Tag Archives: Politics

Cardinal O’Malley did right by attending senator Kennedy’s funeral mass

Posted on September 3, 2009 | 1 comment

Today, I was stopped nearly dead in my tracks when I read the headline, O’Malley defends role at Kennedy rites.  For those not in the know, O’Malley is the Cardinal of Boston and he attended the funeral mass for the late Sen. Kennedy mostly as an observer, leaving the ritual service to priests who had a closer, more personal relationship with Ted Kennedy and the Kennedy family.

The “beef” which some of the more conservative constituents of the Catholic faith stems around Kennedy’s unwaivering support for abortion rights. While I understand the strong feelings many Catholics have regarding this issue, I was stunned because in nearly every other important teaching of the Catholic church Senator Kennedy was a stalwart supporter…
– Opposition to the death penalty
– Support for social programs that provide food, aide and training for the poor, sick and mentally ill
– Early and ardent supporter of civil rights

It never ceases to amaze me that if a person has spent a life time of service supporting and championing causes (often unpopular) such as opposing the death penalty or creating social welfare programs as Kennedy did – the fact that he also supported abortion nullifies his good works.  The hypocrisy of many if not most of these conservative Catholics is that they too pick and choose where their personal faith leads them astray from church teaching.  How many of these conservative Catholics support or have been quiet in their defense of the death penalty? How many were opposed and worked to close down Guantanamo for human rights violations?  The Catholic church is equally committed to those causes and as such these individuals should then by their own measure be denied communion as they clamoured for Kennedy and others who supported abortion rights.  Regardless, even if these critics have lived an exemplary life and not waivered in their support for these and other programs which the church supports – perhaps they have lost their ability to realize the greatest teaching of all – love & forgiveness. 

Faith is a prickly subject because it often comes from a perspective of moral superiority, which leaves me cold and continues to distance me from the church I once held so dearly and found much comfort in attending.  I was pleased that Cardinal O’Malley did not remain silent and used his blog to chastise those critical of his decision even if I no longer consider myself a practicising Catholic.

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Flashback Friday: The Kennedy’s

Posted on August 28, 2009 | Leave a comment

Looking back at my past few posts the balance that I usually try to maintain with regards to subject matter and interests seems to be quite lopsided. The debate about healthcare and politics in general account for several of my most recent entries. This week’s flashback is no exception. In light of the recent death of Ted Kennedy, I wanted to post this photograph of Ted, Jack and Robert.

I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to shake Senator Kennedy’s hand and thank him for his work in the U.S. Senate. In 2008 I was also able to hear him speak when I attended the Fenway Health Community “Men’s Event” and Senator Kennedy accepted the Gerry Studds Award. His speech that night to the sold-out crowd of 1,300 (mostly gay men) was inspiring because of the passion he showed for a cause which he did not need to champion but did so with gusto because of his conviction that GLBT rights were worth fighting for.

Sen. Kennedy was a political giant, but he was also part of the political landscape here in New England and in particular in Massachusetts. For as long as I’ve been alive (longer actually) he has been the state’s senator. It is strange to miss someone whom I did not know and who has such an incredible legacy. Unlike his three older brothers, his life saw tragedy but was not tragic – anything but actually.

Sorry for all the recent melancholy. I do promise to inject more humor and diversity into my future posts.

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The dream shall never die

Posted on August 26, 2009 | Leave a comment

“For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”
Sen. Kennedy, 1980 Democratic National Convention, NYC


Senator Kennedy’s fight with cancer made news of his passing this morning less of a surprise than it might have been otherwise. However, it does not make his death any less bitter or sad for someone like myself – a proud, self-proclaimed liberal.

Regardless of ideology, Sen. Kennedy will be recalled as one of the most influential politicians of the 20th century. He authored more than 2,500 bills in the United States Senate – of which, several hundred became public law. I’ve listed some of the more recognizeable bills.

Healthcare
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 1997

Civil Rights
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title IX of the Higher Education Act 1972
Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978
Civil Rights Act of 1991
Civil Rights Act of 2008

Note how Kennedy’s 1980 speech even then addressed concerns for reforming our nation’s healthcare system, “I will continue to stand for a national health insurance…We must not surrender…Let us insist on real controls over what doctors and hospitals can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family’s health shall never depend on the size of a family’s wealth.”

You can read the full transcript or listen via audiofile online at American Rehtoric.
Kennedy’s life (photos)
Kennedy’s life (timeline)
Beyond Camelot: His shining moment endures

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What is a "Public Option"?

Posted on August 25, 2009 | Leave a comment

I stumbled across this video clip on Modern Fabulosity, a blog I enjoy reading, which generally focuses on pop culture.

