Race in America

 

It usually gladdens me when I hear ideas spoken of in our grand national conversation that relate to big ideas. And whatever your political bent, it is my unqualified belief that educated discourse combined with a free exchange of ideas is the most intelligent way to settle most of the political issues that arise in that conversation. I have often said that the ideas of the Far Right and the Far Left, while often the conversation starters, are not generally the final ideas that the grand majority of Americans can (or will) get behind.

Having said all of that, the recent controversy over widespread charges of racism in our society have not gladdened me.  In fact, their effect has been sickening.

Let me start with one (as former Vice President Al Gore would call it) inconvenient and uncomfortable truth:

There is racism in America.

Yes, I said it.  There is racism and that racism exists in some greater or lesser amount in every person.  This is not something we are taught by our parents, our peers, or our society.  It is a natural desire born into each of us to be among those who look as we do and who sound as we do.  Most of us have worked (generally with the help of our parents, our peers, and our society) to overcome this desire and, in general terms, where we have worked to overcome our own natural racism, we have been successful.  We have learned that it is far easier to judge someone “by the content of their character” than it is to judge them “by the color of their skin”, because we have all seen those noble characteristics of goodness expanded upon by those of different races just as we have all seen infamous degradations practiced by those who share our particular ethnic backgrounds.  Those who have spent any time thinking about their relationships with other people have to have decided that it is wiser by far to relate ourselves to those who share our values, our hopes, and our desires than it is to simply throw in with the first similarly-hued person who comes along.

Another inconvenient truth:

It is not racist to disagree with the ideas of a person of a different race.

Having recognized both the existence of natural racism and the intelligence of overcoming it, it must be disturbing to many (as it is to me) to hear a person dismissed as “racist” just because their ideas are in disagreement with a politician who happens to be of another race.  Not only is it disturbing, but if we have been taught to think (as I, and no doubt most of you, have been), it reveals itself as the worst kind of intellectual dishonesty, mental laziness, and ideological bigotry.  It would take someone who has spent the main part of the last few months on the Moon at this point not to recognize the politician in question as the President of the United States.  And, as I disagree with many of his positions and ideas, I have tired of being called a racist for that disagreement.

When I express my disagreement, I can do so with erudition and intelligence.  I can explain my reasons and offer (usually) an alternate action.  When I am dismissed out of hand as “racist”, it points out to me that you have leaped to that conclusion based on the fact that you have neither the words nor the capability to successfully (or for that matter unsuccessfully) against my position.

I have said on multiple occasions that I do not believe the President to be a bad man.  Far from it, I believe him to be a good husband and father and I admire the things he has accomplished and the rapidity with which he has accomplished them, holding him as the embodiment of the American Dream in many ways.  The difference between the President and other political leaders who have jumped into the fire at such a young age and with such relative inexperience is that he has failed to learn from his mistakes.  He has pushed the boundaries of the office in such a way as to seem wholly unnatural.  My favorite President of all time, Theodore Roosevelt, was five years younger when he ascended to the Presidency than was President Obama and he did his own unnatural stretching of the boundaries of the office, but he learned from early mistakes and is generally regarded as one of the most popular and, by many judgments, best Presidents of all time.  Sadly, President Obama has failed to do this and it has shown in the scandals that have run roughshod over his second term agenda and in the incompetence displayed by those who work under him in accomplishing the goals of the first term.

I have (as do many others) serious policy differences with the President of the United States.  It cheapens all of us (and the entirety of free discussion and debate) when those differences are trod in the dirt by baseless charges of racism.

But I don’t expect that to change.  Because, for all too many of the people who throw that charge around, the only racist in the conversation is the one that stares back at them from the mirror.

A Revelation from ICP

I’ve recently become a huge fan of Fox News Channel’s RedEye with Greg Gutfeld, which airs at 2 a.m. (Central Time).  No, I don’t stay up until 3 a.m. to watch the whole thing (even when I’m awake at 3 a.m., which is far more often than I wish I was up at 3 a.m.; I’m usually watching the dark ceiling, wishing I could sleep at that point), but I do record it on my DVR and watch it while I eat breakfast, which makes my morning far more entertaining than watching just about anything else I can think of early in the morning.

