random readings and musings...

I'm reading before I go to bed. Never a good thing. Anyway, a lot of these articles are interconnected, but less a tangible connection than that they appear to be dots which, while not aligned perfectly, outline a trend that I do not like. They follow below, with a short comment on each, followed by my analysis of the overall trend:

1. Admiral Mullen is "surprised" that General Amos, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, spoke out against repealing Don't Ask/Don't Tell. Besides the fact that his surprise seems a bit underwhelming, I wonder what Gates and Obama were thinking in picking him. Let's imagine, if you will, that the position of Commandant is unfilled and Obama is picking a replacement. Now imagine, hypothetically, that there is a General Officer who is a brilliant strategist, but he is also on record as having said something like, "Well, women don't belong in the military." Would that person be in line to be Commandant of the Marine Corps? Probably not. If nothing else, this shows you where Obama is in terms of being a "fierce advocate". He is, at best, a political tactician who does not prioritize equality in a way that is, as of yet, meaningful. In the balance of things, equality will always fall somewhere below economics and political ambition.
2. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a high school cheerleader who wanted to sit out cheering for a boy who later admitted to raping her (the school new he was accused of raping her) was NOT exercising her right to free speech AND ordered her family to pay the schools court costs. Years ago I wrote about Judge Patricia Owens and will not do so again. Suffice it to say, this was not an unexpected decision considering the make up of the fifth court and the judicial outlooks of those Justices. I would have to read more about the pertinent legal background to have a less emotional and more educated reaction, but the decision seems absurd from an emotional point of view (admittedly, not the point of view from which to judge jurisprudence).
3. In related but opposite news, a really good reaction to the ousting of three Iowa Supreme Court Justices is here. I highly recommend reading this...and then getting active. The forces of bigotry and homophobia have organized, have fund raised, and have influenced the last bastion of protection that minorities have. It is time that those of us who take seriously the role of the courts, the belief that all men are created equal, and the pursuit of happiness seriously to do so ourselves. The ousting of these judges is a travesty and a triumph of ignorance over the forces of reason. We must fight back. Here is a good quote from the article:

   What happened in Iowa on Tuesday deserves more attention from the press and public, in the same way that cancer cells that have taken root in the body and flourished into a tumor with its own blood supply deserve more attention. It’s time for our collective immune system to focus on these toxic intruders roaming from state to state with their multimillion-dollar war chest, metastasizing in a series of mean-spirited ballot measures that — particularly as of Tuesday’s vote — strike at the very core of our democracy.

4. Five Anglican Bishops have taken up the offer of the Pope to become Catholic. Their move is a deeply seeded conviction that the truth of the Catholic Church's primacy, which they had previously disbelieved, is less unpalatable than women bishops or gay equality (I know...that was a convoluted sentence, but read it again and it is clearly a sarcastic masterpiece). They will join more in what will be, I am sure, a larger exodus from Anglicanism to Catholicism. By turning its own back on its less-important "doctrines" (married clergy, primacy of Rome etc.) the Catholic Church has opened its doors to those Anglicans who believe their own Church isn't homophobic or anti-woman enough. Apparently, if you can't beat em, just re-brand em!

Generally, these articles all tend to point in the direction of the triumph of ignorance over intelligence and rationality. It is a trend I do not like and do all I can to fight. However, it is larger than me and my blog (believe it or not) and has to be fought by all of us. This is not just an American issue, as demonstrated by the Vatican, it is a worldwide issue. And, it is imperative that each of us not only speak out when we can, but actively involve ourselves in pursuing the goals we seek.