12/30/10

In 2010, my favorite moment in sports. It doesn't get any better than this...

Dignity, athleticism, humility,and loyalty...all wrapped into one delicious and important moment for Spain, as Andres Iniesta scores the World Cup-winning goal.


"Andres Iniesta, the unassuming superstar"

by Jonathan Stevenson | 10:10 UK time, Monday, 12 July 2010, BBC

World Cup 2010: Johannesburg.
The reluctant superstar has overnight become the one of the most famous sporting faces on the planet.

As Andres Iniesta controlled Cesc Fabregas's pass in the 116th minute of the World Cup final, Spain's destiny lay in the hands of its pocket-sized midfield playmaker. One sweet sweep of his right foot and Iniesta, for so long the quiet prince of Spanish football, was suddenly its king.

No more just the sublimely talented creator who lives in the shadows of supposedly more illustrious team-mates, now it is the boy from Fuentealbilla near Albacete in the east of Spain who reigns supreme.

But just who is the 26-year-old who has now won every major honour in the game?

Iniesta's rise to stardom has not been without a struggle, although sometimes often it seemed that maybe he himself was the biggest obstacle to success.

Painfully shy as a youngster, Iniesta joined Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, when he was 12. He was often homesick and kept himself to himself, a rare sign of his personality showing through with the posters of Barca captain Pep Guardiola that adorned the wall in his room.

But soon it became clear the Catalan club had a special talent on their hands. Invited to train with the first team one day when he was 16, it has gone down in Barcelona history what Guardiola, now coach of the club, said to midfield colleague Xavi when he first laid eyes on Iniesta: "You're going to retire me," whispered the then 29-year-old, "but this kid's going to retire us all."

Iniesta made his debut under Louis van Gaal in 2002, eventually establishing himself in the first-team squad with Van Gaal's successor, fellow Dutchman Frank Rijkaard. But with the likes of Xavi, Ronaldino, Lionel Messi, Deco and Mark van Bommel around, Iniesta could not bed down a regular place in the team, instead calmly filling in a variety of positions as the club used his versatility to good use.

Left out of the starting XI for the Champions League final in 2006, it seemed as though Iniesta was destined to remain a bit-part player. But, gradually, he became indispensible - not through shouting from the rooftops about how good he was, simply by being so good that people began to start championing his cause.

It was not hard to see why. Playing in a midfield three at Barcelona in tandem with Yaya Toure and his footballing soulmate Xavi, Iniesta's class shone like a beacon. It wasn't just that he could move the ball around with the 'tiki-taki' accuracy and verve of Xavi, it was also that his lightning-quick feet and ability to dribble past people were at times eerily similar to his team-mate further up the pitch, Lionel Messi.

Before long, the fact Iniesta kept himself to himself and shied away from the limelight did not matter. He had plenty of people queueing up and tell the world how good he was.

Xavi reckoned the only thing holding his colleague back was the press. "Iniesta is easily Spain's most complete player. He has everything. Well, nearly everything - he needs media backing," said Xavi. Samuel Eto'o went a step further: "Iniesta is the best player in the world, whenever he's on the pitch he creates a spectacle."

If Iniesta didn't do himself any harm with his assured displays as Spain captured the hearts of a continent by winning Euro 2008, what has happened since has ensured he will go down in the annals of the game he so effortlessly graces.

In fact, you can probably trace the exact moment he shook off the shackles of anonymity and finally announced himself to the world: 2135 BST on Wednesday 6 May 2009, when he set to one side the "receive, pass, offer, receive, pass, offer" Barcelona education he had been schooled in and smashed a 20-yard right-foot shot into the top corner of the Chelsea net to send his team into the Champions League final.

From there on, the praise became deafening. After Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson warned that "Xavi and Iniesta get you on this carousel", the 5ft 6in Iniesta put on a footballing masterclass to help Barca beat the Old Trafford outfit 2-0 in Rome.

Sitting in the vanquished dressing room after the match, Wayne Rooney told his team-mates - including a certain Cristiano Ronaldo - that they had just lost to a team directed "by the best player in the world". He wasn't talking about Xavi or Messi but Iniesta. Eto'o was delighted that he had been proven correct: "When I said Iniesta was the world's best, you laughed. Now you can see I'm right."

Yet coming into the World Cup in South Africa, as the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo decorated posters and billboards all over the country, Iniesta was nowhere to be seen.

The man sometimes called 'El Anti-Galactico' in Spain could hardly be more different to the stereotypical modern footballer, eschewing as he does the partying, tattoos and the usual headlines that are so common among his peers. "Discos are not my thing," he once said.

In the mixed zone at the Camp Nou after Barcelona beat Real Madrid in 'El Clasico' in November, I gathered around as a group of Spanish journalists questioned Iniesta. Wearing jeans and a plain white T-shirt, he immediately stood out from the rest of his team-mates. He also spoke so softly even the guys at the front were straining to hear him.