But I digress.

On Wednesday morning/Tuesday night, Gutfeld, his erstwhile sidekick Bill Schultz, and one of his regular guests Mike Baker conducted an interview with Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of the Insane Clown Posse. Now, I’m not a big fan of the ICP, although I’ve been aware of their music since I was in high school (God, I guess that makes all three of us old) and I’ve always seemingly (at least since high school) had at least a couple of friends who were closet Juggalos (that’s what ICP fans call themselves), but they’re just not my cup of tea. Having said that, the two made-up rocker/rappers talked about one of their Gatherings that’s coming up and the reason that their Gatherings are different from the norm when it comes to concerts or music festivals: the feeling of camaraderie amongst the Juggalos. It gave me a thought about what is missing amongst my Masonic brothers in many places.

Too often, it seems, we concern ourselves more with the petty politics that keep us from doing good than with the good we can (and should) do. Too often, we concern ourselves with what others will think if we talk about the good things we can do, as men of conscience in our communities, as though we’re afraid that the conspiracy theorists/Illuminati screamers, which keeps us from accomplishing the positive because of what they might think. Too often, we dream small when what made our fraternity great in the past was our willingness to dream big and accomplish great things.

I was recently conversing with a friend about the fact that we no longer create the huge Masonic buildings that decorate our downtowns in Texas cities like Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Dallas, buildings which were built in the first half of the twentieth century and latter parts of the nineteenth; rich, old buildings now, but I wondered why we weren’t still building them. I was reminded of how much they cost to construct and maintain and that it was the modern Mason who complained about such costs. And I thought, how weak have we become? Those centers of our Fraternity, of our Craft, were symbols to the community of the concept of “taking good men and making them better”. They were signals to the community that we were going to be there to help and support the good works of society, to be the builders of peace, harmony, and justice that we are taught to be in our Lodges, Chapters, Councils, Commanderies, Consistories, Shrines, Grottoes, et al. These buildings required us to reach beyond petty politics, to ignore what the small-minded ignorant destroyers of society thought, to dream big, as men of will and vision have always done.

As I watched this morning, as I listened to this concept of faith, hope, and brotherly love as practiced by fans of the Insane Clown Posse, I was reminded of why I joined the Masonic Fraternity in the first place, to be a part of something, and that something (with no offense intended to the ICP or their legion of fans) was far more important than gathering to listen to music. It was to be a part of something that made a difference in society, to help those who couldn’t help themselves, to become a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

That’s what we do as Masons.

But only when we have the courage to be who we are, rather than what our society has told us to become.

Seeking Forgiveness?

I have been watching with great interest the attempts at rejuvenating the political careers of former Congressman Anthony Weiner and former New York  Governor Eliot Spitzer.

For those not paying attention, Congressman Weiner is a candidate for Mayor of New York City who decided to resign his seat in the U.S. House over a scandal involving his taking pictures of his muscular abs, butt, and…well…weiner (although all of the pictures I’ve seen at least had said “private areas” covered by underwear (looked like Hanes boxer briefs, in fact), and I’m not searching for pictures without the underwear.  He then sent these pictures to fans via the Twitter feed that he used for communication with his constituents.  Threatened with censure (likely), removal from office (decidedly unlikely), or losing his next election (even less likely than removal considering his continued popularity in his district even in the immediate aftermath of the scandal), he resigned.

Governor Spitzer resigned his office in the wake of revelations that he visited a high-class call girl.  Threatened with impeachment and likely removal from office, he resigned.  Recently, Governor Spitzer announced that he was circulating a petition to get his name on the ballot for the Democratic nomination for Comptroller of New York City.

Both of these men are in the process of that most entertaining of American political processes: the seeking of forgiveness and redemption.

The reason I bring up anything involving Democratic or New York City politics is that people are widely equating the two acts that the men committed (and both of them admitted their “guilt” in their resignations and subsequent addresses).

