Monthly Archives: February 2012

Thou Shalt Not Wear A Condom

There is a passsage in the Bible that clearly states that a man whose testicles have been crushed can’t get into Heaven. I’m serious, and so apparently are the very important, very pious, and very close to God leaders of the Catholic Church. To borrow from Krugman, Very Serious People have decreed that President Obama’s decision to force the inclusion of contraception in the policies of employees of religious affiliated organizations, is cause for a wholesale revolt among the nation’s Catholics.

Knowing some of the nation’s Catholics as I do (I was, after all, an altar boy and did graduate from a Catholic high school…Go Gaels!), I was a bit perplexed by all of the hoopla. While I haven’t actually asked my parents whether they used contraception (we are all relieved by that decision), my guess is that they did; and I really hope that Dad isn’t going to Hell for the deed. Hey, nuns along with at least one Very Serious Lay Minister (a prototypical older, married but cold English teacher), informed me that sex was a mortal sin, and that dying during sex would get me a ticket to Lucifer’s playground.

I burned incense every Sunday morning, and made a great living (by the standards of a 13 year old) serving weddings and funerals. I was not about to mess with that gig. Then I grew up, and realized that it wasn’t sex that was bad. I learned what most mature, well-adjusted, and decent Americans know. I learned what the rotting and quickly pointless central structure of the Catholic Church still hasn’t figured out. Sex is the most natural, most beautiful, and most profound expression of love that two people can share. While it is a responsibility that needs careful consideration and reflection, it is something that the overwhelming majority of adults can handle just fine without the Catholic Church giving any advice.

And as to the insurance beef…get over it. Insurance companies have to detune policies to exclude contraception, because most include it as a basic part of the formulary. This move isn’t an attack on faith; if anything, it is a frontal assault on abortion and sexually transmitted disease. The President’s decision doesn’t force the use of contraception by anyone, and the addition of these products to the formularies of Catholic hospitals and universities isn’t going to raise anyone’s cost. Other notions to the contrary currently being peddled by the non-ordained and self-appointed spokespeople of Catholics are just silly nonsense. Most of America’s Catholics know all of this, just as most of them (98%) use contraception. The Catholics I know still look to their priests for spiritual guidance, they just don’t ask them advice on family planning. And really, aren’t we all glad about that?

This is a ridiculous non-issue, and we don’t have time in our democracy for non-issues.

 

The Rational Middle is listening…

 

Texas Turd Blossom Throws Tantrum

Karl Rove is mad, or I should say he was offended by the Clint Eastwood Chrysler ad from the Super Bowl. It isn’t immediately apparent why conservative stalwart Rove should so detest an ad paid for by a private enterprise, narrated by an American hero with libertarian leanings, and proudly proclaiming the grit and determination of our country. When I watched the ad, I saw fire, will, patriotism, and a fight after the bitter end tour de force. I got chills down my spine. The thought even briefly crossed my mind that if Chrysler was putting anything close to this much passion into their products, then I might have to give them a look.

I didn’t see anything political in the ad, and I am a political junky. Ol’ Turd Blossom though (his boss, President Bush, named him), something made his antennae quiver, and Bush’s Brain is a far bigger political operative than I. Now, I may not have the experience of Karl Rove, but I know a little about people. Since there was nothing even remotely offensive about the ad in question, the reaction of this nation’s preeminent conservator operator  is indicative of surprise, or vulnerability, or fear. In this case, all of the above is the correct answer. You see, the man already has something to fear this year, something that is already well-positioned to exploit his vulnerabilities, and the Chrysler ad creates a whole new set of very surprising problems.

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Some Truths About Nevada

Coming from a family that set down roots in the rocky Las Vegas soil almost 70 years ago, I have heard my fill of silly analogies, reckless comparisons, and idiotic assumptions about my state, my city, and the people who are from both. The political season is fertile ground for such poppycock, and the Republican Caucus held Saturday has made pointless pundits bloom like desert wildflowers after the rain. I won’t try and fight all of the myths about my hometown in one post (although I was sorely tempted), but I do want to point out a few truths about the politics of the Silver State.

Nevada was born on Halloween, and it is truly a nightmare for pundits and pollsters alike. For years the state’s bi-polar character was to blame; a solid red state with a deep blue population center in Las Vegas, and a population completely at home with both an economic reliance on federal programs and a singular resentment towards any attempt at control coming from the general direction of the D.C. government or New York media. Nevada, and Las Vegas in particular are deeply entwined in the defense business, but the state’s natives have long fought over the large share of public land, and how it is governed. Nevadans prize their independent streak, and it is fair to point out that many of us raised in Nevada’s public schools believe that Nevada joined the Union in 1864 because Lincoln needed us, not the other way around.

But today’s politics are far, far more complicated, and the 2012 election cycle is showing that complexity to the nation. Below are a few factors to consider, when considering what will be the last swing state to close its polls this November.

  1. Las Vegas is a large Democratic stronghold; but as the major population center in a state with half its mortgages under water and the largest unemployment rate at the end of 2011, is vulnerable to opposition politics.
  2. Las Vegas is a large Democratic stronghold; but as a home to a large population of wealthy seniors (and the businesses that cater to them) is vulnerable to the one demographic with whom President Obama has consistently struggled.
  3. Las Vegas may be a large Democratic stronghold under conservative threat, but the area’s burgeoning Hispanic population still seems poised to vote overwhelmingly for the Democrats and Mr. Obama (despite the President’s record-setting deportations).
  4. Despite the President’s record-setting deportations, folks in Las Vegas who have experienced cultural loss or who have experienced economic hardship, both of which are often blamed on immigration, might be convinced that the Democrats are soft on the subject.
  5. Despite the shifting demographics in the Las Vegas metro area, the rest of Nevada remains culturally and economically libertarian (not traditionally conservative). The right third party populist message would represent a real threat to the traditional parties in the state, especially in the 15 counties that don’t contain Sin City.
  6. The Las Vegas area represents the southern-most stronghold of the Mormon Church in the lower 48 states, with all of the influence, reputation, money, and power that one might find among the prominent Catholic families of Boston. For the L.D.S. to have a member in good standing of their faith running for President is a very, very big deal. Mr. Romney will almost certainly drive turnout this cycle in this state, regardless of national conservative enthusiasm, a fact which should not be ignored.

The Big Game may be today, but the most important game goes all year. The final whistle won’t sound until November.

 

The Rational Middle is listening….

Super Hype (And Related B.S.)

I love football. I mean, I really love football. I played the sport (badly), I coached the sport (reasonably well), and I am  a depressingly committed football stats nerd. The NFL is the highest expression of this most American pass-time and, as such, has my undying (customer) loyalty. Or so it believes. The Super Bowl will be played this Sunday (On NBC, please don’t sue me NFL), and I will watch all of the game and most of the commercials. But this year, I watch in protest of an institution that has, in the time-honored phrase, grown too big for its britches.

For some time now, the small-minded folks in charge of the NFL have built a marketing machine on the shoulders of their very much larger-minded predecessors. The league and its owners are convinced that the NFL is a great irreplaceable and immortal colossus, immune to competing forms of entertainment, and thoroughly entrenched in America’s psyche. The result is a hype machine that has blackballed customers, blackmailed taxpayers, and made a joke out of the on-field product.

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