Many politicians weren't paying attention

We've just come off of an election season in which the victors were those who encouraged hope.  They spoke of the future, of what is possible.  They tempted voters with what it might be like to live in an America in which politicians did more than just bicker like 4-year-olds.  They spoke of working together with all belief systems, with all philosophies to form that more perfect Union.  One candidate even spoke of our Union not being red and blue states, but the United States.

So who won?  It was those folks.  What seemed improbable became a reality.  When people are hopeful, when people are inspired, when people feel they are part of something - they act.

It strikes me that it seems many in Washington haven't learned a thing from this past election cycle.  Or if they did, they didn't pick up on the important pieces.

On January 30, the Republican National Committee elected Michael Steele their new Chairman.  Their first-ever African-American leader.  It's a wonderful thing to see some minority leadership in the Republican party; I praise them for this.  It is wonderful to see Americans from all walks of life be embraced.  However, I think it's the only thing Republicans learned from the last election.

All that stuff about working together and moving forward as one nation - I think they missed that.  

Here is a comment from Chairman Steele during his acceptance speech:  "We're going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us, and to those of you will will obstruct, get ready to get knocked over."

Yes, I can see how that is inviting and hope inspiring?  It's reminiscent of a certain someone who said, "you're either with us or against us."  We saw  how well that sentiment worked.

Now I would add that there are many democrats would also didn't get the message of unity.  Our own leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, are perhaps hurting more than helping the President these days.  These politicians who have been in Washington forever (on both sides of the aisle) that seem so out of touch with real Americans are going to be the biggest road block for President Obama.

So, to Chairman Steele, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Reid - we don't want fighting, we don't want bull-headed, irrational arguments.  We want action.  We want progress for the United States.  Please put aside your personal desires for power and get something accomplished.  The past election was won on a theme of unity and hope.  Found out what that means.

First openly gay world leader

I woke up this morning to this story on CNN.com.  Pretty sweet.

(CNN) -- Iceland's political parties have reached an agreement that will give the country its first female prime minister and the world its first openly gay leader.

Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, will lead the government when it is sworn in at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. Eastern) on Sunday, her political advisor Hrannar Arnarsson told CNN via e-mail.

A former flight attendant who entered politics via the union movement, Sigurdardottir was minister of social affairs and social security in the outgoing Cabinet, which resigned Monday.

Iceland has been in political turmoil since October, when its currency, stock market and leading banks collapsed amid the global financial crisis. The island nation's Nordic neighbors sent billions of dollars to prop up the economy, as did the International Monetary Fund in its first intervention to support a Western European democracy in decades.

But weekly demonstrations -- some verging on riots -- finally forced Prime Minister Geir Haarde and his coalition to resign en masse on January 26.

The country's president turned to the Social Democratic Alliance party to form a new government, and they selected Sigurdardottir to lead it.

She has been a member of Iceland's Parliament for 30 years, and was in her second stint as minister of social affairs. She started her career as a flight attendant for the airline that became IcelandAir. She was active in the flight attendants' labor union during her 11 years with the airline, according to her official resume.

She briefly led her own political party, which merged with other center-left parties to form the Alliance party.

Sigurdardottir would become Iceland's first female prime minister, although not the North Atlantic nation's first female head of state -- Vigdis Finnbogadottir became its fourth president in 1980.

Sigurdardottir lists author and playwright Jonina Leosdottir, 54, as her spouse on her ministry Web site. She has two children from an earlier marriage.

Her prime ministership may be short-lived. The government she is forming is only due to last until the next elections, which must take place by May and could be held in April.

But a leading British gay and lesbian rights group welcomed her appointment as a milestone.

"It really does matter. It is helpful" to have an openly gay prime minister, said Gary Nunn, a spokesperson for Stonewall UK. "We are trying to foster the ambition that young people can be anything they want to be."

A tradition we can be proud of

It seems for a political blogger to ignore the events of the past week would be just wrong, so I won't.

Although possible, it would be difficult to find a person in the world that isn't aware that the United Stated inaugurated its first African American president last Tuesday.  This was an amazing day for a country steeped in a history of black oppression and I'm certain the collective tears shed by a nation on that day could quench the droughts of many dry lands.  The personal stories of so many who never thought they would see such a day continue to be shared and continue to both inspire and humble.  For the skeptics who claim change won't be easy to come by, I say that while we as a nation face many obstacles - the change has already started.

The election of our first African American president certainly marks 2008 as historically significant and gives us all a reason to reflect.  In addition to this, there was something else that continually gave me pause on inauguration day.  We are a young nation and thus comparatively have few traditions that define our culture.  However, we do have, every 4 or 8 years, a peaceful transition of power that demonstrates the strength and integrity of our democracy.

