I'm not sure I like Facebook anymore...

So I have a feeling I've been going through a period of personal growth, which is partly why I haven't made an entry on here in a long time.  That and as I tell everyone who asks me what's new, nothing.  I eat, sleep, poop, shower, go to work, and come home.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Although not in the same order...sometimes.

The only bad thing about personal growth, is that much like growing during puberty you don't necessarily know that it happens until you bash your knee into something or trip and fall.  And then there are the growing pains, and no I'm not talking about the TV show.

You know how in your life there are just things that need to be separate, whether they're friends, work, fun, family, or food?  (Odd how all of that starts with F, huh?)  Well I've felt like that for a long time.  But as things go on it seems that all those lines separating things in my life have become blurred.  And the most glaring example of that is Facebook.  I say that because it's facebook that allows us to see who is talking with whom and about what, for the most part.  It also connects those disparate parts of your life into an intricate and complicated web people like to refer to as a social network.

Add to that that the Republicans made a huge comeback in the US government, which means that as an out gay man, my dog has more rights than I do as far as their concerned.  I'm feeling pretty dismal.  At least Christine O'Donnell (however you spell her name) didn't win.  *whew*

So, please bear with me as I go through this period of personal growth and self revelation.  And the holidays, which are probably going to affect things more than I'd like.  But what can you do.

National Coming Out Day 2010

Like most of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community, I am acknowledging that today is National Coming Out Day.  But I wouldn't say that in the recent months that it is anything to celebrate. 

In September alone there were 9+ deaths attributed to Anti-gay bullying.  In light of this, why would anyone want to celebrate coming out as gay/lesbian?

But, in spite of all the bullying, and the depression, and the suicides, and the hate, young people are coming out earlier than ever.  And more of them are coming out.  So I have to ask why? 

I've thought long and hard about this, and it's applicable to me (and probably everyone else too) but the reasons to come out are better than the alternative.  People come out because the pressure of hiding who you are everyday, from everybody is unimaginable for someone who hasn't had to do it, out of fear of retaliation and sometimes out of fear for their very lives.  People come out because we have been taught from childhood that it's only going to be worse if you lie, but if you tell the truth it may still hurt, but not as much.  We are taught from childhood that the truth will set you free.  People come out because they want to taste that freedom.

The alternative is to internalize all that fear and hatred that is cast your way.  You begin to believe everything that everyone says about you.  Nobody with any ability to stop it actually does so, indeed they rarely if ever listen to what you have to say.  It makes you feel like you're standing in a room full of people with power to end world hunger, bring world peace about, cure every illness, and you're telling them how to do it but they just don't hear you.  You eat fear for breakfast and hatred for lunch, day in and day out.  It works it's way into your mind, your heart, and eventually your soul with no real outlet, because nobody listens.  And by the time they do, it's usually too late.  For them, or for others.

In the spirit of encouraging young people to come out and realize the truth about themselves and life in general Dan Savage and his partner Terry have started the It Get's Better Project as a way to spread the truth that it does get better.  I, personally, hope that not only do LGBT people get hope and support from this, but also bullys get exposed to some of this and realize how pervasive and how utterly consuming hate can be, and how it affects people.  I can hope, can't I?

I count myself fortunate that I was never bullied/harassed to the point that I felt that the only way to make it stop was to kill myself.  I contemplated it, I won't lie about that.  Any kid/teen who is bullied for years on end thinks about it and indeed comes up with plans to follow through, but I didn't.

What saved me was in High School I finally developed a network of friends, something I hadn't had a lot of before that.  So once I came out in college (which was a place where I could have been severely bullied/harassed) from what I understand, my friends stepped in and told people off.  So I never heard much of anything.  I'll never know how much they stood up for me, but I think they should know how grateful I am for what they did.

My family had pretty much the normal family reaction.  They didn't disown me, and they said that no matter what they still loved me.  But you could tell things were different.  As they say though, everything gets better with time, and so it is with my family.  As time goes on, they are coming around...slowly. 

But I'm more free than I ever have been, and every day I contemplate new thoughts about the past, let go of some things (some things WAY more slowly than others) and I move on.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.  I now exist as an out gay man. 

As an addendum to this, I found this video which is really a video inside a film entitled Bang Bang You're Dead which aired on Showtime.  It's not as bad as bullying is entirely, but it's a lot more realistic than anything I've seen.  So watch it, and think about it.  Realize the truth.

Never Forget!

I was contemplating on writing a blog regarding the comments of the Imam from NYC who want's to build the cultural center, that he made on his 60 minutes interview (I think it was 60 Minutes).  But then I noticed, like everyone else yesterday, the shocking number of suicides of young people attributed to anti-gay bullying.  And my heart wept.