But the most interesting thing was that Xavi, standing about three feet away from Iniesta, stopped talking twice to his interviewers so he could hear what his 'tiki-taki' twin was saying. He might not say much but when he does people listen.

Before Sunday's World Cup final, Iniesta challenged his Spain colleagues to improve, suggesting the level they reached in the 1-0 semi-final win over Germany would not be good enough to take the trophy. He also gave a hint of the excitement he felt at helping his country to a first appearance in the final: ''We have all dreamed of this moment but we have to finish the dream. The last step is the most difficult and the most beautiful."

How prophetic. In a brutally physical game of football in Johannesburg, Iniesta was left in no doubt as to how the Netherlands were going to try to stop him after Van Bommel clattered into him from behind early on to pick up a booking.

Van Bommel's gamble appeared to pay off as a subdued Iniesta struggled to get into the game, giving the ball away with a regularity that borders on sinful where he comes from. But as the second half wore on and the Dutch began to tire, he began to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

A jinking run into the box was only denied its deserved finish by a super sliding tackle from Wesley Sneijder. Then, in extra-time, it was from Iniesta's cute through ball that Fabregas found the legs of Maarten Stekelenburg instead of the far corner.

But Iniesta was not to be denied his match-winning moment. A few minutes after he was hauled down by John Heitinga following an umpteenth one-two with Xavi - the Dutch defender was sent off as a result - Iniesta's crowning glory arrived as he slammed home.

As the final whistle went, Iniesta slumped to his knees and shook his fists on the turf, more than 700 million people around the world watching this most reserved footballer enjoy a very rare public display of emotion.

Back in the bowels of Soccer City about an hour or so later as he collected his man of the match award, it was business as usual for a man who refuses to acknowledge his own importance. "I simply made a small contribution to my team," he said.

The truth may have been somewhat closer when Fabregas, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique burst into the room moments later shouting "you're the best, you're the best" at the man who saved them from going to penalties.

After Iniesta's goal at Chelsea last year, Guardiola revealed some of his midfielder's frustration. "Andres always moans that he doesn't score enough, as if with everything else he does, he has to get goals, too. Tonight he settled his debt forever."

On Sunday, Iniesta's World Cup winner ensured Spain would be forever in his debt.

The promise of America in the words of the President

For we are not a nation that says, “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We are a nation that says, “Out of many, we are one.” We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal. Those are the ideals that generations have fought for. Those are the ideals that we uphold today. And now, it is my honor to sign this bill into law.

--The President of the United States of America at the repeal of DADT


Film made in 24 hours about the '10 blizzard


For the inside story, click here.

Watch a polar bear destroy a hidden camera

Buddhism & Christianity: not mutually exclusive

Zen Buddhism helps man to find an answer to the question of his existence, an answer which is essentially the same as that given in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and yet which does not contradict the rationality, realism, and independence which are modern man's precious achievements. Paradoxically, Eastern religious thought turns out to be more congenial to Western rational thought than does Western religious thought itself.

--Erich Fromm

The call for gay marriage is renewed

From an editorial in today's Los Angeles Times, calling on President Obama to lead the way:

We can't peer into President Obama's soul, but his statement last week that he is "struggling" with whether to endorse same-sex marriage is open to an unedifying interpretation. Given the president's support of gay rights in other contexts, his opposition to marriage equality raises the question of whether the struggle Obama referred to is between politics and principle. If so, we hope principle will prevail. [snip] When he ran for the presidency in 2008, it was the conventional wisdom that supporting gay marriage would be politically fatal. With shifts in public attitudes, that probably will not be the case in 2012. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 42% of adults now favor same-sex marriage, compared to 37% in 2009. The trend seems clear. We'd prefer to think that such considerations wouldn't be uppermost in Obama's mind. What should determine his position is logic and the fact that same-sex couples across America, not just those in his circle, yearn for recognition of their relationships. Enough agonizing, Mr. President. Support marriage equality.

12/29/10

5 moments in 2010 that brought me to tears

The Giants win the World Series, triumphing over Texas
Obama signs the repeal of DADT
Spain wins the World Cup
Health care bill finally passes
Chilean miners are rescued

The White House's video on the repeal of DADT

Zen task: seeing the world as it is

It is a task to come to see the world as it is.

--Iris Murdoch


Via Zen Calendar

12/22/10

On this day to remember, Harry Reid returns Dan Choi's West Point ring as promised...and Dan tweets about our next battle for marriage equality

Last summer, Lt. Dan Choi gave Senator Harry Reid his West Point ring in protest of the slow process in repealing DADT. The Senator promised to return it once he repealed DADT. Today, Senator Reid kept his promise. Read the story.

