Filed by Trevor at 8:32 am under Activism, Fightin' Words, GOP, Politics
2 Comments

Bil sent me a link to a protest MoveOn Chicago had organized in response to Bush’s recent appalling SCHIP veto, so I headed on down last night to take part. Initially I’d intended to write a little play-by-play in the manner of my Ira Glass post, but frankly at the moment it’s a little hard to take a glass-half-full attitude about the current situation in our country. It brings me no end of misery at the realization that we have just barely under a year-and-a-half remaining with our current president; thus I believe ours is the generation that will see the collapse of this great nation, save the scenario in which we stop treating democracy like a spectator sport.

I will say this, however: I was greatly encouraged by the sheer volume of supportive honking from passing drivers, not to mention the presence of several resident physicians from UIC and Northwestern. Please, please contact your representative and urge them to vote to overturn Bush’s veto in two weeks. Please.

[EDIT: This clip of the fantastic Rachel Maddow going up against Pat Buchanan must be seen. Excellent!]

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Filed by Bil at 11:31 am under Activism, Politics, Social Issues
14 Comments

Lately I have seen headlines that make me cringe and I have been making myself ignore them. I don’t usually notice these headlines when it is convenient for me to be outraged or depressed, so I tend to just roll my eyes and move on with my life. It’s nothing new, I figure, nothing useful or good.

Like this headline:

Bush committed to tracking al-Qaida

Sometimes I can’t help but start to read it, but then I see the opening paragraph:

CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush said Monday that with the right intelligence U.S. and Pakistan governments can take out al-Qaida leaders, and wouldn’t say whether he would consult first with Pakistan before ordering U.S. forces to act on their own.

This is both laughable and frightening, and I’m at work today, so I stopped reading that one right then and there.
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Filed by Bil at 11:56 am under Activism, GOP, The Media
2 Comments

Let me start off by stating that I agree — Cheney must be impeached. I encourage you all to go to impeachcheney.org and sign their front page petition. Tell your representative, if you know who that is. Get everyone you can to go and sign this petition.

Now, having said that, I would like to point out that their YouTube-based propaganda campaign is dishearteningly shitty.
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Filed by Trevor at 10:53 am under Activism, Atheism, Religion, Shameless Plugs, Social Issues, UU
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I performed at the Newport Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council’s National Day of Prayer Breakfast this morning at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. As part of a two-member Unitarian Universalist delegation, it would seem, as my minister apparently opted to sleep in. Oh well. I was impressed by the diversity and sensitivity of the occasion; they even had the chafing dishes of bacon and sausage clear on the other side of the room from the eggs and potatoes out of respect for the Jews and Muslims in attendance. I was also impressed by the presence of a local imam, particularly by his quoting of the Holy Qur’an, as the current state of world affairs behooves us all to increase our awareness of the true Islamic faith. I mean this sincerely — I have next to zero knowledge about that particular religion and even less about its holy book. Finally, I was glad to see a significant Mormon presence, surprising to me as they’ve been conspicuously absent from most of the other interfaith activities I’ve attended. But maybe that was just a fluke.

I had planned to remark on the requisite lack of atheist representation this morning, but it’s becoming clearer to me that the Unitarian Universalists are essentially the atheist — or failing that, deeply cynical agnostic — presence at the interfaith table. And how fitting that only two of us showed up! While neither Beth (my Music Director, who played piano with me today) nor I are atheists, we sat there unconsciously muttering corrections under our breath during the keynote address, given by Peter Vidmar, a former Olympian and active Latter-Day Saint. Not out of disrespect or even irritation — more out of habit than anything else. All things considered, it was a good way to start the day. It even made me forget the fact that I’ve got to drive back down this afternoon and do it all again.

Today is the National Day of Prayer; in this time of war, make the observance of this day a priority. Regardless of religion — you too, atheists and pagans — please contact your local blood bank and give blood today. Get off your knees on and on your feet, and let your actions be your prayer.

Filed by Trevor at 11:50 pm under Activism, Religion, Social Issues
1 Comment

The Wiccan pentacle has just been added to the surprisingly long list of religious symbols the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs permits on gravestones. I say “surprisingly” out of my own cynicism, as I feel the state of religious acceptance in our society today is abysmal. Many of my fellow congregants practice Wicca as well as various other Pagan faiths, and thus I’ve become acquainted first-hand with the frustration that arises from taking part in a religion so deeply misunderstood and reviled by the general public. And I’m sure any Muslims out there would agree with that. Nevertheless, the knowledge that our country recognizes such a wide variety of religions so publicly brings me a renewed sense of confidence that our government’s capacity for recognizing civil liberties is not completely disabled.

Please take a peek at the article on CNN.com as well as the accompanying video.

Filed by Trevor at 9:05 pm under Activism, Atheism, Religion, Social Issues
1 Comment

The National Day of Prayer is on May 3rd, and Atheist Volunteers are spearheading an alternative campaign; whether theist, pagan, or otherwise, I encourage you to get behind this.

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