Cherry Grove: Stormy Weather!

We're having some beautiful late Spring weather here in Cherry Grove, with two great beach days last weekend. However, a particularly violent thunder storm rolled through here late Sunday afternoon. For some reason, we seem to get really strong storms every once in a while out here on the island. We were entertaining guests, who had to wait for the storm to subside before they could make there way to our house. It looks like the same conditions will persist for the next couple of days. Yesterday I went for a 25 minute swim in the ocean. It's still too cool for most people but I found it refreshing. The water is warming up nicely from what it was just a week ago.

Jim

PHOTO: Cathedral rose w \indow in Leon, Spain

Obama Will Be The Nominee Wednesday Morning

...so declares NBC pundit-in-chief Tim Russert on the "Today" show this morning. He expects a significant number of Democratic "Superdelegates" to declare for Obama after the results of the South Dakota and Montana primary elections are in. This will be enough to put Obama over the top and give him enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination. Hopefully, this will end the Clinton's campaign, and end their strangle hold on the Democratic Party. We'll see.

As for Obama, he did the politically necessary thing by resigning from his church, even though much truth is spoken in that church, truth that is especially relevant to African Americans. The church will go on, and Obama will go on - down their separate paths, as Rev. Wright said.

It's too bad that you have to sell your soul to be elected to office in this country. Idealism is too soon shattered by political realities. If Obama is elected, I hope he can maintain some of his idealism through the political battering that he will endure as soon as he steps into the oval office. Call me cynical, but I don't have high hopes. By the way, read Gary Hart's spot on article on idealism vs. pragmatism over at Huffington.

Jim

PHOTO: The stained glass in the Gothic Cathedral at Leon, Spain is some of the finest I've seen anywhere and rivals even Chartres, after which this magnificent cathedral was initially patterned.

California Should Ignore Republican Bigots

The Attorney Generals of ten states have asked the California Supreme Court to stay its decision on gay marriages until after the voters have had a chance to ban gay marriages by constitutional amendment in November. The ten AGs are all Republicans. That's no surprise. The attorney general of the state of California, Jerry Brown, has told the court not to issue a stay. Lets hope California listens to Brown and not to the Republican bigots.

Small "d" democracy is not always a good thing. It's not a good thing to submit the rights of a minority to a popular vote. If you have a constitution that guarantees equal rights to all, then the very notion of a constitutional amendment that takes away rights of some should be out of order on its face. You can't have an amendment that goes against the rest of the document, it seems to me.

PHOTO: The spectacular Gothic cathedral in Leon, Spain. Wait until you see some of the beautiful stianed glass!

Jim