so plunging that when she reached forward to give her man the money my co-worker's friend thought she might spill out of her dress. One of the best things about this was the reaction of children to seeing a woman being pulled in a rickshaw. The other great reaction was the parents trying to decide on the fly how much they should explain to the children.
Wonderful.
Side note: The unofficial name of the art fair should be the tattoo and cleavage fair. Good lord, there is such a thing as a cleavage saturation point. I reached it one-third of the way through the art fair.
Wonderful.
Side note: The unofficial name of the art fair should be the tattoo and cleavage fair. Good lord, there is such a thing as a cleavage saturation point. I reached it one-third of the way through the art fair.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Me and those like me are destroying the country
Today is the first day of the 2009 Ann Arbor Art Fairs. As a member of the Washtenaw County ACLU board, I volunteered to work a shift at the ACLU booth. I worked the booth for 3 hours. During my time at the booth, I heard about the New World Order, how Zbigniew Brzenzinski is the puppet master behind Barack Obama, how Barack Obama is just like George Bush (I guess it is an ear thing), and a host of other things. People love to come to the ACLU booth and share their gripes with us. One person felt that our bumper sticker referring to collateral damage "When we kill the innocent, we become the enemy" was contradictory with the bumper sticker "I am Pro Choice and I vote". Someone else, who drove away the bumper sticker analyst, felt that there was too much government intrusion but was conflicted on allowing people to own handguns since the sole purpose of handguns is to take human life. He also mentioned that if the termination of a pregnancy is a mother's right when does that right end. He wondered whether or not mothers are the only ones who can legally take a life besides the police. He was not joking. He was a libertarian.
The crowning moment(s) of my shift occcurred toward the end of my shift. One man started toward our direction, stopped, retreated, and then came up to us and told us how he is not a fan of the ACLU. He feels the ACLU never takes a stand with which conservatives would agree. I disagree about that but it is his opinion. He then went on some more. My booth mate, an undergraduate ACLU intern, engaged in a little disagreement with him. I did not. I was curious what he was basing some of his opinions on but not enough to really engage. A few minutes later a guy came by and told us that "the ACLU and groups like them are destroying this country". I was taken aback. Recently, I have been worried about my efficacy in my job and in the ACLU. However, now that I know that I am ruining the country, I think my efficacy is well cemented. :)
The crowning moment(s) of my shift occcurred toward the end of my shift. One man started toward our direction, stopped, retreated, and then came up to us and told us how he is not a fan of the ACLU. He feels the ACLU never takes a stand with which conservatives would agree. I disagree about that but it is his opinion. He then went on some more. My booth mate, an undergraduate ACLU intern, engaged in a little disagreement with him. I did not. I was curious what he was basing some of his opinions on but not enough to really engage. A few minutes later a guy came by and told us that "the ACLU and groups like them are destroying this country". I was taken aback. Recently, I have been worried about my efficacy in my job and in the ACLU. However, now that I know that I am ruining the country, I think my efficacy is well cemented. :)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Me, JD, and 63
On Saturday, a co-worker and I rode 63 miles together (more or less). This was part of the Helluva Ride put on by the Ann Arbor Bicycling Touring Society (AABTS). Last year, I did about 40 miles so I upped my effort by 23 miles. From this ride I learned a few things.
- 63 miles is a long distance.
- Somehow, one can go from Washtenaw County, to Livingston County, to Ingham County, to Jackson County, and back to Washtenaw County.
- My ride partner is a stronger rider than I am.
- After mile 48, I did not care if my ride partner was a stronger than I was. I was not riding any faster than 14 mph after mile 48.
- The first 38 miles were much better than the last 25 miles.
- My left quadricep muscle cramped up at mile 35. My right quadricep muscle cramped up at mile 45. My back stiffened by mile 53. I wanted to quit at mile 61.5. Fifteen minutes after finishing mile 63, I thought I would do it again next year.
- There is no doubt now that I am certifiably crazy.
