Drawn Inexorably to the Light

Two children drawn to the light of a clearing express the sentiment that children are drawn to light and truth. It is only when we have allowed the cynicism of time erode this that we lose that spark of childhood.



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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Now) ?

Lee Stranahan was right in his first rate piece in the Huffington Post citing Obama's contention that our politics are too small for our problems. Like Stranahan, I think Warren is dead wrong, (See:Is it Time to Remove the Legal Rights of Marriage? ) . I also think that we need to show that we are bigger than they are when it comes to this and other issues for two important reasons: 1. Because it is the right thing to do; and 2. Because it will help us to build a mighty wave of public support to sweep away this wall of oppression.

It is time for the gay community to change its mindset. They must begin to see themselves, not as victims, but as winners, in control of their own destiny. We have won the election, and we have lost an early skirmish (Prop 8) in the on-going battle.

More important, at Barack Obama's new American table, the gay community is already seated. It is not standing at the door waiting to be invited in. Quite the opposite.

With the Warren invitation, Obama has invited the Evangelicals to dine at that great American table of diversity as well. This will be a test of their ability to move toward a more tolerant world view. Rick Warren can start by toning down his own rhetoric.

Those of us who support equal rights for all Americans need to set an example. We need to embrace the "Big Politics" that Obama has called for. We need to offer a vision and an openess that is better than the example that the evangelical community has provided. If we set that example, the America people will come to our position, just as surely as they did during the past election.

We need to open our arms to them, invite them to join us at the table . . . and invite them to ask of themselves . . . what would Jesus do?

"Leap of Faith"


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Rick Warren Praises Obama's "Courage" For Taking "Enormous Heat From His Base"

I feel the depth of disappointment from the gay community on this. However, it comes from a place that - understandably - the community has to leave behind, victimhood. The gay community is so use to being the victim that it is hard even for them to see themselves in a different way.



At Barack Obama's new American table, the gay community is already seated. With the Warren invitation, Obama has invited the Evangelicals to dine at that great American table of diversity as well. This will be a test of their ability to move toward a more tolerant world view. Rick Warren can start by toning down his own rhetoric.



Those of us who support equal rights for all Americans need to set an example that is better than they have offered and invite them to ask of themselves . . . what would Jesus do?
About President Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Quote of the Day

"I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system."

George Bush
Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2008

Face Transplant a "Teachable Moment" on Bio-Ethical Issues

At the top of today's news is the first ever face transplant. It is a "teachable moment" on the issue of medical and technology ethics like few others and should precipitate a national dialogue.

Why is it such a seminal moment? Because, while the surgery itself is no more of a breakthrough than hundreds that have come before it, enhancing the quality of life, it is one with which every single person can readily identify.

How would I feel if my face were used on someone else? Does my organ transplant donor card include this? Do I need to take some action to stipulate my desires?

Years ago, I read a piece written by a futurist who postulated that we would be able to do head transplants within 25 years. I used it as a teaching tool when discussing medical ethics with my "Contemporary Issues" students. It never failed to generate a heated, yet thoughtful, discussion. This transplant of a face is not so powerful as to harness the deceased person's thoughts, but, on the gut-level, it comes pretty close.

While the president-elect has more than enough on his plate, let's hope that as he makes appointments that enter into this realm, he will be wise enough to appoint people who will engage the American people in a national discussion of these intense and immense issues of bio-ethics.

The Monarch



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Obama Building a Radical Centrist Coalition

I'm not much of a basketball fan myself, so you'll have to forgive me for seizing on the President-Elect's favorite sport when I know so little about it, but it is a more apt analogy than any other - so get over it.

The carping from the left and right about Obama's appointments to his upper level cabinet positions demonstrates that they failed to understand what Obama had been saying all along, in his book "the Audacity of Hope" and during his campaign. For those of us who supported Obama from the beginning we understood that his was a philosophy that could only be described as radical centrism. Disillusioned with the status quo, as represented by either end of the political spectrum; and wanting to build a governing coalition capable of (here comes the basketball allusion folks) breaking either way on the basis of what works and what creates synergies with other dynamic needs within our society and internationally, Obama has set a course for real change.

