Change Chocolate Bar

Stacey brought us all Barack Obama Chocolate bars from her trip to
Washington DC.

I love chocolate but there is something so wrong about this....
www.shazbennett.com

The College Years

Recently, everyone has been posting old photos of themselves on Facebook - which has made me look back in my files and realize that I only have one old photo of me from the University of Utah daze. It's not because I threw them all away in embarrassment or anything like that or as my friend Brian just posted on Facebook, "why does everyone else's photos look cute and fun, for me, it's like being emotionally raped over and over" - I laughed about that for days.

For me, it's just that I've moved so many times since college, and stored my stuff in people's basements that I can't even remember their names... somehow the photos have disappeared - when I become president of the world - I hope someone finds them in their basement somewhere and posts them for me to see.

I loved these photos in TIME from an aspiring college photographer of Obama. If anyone I went to college has any of me, I think I was there... let me know. In the meantime enjoy... a slew of hilarious photos from our president and one of me and my dog Furious Styles - named after Boyz in the Hood so now you know when I was in college.

Repeal Prop 8 - the election sinks in.

Man, I have been celebrating Obama's win for a full week! First of all this was us in the box office working at AFI FEST the night of the election.
It still sometimes hits me and I'm giddy again.

However this Prop 8 is such a bummer and such a travesty! Redefining marriage - we have redefined marriage hundreds of times because we have been wrong. Starting with interracial marriage which was illegal in many states in America as late as 1967. Our president's parents couldn't have married in 1/3 of the states in the US when he was born.

And as my friend Amy Saeed said in a beautiful email recently, if her family was going off a "traditional" marriage, she could have been married to some distant Afghan cousin when she was a teenager.

The majority should never vote on the rights of the minority, our ancient Greek philosophers talked about that and other concepts - change often is rejected by groups because they can't always see beyond what they think they know - that's why civil rights are almost always decided in the Courts.

I got married this year and while Jean-Pierre and I have been together for six years and were already legally domestic partners because I work for a company that's progressive enough to recognize that....not everyone works for that kind of company... still when we stood up in front of our friends and family and got married - it was revolutionary and so amazing.



I am a minister legally too and have married 4 couples as seen here - including my dear friends for the third time legally this summer - they have been together for 19 years - we should all be as lucky to find this kind of love. This was a photo taken at the wedding of all 5 couples - we're all bummed prop 8 passed.

As many of you know I grew up Mormon so it's such a drag that the church put in all this money to pass Yes on 8 - I get that and I'm mad about that too... I am looking forward to the rally on saturday and maybe because I grew up Mormon and know some great Mormons including my whole family, don't blame the whole group, especially since the voters here in California were the ones who cast the ballots.... and sadly, it's not just the Mormons who are against this... Catholics, Protestants, and other "christians"

I find it a little funny that all these folks that voted for Prop 8 would never have voted for Mitt Romney because they think he's in a cult!

What the hell happened to all the smart californians who voted overwhelming for change and diversity and hope???

Then I started reading about some folks who want to boycott Sundance because it's in Utah... I get it - there is a desire to do something!!

But as several people including me have pointed out - Sundance has been a proponent and a haven for diversity - including and screening films from under represented voices including GLBT filmmakers.

I think this is an interesting article from Indiewire about the issue.
http://www.indiewire.com/ots/2008/11/park_city_09_in.html

Boycotts do work but many Mormons in Utah would be thrilled to have Sundance leave and I totally get what Cooper says about the irony and power of Sundance being there isn't lost on him.

In my final point on this rant I want you to hear this moving, passionate speech from MSNBC Keith Olbermann on Prop 8 and Marriage.

Obama and Luke!

Where do these guys have the time to create these films?
I love it.

Race and Politics 2008

It's all happening!
We are the change we've been waiting for....

Late Night Politics in Mexico City

So we're in the bar in Mexico City talking politics. We had planned to just have one drink when the political debate began. It got a little heated, if only in the volume of our voices. In the end, we all hugged and said good night and in the morning we'll go see more movies at FICCO and reconvene to talk film, art and politics again.

But, the thing that struck me this morning, was the reason we started talking politics in the first place - we were talking about reggae music and Lee Scratch Perry and the poets of Jamaican culture - and their powerful lyrics and how those words were able to start a revolution and those words brought power to a struggle and changed lives. And then we were wondering, "where are those songs now?" "why aren't people making those films now?" Which brought us to Obama and then it all went crazy.

The words are there and there is power in those words. No one will know if he can fix all the problems that the Bush administration has left until he's he's in office. But we ask for leaders who can inspire and lead and then we tear them down by saying they are all talk, they have no experience, they are all charisma, no substance.

But, maybe like the poets mentioned above, the words do have power and substance that can start a movement. Wouldn't that be awesome. I can get behind that.

Nothing false about Hope!

When was the last time a politician really inspired you?

I like Hilary don't get me wrong, and having a woman president is long overdue but when I hear Barack speak, he reminds me of the kind of politician I grew up watching before sound bites and all the bullshit - we screened that film BOBBY a couple of years ago at AFI FEST and while the film itself isn't perfect - the last 10 minutes of the film, of Bobby Kennedy's speech, are so powerful - truly awesome.

I want to be inspired by the leaders of the United States and I've been sick waiting these last 8 years for someone to do that.

Listen to this episode of THIS AMERICAN LIFE - I love it.

and...

Here's a song I like but search you tube for the actual speech too - it's amazing.

Obama still rocks!

Just for the hell of it, I'd like to point out that Obama was second by 2 percent in New Hampshire...

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#NH

Obama won in Iowa by over 30 percent and it's all just getting started...