So, Obama really is attacking democracy

Silly me. Until now, I had thought that it would be a Republican administration that imploded our democracy.

Then I learned Verizon had been ordered to give up the metadata for all calls between April 25-July 19 of this year to the National Security Administration. The data doesn't include the content of the calls, but it does include the phone numbers involved, length of calls, location and the like.

It's all in the name of fighting terrorism, right? Right? RIGHT? The silence is deafening.

I was pretty much on board with the Obama administration until about a month ago. Benghazi seemed to be a trumped-up scandal to give Fox News something to do and to help the Republican blockade in Congress avoid doing anything useful. (With blocking like that, the Dallas Cowboys would have won the Super Bowl last year.)

I didn't much like the IRS targeting the Tea Party, even though it's the Tea Party. And I certainly didn't like the Department of Justice going after Associated Press messages and investigating that Fox News reporter.

Yes, you need to investigate leaks, and I don't blame the administration for doing so -- if you were running a business, wouldn't you want to find out how competitors were finding out your trade secrets? But you do it internally...investigate the in-house communications and, if you have to, your employees' phone and computer records. You don't trample on the constitutional rights of the people they talk to. All they did was take advantage of a hot story.

Now, I'm not a Verizon customer -- hmmm...maybe President Obama is really an agent of AT&T, trying to scare people away from Verizon. Conspiracy theorists, unite! -- but I don't feel particularly comfortable with my phone metadata being in the hands of government officials. It violates my privacy, possibly violates the Fourth Amendment and it sets horrible precedent.

Yes, the W. administration did the same things, but they were targeted to specific people who may have been terrorism threats. In my first-ever defense of the policies of President George W. Bush (as opposed to those of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, which I admired), they didn't need to know that Ursula was calling Deborah Sue to ask if she heard Hugo and Kim were going steady.*

It's obvious the Obama administration is looking for enemies, and it doesn't care whose privacy or constitutional rights it tramples on to find them.

So we have one side that is against freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to privacy, capitalistic success and, possibly, the entire Second Amendment; believes in unlimited welfare; and wants to control people's personal dietary choices.

And we have another side that is against freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion (except certain forms of Christianity) and poor and unhealthy people; believes the Second Amendment allows absolutely no regulation; and has an unhealthy obsession with what people do in their bedrooms.

It's been almost four years since I've written on this blog. Seems we need a reminder of what the Consistency Party means. Things are not good.

*-This reference to "Bye Bye Birdie" is a shameless plug for the Plaza Theatre Company's production of this musical -- which my wife and I are stage managing and in which our son is dancing -- June 28-Aug. 4 in Cleburne, Texas. Visit www.plaza-theatre.com for information about this song-and-dance extravaganza.

The Bible Lesbian Loophole?

A leftover from Yom Kippur a few weeks ago: One of the Torah readings includes the Leviticus list of forbidden sexual relationships...you know, you don't sleep with your parents, aunts, siblings, etc. 

It also contains the famous Chapter 18, Verse 22 that every gay-rights opponent quotes:

"Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."

OK. Pretty straight-forward. Gay sex is "destestable," so anyone who follows the word of the Bible should be straight.

Ahhh...but note "do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman." Nowhere in Leviticus does it say "women shall not lie with a woman as she lies with a man."

In other words, where is the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) prohibition of Lesbianism? Not there.

Hey, health care...what should we do tonight?

One night I remember from my early 20s is a perfect picture of the health-care debate going on in the United States right now.

Young and single near Houston, my then-girlfriend and I hooked up with another couple. After a couple of drinks, we got into that always-dangerous discussion: "What do you wanna do tonight?"

Hey, how about dinner and a movie? Too boring, my then-GF said...knowing that our friends preferred serious film making that makes one think, while we -- OK, I -- preferred entertaining mind-numbers that critics don't like.

Well, let's go to a dance club! Too crowded and too much stimulus, our friends said. This peeved me off, since I still considered myself a John Travolta-esque disco king in a John Belushi-esque body.

Jazz club? Too smoky, one of them said. Huh? This was 1982, and we all smoked at the time.

So, this went on for about an hour. By now, it was 8 p.m., so we finally said, "Let's go to dinner and see where the night takes us."

Italian? "I had Italian yesterday."

Mexican? "I had tacos for lunch."

Sushi? My stomach had a reaction that forced me to quickly leave the room.

Bennigan's, which then had its monster book of a menu? "Those fern bars are so fake!"

When 9:30 came around and we still weren't able to make a decision, the then-GF and I just announced..."If we don't come to a decision that everybody can agree on in five minutes, we're just going to order a pizza and listen to some music here."

Nobody had a really good time that evening.

And if the various political factions in the U.S. don't start to accept the fact that compromise is necessary, nobody is going to have a real good time with health care reform.

