Parisian Farewell Tour with Jacob

We'll always have Paris.

A final swing by the Sacre Coeur, the Moulin Rouge and the Cafe des 2 Moulins with Jakie in tow.

I'm ready to be home and to begin the next chapter of my life.

It's been quite a year.

As always, I will always love you, Jacob.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

March for Sakineh in Paris

Here are some pics of the march in Paris yesterday to save Sakineh.

I am going to miss my unrelenting and unapologetic French feminists so much.

The first sign reads:

Feminism never killed anybody.  Machismo (Patriarchy) kills every day.

I Left My Heart in Paris in the Catacombs

I will always love you, Jacob.

You will spend eternity beneath the streets of Paris with the rest of her dead.

I think you would approve.

Now, Paris is your home too.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I Left My Heart in Paris at the Musee Rodin

I will always love you, Jacob.

You will guard the Gates of Hell and hang out with The Thinker for all eternity.

I think you would approve.

Your big sis is taking care of you, kid.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I Left My Heart in Paris at Les Invalides

I will always love you, Jacob.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I Left My Heart in Paris in the Seine

I will always love you, Jacob.

You will spend eternity in the Seine River.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I Left My Heart in Paris at the Eiffel Tower

I will always love you, Jacob.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Broken

My heart is broken.

And, I don't know how to fix it.

And, I don't really want to.

I'm afraid that if the pain goes away, the love goes away too.  And, the memory.

I can't hold him, so I hold my grief instead.  Close.

And, his ashes.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

New Burqa Ban Piece in The Humanist

Here's my latest piece in The Humanist.

Enjoy!

http://www.thehumanist.org/humanist/10_sept_oct/Braasch.html

Double Sigh

While I'm thrilled to see Obama stand up for the separation of church and state, someone needs to remind him that there are road blocks on both sides of that two way street between church and state.

Secularism does not mean that government cannot interfere with religion, but religion can interfere with government.

If he cares about upholding the separation between church and state when it comes to building a mosque in lower Manhattan (which he should), then he should be just as adamant and clear in his conviction when it comes to imposing antediluvian religious laws upon women and gays with regards to abortion and gay marriage.

Obama has twice recently upheld religious law in direct contravention of the constitutional rights of women and homosexuals.

I expect our President to stand up for our constitutional principles without fail -- not only when it's easy or politically expedient.

Sigh

I wish Obama felt the same sense of conviction about women's rights and LGBTQ rights as he seems to about the freedom of religion.

Yet another example of why we need the Equal Rights Amendment so desperately.

Our work continues.

Taking the Plunge

I have decided to try going vegetarian again.

I am going to start by cutting out meat.  Then, I'll move on to chicken and fish.

I'm not sure about vegan.  We'll see.

I think it's best to take these things one step at a time.

I just think our planet is in such dire straits.

I just can't justify eating meat anymore.

Plus, some of my most significant personal relationships in life have been with animals.

Separate Never Equals Equal

I am thrilled that the US District Court ruled that Prop 8 is unconstitutional!! They did the right thing. This is how our judiciary is supposed to work: protecting the individual against the tyranny of the majority. Constitutional rights may not be put to a vote. Woo hoo!


And, the decision is amazing.  A must read.  The court also stands up for gender equality.  


And, for everyone who has ever scoffed at me for stating that morality has no place in the law -- this court agrees with me.  


I've decided that LGBTQ activists and advocates have to get together with women's rights activists and advocates.


This is the same fight.  We need to be working together to fight for equality and desegregation and secularism.  

Burqa Ban or Bust

The Freedom From Religion Foundation was kind enough to print my burqa ban piece in the latest issue of their monthly newspaper, Freethought Today.

I have a couple other pieces on the burqa ban coming out shortly, including one in The Humanist.

Here's the FFRF Freethought Today piece:

http://www.ffrf.org/publications/freethought-today/articles/thats-me-in-the-burqa-losin-my-religion/

My Salvation

I will always love you, Jacob.

Here's to you kid.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mthzWZrYNJQ&feature=related