The Buck and Mike Blog

There was a time during the first months of the financial recession when people were really on edge, grumpy, and clearly worried about what would come next. Now that we know it’s all bad and there isn’t much we can do about it (except stimulate the economy by spending money we don’t have or use credit we can’t get), it seems we have all settled in and calmed down a bit. Portland is known for being polite, laid back, and patient. Maybe it’s different where you live, but I see that spirit increasing lately. People are more helpful, they share more, and they are clearly being kinder.

The local free weekly, the Willamette Weekly, had a photo contest recently about reactions to the recession. This photo, by Portlander Rebecca Gabriel, won the contest. Titled “Generosity in Times of Scarcity,” it is of a sign in the window of Plaza Cleaners in Portland.

Thanks to Rebecca and, especially, to Plaza Cleaners.

If anyone sees or hears about a business or individual who shows extra kindness during these tough economic times, please share it with us.

Portland, Willamette Weekly, Rebecca Gabriel, Plaza Cleaners

I thought this was a particularly eloquent analysis of this week’s cowardly decision by California Supreme Court. The original May 27th opinion piece is here.
—Buck
————-

California court’s contradictory Prop. 8 decision

The decision Tuesday that upheld a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was social and moral nonsense.

Tim Rutten

One of the most misunderstood stories in the Western moral tradition involves the “judgment of Solomon,” which usually is taken as a metaphor for splitting the difference.

But that’s wrong. The story, for those who have forgotten, involves two harlots who came to King Solomon to resolve a dispute. Both recently had given birth, but one women’s baby lived and the other’s died. The woman who went to sleep with a living child and awoke to find a dead baby in her arms claimed that the other had switched their infants. Solomon listened to both and then announced that he would “cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other.”

When one of the women renounced her claim “in anguish” and the other accepted the verdict, the king gave the anguished harlot the living child, for she had reacted as only the true mother would. The point, in other words, is that Solomon didn’t split the baby. Justice divided is no justice at all.

That’s essentially the problem with the California Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday, upholding Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage while leaving legally intact the 18,000 or more unions the state already has sanctioned.
» Read the rest of this entry »

I’m saddened by the decision announced this morning that the California Supreme Court has ruled to uphold Proposition 8, which took away the rights of same-sex couples to marry. (Read the full text of the decision here.)

The Court has ruled in the past that denying same-sex couples this right is unconstitutional, but it bowed to the 52-48%vote of the citizens. This confirms the prevailing believe that the California initiative process is flawed. If a simple majority of citizens can take away rights, then all minorities are at risk. I envision a constitutional amendment on this issue.

I’m glad that the Court let stand the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed between their mid-May 2007 decision and the passing of the initiative in the November election. These couples entered into civil marriage legally and to delegitimize those unions would have been legally and morally indefensible. But the benefits and rights of those couples remains at question and will surely be a point of future litigation.

In the meantime, the move to get an initiative on the next ballot is already gaining momentum. Grassroots efforts are underway to spread the truth about marriage equality and point out the lies and misrepresentations that were so prevalent leading up to the November 2008 vote. I am confident their efforts will succeed.

I spent my formative years in California: junior high and high school, university BA and MA degrees, working in Hollywood, summer days at the beach, Dodger games, and fine friends. I loved learning and working with the people. I believe this most populous, most progressive, and highly diverse state in the country will reverse the narrow vote that was so highly financed and pushed by outside interests. Until they are able to examine their true feelings and step up to the plate to right this terrible wrong, these fine people will have to live with a sad and shameful legacy.

California Supreme Court, Proposition 8

Overheard conversation at a party Friday night between Portland resident (PDX) and New Resident (New):

PDX: “It looks like we’re in for a beautiful weekend, nice and sunny and hot.”
New: “Yeah, but I notice that no one in Portland has air conditioners. What’s with that?”
PDX: “We’re tough; besides air conditioners suck up too much electricity and are bad for the environment. People lived for thousands of years without air conditioning. Get used to it.”
New: “I don’t know. I sweat a lot. Sounds gross.”
PDX: “Everyone sweats. Haven’t you seen all the cyclists?”
New: “Things must get really smelly. What do you do?”
PDX: “That’s part of Portland. The **Naked Bike Ride is June 13. You either get used to the sweat, get naked, or move back to California.”

