Rita Moran

Primary Thoughts

Jun 082010

Like many other states, Maine has a primary today.

I’ve been pretty busy helping local candidates involved in legislative race primaries or nominating caucuses, and maintaining my own neutrality in a hotly-contested Democratic gubernatorial primary as well.

I have also spent a bit of time listening to the Republican primary contenders, and have found some of their views pretty scary. Peter Mills, long time state legislator from a political family that has produced some good Democratic office-holders including our wonderful attorney general Janet Mills, appears to be the most moderate of the GOP field.

Sounds good, but I’ve got a Peter Mills story that puts it all in focus.

Peter Mills also ran in the 2006 gubernatorial primary, and lost to Chandler Woodcock, who had the support of the religious right. As part of Mills’ campaign “travels” he made the round of the Social and Political Action booths at Common Ground Fair that year.

Now, if you’re ever in Maine in mid-September, get up to Unity and visit the fair. It’s a real old-fashioned ag fair, lots of animals and vendors of organic food (after all, it’s organized by the Maine Organic Farmers’ and Gardeners’ Association), and no games of chance or carnival rides.

EarthTides Pagan Network has an informational booth at the fair every year, and 2006 was no exception.

I was staffing the booth alone (everyone else was doing the presentation on Paganism in Maine), when up walked Peter Mills. He had been going up and down the aisle shaking hands and introducing himself. Up he walked to our booth, holding out his hand to me with a big smile on his face, when I could see his eyes track up and behind me to the sign over my head, “EarthTides Pagan Network.” I could see his eyes read the sign, tracking left to right. The smile disappeared immediately, replaced by what could only be described as a look of disgust, of revulsion or at least grave annoyance. He pulled back his hand, turned on his heel and stalked out of the tent.

Now, four years later, this man is considered the most moderate of the Republican candidates, and, by some “pundits” a likely winner.

It’s experiences like this one that keep me in involved in politics. Whether you think the two party system is the best possible one (I don’t), whether you think the Democratic Party is wonderful (I don’t), the facts are the facts: we will never be safe unless those who refuse to shake our hands are out of power.

Think about that, consider alternatives, and do what your heart says.

How Should We Nominate Our Candidates?

Pagan+Politics, politics 9 Responses »

May 192010

We here in Maine nominate our presidential candidates through the caucus/convention process. With that one exception, all other partisan candidates are nominated through primaries. Since our primaries only a few weeks away, lawn signs are popping up here like mushrooms after wet weather. We have five Democrats (one a write-in) and seven Republicans running at the moment, so you can imagine the crop of signs, most of which will be useless (OK, I’ll admit I save the wickets) after the primary.

It occurs to me that, in a time when state budgets are squeezed between a rock and a hard place, when state funding for education is cut forcing local property taxes to make up the difference, when workers are looking at pay cuts, we need to take a long, hard look at our system of primaries.

In 2007, Maine’s Secretary of State considered asking the legislature to cancel the state-funded primaries which, at the time, cost an estimated $300,000. Primaries are strictly partisan activities, and forcing all the voters (including those ineligible to vote in a primary) to pay for them is just plain unjust.

So what’s the answer? Ask the state party organization to pony up the cash? I doubt they could here in Maine. I believe the solution is to look to Utah, in which candidates are chosen in county and state nominating conventions made up of delegates chosen at the local level.

I realize some of you will disagree, and disagree strongly. “Caucuses are inherently undemocratic,” you will say.

Having participated in many of them, I would have to disagree. Any member of the party is invited, public notice is a requirement, and those who cannot be there have the same right to vote absentee as they would in a primary. Becoming a delegate is easy (even in 2008 every alternate ended up being upgraded to delegate), and anyone who can’t afford the $38 cost can get the fee waived. I realize that lots of folks feel that caucuses are some sort of smoke filled room with access granted only to party “insiders” but that honestly hasn’t been my experience. In Maine, spend an afternoon helping stuff envelopes, and you become an insider, I guess.

