A Document of Intolerance and Hate

The Texas GOP has released their 2012 platform; I encourage you read it by downloading it here:    http://www.texasgop.org/about-the-party.  It’s an astonishing document, filled with ignorance, intolerance, and outright hate.  And the national GOP Platform promises to be very similar, especially since the GOP has been highjacked by the radical Right.

John T. Harvey, writing for Forbes about the Texas GOP platform, in an article entitled “The Terrifying Texas GOP Platform” writes, “[I]t is difficult to believe that what the Republicans put together during their convention in Fort Worth was even written in the 21st century.”*  And Forbes is generally a conservative publication.  But he’s right--sadly so.  Here are a few quotes I pulled from the document; you can decide for yourself:

From the “Preamble”:  “We STILL hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, . . .”  All “men”?  Still ignoring half the population?  Continuing: “The embodiment of the conservative dream in America is Texas.”  As you will see, that’s just scary.

From the “Principles” section:
“The sanctity of human life, created in the image of God, which should be protected from fertilization to natural death.
”Self-sufficient families, founded on the traditional marriage of a natural man and a natural 
woman.”
It’s not hard to see where this is going.

“Affirmative Action - Inasmuch as the Civil Rights Movement argued against using race as a factor in American life, affirmative action reintroduces race as a divisive force in American life. The Republican Party of Texas believes in equal opportunity for all citizens without regard to race or gender. To that end, we oppose affirmative action.”  Notice the build-in contradiction.

“Protection from Extreme Environmentalists – We strongly oppose all efforts of the extreme environmental groups that stymie legitimate business interests. We strongly oppose those efforts that attempt to use the environmental causes to purposefully disrupt and stop those interests within the oil and gas industry. We strongly support the immediate repeal of the Endangered Species Act. We strongly oppose the listing of the dune sage brush lizard either as a threatened or an endangered species. We believe the Environmental Protection Agency should be abolished.” You can just imagine who was responsible for putting in this plank!  And the dune sage brush lizard?  Well, note this from a West Texas TV web site:  “But some local oil consultants say conserving these habitats could come at the cost of jobs.  Especially with the ground, the lizards reportedly live on oil hot spots, where double the oil can be drilled.”**

“Free Speech for the Clergy - We urge amendment of the Internal Revenue Code to allow a religious organization to address issues without fear of losing its tax-exempt status. We call for repeal of requirements that religious organizations send the government any personal information about their contributors.”  They are apparently unaware of the concept of separation of church and state.

“Voting Rights - We support equal suffrage for all U.S. Citizens of voting age who are not felons. We oppose any identification of citizens by race, origin, or creed and oppose use of any such identification for purposes of creating voting districts.  Voter Rights Act – We urge that the Voter Rights Act of 1965 codified and updated in 1973 be repealed and not reauthorized.”  Again, notice the contradiction.***

You will obey:  “Enforcing the Platform - Every Republican is responsible for implementing this platform. Party candidates should indicate their positions on platform planks before their acceptance on the ticket and such information should be available on the Party website.”

“Religious Symbols - We oppose any governmental action to restrict, prohibit, or remove public display of the Decalogue or other religious symbols.” See earlier remark about separation of church and state.

“Family Values ― We support the affirmation of traditional Judeo-Christian family values and oppose the continued assault on those values.”  Judeo-Christian?  There are other belief systems out there, but not for Texas Republicans.

And quoted in full: “Family and Defense of Marriage ― We support the definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman, which is the foundational unit of a healthy society, and we oppose the assault on marriage by judicial activists. We call on the President and Congress to take immediate action to defend the sanctity of marriage. We are resolute that Congress exercise authority under the United States Constitution, and pass legislation withholding jurisdiction from the Federal Courts in cases involving family law, especially any changes in the definition of marriage. We further call on Congress to pass and the state legislatures to ratify a marriage amendment declaring that marriage in the United States shall consist of and be recognized only as the union of a natural man and a natural woman. Neither the United States nor any state shall recognize or grant to any unmarried person the legal rights or status of a spouse. We oppose the recognition of and granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally married. We advocate the repeal of laws that place an unfair tax burden on families. We call upon Congress to completely remove the marriage penalty in the tax code, whereby a married couple receives a smaller standard deduction than their unmarried counterparts living together. The primary family unit consists of those related by blood, heterosexual marriage, or adoption. The family is responsible for its own welfare, education, moral training, conduct, and property.”  I’m still trying to figure out what is meant by “a natural man and a natural woman.”

And finally: “Enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act ― We support the enforcement of the State and Federal Defense of Marriage Act by state and federal officials respectively, and oppose creation, recognition and benefits for partnerships outside of marriage that are being provided by some political subdivisions.”

And this is just a sampling of this extraordinary--and extraordinarily hateful--document.  Please read it.  The national GOP Platform is likely to contain much of the same language, so the Texas Platform is relevant not just to Texas but to all of us.

*http://www.forbes.com/sites/johntharvey/2012/07/01/texas-gop-platform/
**http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=14030079
***http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_rights_act

Jake!

Now look at that photograph.  Is that a face that anyone could dislike?  It’s the very picture of innocence, of loving graciousness, of sweetness and light.  And yet no one likes Jake.  So it’s no wonder that Jake doesn’t like anyone else besides me.  Truly, it’s not her fault.

I inherited Jake when her previous owner had a severe asthma attach, which he had tried to avoid by bathing Jake several times a week and by having all of the feet declawed.  All four.  Poor Jake; that would put anyone off humans.  And he named her Jake after a dog he had had as a child; no matter that Jake is female.

