wagging the dog

my dad is the sort of person who has spent his life on the frontline of huge change, and not just his vote, but his life. he grew up in an agnostic household of accomplished and hugely intelligent people but went on to test out the experience of many different ideas and practices, not just religious but educational, artistic, philosophic, social and political. his mother was jewish; one year, he took us to temple where he made friends with people he didnt share views with so much as humanity. he met my mom on protest lines in fort worth where you had to be white still to drink your soda sitting down. he marched in washington; we marched with him when we were bigger. he helped to start a school that he wanted us to go to which was not only against his parents ideology but gets criticized even now for viewpoints that are, btw, simultaneously recognized as a worldwide yardstick for modern education.





he was never afraid, still isnt, to be unpopular in his opinion or his perspective, and it still makes me uncomfortable at times when he will allow no opportunity to pass without speaking up, without voicing a challenge, esp if it is socially understood that in this case, you dont do that--those are the moments he will speak first. i completely admire him for it.

he has put his entire life on the line for challenging, for instance, the incremental dissolving of constitutional rights in america that for the most part have gone either unnoticed or unchecked as part of the hoopla surrounding the 9/11 let's-steal-the-oil-before-they-realize-it's-not about-homeland-security twin towers horror show. there really is law going into effect in a few months that is going to require everyone to supply fingerprints for i.d. we really are about to vote on electronic machines that have no way to be fact-checked. that's not just the movies- we are the movie. in fact, there's a really great movie barry levinson made about that not long ago, you should see it:

Man of the Year clip


the timing is serious. never been more so. and i wish i could support my dad's guy just out of respect for my dad. if it comes down to it, my dad isn't even going to vote if they ask him to lay down fingerprints to do it next november, IF that gets voted into law. he wont do it on principal. it's a violation of constitutional law, no matter what gigantic idiocy allows it to become an amendment. and his guy is all about constitutional law, really seriously about it.



what are you for?