A while back, I was sent this link. As usual, my procrastination kicked in, and it’s only now that I’m sharing it with you all. If you’ve seen it before, enjoy it again. Go ahead, click on the link, and see “We Challenge a Man To Walk A Mile In Our Heels, Part Two.” In this version, we are treated to the sight of one of my fellow men trying to sprint in high heels. It’s alternately hilarious and mortifying, I think. When you’re done, feel free to come on back and let me know what YOU think of high heels. Keep them, or toss them?

I could devote an entire post, or even a year’s worth of posts, to the background of this war, and where I stand and why. I’m not going to, for a large number of reasons. I will say this: both sides are wrong. Hamas is wrong to continue bombing Israel, and Israel is wrong for imposing collective punishment on the Gaza Strip. There are no absolutes on either side: no black and white here, no angels and demons. Both sides have valid points, and both have actions to answer for.

This tit-for-tat attitude will not resolve anything; Israel will kill and destroy, is killing and destroying, but there’s no real way to “win” here. Hamas will probably come back stronger than before, and a whole new cadre of potential recruits will strengthen their sympathies for and with the Palestinians. Right now, halfway across the world from here, there is a terrified child whose internal anguish and anger will explode ten or fifteen years from now against the people who have destroyed his home and killed or wounded people he knows and loves. That anger the grown child unleashes will in turn terrify and solidify hatred in another child on the other side of the fence (and there is a fence, unfortunately). Thus, the cycle continues, without a seeming end to the madness.

But does this mean that we here in the United States need to go along for the ride? I don’t think so. My personal feeling right now is a pox on both the Israelis and the Palestinians. We do not need to be involved in their struggle, but as long as we continue to blindly, uncritically support Israel, we will be involved in this.

I doubt this will happen, but what I’d like to see occur as soon as possible is this: the withdrawal of our foreign aid to Israel (or at least some serious strings attached)– we hand over without any conditions a substantial amount each year. In this report by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA), we taxpayers have dumped more than $84 billion into the Israeli treasury (this figure is from 1949-1997, and doesn’t take into account foreign/military aid to Israel over the last ten or so years!). What have we gotten in return for it? Not a whole lot. As you can see in this more recent news article, our military support to Israel has increased over the last few years (while our non-military financial assistance has shrunk): we are handing out more than 2 billion a year to Israel to pummel and suppress the Palestinians. In this USAID report for the most recent year available [2006], you can see the number one country receiving military aid is Iraq (no surprise there, given recent events of the last few years), and number two is Israel.

This is military welfare, people. It’s a handout, with no strings attached, for Israel to fight a war using our money, using American-made weapons, and with the tacit support of our government. We have no constitutional obligation to hand over taxpayer money; indeed, we have no real ethical, moral, or financial obligation to do so. If we have to hand out money like that, it should be for humanitarian purposes, not used to kill and maim others. Ideally, I’d like to see that money (and most foreign aid in general) retained so we can spend it here where it’s needed.

The second thing I’d like to see happen is the repudiation of Zionism by the Israeli government. One can be pro-Jewish and be anti-Zionist at the same time. There is nothing anti-Semitic about admonishing Israel for its behavior over the last sixty years; there is nothing anti-Arabic or anti-Palestinian about admonishing the Palestinians for their behavior over the last few decades. Israel and Palestine are states, political constructs. Any such political entity is fair game for criticism, and a lot of people over the years have been unfairly tarred with the accusation of being “anti-Semitic.” I’d like to see that end as well, and both sides engage in a mature discussion (that includes here as well, if anyone decides to comment!). Nationalism has been over-hyped and overplayed in an era where nationalism should be far more muted than it is. Unfortunately, from Pakistan and India to Israel and Palestine, there are far too many emotionally overcharged fools in control.

The third is for our country to remove itself from the stage for now; this is where I’m hoping Obama will make some headway, even if it’s nowhere near what it should be (unfortunately, I’m so far not encouraged by his silence; silence, Mr. Obama, speaks volumes, and right now your silence tells me that we won’t be seeing a whole lot of “change,” at least not where Israel is concerned). We have not been neutral, and we need to be. There needs to be far more international involvement and a more global hands-on approach to resolving this ongoing problem by others (including the United Nations, which hasn’t done much the last few weeks except handwringing), and I’m not seeing any nation, government, or leader really trying to be effective. This is where we are all to blame, not just the United States. Britain, for example, is as much (or really, more) to blame for what has happened. Absent the Balfour Declaration, a lot of what has unfolded since might have happened differently. The roots of this conflict, and of many other problem spots in the world right now (Zimbabwe, anyone?) lie in the actions of imperialist governments of the 19th and early 20th centuries. So I’d like to see other nations step up to the plate; perhaps a country that hasn’t financially and emotionally invested itself in the Middle East as much as the United States has can do a far better job of negotiating and playing referee. We’ve been doing so for decades, and not accomplishing much of anything.