The clip explains the positive impact a public option would have on the healthcare system. I think anyone who reads this blog (especially lately) would recognize how much I am in favor of improving the current system so keep in mind my personal bias. If this clip helps you understand the benefits of a public option, please feel free to steal, swipe, or share with others.

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Flashback Friday: Tip O’Neill

Posted on August 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

For 10 years starting in the late 70s and running through the late 80s Speaker Tip O’Neill an Irish-Catholic from the streets of Cambridge, MA dominated the U.S. House of Representatives. He became extremely powerful because he was able to break (or cause gridlock) in the House. However, his ability to work with anyone and get legislation passed was what helped build his legacy.

Nancy Pelosi has earned her place as Speaker and she certainly is fluent in partisan-speak (as was Tip). However, she has yet to learn the nuanced voice of restraint and bi-partisan dialog, that made men like the former Speaker O’Neill giants in Washington, D.C.

With healthcare reform and the President seemingly under seige, it makes me yearn for the deft political ear and approach this political giant brought to bear while working with three Presidents (two of them Republicans).

Tip O’Neill happened to live and serve in a state transfixed by the Kennedy aura (I am one of them), but he deserves his own place in history as one of the longest serving Speakers (1977-1987), an effective legislator and a champion of social causes and justice.

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Healthcare hoopla part II

Posted on August 19, 2009 | 2 comments

Representative Barney Frank a Democrat from MA has long been reviled by many conservatives. Like most members of Congress, Frank can be quite pompous and downright arrogant. However, unlike most members of Congress, Frank also has brass balls, is not afraid to speak his mind and is exceptionally intelligent. His left leaning bias aside, the so called “Blue Dog” Democrats and other moderates would do well to take notes on how Rep. Frank handled himself at a recent town hall.

Near the end of the Town Hall a woman stepped to the podium and asked, “Why do you continue to support a Nazi policy?” Frank handled this exchange in much the same way many of those who are disrupting other town halls should – directly and by calling them out for what they are – hateful rhetoric not based in truth, fact or reality.

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MA shows yet again it is a pioneer in healthcare reform

Posted on July 23, 2009 | Leave a comment

Massachusetts is again leading the nation in healthcare reform. This time the state is considering an overhaul of the way payments are made to hospitals and doctors. Last week a state commission voted unanimously to scrap the current system “fee-for-service”, in which insurers typically pay doctors and hospitals a negotiated fee for each individual procedure or visit.

The commission recommends that the state make the shift within five years. This would make Massachusetts the first state to end fee-for-service, and instead pay providers a yearly fee for each patient, thus eliminating financial incentives to overtreat. Could more states follow? There are plenty of critics of ending fee-for-service, but if you are going to reform healthcare you need to follow the money. Over time I would hope that pay-for-performance would also be introduced to encourage best-practices and to financially discourage inefficiencies (but that is a subject for another entry).

I’m not certain when the state legislature will vote on this recommendation, but I do believe that Gov. Patrick supports the commissions recommendations. It is likely that this too could serve as a model for President Obama and the U.S. Congress as they address the issue of healthcare reform. No doubt states like California which are nearly bankrupt in part due to sky-rocketing healthcare costs will also be watching closely to see what sort of impact this has on access to service and over all cost.

For more information here are some additional articles:
BusinessWeek – A MA model to fix health care
Breaking News 24/7 – MA considers move from fee-for-service

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Where has Dick Cheney gone?

Posted on July 14, 2009 | 1 comment

Approximately one week ago news stations and blogs were obsessed by reports that the Director of the C.I.A. – Leon Panetta – had recently visited Congress and disclosed that for the past 8 years there had been a secret counterterrorism program that had intentionally been concealed from the Senate and House intelligence committees.

The NY Times July 11th article, “Cheney is linked to concealment of C.I.A. Project” implicates V.P. Cheney. The Times asserts, “The report that Mr. Cheney was behind the decision to conceal the still-unidentified program from Congress deepened the mystery surrounding it, suggesting that the Bush administration had put a high priority on the program and its secrecy.”

It turns out that the program was designed to target leaders of Qaeda, which I think most Americans (especially in the days that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001) would favor. The Times issued a follow up story in their July 13th article, “C.I.A. had plans to assassinate Qaeda leaders”. The article indicates that “Mr. Panetta scuttled the program, which would have relied on paramilitary teams, shortly after the C.I.A.’s counterterrorism center recently informed him of its existence. The next day, June 24, he told Congressional Intelligence Committees that the plan had been hidden from lawmakers, initially at the instruction of former Vice President Dick Cheney,” again implicating former V.P. Cheney.