In the spirit of Reagan, an American conservative celebrates passage of START treaty...as do most thinking citizens

The side of the debate championed by Romney, Palin, Thune, Santorum, and Bolton has lost, and the virtually unanimous opposition to the treaty from movement conservative leaders, think tanks, and magazines has been ignored. For once, deceit and fearmongering did not win the day in a foreign policy argument. More substantively, U.S.-Russian relations will not be disrupted, our allies in Europe will continue to see their security enhanced by the thaw between Washington and Moscow, and inspections of Russia’s arsenal will resume to our benefit. The harm to U.S. credibility and diplomacy that I had feared would result from the treaty’s defeat will not materialize. All in all, this should prove to be a very good week for the United States and our allies.

--Daniel Larison, The American Conservative

Barney Frank shoots down a question on DADT

This President delivers on DADT: "We are no longer a nation that says 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' we are a nation that says 'Out of many, one.'"

More GOP hypocrisy: GOP blocks 9/11 First Responders medical bill after using these police and firefighters for political purposes. Staggering

12/20/10

Thank you Congressman Patrick Murphy, the House sponsor of the bill that repealed DADT

Lt. Dan Choi writes about the repeal of DADT

Congress Repeals DADT
by Lt. Dan Choi

No revolution towards justice ever went backwards. To all the supporters of equality and Don't Ask Don't Tell's death, I am so grateful. The road has not been easy. We have learned many important lessons about social justice, movements, supporting each other, and speaking out against discrimination.

The mission is not finished; it has only just begun. The most critical mission is supporting and encouraging closeted soldiers to finally access their full integrity, dignity, and humanity. This mission is in keeping with the first lessons learned at West Point or basic training. As the legislation signals a new chapter in our journey, we can be sure that our work has only begun. I call on all soldiers to gain the courage to come out. First come out to yourselves, then tell your trusted friends and family. Tell everyone who you trust and who deserves nothing less than truth. Stop hating yourselves as your country has signaled for so long. Furthermore, your coming out is not for you. It is for all those who come after. Military service is not about rank, pension or paycheck. Climbing the ladder is shameful without true purity of service and I applaud those who give up the superficial artifacts of career in favor of complete integrity and justice.

I denounce the fear-mongering of John McCain and others who do our country a grave disservice by their bigotry and calcified retardation. His outlandish remarks that justice will result in amputations demonstrates the ridiculousness of his entire argument. His silliness proves the fight for justice has no real logical debate; you are on one side or the other. John McCain, you are on the wrong side of history. Your feet wade in the toxic septic waste of rabid hate-mongers who perpetuate America's injustice. It is your argument that has been amputated today; your claims have no legs to stand.

President Obama, you are not off the hook. The compromise bill passed today puts the moral imperative squarely on your desk. Sign an executive order instituting a full non-discrimination policy throughout the military. If you do not, if you drag your feet and politicize this with your theoretical calculations as you have these past two years, you will be guilty of abetting those who loudly proclaim homophobia from their platforms and pulpits. Provide them no shelter or safe haven. Institute justice now.

Do not compare this to the integration of racial and religious minorities in the 1940's and 1950's. Integration of gay people has already happened. This is one inherent difference between our civil rights movement and that of the past decades. We are integrated, we simply fight for our Integrity. As each civil rights movement fights for access to a particular resource, it is clear that the gay rights movement fights for access to dignity and our own integrity. This struggle only begins.

I intend to rejoin the military and serve in any capacity I can be of best use. I intend to marry and have a family of my own. We are living in a truly historic moment where we can enjoy the rewards of our efforts. We stand on the shoulders of many who have come before us, from Air Force Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich to our present day heroes. We owe it to them to continue fighting. Our loudness does not distract but enhances the fight. Our direct action puts wind in the sails of lobbyists and political elites who do our bidding on the inside. We are one team with one goal: Equality in our lifetime. I do not intend to waver or retreat in pursuit of this new life purpose and mission, and neither should any American who loves justice.

NYTimes: "AndrĂ©s Iniesta: Barcelona’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Guy"

By ROB HUGHES

Published: December 19, 2010
LONDON — If ever we doubt that sporting values still hold in the mercenary modern era, then the last weekend before Christmas was gold dust.

The Times's soccer blog has the world's game covered from all angles.
Go to the Goal Blog. Before the Catalan derby match on Saturday between Espanyol and FC Barcelona at the new CornellĂ -El Prat stadium, it was a player from the visiting team who received the applause of the 40,000 men, women and children in the audience.

And then, five minutes before the end, with Espanyol suffering a 5-1 home defeat, its supporters stood to applaud the same Barcelona player in that same spine-tingling manner.

This, trust me, is a once in a lifetime thing.

Andrés Iniesta is a once in a lifetime kind of guy. He gets a warm reception everywhere he goes, in every Spanish stadium no matter how hostile the atmosphere.

It is recognition for the little man who came in off his wing to volley the game-winning goal in the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg last July, giving Spain the World Cup for the first time.

But the Cornellà is something different. It is the stadium of Espanyol, the other club of Barcelona. We should never say the second club, but of course it is smaller, less rich, and I dare say has a lesser team than the all-star line up of El Barça.