There are a lot of people involved in this now, but I think that they aren't doing justice for those who have needlessly lost their lives due to other people's hatred and intolerance, and still other people's unwillingness to stand up for what is right and put a stop to this.  So in this blog, I will remember (and post links) to all who have taken their own lives due to bullying.


Seth Walsh - California.

Tyler Clemente - New Jersey

Billy Lucas - Indiana

Cody Barker - Wisconsin

Asher Brown - Texas

Raymond Chase - Rhode Island

Caleb Nolt - Indiana (From information I could gather, Caleb was not gay, but was bullied for others' perception of his orientation)

Justin Aaberg - Minnesota (apparently after fact checking he died in July, but he still counts!)


I post these links as a reminder that it took 6 senseless deaths for anyone to notice.  It took 6 deaths before anyone spoke up, myself included.  It took 6 deaths and not one major new network bothered to do a story.  6 deaths later, and we're still not addressing the problem.

Look at the number of places in the list.  It's not just some isolated incident.  This is a nationwide epidemic of hate, intolerance, viciousness, and inaction.  It crosses all state lines and geographical boundaries to infect our children. And the lives of children who's potential will never be known is the cost.

People are worried about gay marriage, and the gay agenda.  That it will infect the schools and somehow warp the values of children making them view gay as okay.  But what people (adults) fail to realize is that the "gay agenda" is already alive and well in schools.  It lives in the children who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and allies.  They are the ones pushing for GSA's in schools, and fighting for their own rights to be safe and un-accosted at school for being themselves. 

But for every child that stands up for what is right, and pushes for equality in the world of education, it seems that we have more needless death because there are those who become so overwhelmed by the hate that seems to pervade this country they they can do naught else but the most drastic.  They don't see a way out, they see no one to confide in, they don't realize that it will get better, eventually.

Nobody should have to wait for this to end.  6 deaths in 18 days in the month of September alone.  6 deaths before anyone paid serious attention.  Maybe it's time we did something more?

Update: I found this link which has a larger list of deaths due to anti-gay bullying than I could find.  

Keep on keepin' on

Well here we are once again.  There's been a few things that have happened.  I'm still working, and have secured benefits for myself.  So now I have a true grown up job.  Ergo, no worries there.

So the senate of the US voted against a law that would move toward repealing DADT in the last couple of days.  Which, I personally, don't know what to think of, except for the fact that it is not in the best interests of the nation for the purposes of what the armed forces are charged with.

In other news, Lady Gaga at a rally in Maine gave a speech calling for equality in the armed forces.  The purpose of the rally was to push senators from Maine, and others to vote for the legislation that would move toward the repeal of DADT.  I watched her give the speech.  It's below.





So I think that her argument is rather well crafted from a rhetorical standpoint.  First she rambles off the oath that members of the armed forces take.  Then she equates equality to the finest cut of meat that one can receive, which is a comparison that everyone (meat eater or not) can relate to.  Then she begins to describe a policy which appears to be the inverse of DADT.  It has the same overall purpose of DADT which is to dismiss soldiers which have an affect on military morale and unit cohesion.  But she goes on to say that the policy should be sending home those who have a problem with gay soldiers, because, according to her, *they* are the ones with the most affect on military morale and unit cohesion, because they're letting their hate get in the way military morale and unit cohesion.  In all truth it's not the best rhetoric ever crafted, but there is a little bit of creativity and brainpower behind all the glam that is GaGa.  Which is good to know.

After the Republican Primary, I was rather distressed to see that Christine O'Donnell had won in Delaware.  I was distressed because her whole campaign slogan seemed to be this:

*points at opponent* "He's gay!  Vote for me."

And that I don't think is a basis on which anyone should be voting for anything.  And then this article comes out wherein she says that homosexuality is an identity disorder.  Her reasoning for deciding to spout something that has generally been accepted as false in the Psychiatric and Psychology communities since the late 70s, is that people are made in Gods image.  Now the article goes on to say that this isn't a verbatim quote, but a paraphrased version of her beliefs.

Now my issue with that is twofold.  1) She has no place using religion as her platform to run for any sort of political seat.  2) If you want to get into a religious debate, technically we are all made in gods image, so by that argument everything from smoking, to fornication, to lying, to cheating, to swearing is an identity disorder, because it's all based on societal factors.  Because we're all made in God's image.