What Congressman Weiner did was in extremely bad taste and possibly a violation of his wedding vows (depends on your definition of faithfulness).  It was a crime against decency and his spouse, but not actually a crime.  The women he sent the pictures to acknowledged their disgust (at least some of them did) but they did not file criminal or even civil charges against him.  Governor Spitzer, on the other hand, violated the laws of the State of New York.  He, too, violated his marriage vows (although some people think it’s hip to cheat, apparently), but, in addition, he actually broke the law.  The very reality that made Weiner’s removal from office decidedly unlikely (the fact that he didn’t violate a law) contributed to the fact that Spitzer would have, most likely, been removed.

So, forgive if you want. But recognize the fact that what these men did was decidedly different.  I can understand the thought that NYC might want a mayor whose greatest crime was bad taste.  But, do they want a Comptroller who engineered actual criminal activity?

I guess that’s for the voters of NYC to decide, but I know how I would vote.

The Perfect Spy…Ranked

 

In honor of the 50th year of James Bond and the first (not o mention the second) Academy Awards won by a Bond film, I think it’s only appropriate to rank the Bond films from first to 23rd.  I’m not including the first Casino Royale or Never Say Never Again, but just the Eon Productions, because…well…I’m making the list, so we’re using my rules.

I’m sure there will be disagreements, but…hey, it’s the Internet.  Whatcha gonna do?

23.  Octopussy – 007…in clown makeup.  Full stop.

22.  Licence to Kill – Not abad movie, but a bad Bond movie.  This movie was one of the two that nearly killed the franchise.  If you had replaced James Bond with Crockett and Felix Leiter with Tubbs, it would have made a good Miami Vice movie, but not a Bond film.

21.  Die Another Day – The other one that nearly ended the franchise.  Even Roger Moore questioned the amount of willing suspension of disbelief necessary to handle the invisible car…and he played James Bond IN SPACE!

20.  Moonraker – Speaking of James Bond IN SPACE.  Another one that was pretty good (for a campy sci-fi flick), just not a good Bond movie.  On the other hand, it gave us Dr. Holly Goodhead, which places it ahead of those others.

19.  Quantum of Solace – Good action flick, subpar Bond film. Th4 fact that the script was cobbled together by Daniel Craig and director Marc Forster during filming (cobbling done due to the writers’ strike at the time) is probably what keeps it ahead of those others.  Basically, it has an excuse.

18.  The World is Not Enough – I can’t think of TWINE without thinking two words:  Christmas Jones.  In what is a decent Bond outing, although not a great one, Denise Richards does a truly terrible job of convincing me she’s a nuclear physicist.  (I also just noticed, looking ahead on my list, that Pierce Brosnan started off strong and faded in the stretch…it’s too bad, really).

17.  For Your Eyes Only – I actually feel bad for this low of a ranking, because For Your Eyes ONly is not a bad movie.  It’s not even a bad Bond film.  It’s got a solid plot with decent characters.  It’s got a lot of call-backs to earlier Bond films.  It just doesn’t play well.  It’s just forgettable.

16.  The Man with the Golden Gun – Dracula….I mean, Christopher Lee’s Scaramanga tries to assassinate James Bond.  With a golden gun.  But Bond had a flying car.  So, that makes it even…right?

15.  The Living Daylights – Roger Moore left and Timothy Dalton arrived.  Then, Dalton sledded down a mountain on a cello…a cello that got shot.  A decent Bond film, a pretty good espionage film.  It just had the potential to be better..

14.  You Only Live Twice – The worst of the Sean Connery films, mainly because of the fact that Sean was obviously sick of playing the role.  He would return in one later film (after a one-movie break).  But, in this one, we’re supposed to believe that James Bond can make people think he’s Japanese.  And that he’s a ninja.  Yeah, it’s pretty much the ninja part that makes this movie even watchable.  Because everything’s better with ninjas….right?

