Obsession

   We loved the wedding article.  I found it amusing that it said Rachel "grew up in a quiet, literary household..."  For most nights and weekends of her first 8 years, Rachel and I were out having adventures all over Center City, at Penn, and at the zoo.  Rachel was disappointed that the article didn't point out that the wedding was in NJ, which has civil unions, whereas Pennsylvania is gay-unfriendly.  Rachel had emphasized this to the reporters and cares deeply about it and would have liked to have given it more publicity.  The Times people said it was too confusing but it seems to me they may have wanted to avoid any controversy.
   Speaking of Pennsylvania, it was James Carville many years ago who said that Pennsylvania was Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in the middle.  And speaking of Alabama (this is why I have trouble sleeping at night, I wake up and the memories start flowing), in 2000, Alabama voted to remove its dormant, unconstitutional anti-miscegenation law.  But a majority of white voters voted against the removal. 
   The Alabama vote is one of several issues I have latched onto obsessively when I think they are being ignored by the media; and I send e-mails, respond to internet articles, and send letters to the editor trying to bring the issues to public attention.  Some of my other obsessions have been:
1.  Mississippi Senator Trent Lott - Years prior to his getting the scorn he deserved for praising segregationist Strom Thurmond at Strom's 100th birthday party, I was trying to point out that the Republican Senate leader had ties to the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens.
2.  The Boy Scouts of America - There has been public controversy with the BSA over its anti-gay policy but their anti-atheist policy has been mostly basically ignored (but not by yours truly.)  I would point out that many great Americans never would have been eligible for the BSA and that this supposedly patriotic organization defied the example of our secular Constitution that there be no religious tests for office.
3.  Boston Cardinal Bernard Law - Law was one of the great pedophile enablers and may have escaped indictment by moving to Rome where he has held and is still holding several high positions in the Vatican and Rome.  If the Pope was at all serious about apologizing for the scandal, he would not retain the services of this man who belongs in jail not Italy.
4.  The 10 Commandments - While the issue of the 10 Commandments in government buildings and schools is a public issue, I like to point out that putting up the Bill of Rights or the Golden Rule in schools could lead to much more relevant discussions.
5.  Atheists - When I read about how the public would never vote for an atheist, I try to bring to attention all the prominent atheistic scientists, writers, thinkers, inventors, performers, etc who have made our country great.  Even 3 of our 4 greatest philanthropists (Carnegie, Gates and Buffett) were/are non-religious; only John D. Rockfeller was religious.
     In the 1970's, I often wrote many critical and/or sarcastic letters to politicians, with my main obsessions being Nixon and Pennsylvania Senator Hugh Scott, who would be my favorite Republican by today's standards.  My favorite letter was to Scott.  I learned from a staff member of our other Penna. Senator that Scott had finally turned on Nixon after he heard on the Watergate tapes that Nixon had called him a "pompous cocksucker."  So I wrote to Scott that it was ironic that after supporitng Nixon's lies for years, he finally turned on Nixon when he told the truth and called him a "pompous cocksucker."  Of course, there was no reply.
   In the 1980's my obsession was being with Rachel.  Finally, in the 1990's, the advent of the internet and its ease of communicating rekindled my public obsessive behavior.
   I'm sorry if I've bored you all but sometimes I write these blogs more for Linda and Rachel and for my own enjoyment rather for everyone else.
Elkan - have a good Sunday