Nominating through the caucus/convention route would also reduce the cost of getting onto the November ballot enormously, thus empowering candidates who prefer to rely more on small donors than on large corporations.

Finally, particularly in a party which takes grassroots organizing seriously, there would be the great benefit of increased, very personal, participation in the process of choosing a candidate. Attending a caucus where you have a chance to discuss your candidate of choice, and attempt to convince your neighbors to support that candidate, is a wonderful experience and leads to increased levels of volunteerism between nomination and the general election in November. Having volunteers creates more of a level playing field for candidates who don’t want to be beholden to large donors.

So….the cost is lower, both for candidates and taxpayers. Participation is open to the same group of party-affiliated voters who now are permitted to vote in primary elections. Candidates will not need as much corporate money to get on the ballot, since their campaigns will be volunteer-powered (if they prefer to work with the grassroots).

Sounds good to me!

Jobs…..Finally? Then What?

Pagan+Politics, politics 10 Responses »

May 142010

OK, I’ll admit it: this small business owner was having some sleepless nights (and took on a second job to make ends meet) last year. The economy, here in Maine and otherwise, was in a slowdown, folks were hunkering down not knowing what would hit them next, and our local independent bookshop was pretty quiet.

Then came 2010, and, thanks to our loyal customers and more public confidence that things would get better, our business was up 12% for the first quarter. Whew!! Thank the Gods!

Honestly, I hope that the media will encourage that public confidence, but I really haven’t seen much good news lately. Until I read this piece in the National Journal…here’s the lead:

If the economy produces jobs over the next eight months at the same pace as it did over the past four months, the nation will have created more jobs in 2010 alone than it did over the entire eight years of George W. Bush’s presidency.

That comparison comes with many footnotes and asterisks. But it shows how the economic debate between the parties could look very different over time — perhaps by November, more likely by 2012. More important, the comparison underscores the urgency of repairing an American job-creation machine that was sputtering long before the 2008 financial meltdown.

The authors explain that, while things appear to be improving, there is still a need to “repair” our job creation engine.

So what will it take to do this?

Great leaps are usually the result of jobs created in the wake of new technology, like the dot.com boom of the 1990s, but I don’t see them as sustainable. That boom sure wasn’t.

Absent an emerging technology which will give us this leap, what we need to focus on is taking little steps, every day, with every choice we make.

What I believe we as a people need to do is to put our money where our mouths, and the rest of us, are. We need to stop talking about buying local, and actually do it. We need to support local businesses that hire our friends and neighbors and pay property taxes in our communities. We need to buy American whenever we can. If I need a new shirt, can I get one made in the US? If not, can I get one at Goodwill…better that my purchase support their work than increase the US debt, right? Yes, that’s right: by contributing to the trade imbalance we do exactly that, every day with every dollar.

Can I try to be sure that all the food I eat traveled no more than a hundred miles from its source to my home? That’s not always possible, especially here in Maine, but voting with your fork is a very real choice we Pagans can make.

We feel strongly about the sacredness of the earth, and about sustainable living. Let us take that one step further, and add economic sustainability to our list of values. Let us walk the talk, and teach by example.

OK, What’s the Alternative?

Pagan+Politics, politics 14 Responses »

Apr 292010

Yes, I know that Congress has passed health care reform. It’s a done deal, right, and all we have to do is sit back and watch the results?

However, I also know that the new deficit reduction commission has said that everything, including federal health care legislation, is on the table when I comes to getting us out of debt.

So, we may yet be back to last summer, when health insurance reform was a distant dream from which we were separated by fear and angry rhetoric.

I understand that not all of our readers agree that it’s the job of government to do for its citizens collectively what they cannot do for themselves individually. Some other time we can discuss whether we actually need superhighways, or regulations designed to keep contaminated food out of our pantries.

But what about health care?

We could say that each of us is responsible for ourselves and our families, with no government involvement, but let’s see what that could actually look like.

