A July 4th Meditation

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Thursday July 04, 2013 · 8:02 AM PDT

2013/07/04 · 08:02

Today, take a moment to contemplate what this country is still capable of achieving.

But to do it, we need every person, regardless of whom they love, regardless of what color they are, regardless of what gender they were born, regardless of what gender they now identify as, to be free to achieve their potential.

To be free to make their own choices about their bodies, and about reproduction, regardless of their gender or political views, consulting physicians of their choosing and only at a time of their choosing.

To be free to share all of life's rewards and burdens with a partner of their choice, sancified not by the dictates of a few people's beliefs, but by common laws under which all are equal.

To be free to worship nothing at all, or if their conscience moves them, something unusual.

To live in a society which respects the right of every free citizen to privacy, making use of the technology of espionage only when warranted by legally empowered officers, subject to the laws established by their representatives, and to oversight by those representatives.

To elect those representatives, with no voter turned away because of race or income, and no candidate empowered by plutocratic superpowers which are too big to fail.

To see those representatives meet and deliberate on the basis of facts, and reason, and science; letting their personal beliefs and consciences motivate and inspire their deliberations, but never using one person's private beliefs to shout down another's.

In order to be truly great, America must be truly free.

Happy Independence Day.

The second best of all possible worlds

sk4p

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Thursday September 20, 2012 · 7:40 AM PDT

2012/09/20 · 07:40

The following is an imagined TV campaign film from an alternate universe.

VOICE-OVER: And now, President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney with a message for the American people.

[The candidates are sitting casually next to each other in armchairs, as though on a panel for a TED talk or something.]

OBAMA: This November, we Americans will observe once more our freedom and responsibility as citizens, by going to the polls.

ROMNEY: Barack and I urge all of you eighteen-and-up to register and vote.

OBAMA: And to be honest, you have quite a choice ahead of you, because Mitt and I have very different views on how to address the challenges of our future.

ROMNEY: That's very true. But we'd like to pause from the campaign for a moment to tell you some things we agree on.

sk4p

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Sunday January 09, 2011 · 5:28 AM PST

2011/01/09 · 05:28

Yesterday's tragic shooting in Tucson has given me much pause for thought. See, I'm part of the problem in some sense.

sk4p

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Monday June 30, 2008 · 7:03 AM PDT

2008/06/30 · 07:03

Obama did compromise on FISA. He has allowed the SCOTUS DC handguns ruling to pass without criticism. He has made statements about the death penalty which have raised progressive eyebrows.

Some argue that this is smart politics on his part under the circumstances.

Some of you argue that this is caving, compromising of principles, and betrayal, and that furthermore (on FISA) the D control of the House is sufficient that it was unnecessary.

Let me address both sides here.

sk4p

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Monday January 14, 2008 · 10:38 AM PST

2008/01/14 · 10:38

Someone, please, tell me I'm not the only person to have this thought go through their head. I am not claiming I believe this. I'm just saying it's a thought that goes through my head sometimes.

The New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl championship in early 2002, the first Super Bowl following 9/11 and the ascendancy of the insane U.S. nationalism. The Patriots won their second one in early 2004, following the 2003 commencement of the Iraq War, and a third in early 2005 as it became apparent that the war would continue horrifically.

Now, as Bush is angling for war with Iran as well, the Patriots are 17-0 and are favored to go 19-0 and win another Super Bowl.

Does anyone else ever feel like the Patriots' ascendancy in the last few years might be arranged by the powers that be in an almost Nineteen Eighty-Four-esque bit of cultural programming? "Patriots are good. Patriots are winners. Patriots are champions."

Granted, this is probably just the envious Steelers fan in me talking, but. Sometimes, I just gotta wonder.

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