American Civilization

Well, summer is over, we’re back at school, and the hot presidential race took an unusual turn this last week. This week it’s been all about the nominees for vice-president.

First of all, Barak Obama selected Senator Joe Biden from Delaware.Biden brings with him working class roots, a Catholic background, experience with foreign affairs, and a fighting spirit, characteristics which will appeal to many of the Democratic base. He’s also been called pugnacious, as you can see in this short video clip:

But, some consider Biden too feisty and worry about his tendency to give very long speeches. He is not a man of few words. Others, especially Hillary supporters, are disappointed that Obama selected a male running mate.

Which brings us to John McCain’s selection yesterday. For his running mate, he’s selected Sarah Palin, a little known governor from Alaska. While she seems to lack experience, Palin, an evangelical Christian, does bring her social and economic conservatism to the ticket. That should be a hit with the Republican voters who are not terribly pleased about McCain.

Some believe that the strategy here was to appeal to women who may have supported Hillary. Personally, I find it hard to believe that someone who supported Hillary would be supportive of a candidate who doesn’t take the same positions that Hillary does on major issues, such as abortion rights. As Hillary said in her convention speech, did you vote for me or for the issues? But, listening to local news last night, I was surprised to hear some Democratic supporters of Hillary speaking positively of McCain’s choice of a woman and even suggesting that they would consider voting for the Republican pair.

June 16 is a historic day for California.  Today same sex couples will be able to be legally married.  Many counties will begin issuing marriage licenses today and some same-sex weddings will be held around the state starting this evening.

There have been many different reactions to the legalization of same -sex weddings in California -  from celebration to criticism.  A few counties will suspend all marriage licensing, including marriages between a man and a woman, just so they do not have to issue licenses to same sex couples.  Now, under state law, it would be illegal to issue licenses to heterosexual couples and not to homosexual couples.

Given the struggling California economy,  some industries - from florists to caterers - are hoping that lots of weddings will help increase profits.

Regardless of one’s position, it’s clear that the battle has just begun.  To find out more, click here.

Robert Kennedy died.  That was 26 hours after he was shot in Los Angeles, California.  He had just won the California primary in his bid to become the Democratic Party nominee for the presidency when he was assassinated.

Let’s hope history does NOT repeat itself.  When I listened to people’s responses to the elevation of Barack Obama to this year’s Democratic candidate for the presidency, I was struck by how many people - especially African-Americans - are very concerned for the safety of Obama and his family.

Finally! It looks like there’s a Democratic nominee for this November’s race for the American presidency. According to NPR,
“Obama reached the milestone as polls closed in South Dakota, which, along with Montana, were the last two states to hold nominating contests in a process that began in Iowa in January. Obama was projected to have reached the magic threshold of 2,118 delegates needed to become the Democrat’s 2008 nominee, based on a pledged delegate total of at least 1,756 and a superdelegate total of at least 366. His overall delegate total is now 2,122.”

Clinton has said that she will not make any decision or statement tonight. However, she has suggested to some supporters and colleagues that she would be willing to accept a bid for the vice presidency.

After all Obama and Clinton have been through during these last months, I wonder if they could work together as a team.

There’s more news today from California about gay marriage.  First of all, there’s now a date for when the marriages can begin.  It was announced today that California counties can begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 17. 

And, that wasn’t the only piece of news on the topic of gay marriage.  In a new survey announced today by the Field Poll, California voters agree by a slim majority that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.  Those numbers suggest a dramatic reverse in public opinion.

By 51-42 percent, registered voters said they believed same-sex marriage should be legal in California.  When the Field Poll first asked that question in 1977, only 28 percent  favored gay marriage. 

According to the poll, younger voters and those living in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other Democratic urban strongholds were the most supportive of same-sex marriage, while older voters and those living in the more conservative inland areas were more opposed.

However, not everyone agrees with these numbers.  A statewide Los Angeles Times/KTLA Poll released last week showed different results: 54 percent of registered voters said they would support the initiative that would change the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

What’s the status of gay marriage in France?  What are your thoughts on the subject?

Yesterday, California’s Supreme Court overturned a state law that allowed only opposite-sex couples to marry.  That 4-3 ruling has, in effect, set the foundation for legal gay marriages.  Up until now, the state of Massachusetts has been the only state to consider such unions as legal. 

