One Man's Take on Race in America

I have been a fan of Ta-Nehisi Coates for years, reading his column on The Atlantic's website on a fairly regular basis.  He is such a mixed bag of obsessions -- politics, culture, literature, French, gaming -- and  there's always something interesting in what he writes.

You can catch a pretty candid series of pieces regarding the recent Brad Paisley/LL Cool J collaboration on Paisley's song, "Accidental Racist," here, here, and here.  Read up.  It's pretty great.  Money quote:

I just don't believe everyone should be engaged in a conversation [about race]. I strongly believe that people often have disparate interests. White racism is an actual interest held by actual people. Some people should be talked to. Other people must be defeated.

It Didn't Take Long

On a lark, I decided to check out what  highly-regarded, intellectual conservative writers were talking about today.  My first stop was National Review Online and Reihan Salam.  In the past I've read his work at The American Conservative and watched him as a guest on Bill Maher's show on HBO.  He's a passionate guy and very intelligent, even though I may disagree with him a lot.

Well, it didn't take long for me to find something with which I totally disagreed, something that was indicative of just how conservatives manipulate the shortness of Americans' memories to drive home a point that seeks to replace the truth with something completely false.  In his column today, Salam argues against the elimination of the capital gains tax preference, which is advocated by a couple of centrist legislators, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI).

Here's where Salam goes in for the kill to assert something that just isn't true:

Among conservatives, this last aspect of the Modified Zero Plan is likely to prove particularly unattractive, as there is a broad consensus on the center-right that while the capital gains tax preference is not an ideal policy, it is useful in that it counteracts other provisions of the tax code that discourage savings and investment. 

My italics.  See what he did there?  He asserted as a given that lower capital gains taxes acts as a counter-balance to other parts of the tax code that discourage savings and investment.  Which parts are those, exactly?  Would they be those parts of the code that taxed the highest incomes at somewhere over 90%?  Oh, wait, those tax brackets disappeared before 1963.  Would it be those parts of the tax code that shows  corporate taxes at 40%, which of course has stifled growth so much that corporate profits were at record lows this past year?  Oh, wait, corporate profits were at record highs last year!  As were the Dow Jones  and S&P 500 Indices.

But wait, he's talking about savings and investment, isn't he?  Well, how does he explain this chart, which shows personal savings rates declining over the years despite the fact that the top tax brackets kept on dropping and dropping, down to its lowest level ever in the past year?

Salam goes on to discuss "human capital," which I interpret to mean employment.  Apparently, the lower capital gains tax rate is supposed to "shield investment income from double taxation," so that "job creators" can invest in their businesses and hire more people.  Well, tax rates are at their lowest point ever and private jobs are slowly returning (last month's brutal numbers notwithstanding).  And when capital gains tax rates were equal to regular income, and unemployment figures were up and down much the same as they are now,  those tax rates stifled all kinds of job creation.

No, I think it's safe to say that Salam is pretty much blowing smoke up our asses, much the same way a hack like Tucker Carlson or Hugh Hewitt might.  I'm sure Salam wouldn't appreciate that comparison, but if the shoe fits...

The GOP's Reckoning Has Arrived

Oral arguments today at the Supreme Court regarding California's Proposition 8, which strongly suggest that the voter-approved law will be invalidated, along with a growing number of Republican politicians endorsing marriage equality, might trigger an existential crisis in the GOP.

Christian Post reports today that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister and a Fox News host, told Newsmax today in an interview that the evangelical base of the party might "take a walk" if the party supports the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

Huckabee went on to say the following:

If we have subjective standards, that means that we're willing to move our standards based on the prevailing whims of culture.  I think politicians have an obligation to be thermostats, not just thermometers. They're not simply to reflect the temperature of the room, or the culture, as it were. They're to set the standards for law, for what's right, for what's wrong, understanding that not everybody's going to agree with it, not everybody's going to accept it.

I'm afraid Mr. Huckabee has it bass-ackwards.  Politicians do not set standards for law.  Politicians are elected by the people, and the Constititution of this country is of the people, by the people, and for the people.  The people get to set standards for law, in accordance with basic rights outlined in the Constitution.  Courts exist to interpret the laws that are created, and if a court rules against that which is popular among the people (which, in California in 2008, included a ban on marriage equality), then that popular majority has options within the law. 

