7 Days to Go

My friend Tony posted this today, and it elicited a big response from me, which I wanted to further blog about. Read his post and click on the links. :

this is why some on the right are so angry. and this is why some on the left are. and this.

in my mind, it's what is wrong with us. we spend so much time hating the other side, deciding they are so different from us, that some people resort to disgusting behavior. thus, pushing the moderate folks further away from the center.

we have common ground. there is gray area. we can come together around difficult issues. there is definitely room for disagreement, and pushing back, and discussion. but when it's taken too far, we accomplish nothing.

What surprised me about myself, is that when I clicked on the first link, I thought "Heh, amusing. Practically harmless, somebody exercising their right to disagree without causing any real pain or offense." Then on the second link, I thought, "Well...I mean...I guess fair is fair. I'm sure Obama (or anyone in the public eye) expects this kind of reaction."
But then the third link finally made me go, "Oh...wait. This isn't good. How can anyone do this and not understand the implication it carries with it?"

So, three links later, I was offended - and mostly because it was suggesting that a Black Man should Hang. White Men Hanging - apparently not as offensive to me. Perhaps this is because in our history, white men don't typically hang. Unless they're gay. So, would I ever condone anyone hanging Matthew Shepherd in effigy? Not for a moment.

So Tony, you bring up a wonderful point, and one that I have found myself guilty of. We spend too much time hating the other side. But even more than that, we think that what the other side is doing is "HATE", but what we're doing is "JUST GOOD FUN" or "PART OF DEMOCRACY" or some other justification.

Here's the rub for me.

The other day I had drinks with an old friend who had early voted for McCain. He's Asian, he's going to grad school to be a Lawyer, he's a year younger than me, and he lives in Southern California - a rare McCain demographic I'm sure.

I was angry and frustrated and wanted to get at the root of WHY....WHY would he vote for McCain??

Now why couldn't I say "Well...it's your right to choose who you want"? Why couldn't I just agree to disagree without being disagreeable?

If someone likes chocolate ice cream, when I prefer vanilla. Who cares? If you want to go to temple and you want to go to church - c'est la vie!

But the leader of our country isn't ice cream or architecture. If McCain is elected, I believe my life will be affected negatively. I have a VESTED interest in Obama's success. I have something to lose.

So where is the middle ground? And when the middle ground is reached, through compromise and give and take, and discussion - at what point have you also compromised your values? If there's too much "Well, I guess you have a point", ultimately doesn't one person concede and the other win? Is there really a pure truth? A correct answer?

And if...IF there is. Then isn't it our politicians' fault for dividing us, for fooling us into believing there are multiple ways? Mutually exclusive ways? If there IS common ground, if there IS gray area, then why do we vote between two opposing candidates with two opposing parties?

With 7 days to go...I wonder why I feel so angry...

Superstar

I'm very excited about this...

I have to be honest, this makes me feel a little like a superstar.

I haven't yet blogged about this, but I'm currently filming a webseries called The Resistance, a spin-off of the acclaimed series Lonelygirl15.

And they asked us to participate in the Get Out the Vote campaign and encourage our viewers to register to vote. The deadline in California is October 20th. So check out the video (and the show) and do, please, VOTE!

Actor/Composer/Politician?

Back in July I revamped my effort to write more and stay on top of this blog. In doing that, I've unconsciously begun to shift my focus from Actor/Composer to Political Commentator. Watch out, Anderson Cooper!

Now look - I think it's the job of every American to be as up-to-date as possible when it comes to Politics. Politics shouldn't be the understanding of a few, but of all. It's OUR country...right? So I don't feel bad about commenting about Politics, but I do feel as though it has shifted my focus from things more important to my daily life.

Also in July I finally got a MacBook, which was great. But I haven't yet gotten the web programming software to continually update my personal website.

So I've decided to momentarily kill two birds with one stone. Except I don't condone killing animals for sport, so let's just say I plan to stun two birds with one stone. I'm going to report on my artistic, professional endeavors on my blog here and leave the political commentating to the experts - namely my good friend, Tony, who once wrote for his high school newspaper.

This all came about when my good friend Tim - who's getting married!...gee, getting married, I wonder what that would be like. Won't ever know unless you vote no on prop 8....