The philosophy is different, the means are different, but the rivalry is eternal and strong.

However, even the most partisan followers of Real Club Deportivo Español make an exception for “San” AndrĂ©s. And this goes deeper than gratitude for bringing home the Cup.

Cast your mind back to that South Africa night last summer. You might recall Iniesta’s first impulse after he scored that goal. He ran toward the crowd, tearing off his shirt and revealing an undershirt with the inscription: “Dani Jarque siempre con nosotros.”

It translates to “Dani Jarque, always with us.”

The words were in memory of a friend. Iniesta, and for that matter Cesc FĂ bregas and others who shared that national triumph, had been raised with Jarque.

The personal friendship between Iniesta and Jarque deepened as they grew up together in the Spanish youth teams.

They represented the country at every level from 16 years to 21. Spain, better than any other nation, nurtures its young by identifying talent in adolescence and bringing it through as a group to manhood.

Barcelona is a mighty part of that, because seven players on its current team lined up in the World Cup final. Iniesta, though not born a Catalan, is a product of Barça’s La Masia academy.

Dani Jarque came up through the cross-town Espanyol apprenticeship.

Their bond was stronger than any division between the two clubs of the same city.

“I felt it on the field,” Iniesta said before he departed the stadium on Saturday. “This is the biggest thing. People sent me messages. People are more important than rivalries.”

Unless I am mistaken, Iniesta will very soon start cleaning up awards as the world’s outstanding player of 2010.

Also vying for those awards are two Barcelona teammates, Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez.

And while the match Saturday reiterated that there is no player on earth more special than Messi, and none more influential to Barcelona than Xavi, Iniesta ’s strike in the 116th minute of a World Cup final will probably seal him those awards.

Even his club coach, Pep Guardiola, felt there was something exceptional about Espanyol’s affection towards Iniesta.

Exceptional, too, was the Barça team spirit. If there is one place where all its secrets are known, it is inside Espanyol. The clubs are so close that Espanyol hires former youth players from its neighbor — including five on its current squad.

Yet once they cross the city, cross the line, they become the fiercest of rivals. Up to Saturday, Espanyol had played seven La Liga matches in its own stadium and won seven. It had conceded a mere two goals.

Its coach, the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, made threats that his men would be just as aggressive as he was. Pochettino earned more red cards as a player than any other man in an Espanyol shirt.

He had captained Espanyol, just as Jarque, a big, strong central defender, was chosen to do a few years after Pochettino retired.

Alas, poor Dani Jarque. He collapsed and died of a heart attack while at preseason camp with Espanyol in Florence. He was 26, and he simply stopped breathing while talking on the telephone with his girlfriend, who was seven months pregnant.

That was why Jarque was uppermost in the mind of Iniesta last July in Johannesburg.

That was why Iniesta, though he intended to keep the undershirt, felt it belonged with Espanyol. He donated it to the club a month ago.

And that, surely, was why everyone applauded Iniesta on Saturday.

Unfortunately, the English referee at the World Cup final ruined the moment in Johannesburg by showing Iniesta a yellow card for removing his shirt.

It is in the FIFA rule book, so referee Howard Webb did as the rule dictates.

He showed Iniesta the same color card that he had flashed at Nigel De Jong after the Dutchman’s kung fu kick into the chest of Xabi Alonso during the final.

If FIFA has a conscience, it will revise that rule. It could do it in memory of Jarque, or in plain common decency.

But Barcelona is more than a club, more than a city, more than an act of sentimentality.

Guardiola’s team, three quarters of it grown at La Masia, proved again that it is among the finest ever to play soccer. Maybe the Real Madrid of the 1950s, possibly the AC Milan of the 1990s, were as great, but this Barça is still growing.

Guardiola is still learning to coach it. The display Saturday, with two goals from Pedro, two from David Villa, one from Xavi and more breathtaking creativity from Messi, was against a good, tough opponent.

Espanyol chased, kicked, and scored the first goal anyone has scored against Barcelona in seven matches. For Barcelona, which has won 10 consecutive matches, five goals a game is becoming a norm. An exceptional team, to be sure, with a saint on the wing. Iniesta doesn’t say a lot about his own talents, but Pablo Picasso, a former resident of this city, once wrote: “It is not what the artist does that counts, but what he is.”

12/18/10

DADT REPEALED! Justice triumphs. Thank you!

It is hard to describe the joy and pride I feel today as Congress repealed DADT and took an important step forward toward full equality for LGBT Americans. This has been a hard-fought victory requiring the sacrifice of so many people. Thanks goes to:

President Obama: who lead the long and smart plan for this repeal. The President was right about doing an exhaustive Pentagon study and getting the military on his side.
Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins: They rallied the votes on the GOP side during these last two weeks.
Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullens: They did a great job explaining the reasons to repeal DADT before Congress.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid: They delivered the votes needed and never gave up.
Dan Choi, Servicemembers United, and gay military people: They risked everything to win the day on this issue.
Countless LGBT activists: They kept on working regardless of the setbacks.
My family and friends and readers of this blog: Thank you for putting up with my requests for your help, especially in writing to senators.

