NJ Blogger of the Year

There are still a few days to vote for the Screaming Carrot Award, which is given each year to the best liberal blog in New Jersey. I got nominated which is a thrill, as you might imagine. So head on over to Blue Jersey and vote for blogger of the year. I would suggest voting for me and my blog ("Lassiter Space.")

I would say that it's enough just to be nominated alongside such a talented pool of garden state liberals. But that would be a lie. I want to win. And I need your vote.

Since this is a New Jersey based contest, naturally the rules are fluid. At best. Blue Jersey:

You don't have to live in New Jersey to vote. We don't care if you live anywhere. Dead people are people, too. Vote as often as you'd like, or have surrogates pay others to do it for you. Unless you're not white - we hear the cops are monitoring the vote and arresting people. We spent all our money on our new high tech voting system that doesn't keep track of the tally, so if you can hack in and rig the vote, you win - and nobody will ever know or care. Plus, we're all out of money, so it's better for everyone if we just pretend the problem doesn't exist. Shameless self-promotion and mean-spirited mocking of opponents is encouraged and expected. Lawnmowers optional.

So go vote. For me. If your vote can be bought, then leave your demands in the comments section.

Everything I Know About the Death Penalty, I Learned from Pope John Paul II

I am against capital punishment and I feel it should be abolished. But that hasn't always been the case. Until a few years ago, I believed the state reserved the right to impose the death penalty on offenders who commit the most henious types of crimes. It wasn't until about three years ago when I heard a speech made by the late Pontiff John Paul II, that I began to re-evaluate my own position on this compicated matter.

At the time the Pope weighed in, I was skeptical that there would be much common ground between a liberal queer activist like me and the leader of the Catholic Church. I should note that I was raised Catholic and I always took a dim view of their rigid dogma, particularly concerning issues of sexuality. But when I heard Pope John Paul II discuss the death penalty in the context of forgiveness and vengance, I was moved to revisit the issue (and my own ideas of forgiveness.)

The Pope mentioned that support for the death penalty is generally rooted in desire for revenge. He acknowlegded the legitimate urge for justice, but suggested that justice can never be achieved through vengance. He admonished those who cite Biblical scripture to justify a pro-death penalty stance. According the the Pope, the oft-repeated proverb "an eye for an eye...." (Lev. 24:20) was not a recipe for vengance, rather to meant to serve as a cautionary tale against the escalation of violence in general. The Pope also pointed out that Jesus' position on the death penalty was clear: rather that reltaliation, we should "turn the other cheek" and extend our hand in healing, blessing, and forgiveness. (Matthew 5:38-55)

Rather that relying on a second-hand account of stuff I heard John Paul II say three years ago, I wanted to find some actual quotes from the Pope which support the values I've just described. It wasn't difficult. A Google search on the words "Pope John Paul + death penalty" turns up 641,ooo hits. The Vatican has its own website complete with an archive of transcripts from many Papal speeches and masses. (Who knew?) From paragraph 56 of Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life) Pope John Paul II states:

It's clear that for punishment to be achieved, the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought to not go to the extreme of executing the offender except when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, such cases are practically non-existent.

The Pope advanced the argument that when a prisoner (who poses no threat to society) is executed, it sends the message that life is worthless, thus we can view the death penalty as an injustice to the sanctity of life. I share the Pope's belief that execution does not end with the death of the criminal, but affects each and every one of us living in a society which justifies capital punishment. I admit it's instinctively pleasing to jugde those who commit henoius crimes as worthless or "less-than" but we should resist this temptation. If we convince ourselves that some among us deserve death, then we forget that all of us deserve forgiveness and the grace to ammend our lives. Fighting violence with violence for the sake of vengance does not serve a useful role in this country. Nor does it allow society to cultivate less vengeful methods of dealing with violent crime.

A 1994 piece entitled Confronting a Culture of Corruption: A Catholic Framework for Action the American Conference of Catholic Bishops states:

Increasingly, our society looks to violent measures to deal with some of our most difficult social problems...including increased reliance on the death penalty to deal with crime. Violence is not the solution; is it the most clear sign of our failures. We can not teach that killing is wrong by killing.

As I mentioned, I spent a long time believing that capital punishment is justified in some cases. My change of heart occured when I heard the Pope issue a pretty bold and compelling statement condeming the death penalty. He basically suggested that those who take a pro-death penalty stance are generally folks who suffer from issues related to forgiveness. The fact is, at the time I was an angry young man with no ability to forgive others (or myself) for anything. Not that there were all these things to forgive, but I tended to err on the side of vengance whenever I felt threatened or slighted. In my case, the Pope was right: when I addressed my inablitiy to forgive, my feelings regarding the death penalty simply changed. I believe there is a strong correlation there.