No! no...no political talk. Er...

So, I'm working on a show where I play a Canadian, and I often joke around about the accent, which sounds an awfully lot like Sarah Palin's....

Oops. There I go again.

Well, look I'll do my best to turnaround, get on the money, and keep it gay.

Hopefully it'll be a change we can all believe in.

A Lucky Kid

A beautiful wedding story.


Vote No on Prop 8.

The Gospel According to Bill

Last night I went to see Religulous. I was surprised to find that it received a 63% "fresh" rating from rottentomatoes.

In the film, political comedian Bill Maher makes commentary on the absurdity of different religions through various interviews with believers (and one or two non-believers, as well.)

In my opinion, this was a terrible film, and an even worse "documentary" - though to use that term, as Maher does, is to use it loosely.

I agree with Maher's position on religion. But what I expected to be a discussion about religion, it's creeds, as well as it's uses in society, turned out to be "Bill Maher's Right and You're Wrong." In essence, I felt that Maher did to the converted what Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly do to the liberals. There's no room for other opinions, but mine.

Again I say, I agree with Maher. I think religion is a detriment to society, and I think it's a very dangerous thing. Being able to say with utter certainty that "God is on my side" is to be drunk with unquestionable power and the utmost authority to do whatever you want.

But it exists. And so what does that mean? This movie was far less about opening a conversation and much more about convincing people - in essence apostatizing. And I always question when one person uses the tactics of another person to show that their tactics are wrong.

Do I think people should see this movie? Sadly, no. I feel very strongly that religion is something that needs to fade away, but the answer, I feel, is information and education. I don't think this movie provides much of that at all, and so I think that in attempting to help it, Maher has actually hurt his cause.

The Future of McCain

Last Wednesday, the night before the VP debate, Stephen Colbert did a segment about how John McCain was not the candidate of tomorrow, but rather the candidate FROM tomorrow!

The piece was about John McCain's uncanny ability to report the facts before they actually exist, and how his VP pick, Gov. Palin, is able to see Russia AND the future.

Take a look:


Though it sounded funny, I wasn't quite sure what Stephen meant until the day AFTER the VP debate, Friday. In my mail box I received a letter from John McCain, along with this:





If you can't make out what the writing says on the bottom it reads thus:
"Dear Mr. Ryback, Thank you for your support and commitment to our Party and candidates," and then it has McCain's and Palin's autographs!

And look! John McCain is waving right at me!! Gov. Palin, of course, is waving to somebody above and behind me, perhaps it's Joe Six-Pack or some Hockey Mom from Main street.

In the letter it tells me: "I know that friends like you have been among our Party's most loyal and dedicated supporters throughout this unpredictable campaign. We owe you a great deal of thanks."

Now, I was immediately confused. I have never once in my life supported McCain, his campaign, or his party. And yet here it was: "Thank you for your support and commitment to our Party and candidates!" Then I looked at the date of the letter.

Just below John McCain's personal (and frankly uncreative) letterhead was the date he wrote this letter: Friday Morning. (That's actually what it said, Friday Morning. Even when he writes the DATE he avoids specifics.) I had recieved this letter Friday afternoon. I don't understand the mail all that well, but I know it takes at LEAST a day (sometimes a year, in Los Angeles) for a piece of mail to go around the block, let alone from Washington D.C. Which can only mean one thing...

JOHN MCCAIN WAS WRITING TO ME FROM THE FUTURE!

He dated it Friday morning, because it was Friday Morning when he wrote it, but in reality it was really only Thursday morning! Suddenly this changed everything. Maybe John McCain was thanking me for the support that I will give him in the future. Maybe he knew something I didn't know! (That I would, for example, actually desire an autographed picture of those two.)

It seems to me that this type of desperate pandering to people who have never committed to his campaign does show a bit of sight into the future. I have a very good feeling that John McCain knows exactly how this whole election is going to turn out.

And boy is he nervous.

Don't Vote!

More reasons from the huffingtonpost.com
as to why you shouldn't vote....

November 4th, 2008

Be sure to register to vote.

And while you're there...be careful!

Take a look at this eerie clip from the fuuuuture!