Decision Time 2008

Only five days until the primary.

I have yet to study the propositions, so I have no idea how I will vote on those, especially Propositions 94-97, new compacts with the Indian casino tribes. Though I must say, I am leaning toward a NO on 93, which is a new term limits initiative. It favors the northern Democrats in the state legislature - the very ones who are so ideological, they won't even campaign for my (and other southern) votes. And more importantly, they hate me for driving a non-hybrid car.

As for the presidential primary, I am voting as a nonpartisan, making me eligible to choose between the Constitution Party primary, the Democratic Party primary, or none. (The Republicans won't allow nonpartisan votes.) I will take the Democratic ballot. While my intention was to vote for John Edwards, he is no longer in the running now, so I will switch my vote to Barack Obama, despite his bungling of the outreach toward LGBT voters. I consider Hillary Clinton to be too much of the establishment candidate, and don't believe that she'll bring enough of a change to the table.

My Republican-registered mother also wants to vote in the Democratic primary (she prefers Hillary's experience), but she missed the deadline for switching party affiliation, so she'll have to vote for a Republican (or leave the ballot blank). I am not giving her any recommendations, as neither of us can find a "likable" Republican. She does want to vote Democratic in the general election, making it the fourth time (out of four) that she supports a Democratic presidential candidate (her previous votes were Bill Clinton's 2nd term, Al Gore, and John Kerry).

This is criminal

A study says 935 false statements were made by the W regime to make the case for a war against Iraq. It's so blatant that even the corporate media (MSNBC) can't ignore it.

I sincerely hope that the Democrats pounce on this. If not, they are accomplices of the crime, and do not deserve to be elected.

MSNBC

Apple iPhone

Between a cold and a tour of area nightlife hotspots over the past two evenings, I am tired - to a point where I couldn't even go to the local Unitarian Church today.

But I have to mention that I am absolutely loving my new iPhone, which I had been planning to get for a while, and finally received a few days ago. Thanks to it, as I met various people who gave me key LGBT resources, I've been able to check those resources on the Web (including one lesbian bar I ended up visiting last night), on the spot, and mail myself the web addresses for later use. The ability to check email on the fly is also a welcome addition.

As I return to work tomorrow, I will find these functions to be very valuable as well. And I've been so pleased with the email and Web abilities, that I am planning on taking just the iPhone on my Orlando trip next month - no need to lug a heavy laptop (or an iPod) around. (That'll also create enough room to let me carry my Garmin GPS unit for the rental car, too.) The flight to Orlando will be the time that I will be testing the usability of the iPod features of the iPhone.

In short, the iPhone is everything I had thought it would be - and more. I feel that it's worth the high price of admission.

Backlash against the Christian Establishment

I was recently alerted to the following South Korean organization, which seeks to fight the heavy influence of Christianity in that country:

antichrist.or.kr (Korean only - English not available)

The opening page asks for 10 million signatures in support of the organization, and outside reports say over two million have already signed. Only South Korean nationals (with National ID number) can sign, however; but that does make the 2 million total impressive, as there are only 47 million South Koreans (including those too young to sign), with 14 million of them Christian.

For such an organization to exist is not a surprise at all. While Christianity is considered the religion of modernization and liberalism in South Korea, the truth is far from it, often being used as a tool to prevent women, the poor, and other marginalized groups from gaining influence. Christians have held massive prayer vigils to call for the destruction of all Buddhist and indigenous statues and temples in the country. I myself have resented the brute force tactics of street corner Christian missionaries in Seoul and Busan - and in Koreatowns across the US as well. Most importantly, in a carryover from the Confucian traditions, South Korean Christians hold themselves in awe of a superior "older brother" culture and religion - namely, the US and its Religious Right - feeling very honored to sign a free trade agreement with the US (even though very few Americans have even heard of, much less support, the said free trade agreement), and will feel just as honored if US statehood is offered to them. As a result, South Korea is the only country in the world where drawing Jesus and Mary in the image of local people is considered blasphemy - only Western-looking portraits are acceptable. (Also the only country outside the US where Christians celebrate American Thanksgiving.) Contrast with other Asian nations, where Kwan Yin often stood in for the image of Virgin Mary.