Say I am driving carefully along Route 202 in Central Maine, and I get involved in a collision with a drunk driver who is uninsured (after all, there would be no legal requirement for insurance). I get badly injured, and end up with, say, $200,000 in medical costs and, because of the residual effect of those injuries, am no longer able to work.

My employer-based insurance would disappear after I used up my ten sick days.

There’s clearly a serious pre-existing condition, and no law requiring an insurance company to take me on, so no new health insurance is possible. Medicaid wouldn’t provide coverage, since we’re imagining a situation where there is no government paid health coverage.

I’m lying in intensive care, racking up thousands of dollars a day in costs with no way to pay the bill. The hospital would eventually own my house and all my other assets, but that would cover only a small fraction of what I owe.

Ah, yes…cost shifting! Whatever that hospital couldn’t get from me, it would get by charging all their other patients for $10 aspirins, but even then only people sick or injured enough to be in the hospital would end up paying (or not paying at all if they couldn’t afford it and had no assets). Those aspirins would cost more and more, and more and more patients would be unable to pay for them, until the hospital just wouldn’t be able to meet its own bills and go out of business.

Am I missing something here?

I understand that each of us is responsible to stay as healthy as possible, eat right and exercise, and all the rest. But in the genetics lottery, not all of us are winners. And if we’re lucky, we end up with the sort of health challenges faced by many older Americans, from arthritis to prostate cancer, even those who take good care of themselves.

Who pays? Do we stay home from work to care for the chronically sick in our own families (but how would we pay for things like medications and the hospital bed in the living room)? Do we dump our sick out onto the street like some third world country? Do we depend not on the government, but on the church, with faith centered charities in charge of our care and welfare?

I guess there might be a good, people-centered solution that I’ve missed here. I know reasonable people, whom I respect, who truly believe we as a nation can do quite well without government involvement in regulating those who profit from the health care industry.

Oh, and what should be different if I were the drunk driver?

I just can’t see exactly how that would work.

First Amendment, Again

Uncategorized 6 Responses »

Apr 202010

I love the discussions here on Constitutional issues. It shows that we, as a group, may disagree on interpretation, but we take this foundational document of our democracy seriously. Good for us, and good for all who comment on our posts.

As members of a minority faith, Pagans are often misunderstood or worse. I’ve said frequently that my own political journey was an effort to make things just a bit safer for the generation coming up behind me, but that I didn’t believe things would become safer sooner than that. I guess I see it as a generational thing, just as gay marriage will probably be considered. As conservative commentator George Will once said

for those in his then 26 year-old daughter’s age cohort, the status of being gay was about as morally problematic as the status of being left-handed.

But let’s get back to the conundrum I see in the conservative right. We share a love for this country, and for the rule of law. We share a love and reverence for the Constitution…but seem to interpret it differently. Sarah Palin’s recent comments on religious issues (remember all those video clips of her being blessed and urged into the political arena by Reverend Thomas Muthee, whose principal claim to fame is persecuting a local witch) are pretty unsettling: Sarah Palin’s views.

Olbermann has put together a compelling piece, with grounding in research. Sarah may be the darling of those who claim to love the Constitution, but I find her interpretation very far from what its drafters intended. I understand those who fear changes they see around them, but maybe they should remember that their own ancestors were probably the hated newcomers to our shores at one time as well. Can we just find some common ground here, folks?

So….for me it’s a real puzzle, but I realize your opinions will vary, and should. After all, this is America and we thrive on civil discourse.

Comments?

Protests Now and Then

Pagan+Politics, politics 16 Responses »

Apr 142010

Watching the various Tea Party groups ramp up their rhetoric in preparation for their April 15th rallies (subtitled “Help Us Build a New Revolution”) reminds me of my own youthful protesting against the war in Southeast Asia. It got me wondering how this year’s protesters were so different from those I remember joining with.

Protesting has been part of the American political scene since the Boston Tea Party (or even before). We were founded by dissenters, and populated by men and women of courage who would rather leave their homelands than abandon their faith and beliefs, serve in the military, or face starvation.

