7/31/11

BTW...thank you to 10,000+ people who visited this blog since it was created in 2009. The number of site visitors just suprassed that mark

It is tempting to hate the tea party people but, if I did so, I would just be like them


Watching the fiscal crisis in Washington this weekend has been tough. I am furious to see how the Tea Party has hijacked the Republican party for their own selfish and racist purposes.

But I understand tea party philosophy even though I don't accept it. They want to dramatically reduce the size of government and its programs...unless they benefit from it. They, with their good buddies at Fox News, have tried to whip up anger about the country's allegedly high taxes when in reality federal taxes are historically low levels. They try to blame the recession and Wall Street shenanigans on Obama even though W should bear most of the blame. They talk about Obama beingin socialist and how they want their country back, when they really don't like black people and don't want one as their president. And they talk about how America has changed too much, including how gay people have the audacity to think they are God's children, too, and deserve to be treated equally, including getting married.

But the tea party politicians (Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, etc) and their supporters don't think too deeply about these matters. Besides their lack of compassion for their fellow man (and the Christian idea that we all are connected and our brother's keeper), I find their of lack of critical thinking to be the most insulting thing about them. They badly distort the facts to fit their view of the world.

I am all for trimming government programs that don't work or reforming other things about government. I also favor fiscal responsibility, and my family and I live like fiscal conservatives, not just talk like it. And while I don't like to pay or see my taxes raised but I realize that need to pay for everything for our society. It is simple math. The fallacy of the Tea Party movement and Reaganomics is the belief in magical shortcuts. By somehow cutting taxes with the Prop 13 in 1970s and in 2000 when George W cut taxes for everyone, including and especially the rich, that in the long-term we are still going to be able to pay for everything the country needs and made us great. The reason Reagan and Bush were able to cut taxes is that in the previous decades the country had invested in infrastructure, education, and other programs, and the state and country could coast for a few years without additional investment in those areas. But look at California now after decades of Prop 13 and Republican tax cuts...the golden state is a lot less appealing. Sometimes we need to cut taxes but this period is not one of them.

America has seen demagogue movements before and this latest one will not be the last. So I am going to breath deeply and tolerate their right to their opinions and political actions, not because I am a saint, because I am a true believer in a pluralistic democracy, I believe that the tea partiers are also God's children (no matter how delusional), and I don't want to be as intolerant as the people who hate me.

The totalitarian regime of Syria kills more of its peaceful, protesting citizens

Saw "Midnight in Paris", one of the best Woody Allen movies in years & a movie with a Buddhist-like message

Check out "Born This Way", childhood stories & photos submitted by LGBT people reflecting on their innate uniqueness

7/30/11

"Why The GOP Are Not Fiscal Conservatives" by Andrew Sullivan


The reason is pretty simple. A fiscal conservative puts living within one's means as the core priority; the current GOP believes that defunding the government should be the core priority. As British chancellor George Osborne has noted, the Tories want to keep taxes as low as possible and government as modest as possible within a balanced budget; the Republicans want to keep taxes as low as possible and government as modest as possible, even if this means vast deficits, or default, within a divided government. For the rest of the article, click here.

I am furious with the Tea Party people: they are political anarchists who aren't open to reason or compromise

A zen lesson as our country teeters


When it is time to dress, let us put on our clothes.
When it is time to walk, let us walk.
Do not have a single thought in mind about searching for the Buddhahood.


--Lin-chi

Choi has got it right on pushing Obama to be his best


I pressure this president so he can be a great leader; you protect him because you believe otherwise.

--Lt. Dan Choi

Sounds like the GOProud gays in the back of the conservative bus just got thrown off and under it


According to official letters obtained by The Daily Caller, the gay conservative group GOProud and the ultraconservative John Birch Society won’t be co-sponsoring the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2012.

The decision was reached by a full vote of the American Conservative Union’s board of directors. The ACU organizes and hosts CPAC each year.

Representatives of GOProud and the John Birch Society were notified of the decision via mail Friday afternoon.

Oh, what a bad feeling I have about this debt crisis!

