What's That You Say, Mrs. Robinson?

The Coke Ad and Why I Love the USA

Outraged by the Coke ad during the Superbowl?

You bet I was. Not because of the ad itself but because of the reaction it got.

It showed the US and Americans from coast to coast, border to border. It very accurately depicted people of all colors, religions, and cultures singing America the Beautiful in several different languages. That IS America.

What shocked me was the immediate reaction it got. "What? That's not America!" and "What's with all of the different languages, we speak English here" and even "That's bullshit."

Have we completely forgotten why and how the US was formed? Have we completely abandoned all of the principals on which this nation was founded?

From the poem by Emma Lazarus which adorns our beloved Statue of Liberty:

"From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

"Glows world-wide welcome" doesn't mean "Come on over but only if you speak English or plan to learn it right away. Oh and by the way, you have to stop doing all of those things that remind you of where you came from. Stop speaking your language and stop wearing clothing that represents other countries or religions.  No more quinceanaras or Chinese New Year celebrations. Unless you want to have a St. Patrick's Day parade. That's OK because it is based on white, Christian, English speaking traditions."

The poem was written in 1883, well after our country was founded, but it exemplifies the spirit of the day. Why do we think that it should be different today? What are we so afraid of?

There is, of course an economic impact of immigration, legal or otherwise. But that's not what sparked the reaction to the ad. The reactions were based on what people heard and saw in the moment. Why does an America with many cultures, colors, languages, sexual orientation and religions frighten people so?

And let's be clear. Negative reactions to differences are based in fear. Fear of what is not understood. Fear that if you are different it must mean you are automatically either better or worse than the other.

Nobody is better or worse than anyone else based on culture, color etc. It is our actions that differentiate us from one another. Period.

I, for one, loved the ad. It made me proud to be an American. It made me visualize how diverse and eclectic and culturally rich we are.

It reminded me of the Coke ad from the '70's that sang about "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" only it showed that you don't even have to tavel outside of the US to "buy the world a Coke" because the world is right here. THIS is the America that I want to live in and that I'm glad that my children have grown up in and that I want my grandchildren to enjoy and be proud of. This nation that holds so much wealth of diversity is exactly why I'm proud to say that I'm an American and damn it, I loved that ad.

Federally Funded Teen Pregnancy

I just read something that perplexes me...although I shouldn't be surprised. The first paragraph is rather confusing in how it reads. I'm SURE the writer didn't mean to say that there are actually "federally funded teen pregnancy" organizations. But even getting beyond the poor choice of sentence structure...my blood still boils:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration, to the consternation of its critics, has picked the medical director of an organization that opposes premarital sex, contraception and abortion to lead the office that oversees federally funded teen pregnancy, family planning and abstinence programs.

The appointment of Eric Keroack, a Marblehead, Massachusetts, obstetrician and gynecologist, to oversee the federal Office of Population Affairs and its $283 million annual budget has angered family-planning advocates.

Keroack currently is medical director of A Woman's Concern, a Christian nonprofit. The Dorchester, Massachusetts-based organization runs six centers in the state that offer free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling.

It also works to "help women escape the temptation and violence of abortion," according to its statement of faith. And it opposes contraception, saying its use increases out-of-wedlock pregnancy and abortion rates.

Now, I know I'm not alone in thinking that it is wrong (at least from my point of view) that someone who opposes contraception should be leading an organization charged with the oversight of the "Office of Population." I honestly can't believe that there are still people in this world that oppose contraception AT ALL, but they certainly shouldn't be leading an agency such as this. ARE THEY NUTS? Oh, wait...yes, in fact...they are.

Read more reaction by Melinda Henneberg on the Huffington Post.

Katherine Harris: Separation of church and state 'a lie'

"God is the one who chooses our rulers"

True, sparation of church and state is a lie because of people like this who think that their church is the ONLY church and therefore should be linked to politics.

Ignorance at its finest.

read more | digg story

Teaching Tolerance

Sending my son to an all boys Catholic High School was not in my plan. However when he started taking interest in the school I listened with an open heart. We looked into the school and found many aspects of it that would be of great benefit to him and to our family. Now that he is there, I find that I have not completely let go of my reservations and I continue to watch what they are teaching him and HOW they are teaching him. Each day they start their morning announcements with a prayer. The school publishes each of the daily prayers on it's web site. Here is one from a few days ago:

Tuesday, September 20

"Lord God, help me to understand people who think differently, talk differently, value differently, pray differently from me. There is already too much violence in our world based on the fact that “they” aren’t the same as “us” or thinking that “they” aren’t as good as “us.” Help me to appreciate that life is a mosaic of differences and that differences are good.  Keep me from thinking that everyone should be just like me. I ask this in your Son’s name. Amen."