I know many people do not have a problem with the idea of taking out leaders of terrorist organizations, but that is really not the issue that makes me so uncomfortable. Rather it is the lack of disregard for the “checks and balances” that makes our Democracy work (and worthwhile) that time and again seem to have been completely disregarded in the Bush administration. This concept that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney knew what was best and could only be effective if they were allowed to operate without supervision and without having to answer for their actions leaves me sick to my stomach. What would be the reaction (I wonder aloud) if President Obama and V.P. Biden operated in such a manner? What if they acted with the best of intentions but refused to disclose information, respect other branches of government and twisted laws to find interpretations that suited their means?

In the weeks leading up to this controversy, V.P. Dick Cheney was on the proverbial war path asserting that President Obama was compromising the safety of the U.S. He made several visits to the Sunday morning talk shows (i.e. Meet the Press, Face the Nation, etc…) and his daughter, Liz, was almost a permanent fixture on MSNBC and CNN expressing her disdain for the new administrations’ actions.

However in the days that have followed since Panetta shut down the Bush era counter terrorism program, there has not been a single peep from anyone named Cheney. Why the sudden silence now? Silence is not an impartial judge, and I’m left to wonder if the former V.P. believes the public’s assumptions are preferable to his answering these accusations. Mr. Cheney are you even more evil and despicable than my assumptions would lead me to believe?

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Posted on July 8, 2009 | Leave a comment

This afternoon The Boston Globe is reporting that Massachusetts has become the first to challenge the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, saying Congress intruded into a matter that should be left to individual states.

Read the full article here.

The Defense of Marriage Act or more commonly known as DOMA is a hateful piece of legislation that was passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton was president. At the time, Speaker Gingrich and other social conservatives were nervous that Hawaii would possibly legalize gay marriage and so the Defense of Marriage Act was pushed through Congress to “protect American families”.

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Make HIV testing routine

Posted on July 6, 2009 | Leave a comment

The Boston Globe has an interesting editorial today in support of a bill sponsored by Somerville state senator, Pat Jehlen, which calls for the state to make HIV testing as routine as getting your cholesterol tested.

The writer makes some compelling points such as, “31 percent of those testing positive for the virus become afflicted with full-blown AIDS within two months. This means that for years they have been unknowingly infected, missing out on treatment and likely infecting others.”

The AIDS Action Committee of MA (AAC) has addressed this issue on their blog with an entry entitled, “Massachusetts Needs an Integrated Comprehensive HIV Testing Plan”.

I’m not familiar with the bill, and I’m curious what your thoughts might be? The full editorial can be read on Boston.com or by linking here.

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Posted on July 2, 2009 | Leave a comment

The most interesting Republican to emerge from November 2008’s election is McCain. Meghan McCain that is. I’ve referenced Meghan in the past, but I first wrote about her when she dissed Ann Coulter back in March and was the subject of some hateful rhetoric from Republican Party commentators.

Meghan reminds more more of a conservative Democrat with her forward thinking social policies and frankness when discussing sex – a taboo subject in the Republican party unless they are gloating over someone’s infidelity. She was openly criticized for lamenting the loss of Sen. Specter in April and is referred to as a RINO (Republican In Name Only) on many conservative blogs where she is regularly trashed.

No doubt Meghan’s vocal stand against California’s hateful ban on gay marriage will serve to further irritate the cantankerous bunch of bigots more commonly referred to as the Republican Party leadership. I love this photo of Meghan although I wonder exactly how much Photoshop was done. Regardless I’m glad to see her making such a public statement and thankful to see at least a few people in the Republican party still have some sense of fairness when it comes to discussing LGBT rights.

If you would like to learn more about the campaign Meghan is participating in you can link to one of these great organizations.

Equality California, based in San Francisco, CA

Equality for All, based in W. Hollywood, CA

Freedom to Marry, based in New York City

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, based in Boston, MA

Lambda Legal, based in New York City

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, based in Washington, D.C.

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Lock’em up

Posted on June 6, 2009 | Leave a comment


Slate.com has an interesting article by Dahlia Lithwick that addresses the current US prison problem. In February 2008, I wrote about the fact that for the first time in U.S. history, more than 1 in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison in my entry, Tarnishing the American dream. The Slate.com article,”Cage Match: Guantanamo is the least of America’s prison problems”, points out that with 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. houses nearly 25% of the world’s prisoners.