Well it seems that pastors and young boys is not simply a Catholic thing anymore and has moved into the realm of the Protestants.  This article is just another one in a long list of ones where allegations have been made regarding the impropriety of those in power.  Also, it's a little extra stinging because the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church supports Ex-gay therapy and those leading it have support legislation banning gay marriage and now the pastor has allegations of homosexual relations with minors.  I think there's something funny in the republican party and the evangelical christian movement.

Remember way back in the last presidential election, when a bunch of pastors decided to take time out of their sermon on a sunday morning to tell their congregations why they should vote against Obama.  Following that there was a short, but intense debate on whether or not churches that that participated in that action should lose their tax exempt status.  If you recall, I was all for that, because political posturing has no place behind the pulpit.  Well this story out of Hawaii details a church that finally got the book thrown at it for leading the fight against civil unions.  I think this is an appropriate penalty for any church who throws itself into the political arena for things like this.  Most notably the Mormon Church (LDS) in the US for it's massive politicking with Prop 8 in California.

So there ya go.  More of my opinions and what not.  So as always, I really appreciate you, my readers and I welcome comments and whatnot.  I'm always up for constructive discourse, so have at it.  =)

Whirlwind

So, here I am once again, after a whirlwind of interesting tidbits and experiences.  Shall I start chronologically or just sort of have a mental explosion and see where things end up.  Hmm.

Let's see.  I watched the movie Kinsey earlier, since we have a DVR and I can now record shows.  (And have gotten my roommate J addicted to it as well, which is all part of my master plan, [insert evil laughter here]).  While watching this movie, I was struck by the thought about what sets apart people who end up fighting for socio-cultural change?  Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr, Galileo, Sir Issac Newton, the list goes on and on (and naturally includes Alfred Kinsey).

I mean if you think about it, all people are born with the capacity for that sort of radical change.  Most people accept social norms about the way things are because that's the way they have been for X long and leave it at that.  Others get so far at achieving socio-cultural change and give up or are stymied by the very status-quo that they are fighting to change.  Still others get just to the point of being martyrs for the cause of change, and falter at that one pivotal moment.  But then there are those who give the most and sometimes the all for the things that they believe need to change.  These are the ones that go down in history as famous or infamous for the changes they enact.  But my question is, what spark of passion exists in the beings of these few individuals of history that doesn't exist in everyone (or at least isn't snuffed out by the status quo)?  Or maybe a better way of putting it would be: what ignites that spark into the blazing inferno that allows them to pursue their desire to see things change without regard for other things?  I haven't an answer, but it's certainly something to ponder.

Now for a completely different change in mindset, let me just address an issue that has been bothering me for some time now.  And since I've moved (mostly) beyond caring what other people think, I'm going to give away some "man secrets" [insert impending doom music here].

For those of you who don't know (or haven't had the pleasure of a male public restroom) it might behoove you to realize that there are some unspoken rules to these places.  One of them is that once you cross the threshold of this place, you mustn't speak to anyone.  Nor, do you make eye contact.  Number 2 is dependant on the number of urinals in the mens room.  If there are 2 urinals, only one may be used at any given time, and it is taboo to use the open one if the other is in use.  You are expected to go to a stall.  If there are 3 urinals, the ones on the end may be used, but NEVER the one in the middle.  Woe to you who use the one in the middle, as you will inevitably raise the level of unspoken sexual tension that pervades this place.  If there are more than 3 urinals in the rest room then you can use any of them, provided that you leave a 1 urinal buffer in between the ones being used.  (now we're getting to the really weird ones) If you are at a urinal, you must look straight ahead, or down (to make sure that you're not making a mess of yourself, naturally).  But you must NEVER look to the right or the left, as this is taboo.  Although the occasional look up to the ceiling is acceptable, but don't overuse it.  And then there are those guys for whom the sexual tension in this place is too much to bear and they always use the stall to go #1.

Why am I telling you all this, you may ask?  Because I think it's high time that men realize how effing paranoid we are and also how stupid.  So you can get naked in front of a bunch of guys in a locker room and shower and joke and saunter around comfortable in your own masculinity, but you can't pee in front of other guys without it being awkward?  I'm gay and this makes me confused.  Maybe it's the presence of the lockers or something.  I dunno.  It can't be the smell, because if you've ever been in a mens room in the summer, then you know there is no difference in smell.  Which should shame all men, everywhere. 

As a side note, if you're reading this and I seem to have neglected to mention an unspoken rule of the forbidden mens room, please, by all means, comment and let me know what it is I've forgotten, so all can share in the glory of male sexual tension paranoia.  =)

I turned 25 a couple of weeks ago, and naturally I only remember part of my birthday, which means operation quarter century was a success.  I don't want to say that successfully completing 25 years of existence has changed my outlook, but a few things have been updated.  And I think they are good.  So all is well there.