As the Iraq War has shown, our real interest in the Middle East is oil, and this is one of the primary reasons why our government continues to support Israel and interfere in Middle Eastern affairs. If there weren’t any genuine economic interests for our transnationals in the region, we wouldn’t be shelling out so much money, expending so much time and energy, and sacrificing so many lives. So I guess the final thing I’d like to see happen is a move from our dependence on petroleum and a new focus on alternative fuels and sources of energy.

I doubt any of these things will happen anytime soon. In the meantime, I’m watching what’s happening in Gaza with deep revulsion, and sympathy for civilians on both sides.

Update: Since I published this, it appears that a joint French-Egyptian plan for a cease-fire was submitted; so far it hasn’t been unconditionally accepted by either side. So I must admit the international community is trying to do something– I just wish these efforts were far more forceful and influential than they have been.

As I explained two years ago (has it been that long already??), I grew up celebrating Epiphany, or Twelfth Night. As an adult, I’ve maintained that tradition, although not in the traditional rituals and customs one might find in Europe, South America, or other regions of the world where the Christmas season lasts until January 6.  So for us, it’s the last night of lights, decorations, and holiday cheer. While I love the fact that the Christmas season lasts this long, it does get depressing in the days after that– all that white everywhere: white walls, white corners, white, white, white…

Luckily for me, there’s a little corner of the blogosphere (the deaf blogosphere, to be exact!) where I can celebrate the fact that it’s Twelfth Night. At Deaf Pagan Crossroads, Ocean has thoughtfully posted twelve entries, one for each night of Epiphany (and wondering where she found the time to put it all together??). She’s used the song/theme “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to great effect. I’m impressed with the pictures she’s found for each day/night (I especially like the “Three French Hens” on the ninth night, and the “four calling birds” on the fourth eve) . Go now and enjoy this last burst of holiday cheer! A Happy Twelfth Night to you all!

Tonight I was proven wrong. While I still do not care much for Obama, I was quite impressed with his speech tonight. For that matter, McCain’s speech was a rather gracious one, although his supporters continued to demonstrate just how classy they are by booing Obama’s name.

Ok, Obama. Congratulations. You’ve proved you can talk the talk, and people bought into that. Let’s see if you can walk the walk.

Nevertheless, there’ll be time to praise or damn Obama. For tonight, I congratulate him, and I congratulate the people of this country, for arriving at such a historic moment and overcoming the obstacles of hate and prejudice.

This is definitely an election night to remember.

Already, voting is taking place nationwide, thanks to a mix of early voting, vote-by-mail (especially in Oregon), and absentee ballots. Nearly everyone I know plans to vote, from here in California to the suburbs of Washington, D.C., from the small towns and cities in Minnesota to the rural precincts of Georgia and Alabama. I even hear tell there’s someone in Zambia who was itching to cast their ballot from abroad.

In 2000 and 2004, we had rather rocky elections, thanks to hanging chads and malfunctioning voting machines. Thankfully, I don’t think we’ll have to worry too much about little bits of hole-punched paper this time around, but the machines are a whole ‘nother story. Add to that the running battle in the Corporate Media lately over voter registration fraud, voting fraud, and vote suppression, and it’s possible it will be a mess again, especially if the actual tally is anywhere near close (right now, the polls suggest it will be a decisive Obama victory, but as a friend puts it, “The only thing that actually counts is the vote on November 4, not the polls.”).

At this point, based on what’s happening so far, the only way Obama can lose is if one (or both) of two things happen: 1) the closet racists don’t vote for him, because there’s no way they can ever bring themselves to vote for anyone who’s not a white man, and their numbers are overwhelming in a number of key states, or 2) the Republicans cheat and game the system.

The first is unavoidable; Obama will certainly not attract the votes of racists, openly declared or not, but I’m pretty sure a good number of them wouldn’t have voted for him anyway, even if he was white. It doesn’t help that a lot of misinformation has been spread. For example, I’m not sure McCain successfully changed  misconceptions about Obama during his rally in Lakeville, Wisconsin, when he tried to rebut one woman’s contention that Obama is an “Arab. That’s just one of the politest terms, too. It’s been pretty ugly this fall.

The second is another train wreck about to happen (and if certain press reports are to be believed (and I  believe they are most likely accurate). A lot of articles have appeared on smaller newsites, blogs, and other independent forums, but even CNN has reported on concerns about voting machines. In West Virginia, machines have been reported to be “vote-flipping,” where Democratic votes were changed to Republican picks. This is apparently happening in Texas and Missouri as well; in Tennessee, the opposite is happening, where votes are flipping from McCain to Obama. This is very disturbing, and should be an issue of concern to all parties.

