Thoughts & Deeds

One of the things I appreciate about Sam Adams, the mayor of Portland, is that he’s tech-savvy. Like President Obama, he’s hip to the tools the internet has to offer. He has a Twitter account, a nice little mayoral website, and ran a good election campaign. His use of technology makes him feel accessible, and that’s important to me. … more

It’s not easy to describe how it felt when California passed Proposition 8 – banning same-sex marriages – last week. The same happened in Oregon four years ago. We search for words to express how it feels to know that secretly (and openly) 52% of people hate us. We rage and we cry and we feel empty. We try to forgive, to keep hope alive, to move forward despite this setback. … more

Mine is a pretty cynical generation. Most of us in our 30s have spent the majority of our lives in a recession, in a war over oil, facing climate change, and enduring political parties that fail to inspire much less to lead us to a better tomorrow. We’ve lacked hope that things will get better, that people are good and decent, and that we can somehow change our situation. … more

Whatever you do today, wherever you are, get out there and vote! If you’re in a vote-by-mail state like me, then go hand in your ballot if you haven’t already. This is it, folks, this is your single chance to express your most precious right as an American. I don’t care what your politics are, but I do care if you don’t vote. People in other countries die fighting for the right to possibly vote some day in a less oppressive future, so don’t do them a disservice and express your selfish ignorance by not voting.

Get off your ass and VOTE.

I sent this email to the Obama/Biden campaign earlier today after reading Obama’s stance on Proposition 8 in California, same-sex marriage, and his Faith & Family tour. … more

When I think of coal used for energy, I think of China, filthy air, dire situations, under-developed nations, the iron-grip of Communism. Coal is the fuel of Tolstoy and World War I and the Eastern Block, a phantom from the early 20th century, a black spot on our environmental history. Coal is up there with nuclear energy and reliance on oil; something shameful that we’re trying to give up. … more

These are trying times. The economy is in a downturn, the war in Iraq lingers on, gas costs over $4 a gallon, and large businesses in America are losing money. At times like this, I think back to WWII and the efforts of the government and businesses to bolster the economy, how they encouraged thrift, recycling, reusing old materials, growing Victory gardens, tightening the belt a little. (Of course, the flip side to this was a series of posters villianizing Germans and Japanese.) I think of the heroic posters that helped shape graphic design as a profession and of the designers who created these posters. … more