I finally had the pleasure of attending Gen Con this year.  And was amazed at a few things.  Firstly, there is a physical gamer archetype which 80% of gamer men fit.  I was also heartened to realize that there is a ever growing subset of gamers who carry the moniker of gaymer.  You can infer what that means by the spelling.  Hopefully the group of them that reside in Chicago will have an event or get together that I can attend.  Scheduling is the bane of adult existence. 

Found some really interesting t-shirts and other things at Gen Con and met some really awesome people. 

So that's all for now, a few rants, some updates, and my promise that I will attempt to be more attentive to this blog, but working is stressful.  Although the good news on that front is that tomorrow I have an informational meeting for benefits which start Sept 1.  Which means I can finally open that bottle of wine I've been saving for almost three years in celebration. 

The story behind the wine is that when I lost my job(s) a couple of years ago, I had bought a bottle of wine which I had wanted to drink at a good celebration.  Well after I lost my job, I decided that I wouldn't open that bottle of wine until I got a full time job that came with benefits.  Well Sept 1 is the day those kick in, and I'm going to have a party and open that bottle of wine.  So, keep yourselves open in Sept, as there is going to be a party!

Update.

Okay. Just to let people know: I haven't been blogging due to lack of ideas or experiences, but due to computer access. Hopefully that will be remedied soon and the deluge of thoughts, reviews, and experiences will be let loose.

So bear with me. I'll be back soon...I hope. =)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I think yiddish has a word for this...

So, I realize that it's been a long while since I've graced you all with my presence.  And that's just going to have to be okay.  I've been having to put up with the most obnoxious breed of human being imaginable.  Yes, I'm talking about the car thief.

Just to make sure that you're all on the same page: since I was last here I have 1) had some sort of bronchitis-like illness (which I can't go to the doctor for because I lack insurance coverage and the money to pay for drugs), 2) Had my 95(93) (we were never really quite sure of the year of my car) Buick Century (yes, a Buick Century) stolen, and not recovered, 3) Bought a new car (which caused me to swallow yet more pride, mmm tasty), 4) Accrued about 9k in debt 6 months after filing for bankruptcy. (Just what I wanted to do), and last but not least 5) I haven't managed to piss anyone at my current job off yet, and made it past the 3 month mark.  Which garners me a $0.25 raise, and PTO (Paid time off).  Which is something I've never had before.  The PTO I mean.

So needless to say, I'm kinda [insert appropriate melancholy adjective feeling here].  I also think that car thieves should be shot in the knees and run over.

And before you ask if the police (gigglesnort) have found my vehicle, don't.  It's sort of a sore point in all of this.  Because, the police response to this has been...well...practically nonexistent.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that I live in a metro/urban area and there are murders and drug deals and other crimes that happen and take precedence.

But it seems to me that in this economy, when people are downsizing their budgets and such that automobile theft would be taken more seriously because people are becoming 1 car families.  Especially families with limited income.  While I did get a new car, thanks primarily to J (my roommate, landlord, and current incarnate guardian angel) that doesn't solve the bigger problem of police attention to grand theft auto (a felony might I add).

I also learned something interesting about the current Milwaukee Police Chief's policy regarding theft is that they don't even bother sending a squad unless the value of the stolen objects exceeds $3000.  I have 2 problems with this currently.  First, who keeps a record of the price of their valuables handy.  I know I do.  So if our place got robbed, I'd be able to give the police the exact price of every object that was stolen and its current depreciated value.  [/sarcasm] Second, a car that costs less than 3000 dollars could be 1 families only source of transportation to and from employment and other places.  So perhaps a little policy revision is in order, methinks.

So I came across this song/video in my pro-homosexuality searches.  Be warned that it's a touch vulgar so probably not work appropriate. 






I've had this song in my head for the last 4 days.  It's a catchy little ditty.  And because it's apparently from the UK, their censors are a little more lax.  The name of the song is probably what you think it is.  But it has another name that it goes by "Guess Who Batman" by British artist Lily Allen.

Drought continues

Not that I'm talking about actual lack of rain, but the lack of inspiration/motivation.  It always seems to strike me at this time of the year.  I think it's the weather.  Which is not to say that I don't have anything to say or that I'm not thinking about anything, but rather that I lack the motivation to organize my thoughts/musings into any sort of a coherent form.

Also, can I just say that catching some sort of illness in the warm weather of summer absolutely sucks (and not in the good fun way).  I've been battling some sort of a throat/sinus drainage thing for a couple days now and I have to say that I think it's completely ill timed.