- If you ride 63 miles, your wife has no complaints about you getting a half rack of ribs at Zingerman's Roadhouse. Did I mention I would do it again next year? I love spare ribs.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Priapism, priapism, priapism
I love the word priapism. I just like how it looks and sounds. The actual condition would be quite, quite distressing but the word is neat. To remain in a tumescent state for a prolonged period of time to the point where the tissue is dying due to the lack of blood flow is a fascinating condition to ponder. I wonder what the female equivalent would be. (This was last Tuesday.)
On Wednesday or Thursday, I found out what the female equivalent is called. It is called clitorism. Personally, I do not like that name and feel that it should be called clitoral priapism and for men, it should be called penile priapism. I am still fascinated by the fact that this can occur. I wonder if when it is chemically induced it can be avoided by lessening the dosage. Maybe priapism is avoided by sitting in water and that is why all the Cialis commercials involve water.
Speaking of that, what is up with the footed bath tubs on the beach in the Cialis commercials? If the big selling point of Cialis is that you will be able to perform when the "mood is right", why do you need a tub, particularly a footed tub? When the mood is right, go to a bedroom or lay out a blanket or go anyplace where you have good footing or knee support :).
Enough on priapism. Another great word is proprioception. "It is the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other."
Proprioception, proprioception, proprioception
On Wednesday or Thursday, I found out what the female equivalent is called. It is called clitorism. Personally, I do not like that name and feel that it should be called clitoral priapism and for men, it should be called penile priapism. I am still fascinated by the fact that this can occur. I wonder if when it is chemically induced it can be avoided by lessening the dosage. Maybe priapism is avoided by sitting in water and that is why all the Cialis commercials involve water.
Speaking of that, what is up with the footed bath tubs on the beach in the Cialis commercials? If the big selling point of Cialis is that you will be able to perform when the "mood is right", why do you need a tub, particularly a footed tub? When the mood is right, go to a bedroom or lay out a blanket or go anyplace where you have good footing or knee support :).
Enough on priapism. Another great word is proprioception. "It is the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other."
Proprioception, proprioception, proprioception
Death of M. A. Rriage
Recently, I heard about a Time Magazine article about marriage. One of the questions reportedly raised in the article is whether infidelity is ruining marriage. One of the 'revelations' of the article is that men actually do want to get married.
I will start with the 'revelation' first. Duh. So let us look at marriage. Men live longer if they are married. Being married makes a man appear to be more mature and ergo more trustworthy. From a biological standpoint, marriage allows access to procreation with a greater assurance of paternity. For centuries, men have wanted to get married. If the author of the Time article just looked around he (I believe the author is a man) would see numerous examples of men who not only want to get married but want to have children as well. Now, not all men want to stay married and men desire varying levels of in involvement with said children, but marriage is their goal.
Is infidelity ruining marriage? No. Never being home, constantly pursuing the next status symbol, not listening to ourselves and others, not being present in our lives, not taking care of ourselves emotionally and physically, etc. are the things that are ruining marriage. Marriage requires a realistic look at yourself, some humility, some introspection, and a whole lot of forgetting the bad and remembering the good. A psychologist named Gottman who wrote, what I think is, a very good book on relationships states that one of the things that dictates whether a relationship will last is how each partner responds to reconciliation attempts. If one or both of the people in a relationship cannot accept the other's attempts at making up, not euphemistically :), then there is a problem. Also, we do not know how to disagree as a culture and not take it personally. We do not value diversity of opinion and we do not see how to benefit from combining ideas and opinions.
