When Unitarian Universalists go bad,...They become moderate ChristiansThey are elected President of the United StatesThey return to their hometown Unitarian church to bury their grandmother.From yesterday's Unitarian Universalist Pacific Central District newsletter, Pacific Currents: As you have, no doubt, heard by now, President-elect Barack Obama and his family held the memorial for his grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, in our First Unitarian Church of Honolulu. I asked their minister, the Reverend Mike Young, if he would write something about this for all of us, and he most graciously agreed: Many years ago Madelyn Dunham brought a small boy to the First [...]

During holiday visits of his Reno family, redozdachs, the Renoites, and I would often met his Uncle Maurie and Aunt Phylis at the Spinnaker Restaurant in Sausalito for brunch. Good food, a great view of San Francisco across the Bay, and easy driving for both of us made the restaurant a perfect destination for a booster shot of family gossip and seasons greetings. Aunt Phylis died five years ago, and Uncle Maurie died this past spring. Yesterday was their anniversary. Geoff, his brother Ric from Reno, and I have just returned over the Golden Gate Bride after dining at Spinnaker [...]

Equality California's email blast this morning announced that Executive Director Geoff Kors was declining the invitation to attend the inauguration. He's staying away in protest of President-elect Obama's selection of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation.  I deleted the email before I'd read and absorbed all of the rationale and justification for this action, but I figured out that Geoff couldn't lend his implicit approval to Warren's inclusion at the ceremony. I know that Geoff's stand is meant to be a principled statement.  Unfortunately, to me it feels more petty and pouty. Basically, Geoff, no one cares whether you go or [...]

President-elect Obama’s invitation to evangelist Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the inauguration has got some folks — especially some gay folks — in an uproar.  Warren backed the bigoted Prop 8 that took away rights of same-sex couples to marry. We hate his discriminatory talk and actions. At least I do. But, I might have him at my swearing in as President.  Wrong belief system, wrong about marriage, and all. […]

The card store's categories are precise.  I scoured the aisles in vain for a get well card for a friend who is ill.  In fact, she's very ill -- she's dying.  She will start home hospice as soon as she's released from the hospital. All of the cards in the get well section say, "Get Well". Most were jokey with open hospital gown backs or baleful looking puppy dogs. It never occurred to me that sometimes it is inappropriate for a get-well card to shout "Get Well'.  Go figure.   I moved over to the rack holding cards with no [...]

Genuine black leather shoes. Iraqi. Size 10, briefly examined by Inspector GWB. Scuffed, dirty soles in plain view. Obvious filth and dirt on bottom. Disgusting and disrespectful. Perfect good-bye gift for disgraced invader, Illinois governor, or other shamed and self-deluded public figure. Sometimes it takes a pair of shoes to tell the emperor that he is wearing no clothes. (Surreally pompous news report on YouTube)

The Becket Fund for Religious (sic, sick) Liberty and other fundamentalist and right-wing religious (sic) groups and individuals took out a full-page ad in the New York Times basically claiming that they are victims of mob persecution because of their Yes on Prop 8 stands and actions. Suddenly they are targets of violence. Here's their headline plea: No, they are not targets of violence. They are well chosen targets of peaceful, non-violent protest. These people who lead the mob to take away my rights want to be protected and pitted because now say they are victims of mob violence. Have you [...]

This time of the year  the electronic newsletter I write for redozdachs's CPA firm includes a recommendation that people give to a charity.  One year we suggested a free after-school program for Tenderloin/Western addition kids. This year we're suggesting either the San Francisco Food Bank or Muttville, a San Francisco organization whose tagline is "because every dog deserves a happy ending". I used pictures from the organizations websites to entice our readers to click and give.  Pictures behind cut