March 2nd: Making the Separation

In case being considered racist wasn’t enough, Arizona now wants to add “homophobic” to their list of adjectives.

Earlier last week, the state was discussing the possibility of passing a law that would allow business owners the opportunity to deny service to any customer on the grounds of their own religious beliefs. While not explicitly stated, this would effectively allow an Arizona business to reject gay customers because, in their eyes, a patron’s sexuality is an insult to their moral integrity.

There have, of course, been a wide variety of reactions from the American public. On one side, a few states have joined in, including Missouri and Mississippi, attempting to write their own, similar pieces of legislation. On the other side, there were rumors that the NFL would refuse to host Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona’s University of Phoenix Stadium as it had originally planned, in protest of the bill.

This ridiculous law is a thinly veiled attempt to suffocate the people of Arizona within the context of the Christian religious values that the few in power hold. This is, though, a blatant violation of the idea behind the first amendment. While it can safely hide behind the fact that it doesn’t distinguish between faiths, it is the imposition of faith upon citizens in a baseless way that is contradictory to everything this country stands for.

One question, though, that comes to mind is how a religious Christian will identify a gay when they walk into a business. Are you going to deny someone service if they are holding another man’s hand? If they are wearing jeans that are a little too tight? If your gay-dar just kinda sends you that vibe? This looks like a heinously arbitrary way of allowing for terrible action against another human being with no basis in real business or economic success.

As an active member of a religious community, it drives me crazy to see religion used as a template for hate. This is, after all, what is going on here. Christian extremists have hijacked the social advancement of this country and need to be put back in their place. Not only are they imposing their religious beliefs on the rest of the country, but they are giving all religious people of all faiths a bad rap.

There’s another piece of the puzzle, though, that the Christian right may not have fully considered: to allow this law to take effect, it would open the door to all religions and all views, not just the white majority. If this were to have happened, it would bring up the opportunity for a Muslim to refuse service to a Jews, a Jew to refuse service to a Christian, or any other form of otherwise baseless discrimination. The idea of a member of another religion using their faith to deny service would leave any soap box preacher crying.

Luckily, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the bill. For the time being, this will not be accepted into the legislation of our country. That doesn’t mean, though, that we’re in the clear.

This all really comes down to power, and the fear of losing it. As society changes and move progressively forward, there is a small group of Christians (not all Christians by any means) that is afraid of growing impotent at the hands of the gays and the blasphemers.

Using religion as a basis for discrimination and hatred is a fundamental error in the understanding of faith. Anyone who uses the Bible in a way that causes another person harm or emotional distress is bastardizing the real meaning behind faith. Religion is a way that an individual can wake up in the morning and live a meaningful life. Religion is a way to do what is best for one’s own self. There is no way to read the Bible and come away with hate.

If there is a debate that the Christian right would like to have, let’s have it. We can talk, we can learn, we can move forward together. But using legislation to write discrimination and hate into our laws will not be accepted. If an individual wants to use his or her faith to make life more meaningful, by all means. I, of all people, understand. Religion as a means to ruin the life of someone else, though, will not be tolerated.

February 25th - Moving Right Along

Growing up at the turn of the century and the turn of the millennium has put my generation at something of a crossroads. We are the first generation to have easy access to the immense technological advancements of the late 2000s and the early 2010s.

One of the most meaningful pieces of social advancement in recent memory is not only the creation of social media tools, but the use of those media to discuss, analyze, and, in many cases, expose social issues and conflicts. Facebook is covered in links to blogs and articles, each one addressing a different issue. Comments spark debate and get some traction on the world’s feed.

It isn’t, as some may believe, that the world is a more screwed up or confused place than it has been in the past. There is, though, evidence that we are advancing too rapidly to actually come up with solutions to the issues that plague our society. Instead of finding ways to fix these problems, we all-too-often put band-aids over the issues.

A perfect example of this is our education system. Education in America is a hugely divergent resource, in that the product that a student from one school receives is quite different from the one from a different school. Not all high school diplomas are created equal. This is especially true in many urban areas, especially those environments with ethnic minorities. To attempt to provide a level playing field for all public school students in the United States, there have been many attempts to get better teachers into environments without good educators. There have also been attempts to use government funding to create charter schools, which have received equal amounts of praise and disdain.