And then once I got Jake, the abuse from visitors started immediately, most prominently from my brother, Ken.  Even though Jake never seemed to like people, she never missed the chance to circulate among my visitors and to let them know that she was the boss.  In those days I often had people over for breakfast--sometimes as many as twelve.  Jake always moved among my guests; but should any try to pet her, she would allow it for a few moments and then she would hiss and snarl and people would back off.  Except Ken.  He harassed her constantly when he was around; he paid for that on a number of occasions with bleeding hands: Jake has no claws but she can be very fast with her needle-sharp teeth.  But Jake truly had the last laugh with Ken: I was out of town and Ken was feeding her for me.  One afternoon he and his son, Travis, came by.  I had neglected to mention that sometimes Jake would await my arrival through the garage--by sitting atop the fridge.  Really, I did just forget to tell Ken; it was an honest mistake.  He and Travis entered only to be met by the loud hissing and snarling of Jake looking down at them from atop the fridge.  Oh I wish I could have seen it!  Apparently, they both came close to wetting themselves.  Jake, I have little doubt, was laughing and enjoying every minute of it.

I don’t entertain now that I’ve moved to Chicago.  One guest and my tiny apartment is too crowded.  Jake pretty much acts the same way with my few visitors.  My dear friend Roger is the most regular visitor; he and Jake stay away from one another, each keeping a wary eye out for the other.  Jake completely ignores Edwin, another visitor, by no longer even bothering to come into the living room.

But to me Jake is a complete sweetheart.  We have our rituals, including morning treats, evening canned food, and snuggling most of the night.  We play sometimes, and sometimes I bleed then, but that’s not meanness, that’s just romping around.  I never hold it against her nor punish her.  She gives me great joy, and as she ages and slows down--along with me--we are becoming even closer.  I can’t imagine not having Jake.  I’m sorry that others can’t see those aspects of her character.  Or that she won’t let them.

            Jake assisting me on the computer:         Jake sleeping on warm laundry:

Five Years Today!

It’s hard to believe but as of today I have lived in Chicago for five years.  Five years ago I pulled into the parking lot and entered this apartment for the first time; the movers arrived the next day.  After three days on the road--I took that long since I was traveling with a very unhappy Jake--I was exhausted and full of doubts about whether I had made the right decision.  Chicago?!  Lordy, that’s a big step from Harker Heights, Texas.  And even though I had lived in a number of big cities before, Houston, Dallas, and San Diego, Chicago was a hugely intimidating place.

But the decision to move here was a great one.  I have fallen in love with this remarkable city.  I constantly look around me in wonder: “This is my city?”  I’ve explored many parts of it, but there is much more to know.  But it is indeed my city.

I won’t list everything I love about Chicago; that would be too long and be too tedious for those not lucky enough to live here.  But I will name the top two things: 1. is my friendship with Roger, who encouraged me to move here, for which I’ll always be grateful, and who has remained a dear friend in spite of my irascible character, and 2. the cultural events here, most notably opera.  But then there’s the Art Institute and the Lily Pool and . . .  Damn: I’m listing again.  I could go on and on, but, as promised, won’t.

Five years!  And a great five years it’s been.  I’m ready for five more.

On Becoming a Zombie

On October 24, 2011, I wrote a decidedly unkind blog about Starbucks and those that go there.  I sniped at the baristas (silly term), the monikers for size (“venti”? even sillier) and, especially, the customers.  I called them “Starbucks Zombies” and suggested that all concerned had low intelligence and no taste whatsoever.  I find, almost a year later, that I’m having to eat those words--like a zombie eating a brain. 

My beloved independent coffee shop, Savor the Flavor, has closed (see my July 1 blog), and my friends and I have been set adrift in search of a new morning coffee stop.  The choices?  Starbucks at Sheffield and Diversey, Starbucks at Wrightwood and Racine, Starbucks at Racine and Fullerton, and Starbucks at Wrightwood and Clark.  There are a few independents around, but they are not convenient and involve walking long distances.  We tried Heritage General Store, which has a nice patio area, compliments of the city, but at $3.29 for a cup of coffee and $3.29 for a refill, that’s not much of an option for me; it’s a long walk, too, and once winter returns and the outside areas close, there is hardly any room inside, perhaps because it is also a custom bike shop.  A what?  My thought exactly.  The only other independent coffee shops are simply too far away to walk to conveniently, at least for an old man with bad knees.

So I’m left with Starbucks.  I actually rather like the one at Wrightwood and Racine.  They are friendly, which is rare for Starbucks, and it’s a neighborhood shop away from a busy intersection.  Unfortunately, it’s very small, and once the patio closes this winter, there will be little room for me and my friends to congregate.  And one good friend, Gary J., drives to coffee and has to be concerned with parking, not always easy in this neighborhood. 

The one at Diversey and Sheffield is close--half a block--but is always jammed packed and there are always lines, sometimes out the door.  They’ve remodeled recently, especially the patio, and that’s very nice, but again, once winter comes, all those yuppies are going to be jammed inside.  Parking for Gary J. is good, though.  Maybe if they speed up their service . . .

Parking is not good at the location on Wrightwood and Clark, although Jen likes it there as it’s quite large (I haven’t been yet).  I also haven’t tried the one at Fullerton and Racine, which is close to being too far to walk.

So, every few days we try a different location, including sometimes the The Patio, which is making a very half-hearted effort at a coffee shop where Savor the Flavor used to be.  Good coffee and friendly service, but hardly anything else, and it was always going to be temporary as the space is being converted into a bar at the end of August--or so the rumor goes.

So, like little lost children we wander the neighborhood in search of a decent place to have a good cup of coffee in comfort and in ease.  And it appears that Starbucks will be the winner.  And I’ll be just another Starbucks zombie.  “Well, they are consistent,” says Gary J.  Yes, there is that, but not much else.