7/29/11

Not one GOP elected official has chosen to be in an "It Gets Better" video, which tells you a lot how much that party cares about gay youth...and us

Yesterday, Dan Savage reported that not one GOP elected official has participated in an "It Gets Better" video, while the President, Vice-President, Clinton, most of the Cabinet and many of the Democratic senators and representatives have done so.

The GOP didn't help us during the AIDS crisis, threw us under the bus in 2004 by campaigning against us, and now they don't care if our youth takes their lives due in part to the homophobia that the GOP has helped stir up. This party is morally bankrupt. But this is not news to anyone. Yes, I am pissed because their behavior is outrageous.

On a positive note, watch this "It Gets Better" video from Pixar employees:

7/28/11

There is "no ground" to this world. It is temporary...and can be beautiful


At present, the outer universe—earth, stones, mountains, rocks, and cliffs—seems to the perception of our senses to be permanent and stable, like the house built of reinforced concrete that we think will last for generations. In fact, there is nothing solid to it at all; it is nothing but a city of dreams.

--Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Via Tricycle.com

Gay bloggers win a small victory against homophobia


From Talk About Equality:

After a quick and successful campaign and a Change.org petition, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) has had their accreditation pulled in California. NARTH was on a list of several hundred organizations which could have provided continuing education credits for Licensed Educational Psychologists, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers to renew their licenses. This essentially meant that NARTH could be responsible for helping to train the people who have to counsel LGBT youth and families.

Emails, phone calls, tweets, and letters make a difference!

7/24/11

I am just sayin...


Reality catches up with America's "fair and balanced" news source, just last week when it did with its founder.

Looking at things as a whole...


Any space is as much apart of the instrument
as the instrument itself.


--Pauline Oliveros

On this historic day for marriage equality in the United State, I heart New York!



And the sky isn't falling...but the temperature is rising.

7/23/11

In memoriam...


...my heart is with the good and gentle people of Norway, today.

The wisest tweet of the day

Andrew Sullivan sums up the problem with the GOP


From "America's Cold Civil War" by Andrew Sullivan:

"The Republican refusal to countenance any way to raise revenues to tackle the massive debt incurred largely on their watch and from a recession which started under Obama's predecessor makes one thing clear. They are not a political party in government; they are a radical faction that refuses to participate meaningfully in the give and take the Founders firmly believed should be at the center of American government. They are not conservatives in this sense. They are anarchists."

7/22/11

Stephen Colbert teaches LGBT history :)

Obama is right...the GOP protects tax breaks for corporate jet owners while cutting benefits to the poor. Simply shameful

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Photo: Obama certifies the repeal of DADT. Yes!

A picture that sums up our collective denial about climate change. I am worried for my nephew


Predicted highs for today...and it isn't even August yet! I am worried.

From NOAA:

- The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for June 2011 was the seventh warmest on record at 16.08°C (60.94°F), which is 0.58°C (1.04°F) above the 20th century average of 15.5°C (59.9°F).

- June 2011 was the 316th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last month with below-average temperature was February 1985.

- The June worldwide average land surface temperature was 0.89°C (1.60°F) above the 20th century average of 13.3°C (55.9°F)—the fourth warmest on record.

- The global average ocean surface temperature was the 10th warmest June on record, at 0.47°C (0.85°F) above average. Neither El Niño nor La Niña conditions were present during June 2011.

- According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, these ENSO-neutral conditions are expected to continue into the Northern Hemisphere fall 2011.

- The first half of 2011 (January–June) was the 11th warmest on record for the combined global land and ocean surface temperatures.

- Separately, the worldwide average ocean temperature was also the 11th warmest January–June and the worldwide average land temperature was the 12th warmest such period.

A zen teaching that has become my mantra


"When you do something, you should burn yourself completely."

--Suzuki Roshi

7/21/11

Tiger, flailing, fires long-time caddie


This line from today's SF Chronicle captures the pain of Tiger:

"In the 20 months since Woods was caught having multiple extramarital affairs, he has lost four major sponsors, changed swing coaches, was divorced from his wife and now has cut loose his caddie."

