Obama Leaves Gays in the Cold

Failure to Acknowledge the Inevitable

It's a sorry state of affairs when Dick Cheney has usurped Barack Obama's position as a steward of progress. But that's exactly what has happened, with Cheney declaring his acceptance of gay marriage as Obama desperately attempts to avoid confronting the issue. Cheney's action is neither brave nor commendable. As the country's #2, he had 8 years where he could've made a positive difference. His recent support for gay marriage is a product of personal circumstances, and a daughter whom he hopes to protect from the discrimination that the LGBT community currently subjected to. Once again, nothing wrong with this motive, but his minimal gesture should be put into context.

Obama's moment has come, and so far he has completely flip-flopped on the issues of gay marriage and "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT). Perhaps the writing was on the wall when Rick Warren was hand-picked to give the invocation at Obama's inauguration in January. Warren, the California pastor who lobbied voraciously for Prop. 8, seemed an unlikely candidate for the coronation of someone who received extensive support from the gay community during his campaign.

Since assuming office Obama has dodged the issue of gay marriage, and has upheld DADT under the premise of "legitimate interest in military discipline". One such case was Dan Choi, an Army National Guard Lieutenant who is faced with discharge from the military after coming out. His position as an Arab linguist affords him tremendous importance in America's overseas campaigns, an importance that is apparently rendered trivial by concerns of sexual persuasion.

Just how widespread are these concerns though?

The senselessness of the military kicking out a soldier whose much-needed skills are in short supply has not escaped the American public. A recent Gallup poll found that almost 70 percent of Americans are in favor of military service by openly gay men and lesbians, and even a majority of conservatives -- 58 percent -- do not oppose openly homosexual soldiers serving in the military.

Obama may be biding his time before taking on a lightning rod issue such as this, hoping to shore up support and political capital before the confrontation. But as with all civil rights issues, you can never give the powers that be the benefit of the doubt. If past lessons teach us anything, it's constant grassroots pressure that ultimately leads to the deluge.

Read Der Spiegel's report, American Gays and Lesbians Feel Betrayed by Obama.

The inspiring Lt. Dan Choi:



This video is also quite telling, and quite humorous. I think it speaks for itself:

Men Benefit When Women Run the Show

Men in a Matriarchal Society

We've all imagined what life would be like in an alternate universe before. But once a while we're actually given a glimpse. That's what this interview in Der Spiegel did for me. Though I'm aware we live in a patriarchal society, the term has never really had any meaning for me. If you can't fathom an alternative, you take the assigned term for granted. But what would life be like in a matriarchal society, where the hierarchy of gender relations is reversed.

According to Richard Coler, it isn't like that at all. The Argentinian writer shared his experiences from a recent stay with the Mosuo people of China, who live in a matriarchal society. What is it like when women run the show?

Women have a different way of dominating. When women rule, it's part of their work. They like it when everything functions and the family is doing well. Amassing wealth or earning lots of money doesn't cross their minds. Capital accumulation seems to be a male thing. It's not for nothing that popular wisdom says that the difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toys.

How do men fare in a society where they are put in a subordinate position?

Men live better where women are in charge: you are responsible for almost nothing, you work much less and you spend the whole day with your friends. You're with a different woman every night. And on top of that, you can always live at your mother's house...Where a woman's dominant position is secure, those kinds of archaic gender roles don't have any meaning.

On what stood out most to him, Coler said:

...there is no violence in a matriarchal society. I know that quickly slips into idealization -- every human society has its problems. But it simply doesn't make sense to the Mosuo women to solve conflicts with violence. Because they are in charge, nobody fights. They don't know feelings of guilt or vengeance -- it is simply shameful to fight. They are ashamed if they do and it even can threaten their social standing.

Sounds like a utopia for both men and women...



Also, I suggest checking out this superb piece from Journeyman Pictures on Mosuo society, the only one of its kind in the world.

Beware Climate Karma

Climate Change's Frightening Toll

Approximately 315,000 people a year are being killed by climate change, according to the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum. The statistics of the report are attributable to hunger, sickness, and weather disasters. I can only imagine the what the toll would stand at if armed conflicts over dwindling resources were included in the tally, for example the violence in Darfur.

The report also reveals one of the more problematic dimensions of the climate change issue: the nations most responsible for carbon emissions (U.S., Canada, China, Russia, Western Europe) are going to be least affected in the short-term, while 15 of the 20 nations most vulnerable to climate change reside in Africa. A problem of this magnitude is incredibly difficult to solve when there is no immediate incentive to grapple with it. "The first hit and worst affected are the world's poorest groups, and yet they have done least to cause the problem," said Kofi Annan.

But if we think this is a cushion for affluent nations to fall back on, think again. The west is in for some serious karmic blowback if steps are not taken to mitigate the causes of climate change. It is estimated that 325 million people are currently affected by climate change, and that might double within 20 years to 10% of the world's population. Think of the refugee crisis that's going to cause, and whose borders the refugees will head towards. Think of the instability this will create in the developing world, the failed states, the breeding grounds for terrorism.

Watch this to see how climate change tangibly affects African families: