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Merry Christmas, Gaza

[This was posted five days before Israel responded to Hamas’ attacks.]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/21/israel.gaza/index.html

Gaza attacked Israel again, raining more than 200 missiles on Israeli civilians last week. It got very little news, perhaps because Arab terrorism on Israelis is so common as to be expected in the media. I fear that Israel’s self-defense, in contrast, will be well covered. But it should be clear there is no moral equivalence. Hamas is trying to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible; Israel is trying to stop these attacks, by attacking the terrorists who shoot the missiles, while killing as few Arab civilians as possible.

The most serious victims of the Hamas Terrorist State of Gaza, of course, are not Israelis but the Arabs who live there and will continue to suffer miserably. There will be no peace in Gaza until Hamas is overthrown.
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Goodbye Polar Bears

The 11th-hour changes by the Bush Administration to regulations enforcing the Endangered Species Act seem designed to not let a pesky thing like the extinction of the polar bears from the planet endanger any profits of polluters or oil companies.

Murder in Mumbai

The Mumbai Massacre reminds us all–whether Democrats or Republicans; Americans, Europeans, Asians, or Africans; Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, or Atheists–that there is more on which we agree then disagree.

And one thing that all humanity of good will agrees: no matter what political cause you have, you do not murder innocent non-combatants. Good people may disagree on the proper tactics for defeating terrorism, but we are as one worldwide that these vicious terrorists — and those that fund and train them — must be defeated and discredited.

To all the victims of Mumbai in the great democracy of India, we mourn your loss and we must use your deaths and suffering to rededicate ourselves to the never-ending struggle to promote human decency in a world where too many wish to sow seeds of destruction.

Happy Thanksgiving. We can only pray the horrific tragedy ends soon.

We’re Winning in Alaska!

Begich has pulled ahead of Stevens by 814 votes! Looks like we’ll have 58 Democrats in the Senate. (http://www.elections.alaska.gov/08general/data/results.pdf)
This one’s important because unlike Minnesota’s relatively moderate Coleman, an Alaska Republican would be from the Far Right and would almost certainly filibuster progressive initiatives.

And if Minnesota goes our way too, that would make 59, replacing a moderate Republican with a very liberal Democrat (Franken).

Then all eyes will be on Georgia’s December 2 Primary. If Jim Martin wins — which, let’s face it, is unlikely–we would have 60. And wouldn’t it be a joy to knock off Saxby Chambliss, the king of dirty campaigners, the guy who beat Democratic Senator Max Cleland — who lost two legs and an arm serving his country in Vietnam — by comparing Cleland to Bin Laden?

Every Silver Cloud has a Black Lining

Yes, We Could.

And We Did…

But every silver cloud has a black lining.

The same African-Americans in California that voted overwhelmingly for the first African-American President voted against equal rights for gay people.

California Blacks voted for Jim Crow laws for gay people. 69% of African-Americans, along with 47% of Whites chose freedom and equality for themselves while voting to place other families they did not understand in as much misery as possible.

One of the fervent things I hope President Obama can do is convince African-Americans that second-class citizenship is wrong for any American. He made a terrific start by mentioning gay Americans in his acceptance speech, the first President to do so.

And to be fair, the political gay community in California as usual ran an awful, awful, stupid, and cowardly campaign. I told them the same thing 8 years ago with Proposition 22. They didn’t listen to me then. They didn’t listen to me now. And it’s time for heads to roll. We need a gay community in California and nationwide that unabashedly demands freedom and equality. “We Shall Overcome” too, but only if we stand up for ourselves. We could all learn a lesson from Rosa Parks.

And now all we can hope and pray is that the California Supreme Court will reject the voters’ choice of hatred and fear, as a brave US Supreme Court did in rejecting Jim Crow laws fifty-odd years ago.