Sen. James Webb, D-Va is currently trying to address meaningful prison reform, and I give this new Senator credit because while there are plenty of reasons this should be done it is unlikely he will earn the support of the American electorate. Probably the only time most people give any thought to our prison system is if / when the subject of housing them in or near their communities is discussed. However, with an incarceration rate nearly 5 times the world average, and local, state, and federal spending on corrections reaching nearly $70 billion per year, something clearly has to be done.

I’ll end with a quote from Senator Webb in the Slate.com article because I think its brevity and point is difficult to dispute,””Either we’re the most evil people on earth, or we’re doing something wrong.” For the record, I don’t think the U.S. is even remotely evil so clearly we must be doing something wrong. We have both moral and financial incentives to think this through more carefully. I hope Sen. Webb can pursuade the U.S. Congress to consider the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009.

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Why the Republican Party infuriates me

Posted on May 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

In the past I’ve written about the fact that I am a Democrat. Last summer I took a stab at articulating why I have such strong party affiliation in an age when most people rebuke political parties in, Why I am a Democrat.

In my post I wrote,”I would welcome some parity from the other side… Until the day comes when the Republican Party can look at me as someone who is not mentally ill; not a person who has chosen a life of perversion; and not a threat to their marriages and family values – I will be a Democrat with a capital “D”. No apologies; no exceptions.”

This clip which I saw on WGB is precisely the thing that infuriates me because although there are plenty of Democrats opposed to same sex marriage (like nearly the entire party’s leadership), I feel as if there can be reasonable discourse, and more importantly I have a seat at the proverbial table. By contrast the clip below includes delusional rantings and what I would consider hate mongering from our Friends at Fox News and other conservative commentators who in many cases are leading voices within the Republican Party.

So when I’m asked why I am a Democrat, I answer with a question and inquire, “Why won’t you speak up and change the Republican Party?” Currently, my sexual orientation essentially bars me from any meaningful participation in the small tent party more commonly referred to as the Republican Party.

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Lieberman refutes Cheyney’s accusations

Posted on May 12, 2009 | 1 comment

I will be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of Sen. Lieberman, but he is a Senator who marches to the beat of his own drum much like his friends, McCain (AZ) and Specter (PA). My dislike really stems from his support of President Bush’s “war on terrorism” and very critical tone to anyone who questioned those policy decisions.

For that reason, I found it suprising to hear Senator Lieberman criticizing Dick Cheyney. Over the weekend the former VP had gone on CBS’s program “Face the Nation” and accused Obama of making the nation less safe. Politico has a nice (brief) write-up but I thought I would include a part of Lieberman’s quote since he is so well regarded as someone who is ‘tough’ on terror and clearly not an Obama supporter.

You can watch the interview by linking to the Politico article here.

Lieberman said on Monday, “Our guard is up. In fact, I’d say that when it came to Afghanistan, obviously, this Obama administration has put more resources into the fight against terrorism than had previously been the case,” Lieberman added in an interview on MSNBC. “On balance, we remain as safe as we can possibly be in a world in which there is Islamist extremists who want to attack us.”

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Then there were 59…

Posted on April 28, 2009 | Leave a comment

Today’s surprise announcement from Senate Republican, Arlen Specter, that he is changing his party affiliation brings the number of Democrats in the U.S. Senate to 59. Specter will likely remain a conservative Democrat not necessarily aiding many of Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid’s, pet projects, but it remains both a surprise and a blow to the Republican Party.

Today, Sen. Specter said that he did not leave the Republican Party – rather the party had left him. These are sentiments that have been voiced for the past few years by many moderate Republicans and most recently by Sen. John McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain. Perhaps this will serve as a wake-up call for the Republican Party – but I doubt it. Obama’s appeal to moderates and the Republican Party’s continued embrace of the far right mimics a trend that saw the same thing happen to the Democrats in the 1980s when Specter first came to the U.S. Senate. Then, several high profile (mostly Southern) Democrats switched their party affiliation.

6pm Update:
I am posting an update to my initial entry which is above, because of comments I’ve since read on the Huffington Post which validate my thoughts.

Sen. Snowe from Maine issued a public statement saying that the news of Specter’s departure was devastating. You can read more by linking here.

By contrast Repubican Party Chairman Steele derided Sen. Specter’s decision saying he only did this because he would not win the Republican Party Primary in his re-election bid in two years; essentially calling him a RINO – a derogatory term that means, “Republican In Name Only”.

Not to be out done, and because all ego maniacs crave the spotlight, Rush Limbaugh made it a point to say good riddance, and then he suggested that Sen. John McCain and his daughter Meghan McCain (see her mentioned above in my initial posting) should also join the Democratic Party. So much for the Republican Party’s leadership taking this seriously.

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