For those on the left who complain that change for them meant that Obama would appoint a cabinet and govern to the left of the Clinton administration, I have two words: "louder please". As an unabashed progressive myself, I nonetheless see the gains achieved when other progressives start to whine. Their disappointment is actually an asset to Obama as he works to build a centrist coalition. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the approval polls which show Obama with a higher approval rating than any president-elect in recent history.

As for the folks on the right, well, lets just say that the Lemmings, led by Senator Richard "Dr. No" Selby are doing a very good job of setting up the bookends on their side of the shelf.

Obama, to his great credit, has not waivered in his resolve to create a team that will enhance his ability to govern. Just as he ran a campaign focused on not undermining his ability to govern once he won, so too have his appointments positioned him to walk into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue without the baggage of yielding to interest group politics on the left or right.

Jim Hightower likes to say that there is nothing in the middle of the road but yellow lines and dead armadillos. No more. Barack Obama may be on the verge of creating a dynamic new centrism drawing on the examples of Lincoln, Roosevelt, Cosby and maybe even Nixon in China. He'll have a lot of latitude, given the times. It's a great time to be alive if you want to see history being made.

"Amsterdam Bikes"


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Speaking Truth to Power Honored with Shinseki Choice

Barack Obama has sent a clear and compelling message to the military establishment with the choice of Eric Shinseki as the Secretary of Veteran's Affairs: That speaking truth to power is the honorable path even when there is a price to be paid. Further, that it need not mean the end of a distinguished career - at least not when your commander in chief really does care what you have to say. In doing so he has honored not only Shinseki's service but the service of every veteran of military service.

This choice bodes well for the country's veterans who for far too long have gotten lip service from a string of politicians who use them for political gain only to discard them when it comes time to actually provide support and services when they return home.

Solar Schools Initiative

An initiative to put collectors on schools would pay huge dividends within the context of a national economic stimulus package.

This blog entry is the first in a series of suggestions for green initiatives that would meet the five criteria outlined in the piece entitled “Hastening the Green Revolution with the Stimulus Package, published on my blog: Unified Visions. UnifiedVisions.blogspot.com”

During the campaign, Senator Obama stressed the need for improving the quality of education in America. Educational reform is a critically needed national imperative within the tapestry of reforms necessary to create a vibrant 21st Century economy. It is also a subject that calls for a broad analysis across the spectrum of issues, from class size to teacher training and standards as well as the general educational infrastructure. One thing is certain – it will not come easily or cheaply.

This is not a piece about educational reform – but it does hold the seeds for freeing the financial capabilities of communities to pay for reforms. It is a suggestion for an initiative that will help to stabilize long-term energy costs for schools. In keeping with the five criteria outlined in the original article, it also contains synergies that will quickly create job opportunities, minimize the need for future power plant production, increase the availability of renewable energy to the national grid and make America more secure in the process.

The stimulus package could include a Solar Schools initiative to place solar panels on schools all across the country in partnership with local renewable energy businesses, local governments and perhaps even local utility companies.

One of the great challenges to moving toward a future where solar energy plays a significant role in our national energy portfolio is the placement of panels. Already the battles over using raw land for solar collection are taking place around the country. At the same time, a group of innovative utilities and entrepreneurs are beginning to explore the idea of using the rooftops of large buildings already built. Likewise, the roofs of schools all over America represent an untapped resource for the generation of solar energy.

With a little bit of critical thinking, the Obama team could come up with an innovative plan for using school rooftops for solar collection while reducing the overall long-term electric bills of schools, enhancing the alternative energy portfolio of local utility companies and generating savings to property taxpayers that would open up opportunities for property tax relief, enhanced educational opportunity in the local schools or some combination of both.

Local businesses could be tapped to do the installation, thus generating jobs locally and helping these businesses struggling to hold on in tough economic times.