I found myself becoming increasingly patriotic as Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer shared nuggets of information about the traditions and protocol that accompany the event.  Actions timed down to the minute that have been occurring on this day for well over 200 years.  Something as small as the President sitting on the right of the President-elect as they make their way to the Capital for the inauguration seems such a small detail, but is so significant to the tradition of the transition.

There are no bullets fired, no riots launched.  Partisan politics are put aside for a day as we, as a nation, illustrate to the world and to ourselves the conviction of our democracy.  It might even be said that inauguration day, a peaceful transition of power, is a democracy's finest day.

In a time when our country seems to be facing a mountain of obstacles, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on this peaceful tradition that we can be incredibly proud of.

The Writing Schedule

Those of you who know me well, know that I am a constant failure when it comes to balancing energy across a host of tasks or projects.  A new semester has started, which has consumed the majority of my effort up to this point - which accounts for the lack of blog posts in the past weeks.  My apologies.

  

I believe I am now sort of into the swing of things for the semester and can once again share that focused energy with other endeavors that I enjoy - such as writing!  However, I think for this semester I'm going to try "blogging on a schedule."  

I like to be consistent and I can't promise a post everyday, so I will aim for writing every Sunday, with the occasional "special edition" during the week.  For example, there may be something that happens this week that might inspire a post.

Thanks to you, my committed readers, for your generous words of encouragement as well as your healthy debates.  As always - please share the blog with your friends!

Can you step outside of yourself?

I've taken some time away from writing after the conclusion of the heated election season (although the MN Senate race remains hot and heavy).  There were many great victories along with even greater defeats.  It goes without saying that the election of Barack Obama as President provides forward motion on so many levels for the United States.  I am truly filled with hope for what it to come.

However, on certain days that hope is stifled.  There are days in which I am reminded that while America had a great victory in electing its president, it had many losses when a variety of states chose to deny and take away rights from their gay citizens.

In reflecting on these defeats and considering what might be the best way to move forward, I can't help but think there is something missing from the debate.  It's almost impossible to know what is in fact the best way to move the cause of equal rights forward - but I always come back to one thought:  at the end of the day we are all humans.

When you think about the struggle for human rights that spans our history it essentially comes down to a simple formula: different = threat.  It looks like this.  Group A sees something different about Group B and automatically equates that difference as bad, as somehow a threat to Group A's way of life.  In order to maintain their comfort, Group A seeks to ensure that Group B doesn't enjoy the same basic rights as Group A.  This will give Group A the comfort of not having to learn about Group B and Group A can continue to believe the Group A's beliefs are truth - the last word.

I think the most important thing that is missing, and always has been missing, in the discourse on equality is the ability or willingness to step outside of one's self and truly attempt to understand what it's like for the other group.  As humans, we get so caught up fighting for our side, we have this notion that what we personally believe must be right and the other side must be wrong - no matter what.  We don't take time to time to consider what it must feel like to be on the receiving end of our words.

So as the conversation on gay rights continues, I  would hope that those that fight so hard to ensure that gay people don't have the same basic human rights as they, attempt to understand how it feels to be on the receiving end of the oppression.  This isn't an easy task, it takes a true commitment to understanding what it's like to be someone you know nothing about.  It is truly stepping outside of yourself and entering the heart and mind of another person.  But we are all humans and we all share emotions - so try to understand those emotions and see how you might react.

Consider:

• How might it feel to be told constantly that the relationship with the person you are in love with is not valid?
  
• When all you want to do is live your life with your family and contribute to society, but you are told that you can't because your relationship equates to incest - how might that feel?
• When you want nothing else but to enjoy the same rights of protection in committing yourself to the person you love, and you are told that your love is perverse - how might you feel?
• When people go on television and tell you that you are worse for America than terrorists - how might you feel?
• When people equate your love to that of pedophilia - how might you feel?
• When all you want to do is raise children in a loving, supportive family, and you are told that you can't because your love is morally wrong - how might you feel?
• When you are told that your love will lead to the destruction of society - how might you feel?

I know these questions have been asked before, but I have to wonder if people truly consider them.  Do they actually step outside of their own narrow world view and consider the perspective of others - consider the perspective and life experience of the people they are trying to oppress?  I don't think so.  If they did, they might realize the hate in their words and they might just realize the irrational basis for their argument.

Step outside of yourself once in awhile and whole-heartedly consider what it's like to be someone else.  You just might be surprised what you discover.