What a fall from grace.

The spiritual path is virtually never what we expect


We all enter the spiritual path as ego-based beings, and as such we have ego-based hopes and fears. Practice is virtually never what we expect. We feel like we’ve got it all wrong, thinking, “The more I meditate, the worse I become.” My teacher, Gendun Rinpoche, always responded to this by saying, “When you see your own shortcomings, it’s the dawn of qualities. If you only see your qualities, there’s a problem.”

--Lama Tsony

Via Tricycle

The tweet of yesterday

Capital Children's Choir performs a floaty, ethereal version of "Judas"

The good people of the U.S. Virgin Island go gaga for "Born this Way!" and LGBT equality

The ever brilliant Colbert speaks to lgbt youth: he talks about how it really does get better

7/15/11

Good-bye to Friday Night Lights, a TV show that will continue to live in my heart


Tonight's finale did not disappoint. There were wonderful surprises, endings and beginnings. Again, Tammy and Eric showed why they are best example of a loving couple on TV. This show deserves to sweep this year's Emmy awards...it was that consistently good. The music, the writing, and the acting really moved me.

With tears in my eyes, good-bye FNL!

Today, Syria shoots dead 29 non-violent protesters who are advocating for political freedom

Thanks to CA State Senator Mark Leno for his landmark LGBT history bill. Another step towards full societal equality

Leadership trifecta: A president, governor & mayor that (mostly) support my rights as a gay American citizen




While I don't consider them to be perfect on all LGBT issues, I am pretty happy with President Obama, California Governor Jerry Brown, and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. What a difference principled leadership at the top makes!

And, we need Obama to evolve more quickly on the marriage equality issue.

More music that celebrates equality: Dave Koz sings "This Guy's in Love With You"

Gaga's "Edge of Glory" celebrates marriage equality

7/14/11

Contact California Governor Brown today to sign SB48, a bill that would include the accomplishments of LGBT people in high school history textbooks


Recently, the CA legislature passed a bill (the FAIR Education Act - SB48) that would mandate the inclusion of the important historical contributions of gay people in California public high school history text books, just like similar state laws mandate the inclusion of other historically under-represented minorities like women, Blacks, and Hispanics. The governor is getting a lot of heat from the forces of fear (so-called christians, homophobes, and various other types of luddites).

We need to speak up for this bill and let California's kids know that LGBT people play important roles in our society, too

Please contact the Governor and tell him to sign the FAIR Education Act (SB48):

Email: http://gov.ca.gov/m_contact.php

Phone: 1.916.445.2841

Twitter: @jerrybrowngov

The message on my tea bag this morning....


Grace brings trust, appreciation, love and prosperity.

Slothfulness & the Bible Belt seem to go together

The Daily Show takes on the Bachmann's :)


7/13/11

Rupert Murdoch & News Corp rightfully gets skewered by all parties in the U.K.'s House of Commons



Also, read Tina Brown's take on Mr. Murdoch's chances and strategy for redemption.

The messy process of forgiving another & myself


Recently, I have been asking myself why did I tolerate such mean and judgmental behavior from someone who I was really close to? Why didn't I end this emotionally-corrosive relationship many months earlier?

These are difficult things that I try to hold and ponder without being harshly critical of myself. But looking back, I stayed in this relationship because I saw the innate goodness in this other person...and I still do. I tried to ignore his fear, which the Course in Miracles says it isn't real in a spiritual sense. I hoped that my love would heal and transform his fear, which I was wrong about and isn't my job.

I am learning to accept other people for exactly who they are right now, not what I would like him or her to be. Also, I need to take better care of my inner little kid, speaking from my heart when someone does something to offend me. Being open and loving AND with clear and appropriate boundaries.

I am living and learning along this messy path of life. I don't mind saying that I was a fool for love (in this past relationship). But I have grown and deepened. As the movie The Tree of Life so wonderfully talks about, I chose "the way of grace:" that difficult but satisfying life approach that emphasizes forgiveness, compassion, and love.

Sign of the times: Michael Irwin supports LGBT people