We celebrate today and enjoy this victory, and tomorrow we renew our efforts to achieve equality for LGBT people in all areas of civic life.

12/17/10

Action alert: With the big showdown vote for DADT on this Saturday, call these senators now!

Looks like we have 58 or 59 senators committed to vote for the repeal of DADT. We need only 1-2 more. Call these senators NOW at the United States Capitol switchboard:(202)224-3121

--John Ensign (R-NV)
--George LeMieux (R-FL)
--Richard Lugar (R-IN)
--Judd Gregg (R-NH)
--George Voinovich (R-OH)
--Kit Bond (R-MO)
--Mark Kirk (R-IL)
--Kent Conrad (D-ND)
--Joe Manchin (D-WV)

12/16/10

Liberation from self

The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and sense in which he has attained liberation from self.

--Albert Eistein


Via Zen Calendar

12/14/10

University of Wisconsin, my alma mater, is a leader in addressing LGBT bullying. I am so proud of the school

University of Wisconsin at Madison has always been a leader in embracing and celebrating its LGBT students, and its new anti-bullying approach is no exception. I am proud to be a Badger!

A profile in courage: Congressman Patrick Murphy, defeated in Nov., reintroduces the DADT repeal bill today in the House

Move over Senator McCain. Congressman Patrick Murphy shows courage on and off the battlefield. An Iraq vet and family guy, this is a man who truly puts his country first.

Made in Brazil

While young guys aren't my thing, I can admire their beauty. From the site: Made in Brazil.

12/13/10

Buddhism says "just do it"

The most important things is, only do it. When you only do something, 100 percent, then there is no subject, no object. There is no inside or outside. Inside and outside become one. That means you and the universe are never separate. There is no thinking.

--Soen Sa Nim

Via Zen Calendar

12/12/10

A "golden year" for my favorite Spanish soccer player, Andres Iniesta

Ballon D’or: A golden year for Iniesta

11 Dec 2010
THE immediate aftermath may have been lost in a whirlwind of jubilation, but the goal that won the World Cup and thrilled an expectant nation remains vivid in the memory of Andres Iniesta.

With his speed of thought and exquisite technique, the little playmaker was already a standout for all-conquering Barcelona before he became king of the world with La Roja after his extra-time winner against the Netherlands.

Having progressed through Barca’s remarkable youth academy, which has produced some of the finest footballers in recent generations, Iniesta is the perfect modern attacking midfielder.

He performs with distinction for both club and country alongside Xavi and Sergio Busquets, and has lifted every major title available to him in domestic and international football.

However, his greatest triumph arrived when he capped a man-of-the-match winning performance with the goal that crowned Spain as world champions for the first time in South Africa this summer.

“When Cesc [Fabregas] passed the ball to me, I didn’t have any time to think or be nervous,” recalled Iniesta in an exclusive interview with Herald Sport. “I knew where the goal was and how I had to shoot. The shot did not go exactly where I wanted, but it was good enough and the keeper could not react.

“When I saw the ball hit the net, I ran, I screamed. It was awesome. After that I was looking forward to the end of the match, so I could celebrate it. I don’t remember what happened after the game, or even days later. It was an amazing night for everyone.”

While the superlatives used to describe Iniesta’s skill have all but run dry, his ambition has not, with the Spaniard now setting his sights on improving on a trophy haul that includes four La Liga titles, four Spanish Super Cups, a Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and two Champions League medals, as well as World Cup and European Championship wins with Spain – all at the age of 26.

Individual plaudits have been plentiful, too, and last week he was nominated for the FIFA Ballon D’Or, a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Year Award and the Ballon D’Or, a prize handed out by France Football Magazine, alongside Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi and Xavi.

“I never dreamt that I could win the Ballon D’Or; I dreamt of winning titles because that is the most important thing for me,” Iniesta said. “I’m excited to be nominated with other great players, especially with players like Diego Milito missing.

“I have been lucky enough to win many things but, in a few years when I look back, I want to have won more medals than I have now.”

It is little surprise that Iniesta’s managers for club and country, Pep Guardiola and Vicente del Bosque, are shortlisted for the Coach of the Year award, alongside Jose Mourinho, a Champions League winner with Inter.

To Iniesta, the 39-year-old Guardiola is a master of his craft. He said: “He is a coach that every day teaches you something new in each training session. He gives you solutions, he makes you a better player. With Pep, we [Barcelona] have taken a leap in quality.”

With three wins from three games, including a 3-2 victory over Scotland at Hampden, Spain are well on route to qualifying for the 2012 European Championships, where they will be favourites to retain their crown but Iniesta believes Scotland can still join them at the finals.

He said: “We knew the game against Scotland was going to be difficult. There are still games to play and Scotland still have a chance to qualify if they play with the same motivation and football as they did against Spain."