But the content of the anti-Christian movement does leave much to be desired, and reveal the same flaws in the South Korean society that allowed fundamentalist Christianity to become such a powerful force in the first place. Although religious freedom is guaranteed in the South Korean constitution, in reality there are only a handful of religions to choose from, as deviance from established religious traditions in search of one's own beliefs and values is an individualistic Western concept unheard of in the communal Korean culture. That means instead of exploring the various belief systems, both native (including the Koreans' own creation legend, dating back to 2333 BC) and imported (anything from ancient Goddess beliefs to modern Unitarian Universalism), the Koreans have few options, other than pouring their energy into opposing the Christian establishment. Which is sad, because I believe the surefire way to check the power of the Christian establishment is to spread belief systems that teach a different, and more compatible, set of values, and let those values do the talking, instead of resorting to the same exclusionary, hateful mindset that the Christians are accused of having. And most importantly, the anti-Christian movement fails to speak out on the social injustice (especially against women, the poor, LGBTs, and foreigners) that has been propagated by the Christian establishment.

Many Christians in South Korea are responding to this movement by re-analyzing some of their brute force tactics, and fine-tuning their message to be one more of love and compassion, instead of materialism and elitism.

Given that I live in the US, where the Christians not only own the Korean community, but also give it tremendous political power (from Reverend Moon to Torture Czar John Yoo to Senator Sam Brownback), this is a very relevant topic. The Korean community, especially its Christians, flexed the political power in helping gay marriage bans happen in California, Washington State, and elsewhere. It is also Christianity that ensures that the Koreans are the only non-refugee ethnic demographic that consistently votes Republican. Faith-based charities have been reality in Koreatown, ages before W spread the idea to the rest of the American society. These are very unfortunate developments that need to change. Again, the idea is not to simply lash out against the Christians, but to offer a more humane, compassionate alternative spirituality, whether within the Christian framework (United Church of Christ), or outside. Fortunately, this being the US, where individual spirituality is a well-received idea, it will be easier.

Another travel post

While Netroots Nation in Austin is half a year away, I have another trip coming up, next month. I've already mentioned it in my novel blog.

I am headed for Florida for the first time ever, specifically Orlando. While I am going on business, I have scheduled enough downtime to allow me to visit some of Orlando's top attractions. Granted, I am no fan of Florida's conservative politics, but since I have to be there, I might as well make the best of it. (Besides, Florida is probably not much different from Southern California, when all is said and done.)

In particular, the Disney parks are on the agenda. Granted, I am still incensed at Disney for producing the "Path to 9/11" propaganda back in 2006. But Disney is also LGBT-friendly, and shows an Ellen DeGeneres film at Epcot. Since other parks in Orlando (SeaWorld, Universal Studios) are carbon copies of what I find right here in Southern California (that's even true of Disney's Magic Kingdom), I guess I'll be stuck with the Disney parks. I have time for two parks, and I'll be hitting Epcot and Animal Kingdom. (Guidebooks actually suggest two full days for Epcot. I will see if one day will be enough.)

I am also expecting to drive over to Cape Canaveral for a half-day tour of Kennedy Space Center.

Travel arrangements have been made. I will fly first class on United Airlines for discount economy fare, thanks to my frequent flier miles; the upgrade is already confirmed, despite my lack of elite status. Once on the ground, I will be driving a Toyota Prius hybrid for the duration of my stay. Although I have no intention of ever buying a Prius (Toyota is another company that I disapprove of), living with a hybrid for a week should be a nice experience. A cheap extended-stay hotel will be my home for the week.

It will be a very interesting trip.

Netroots Nation '08

Netroots Nation, formerly Yearly Kos Convention, will be held July 17-20 in Austin, Texas.

Details are being determined now - and I will do my best to attend this time.

Around the Taiwan Strait

Two newsworthy items, first from China, then from Taiwan.

2008 will be a very important year for China, as it holds the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. A major concern has been China's human rights record, and many foreign activists have seen the awarding of the Games to China as an opportunity to pressure the Chinese government to improve its human rights record. Unfortunately, it's not happening; domestic activists continue to be arrested for "seditious activities," as detailed in the following BBC report.

