Prop 8: the ruling

You gotta love the 14th amendment of the U. S. Constitution.

Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

That clause should mean that my partner and I shall be able to marry, just like all three of my brothers have, to the person I love.

It may take a few years, but that will be the law of the land in Alabama before its over with.

Yesterday, Judge Vaughn Walker wrote:

"...Prop 8 both unconstitutionally burdens the exercise of the fundamental right to marry and creates an irrational classification on the basis of sexual orientation."

And more.

Here is the entire ruling (I'm having a hard time loading the whole thing here. Come back if you can't see it now).

Prop 8 Ruling

I love it when people express their feelings.

Here's Sam Harris.




Remember, I posted a video by Sam after Prop 8 was passed. He expressed his feeling at that time also.

Anyway, the ruling is a huge victory, if you are interested in Equality and Liberty. I will be writing more about this for a magazine!

The confirmation of Elena Kagan today is a great thing, as well.

Let's not forget: Crime!

I've not heard the mayor of Bessemer making claims about crime being down lately, but it's probably only because I haven't been listening to him. After what we've heard him say, and then looking at the facts, it's been easy to see that he is either blind to the truth, delusional, or putting the politics of getting elected above the safety of the citizens of Bessemer.


He has said on more than one occasion that crime in Bessemer is just a "perception." In a newspaper column last year I wrote about the "perception" statistics, from which it could be seen that the mayor is full of baloney when he says crime is down.

We have another year of statistics (provided by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center) to look at.


Remember, when looking at trends, we would like to start with the year 2002, because that is when Ed May was elected mayor. But our city did not report crime statistics to the state that year, for some unknown reason. So we go back to 2000.


Last year I also wrote about clearance rates, and showed how the clearance rates in Bessemer compared unfavorably to other cities our size. Clearance rate, you will recall, is the number of crimes cleared divided by the number of crimes recorded. A crime is considered cleared when enough evidence is gathered to charge a suspect or take one into custody.


In the report last year, for instance we saw that clearance rate for rape dropped from 38% to 15% between 2000 and 2008. In 2009, there were 24 rapes, and 6 were cleared, so the clearance rate showed an improvement - 25.



But don't break out the champagne yet. Compared to both 2000 (when there were 5 homicides) and 2008 (6 homicides), homicide in Bessemer increased in 2009, to 10 (with only 3 cleared). Robbery is up in 2009 (209) compared to both 2000 (174) and 2008 (193). Burglary is up in 2009 (1170) compared to both 2000 (802) and 2008 (1046). Total crimes were up in 2009 (4381) compared to both 2000 (4176) and 2008 (4295).


So far in 2010 there have been at least 6 murders in Bessemer, as seen in this map of murder locations in the Birmingham area.

The clearance rate for all crimes in Bessemer is 15% and this is an improvement. The police are doing a better job of solving crimes, it seems, in the face of more crime.

And as long as we treat crime as a nebulous "perception" rather than a serious problem, it will continue to grow.

It takes more than telling your neighbors about Jesus to solve the crime problem of Bessemer. Maybe some new ideas, some new strategies, police substations that are open on weekends (seriously), police getting out of their cars and walking the neighborhoods, getting to know the folks. A new mayor.

Today's Western Star poses a question.

Why?

They want to know why hundreds of Kenneth Gulley signs are disappearing.

I have a theory. We've seen people selectively taking up signs on our block. They even reached in over our fence and took a sign.

But signs, even "Re-elect Ed May" signs, do not equal votes. In my neighborhood, as I was walking to the track today, I noticed that Ed May operatives had been through. Lot's of flyers. But, I also noticed that the people must not be too impressed because the sidewalks and yards were littered with the things where people had thrown them down, probably in disgust.




The flyers have been tossed aside, just as the mayor should be.


A lot will be said before the election on August 24. But no one can deny that crime is still a problem, not a perception, and that crime rates that are either increasing or remaining virtually the same are not acceptable and are not progress. And we want progress!

Town Hall meetings

This is a letter that I sent to the Western Star in Bessemer, that they elected not to publish. But you will still get a chance to read it, because I'll put it on Bessemer Opinions:

Dear Editor:

The more I think about it, the more I consider the inappropriateness of Mayor Ed May’s Town Hall meetings. I have not attended many of them recently, but I used to attend them all when he was first elected eight years ago.


The modern concept of town halls brings to mind large meeting rooms like the auditorium at City Hall, or the auditoriums in the numerous public schools in our city.


The mayor chooses to conduct his Town Hall meetings in the security of a church, and the meetings bear some resemblance to the service one might hear on a Sunday morning.




At a recent Town Hall meeting in a local church we heard how the recent pattern of scattered thunderstorms, for instance, was pre-determined by God. That didn’t bother me too much, as someone’s uneducated belief about the weather doesn’t concern me, unless that person is the one in charge of issuing tornado warnings, for instance, the paths of which I think are determined by natural forces and not the hand of God taking aim at certain ones of us.