Earlier this year, South Carolina experienced difficulty with voting machines, when they couldn’t be turned on at all– this was during a Republican primary, so it’s not a partisan issue. These problems aren’t new either, as anyone who’s been paying attention to elections since the machines debuted knows. This Op-Ed from The Independent (a British newspaper) mentions the 2004 election in Florida as an example, along with a video of vote-flipping witnessed in West Virginia from this year. Already, there’s been noises about possible legal action based on the voting machines’ performances in various states around the nation.

It’s not just the machines. The brouhaha over ACORN (voter registration is just a small part of what they do, incidentally), while blatantly partisan, did bring up an important point: even though no actual voting fraud happened (as much as the Republicans would like you to believe otherwise), some registrations were obviously faked. Not every Republican is playing along with the story; in Florida, Governor Charlie Crist abandoned the partsan meme and deviated from the choir by saying, ”I think that there’s probably less [fraud] than is being discussed. As we’re coming into the closing days of any campaign, there are some who enjoy chaos”

Most articles (and partisans hurling charges) neglect to mention that ACORN is alerting election boards when they submit false registrations. But even when registrations are false, these registrations must, by law, be turned in. Additionally, as this article notes, workers are paid for the registrations they submit, so more registrations equals more pay. This is a problem that should be fixed, and ACORN, among other voter registration groups (whether Republican, Democrat, Green, or what have you) has a responsibility to try to resolve this issue. The burden is also on us to develop a better system for voter registration so that voter registration groups don’t have to continually waste time collecting and reporting bogus forms.

Far more insidious (and dangerous to my way of thinking) is voter suppression. An article earlier this month in The New York Times (here’s a link for non-NYT registered readers) discussed purging of voter rolls, vote suppression, and other efforts to manipulate the election.

Quite a few attempts to deny voters their right have popped up in the Corporate Media. Thankfully, a lot of these tries have been stopped in their tracks. I’m especially proud to note that partisanship was not a concern in Montana, as this editorial by Republican Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger demonstrates; he spoke out against the attempt by the Montana Republican Party to purge the rolls of 6,000 voters, including decorated veterans of our armed forces. Even though it has largely been the GOP who has pulled these shady, illegal, and unpatriotic moves, there’s still a few proud, principled Americans who are willing to preserve the rights of all, partisan affiliations be damned.

Still, quite a few right-wingers are hellbent on constantly manipulating elections in this country: even though this quote is from 1980, what conservative  Paul Weyrich stated then is sadly true even today for many malicious individuals:

“I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of the people. They never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”

The “leverage” he speaks of is the leverage the right-wing wields in each and every election.

So how do we prevent this? How do we preserve one of the fundamental elements of American republicanism, of our “brand” of democracy? The first step is to reform how elections are operated, how ballots are designed, and how votes are cast. If the IRS can successfully collect taxes each and every April 15, we can successfully complete an election with minimal disruptions. If banks and credit unions can manage to disburse cash and record transactions each and every time customers use an ATM, surely election equipment could be effectively designed (not that we need to use machines– what’s wrong with good, old-fashioned paper??).

But the most important step is to enshrine the right to vote. We have constitutional protections against discrimination concerning voting, we have government legislation granting suffrage to women, we have explicit language about 18 year olds, and there’s quite a bit about the rights of electors in the Electoral College, but there’s nothing underneath these constitutional amendments that explicitly outlines what most people assume is a right: the right to vote.

Perhaps it’s time for another amendment to the Constitution: the No Vote Left Behind Act. Regardless of each citizens’ ideology, everyone should be allowed the right to vote, and there should be penalties encoded for those who would dare to destroy this right.

I started a new job in January, which contributed greatly to my absence from this page, and my other writing efforts as well (with the exception of some free-lance assignments I needed to wrap up). I’m still working (which is something I’m grateful for in this economy!), which means my “free” time is rather limited.

So what am I doing today, you ask? Not only am I writing this post, I’ve rejoined NaNoWriMo. Last year, I didn’t win; I finished about 10,000 words, which was quite a feat for me. I hope to eventually finish that book (not necessarily PUBLISH it, but finish it).

So it’s sitting on my computer now, along with the short stories, poems, and other bits and pieces I’ve written over the years. Now I’m going to try to top my record, and aim for at least 20,000 words, if not the requisite 50,000.

Yes, I’m probably certifiably insane. But here goes. Wish me luck… NaNoWriMo, here I come!

