My blog post from www.libertyhill.typepad.com on May 11, 2009

Like many of you, I go to several fundraisers per month.  I receive dozens of direct mail pieces.  All have a common message in the last six months. "Times are difficult but we'd appreciate it if you can find a tiny morsel more for our important cause."  Ok, so maybe not that timid, but you get the point.  Everyone feels obligated to somehow acknowledge the economic situation before asking for money for critically important work.

I'm a progressive working for economic and racial justice.  I'm a gay man fighting for marriage equality. The need for social change after 8 years of the Bush Administration has never been more dire. And the political opportunity with progressives in power from City Hall to Sacramento to the White House has never been greater. 

This is not the time for us to cut back our giving out of fear of what may happen or because our investments are down.  If we are employed or still have accumulated assets (admittedly somewhat less of them), this is the time to give and give more generously than ever. 

 If not now, when? 

As Angelenos who count immigrants both documented and undocumented amongst our friends and neighbors and The White House is calling for true immigration reform, if not now, when?

When more people than ever need access to affordable housing due to high unemployment, if not now, when?

When the basic civil right of marriage for gay and lesbian Californians can be won, if not now, when?

I will not give less in these hard times and I will ask you to join me in stretching further than ever.  The time is now.  Not two years from now when our investments bounce back.  Not six months from now when our property values rebound a little. 

"Change will NOT come if we wait for SOME OTHER PERSON OR SOME OTHER TIME" --Barack Obama

Not some other person or some other time.  It's you.  It's me.  Today is our day.  We need to dig deep and give our time and our money.  We will never see a bigger return on our investments in social change than investing big. Today.

Last week I had the honor to speak at a No on Proposition 8 event in West Hollywood.  Thirty people joined together share their passion for equal rights, donate their money and learn how they can help defeat the discriminatory measure to eliminate the right of marriage for gays and lesbians in California. 

This was the third such event I had attended in 2 weeks, but this one was different. This event was to raise money to support Republicans Against 8, a PAC created to mobilize republicans to vote no on proposition 8.

In the weeks preceding the event, I invited dozens friends and acquaintances to attend, but only one joined.  Friends know I am a proud democrat and I was repeatedly asked why I was involved with an event supporting republicans.  Many used the conversation as an opportunity to put down our LGBT brothers and sisters who are affiliated with the GOP.

At first I wasn't bothered by their reactions or shunning of our Republican counterparts because it has become so commonplace, but as the conversation repeated itself again and again I found myself increasingly agitated.

For years, organizations like The National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce and Equality California have demonstrated that community organizing is the backbone of the LGBT rights movement.  However, to win we need to organize the masses, leaving no ally on the side lines.  So, my friends, how can you be so quick to leave anyone behind who agrees with us on defending the right of same-sex couples to marry?  Are we really willing to alienate our Republican LGBT brothers and sisters at the detriment of our civil rights movement? 

Republicans across the State of California, gay and straight alike, are willing and ready to vote No on Proposition 8.  LGBT Republicans through Log Cabin Republicans and Republicans Against 8 were at the California Republican Convention working to educate fellow Republicans why voting No on Prop 8 is important.  And, LGBT republicans want and deserve all the same rights and privileges as LGBT Democrats, Independents, Green Party members, etc., and we can't afford to leave them out of our civil rights fight.

All across California, openly LGBT Republicans are fighting for equal rights as they change hearts and minds by educating members of their party.  They are helping to defeat Prop 8 and ensure a win for equality in CA.

This is about people.  This is about legal equality.  This is NOT about party politics.

Embrace ALL of our allies and brace for the celebration of victory in defeating Proposition 8 on November 4th.

For the last seven years, today is usually a day I spend alone or with close friends reflecting on the horrific occurrences 7 years ago.

As a 9/11 survivor, it's deeply personal. I usually call the people I worked with that day, who I evacuated with that day, who I feared I would never see my loved ones again with that day.

Today, seven years later, I simply emailed them. Instead of being able to reflect and mourn what once was, I find myself furious as the Republican party continues to exploit this National tragedy for political gain.

McPalin says they are very different Republicans who will change Washington. What's so different? The rhetoric is all the same and it is as simple as..