How do we make this happen fast? We tap into the vast well of community organizations working on sustainability issues throughout the country. By challenging them to work with local communities and schools as well as utility companies and private businesses, within 30 days we could have more good solid well thought out proposals than we could possibly fund. These groups have been operating on a shoestring already and no one knows better how to leverage community and financial resources to get the job done. By creating a additional incentive for proposals that included partial or full payback of the initial investment it would be possible to actually create opportunities for reimbursing taxpayers for the cost – or creating a local revolving fund to stimulate additional projects as repayment happens.

Even if time and the urgency of the moment required that we simply spend the funds with no recapture provisions, the gains made across the country would be well worth the investment.

Hastening the Green Revolution with the Stimulus

Obama can assure his future and get the country back on track at the same time by seeing green.


President Elect Obama faces a daunting challenge in reviving our economy. The full measure of his success will be not the support he has up front but both the success and his support level as we emerge at the other end of the recession.

If we go on a national spending spree simply to stimulate short-term employment, the end result will be an American public with a fiscal hangover and a staggering debt, looking for someone to blame and likely to hold the Obama administration responsible for creation of debt built on spending instead of investment.

I am personally confident that the President-Elect understands this, but it is worth repeating over and over again lest the profligate spenders see this crisis as the opportunity to spend on projects with no long-term gain for the country.

Lets face it, getting a stimulus package passed will not be the hard part. Obama is likely to get a lot of latitude from the American people, as well as the Democrats and moderate Republicans in Congress. As difficult as this may be – it really is the easy part.

However, with some smart ideas and careful positioning Obama can dig deep into the more conservative factions of the Republican Congressional delegation as well. He can do this by focusing on investments that have long term implications and seed revolutionary change at the same time. He can do it by developing proposals that political self interest will compel even conservatives to support. By appealing to their patriotism; their market oriented and investment-minded inclinations; and, their electoral self interest, President Obama can turn the economy around, usher in a new green era based on renewable energy sources and inoculate himself against the charges of being a mindless spender in the process.

Over the next few weeks we will propose a number of ideas that can help make this happen.

Any discussion of a stimulus package to bring the nation out of this deep recession will have to take a myriad of factors (and actors) into account. Most important among them:

1. The Need for Speed:

In order for a stimulus to be effective if must proceed with “all due haste”. We can’t afford to waste a moment. History has shown us that Roosevelt’s caution in acting on the economic crisis that we now know as the great depression may have prolongued that recession by years. In fairness the presidential handover in that time was later in the year and thus nearly 3 more months of transition added to that delay, but historians and economists are generally agreed that this delay exacerbated the Depression’s depth and length. Obama has clearly demonstrated that he understands this and as much as he would deny it, Obama is acting as defacto President in may respects already, particularly when it comes to using the “Bully Pulpit” of the office to calm the nation and to focus our energy and understanding.

The need for speed will mean that general public works projects will need to focus on those that are “shovel ready”. In other words, those projects that have all the necessary environmental, legislative, federal and state approvals. In his remarks before the Governor’s recently, the President Elect showed that he understood this. More important, in later remarks he demonstrated that he would take a no-nonsense “use it or loose it” approach to assure that Governor’s looking to nab federal funds won’t overstate their readiness without consequence.

2. Investment Not Spending:

Both simple mindless spending and carefully crafted investments will generate jobs in the short run, but spending that does not have a long term benefit that qualifies it as investment in the future will run out of steam fairly quickly – perhaps before the nation emerges from the recession. The Bush approach of sending checks to taxpayer just won’t do the trick. Our nation’s resources need to be consolidated and invested.

3. Moving the Nation Toward Energy Independence

Given the very short attention span of politicians and the American people in general, historians will look back at the dramatic rise in the cost of energy in late 2007 and early 2008 as a Godsend that focused the nations attention on our greatest long term threat to peace, security and economic stability. Furthermore, recent declines in these costs have eased the pain as winter approaches another fortunately timed, but we must not allow ourselves to become complacent. Where ever possible the components of the stimulus must take into account the need to quickly move the nation toward energy independence.