I think infidelity is the one of the strongest ways to end a relationship that was already lacking in some way. The results of numerous surveys, I hope some of them used at least a modicum of survey methodology, show that one of the main reasons people have affairs is to feel good about themselves. The affair allows people to get away from the responsibilities of their lives. People desire to forget that the roof needs repair, that the children need braces, and that your spouse would rather surf the web than talk to you. Joy Behar of The View and sociologists posit that more marriages fail because in the past people died earlier. Child birth killed women. Farm accidents killed men. Spouses killed each other. The notion of romantic marriage is relatively new as well. We used to marry and do our best to love or fall in love. Now, we search for love, we get addicted to love. and the notion of romance while forgetting that some very mundane things are very romantic. I remember being at a dinner party and my wife telling the room how I had taken care of her when she was sick. My care was nothing spectacular let me assure you but it was adequate to the task. One of the other women remarked that her husband would not hold her hair when she was in the throws of nausea. Admittedly, this was because she drank too much alcohol, as did he, but you get the point. That spouse may give flowers to his wife but when she was down he was out. The same goes for wives. I have many times been very touched by the little and big things the Mrs. does for me. We recounted over the July 4th weekend how well we knew each other and how we have little interest in breaking in new spouses. Being familiar can be very romantic, in fact, many office affairs start because of familiarity because it can lead to emotional intimacy and comfort. If only people reminded themselves that they could have an affair with their own spouse. It is cheaper and presumably, you already know your spouse's craziness. If you switch to someone new, you have to find out about their crazy side and the craziness that runs in their family.
I will start with the 'revelation' first. Duh. So let us look at marriage. Men live longer if they are married. Being married makes a man appear to be more mature and ergo more trustworthy. From a biological standpoint, marriage allows access to procreation with a greater assurance of paternity. For centuries, men have wanted to get married. If the author of the Time article just looked around he (I believe the author is a man) would see numerous examples of men who not only want to get married but want to have children as well. Now, not all men want to stay married and men desire varying levels of in involvement with said children, but marriage is their goal.
Is infidelity ruining marriage? No. Never being home, constantly pursuing the next status symbol, not listening to ourselves and others, not being present in our lives, not taking care of ourselves emotionally and physically, etc. are the things that are ruining marriage. Marriage requires a realistic look at yourself, some humility, some introspection, and a whole lot of forgetting the bad and remembering the good. A psychologist named Gottman who wrote, what I think is, a very good book on relationships states that one of the things that dictates whether a relationship will last is how each partner responds to reconciliation attempts. If one or both of the people in a relationship cannot accept the other's attempts at making up, not euphemistically :), then there is a problem. Also, we do not know how to disagree as a culture and not take it personally. We do not value diversity of opinion and we do not see how to benefit from combining ideas and opinions.
I think infidelity is the one of the strongest ways to end a relationship that was already lacking in some way. The results of numerous surveys, I hope some of them used at least a modicum of survey methodology, show that one of the main reasons people have affairs is to feel good about themselves. The affair allows people to get away from the responsibilities of their lives. People desire to forget that the roof needs repair, that the children need braces, and that your spouse would rather surf the web than talk to you. Joy Behar of The View and sociologists posit that more marriages fail because in the past people died earlier. Child birth killed women. Farm accidents killed men. Spouses killed each other. The notion of romantic marriage is relatively new as well. We used to marry and do our best to love or fall in love. Now, we search for love, we get addicted to love. and the notion of romance while forgetting that some very mundane things are very romantic. I remember being at a dinner party and my wife telling the room how I had taken care of her when she was sick. My care was nothing spectacular let me assure you but it was adequate to the task. One of the other women remarked that her husband would not hold her hair when she was in the throws of nausea. Admittedly, this was because she drank too much alcohol, as did he, but you get the point. That spouse may give flowers to his wife but when she was down he was out. The same goes for wives. I have many times been very touched by the little and big things the Mrs. does for me. We recounted over the July 4th weekend how well we knew each other and how we have little interest in breaking in new spouses. Being familiar can be very romantic, in fact, many office affairs start because of familiarity because it can lead to emotional intimacy and comfort. If only people reminded themselves that they could have an affair with their own spouse. It is cheaper and presumably, you already know your spouse's craziness. If you switch to someone new, you have to find out about their crazy side and the craziness that runs in their family.
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