Do either of these solutions solve the problem? Definitely not. In fact, according to some, we aren’t even sure that it is making any difference at all. That doesn’t mean, though, that we shouldn't keep trying to come up with something that does work.

This challenge is not unique to the education issue. We, as Americans, are confronting more social issues at one time than almost any other time in US history. Sexual orientation, disability awareness, poverty, race, the list goes on and on.We are constantly bombarded by the pet projects of our friends and colleagues. It can be next to impossible to actually do anything, rather than just taking it all in.

The challenge has three major solutions, none of which are easy. First, we need to develop some level of focus. Not everything can get solved in one lifetime by one individual. I find myself struggling to decide which issues I want to dedicate my time, energy, and attention to. I can blog about many of these concepts, but if I want to actually help to tackle one or two, I need to narrow my focus. At first, this sounds terrible. Why can’t I do everything I can to fix as much as I can?

This leads to my second call to action: we need to be more creative when evaluating the social and economic challenges of today’s world. In many cases, these issues are arising because of the changing times. Homesexuality wasn’t an issue that was discussed in the 1950s, or at least not very much. It is the confrontation between what is now and what we want the future to look like that causes these dilemmas. Why do we continue to look for past or even current solutions? The simple answer is that we lack the creativity to think outside of the context of the way society is currently. We are afraid of the discomfort that comes with leaving the perspective or context we are familiar with, in favor of one that will make the world better. Sometimes we don’t even realize how suffocating the social laws and rules we have created are. To actually go about making things better, we need to be able to think in new and different ways. If there was a solution using “conventional” methods, we most likely would have found it by now.

The final step is that we need to listen. We need to be willing to hear the ideas of others and share our own. We need to engage in dialog to attempt to figure things out.

The world is a complicated and often frustrating place. We are constantly bombarded with different issues and social conflicts that beg for our attention. We, as citizens of the world, have to confront how we will handle each of these issues. WIth a little bit of focus, creativity, and willingness to listen, we have a fighting chance of actually making our society just a little better.

February 17th - The Streets of Heaven

Just over a year and a half ago, a man walked into a movie theater and opened fire. Five months later, it was an elementary school. Since then, it seems as though every few weeks we hear about another gun being drawn and used to cause terror, pain, and, all too often, death.

At the 2013 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama made a bold statement that something had to be done to prevent this kind of violence from tearing the country apart. He punctuated his speech by inviting the families of shooting victims to the speech and honoring the memories of those whose lives were cut so mercilessly short.

It turns out, one year later, Obama’s bark was worse than his bite. Congress did little to nothing to prevent such acts of violence, and killings didn’t stop. This year alone, in 48 days alone, there have already been several incidences of killings at the hands of gunmen. In fact, the number and frequency of public gun violence has increased, rather than decreasing the past year.

And Obama relented. Little to nothing was discussed during this year’s State of the Union to address the growing issue. Obama asked for legislation, Congress said no, and Obama backed off. A year after his initial call to action, Barack Obama’s second State of the Union of his second term barely confronted the notion of any form of gun control. It just didn’t make the list of things to discuss that night.

Here is the scary thought: maybe the violence is perpetuating itself. Copycats see others successfully (or at least what they believe to be successful) spread fear and create havoc. Some even may look at the attention a killer “earns” in a glorified way. All of a sudden, the notion of using violence may be implanted in the mind of someone who otherwise would never have considered it.

Although I don’t encourage the ownership of guns, I do understand the notion that the government shouldn’t be able to tell me what I can and cannot own. The arguments in defense of the second amendment grow more tired, though.

At its inception, the second amendment to the constitution was created for the purpose of allowing citizens to own muskets to maintain a militia in times of need. At the time, it was imperative for national security and defense.

Times have changed in the past 200 plus years, though. So too must our understanding of gun rights, and the right to bear arms. Those who use second amendment arguments fail to understand that the right to bear arms originates from the necessity to do so, which truly doesn’t exist. It is also important to note that very few people are arguing about the right to own a 18^th century musket. The weapons have grown far more terrifying.