So if political protest is something I agree with, something I have done personally with commitment and enthusiasm, why does the Tea Party movement feel “wrong” to me? This needed some research and considered thought, which I will share.

First, every attempt at dialog I have made with folks involved in the movement has failed. When I was outside the Expo Center in Portland, I tried talking to the protesters. I asked them what cuts in federal and state spending they felt should be made to lower taxes (no suggestions), whether they would like to cut spending by withdrawing our military from foreign wars as Ron Paul suggested (no takers), and what alternative to federal health care legislation they would have preferred (no suggestion, just repeal, but nobody happy with the status quo either).

The folks I talked to (and I’ll admit I didn’t talk to each and every one, just about a dozen at random) felt just as strongly about their position as I did about mine. What I felt was missing was a way to move forward.

If you’re protesting a war, explaining your solution is easy: negotiation leading to a peace agreement. When it comes to legislation, things get knottier, I guess. But the other thing, the thing that really set my teeth on edge, was the anger at government itself, the feeling that absolutely nothing emanating from a central authority would be acceptable, the threatening, confrontational manner (getting closer and closer to those waiting to see the president, until they were mere inches away).

When I protested war, even to the point of civil disobedience, it was non-confrontational. We took a stand against the taking of life, but there was no sense of impending doom, no hate-filled signs. What I saw in the protesters in Portland was quite the opposite. The tea party supporters, by their own words, believe that this nation is under attack and that they need to defend it. They believe that:

Many are in fear of the demise of our Great nation. The fear is legitimate. There is only one entity that will turn things around and save our constitution and our country as we once knew it. “We the People”.

They believe that:

The Tea Party dream includes all who possess a strong belief in the foundational Judaic/Christian values embedded in our great founding documents.

Please judge for yourself. I would never dream of telling you what to believe or how you should define your political beliefs or actions, and I completely respect your right to believe and act as you think you should After all, we are a faith that believes in personal responsibility. Thing is, I don’t understand how a movement that claims to defend the Constitution can violate its First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

Maybe that’s nit-picking (I don’t believe it is), but it goes deeper than that.

I can’t understand the failure to believe that we, as a people, are resilient, have been through challenging times and been strengthened by them; have the will to join together as Americans, whatever our beliefs; have the common sense to elect leaders we believe in, and to elect someone else if we don’t like the result. We don’t need anger; we need dialog, and I just don’t see that in the Tea Party.

Yesterday, with President Obama

Pagan+Politics, politics 2 Responses »

Apr 022010

OK, I’ll admit it. I came back from seeing and hearing President Barack Obama in Portland buoyed up by the excitement I had experienced. Given the fact that nearly all the people inside the Expo Center were “unscreened”, just folks who wanted to see the president and waited in line for tickets the day before, the applause and “Yes we can” chanting of the crowd was joyful and uplifting.

It’s not so much that President Obama is good at “speechifying”, it’s that he genuinely likes reaching out to people. Watching him at the rope line, shaking hands and exchanging few words with everyone he passed, made that abundantly clear. He stopped for everyone, chatted with the elderly World War II veteran far longer than he did with any elected Democrat, and his smile never wavered, nor did his eye contact. He was as enthusiastic as the rest of us, despite the fact that this was only one stop in a long week.

I had seen President Obama twice before this, once in Bangor the day before the Maine caucuses, and once when he accepted the nomination of his party at the end of the national convention in Denver. Yesterday, he seemed more calm and relaxed, more at ease.

Yes, there were opposition picketers outside; I wondered if any of them had gotten tickets and would speak up during the speech, but that didn’t happen. There were people outside convinced that Medicare would be taken away from them, that health insurance reform destroyed liberty while the violation of the Bill of Rights that took place under the previous administration did not, that Obama and his cabinet are “traiters”. I support the right to free speech, but did they have to ring those big bells for hours?

Health insurance reform has been discussed at length, and I really don’t want to bring up that debate. Yes the bill needs fixing, and I hope that will happen in a bipartisan way despite the GOP’s promise to stall every piece of legislation between now and the end of the session.