--Antonio Garcia and Christopher Jack, HeraldScotland

Andrew Sullivan on DADT Repeal: "Do Not Blame Obama"

I've had many criticisms of the Obama administration's tardy and milque-toast efforts on civil rights for gays and lesbians. But at this point, the peril facing repeal of the military's gay ban is not the administration's fault. In fact, it seems to me the events of the last month or so reveal that the Obama administration has finally delivered the goods for the military, which is hobbled by this dated, counter-productive policy, and for the gay community, by moving the issue deliberately through the Congress before the executive branch or the judicial branch. And the fact remains that in the current Congress, we have essentially achieved repeal, with the military's support and blessing - only to be foiled by tricky parliamentary maneuvering by a hard Republican faction that is impervious to reason. That's some achievement, however tragic the possibility of defeat.

I mean: look at it. We have the support of the Joint Chiefs, the Republican defense secretary, the majority of the troops, a hefty majority of the public, a majority in the House, and 57-40 majority in the Senate and a president ready to sign the bill. What more - to be frank - could we ask of the administration? Yes, I know there are executive branch ways forward, and judicial intervention looms as well. But it is far, far, far preferable that DADT be undone the way it was done - by the Congress.

All that stands in the way is the filibuster and those Republicans supporting it. But those Republicans must surely know, as defense secretary Gates has warned, that if they do not act with care and deliberation in the Senate, the courts at some point will - with far more damage to military readiness than a careful and deliberate phasing in of this overdue reform. I suppose the far right could try and use a potential court ruling to burnish their view that the courts are the source of all evil, especially gay evil. But if they deny gays equality by the legislative route through a parliamentary maneuver that clearly overrules the plain will of the Congress and the majority of the public, they can hardly complain that a tiny minority, essentially checkmated by one faction of one party with a filibuster, would seek recourse in the courts instead. And if they really want to save the military from disruption, the path charted by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Pentagon Report and defense secretary Gates is obviously the responsible way forward.

We are so close it would be truly insane to let this moment pass. So we mustn't let it pass. I agree with Capehart here:

If Congress, particularly the Senate, doesn't want the courts to do its job for it, lawmakers should move heaven and earth to pass the stand-alone measure. Stay over Christmas. Stay over New Year's. Udall is willing to. So is Lieberman. As one activist told me this week, it would be a massive failure for Congress to walk away for the holidays while 65,000 continue to serve in silence and others aren't even allowed to serve at all.

What we all need to do is to contact Senators - especially liberal Republican Senators like Scott Brown and conservative Democrats like Joe Manchin - to ensure that the sane middle is heard this time. This is not the time for resignation or resentment or fatalism. It's the time for a final push to take the knife out of the back of a small but honorable minority of US servicemembers. Let us finally do them justice.

Yes, we can.

--Andrew Sullivan


Via Daily Dish

The seeds in our consciousness

Whether we have happiness or not depends on the seeds in our consciousness.  If our seeds of compassion, understanding, and love are strong, those qualities will be able to manifest in us.  If the seeds of anger, hostility, and sadness in us are strong, then we will experience much suffering.  To understand someone, we have to be aware o fthe quality of seeds in his store consciousness.  And we need to remember that he is not solely responsible for those seeds.  His ancestors, parents, and society are corresponsible for the quality of the seeds in his consciousness.  When we understand this, we are able to feel compassion for that person.  With understanding and love, we will know how to water our own beautiful seeds and those of others, and we will recognize seeds of suffering and find ways to transform them.

--Thich Nhat Hanh


Via Phil Walker

12/11/10

Original Nature

What is your Original Nature, Snowman?

--Natsume Soseki


Via Zen Calendar

12/9/10

After today's crushing defeat in repealing DADT, it is tempting to...

...despise the GOP Senators who are actively obstructing the Constitutional rights of LGBT Americans
...blame the President and Sen. Harry Reid for lacking a good political strategy for passage of DADT
...feel despair and worry that LGBT Americans will never achieve our full rights as citizens.
None of these things will do any good.

The truth is gay citizens will keep pressing and pressing for change, and will overcome all these obstacles...in my lifetime. It won't be easy, but it is going to happen. I guarantee it!

Knowing when to hit the pause button

The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.

--William James


Via Zen Calendar

Boys will be boys...

12/8/10

The vote to start repealing DADT begins today

202-224-3121

KEY SENATORS WHO NEED TO HEAR FROM REPEAL SUPPORTERS NOW:

--Susan Collins (R-ME)
--Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
--Richard Lugar (R-IN)
--Judd Gregg (R-NH)
--Scott Brown (R-MA)
--George Voinovich (R-OH)
--Kit Bond (R-MO)
--Joe Manchin (D-WV)
--Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
--Mark Kirk (R-IL)

I hope Andrew Sullivan is right on Obama's political strategy. Also, insights on the President from his poker pals in Chicago


From Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Dish:

It's been fascinating to watch the left's emotional roller-coaster these past few weeks. It's also been fascinating to watch Obama out-run them, and to observe their responses to the final deal in the last 24 hours. Krugman has gone from "Let's Not Make A Deal" to "better than what I expected." The response from the far-right has also been illuminating. Drudge rushed to declare Obama's payroll tax cut as a Republican idea. Hinderaker below insists "Obama has admitted that the Republicans were right all along." Notice something about all of this? They all now realize that Obama has been a little shrewder than they took him to be.