BBC

Also worth noting is that China accounts for the majority of the world's capital punishments. The government has been decreasing its number of death sentences, converting from firing squad to lethal injections, and banning the sale of body parts of the executed. But death penalty is still very commonly used, often with quick summary trials.

The Chinese government argues that it is improving human rights, by making its people materially better off. Sorry, but that argument was used by two of your neighbors in the past - South Korea and Taiwan - and in both, the argument was debunked. Only with political reforms did real democracy blossom - and even today, human rights abuses remain, particularly in South Korea.

And speaking of Taiwan's democracy...

Today's Taiwan dates back to 1949, when the Chinese Nationalist government (Republic of China), headed by Chiang Kai-Shek, lost the civil war to Mao Zedong's Communists, and exiled itself to the island. Taiwan's indigenous majority suddenly found itself overshadowed by the mainland refugees, as only the mainlanders could control Taiwan's politics, well into the 1980s, well after Chiang's death.

Things have changed dramatically since then. Today's Taiwan is ruled by a Taiwan native, President Chen Shui-Bian of Democratic Progressive Party, who has been re-examining Chiang's legacy. While Chiang brought about Taiwan's impressive economic growth, his human rights record left a lot to be desired (especially from the natives' standpoint), and Chiang-related landmarks are either being retired or re-themed. Taipei's international airport is no longer named after Chiang, and now the Chiang memorial itself commemorates Chiang's victims as much as Chiang himself.

BBC

I will also note that Chiang was a major supporter of Reverend Sun Myung Moon and his Unification Church, therefore making him partly responsible for the reactionary swing of the US politics over the past three decades.

A quick-and-dirty guide to fascist victory

As appeared in a TruthOut editorial by Rob Kall:

Italics are my emphasis. Brackets are my comments.

Tips to fascists, dictators, corporatists, militarists, imperialists, neocons, right-wingers, theocrats, theofascists and terrorists.

1. Kill the strongest opposition candidate and then pretend that elections should go on as normal, without allowing the opposition party to reorganize. Examples:
• Benazir Bhutto: strategy - hamstring security abilities to the extent that the candidate actually writes a letter accusing the government leadership of intentional sabotage of security.
• Paul Wellstone: rush through a replacement candidate and politicize the funeral. Get the mainstream media "partners" to portray the funeral as despicably political to eliminate sympathy for the new candidate. (Expect something like this with the candidate who replaces Bhutto.
2. Steal elections using e-voting with nonpublic software code, no paper ballot records, purges from lists of eligible voters, phone-bank jamming and fraudulent registration drives, where you throw away the registrations of opposition party registrants. Multiple examples in US - Florida and Ohio, particularly. Essential: this only works with weak, cowardly candidates who fail to aggressively work to prevent these actions and then fail to challenge questionable outcomes. This has been relatively easy, since even when candidates do get tough in response to rigged elections, there are plenty of weak, compromised legislators who will enable the election theft. Clint Curtis's campaign is a good example. The Dems in Congress allowed the theft.
3. Erode constitutional rights. Violate laws and treaties. Make excuses that there are imminent threats to national security, or that the treaties will hurt the nation's economy. Take the most horrific of these and get the media to boost hysteria and fear, then get the most fascist members of the legislature to push through laws retroactively making violations of the law legal. The majority of sold-out legislators will work with your lobbyists, avoid your media mockery and pass the legislation or approve appointees who allow or refuse to not condemn the assaults upon the Constitution and international law. Example - Mukasey approval, FISA approval, continuation of Iraq war (started on lies). [And make new laws and treaties, such as the new free trade agreements, without the knowledge and consent of American people. Thank you, Samsung.]
   
4. Gradually destroy the economy. Engage in "Shock Doctrine" disaster capitalism, so the nation's citizens are more worried about survival than maintaining democracy. Naomi Klein has documented how fascist neocon Milton Friedman economists have used this tried and true approach to destruction of democracy in dozen of nations - usually with the help of the USA's CIA. See Naomi Klein's book, "Shock Doctrine," for detailed examples. [This works so well.]
   