However, popular opinion has changed in favor of equality, as the issue has become today's expression of the civil rights movement.  Time is about to run out on social conservatives' fear that the LGBT community will soon be seen as equal citizens in all respects and enjoy the full benefit of the Constitution.

I have written on this blog since 2008 that the GOP was headed for an ideological split, with social conservatives on one side and fiscal conservatives on another.  I honestly believe that the religious right needs its own party in order to enroll folks in their vision of what America should look like.  They will most likely be unsuccessful, which would mean their ultimate demise as a political movement.  As modernity renders their arcane ideas irrelevant, and as younger voters increasingly support less fundamentalism in politics, it will become clear to many Christians that their religion belongs back in their churches, not in the political arena.  Jesus, it's clear, was not a politician.  Render unto Caesar, etc....

What such a schism does for the Democrats is uncertain.  Some fiscally conservative Democrats might be peeled off, I think eventually we'll have a three-party system that renders clear majorities a thing of the past.  Coalition-building will become the new normal in American politics.  Think of it: Fiscal conservatives caucusing with progressives to push back an effort by libertarians (I know, probably unthinkable!).

Insanity Update

A little more than two months ago, I wrote about beginning the Insanity Workout program.  Starting with a Fitness Test, the program got progressively harder each week. Every other week was another Fitness Test, presumably to track my progress. 

I can't remember all the details of my workouts, but I will say this: I was very dutiful about the quality and quantity of my meals during the first week, sticking with 2,300 calories per day and eating five times, and avoiding heavy carbs, sugary treats, and slamming down lots of water every day.  During the program, however, I found I had to moderate my portions, and most of the time I was under 2,000 calories per day.  I also wasn't a Nazi about sweets, which probably hampered some of my weight loss.  After four weeks I had lost only four pounds.  I was extremely tired, frequently sore, and had some slight knee pain.

The fifth week of the program is Recovery Week, and during that week I was supposed to do six days of "Core, Cardio and Balance," but I was so wiped out, and I took off three days during that week before resuming.  This recovery workout was very difficult, but at least it wasn't all bouncing off the floor and throwing my body up and down.  The impact on my knees was minimal. 

Week 6 began the second half of the program, at which the workouts increased in time and intensity.  After the first day, however, my left knee was simply killing me, and I had to take another two days off.  I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to finish the program, but I latched onto the idea of doing as much low impact as possible, of turning the high-impact exercises into low-impact ones. For example, if the exercise had me leaping off the floor, I simply went up to my toes and back down again, avoiding the slam on my knees.  If I had to do a Leap of Death, I skipped it!  Luckily there were no moves that required me to twist or pivot on my feet, so that avoided other types of injury.  After a week or so of this, my knees fully recovered, and by Weeks 8 and 9, I was fine.  All in all, I missed seven full workout days, so I added Week 10 to add back in what I'd missed.

As far as nutrition goes, I pretty much abandoned the total discipline with the meals.  I got conscientious about what I ate, but I didn't eat five meals a day religiously.  I ate much smaller portions, and didn't feel hungry ever.  I also took two supplements in addition to a multi-vitamin every day: Glucosamine/Chondroitin complex, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA).  CLA is supposed to promote the building of lean muscle mass and burn fat.  I took it about 11 years ago when Lisa was pregnant with Max, but I can't remember if there was a benefit, but this time I noticed some accelerated slimming down after I took it.

By the end of the 10 week period, I'd lost just over 12 pounds, about halfway to my goal.  I had lost at least two inches off my waist.  My pants didn't fit me anymore.  I saw much less gut in front of me, although my spare tire was going to take a lot longer to be tamed.  I'm noticing definition in my abs -- I have a two-pack (so far)!  My legs are a lot more defined.  My stamina is greater than it was.  People who know me have told me they noticed slimming down from my face down my neck, and down to my torso. 

I also feel better than I've ever felt, and I'm sure I've added years to my life.  It was great to have Lisa join me on the journey.  She says she doesn't see any change in her appearance, but I do.  I think some after pictures might convince her.  In any event, she looks more beautiful to me than ever.