13.  Tomorrow Never Dies – I can really enjoy this movie.  It’s got a good plot, an interesting villain, and two sexy “Bond Girls” in Teri Hatcher and Michelle Yeoh.  Brosnan plays a suave James Bond.  Not as good as his first performance, but pretty good nonetheless.

12.  On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – This one gets poo-pooed a lot for some reason.  I figure it’s because of George Lazenby (“This never happened to the other fellow.”).  This film showcased Bond’s emotional depth and gave us Telly Savalas as a very good Blofeld.  And then, Bond gets married and his wife gets murdered.  It was a powerful ending.

11.  A View to a Kill – James Bond vs. Christopher Walken.  The only part that bothered me was Roger Moore showering with a woman 30 years his junior.  That was enough to put it down a few spots on the list.  But, it does end up just outside the Top Ten.

10.  Diamonds are Forever – I know this is probably an unpopular call, as many critics seem to hate this one, the return of Connery (his ONLY return, so far as I’m concerned) made it worthwhile to me.  Plus, it was in Vegas.

9.  The Spy Who Loved Me – A truly enjoyable movie and a terrific song to go with it (“Nobody Does it Better” by Carly Simon….did Carly Simon do any other songs on her own?).  Oh, and a car that turns into a submarine (not a big fan of the Lotus in general, but I want this one).  Oh, and Jaws.  Oh, and 007 skis….off a cliff and lands with a parachute….that looks like the Union Jack.  I don’t think anything else needs to be said.

8.  Thunderball – This film was the innovator of the “Standard Movie Terrorist Ploy”:  SPECTRE steals a couple of nukes and holds the world ransom.  Also, the rebreather device that Bond uses was a head-fake; Connery was just holding his breath.

7.  Live and Let Die – Roger Moore’s debut as Bond, with Yaphet Kotto as a heroin kingpin who uses voodoo as a way to keep his followers in line and the curious away, was a great story.  Throw in a terrific speedboat chase and the second-best Bond song (by which I mean the ones that were written for specific films; I’m not counting the Bond theme, which is obviously the best Bond song of all time), and you’ve got Roger Moore’s best performance.

6.  Casino Royale – All criticisms of the casting of Daniel Craig (“James Blond” wa my favorite) ended when he turned around and shot his “first kill” (the guy he beat up in a Paris bathroom).  Or, at least they should have.  Craig proved himself more than equal to the role in an updated version of the original Bond tale.  This is an absolutely fantastic movie.

5.  GoldenEye – Pierce Brosnan finally became Bond and Dame Judi Dench became the third “M” in series history.  And Sean Bean had a big satellite dish built in Cuba to direct the eponymous GoldenEye, an EMP weapon he woulduse to wreck the British economy (it was also the name of Ian Fleming’s home in the Bahamas).  This was a new Bond for a new time.

4.  Dr. No – The first Bond film is one of the best.  Sean Connery utters his first “Bond.  James Bond.” and we get so many of the terrific firsts that we became used to.  Plus, Bond’s Aston-Martin DB5 is one of the coolest cars ever.

3.  From Russia with Love – This is the best example of a pure espionage film in the franchise.  It also features the first appearances of “Q” and Blofeld.  It truly deserves its status as one of the truly iconic Bond films.

1a.  Skyfall – I almost listed this one as my top pick, but it must be seen whether or not it stands tye test of time.  For what it’s worth, it has the best Bond opening credits song and was the first Bond film to win an Oscar (it won two:  one for sound editing and one for Adele’s theme song).  By the end of the film, there’s a new “Q”, a new “M”, and a new Moneypenny.  And it has Silva, one of the three best Bond villains of all time, and the return of the aforementioned Aston-Martin DB5.  Oh, and there are the three most awesome words uttered in a Bond film:  “Welcome to Scotland!”

1.  Goldfinger – This is the best one there is.  Goldfinger combines a terrific plot, a great suit (three-piece gray with a black tie), the top villain (the eponymous Goldfinger), the best name for a “Bond Girl” ever (“My name is Pussy…Pussy Galore.”), a powerful theme song by a true diva (Dame Shirley Bassey), and Fort Frickin’ Knox.  Oh, and, “Do you expect me to talk?”  “No, Mr. Bond.  Iexpect you to die.”  This is the most-often spoofed and mocked Bond film in the franchise, but it’s always done lovingly.  “He loves gooooooollllllldd”, indeed.

