Infrequent updates

First, let me apologize for the lack of updates.

I have found myself working around 50 to 55 hours a week ( as a truck driver it’s hard to write a post and steer!) and unexpectedly reveling in the freedom of not having to make decisions, plan activities, or coordinate the workings of the senate district.  I have been enjoying the outdoors, recharging my batteries on fresh air and fishing.

A number of events in the Minnesota, and national political scene have occurred that I think require some commentary.

1. Partially in response to lawsuits filed in Minnesota, NOM, National Organization for Marriage, has targeted our state for a high dollar advertising campaign against gay marriage. for some reason, the conservative group Minnesota Majority has started sending me there emails. one of them has a link to some talking points that they will be using in this campaign.  As I looked them over, what I saw was a document full of religious fear and defensive bigotry. As an example ( The underlines are my emphasis )

1. Are you a bigot? “Why do you want to take away people’s rights?”

“Isn’t it wrong to write discrimination into the constitution?”

A: “Do you really believe people like me who believe mothers and fathers both matter to kids are

like bigots and racists? I think that’s pretty offensive, don’t you? Particularly to the 60 percent of

African-Americans who oppose same-sex marriage. Marriage as the union of husband and wife

isn’t new; it’s not taking away anyone’s rights. It’s common sense. Proponents of homosexual

marriage are seeking to create a new special right.”

This response is nothing more than outraged fear masquerading as a rational answer to the question.  Gay marriage is too important an issue to be determined those who can not see past their fear and would have us hide in the pages of the bible and give up the concept of freedom for the comfort of what has always been.  If  I wanted comfort, I wouldn’t go outside when it’s raining. Of course then I would miss the rainbow.

Thanks, but all the same, I’ll take the rainbow.

(If anyone would like to post a comment de-constructing the response at the link, I would be happy to add it to this post. B)

Talking points letter

2. Tom Emmer was endorsed as the Republican candidate for governor.  He is a tea party candidate with downright fanatical viewpoints.  His comments about Democrats will have a splash effect well outside the party.  In a 2009 interview with the Marshal Independent, he stated:

“We need businesses, businesses that bring good jobs,” Emmer said. Minnesota needs more biomedical and technology jobs, Emmer said.

No candidate from the Democrats can do that because the candidates and the party are so focused on raising taxes and using government as the job source.

“I don’t think you can call yourself a freedom-loving American and be a Democrat,” Emmer said. “I don’t think that’s a grassroots Democrat who says now ‘That’s not what I voted for, this isn’t the America I want.’ It’s the leaders of the Democrat party.”

At the very best veterans who have ever voted for a democratic candidate are going to find this offensive.  The Republican party has endorsed a candidate well to the right of even conservative Minnesotans.  I have a conservative republican friend who did not support Emmer at the convention.  With this nomination, I think that the republicans  have knocked out a significant part of their base.  most republicans I know find this rhetoric uncomfortable at the least.

Marshal Independent article

It is shaping up to be an interesting fall.

3. Rand Paul gets the nod in Kentucky, then promptly melts down on the race issue. The idea that we can support a civil society without having to have laws and regulations from the federal government is a romantic feel good idea.  The difficulty is it runs into reality.  If we were able to have a civil society without laws and rules, there would be no thievery, murder, fraud, adult or any of the other means of forcing our viewpoint on another human being.  Rand, and by implication, the tea party, would have you believe that we can all “just get along”.

I wish that I lived in such a sheltered world.

B.