The Convention Continues

It's a bit after noon o'clock. I got up just before 7:30 and spent a while sipping coffee and chatting with Stevie before hittin gthe shower. We joked about Bush’s reaction to Osama bin Laden’s latest tirade. All the while he thrust poll results in my face which showed, by-in-large, that Kerry was ahead or had closed the gap. It will be so incredibly nice to be able to wake up and spend some time in the morning without having poll data shoved in my face. A scant few days remain!

Actually, before Stevie awoke, I was granted a short respite. I checked my e-mail and, much to my chagrin, it looks like my interview with Ian Anderson is not to be. However, there remains a chance that I’ll be able to chat with Andrew Giddings, Tull’s keyboard player. I think that would be a hoot! Perhaps I could drag him to a tavern, buy him a few beers, and the dirt on the band. Alright, I know I’m not fooling anyone – there is no dirt to be had on Jethro Tull – but I would still be fun to get the lowdown on one of my favorite musical groups from the inside. Plus, I just dig rapping with musiciians. Although they make me extremely jealous that they have all the ability and I have none, it’s still neat to be able to bask in the glow of those who can create art that moves me so.

Toad Hill stalwarts and friends of Downtown, Dan & Jen, are here at Ancora with their newborn. In addition, Miss April, or perhaps more correctly, Mrs. April, was just here trying desperately to contain a gaggle of young children with an unidentified male. It never ceases to amaze me how my attraction to a womyn decreases when I see her with kids. It’s not that physical attraction decreases but rather I find them less desirable in more over-arching manner. This is certainly not to say that I find motherhood distasteful or any such thing. It is just that kids activate a libidinal warning klaxon within my brain signaling danger. More than likely there’s already a man in the picture or, if there isn’t, she’s looking for commitment, and, in general, casual sex could is easier found elsewhere. This is not always the case – witness The Dulcinea – but I prefer to walk nulliparous pastures.


I just had a nice chat with Dan, Jen, and Dan’s mother, whose name escapes me. Their son is so cute! If memory serves, he’s only a couple weeks old. They had spent part of the morning at the Farmer’s Market. We talked about parenthood, the convention, as well as the impending election. Although I don’t know them very well, I find them to be exceptionally nice folks. Dan is pretty mellow while Jen is more gregarious and always seems to be smiling.

As for the morning bit of the convention, Matthew Rothschild’s speech was the highlight. While I read The Progressive, of which he is editor, and have heard him on the radio, it was an altogether different experience to see and hear him speak in person.

He is fairly tall giving him an authoritative air but he also has this very welcoming, avuncular demeanor. Beneath the pleasantness and between the humorous anecdotes were the bricks of a philippic against Dubya and his injection of religion into our secular government. As a speaker, he has a great ethos and is incredibly articulate. He was able to enrage one moment and then have us laughing the next.

Robyn Blumner followed. This past summer she wrote an editorial for the St. Petersburg Times entitled, “I’m An Athiest – So What?” which I had encountered on the web. So it was interesting to see her in person and get the full story on the article and what prompted her to write it. Apparently the city council members there take turns in having someone say a prayer before sessions. One councilman brought in an atheist who gave a short speech and this highly offensive to various members of the council. This unnerved Blumner, how felt that the paper should write about it. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the editorial boards didn’t find the matter of any import and so it was left to her to pen a screed.

Susan Jacoby, author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. While she was quite animated, she read her cue cards rather hastily which contrasted greatly from her of appearanceappearance on NOW with Bill Moyers. I suppose this made her come across as more of a firebrand and left little or no doubt in my mind that she doesn’t take shit from anyone.

At one point during her speech, she reiterated a point made by most of the speakers: that atheists need to standup for themselves and be more vocal, that we need to come out of the closet, so to speak. For some reason, this seemed especially poignant and moving when she made the remarks. I looked around the room and wondered who among us will do more than merely applaud the sentiment and actually stand and face up to the challenge.

Surveying the people around me, I noticed again what was obvious yesterday night: the vast majority of people at the convention are well into middle age or older. Of course being 50+ doesn’t mean that you can’t kick ass & take names or that you can’t be vocal. It was just that I got the impression that these people were looking for someone younger to do the dirty work. They would be supportive but they weren’t going to be doing much leg-work. I’m not sure why I got this impression. Mayhaps it was just a case of malicious addition: demographics + stereotypes. I’m not trying to rip on the older crowd but it was a bit disheartening to find so few people my age there. The ortgeist of the place just wasn’t my thing so I’m considering skipping out on tonight’s dinner.

For now, I’ve got to return to hear a lawyer speak as well as Peter Singer, a philosopher at Princeton.