Monthly Archives: August 2012

(Community Matters) Seriously? Political priorities are devolving to a porn crusade?

(Community Matters) Driving the cultural wedge (birther appeal & welform resentment) could well erode the margin. You’d see immigration bashing if obtaining a small sliver of the Hispanic vote wasn’t so critical.I’m no longer involved in the campaign, and have no special insight that this NYTimes article got it right, but it does resonate. I suspect it hits the nail on the head.

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(Community Matters) “Taxpayer Savings Grants,” sound like the secret, opening battle cry for a movement to privatize Texas’ public education. Texas Tribune: Senate Hearing Tackles Vouchers, School Choice

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(Community Matters)  Not a huge fan of Blow’s NYT opinion piece, Starving the Future [of US education] – too much reliance on projections of what the Chinese and Indians say they are gonna do and no acknowledgement of substantive improvements in US education over the last decade.

Admittedly the top level messages are correct – we under invest in education and the competition for jobs is becoming more acute.

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(Community Matters) Race still matters – much less today than before – but we’d be dishonest to pretend it doesn’t influence perceptions, acceptance, even sometimes opportunities. With the latter, it’s probably more cummulative discrimination.

A good Atlantic article  –

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(Community Matters) Reflecting on previous Community Matters postings on the Middle East conflict, realize I’m harder on Israel than the Palestinians. Aren’t we all on those we love? I have great affection for the country and its citizens (as I do for Palestinians). Both times there I toured extensively and met with influencers; the last time venturing behind approved lines speaking directly with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.

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(Community Matters) According to NVCA . . . . others would argue within top 5 when factor in quality of life & affordability – availability of c-level & senior programming talent a real bottleneck.

(Community Matters) Interestingly, this weekend while enjoying a feast on the terrace overlooking Donald Judd’s concrete sculptures, Julie, Fran, Robert & I were trying to remember which Europeans first invaded Rome.

24 August 410: the date it all went wrong for Rome?

Hat Tip: Joe Cutbirth

photo: The Sack of Rome by the Visigoths on 24 August 410 by J-N Sylvestre (1890)

(Community Matters) I don’t know much about sports or cycling. I know Lance was subjected to & passed hundreds of scientific tests over the years. Seems strange one could pass all objective evaluations and even a criminal investigation but be brought down by he-said, she-said.

I also know Lance started & continues to lead & grow one of the most important advocacy and services organizations today – for which I’m extremely grateful. Just this week they were helping my dear friend Toshi. They’ve helped heaps of friends and family over the years, have helped millions of survivors. Hell, people with cancer have learned the empowerment of the term survivor because of LIVESTRONG.  Thank you, Lance.

Lance’s two page statement

His lawyers’ statement

(Community Matters) I’m not sure I see how swimming in the Sea of Galilee prioritizes other than as political fodder – and reading that even within the family rather than across the aisle. On the face, not clear why prioritizing with the FBI.

(Community Matters) Rev PatRobertson on Isaac: Turns out it wasn’t about the gays after all. Robertson’s reconsidered his theory of divine wrath. Tampa’s had a thriving gay population for decades.

(Community Matters) Feels as if we’re in some other universe. Such obviously respected people (by others, not me) are really saying these things: 

The county judge in Lubbock: “He’s [Pres Obama if reelected] going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N., and what is going to happen when that happens? . . . I’m thinking the worst. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe.”

“Turning to the United Nations to tell us how to raise our kids, or whether we can have the Second Amendment rights that our Constitution gave us, I mean, that is the wrong way to go, right? Do not cede sovereignty,” Romney said.

After likening the backlash to Todd Akin’s comments on “legitimate rape” to the Pharisees’ persecution of Jesus, American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer is now comparing Akin to a victim of rape. After listing the growing chorus of conservative activists and media personalities who have called on Akin to quit the senate race, Fischer lamented that “everybody is gang tackling Todd Akin.” “You talk about a forcible situation, you talk about somebody being a victim of forcible assault, that would be Todd Akin,” Fischer maintained.