This post isn’t meant to get into anything heavy or contentious. It’s just about a wonderful April afternoon in Portland spent with the president. He’s a good guy; let’s give him a chance.

Enough said.

If you’d like to read more about the president’s visit, here are some links:

First, from Maine Public Radio:

http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineNewsArchive/tabid/181/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3475/ItemId/11646/Default.aspx

Second, from the Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2010/04/02/obama_tells_maine_overhaul_a_job_saver/

From the Kennebec Journal:

http://www.kjonline.com/news/defiant-president-defends-law_2010-04-02.html

Finally, from the Portland Press Herald:

http://www.pressherald.com/news/benefits-of-reform-enormous_2010-04-02.html

Warning–Law of Threefold Return

Pagan+Politics, politics 19 Responses »

Mar 252010

Many Pagans hold with what is variously called the Rule of Three or the Law of Threefold Return. What it says is that, whenever you wish or will harm to befall another (creating the magical energy behind harm), or cause that harm to happen, it will come back to you three times over.

I’m not sure whether or not that law only applies to Pagans, but it makes sense to me that it applies to anyone. After all, ignorance of the law is no excuse, right? And if you doubt that the extremists are raising harmful energy, just take another look at video clips from last Sunday’s demonstration outside the halls of Congress, soundly encouraged by members of Congress shouting down in agreement from the balcony of the Capitol Building.

So I guess we need to issue a warning to those folks out there who are actively endangering the families of members of Congress who supported health insurance reform, like the threatening letter followed by a severed gas line at the home of Virginia’s Rep. Tom Periello’s brother:

http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/crime/article/damage_at_home_of_perriello_brother_under_investigation/54038/

or the faxes of nooses like those received by Reps. Jim Clyburn and Bart Stupak

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/clyburn-says-photo-of-noose-faxed-to-his-office-after-hcr-vote-video.php

or the coffin placed on Missouri Rep. Rus Carnahan’s lawn

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34982.html#ixzz0j9TcV7oY

or the fact that Republican Senators will not allow the business of the Senate to continue, bring to a halt an attempt to help our homeless veterans

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/23/senate-unanimous-consent/

or the many acts of vandalism on Congressional offices and Democratic Party offices throughout the country, encouraged by the extremist blogosphere (and when you get to the blog, be sure to read the entire page and comments)

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2010/03/has-window-war-begun.html

or….and you can add your own list here as well.

Now, before you remind me that extremism and conservatism are not one and the same, let me say with absolute clarity that I do not believe they are.

I’m from Maine, and we well remember our Republican Senator, Margaret Chase Smith, who worked hard to stop Senator Joseph McCarthy’s witch hunt perpetrated by the House Un-American Affairs Committee. Senator Smith was a true conservative who had the courage to speak up when Americans were being persecuted by extremists of her own party.

Where are the courageous Republicans of 2010, where are the true conservatives willing to stand up to the extremists, to the bloggers and radio talk show hosts who spread terror and incite citizens to commit crimes of violence

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2010/03/hey-democrats-is-our-health-care-worth.html

(and why are none of these people being charged with incitement or conspiracy?)? Why is it that, whenever an elected Republican does stand up to Rush or his compatriots that representative of the GOP seems to back down within a few days?

But those questions are for the Republicans among us, the conservatives who love the rule of law as much as I do (really!)….and I truly hope that those questions will be asked and discussed within their own community. I hope they will read commentary like the piece written so well by John Cory:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion/42-civil-rights/1320-the-surreal-with-the-fringe-on-top.

My question is this: what harm will befall those who bring terror, threats and acts of violence, who have built the wall of fear that separates Americans from each other? I hope none, but whether you believe in the Law of Threefold Return, or just “what goes around, comes around”, either way their negativity is as dangerous to them as it is to the rest of us.

Let’s hope they figure that out. I wish them only safety, health, and peace.