Additionally, investment that focuses on creation of energy independence will bolster both small and large businesses that offer green technology and renewable energy options at a time when the lack of private investment threatens their short term viability.

4. Creating Synergies with other National Imperatives

Other national imperatives like improving the quality of education and providing healthcare to all Americans need not be cast aside in this process if we can create components of the stimulus that will create short term jobs and long term gains at the same time. Strategic investments in these areas can play an important role in addressing those issues and ending the recession as you will see from our first suggestion below.

5. Building Long Term Political Consensus:

The atmosphere of bitter partisanship that has driven the national dialog over the past decade or more must be replaced by a political realignment. To hope for a truly post partisan era is probably polyannish to the extreme but a new governing coalition where constructive engagement trumps partisanship in electoral politics might be possible. At the very least a government that governs from the “radical center” might be able to isolate the extremes on both the left and the right and truly bring about change.


Over the next few weeks I’ll propose several green initiative that meet the five challenges outlined above.

Is it Time to Remove the Legal Rights of Marriage?

Have we been walking down the wrong trail as we chart the future of marriage and the law?

With all of the furor over Prop 8 in California, it seems that the civil rights issue most likely to find its way to the Supreme Court in the near future is the issue of gay marriage. If this is the case, it is hard to imagine a scenario in which a Supreme Court - no matter what their ideological makeup - does not come down on the side of marriage rights for citizens who happen to be gay.

An affirmation of the rights of gay people to marry by the US Supreme Court will not mean the end of this issue. Quite the opposite. The country will be bitterly divided over such a decision. More divided than after Brown v. Board of Education. Why? Because Brown was a decision that overturned a practice contrary to the tenants of our national conscience and the secular constitution that governs us. Like it or not, American's knew in their hearts that the Warren Court was right. I'm not convinced that the national conscience is yet attuned to the injustice of denying gay citizens the right to be married.

Ironically, the path beyond Prop 8 is made murkier by virtue of the fact that we have as a nation already - long ago - made the legal misstep of codifying a religious tradition - vesting it with legal rights. Granted, there is a long tradition of codifying the religious institution of marriage in the US and in other nations and until gay people began looking for this specific piece of the American dream, it seemed to be a relatively tolerant tradition with people of all religious persuasions gaining acceptance into the fold. 

But what if it were otherwise? What if the legal precedent had always been some kind of civil union contract and the change being sought was to adopt a set of religious codes as law? Would Americans accept this? Not likely. In fact, I'd go so far as to speculate that such a proposal would be dead on arrival in the halls of Congress, with the fundamentalist sectors of every religion and denomination fighting for the adoption of their prescriptions - and unwilling to accept the outcome on any other terms - and the rest of America simply opposed to it on principal.

Its time for us to consider the idea of making civil unions the law for everyone.  

Make no mistake about it. "De-codifying" marriage, making it only a religious institution, with no legal authority will not eliminate the controversy. But it will place that controversy squarely where it belongs - in our homes and churches and not in our courts. Each church will determine what the "rights" and privileges of marriage will mean for those married in their churches and each family will decide what church(es) speak to their beliefs and to whom they should look for spiritual guidance. Likewise no religious order may infringe upon the rights of other orders to define marriage in their own terms.

Stripped of its legal authority, marriage will instead become a more deeply personal and religious decision for each couple - straight or gay. Entered into not because it was required by the laws of men and women, but because it carried the imprimatur of a higher moral authority.

A Tower of Eagles

Obama isn't building a "Team of Rivals". He's creating a "Tower of Eagles".

Much has been made lately of the comparison between the premise of Doris Kearnes Goodwin's best-selling book about Abraham Lincoln and the actions of President-Elect Barack Obama as he builds his cabinet. 

I've listened to the other pundits as they postulate that consideration of Hillary Clinton or some other individual constitutes evidence that Barack Obama is building a "Team of Rivals". Many of them suggesting that there is great danger in such an approach.

