HEROES HOORAH!

Today’s blog is about heroes. There were many competing topics, but instead of focusing on the villains of the world it is time to write a bit about two of the people doing their part to make the world a bit better.

The first person is Ethan of Denver, Colorado. Ethan is a third grader who had a playmate whose same sex parents are not able to be officially married in Colorado. So what did Ethan do? He organized a marriage equality rally.

This action is significant in light of the advertisement released this week in New Hampshire by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). Their ad, “Confused Kids” shows a number of children supposedly confused by the concept of same sex marriage. But, yet, as Ethan epitomizes, children are naturally born tolerant and loving. It is the adults that are around them who fill them with hate and cause them to be confused.

My second hero this week is Jesse Ventura. Ventura has been making the rounds on the news shows over the past couple weeks to market the paper back release of his memoir. He has been on The View, Sean Hannity, and Fox and Friends and maybe others. But, at each stop he does an effective job of slaying the conservatives who want to argue with him about waterboarding and the greatness of the Bush administration. The problem is that as a former Navy Seal Ventura has first hand experience of being waterboarded. So, these poor fools who want to argue with him about these so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” do not have the knowledge that Ventura does (aside from the fact the people have never been in any combat situations). And, what is so funny is that these conservative fools feel that if they talk louder and consistently interrupt Ventura repeating inane phrases that they will win the argument. Ventura, on the other hand has a very clear, methodical style of delivery and he does not raise his voice or get frustrated. It is just so classic. When he was on The View, Elizabeth Hasselback kept repeating something about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as if that was to prove some point.

Let me say this about Nancy Pelosi. First, I do believe that she was briefed on waterboarding by the CIA. But, as these briefings were top secret it is not as if she could run out of those briefings and tell the world what was disclosed in the meeting. Second, I believe her when she said she was mislead or not told everything. I mean, come on, this was the Bush Administration afterall. This was the same Administration where the Vice President declared himself an entity all unto himself, where a gay escort was given press credentials and access to the West Wing, and where Alberto “I don’t recall” Gonzalez headed up the Department of Injustice that gave leadership positions to “lawyers” from unaccredited law schools. Third and most importantly, Nancy Pelosi was not the force behind the policy.

I do not know how effective Ventura was when he was governor of Minnesota. My guess, is that like me, many probably always took him as a joke. But, he has impressed me with these recent appearances and shows the need for more viable political parties in this country.

So, kudos to Ethan and to Jesse Ventura for doing their part to enhance our lives.

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