Craig's Corner

This week saw historic hearings at the Supreme Court regarding the legality of gay marriage.   Much has been written and talked about this subject, but most of it misses context and is the usual who's winning - who's losing coverage.   Let’s step back and look at the role of government in the social fabric of society and how marriage is part of it.   Equality in relationships is for many of us a deeply personal matter about our families and isn’t simply a matter of justice and identity.   Obtaining permission from the state – receiving a license to marry – is a validation of equality and acceptance, but doesn't seem right.   Is there a better way?     Wikipedia states: “For most of Western history, marriage was a private contract between two families. Until the 16th-century, Christian churches accepted the validity of a marriage on the basis of a couple’s declarations. If two people claimed that they had exchanged marital vows—even without witnesses—the Catholic Ch

Anniversaries inherently have nostalgia attached to them.   As the world marked the 10 th anniversary this week of the U.S. “war” with Iraq, I am surprised to find I’m longing for the days of George W. Bush...well, not him personally, but his era.   I am not a Republican, nor a fan of W’s politics – especially the policies that drove the U.S. economy into a depression in addition to invading sovereign countries preemptively.   It’s the 10 th anniversary of my opposition to the military action in Iraq.   Harry Browne (RIP) and other Libertarians warned of the consequences in 2003 of the action.   Their website has been frozen in time at http://www.truthaboutwar.org/ .   It remains accurate and prophetic.   The Bush administration either had the worst intelligence gathering people imaginable, or the material justifying invasion was manufactured to support their perspective.   Why would I be nostalgic for those shenanigans?   The Bush administration went to the United Nations to

My grandmother died 31 years ago this month.   She was one of those people who is so much a part of me that I know she her own sequence in my DNA.   My brother-in-law found my college essay in some of my Dad’s files and sent it along recently.   In re-reading it I realized that writing has been a key part of how I express myself for a very (very) long time.   I thought I might want to edit it, tweak a few things – you know, with age comes wisdom and all that.   I realized that, no, actually, it still resonates all these years later – though it is clearly written by a young person.   It is truly the best way I can think of to honor her memory.   Below is a scan of the two-page essay.

Clothes make the man said Mark Twain in a statement that applies to mankind – not just the male gender.   Fashion has become so prevalent in today’s world that it is synonymous with the entertainment industry.   Just a few weeks ago nearly a billion people watched a lot of wealthy people walk down a red carpet to a theatre in Hollywood and there are nearly that many photos of the event.   There are lots of ‘reality’ television shows about sewing.   With such a focus on fashion, it’s no surprise that the U.S. Government has joined the fray.     The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on the eve of Sequestration, finalized a $50 million contract for one year to get uniforms for 50,000 TSA employees.   The contract is essentially a continuation of the prior one – where 2 years ago the company was awarded $98 million over two years – so this isn’t a one time only cost.      It’s a pretty standard uniform, the $1,000 cost per employee includes 3 shirts, 2 pants and socks.   A