Serendipitously, at the same time, our blog, Unified Visions, is running a humorous contest asking people to create collective nouns for entities like Sarah Palin supporters and Keith Olbermann fanatics. For those who don't know, a collective noun - also known as a "Term of Venery" - is a term that defines a grouping of things: a gaggle of geese, a murder of crows, etc. In researching this contest I came upon the term for a group of eagles (there are several)and what I think is a far more apt descriptor for the efforts of our President-elect; A "Tower of Eagles".  

I've been uncomfortable with the Team of Rivals concept because it seemed incongruent with the tenor of the Obama campaign and the promise of his presidency which is optimistic and exceedingly aware of the power of words. Further to this point, if I were Hillary Clinton or even a Hillary supporter, I would take umbrage at being referred to as a rival after hundreds of campaign appearances on behalf of Barack Obama. 

Finally, while historically interesting, the notion of a team of rivals is - for the purposes of building a cabinet real-time-now is oxymoronic. Suggesting an approach that is more Machiavellian than merit-based. 

Barack Obama is not building a Team of Rivals, he's building a Tower of Eagles. Setting aside differences, looking beyond politics as usual, to build a cabinet and a team composed of the best and the brightest*.   

Of course there will be some folks from the Clinton administration - after all we had eight years of peace and prosperity, a budget surplus and a diminishing national debt and middle income folks saw their incomes rise by $7,000 a year on average. I'd be a lot more worried about our new President if he DIDN'T have any Clinton folks on board. Let's not forget that the first months of the Bush Presidency were dedicated to trashing all things Clinton and it was all downhill from there.  

Now I'm not silly enough to believe that I can change the lexicons of the tsunami of folks who have adopted the Team of Rivals as the de rigueur lens through which they view the workings of the Obama transition. I am even willing to admit that I was using the term myself before it became the catch phrase of the zeitgeist. But like a piece of ill-fitting clothing the more I used it, the less comfortable it felt. At best, I'm going to continue hoping that those who cling to using the term will at least acknowledge that it fails to fully capture the essence of what is happening and that - in their hearts - Americans will know that what Barack Obama wants ultimately is not a team of rivals who keep their knives hidden, but a tower of eagles with their talons entwined lifting us, together, toward a brighter future.

Wayne King is a recovering politician and publisher. He thinks and speaks from his spot on the porch in Rumney, NH where he proudly flies both the American and Iroquois flags; he blogs from his space in the Blogosphere, Unified Visions:  www.UnifiedVisions.Blogspot.com where he advocates for a post-partisan approach to governing.

 

A Rascal of Boys

The tradition of using collective nouns that are specific to certain kinds of animals is at least 300 years old. More formally known as "terms of venery" these collective nouns were actually taught to the children of nobles and the ruling class as a means of distinguishing themselves from the commoners.

Sometimes the term used will apply to a group only in a certain context. A group of geese on the ground are referred to as a "gaggle" while, in flight, it is a "skein". Ironically, a group of Baboons is referred to as a "congress".

Some examples:

A mimsy of birds
A rascal of boys
A kaleidoscope of butterflies
A stumble of drunks

The coining of such terms is also a popular "parlor" or car game. So we're announcing a contest
today to come up with one or more terms for the following across three different websites. The prize for each is a signed Mindscape image from our Mindscape photo blog, valued at $295.

Please suggest a term for each or any of the following:

1. A gathering of [name of any public figure]____________ supporters.
2. A friendly gathering of "talking heads" on "Hardball with Chris Matthews"
3. A screaming, blathering group of disagreeing "talking heads" on "Hardball with Chris Matthews"
4. A group of expatriot Obama supporters
5. A gathering of Sarah Palin supporters
6. A group of Florida voters
7. A group of Minnesota voters
8. A group of Bill O'Reilly viewers forced to watch Keith Olbermann
9. A group of Keith Olbermann viewers forced to watch Bill O'Reilly
10. Add your own group!

Submissions may be by email or as a comment added to this or any related post. Winners will be announced February 14, 2008.

Birdhouse Beachfront

While visiting one of the best bead shops in America, Gemstar Gemstones in Enfield NH, I had the opportunity to photograph this group of birdhouses that resembled a bunch of colorful houses on a beachfront. Thus was born Birdhouse Beachfront!