But at a meeting three years ago after the tragic death of 14 year old Josh Hughes the mayor offered a solution to the crime problem in Bessemer that does affect me as well as the rest of Bessemer’s citizens.


The solution to violent crime, according to the mayor, rather than increased police protection would be for each one of the audience members, to tell another resident about Jesus and for that resident to do the same, until all of Bessemer had converted.


The recent murder of 23 year old Maurice Thomas at a Bessemer club shows how well that strategy has worked.


Conducting Town Hall meetings in churches is exclusionary because not all citizens feel comfortable in a particular church, or any church, for that matter. Government should be separate from religion, and combining the two, even on this level, is dangerous and inappropriate.


We have plenty of public buildings throughout our city where this type of meeting could be held, and in buildings that are paid for and owned by the citizens, we would all feel welcome.

(PS - Disclosure: I have no control over the ads that appear below the posts. I mean, which ads. I don't necessarily approve or endorse the products or politicians or whatevers that may appear.)

Passion

pas·sion 

[pash-uhn]
–noun
1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.

3. strong sexual desire; lust.

4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.

5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.

6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.

7. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him.

8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.

There are a few more definitions, mostly relating to Christ, but it is this one, "an outburst of strong emotion or feeling" that we saw yesterday from Rep. Anthony Weiner of NY after Republicans sought delaying tactics over the 9/11 health compensation bill.




From 9/11 health now The bill would spend $3.2 billion on health care over the next 10 years for people sickened from their exposure to the toxic smoke and debris of the shattered World Trade Center.. It would spend another $4.2 billion to compensate victims over that span, and make another $4.2 billion in compensation available for the next 11 years.

Republicans blocked it. Weiner's passion I believe is directed not just at the blocking of this bill, but at the Republican - Tea Party strategy that we have seen ever since Barack Obama was sworn in, and that in to be the Party of No. Last week it was forget the unemployed they are not important. Now it's forget the victims of 9/11 that are still suffering, and that the Republican - Tea party minority does not care about.

An unscientific poll on CNN that I saw a little while ago showed that most responders predict that the Republican - Tea party will not gain control of either house of congress this year.

We can only pray that they are right, because if they do, just look for more suffering, more neglect, greater disparities and less compassion.

No wait, we can do more than pray. We can work to get Democrats elected, we can make phone calls, we can donate money. We can put our passion into action.

Discordant

Main Entry: dis·cor·dant
Pronunciation: \-dənt\
Function: adjective
Date: 14th century
1 a : being at variance : disagreeing b : quarrelsome : relating to a discord
— dis·cor·dant·ly adverb


It sure seems that we are living in discordant times. There are many examples, but certainly highlighted by the example of Joe Wilson's shout of "You lie," during the president's state of the union address, and Republican Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle urging supporters to use "second amendment remedies" if they don't get their way.

Immigrants are among the targeted. I heard someone on the local radio yesterday telling about watching a soccer game and stating that she "knew" that 95% of the young guys playing were "illegal."

First, there is this:

Second, where does she come up with the 95% figure?

As of 2008 there were 46,822,476 Hispanics in the United States (out of 304,059,728 people). Of these, it is estimated that 11,000,000 or around 23 %, are undocumented. Saying that 95% of the young men in a soccer game are illegal is not only plainly wrong, but it's also misleading and contributes to the discordance in our country.

It results from the xenophobia in our community, and across the nation.

In Birmingham yesterday there was a pro-immigrant rally rally that cheered the judge's ruling on the Arizona law. Isabel Rubio, executive director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama said that officials in other cities in our state are interested in passing versions of the proclamation issued by Birmingham at the rally declaring the city as one that welcomes all.

But the Republican Tea Party loves the controversy. They want to keep us divided, hoping it will allow them to win a few races.

But I have this America-view that we are better than that. I grew up seeing the worst that America had to offer during the 20th century in the worst city be in during the 1960's. (Disclaimer - I lived in Vestavia, but I was close enough to Birmingham to know what was going on and to see it with my own eyes.)

And as a result I can recognize hatred when I see it, or hear it. The Republican Tea Party depends on hatred to survive. And what they want to do to the country is deplorable.

Their platform:

1. Repeal health insurance reform
2. Privatize social security or get rid of it.
3. End medicare.
4. Extend the Bush tax breaks for the wealthy and big oil.
5. Repeal Wall Street reform.
6. Protect those responsible for the oil spill.
7. Abolish the Department of Education
8. Abolish the Department of Energy.
9. Abolish the Environmental Protection Agency.
10. Repeal the 17th amendment (ending the direct election of U.S. Senators)

The Republican Tea Party Contract on America

A vote for a republican, any republican, is a vote for this agenda. Remember this in November.