I was supposed to join a gym and work out for two months, but I dropped the ball on that and I never got around to it.  Instead, however, I've started the program all over again this week.  I've done three workouts so far this week, and I definitely feel better doing them than I did during Week 1.

When I reach my goal weight of 175 (10 pounds to go), I'll post up before and after pictures to go along with the posts.  Until then, Insanity all the way!

"These Children Are Our Children"

I'm tired of the argument that anti-gun control factions use: "Guns don't kill people. People do." It's so fucking senseless!

It's never made sense to me to suggest that gun ownership, unregulated and completely free, is the price we must pay to be free and to honor the spirit of the Second Amendment. No sensible, law-abiding citizen who supports gun ownership, like I do, would have the gall to suggest that doing whatever it takes to prevent the wrong people from having guns (just like we now do whatever it takes to prevent crazy people with bombs and other weapons from boarding airplanes), or to prevent anyone from owning the wrong kind of guns and ammunition, is too much of an infringement on our freedom. How many more innocent people have to die before enough of us get too mad to be deterred by the powerful gun lobby and their friends in Congress? Now is the time to write to every Congressman, Republican or Democrat, to support any reasonable legislation that takes logical steps to regulate gun ownership in this country. An assault weapons ban would be a great place to start. A ban on the sale of hollow-point ammunition would be another. A thorough system of background checks, personality testing, and extensive training for those who want to own a gun. A mandatory waiting period while all this data is processed and training completed. Can't hack it during training? Sorry, no gun for you.  Come back when you can pass the test.

Does it sound like a new bureaucracy? Tough shit. Lives are at stake. And I'm not talking about these mass killings, which represent less than 1% of all gun-related murders in the U.S. I'm talking about the thousands of other killings that go uncovered by the media, but are no less tragic.


President Obama struck the perfect chord in his speech today: "Whether it is an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our children."

AMEN. They are our children, and their blood is on all our hands.

Time for action. No retreat.

Insanity, Day 1

Today was the first day of my 63-day odyssey to complete the Insanity workout.  Insanity is a 10-DVD set of workout videos that promises, without benefit of machines or weights, a transformation of one's body.  The website features before and after pictures of dozens of people who have completed the workouts, and the results are fairly astonishing.  Guys who started out much heavier around the middle than I am look significantly thinner, fitter, and more muscularly defined.  The beach body, right?  Six-pack abs, broader pectorals, and the loss of that spare tire around the middle.

The night before, Lisa and I donned our workout gear for the "before" pictures.  Lisa shot me, without my shirt on, from the front, side and back.  Because she is shorter than I am, her pictures captured me at about chest level, which was a great thing.  Why?  Because, oh my God, I looked terrible at that angle!  Especially from the back, where my spare tire is creeping around and the back and starting to look like a utility belt.  Anything not to look like that ever again, God, please!

The day before, we had previewed the first DVD, called "Dig Deeper: Fitness Test," to see what we'd need to be ready, as our workout time was 5:30 am.  Neither of us wanted to have to think about looking around for the stuff we'd need.  Last night, I laid out our towels, water bottles, workout clothes, and our fitness test worksheets and pencils.  The fitness test contains eight different exercises, which are to be measured by how many repetitions we can do in a minute.  We are directed to go as fast as we can, rest when needed, but not to give up trying harder.  We write down our results, and then compare them to the results we get every two weeks until the end of the series. 

After a brief warmup -- which got me a little winded (harbinger of things to come) -- it was time to begin:

1. Switch Kicks: from a standing position, elbows in, hands held at shoulder level either clasped or not, deliver alternating forward kicks to waist level, leading with the heel.  Form was essential to this and every exercise, but after about 20 seconds of this, I could barely lift my legs off the floor  Each two kicks is one rep, and I managed about 20 or so in a minute.  Just a minute to write down results, catch my breath, and try to get a sip of water, then...
2. Squat Jacks: Like jumping jacks, but starting with feet together and arms overhead, down to a squatting position.  This was a bit easier than the first exercise, but I quickly felt the burn in my quads and hamstrings!  Also, I got very winded very quickly.  I think I got 40 of these.  Another minute of rest, water and writing, then...
3. ...Power Knees: standing up straight in a wide stance, interlace my hands overhead then bring one knee up in a diagonal motion across my body while bringing hands down to meet my knees. This looked easier than it was. I found it difficult to maintain my balance, and I wondered why there was no attempt to switch to the other side for half the exercise. I think I got about 40 or so of these, then after a minute, it was...