5. Corporatize the nation. Maximize laws that give corporations human rights as persons. Allow corporations to pollute the election process, so their money is the primary factor in deterring the ability of candidates to reach voters, as is the law and policy in the US. Have legislators you own create bogus, chimera laws that look like and call themselves election reform, that are really so full of loopholes that they actually improve the power of corporations while taking away the power of citizens. See US policy for excellent examples.
6. Deregulate the media so a handful of corporate owners control most of the message. Then filter the news so viewers/readers/listeners are turned off to paying attention. Do this by using the same footage over and over again, and numb the viewers' minds with focus on coverage of morally impaired and stupid celebrities, tabloid news such as weird surgeries, kidnappings, horrific mass murders, strange diseases, detachment of Siamese twins.... And when you do cover real news, mock the most serious defenders of democracy. Attempt to embarrass them, to get viewers and readers to think of them as fools and kooks. Especially, use this mockery approach to sabotage and attack any candidates not "with the program" who are surging in polls.
7. Infiltrate alternative media. Hijack comment threads with negative, cynical remarks, or distract commenters from staying on focus. Provoke incivility among regular readers of pro-democracy media.
8. Widen class differences. Keep as many people as possible hungry, without health care, worried about where they will get the money to pay for housing, clothing, education, food and medicine. [Sell the jobs to the lowest foreign bidder - it's great, because domestic labor unions have no counter.]
   
9. Take advantage of natural disasters to weaken democratic factors. Allow floods, hurricanes and fires to "cleanse" unwanted voters in selected regions. Replace them with high-end real estate and corporate assets. Use the disasters as opportunities to spend taxpayer money to reward political allies.
10. Pretend that everything you do is the patriotic support of Democracy, even if it is directly opposed to democracy. Attack the pro-democracy party and organizations as being communist, socialist, fringe, kook, even dangerous to democracy. Depend upon anti-democracy mainstream media allies to help pound this message so the fools produced by the dumbed-down, "most children left behind" educational system buy these messages. Use talk radio to nail this down. See US education laws and policies for examples. This is already working quite effectively in the US as low international scores indicate.
11. Allow candidates to run repeatedly, without term limits. Eventually, candidates who do not toe the anti-democracy line in all parties will burn out or run out of funding. That will leave, even in the supposed liberal parties, reliable legislators who will keep the anti-democracy program going. Eventually, they will get themselves into key leadership positions, either at the top of the party or just below the top. Consider Chuck Schumer, Stenny Hoyer and Rahm Emanuel as excellent examples. [Or until recently, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.]
    
12. Build fear into the culture. Say you are fighting terrorism, but engage in international policies that foment and encourage terrorism, helping terrorists to massively expand recruitment and even training of operatives. See Iraq for Islamic terrorists. See the US for anti-abortion Christian terrorists. [Think South Korea and Taiwan of the Cold War era as well.]

I would also love to add #13 in the form of "bring as many immigrants who support your anti-democratic agenda as you can, and keep out/deport as many immigrants who oppose it as possible." That will explain the special treatment doled out to the Cuban and Korean communities, and the human rights violations occurring against members of Mexican, Chinese, and most other communities.

Any questions?

TruthOut

"Gays a threat to world peace"

So says Pope Benedict in his New Year's address.

I'm sorry, but a cult that has killed BILLIONS over its history, through its deadly teachings and petty "holy wars," is a far greater threat. And though I am told to respect others' religions (and my newfound Unitarian Universalist belief system certainly teaches me that), I cannot bring myself to respect cults that want me exterminated - modern-day Catholicism and most other Christian beliefs, as well as their younger brother Islam.

Already, the Catholic homophobia is making a mark in California, thanks to Catholicism's heavy influence here - especially among immigrants. It's already been 8 years since gay marriage was banned thanks to them. I cannot afford to have their spiritual leader continue to make such irresponsible threats like this.

I am also renewing my vow to boycott BMW, the biggest corporate sponsor of Pope Benedict. From now on, my existing BMW will only be serviced with aftermarket parts, even though BMW really wants me to use genuine parts (even including motor oil). I am keeping the car ONLY because I cannot afford to have someone else snap up the car and become a new fan to replace me. Another factor is my car's final assembly in South Africa, the silver lining in the clouds - thanks to South Africa's long, successful struggle for democracy and equality (including legalized gay marriage), which must be honored. Nevertheless, the eventual replacement car will be from a less homophobic, more conscionable company that is certainly less of a threat to world peace.