**Note: The World Naked Bike Ride is held annually throughout the world. As you can imagine, that’s not enough for Portland, which has three naked rides and a naked run on that day. Also, rehearsals the day before. And another earlier naked bike ride on June 6, and one on Father’s Day (June 21) that’s only for dads.

Portland, The World Naked Bike Ride

Okay, so Mike had his 52nd birthday last week. Stealing an idea from creative daughter Olivia, I solicited birthday wishes and comments from Mike’s friends and family. I received over 40 responses. They included all his siblings, some of mine, Liv and her family, Mike’s niece and nephews, parents, and many friends. Some sent finished pages, most sent picture and some text for me to format. (What did we do before Photoshop?) The request went out a few days before his birthday, so there wasn’t much notice. Some people were out of town or didn’t check their e-mail for other reasons until it was too late. I didn’t have e-mail addresses for everyone he knows, and some requests were returned because I had old addresses. Nevertheless, the project was a success.

I took the electronic compilation to Kinko’s to print out and spiral bind. They printed it smaller than I had requested and it was too late to redo it. Still, it turned out well. Several people have suggested I show some samples, so here are a few.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to participate. (Click thumbnail to see larger image.)

Front Cover	Big Sister Marsha Lenox	Little Sister Lori Lowenthal	Baby Sister Ellen Kessler	Old Friend Dawn Brandvold
Comrade Neil Brandvold	Old Friend Allan Armus	Brother-in-Law Paul Jeppson Family	Sister-in-Law Meredith Jeppson	Cute Grandson Rob Carter
Friend and World Traveler Ian Signer	Portland Friends The Holmbergs	Seattle Artist and Friend Marjorie Masel	Wash DC Friend David Bruce	Wash DC Friends Thom and Bill

I’ve been quoted by OpposingViews.com! We were contacted yesterday by one of the editors of that site who told us about the quote. I’d read about OpposingViews.com before, and think it’s a great idea that’s just beginning to take off. On their “About Us” page, the site describes itself as “experts go[ing] head-to-head on real-life concerns, debating news and events…” Typically featured are both conservatives and liberals, for instance, giving their own reasoning for believing in a certain way about political topics. Right now, on this page, is a pull quote from our blog.

Yeah, it’s not the most sage thing I’ve ever written, but it’s nice to be appreciated. The final line of the post from which that quote is drawn seems to me to encapsulate the purpose of OpposingViews.com. In writing about a New York Times column on the meaning and limits of tolerance, I close by saying, “Does the columnist give solid answers? What is more important to me is that there are solid questions.” The same goes for OpposingViews.com. Readers are encouraged to consider many different viewpoints, exercising their brain cells on many widely varied topics, and from that comes growth.

We would like to extend our love to our mothers and our deepest gratitude to all the women in our lives—and in the world—whose quiet strength, amazing creativity, deep nurturing spirit, and fierce sense of protection have kept society centered and sane since its beginning. Thanks for helping keep the world turning for another year.

Both houses of the legislature in the State of Maine passed LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom. Unexpectedly, the governor signed it, making Maine the fifth state in the union to legalize same-sex marriage. I’m too excited right now to write more about this, so I will post the press release from Gov. Baldacci’s office:

Governor Signs LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom

May 6, 2009

AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.

“I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully,” Governor Baldacci said. “I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.”

“I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue,” Governor Baldacci said. “This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.”

“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.”

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,” Governor Baldacci said.

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.”

“Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word,” Governor Baldacci said. “Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.”

“While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do,” Governor Baldacci said.

The bill will become law 90 days after the adjournment of the Legislature, expected in mid-June.

A report released last week by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life once again showed an apparent disconnect between church attendance and religious ethics.

The report, based on a survey of 742 Americans representing numerous religious and political backgrounds, compares views on torture with frequency of church attendance. The question:

“Do you think the use of torture against suspected terrorists in order to gain important information can often be justified, sometimes be justified, rarely be justified, or never be justified?”

The survey showed that the more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists. White evangelical Protestants were the most likely to say torture is justified (more than 60%), whereas those unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to support torture (40%). Mainstream Protestant groups (Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians) were the most likely to say that torture is never justified.

As a believing and practicing Christian, and life-long Mormon, I’ve been trying to disentangle the complexities of the research and find the lessons in it for my life. » Read the rest of this entry »