4.  Power Jumps, or what I call "The Leap of Death."  This exercise starts in a squat, then I was to use arms and legs to lift me up as high as I could go.  The legs then form a squatting position in mid-air, then land and resume the squat.  This shit was very hard!  I was crapping out after 15 seconds or so, needing about the same amount of time to catch my breath.  I think I got about 12 of these in a minute.  Speaking of minutes, I only got one of them to recover (fuck you, Shaun T!), before...
5. Around the Globe Leap:  Squatting position, hands touching the floor, leap up as high as I could go (straight legs this time).  First to the left, then backward, then to the right, then forward.  A box of leaps!  One box was one rep.  I think I got eight of these done.  At this point, halfway through the test, I was so tired, I wasn't sure I could continue, but I wasn't giving up on the first day!  Next up...
6. ...Suicide Jumps, or what my wife calls "Burpees."  A four-position exercise, very much like a squat thrust, but with the final move being a leap up from the crouch.  I got six of these, with bad form after about two, but didn't give up.  Mercifully, we got TWO minutes of rest, presumably so Shaun could demonstrate the next exercise, which was...
7. Push up Jacks: Like a push combined with a jumping jack.  As I descended to a couple of inches from the floor, I kick my legs out so my body is now in a Y-shape, then feet back together as I push back up.  I think I did eight of these.  Another two minutes, which I needed all of just to catch my breath, before ...
8.  Low Plank Obliques: Assume a plank position with elbows on the floor, hands forward.  Bring alternative knees up from the side of the body as high as possible, then back again.  I can't even remember how many I did of these, but I definitely didn't do more than 10.

Final cool down of sorts, then it was over.

Yay, I finished!  I was so relieved, so winded, and so dead on my feet.  I knew there was only one way to go from here, and that was better. 

I then ate my first of five meals -- a bowl of cereal that tasted like twigs, with skim milk and a whole banana.  I was full, especially after downing 24 ounces of water beforehand.  Three hours later, I followed up with a protein bar, a slice of cheese, and another banana.  As of now it's 1 pm and I'm late with meal #3: a turkey pita sandwich with tomato slices, and small salad.  My lower back is a little sore on the left side (as is my left hip) from the last exercise, but I'll stretch those out later.  I down a Gatorade Renew drink on my way to work, and I hope it helps.

Can't wait to start day #2 -- Plyo-Cardio Circuit.

I Give Thanks

As I'm going offline tomorrow, I thought I'd post a list of people, places, and things for which I'm very thankful:

A God, an infinitely intelligent, creative, harmonizing force, who unfolds the great wonders of the Universe every single day.
My beautiful, loving, adoring wife, Lisa, who has the kindest heart of anyone I know.
My two sons, Max and Elijah, for whom I have no sufficient words to describe my joy at bringing them into this world, at guiding them through this world, and at knowing them and loving them more every day.
My body, which surprises me at how resilient it truly is.
My mind, without which I'd be a Republican -- a joke of course, which leads me to...
My sense of humor, pretty much a must-have in this world.
My relatives, a constant source of inspiration, puzzlement, laughter, and joy.
My friends, whether I know them in person or only on Facebook, for challenging me all the time and for respecting me.
President Obama and Vice President Biden -- enough said
The United States of America -- home
Israel, for giving me the roots of my identity and for showing that being tough can often be misunderstood.
The Sterling Mens Weekend, which launched me on my journey to being the man I always wanted to be.
My current and past employers, for helping me feed and protect my family.
The beautiful weather of Los Angeles!
Temple Akiba, for creating a family for Jews of all kinds.
Shaun T, who is about to turn me from a flabby desk man to a trim, fit, and ripped beach-body dude.
Allan Holdsworth, Robert Fripp, Ian Anderson, Gentle Giant, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, David Byrne, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Peter Gabriel, Byron Fry, and all the others who provide the soundtrack for my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

"One of the Great Mysteries"

Such is how Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) characterizes the origins of our universe and the age of the Earth.   Andrew Sullivan goes off on his back-handed denial of FACTS. 