Substantively, the Dish is in some ways horrified that the result of the last election - which was dominated by the view that deficits need to be controlled and that new stimulus is evil - turned out to be ... a new bipartisan stimulus package financed by borrowing! At the same time, it's clear that this also clears the stage for a two-year fight over long-term fiscal balance, distinct from the short-term need to recover from recession. And that is the best context for serious reform. If we reform the tax code, and cut entitlements and defense, we should do so for structural, long-term reasons, not in response to a particular crisis. That's the chance we now have, if Obama leads the way (as I suspect he will).

And notice that Obama has secured - with Republican backing - a big new stimulus that will almost certainly goose growth and lower unemployment as he moves toward re-election. If growth accelerates, none of the current political jockeying and Halperin-style hyper-ventilation will matter. Obama will benefit - thanks, in part, to Republican dogma. So here's something the liberal base can chew on if they need some grist: how cool is it that Mitch McConnell just made Barack Obama's re-election more likely? Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?

The mix of policies is also shrewd from a strategic point of view.

At some point, I suspect, the Congress will have to decide between extending the payroll tax holiday or keeping the Bush tax cuts for millionaires - the double-track of the current Keynesian deal. I think Obama wins on that one, and has set up the kind of future choice the GOP really doesn't want to make. What he has done, in other words, is avoid an all-out fight over short-term taxes and spending now in the wake of a big GOP victory in order to set up the real debate about long-term taxes and spending over the next two years, leading into a pivotal 2012 election that could set the fiscal and political direction of this country for decades, an election in which he may well have much more of an advantage than he does now.

This is the difference between tactics and strategy. The GOP has won again on tactics, but keeps losing on strategy. More broadly, as this sinks in, Obama's ownership of this deal will help restore the sense that he is in command of events, and has shifted to the center (even though he is steadily advancing center-left goals). It's already being touted as "triangulation" by some on the right even as it contains major liberal faves - unemployment insurance for another 13 months, EITC expansion, college tax credits, and a pay-roll tax cut.

My view is that if this deal is a harbinger for the negotiation Obama will continue with the GOP for the next two years, he will come into his own.

The more his liberal base attacks him, the more the center will take a second look. And look how instantly the GOP's position has shifted. They have suddenly gone from pure oppositionism to dealing with the dreaded commie Muslim alien, thereby proving he is not what they have made him out to be. The more often we get the GOP to make actual tangible decisions on policy alongside Obama, the less able they will be able to portray him as somehow alien to the country, and the more they will legitimize him. Their House victory means they can no longer sit out there, portraying the country as somehow taken over by radical, alien forces - which they can simply oppose with ever ascending levels of hysteria and rhetoric. And the more practical and detailed and concrete the compromises, the less oxygen blowhards like Palin and Limbaugh will have to breathe.

Now for the short-term benefits of resolving this tax-and-spend dilemma so swiftly. The president urgently needs to get the new START and DADT through the Senate. DADT would be a major boost for his base - and the country's military. Getting START through is critical to his foreign policy cred. If he can pull all this off by Christmas - and the Senate should indeed stay open for an extra week - the last Congress will indeed be viewed by historians as one of the most substantive (and liberal) in recent history. And Obama will have orchestrated it - while ending up firmly planted and rebranded in the center.

--Andrew Sullivan


Also, an article on Obama's poker skills from the Daily Beast

Getting clear

If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.

--Wu-men


via Zen Calendar

12/7/10

Happy 50th birthday to this good man

I am very honored to be a friend of Nick Cianci. He turned 50 today.

RIP: Elizabeth Edwards, a fierce LGBT advocate. Watch this video of her speaking at the 2007 HRC dinner in San Francisco



Also, read these wise words about her from James Fallows of The Atlantic:

This is predictable to say, but I will say it: I am very sad to hear of Elizabeth Edwards's death, six years after she was diagnosed with cancer while in her mid-50s. Her untimely illness was the third great tragedy of her lifetime, and it is a sign of her toughness and character that she went so far toward overcoming the other two.

The first was of course the death of her teenaged son Wade, in a car crash in 1996. Any parent views the death of a child as the worst possible calamity; often the grief and strain are too great for the parents' marriage to endure. To all appearances Elizabeth and John Edwards dealt with this loss as bravely as possible, reinventing their personal and professional roles and appearing to re-commit themselves to a recreated family, with the children Elizabeth bore at ages 48 and 50. The second tragedy was the unfolding revelation of her husband's true craven nature. I am sure she would have surmounted that, with a new writing and speaking career, or perhaps by entering politics in her own name, if she had not grown sick at the same time.