This gets very well to the next argument which most gun carriers hold to: that carrying a gun makes one feel safer and allows for self-defense. There’s a fundamental error in logic. How can more weapons lead to less violence? Clearly people are still using their guns; it doesn’t appear as though concealed carry is being effectively used as a deterrent. And if you’re so worried about your safety, wouldn’t it be safer to eliminate the guns, rather than make everyone carry one?

I carry a pocket knife with me most of the time. I like having it with me. I use it to open boxes, cut through packaging, and other simple tasks. Could it be used as a weapon? Sure. But its purpose is to be used as a tool. The same cannot be said for a gun. The gun, especially the automatic weapon, was invented for the sole intent and purpose of killing. Even when used recreationally, it is still a killing tool. There is no ability to assume good will. A gun can be used for nothing but harm, or at the very least, intimidation and fear.

We had our chance to fix the problem. For 18 months, Congress has sat back and allowed things to continue with no significant gun control reform. But now, as each day of inaction passes, the blood is not only on the hands of the attackers, but also the bystanders. Congressmen and Senators are elected to serve the people of each state. They fail if their inaction leads to the unnecessary murder of those citizens.

We need to take away guns. We need to make them nearly impossible to buy. We need to make ammunition difficult to attain. We need to make things tough. I respected your right to carry a weapon right up until someone ruined it. And we ruin it when we continue to allow our peace of mind to lead to the destruction of human life.

The streets of heaven are too filled with angels. And we can keep those angels on earth. It’s our job to figure out how.

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February 9th - America the Beautiful

American politics are screwed up, and they aren’t getting better. Republicans don’t want to talk to Democrats, and, frankly, Democrats aren’t that interested in talking to Republicans. The government can’t seem to agree on anything, and it doesn’t look like the American people are getting along any better than their politicians.

On the other side of the world, though, something big is happening. 230 men and women are going to compete in the Olympic Games. They are doing so not as individuals, but as representatives of the United States of America.

This year’s games, taking place in Sochi, Russia, carry with them a significance far beyond simply athletic prowess. The post-USSR Russian government is not in a good place, using the guise of democracy to overshadow an inherently corrupt system. This might have gone unnoticed, until some logistical pieces of the games started to fall apart. Running “water” came out looking more like iced tea than anything else, doors wouldn’t open, rooms weren’t well put together. Overall, the accommodations were a mess.

That would have been bad enough, but things didn’t get any better when some reporters started doing some digging on other Russian behaviors. Like, the notion of putting men in jail for being homosexual. All of a sudden, protests were going up, calling for all sorts of action, from sanctions to boycotts, all attempting to boldly protest the crimes that Russia has committed against its people.

This isn’t the first time the Olympics have served as a staging ground for the world’s conflicts. The 1936 games were held in Berlin, Germany, at a time when Germany was well on its way to starting the most atrocious act of hate in recent history. The 1980 Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York featured the bitter rivalry between the United States and USSR, culminating in the “Miracle on Ice” hockey championship. In both cases, political situations almost led to boycotts of the games, and in both cases the Americans competed. The result? An African American man winning a gold medal in Hitler’s home and an band of Americans showing the Russians that they’re dominance will be short-lived.

For the next two weeks, Americans will once again be on foreign soil, competing for medals and the rights to claim athletic superiority. There is, though, so much more at stake than awards and accolades. The United States is defending a way of living, a freedom, and an idea. We are defending the right to freedom, the right to be a light unto the nations.

Americans are not unified. We don’t agree on a great many things. We don’t agree on the way we should run our government, or the line between where my liberties end and the liberties of another begin. We can’t seem to agree on much of anything. With one major exception: we live in a country that allows us to fight for what we believe. Our rights are defended, and there is a civilized way of fighting for what we want.

There are 230 Americans in Sochi. I don’t know what they believe about homosexuality, healthcare, government spending, or guns (well, maybe with the exception of the biathlon competitors). I don’t really care. What they’re doing there, what they’re saying by being there, is that America, the country they represent, is alive and well, and we are ready to be a presence on the global stage.

There is a difference between being an American and the idea of America. America is something we all believe in. America is an idea. And we have to come together, most especially for the next few weeks, to support America as it represents us, each and every one of us, on the world’s stage.

January 29th: The Big Cheese

During the Andrew Jackson administration, the story goes, a large block of cheese was wheeled into the White House. The purpose was to allow for all of those who were hungry to come and join the staff and cabinet of the highest office of the United States and share some food and discuss matters that would important to them.