CNN’s I’m Voting Poll

So, I took CNN's I'm Voting poll.

Maybe I think too deeply about the questions and answer choices (or maybe I think too deeply period), but some of the questions, both answers (or at least more than one) I agreed with.

An example:

"What's your opinion on Super PACs?"

Answer choices - "They corrupt the political system." or "They should be protected by the First Amendment."

My answer (out loud): "Yes." (I checked "They should be protected by the First Amendment.", for the record) Reasoning: They should be protected as an expression of speech. Sorry if you disagree or are worried about the rich corrupting the system, but they have that right as American citizens. I also believe they corrupt the political system, but blaming Super PACs for their impact is like blaming the dog you fed sausage and barbecue to this afternoon for the rank stench of their dog-farts. You could have avoided that issue by making an educated choice and not feeding the dog those things. You can avoid the corruption of the political system by Super PACs by educating yourself about the issues and the candidates. And don't just listen to Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN. Listen to all of them, then read (from all sources), then think about what makes the most sense to you. Then, formulate an opinion and be able to defend it. Don't formulate the opinion until you've done ALL of the above (not just part of it).

It's your responsibility to be the most educated and thoughtful of citizens. That doesn't mean we're all going to agree. Different opinions are what make the world work. Besides, without them, it would be boring. I leave this rant with the following quote from The American President:

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about "the land of the free".'"

While I would never burn a flag, that is one of the best definitions of what America is that I've ever heard, read, or even written myself.

A Little Personality Profile

I was recently requested to complete a self-descriptive profile and…..well, to be honest, I, intrepid writer and master of fiction that I am, found it difficult to do.

This was a first thought. The final deal was very different, but I think there’s something to this effort.

 

To borrow a line I heard recently, I wish I could be the person my dogs think I am.

This is not an unusual feeling for me.

Because of the rather unusual nature of my personality, there are times I find it hard to accept praise. I often feel embarrassed when others recognize those things I do right and am actually more comfortable hearing where I messed up.

Please don’t think I never mess up.

I see the light in those brown, “puppy-dog” eyes, when I’ve handed them a treat or let them out in the morning or even when I put them in their kennels when it’s time to go to work and I know they feel safe in my presence, protected and cared for.

It’s uncomfortable sometimes, because it’s the same light I’ve seen in the eyes of students and friends, of family and those I love most in this world. It’s a trust, an assurance that they know that I will do everything in my power to take care of them, that I will fight to the death to protect them.

And, with my personality and confidence, I put on a devil-may-care grin and swagger my way through the challenges of that day, leading my team to victory, albeit sometimes only victory of the moral variety. I’m not usually sure how we got to the winner’s circle and, when it comes time to celebrate, I don’t heap the laurel leaves of victory on my own brow. They don’t fit on me. They fit on the others. They belong on those who were made to wear them, while I stand in the background and beam with pride for their achievements, their accomplishments. And then they come back to me, shaking my head, patting me on the back, trust and love pouring out of them into me.

What my dogs (and all of those others) never see are those moments when I doubt. They don’t know the moments when I feel fear. They don’t realize that I am simply a flawed mortal, no different from them.

So, I wish I could be the person my dogs think I am.

The New Coffee Pot

Well, we took the plunge.

We got a Keurig.  And it’s out….wait for it….standing!

I’m now an official K-Cup junkie. So send me your recs for good coffee and I’ll check them out.

By the way, so far my favorites are Folger’s Caramel Drizzle and the Coffee People’s Donut Shop Brew.  And I’m really pretty fond of Emeril’s Big Easy Blend.

So, I’m going now to return to the world of caffeinated bliss that is my kitchen and brew up something.

I’ll be back soon with political updates as Romney continues to march his way to victory through Georg……South Carolina.

Hehehehehe.