Sitting at home is a vote for this agenda as well. Remember to vote in November.

Auburn greatness

The 2004 Auburn tigers rocked, winning all 13 games including the Sugar bowl where they beat Virginia Tech.

Now they are likely to be awarded the National Championship for that season, since USC has been sacked with NCAA sanctions for that year and had to vacate 14 wins including the national championship game.

Congratulations, Auburn! A little premature, perhaps.

But there is more to Auburn than football. I'm a product of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Here's a bit of what's going on with the Vet School.

Canine Detection

Auburn's Canine Detection Research Institute is the largest program of its kind in the nation.

The animals that come out of the program provide protection and security for U. S. soldiers and others in Iraq and Afghanistan by detecting explosives and narcotics.

EcoDogs have been developed for the A. U. School of Forestry and Wildlife Services and can detect scat related to endangered or invasive species, tree fungus and invasive insects that are affecting our habitats.



The Auburn trained bomb sniffing dogs patrolled the NBA All-Star game this year and will provide protection at the 2011 Super Bowl.

They have a Vapor Wake Detection canine team that can sniff body-worn explosives in a person in a crowd.

Auburn is about more than football championships, that's for sure.

But, we'll take it, if they award it.

War Eagle!

A virtual tea bag

I get a little p-o'ed when I receive a tea bag via email. A virtual tea bag.




That is how I refer to the forwarded emails full of lies and propaganda. But usually I use them as a teaching tool and I correct the lies and misinformation and send a response to the person who forwarded it to me, along with every email address in the chain.

So today I sent an email to 90 people who had received an email about congress voting them selves a pay raise and Social Security recipients being denied a cost of living increase and medicare recipients having a premium increase. At the end the email urged the reader to replace all 100 House members and up to a third of Senators.

Here is my response:

Recently I received an email from a friend that urged readers to paste a
reminder on the refrigerator about our congress and what they have done.
Let me respond to each point in the email.

But first a reminder. There is a commandment, number 9 I believe, that says "you shall not bear false witness to your neighbor." On the Internet, we are all
neighbors, and composing the email that I received and sending it out, or even
forwarding it, is bearing false witness. I urge each of you to do some
research before forwarding emails that you receive.

Here are the facts surrounding each point in the email.

1. U..S. House & Senate have voted themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises. LIE!
This is a 100% lie, made up, assuming you are talking about the current congress. In May 2010 President Obama signed into law a bill passed by both the house and senate that lawmakers passed to opt out of the automatic cost of living increases that they would have gotten. This is the second year in a row that this congress has passed such a bill.

Source: thehill.com

2.They voted to NOT give you a S.S. Cost of living raise in 2010 and
2011.

By law, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits increase automatically each year if there is an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), from the third quarter of the last year to the corresponding period of the current year. This year there was no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009.

Thus, by law, no Social Security Cost of Living increase was implemented, and there never is if there is no increase in the CPI.

Source: Social Security Administration

3. Your Medicare premiums will go up $285.60 for the 2-years.

Most Medicare beneficiaries will not see a Part B monthly premium increase as a
result of a “hold harmless” provision in the current law. This allows for
73 percent of beneficiaries to be protected from an increase raising the 2010
Part B monthly premiums from $96.40 to $110.50. The Administration
continues to urge Congressional action that would protect all beneficiaries from
higher Part B premiums and eliminate the inequity of a high premium for the
remaining 27 percent of beneficiaries.

Source: Medicare.org

Items 4 - 7 were just repeats of the first three lies, written in a different
way.

8. Will they have your cost of drugs - doctor fees - local taxes - food, etc., decrease?

This is just a broad condemnation of the congress based on nothing. But, "will they have your cost of drugs decrease? Yes. The Health Care Reform bill is closing the "doughnut hole" that affected many seniors. Many of you have already received a $250 check to help cover the difference until the policy change catches
up.

? Why should they care about you?
? You never did anything about it in the past.
? You obviously are too stupid or don't care.
? Do you really think that Nancy, Harry, Chris, Charlie, Barney et al care about you?

Ok, you just called the reader of your email "stupid." But congress does care. They cared about the hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people with pre-existing conditions that could not get insurance. Now...already...children cannot be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Adults will be added in a couple of years.

They cared about young adults that could not afford insurance and who could not
remain on their parents policies. Now they can, until age 26. They cared about people who were being dropped from their insurance coverage after being diagnosed with breast cancer or other serious diseases. Beginning September 23, that practice will be illegal.

They cared about people who have catastrophic diseases and would reach a lifetime cap on insurance coverage. Beginning September 23, that practice will be
illegal.

You can read about all of the provisions of Health care Reform that are going into effect this year - Bessemer Opinions - Health Care Reform Provisions

I don't mind when people debate policies and base their arguments on the
facts. I do mind when people base their arguments on lies.