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Curious about this? Visit Wayne King's "Mindscapes" photoblog here.

A Connecticut Checkmate

I raised some ire among a few folks yesterday with my suggestion that Obama should demonstrate his magnanimity by welcoming Lieberman back into the fold. By 8pm this evening news had broken that Obama himself had let it be known to Harry Reid that Lieberman should be allowed to caucus with Democrats.

Having taken my stand and then having it reaffirmed by Obama, I would hasten to say that this does not mean that Lieberman should be welcomed back without having to accept some responsibility for the policy positions that he took during the campaign which are inconsistent with the visions of the new President. Lieberman has plenty of skills but on national security issues he has proven himself unworthy of the leadership roles that he previously held. Just as he should be welcomed back because we are better than those who would shun him. He should not be given a leadership position on national security because we are better than the vision that Senator Lieberman expounded in his support of the McCain ticket.

It is a matter of both accepting responsibility for his actions and acknowledging that his vision is inconsistent with that of our President-Elect.

But would Lieberman hold out for his old chairmanships to spite the new President irrespective of Obama's olive branch? Perhaps. That's why I would urge President Obama to offer a second olive branch to another Connecticut resident. Former Representative Christopher Shays. Representative Shays is a decent man who is widely respected as a moderate republican. The first Republican to break with the shameful ethical practices of the disgraced Tom Delay, Shays was also the first Republican to call for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Shays would be an ideal member of Obama's governing coalition in any one of a dozen possible positions - including national security. He would also, conveniently, be the ideal counterweight to Lieberman as the Republican most likely to be able to beat Lieberman out of his Senate seat. By offering Shays a place in the Obama administration, President Obama gets a quality person with an independent spirit and creates added incentive for Lieberman to do the right thing.

Leading with Lieberman

OK, let me start by saying I’m no fan of Joe Lieberman. In fact, I think that Saturday Night Live missed a great opportunity to portray him as Elmer Fudd during this, their most auspicious political season. But the recent political ranting and raving about punishing Joe Lieberman for endorsing McCain seems to me to present an ideal opportunity for President-Elect Barack Obama to demonstrate the power of forgiveness and unity, while at the same time strengthening the hand of Democrats in the Senate.

 

Let’s face it, while Lieberman may have jumped ship on the Democratic party from the perspective of hard core members of the party and “leadership” types. He only did what Barack Obama asked other Americans to do – to place party second to their loyalties to the country. So he came down on the wrong side of the fence but on the right side of the argument.

Say what you will about Lieberman, he’s certainly not a coward. The choice he made in endorsing John McCain could not have been an easy one for him. He isn’t so naïve as to believe that the mere act of standing before Republicans at the convention was going to ingratiate himself with most of them. After all, at his core Joe Liebermans principles are Democrat principles. The base of the Republican Party – at least as represented by the 28% who continue to support President Bush through thick and thin, was never going to accept Joe Lieberman, and many of the folks that would have accepted him jumped the other way in this election. Whether his decision was based on a powerful friendship or a misguided belief that Israel’s future would be more secure under a McCain Presidency, or some other factor that we will likely never know, his decision to stick with John McCain was an act of political courage with almost no upside.

Joe Lieberman is a complicated fellow.  But in his complexity and contradictions can be found a model of the complexities and contradictions swirling through many of the issues that we face as a country. Building a post-partisan coalition will be a tall order to begin with, leading with Lieberman would send a powerful message that Obama intends to make it happen.

Wayne King is a former State Senator and publisher. He Blogs from  his spot in the Blogosphere, Unified Visions www.UnifiedVisions.Blogger.com

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Hanging Out with Project Laundry List

Changing the World Through Clotheslines – One Household at a Time

Alex Lee is on a mission. A mission to restore the clothesline and to save the planet. Project Laundry List uses words, images, and advocacy to educate people about how simple lifestyle modifications, including air-drying one’s clothes, reduce our dependence on environmentally and culturally costly energy sources.
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