Pagan Caucus(es)

Pagan+Politics, politics 6 Responses »

Mar 242010

In getting my ducks in a row for the Maine Democratic Party Convention in May, the idea of a national, regional, statewide or even local Pagan Caucus is again coming to mind. It’s been on my wish list ever since I had the great opportunity to network with Pagans at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Minority and special interest caucuses (like the GLBT Caucus, the Black Caucus, or the Pro-Choice Caucus) abound in the political world, both in legislative bodies and among politically active members of various parties. However, despite the fact that there are many Pagans who are involved in partisan politics, I have not heard of a Pagan Caucus.

Maybe it’s time for one.

State and, in some parts of the country, county conventions are moving forward right now. Since it’s a non-presidential year, becoming a delegate or alternate to those conventions will be far easier than it was two years ago.

If we are to pull Pagan Caucuses together (or even run for party leadership positions) the best place for that organizing will be those upcoming conventions.

The process of becoming a convention delegate will differ from state and party to another, but nearly all state parties have websites which include rules and bylaws, as well as contact information. In some states the deadline may have already passed, but in others (Maine, for instance) it is still possible to become a convention delegate if you live in a municipality which held a local caucus last January. Just go to the Maine Democratic Party website, look under People to find your county committee chairperson. Ask how you can become a convention delegate; openings are plentiful.

If you are planning to attend the Maine Democratic Party convention this year, and think pulling together a Pagan Caucus is a good thing, contact me off list and we’ll figure out the best time and place to meet. If you are from another party or state, you’ll need to do your own organizing, but I would be glad to help.

When I first became active in the Maine Democratic Party I found two things: first, if you’re willing to work you will be taken seriously whatever your age, gender, or religious persuasion. Second, if you don’t like how things are going it really is possible to change things, to state strong opinions and be listened to. It may take a while, but changing the landscape is possible. Frustrated, I once complained to a long-time party activist that I felt as though I was standing on the side of the road and the rest of the party members were just walking by. His answer, “Why Rita, just move the road!”

Honestly, speaking truth to power, being truth seekers and truth speakers isn’t always easy for one individual….but if we Pagans show who we are and learn to work together, moving (or widening) that road will be that much easier.

Equal Rights on Prom Night?

Pagan+Politics, politics 16 Responses »

Mar 122010

Every once in a while there’s a news story about a teenager that stands the usual stereotypes on their respective heads.

Constance McMillen, a senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School, is openly lesbian. She announced that her prom date would be another young woman, but the school administration refused to allow a same-gender couple at the prom. Instead of tossing her head, getting all huffy, and walking off in disgust at all grownups, Constance is suing her school. Good girl! For more, check out this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kafNkX1At8

Now, I know proms in themselves are controversial.

I’ve heard people say things like “We should take all the money we’re spending on the prom and donate it to the local food pantry.” Maybe so, but for lots of teens proms are a night to celebrate approaching adulthood, a night to make memories (good or bad).

Kids who manage to stay in school until the end of senior year are, in many places, the minority. They deserve the rite of passage (a familiar concept for Pagans), the experience of formal dress, of a lovely setting, and of trying to act like an adult while not exactly feeling like one.

But most of all, they deserve the right to enjoy that wonderful night with the person of their choice. I’m proud to say that, here in Maine, we’ve got that covered, on paper at least. On February 9th our Human Rights Commission released a set of draft guidelines designed to protect students from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

So what’s the Pagan angle here?

Simple.

If Constance McMillen had been barred from her prom because she was wearing a pentacle, would she have gotten the same national news coverage?

Would Rachel Maddow have written about her in her blog?

Would so many people be applauding her courage for suing her school?

What do you think?

Older Entries

Rita Moran

Primary Thoughts

How Should We Nominate Our Candidates?

Jobs…..Finally? Then What?

OK, What’s the Alternative?

First Amendment, Again

Protests Now and Then

Yesterday, with President Obama

Warning–Law of Threefold Return

Pagan Caucus(es)

Equal Rights on Prom Night?

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