Florence, on the lovely Oregon Coast

Oh, the Japanese

Thanks to Simon who emailed me this article- so funny, so typical, so Japanese. As he recounted in his email, we were in Miyajima admiring what looked like a lovely natural creek bed, only to discover on the interpretive sign that it had been landscaped. When you're in urban Japan for too long you forget what real nature looks like. Apparently you forget to appreciate it as well.

'Japan's most beautiful valley' faces crisis due to unkempt trees
A current view of Shosenkyo, spoiled by unkempt trees.

The tourist association of Shosenkyo, a scenic spot in Yamanashi Prefecture that promotes itself as "Japan's most beautiful valley," has been receiving many complaints from visitors due to unkempt trees spoiling the view.

With a sense of crisis mounting about the situation, the association began in autumn last year to urge the government that owns the logging rights for trees in the valley to cut them down, and finally applied for permission for logging itself in the middle of this month.

According to the association, the valley was designated as part of Chichibu Tama Kai National Park in 1950 and was noted in 1953 as one of Japan's special places of scenic beauty. Between those years, Shosenkyo was selected as the most beautiful spot in the valley division of the "100 Best Tourist Spots in Japan" that the Mainichi Shimbun accepted from the public, over other famous valleys including Takachihokyo in Miyazaki Prefecture and Kurobe Kyokoku in Toyama Prefecture.
Today, over 50 years have passed since Shosenkyo was designated as a national park and a special place of scenic beauty. The valley's tourist association has been swamped with complaints from visitors about the number of unkempt trees spoiling the view including that of Kakuenpo, a huge, symbolic rock in the valley. In consideration of the situation, the association learned of the decision to cut down the trees growing along the most scenic 300-meter part of a four-kilometer trail in the valley.

The Ministry of the Environment, which conducted a field survey in the valley for the first time in late April, is apparently positive about logging, saying that it will be done in consideration of natural environmental concerns. If the association's application for logging is permitted, trees will be cut there for the first time since the valley's designation as a national park.

"We would like to cut down the trees with nature in mind," said Takehiko Suzuki, chairperson of the Shosenkyo Tourism Association.

I'm sick of Obama

Call me a bad liberal if you want, but I'm kind of sick of Barack Obama. Change my ass. As my friend Cameron put it, I feel he's using me. He knows the liberals, the leftists, the non-Republicans are going to vote for him, so he doesn't have to woo us anymore. Now he can say whatever he wants to try to win the rest of America's vote, even if that means changing his mind on some things. So much for being different.

But thats not the main reason I'm sick of him. Mainly its because though he's all about change, he is still against gay marriage. So much for us homos getting equal human rights for at least another 4 years. I'm so tired of this crap. Why don't we just scrap marriage all together except in the religious sense, call all of it civil union or domestic partnership, and then let all the redneck heteros get pissed off when they have to fight for their rights. While he has supported non-discrimination laws, extending hate crimes to include sexual orientation and gender identity, and gay adoption rights, the marriage thing still gives him a hangup. Here is a sum up of his view on it, taken from the lesbianlife website:

Although Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, he is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, "I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."

Barack Obama did vote against a Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as letting individual states determine if marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be legalized.

"Giving them a set of basic rights would allow them to experience their relationship and live their lives in a way that doesn't cause discrimination," Obama said. "I think it is the right balance to strike in this society."
Sources: Chicago Daily Tribune, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

What a bunch of bullshit. Thank you so much for deciding for us gays and lesbos that a civil union will allow us to "experience" our relationship without causing discrimination. Correct me if I'm wrong, but disallowing us the same option as other law abiding adult citizens sure seems like discrimination to me.

So you have my vote, but not my full support. At least you're better than McCain, who doesn't think we should adopt kids. I'll never fully support any candidate who continues to make a human rights issue up to individual states.

No Obama 08 sticker on my car.