Thinking back, I'm surprised I didn't respond defensively to the Pope's assertion, instead somehow managed to take his words to heart. I said earlier that my relationship with the Catholic Church is hardly a cozy one. That might have made it easy to dismiss the Pope out of hand. Instead, I had a "teachable moment" which has led me to a greater understanding of my own values.

~~~ ~~~

I had a chance to interview Kirk Bloodsworth who happens to be the first American ever to be completely exonerated from death row with DNA evidence. Any lingering doubt about capital punishment are put rest by Kirk's story which proves that it's surely possible to actually execute an innocent person. Listen to the podcast of that interview here.

Another GOP red herring

Why is the New Jersey GOP so desperate to reactivate the death penalty in this state? Just the other day, republican state legislators responded to the death penalty study panel's recommendations by bleating some nonsense about pedophiles and cop killers.

Today republican state Senator Gerald Cardinale took the bloodlust up a few notches when he made the suggestion that New Jersey's death penalty would be more effective if we followed the Iraqi model.

Courier Post:

"I was very impressed with the death penalty in Iraq being implemented in a very short time after it was imposed," Cardinale said, referring to the swift hanging of Saddam Hussein less than a week after his appeals were denied.

I'll let that sink in for a second.

All the news this week about the death penalty being repealed in this state has been heart warming. I mean, not only is it morally disgusting to execute anyone, but as a matter of public policy, capital punishment is completely ineffective. Not to mention costly. And most people seem to think it may soon be a thing of the past here in NJ. New Jersey would be the first state to abolish the death penalty legislatively since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.

According to the bio on his campaign website, Sen. Cardinale is a proud member of the Knights of Columbus. Which makes him Catholic. Which makes him a hypocrite. After all the Catholic Church is clear in its opposition to capital punishment.

So why is the NJGOP so hellbent on taking such a hardcore posture on this issue? I mean, where does this fit into the republican's much-vaunted "culture of life?"

Hypocritical and hysterical. It's the sad, sorry story of the New Jersey Republican party.

happy '07

Image courtesy Steve Breen

New Year's News Roundup

Many newspapers are doing retrospectives of the year that was. No surprise who got top billing from the Ocean County Observer: Lt. Laurel Hester. I wonder if she knew just how powerful her legacy would be one year later.

In addition to helping countless sufferers of disease like diabetes or Alzheimers, the new stem cell research center also has much local promise as well. The stemcell research center (to be named for the late actor and activist Chris Reeve) suggests bigtime progress for Camden, as well.

As many of you know, the country lost it's 3oooth soul in Iraq over the holiday weekend. Peace activists from New Jersey and beyond will be hitting the streets of Washington later this month. On the 27th, we will take our mandate to the capital's Mall. On the 29th, we'll be on Capital Hill doing direct lobbying of legislators to end this senseless war. So who's in? I'll be headed down and I hope many of my peace loving brothers and sisters will be joining me from the Garden State.

Some previously red township councils that flipped blue last November will be swearing in new progressives today. Likewise the GOP is floundering in Washington Township.

You all know about the big party in New Brusnwick later this week, right?
Resolutions anyone? Leave 'em in the comments, please!!

Stopping the War, and other resolutions

With an eye on 2007, many of us are have 'resolutions' on our minds. I know what I will be committed to in 'o7: taking our new progressive mandate to the streets. Afterall, the Democrats won on election day so the days of George Bush having free reign are over.

As luck would have it, there is a mega march on Washington on January 27 to stop the war ASAP. I've been working for peace since the very first day of this Iraq mess and unlike protests past, now I am no longer perceived as some counterculture hippie when I hit the streets to protest. Nope, pretty much most Americans are against the war now, not just the far left of the political spectrum. If the March in DC is half as cool as the massive protest in NYC last spring, I'll be happy. But just the same, I hope it's twice as big.

So I close with two questions for you: 1) what is your New Year's Resolution and 2) What can you do PERSONALLY to fight for peace?

More (unbelievable) war shit

A few months ago, a young Airman from New Jersey, Carl Ware Jr. was shot and killed in Iraq. Around the time of his  funeral questions began to emerge about the exact nature of his death.  A week ago, I was enjoying a rainy day off at home, drinking some Earl Grey and surfing the net.  Out of the blue I get an instant message from "Justdunno."  It was an unfamiliar screenname.

"You wrote about my brother."

Long, awkward, pregnant pause.

"Carl Ware." 

Keep in mind, I recognized the name of course, but it had been a while since Airman Ware's death, so it wasn't exactly fresh in my mind what I wrote about him. 

"I hope I didn't write anything that offended you," I typed. 