This tradition was brought into common knowledge when it was featured on the West Wing, Aaron Sorkin’s masterful television show detailing the workplace environment of those working at the White House. In the show, the Chief of Staff brought back this tradition, or at least the part of getting some face-time with the leadership of the government. Throughout the seven seasons of the show, the White  House staff was visited by a wide variety of people with interests ranging from wildlife conservation to astrological concerns and even cartography issues. While many were ridiculous proposals and somewhat outlandish, all received the time and attention of those with some degree of power to act on the shared knowledge.

In a Youtube video that brought Bradley Whitford and Josh Molina together alongside Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, the White House announced their intentions to make this tradition come to life. For the first time, the White House has been accepting videos today to be answered by government officials. This will offer the opportunity for citizens, the day after Barack Obama’s State of the Union, to reflect on ways that their government can best serve them.

While the day in the West Wing was often thought of as “Crackpot Day” because of the prevalence of rather crazy ideas, this is an incredible opportunity for the government to be transparent and include the people in their deliberation. A government run for the people must have an idea about what the citizens deem important, and this gives all Americans the opportunity to have the ear of the leadership of our country.

The Obama administration won the presidency in 2008 because of their ability to understand the internet and social media, and how to use these tools to speak to an audience larger than any public appearance. This is yet another example of that understanding.

As is almost always the case, the State of the Union shed light on an incredible number of issues that are important not only to the Obama administration, but the country as a whole. Everything from the education system, the middle class, and international politics were called center stage to the forefront of the mind of all Americans. As incredible as it is that television has allowed all of the American citizens to get into the room for this address, there is an issue with translating those powerful words into powerful action. This year, more so than any in recent memory, the government looks incapable of making the kind of changes that Obama calls for.

This is where Big Block of Cheese Day comes into play. The American public gets to put the important questions to the government and get answers about not simply beautifully written words, but the actual actions that will be taken to make them a reality. Through this one day of internet communication, the Obama administration has the opportunity to use social media tools to communicate with its constituency in ways never done before.

January 17th: A World Away

Friends and family alike, when I told them of my upcoming trip to Israel, wished me the same sentiment: “Be safe.” While the thought was based on caring and affection, I couldn’t help but be disconcerted. My trip was through Birthright, an opportunity for 18 to 26 year old Jews to go to the Holy Land to experience all of the magic of what the Jewish homeland had to offer. Falling off a beautiful mountain should have been the only real risk to my health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately that isn’t the picture in the minds of most Americans when thinking of Israel. The images of war, conflict, and hate are all-too prevalent. Israel is almost always the first two syllables, followed swiftly by “Palestinian Conflict.”

This was, though, not my first trip. I had been to Israel once before, although in a far less structured function. It was especially difficult to reconcile what I knew about Israel with what others knew, or at the very least claimed to know. I felt myself as conflicted as the land supposedly was.

It was on the very first day that this conflict was challenged outright. As part of our tour, we had the chance to go to an olive oil manufacturing plant, where they harvest the olives and produce a wide variety of products from the plants, from food oils to skin creams and more. The owner was there to greet us, and he did with a smile and a demeanor that didn’t seem unlike everyone’s favorite Jewish uncle.

He spoke for a few moments about the process of making his products and the idea behind his creation of the company. Quickly, though, he changed the subject.

“I’m sure you will find, in your travels in this beautiful land, that everyone you meet is nice to you, friendly, and helpful.” He said. He went on to say that these people were trying to show us the real Israel.

“You don’t make a 65 year investment in hate. We are making an investment into a land where we can be a people, where we can put down roots and grow. We make that investment in love. There is this belief that we wake up in the morning full of hate, grabbing our guns. You can’t survive like that. You don’t make an investment in hate. It would kill you.”

I was instantly struck by his words. I rolled them around in my head for the remainder of my ten day trip, and for the week since my return. He was absolutely right. Everywhere we went we found happy, helpful people who wanted to show us how incredible Israel is. The land is beautiful, and the people are as well.

