Homework Assignment

In calling a time out to rest, I'm handing over the reins to to all of you.

What did you think of the Convention last night?

Email me at dans321@hotmail.com before noon tomorrow.
Best blogs make the Delegatedan page.
Cutoff time is 11AM tomorrow.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

ds

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

so last night I sent Mr. Delegate Dan my reaction to Sen. Clinton's speech, and it was apparently posted here for a while and then taken down because someone else took issue with it. I ran all of this by Dan, and he said that I should put it here.

Here's my original post:
It may come as a surprise (especially to those who actually know me) that I heard something tonight that genuinely offended me. It offended me personally because of my beliefs, and I hope it offended you all as wellbecause of how directly it contrasted with the message of the Democratic Party. Senator Clinton proudly told us how she “ran to stand up for all those who have been invisible to their government for eight long years”. It’s a perfect message, and I applaud her for it. As she said, we as Americans should
always be able to live our respective dreams, as long as we "work hard, never back down, always keep going, have faith in God, in our country, and in each other”.
Excuse me?
I hate to break it to you, Senator, but not all of us have faith in God. I understand that all of the speakers were pushing the “family values” deal here. I know that, politically speaking, it’s the smart thing to do. But seriously, come on. We make up about ten percent of the population (more than Jews or Muslims, and nearly as much as African-Americans or Hispanics). Like any other demographic, we’re mostly good people. We’re Americans, we’re Democrats, and damn it, we’re people just like the rest of you. (Except maybe Dennis Kucinich. He might be an elf.)

I'm told that the response to this was as follows:

"Dan, if you look at her quote she said "All americans should be able to......have faith in God....."She's not forcing faith down anyone's throat, just the inalienable right to practice it.that is all."


Whoever "corrected" me was distorting Hillary's words even
more than I was. full text of that part of her speech (copied and pasted straight from the dnc website) reads:
"That is our duty, to build that bright future, and to teach our children that in America there is no chasm too deep, no barrier too great – and no ceiling too high – for all who work hard, never back down, always keep going, have faith in God, in our country, and in each other."

I wouldn't quite call that "forcing faith down anyone's throat", but it sure does sound like she's saying that faith in God is one of the key
ingredients to our country's greatness, and I semi-respectfully disagree with her.
Imagine if, in one of the millions of billions of speeches about how important the family is, a speaker had hinted that the American family starts with a man and a woman. The gay community (which is roughly the same size as the nonreligious community) would be outraged. The speaker would
probably be apologizing to some gay rights leader right now, because in the Democratic Party, we try to respect each other's differences, regardless of
what the Christian right thinks.

Honestly, it pisses me right the fuck off that over 80 percent of Americans say that they would never vote for me because I don't believe in God, as opposed to all the countless GOOD reasons why no one should ever vote for me.

I'm not a Christian-hater or anything like that. I have no problem respecting other people's beliefs, as long as they are willing to return the favor. I don't care if people say "God bless you" or "God bless America" or whatever. Even if he doesn't exist, I don't see how people wanting God to bless me could ever be a bad thing.

But a US Senator telling us we should teach our children that "in America there is no chasm too deep, no barrier too great – and no ceiling too high – for all who ... have faith in God, ..." is clearly over the faded line between religion and politics. Yes I know that I removed parts of that sentence. That's how I heard it. No "inalienable right to practice" there.

Through the Fire and the Flames I Carry On!

Dan's Top Postings From Denver I

1. Signs, signs everywhere there's signs The best story to come out of Denver was in the airport on the way home.
2. Yes we can. Yes we will” On the floor of Investco Field.
3. "For Brooke Elizabeth" The day Dan met Hillary Rodham Clinton..
4. “Two full days in nine hours and Snapfish pictures and storyline of Gavin Newsom's "Manifest Hope" Party in Denver
5. Numbers Notes from the Convention Center and information on two important voting blocks: Young voters and Hispanic voters.

Dan's Top Diatribes

1. "Lincoln" Dan sounds off on how the 21st Century Republican Party is no longer the party of Lincoln. To avoid further casual, conservative revisionism, he poses a unique contest of vigilance: winner gets to select something for him to break.
2. "Superman" Using his favorite superheroes in an analogy, Dan makes the argument as to why no Republican should win in November.
3. "Old Argument Odd Package" Dan breaks down John McCain's acceptance speech.
4. Russian Chess Masters" Dan offers a unique theory as to why Russia may have invaded Georgia.
5. “Can Rock and Roll Save the World? Let's see... This one isn’t a rant. It’s a plan.