Liberals and labor unions are berating the bill that the Senate Finance Committee passed on Tuesday because it doesn't include a public option. Insurance companies and conservatives say it will raise costs and premiums too much. And of course, you still have the right-wingers who are convinced that any reform at all beyond a couple of general issues builds a fast track to the elevation of American Socialism.

The lines are drawn in the sand, and it seems that most people would rather see no health-care bill at all than one that doesn't have their pet projects in it. Anything else gives them the same feeling in their stomachs that I had when Sushi was mentioned.

It's time to face facts. Certain things like denial for pre-existing conditions and the high cost of care need to be addressed now. Extended portability is necessary. Health must not take a back seat to profits, but profits are still necessary.

The liberals need to understand that a public option will not get the votes needed to pass and that their hero, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, would not want his legacy to be no reform at all. That's the 8-year-old who takes his ball home if he's not picked first.

The centrists need to realize that some sort of mechanism for a future public option, kind of like Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) proposed, needs to be in place in case something doesn't go right. That's not being realistic about what might happen.

Conservatives need to stop trying to protect Big Insurance and Big Pharma, all the while preaching sanctity of life on other issues. That's hypocritical.

And President Obama needs to lead. Ramp up the bully pulpit and assert your authority with the supposedly filibuster-proof Senate you have. Who's running the country and the Democratic Party? You or the Pelosi/Reid monster? (Still love the U of C Lab School connections, though. Text me!)

The two of you who might remember my "Common Sense Party" posts of a year ago -- yes, it's been awhile since I posted here -- can see where I'm going.

Congress needs to use some common sense to get something passed. Even if it's basic, any step toward universal coverage and better affordability is better than nothing at all.

Just make a decision already...even if it is Sushi.

Quantum of Boredom

Saw the new Bond movie "Quantum of Solace." This is nowhere close to the great Bond movies of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Daniel Craig is a boring Bond...he has none of the sly sense of humor that Sean Connery and Roger Moore had; in fact "Quantum" may be the most humorless Bond movie I've seen.

Now, the era that started with "Casino Royale" is supposed to take us back to his early days in Her Majesty's Secret Service, and Craig's Bond is said to be closer to the character introduced in Ian Fleming's Bond novels. But it doesn't work.

The chase scenes (car, boat, foot, airplane) are just adequate, the romance non-existent.

The good: Nice environmental message; good portrayal of a two-faced villain; wonderful performance by Judi Dench as "M"; and a stunning theme song by Alicia Keys and White Stripes' Jack White.

Thoughts?

There but for the grace of God

Buffalo News sports writer Tom Borrelli died last week from injuries sustained on Nov. 8 when he fell off the ladder leading to the press box at Buffalo's All High Stadium. He was covering a high school football game at the time. And high school football wasn't even Borrelli's main beat. He was a highly respected lacrosse writer. The National Lacrosse League even named its "Writer of the Year" award after him.

The story is at http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/499559.html

Those of us who are old enough to have covered Texas high school football in the late '70s, early '80s, probably remember the type...it's like the ladder to the top of an RV. The stands don't go all the way up to provide access to the press box, so you have to climb the ladder to get there. Perhaps some really small schools still have this. The worst I've seen recently was at Class 1A Blue Ridge High School, where a metal staircase led to the press box.

The weird thing about Borrelli's death: The stadium was renovated in 2007, but a new press box was not installed for budgetary reasons. How different from Texas, where a new press box is among the priorities, so the superintendent and school board can have a suite to entertain VIPs, and so scouts can have more room.

Feel very lucky that most of these new/renovated high school stadiums are solidly built structures, with elevators, electrical outlets for laptops (most places), free food and drink, etc. Even those that don't have elevators have easy access to the press box from the grandstands.

So don't complain when you're shunted off into a small little corner of the press box; or when Coppell makes you go to the auxiliary press box on the visitor's side because the main box is used for entertaining; or when you have to pay for your food at Texas Stadium during playoff time; or when a 3A press box isn't air conditioned, or even has windows.

Those are minor inconveniences.

Ashton of the opera?

Saw "The Marriage of Figaro" by the Dallas Opera on Saturday night. One scene had a cool similarity to a recent MTV phenomenon.

After much plotting, quick thinking and scheming, the heroine (Susanna) was hiding in the closet in the Count and Countess' bedroom. The royal couple both thought it was a hormone-driven teenager (Cherubio) who had designs on the countess. The count hammered the door open, and out came Susanna.

She should have said, "You've both been Punk'd!"

Fairness is the marketplace

Talk is rampant that the new Congress and president will try to reinstate the "Fairness Doctrine," which would force radio and TV stations with federal licenses to give equal time to all candidates/all sides of an issue.

Many believe that this is an attempt to silence conservative talk radio, and it probably is. If a station carries Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, etc., it may also have to carry an equal amount of liberal programming.

I listen to Rush and Sean -- and watch Keith Olbermann -- purely for comedic purposes. But face the facts: The conservatives draw ratings, and therefore advertisers. Liberal talkers don't draw ratings. Air America went into bankruptcy, lost most of its best talent and is a blip on the Arbitron screen.

A revived Fairness Doctrine may placate those who don't have the thick skin to take the childish rants of conservatives who think that those who oppose their views are anti-American or idiots. But it would destroy many top-rated radio stations.

If liberal talkers want to be heard, find a way to get ratings.

Everyone should be in a gay marriage

Thought that would get your attention! Of course I mean gay, as in happy. If you're not in a gay marriage, you shouldn't be married.

OK, OK...I know that's too cute.

Now, those who love one of their own gender should be in a gay gay marriage, and....Fine. I'll stop. On to the real subject...gay marriage.

Many throughout the country have taken to the streets to protest voter passage of California's Proposition 8, which constitutionally defines marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman. That definition is known throughout the homophobe community as "traditional marriage."

It is quite true that both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament lay down the law against homosexuality. But nowhere in U.S. law does it say that one must follow the Bible. One great thing about America is that we have the freedom to NOT follow the Bible's teaching. Yes, many of our laws do stem from Biblical law. But if the founders wanted the Bible to be the law, the U.S. Constitution would comprise only five words: "The Bible is the law."

I choose to be straight. I follow the teachings of the Torah and find the prospect of making out with a man disgusting (not necessarily in that order). But the measure of a man -- STOP THOSE THOUGHTS! -- or a woman is not what he or she does in a bedroom. It's how they contribute to society.

And in true Consistency Party fashion, explain this paradox: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is in the Ten Commandments, while we wait a whole 'nother book in the Torah to get to the ban on homosexuality.

Those who believe gays should not be given the right to wed should, for consistency's sake, also believe that a marriage is automatically dissolved upon the first consummation of an extramarital affair. If gays can't be married, adulterers shouldn't be allowed to either.

Jumped the shark

The hit CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men" has nothing left.

This Charlie Sheen/Jon Cryer vehicle -- re-creating the obvious chemistry the two displayed in the movie "Hot Shots" -- has always been a sex-obsessed show, but has had some great moments in the past. The show that combined Alan (Cryer) dating Kandi; Charlie (Sheen) dating Kandi's mom, Mandi; and Alan's ex-wife Judith dating Kandi's dad/Mandi's ex-husband Andy was one of the best TV episodes of this decade.

But Monday's episode, in which the focus was Charlie's difficulty in sleeping over at his girlfriend's house, was sad. We get it: Charlie's a narcissistic sport-****er; Alan has no backbone; Jake is a dummy.

If this kind of inane story continues, hopefully CBS will put the well-written, non-sex-obsessed "How I Met Your Mother" in the Monday night money slot of 9 p.m. Eastern Time, 8 p.m. Correct Time.

Another few bite the dust

People Newspapers in the Dallas area yesterday closed three of its six newspapers and laid off a bunch of people -- including two friends with whom I had previously worked. This group is owned by D Magazine (the local city magazine), which also experienced its own reduction in force, and remaining staffers took a pay cut.

One of those laid-off friends had the right attitude. She said this was a good thing for her, and she walked out feeling confident. She was re-thinking her desire to be in the newspaper industry, anyway.

Though these few layoffs don't approach what Citigroup said it would do yesterday -- 53,000 more job cuts -- or the carnage expected at NASCAR this week -- possibly 1,500 losing their jobs because of sponsorship woes, team mergers, etc. -- the People Newspapers cuts are more slices in the industry that I've been a part of since high school.

I know that People publisher Jason Heid, with whom I worked and whose rise makes me very proud, must be heartbroken about having to lay off these people and close newspapers that he helped build. His papers were well-reported and well-written, beautifully designed and had excellent photography. They also paid a lot more than the average community newspaper, which is one reason they attracted many reporters from my old company.

Multiple sources said, however, that the layoffs might not have been handled so well. One account was that people were packing up and leaving last week, without remaining staff being told what was going on. The Dallas Morning News reported that the D/People blogs were taken down through late Monday because comments were posted about who was getting the boot before the staff was even told.

It's getting bad out there folks. A former TV reporter told me yesterday that news directors are looking only for people who look presentable on television and will work on the cheap -- journalism experience be damned.

But, as I said in a previous post, we're not dead yet. My wife's boss, the great John Salustri, real estate editorial director for Incisive Media, told her that newspapers will be greatly changed when they find their new footing. Whether that's for the good or the bad remains to be seen.

Amen, John.