We have such a skewed idea of what it means to go to and live in Israel. We paint a one-dimensional picture. Yet, that fails so wholly to appreciate the complexity of it. There isn’t a single person living in Israel who doesn’t know someone who has lost their life fighting for their country. Conflict and war definitely exists.  Our tour showed countless locations where battles, armaments, and the picture of war still very much stains the earth. But the land is also filled with craftsmen, painting over that beauty.

People greeted us with open arms, offering to teach us about their country and help us with the language barrier. We found kindness running through the streets, history rich with culture, and a modern society that just doesn’t look that different from any American city. In fact, there were a great many places I would rather be in Israel after dark than downtown Chicago.

These people are making a commitment to the land. They want to create homes, make businesses, and raise children to live in the land. They want all of the same things that Americans of all people should understand. The notion of winning freedom is an equally American concept, which is one of the reasons that I believe American-Israeli relations have always been so important. We, in the United States, though, can’t really honor our end of the friendship if we believe that Israel is a cruel, dangerous place. We need to understand our allies if we are to truly call them our friends.

Not once on my trip did I feel scared for my safety. I felt like, if my health were in jeopardy, I would have 7.9 million family members waiting to help.

Dec. 23rd: Spineless

All through elementary school and middle school, I was that nerdy kid who could be counted on to have a book in hand. Everywhere I went, I would have to have something to read, to keep me busy, to entertain me, and to get me engaged.  It continued on to high school, although a problem arose: as I got older, books became bigger, heavier, harder to whip out at a moment’s notice. I began to shift my reading from a constant activity to a very much controlled one. I would read for a half hour before bed, or a few minutes right after school. I began to develop routines.

But, as is always the case, as the world around me got more complicated, so too did finding time to read. All of a sudden, I found myself in front of screens more often than pages. It was increasingly difficult to not only find the time, but also the motivation to whip out a book. With the limited free time I have, a book isn’t necessarily the way I want to spend it.

Throughout college, though, I have made it a point to always read a little bit before going to bed. There is no better feeling than reading a book you simply can’t put down. More so than any other media, books can lead to hugely creative entertainment.

Finally, I decided to make a change to my reading habits. I decided to invest in a Kindle. For years, people had been telling me that e-Reading was perfect for me, and I had refused every time. I like the feel of a book, the smell of it, the way I can track my progress. After years, though, I decided to make the not-too-expensive decision and cave.

It didn’t take long for me to regret my years of resistance. All of my opposition to reading had an answer. I could track my progress not only through page numbers but also percentage of the book, time remaining in a chapter, and chapter headings. I could transition from one chapter to another almost as easily as if I flipped the pages.

The quality of the reading is perfect. Plus, I never had to worry about running out of content. I can preload books when I’m getting close to being done with one, and get all set to pick up right where I left off in a series, or start a new endeavor immediately. I don’t even need to go to the library.

All of this innovation, though, led to an interesting consideration: does digital reading lead to an increase or a decrease in reading? Does it mean that libraries will meet their demise? Do we have a reading problem on our hands and, if so, are e-readers part of the problem or the solution?

After a little time with my e-reader, it is pretty clear that e-reading offers a multitude of solutions to the reading issues that are becoming all-too-popular. The ease with which reading becomes accessible offers the consumer a whole new opportunity to interact with different texts and different media. We can continue to use screens, but this time, we will be doing more with that technology.

The consumer side of the market is better, growing, and easier. That doesn’t necessarily bode well, though, for the book industry as we know it. Book sellers and libraries face a difficult reality. They will either have to change the way they play the game, or choose to remove themselves. As we see them now, bookstores are locations for buying hard-copies of books. You can get new digital copies on the internet. Same goes for libraries. Under the current system, there is no need for these institutions if a digital download is available.

Yet, both bookstores and libraries are making shifts. Many libraries offer online libraries, where patrons can download copies of books and return them online, just the same as hard copies get returned to the library building. The same goes for bookstores. Barnes and Noble has created the Nook, their own version of the e-reader, and offers their books both online and in-store. While this won’t necessarily help the stores themselves, the company is prepared for the future.

The world of reading is changing, and so must the locations where reading is stimulated. That doesn’t mean, though, that reading is going to struggle. To continue to allow reading to be competitive with other sources of media, the industry needs to move to continue to allow consumers to get their hands on material.

After years of waiting, I decided to buy into the future of reading. It didn’t take long to realize just how limitless the possibilities are.