When I read this, I was relieved. It is exactly the kind of message that I have been sending to my kids their whole lives. My heart is warmed by this inclusiveness from this Catholic Organization. This school is doing right by my kid (so far), and I'm thankful for that!

tag: tolerance

I'm going to Hell!

Today I went to my first Serra High School event. Every year the Mom's Club at Serra puts on a fundraising Fashion Show. This year's theme was "April in Paris." A classy affair. 600 of Serra's finest Moms, Grandmas, etc. all gathered together to spend a little money, watch a sweet fashion show where the male models are all Serra students and the female models are from Serra's "sister schools."

After standing in line to get a soda at the bar for about 1/2 hour, I realized why the line was taking so damn long. All of the 60-80 year women in line in front of me were ordering vodka tonics, bloody mary's, whiskey sours etc. It was 11:00 am for God's sake. Really. So the lady in front of me talked me into a bloody mary. OK, sure. I can hang with that.

We took our seats at the luncheon tables, these beautiful salads already waiting for us at each of our places. A bread basket that any self-respecting carb-a-holic like me would die for. Not having had breakfast, and about to drink a generous sized bloody mary, I decided that I needed to dig in right away. Everyone had been  served so I was good to go. I took my first few bite in pure bliss. The dressing was fabu, tasty but not to sweet. I looked up and glanced around. Funny, nobody else was eating. Not at my table, not at any other table. I thought, wow, they must not be as hungry as I am. Or they know more people than I do and they are busy visiting. I took a few more bites. Still, I was the only one. This went on for about 10 minutes. Ok, so I was eating slow, but something just didn't feel right and just couldn't put my finger on it.

At that point Father I-don't-remember-his-name came out and announced that he was about to say grace. Grace. Grace. OH SHIT! Are you kidding me? THAT'S what everyone is waiting for. I almost puked. That's it. We're out. Payton's going to get a letter in the mail that reads, "Payton, we are sorry, but you acceptance at Serra has been revoked because your Mother is going to hell! She made a pig of herself infront of everyone and didn't think it was worth waiting to praise our Lord, Jesus Christ, for the food that he has provided for us. We are really sorry, but we just can't have the likes of your blasphemus Mother in our midst. Good luck at whatever other school you go to. Sincerely, Father I-can't-remember-his-name."

The only thing that saved me from crawling under the table and puking was idea that this would make a great blog topic. My dear readers, you have saved me once more. God bless you!

The One Where She Professes Her Love For SpongeBob

I'm sure you have all heard the absurdities coming from the right-wing "moral majority" recently regarding SpongeBob SquarePants and the fact that he, and other righteous cartoon characters like Jimmy Nutron, is promoting the idea that a homosexual lifestyle is...gulp...God forbid...acceptable. I'm not going to spend much time on this but I just had to profess my love, openly and especially to you my readers, for Mr. SquarePants. He makes me laugh, he makes me do very silly things trying to impersonate him, he just wants to eat Crabby Patties and hang out with Patrick. He taught me how to "take it around town."

Read this commentary if you would like a simple, yet insightful commentary on the subject at hand.

I really do think that we are all more alike than different, and that it is only when we let our differences divide us that we get into trouble. Why can't it be OK that you are different than I, and that we leave each other be, or better yet, celebrate and embrace our differences? "Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be"

Losing Landon

It's true...it has finally happened. The boy toy of US soccer is going to Germany. No longer will the women (and girls) of the SF Bay Area get to see this specimine of a soccer player live and up close.

"U.S., MLS star doing 'right thing' Associated Press Landon Donovan is leaving Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes after four seasons and will return to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.

The 22-year-old forward, voted the top player on the U.S. national team for three straight years, will rejoin the Bundesliga team in January after the end of a sharing arrangement between MLS and Bayer Leverkusen."

I know that there aren't many soccer fans out there, but take it from this convert, this is a HUGE loss to American Major League Soccer (the US will still get to have Landon for the men's US team, Olympics, World Cup etc.). Landon has played the last 4 years for the San Jose Earthquakes (for which we are season ticket holders) and it just won't be the same without him.

We look for comfort in times like these, I guess I'm seeking comfort in the blog world. A sad, sad day indeed.