This decision resulted even though 6 of the 7 justices are Republican appointees.  In the United States the Republican Party is considered to be more conservative. Does this decision suggest that cultural values have really changed for the majority of Americans?

According to the San Francisco Chronicle reporter Bob Egelko, the state Constitution’s guarantees of personal privacy and autonomy protect “the right of an individual to establish a legally recognized family with the person of one’s choice,” said Chief Justice Ronald George, who wrote the 121-page majority opinion. He said the Constitution “properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as opposite-sex couples.”

Even one of the dissenting justices, Carol Corrigan, wrote a separate dissent.  Her separate dissent said that the court should not invalidate the ban but that “Californians should allow our gay and lesbian neighbors to call their unions marriages.”

It’s not clear exactly what this decision means in terms of practice.  There is a 30 day period before this legal decision becomes final. 

Also, some fear that the opposition to such a reform will have a major effect on the elections in November.  It’s expected that there will be a state constitutional amendment on the November ballot which would ban same-sex marriage.  That could bring out lots of more conservative voters and impact the presidential election.

I was shocked to hear America’s First Lady, Laura Bush, state strong opinions today.  While she has devoted herself to a number of causes during her husband’s presidency, she’s usually been the quiet type, the prototype of a traditional First Lady.

But not today!  Today she was extremely - and publicly - critical of the government of Burma.  Not only did she attack the government for not warning the Burmese people of the approaching cyclone, she also criticized the military government’s reluctance to accept much needed international aid.  She also took the opportunity to condemn the military junta’s failure to meet the basic needs of its people and to deny democratic rights to the citizens of Burma.

Bush said she has been interested in the situation in Burma for some time.  Her interest began when she read about Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, for her efforts to establish democracy in her country.  

For more information about her comments, click here.

I’m guessing I’m not alone, but I’m definitely ready for this presidential primary process to be over. Once upon a time I was excited and enthusiastic about the upcoming election, but no more. It’s just taking too long, with too much spin about nothing.

As much as I love summer time, I almost wish summer would be over. That would mean that both the Democratic and Republican parties would have held their conventions and that there would be an actual candidate for America’s next president. And, each candidate would have selected a running mate, the person to be vice president in the next administration. That will add a new element to the election season.

But, meanwhile, most news coverage continues to focus on the primary campaigns, trying to create unnecessary drama, as opposed reporting on other news of the world. I’m ready for more variety from the news media.

Today the Supreme Court made an important decision on the issue of capital punishment. The Court upheld the use of death by lethal injection. Not only will this decision affect the particular court case from Kentucky, but it will also make it likely that other states will resume executions.

There has been an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment in 35 other states as this case worked its way through the courts. Prisoners had contended that the three drug procedure used on death row was unconstitutional based on the 8^th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

Of the 36 states which use the death penalty, nearly all of them use the same three drug procedure. And, now these states have been given the go ahead by the Supreme Court.

It was by a 7 to 2 vote that the court rejected this challenge to the Kentucky execution procedure. The majority of the court felt that the challengers had failed to show that the risks of pain from mistakes in an otherwise “humane lethal execution protocol” amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

One of the justices, John Paul Stevens, even though he sided with the majority view, is hopeful that this decision might lead to a further examination of capital punishment, which he believes is in itself unconstitutional.

However, this decision only further shows the long term impact of George Bush’s presidency. His two court appointees have created a more conservative Supreme Court. And, regardless of what happens in the November presidential election, the new members of the court will be around for a long time.

The big news in the Bay Area is that the Olympic torch will be here next Wednesday, making its only U.S. appearance on its way to Beijing. The anticipated arrival of the torch has been accompanied by quite a lot of controversy. Many want to use the occasion as an opportunity to protest China’s poor record on human rights issues, including the government’s recent response to demonstrations in Tibet. Others want to highlight China’s emergence as a world power and to celebrate the athletes who will participate in the Olympics.

After an opening ceremony, the torch will meander through downtown San Francisco – occasionally along the water front – on a six mile route with a closing ceremony at the end. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid disruption, both the opening and closing ceremonies have been shortened to about 15 – 20 minutes each.

The mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, wants to provide an event which will balance the interest of all parties, both those who want to protest and those who want to celebrate. Listen to an interview with him here.