Patriot Act, same sex marriage #2

Many a question is asked, what do you think of City Council taking up matters such as the Patriot Act and same sex marriage, and then one minute is given for response. For those wishing more than the sound byte answer:

As a city councilperson, I will swear to uphold the constitution of the United States. In my opinion, opposition to the Patriot Act is part of my patriotic duty to uphold the constitution, as it would have been to oppose sending Japanese to internment camps, no matter what war hysteria demanded.

In relationships, a nice breakthrough is when one can see that while nagging one’s mate to stop being grumpy, you have become grumpy yourself. This TURNAROUND can lead to humor. I wonder if those who spent so much time concerned with the hour or so the council “wasted” on the same sex marriage proclamation, can laugh at themselves.

Nevertheless, the issue is compelling, and my take is this: if someone wants to marry someone of the same sex, it’s their business; people are free and one of the many ways they are free is to determine who and where and with whom they wish to spend their lives. It is fine and right for the city council to encourage any choices that are about love and caring.

I’m more interested in the unconscious marriages we have made with our cars, with our stuff, with our habit of hiding indoors away from Nature, with our city council business. These unconscious marriages are often but unseen habits that are cutting us off from happiness in the moment, which is the only place happiness occurs, and which real “quality of life” is all about.

As long as pressing local business is taken care of( and the council seems to have flubbed the dub a bit on getting around to involving people in the allocation of the $20 million in redevelopment funds), then helping out a nice person (the mayor of Sebastapol asked for council support) wanting more dignity for her way of life: that’s fine with me.

Chris Elms 996-1437