"Not at all," she replied.  She seemed grateful that we seemed willing to ask the tough questions, so she reached out.

I have one of those screennames that you can derive from my email address which you can find on this site.  I'm not too hard to track down.  But I was curious why did she reach out to me.  Did she need a friend or was she just trying to keep her big brother's story alive?

"Both," she said.


(pic of carl and his kid sister, as youngins.  I am not using her name because she doesn't wanna be google-able)

Little sister told me -- as per the jag lawyer prosecuting this case -- that Carl died in Iraq because he was shot in the chest by a fellow American soldier, a guy who is now being detained in Kuwait awaiting trial. She pointed out that her brother's (alleged) killer had some mental issues and was admitted to the service at a time when recruiters were bending their standards and accepting just about anyone with a pulse. Anyway, the trial is coming in the spring, probably in March.

We chatted for about an hour that first time.  We could have gone on longer, but she is reeeally pregnant and needed to get some rest.  She lamented that Carl would never know his niece or nephew.  And if that weren't sad enough, Carl's wife is also pregnant with their second child.

Anyway, in case you're wondering why I am sharing all this it's to remind each and every one of you that there is an expensive and increasingly deadly war raging in Iraq.  To say nothing of Afghanistan, the mess in Iraq is really out of countrol. I know we all know the Iraq war is happening.  Of course we are sensitive to the war.  We are progressives after all. 

But when I hear stories like Carl Ware's and I think to myself "for every Carl Ware there are like thousands of cases just like his or worse."  And the thought sickens me.  And that's when I have a gut check and ask myself what am I doing to fight for peace.

Carl's sister asks me "why did my brother have to die?" 

If Carl Ware's story can inspire us to work to end this war, then in some small way we could say that he died for peace.

We've tackled a lot of weighty issues here in the liberal blogosphere.  Can we now brainstorm a little about ending this war?

Peace on Earth, version 2.007

Click to enlarge. Image courtesy of R.J. Matson

Christmas day News in New Jersey

Labels matter. So does symbolism. Now that the civil union law is a done deal, we can start to anticipate what the blowback will mean in more subtle ways then we may have previously considered. For example, how to intorduce your partner at a Christmas party?

New Jersey's GOP wants to honor former President Reagan by naming something after him. Personally I have plenty of suggestions, but it's Christmas so I'll be kind. Just this once.

Our state's newest Representative, Albio Sires (NJ-13) will serve on the Financial Services Committee in the upcoming Congress. Rep. Sires wants a spot on the International Relations Committee as well. We'll know soon enough. Cuban-born Sires represents some much-needed diversity in the NJ delegation. Just how much do you know about Albio Sires, anyway? Get a little primer here.

Governor Cozine takes a retrospective on 2006, the year that was. Find out what grade he gave himself for his first year in the Governor's mansion . Here's a hint: it's not a B-minus. In an unrelated sign of what might be in the horizon in '07, Corzine seems to be softening his position just a bit on video lottery terminals in some places. Oy.

Some good holiday reading for political junkies and history buffs alike, this piece takes a look at New Jersey's robust roll during the Revolutionary War. Did you know that NJ was the site of more battles for our nation's independence than any other state? Make sure you check out the slideshow as well!

Finally, a sweet piece about a Rutgers grad who works to make sure that Santa finds some of New Jersey's neediest. A perfect heartwarmer for the holidays. What can I say, I am a sentimental guy.

Merry Christmas folks!! Hope it's a good one!

David Sedaris, a fruitcake worse than fruitcake

I hate David Sedaris. With a passion.

Don't get me wrong, when I first read one of his books (don't remember which one) I was reasonably amused. It made for good travel reading. But now that he's reached this superstatus of America's witty literary hipster, I've had enough.

With titles like Dress Your Family in Corderoy and Denim and Holidays on Ice and many others, Sedaris is certainly quite prolific. But I hate him. Now with Christman rolling around I am forced to suffer yet another reading on Public Radio of Sedaris' diaries as an elf working at Macy's in Manhattan. At first blush the diaries are funny. The second time they are silly. The third time they are just downright stupid.

Maybe it's sour grapes. Afterall, David Sedaris is a rich and famous writer, and I am just a hack blogger. But I suspect my distaste for all things David Sedaris is rooted in the notion that I am no longer a crystal meth addict. When I was hopped up on speedballs and hadn't slept in a week, I found Sedaris' stuff to be pure genius. But then again, when I was speeding along, I had lots of delusions about what was/wasn't genius.

Now I am sober and now I hate David Sedaris.

Oh, and by the way, if you're looking for a literary recommendation this holiday season, why not check out Agustin Burroughs instead. He's witty without being trifiling, snarky without being gratuitously bitchy and most of all (unlike David Sedaris) Agustin Burroughs is substantative and cerebral.