Fairness to Elizabeth Edwards is seeing her apart from these burdens -- as a sophisticated thinker and political actor, rather than a tragically fated figure. That's hard, but easier for me as I remember one extended performance I saw.

Nearly seven years ago, during the New Hampshire primary campaigns of the 2004 election, the Atlantic hosted a dinner for politicians and strategists in Manchester. At the time John Edwards was fighting hard against John Kerry, Howard Dean, Wesley Clark, and the others. The dinner had a lot of genuine big-shots who were used to listening to themselves and having their views sought. Two of the TV network news anchors; other journalistic big-foot types; some academics, plus several candidates' campaign managers; and Mitt Romney, then the sitting governor of Massachusetts, there to represent the GOP.

The longer the evening went on, the more people kept deferring to and asking questions of Elizabeth Edwards. By the end, it was like a seminar that she was conducting for the rest. She was talking mainly not about her husband's campaign but about her assessment of the larger shape of the presidential race. Where Bush and Cheney would be most vulnerable in the general election; what Karl Rove had figured out; how the New Hampshire results would position the Democrats for "mini-Tuesday" the next week and "super-Tuesday" a month later; how Democrats could talk about economic justice without sounding like big-government spendthrifts; what to say and do about Iraq.There was nothing "brave" or tragic about it, just someone who was intelligent, clear-eyed, and tough. I would like to remember that accomplished side of her.

Repeal of DADT less likely: GOP tries to run out the clock on DADT, but Senator Reid needs to give the repeal enough floor time. I am angry at both

12/4/10

Gratitude

The Buddha encouraged us to think of the good things done for us by our parents, by our teachers, friends, whomever; and to do this intentionally, to cultivate it, rather than just letting it happen accidentally.

Ajahn Sumedh


via Tricycle.com

Jon Stewart on the Senate hearings about DADT

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Gaypocalypse Now
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorThe Daily Show on Facebook

12/2/10

McCain's angry & peevish questioning of Secretary Gates on the repeal of DADT

On the 30th anniversary of the Audi Quattro, Audi release this beautiful concept car

Qatar was named as the host country for the 2022 World's Cup. Watch this video of their stunning soccer stadium designs

The origin of suffering

I have discovered that all human evil comes from this,
man's being unable to sit still in a room.

--Blaise Pascal

Via Zen Calendar

The more we tell the stories of our lives, the quicker the LGBT citizens will realize our full and equal rights

Today is a big day as the Senate Armed Services committee hears testimony supporting the repeal of DADT.

After the Pentagon released its most exhaustive and thorough personnel report in history, on Tuesday, it is clear there is no rational reason not to allow gay people to serve in the military. Any objections to repeal this un-American and unconstitutional law are pure prejudice and ignorance.

As Harvey said, the more people get to know us and hear our stories, the sooner we will realize our rights. Let's keep talking and winning the hearts and minds of Americans.

11/30/10

Andrew Sullivan on the difference between Obama's and the GOP's priorities

If Douthat is correct about his political premises, both parties had to choose between politics and policy. Democrats could have minimized their losses at the cost of sacrificing the health reform they wanted. Or Republicans could have minimized the scope of health care reform, at the cost of minimizing their potential wave. Democrats chose the best policy, and Republicans chose the best politics. I'm happy with the choice. Mitch McConnell won his election, and Democrats won health care reform. The latter is going to [be] around a lot longer than the former.

I supported Obama precisely because he was about policy more than politics. And his calm reason today was another reason. In the end, I believe policy achievement matters. And that the GOP's greatest problem right now is that they have lost interest in policy - hence their running on ideological abstractions rather than actual proposals. But if the American people reward this, it will keep on happening. And the Morris-Rove era will never end.

--Andrew Sullivan

Do something to repeal DADT instead of whining

Dan Savage on Colbert Report

Gaga over Lady Gaga's latest repeal DADT message

11/29/10

Gay pirate song by Cosmo Jarvis

From the first episode of Friday Night Lights...a most moving speech by Coach Eric Taylor

We will all at some time in our lives, fall. Life is so very fragile, we are all vulnerable and we will all at some point in our lives... fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts, that what we have is special, that it can be taken from us and that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls. We will all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain, that allows us to look inside ourselves.

--Fictional Coach Eric Taylor

A whole life

Practically speaking, a life that is vowed to simplicity, appropriate boldness, good humor, gratitude, unstinting work and play, and lots of walking bring us close to the actual existing world and its wholeness.

--Gary Snyder


via Zen Calendar

MSNBC news anchor tells how it gets better

11/26/10

Meditation applied to life

Draw bamboos for ten years,
become bamboo,
then forget all about bamboos when you are drawing.

--Georges Duthuit


Via Zen Calendar