Today is October 31, also known as Halloween. Traditionally it is known as a holiday. For those of you that have never heard of this before, have forgotten, or are confused, here is a link to Wikipedia. Halloween is usually the second holiday of autumn (aka Fall), following a moveable holiday once known as Columbus Day. Some people actually have the day off on Columbus Day. Other people observe Columbus Day on December 26, immediately followed by Lincoln’s birthday and Washington’s birthday. This is then followed by a day known as New Year’s Eve.

Halloween itself is followed by Veteran’s Day, and then Thanksgiving. It is a very popular holiday with adults and children alike. If you must know, it actually is a good time to make money, especially if you sell funny glasses, pirate hats, and dorky costumes. Disneyland is a good example to look to. They *always* sell funny glasses, pirate hats, and dorky costumes, but they also celebrate Halloween too.

It is not Christmas. Christmas is usually about seven weeks later. Christmas is the first holiday in winter. Winter is the opposite of Summer, and always follows Fall. People do not usually think about Christmas in October, except old fat men dependent on seasonal employment, and strange people who operate year-round Christmas stores.

Because Christmas is not in October, and does not immediately follow Halloween, we respectfully ask that you not deck the halls, put up shiny ornaments, or set out Yuletide displays on or before Halloween. In fact, we ask that you not spray fake snow, use red and green color schemes, or set up nutcrackers on shelves before the fourth Friday of November.

America’s merchants, the people of this nation humbly beseech you to use a calendar. If you are confused, there are a good number of them online. Many banks give them away at the end of the year. Your office might even send them out this year as bonuses instead of that boring check you always get. If you follow a calendar, we will gratefully thank you.

Sincerely,

The American People

p.s. Happy Halloween

R.I.P. Paul Newman. Thanks for being a class act.

These days, when I drive, I often wonder just how the hell most folks managed to pass the test and were allowed the privilege of a license. My pet peeves include, but are not limited to cellphone use, weaving at high speeds, ignoring the turn signal handle (blinkers, what have you…), and running red lights. Some of you may recall my Driving Commandments post.

Think you are a good driver,  could abide by my commandments, and could pass the DMV written test with flying colors this instant? In that case, I’d like to direct you to this test, courtesy of GMAC (be sure to uncheck the box at the bottom of the test, or you’ll be on some GMAC marketer’s neverending mailing list).

If you’re honest enough, let us know how you did. [In the spirit of disclosure, I got 75%. Never said I was a fantastic driver, heh...]

Since I was last here, the furor at and over DeafRead seems to have died down a bit. It’s still on enough people’s minds, though, that I want to add a couple more things.

First, a good friend and I were discussing what’s been happening, and the degrees of responsibility everyone shares, and should assume, in the wake of this incident. My friend showed me an article published last month in Time magazine; the article was quite timely, and I want to share it with you. The level of flames, sophomoric humor, and inane comments are not limited to the deaf blogosphere, as you’ll see after reading “Post Apocalypse.”

This article brought to mind another one I read earlier this month, about film critics and their readers. This Los Angeles Times piece is about the flak that film critic David Edelstein received for his critical comments on “Dark Knight.” As Edelstein notes:

…the Internet has a mob mentality that can overwhelm serious criticism. There is superb writing in blogs and discussion groups … but there are also thousands of semi-literate tirades…

Sound familiar?

So I don’t think what we’re experiencing as a community is all that unique, nor do I think it is “safe” regardless of where you are on the internet– in the blogosphere, or on a newspaper article’s comments section.

That doesn’t mean we can’t change– as I’ve noted in my discussion with one of my frequent commenters [Observer], self-policing can work (see DT’s excellent suggestion, which I noted in my earlier post), but it will take time and shared responsibility.

Keep in mind also that the deaf blogosphere is small, and the number of commenters is even smaller– those that show up to comment are the most motivated of readers, and each will often bring their own strong opinions and voice into the fray.

So how do we maintain order? That leads into the second thing I wanted to mention tonight…

For a beginner’s primer on how to approach the internet and the blogosphere responsibly, I refer you to LaRonda Zupp’s outstanding presentation from the DeafRead Conference in February 2008 (a presentation I hope she takes on the road– it can be applied to lots of things on different levels!), “Why We Blog and Vlog” and “Dealing With Web Harrassment.” There’s a third part, but I can’t seem to find the post right now… Still, the previous two I’ve listed are worth spending some time watching/reading.

I think that’s it for now– my feeling at this point is we need to work on supporting each other, self-policing when necessary, and giving DeafRead a chance to follow through on its revised guidelines and applying them consistently. Until then, it’s back to the usual mix of politics and life beyond deafness here at the Sandbox…