Why is Mandela the Freaking Man?

Today is Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday and it seems an appropriate moment to appreciate why he is so amazing.

After being imprisoned for 27 years under a racist apartheid regime, Mandela was finally freed in 1990. He became president of South Africa and faced a choice when it came to the crimes of apartheid:

Revenge or Understanding?

At a moment when he could have called for trials and punishment he instead called for truth and reconciliation. He founded the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which asked members of the Apartheid Regime to speak about what they did, and critically, not be punished for their crimes. He understood that it was more important to document and grapple with the crimes committed than to take revenge.

Living in South Africa in 2005 I saw a struggling country but a country striving for democratic values and ideals. In 1991 South Africa's future was very unclear. It could easily have gone the way of Zimbabwe, taking random revenge on white farmers and plunging the country into chaos and bankruptcy. Instead Mandela stepped in and tried to form a more perfect union which would include all South Africans.

Long live Madiba!



And now today's:

Random Song of Joy!

What's that Song that Every Orchestra Plays?

When I was a kid I remember occasionally going to see an orchestra play and always having the same thought:

Why do they always begin with that same boring song? 

You know the one. Where the instruments seem completely out of sync with each other. They create almost a haze of messy sound in slow lingering notes. I kept asking myself why they began with such a terrible song, even for classical music.

I realized at an embarrassing age what I was listening to:

They were tuning their instruments.

I felt pretty dumb once I realized.
But as I've gotten older I've come back to my childhood opinion that musicians are wasting my time.
Why do they have to tune in front of the audience?
When I perform in a play I don't do my vocal warm ups on stage.
When I perform stand up I don't practice silly faces in front of the crowd.

So get it together musicians.
I'm sick of hearing that boring song!

And now today's:

RANDOM SONG OF JOY

Why Don't I Care about George Zimmerman?

This weekend George Zimmerman was found not guilty of the murder, or manslaughter, of 17-year-old unarmed Black teenager Trayvon Martin. This story is a tragedy on many levels, and a young boy should not have lost his life.

But I don't care about George Zimmerman because he is just one man, and the problems with America's Justice System are institutional and nationwide.

I care about the fact that in the richest country in the world we have the highest incarceration rate in the world, and over 2.2 million prisoners.

I care that 20% of Federal Prisoners are there for non-violent drug offenses.

I care that even though Blacks and Whites use drugs at the same rate, the rate of incarceration for drug use is 10 to 1.

So I don't really care about George Zimmerman, one guy who arguably got away with a crime.
I care about the millions of Trayvon Martins whose lives are destroyed by a prison state that never gives them a fair chance.

And now Today's:

RANDOM SONG OF JOY!

Why are Americans so Fat?

This poster says it all:

I initially thought the text was a reference to ending hunger around the world. But no.

It's just about buying more empty caloric garbage to stuff down our gullets.

Technically Mexico just passed the USA as the Fattest country.
But I say we're still #1 at being fatties!
USA! USA! USA!

Why am I a Vegetarian?

The short answer is this:
I can't un-know, what I now know.

After reading several books like Omnivore's Dilemma, Fast Food Nation, and Eating Animals, I've learned too much. It's clear that the deaths of the animals is the least disturbing part of the system. It's the lives of torture that are really troubling.

I won't get into the details now, that will be for another day.

And I understand why people don't want to hear the details or read the books. Once you go down the rabbit hole of seeing where the food we eat comes from, it's hard to ever climb out. Meat eaters can be told how bad our treatment of animals is. Vegetarians can be told how cruelly we procure milk and eggs. Vegans can be told that they should only be dumpster diving.

For now, I'll be a vegetarian.
And I'll leave the rest of the rabbit hole for another day.

And now:

A Random Song of Joy

What are "Silent Cheers?"

This summer I am touring around America with my show, The Bible Players, visiting 12 Jewish Camps.
Jewish Camps are wonderful breeding grounds of innovation, adventure, and babies.

Yesterday at a camp in Georgia we got to see many versions of a great activity called a "Silent Cheer."
This is a cheer that is set off by the counselor and involves all the campers responding in unison with a silent set of clapping and hand gestures.
For one group when we said "Everybody Dance Now" they all did this silent dance then got silent.

This technique was brilliant for getting them excited and calm at the same time.
Keep up the great innovative thinking camps!

And now today's:

RANDOM SONG OF JOY!

Why is DOMA no MORE-A?

Today the Supreme Court ruled in an obvious but monumental decision that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. Justice Kennedy rightly said that it is a law designed solely to discriminate against and humiliate gay and lesbian couples who are legally married.

The practical effects are immediate and important for the gay and lesbian couples who are married and will now have the same access to federal benefits that straight couples have.

Justice Scalia in his dissent said that: “In the majority’s telling, this story is black-and-white: Hate your neighbor or come along with us. The truth is more complicated.”
No it's not Justice Scalia.
The truth is very simple. That gay couples deserve the same respect that straight couples do.
There's nothing complicated about that.