Pivoting off of Andrew, I just started imagining a conversation I might have with someone who believes that God created all of creation 6,000 years ago in six Earth days (and then, presumably, "rested").  Since Archbishop Ussher of Armagh published his paper 362 years ago stating that based on biblical research (essentially adding up the begats since the time of Adam & Eve) about 6,000 years have passed, I would start by asking how he/she knows that the 6,000 number is true.  "The Bible says it is, so that's good enough for me," comes the reply.  OK, I sigh, what about all that science that suggests the earth is 4.5 billion years old, and that the Universe came into existence about 13 billion years ago?  Did you see the article about the Hubble Space Telescope spotting and identifying a galaxy that was 13 billion light years away?  "I don't need science to tell me what's true," he spits. "The only truth is The Word.  Science is just a bunch of guesses.  Educated guesses, maybe, but there's so much scientists still don't know and will never know."  You do realize, I press, that actual science involves a lot of mathematics, right?  That it involves observing the world and noting what happens under certain conditions -- like when you heat water to 212 degrees, it changes from a liquid to a gas.  It doesn't happen at 211 degrees, or even 211.9 degrees.  It happens precisely at 212 degrees.  "Right," he says, "what's your point?"  My point is that math is a constant.  It's not a guess that 2 + 2 = 4; that's a fact.  The same about the boiling temperature of water.  That's a fact too.  And science is pretty sophisticated, to the point where, using math and observation can yield pretty precise and reliable results.  Scientific processes like carbon dating use math to pinpoint the age of the Earth.  Tell me: is math a guess too?  "No, of course not," he scoffs.  Then how can you be so certain that the Earth is only 6,000 years old?  How can you be certain that all of the known universe came into being in six Earth days?  Back in the 17th century, Galileo realized that Earth was not the center of the universe.  Do you think it's possible that the people who wrote the Bible didn't know enough about the earth and the stars and the way people and creatures came about to explain it in any other way than by writing this creation story?  "The Bible is the word of God!  It can't be wrong."  It's not wrong! The Bible is inspired by God, but not directly written by God.  Were these writers, these human beings, so connected to God that they were able to write, word for word, what God wanted to say?  Were these writers connected to the mind of God, and has no one else since the time of Jesus been so inspired?  I'm no scholar of theology, but doesn't that seem like an awful waste of the human mind?  Are scientists, and those who are satisfied with the facts at which they arrive, simply deluding themselves? 

You see where I'm going.  Facts matter.  There is no "great mystery" to the creation of the universe.  You don't have to be a scientist to say, "I know the earth is 4.5 billion years old."  Science tells us how long ago earth came into existence, and how long ago various species of animals came to exist and die off on Earth.  Science tells us what is happening today, on earth, with our bodies and our planet's climate.  And science tells us what very well may happen to our planet's climate, land, seas, and people.  There is lots of theory out there, of course, and it's true that there are some things we might never know.  But what we already know based on science is pretty much beyond doubt and in extremely little danger of being disproven.  We can comfort ourselves all we want with religion.  There's a great deal of peace we can derive in believing that we are part of something much greater and unknowable, that there is a Creator or creative force that drives us, motivates us, energizes us.  But we should never confuse that with the idea that God has already answered everything for us.  There is a monumentally strong possibility that what we don't know is knowable, and an equally strong human imperative that we try to know it.  And finally, there is no possibility of peace in digging in and saying that you know all that you need to know because you have Jesus (or Allah, or Adonai) and your sacred text.  Ignorance, despite the old aphorism, is not bliss.  Rabbi Hillel said it best: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."

Go.  And learn.

Stick to the Facts

I always find it amusing when I hear surrogates on either side of the aisle -- but more often on the Republican side -- try to spin something that has so obviously benefited the other side as evidence of the other side's failure.  To wit, former Romney adviser Alex Castellanos, on Obama's work on the Hurricane Sandy relief effort:

President Obama stepped in and he’s doing the job he should be doing, great, good for him. Wish he’d done the same on the economy.