1. Make people relive and relive and relive 9/11 with repeated comments and visuals to create fear
2. Talk about their national security prowess
3. Claim that Dems will make us more vulnerable
4. Count their millions of moderate votes

Enough already! Last I checked, the Republicans, not the Democrats were running this country when we were attacked. The Republicans, not the Democrats, haven't found Bin Laden. The Republicans, not the Democrats brought us into a needless war crippling our economy.

Not that any Republicans read this site, but to the GOP, "Stop exploiting a National tragedy for political and professional gain!".

I'm a 9/11 survivor. I am and always have been against the war in Iraq. I support our troops. I CONSISTENTLY VOTE FOR PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS WITH GREAT PRIDE.

To our progressive electeds...take the GOP on head-to-head on their exploitation and show them the Democratic party is better for national security and don't need to scare the public into voting for us!

This blog comes out of pure curiosity and hoping someone who is part of Courage Campaign might know the answer.

There has been a lot of debate about John McCain and public campaign financing. I don't want to start that debate here. What I am more curious about is this...

What happens to ALL the millions of dollars in the coffers if no candidates opt in to public financing? Lord knows, it isn't coming back to the tax payers who check that box on our tax returns.

Anyone know? Seems like an ideal situation for the government to be mishandling money.

It's just like an old western with a train gaining speed as it heads down a narrow stretch of track. And, just as the train reaches the point where it can't possibly stop in time, we're told the bridge ahead is out.

This is where the democratic primary is heading. Thanks to Paul Kane at the Washington Post, we have some numbers for the context of this argument.

"There are 3,253 pledged delegates, those doled out based on actual voting in primaries and caucuses. And you need 2,025 to win the nomination. To date, about 55% of those 3,253 delegates have been pledged in the voting process -- with Clinton and Obama roughly splitting them at about 900 delegates a piece. That means there are now only about 1,400 delegates left up for grabs in the remaining states and territories voting.

So, do the math. If they both have about 900 pledged delegates so far, they need to win more than 1,100 of the remaining 1,400 delegates to win the nomination through actual voting. Ain't gonna happen, barring a stunning scandal or some new crazy revelation. So, they'll keep fighting this thing out, each accumulating their chunk of delegates, one of them holding a slight edge and both finishing the voting process with 1,600 or so delegates. "

The democratic party created this nightmare as a way of avoiding this nightmare. So far so good huh? Not really.

Once again, our political system has found a way to remove the power of the every day voter in determining who are elected officials are, just as the electoral college does in the general election. Super delegates! What an atrocity. Last I checked I am as much a citizen of the US as any "high ranking" democrat. Why should my vote count as one and Bill Clinton's (or any other super delegate, he's just one that comes to mind) be representative of tens of thousands of people?

The mixed outcome, is that the new system is failing so hopefully it will be changed or nixed. In the meantime, however, the most important election in my lifetime may very well be lost due to this bumbling.

This is my first blog on the Courage Campaign and I believe exemplifies my general balance between progressive ideals and centrist realities.

Here's why I support the propositions.

1. No one measure (a source of revenue or budget cut) is going to deplete the ENTIRE 14+ Billion dollar deficit for this state. But every measure that helps needs to be considered.

2.We are not adding new casinos, allowing different kinds of gaming, etc. We are simply voting to add an additional 17,000 slot machines. Why should people go to Vegas or Reno when they ca stay here in CA.

3. Granted the employment laws are lacking, HOWEVER, these casinos are employing hundreds, if not thousands of lower income, working class California citizens and improving the lives of people living not only on the reservations but also in surrounding poor communities

4. The San Diego wildfires. Those helicopters used to fight those fires were donated by the local tribes we are voting on. $1 Million in firefighting equipment including multiple helicopters and cash were given freely with no strings attached to San Diego to support firefighting efforts.

I understand our progressive inkling to have issues with things like greed, wealth accumulation, lack of clear labor standards. But, do we want some money put into the state budget or would we prefer care for seniors, care for uninsured children, HIV/AIDS services and public parks all cut?

I'll take the gamble on the lacking labor laws that still employ California residents who othewise wouldn't have work and smaller cuts in spending on vital programs.