Asshole.  When your party leaves behind a towering inferno of economic ruin, and then hands the new president and his team a couple of garden hoses to put it out (garden hoses that you then proceed to step on and kink up to slow down or even stop the water flow), you don't get to complain about how he's done on the economy.  It just shows how small Romney is when it comes to criticizing the president.  There just isn't much there to criticize, because when you stick to the facts, the president's done very well.

Obama as of this past Wednesday has a 78 percent approval rating on how he's responded to the hurricane.  And the last poll I saw showed that a growing number of Americans believe the country is on the right track. 

But let's forget about polls.  Let's deal with facts, because FACTS MATTER.  Today's economic news showed an uptick in the unemployment rate, to 7.9% after being 7.8% the previous month.  The economic data also showed that job creation for October was 171,000 new jobs, and for August and September the numbers were revised upward by another 84,000 jobs.  Economists agree that the uptick in unemployment numbers was that a larger number of Americans were rejoining the job force and looking for work because jobs are now out there to get. 

I know who will be elected president next Tuesday as much as the next guy, which is to say I don't really know.  I do believe the result will be close.  The focus in the next few days will be on the so-called swing states to see how they will tip.  I think that the president has a very good chance of being reelected, more than three times than Romney, if Nate Silver is accurate.  But that still means that Romney has a 1 in 4 or 5 chance of being elected.  If I'm a betting man and the stakes are that high, I like those odds.

Mormonism as Pathology

A lot of us have pondered out loud and in the blogosphere about how Mitt Romney can be a "severe conservative" a year ago, but suddenly and inexplicably claim moderate leanings in the past three weeks.  We've all joked about the Etch-a-Sketch meme birthed by Romney's own campaign manager, and it seems plausible enough.  But one thing has bugged me: when you see Romney on the debate stage or on the stump or in interviews now sounding every bit the moderate Republican he claimed to be 10 years ago as Massachusetts governor, he seems utterly comfortable now inhabiting the skin that the GOP base routinely calls RINO.

"Etch-a-Sketch" offers a pretty solid analogy for this ideological shift, as well as for Mitt's seeming comfort with the new persona.  But it doesn't explain what makes him tick.  I wanted something deeper.

Today, along comes my favorite conservative, Andrew Sullivan, who yesterday posted a scathing piece about the LDS Church's racism based in scripture and the writings of the religion's founders.  His point in that piece was that the LDS Church until 1978 declared that African Americans were "cursed with the sin of blackness" and excluded then suddenly and inexplicably reverse course without apology or explanation.  Why, when asked if the previous policy was wrong, does Romney fail to answer the question?

In most people carrying that level of cognitive dissonance, the moment someone exposes it, it shows up on the face, in the voice, in the body language, or in the temperament.  I don't see it on his face or body, don't hear it in his voice, and don't feel it in his temperament.  In other words, he's either a liar of superhuman dimensions, or he simply doesn't experience the dissonance for some psychological reason.

In a post highlighting reader dissents, a reader takes Sullivan to task for not having "fully grasped just how the continuing revelation thing works for Mormons: what is said today by Church leadership takes precedent over what went before. And to claim that this is done 'casually' is to betray ... ignorance on the question."  Indeed, the church believes that once the church leadership has ruled on an issue, nothing anyone ever said in the past which contradicts that ruling "make[s] a particle of difference."  What this tells me is that, once Mitt Romney has changed course on an issue, nothing contradictory he said or did before announcing the new position matters.  A year ago he was a "severe conservative," but on October 3 at the first debate, he was a moderate.  It was like the severe conservative never existed, and nothing he said on the stump during the primary campaign had any bearing on what he's been saying today.  Therefore, the church offers a much more concrete pathology than Etch-a-Sketch, at least for me.

I don't hold any particular opinion on the LDS Church, but feel particularly uneasy about a person who can, with the precision of an automaton or, perhaps, the Inner Party of Orwell's 1984, suddenly say, "I'm a moderate, and I've always been a moderate."