So, without much more to say (and at the risk of already sounding rather "babble-ish") I'll end here and hope for the inspiration/motivation storm to come soon.  Because I'm sick and tired of writing blogs that do nothing but say that I have nothing to write about.  Blah.

Does anyone know where my muse has gone?

There are a lot of things to blog about, and even more things for me to comment on, but apparently every summer my muse decides to take a vacation and leaves me bereft of inspiration and motivation.  Thus I don't blog, and when I do it's simply to give excuses as to why I'm not blogging.

I don't deal with heat well, and it's been humid and hot here the last couple days.  So much so that I felt well into "the dog days of summer" which we haven't even hit yet, technically.

So while the whole world goes to pot (or crude depending on where you are and what news you listen to) I'm just going to sit back and watch it.

Have fun!

Le Sigh

So I had hoped that yesterday would be the blog day, but alas I was mistaken.  Don't worry, the blog is there, percolating in my head, and it's taking awhile to get to the point where it's more than just a jumble of incoherent thoughts that have something in common.  Which is my problem.  But let me tell you, it'll be good. 

Hrm, I did find something interesting though, the other day by listening to the Progressive Talk Radio on Green 960 out of San Fransisco.  Link here.  Apparently there was a raid on a Texas gay bar, last year.  IN 2009!  This is the freaking new millennium people, why are we still standing for this.  But I guess it could only happen in the south.  (see previous posts for various and sundry opinions regarding the south).  Not only did they raid the bar, they did it on the 40th anniversary of the raid on the Stonewall Inn in NYC, and you'll notice a lack of media coverage, even a year later.  And all I can ask is why?

For links to the story:

Seattle Gay News

Georgia Liberal (they have those there?)

Huffington Post

Dallas/Fort Worth local news

So that's all I've got for you today, as laundry needs to be done before I head off to work.  Being an adult stinks.  I have no idea why children want to grow up so fast.  Oh wait...yeah I do.

I'm playing hooky/ey/ie

So today was not the prolific blogging day that I had hoped it would be.  I don't know.  Usually my weekends are sort of fulfilling, but today/this weekend, I've just felt that my me-time hasn't been as revitalizing as it should be.  Ergo, no huge blog about politics and religious issues today, but don't fret, the issues that I want to write about are still there.

Woke up Wednesday to discover that one of my email accounts had been hacked.  Needless to say that I'm very upset with hackers and think they need to be dealt with in a painful and time consuming manner.


Apparently there are multiple ways to spell the phrase used in the title of the blog for today.  And whilst searching for the correct way to spell the phrase I happened across this (which English-y people should like).  Homophone.com which is a supposedly complete list of all homophones.

So there, vittles for you all.  Have a good rest of your weekend.

See what happens when I miss a post

I awoke this morning to find that the email associated with my blog had been hacked and disabled, and the email was associated with my blog, so that was disabled too.  Needless to say that it was not a good morning for me.

I've been reading The Cost of Discipleship (see link in previous post) and there's some pretty thought provoking things in there (really, thought provoking things in a religious text, shocking, I know!) which I was going to blog about yesterday, but my day was consumed with laundry, food, reading up on a new RPG that I'm going to be running, getting the ballpark figure of the new computer, and a little gaming. 

Kinda like an actual day off.  Which I kinda needed.  Anyway, I'm not really doing anything on Saturday, so look for the new blog then.  See ya!

Making ones way through the quagmire

Well, it certainly is a week for issues that have no clear answers.

Firstly, lets see.  Well the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) has (since abolishing it's anti-gay policies) begun an attempt at healing.  Now, I reiterate, that I'm not sure this is the way to go about mending the ties between religious institutions and the gay community.  I'm not professing to have any answers to a problem that is as old, deep, and complicated as that, but I'm not sure if asking a religious institution to completely change it's outlook (and thus sort of give up some of it's identity) is the right way to go about it.  Especially when we [the gay community] can't seem to practice what we preach when we talk about acceptance and tolerance.  One simply needs to visit a gay bar and watch some of the patrons to see an example of this.  (Oh, and don't try to argue because we all know it happens).  Can you imagine the backlash that would happen were the gay community asked to give up something the we consider community defining?

Then there's the Boy Scouts.  This article goes on to say that the reason they lost the appeal and were not allowed to lease some land for camping purposes was due to the fact that they are considered a "religious organization".  As an Eagle Scout, I have to say that I'm supportive of the organization as a whole.  As a gay man, I disagree with their discriminatory policies.  All that being said, I can't figure out a good answer to the problem, mostly for the reasons described above.  But of course, I have a question.  What is to stop anyone from creating a similar organization, with similar goals and activities, that would not have a policy of discrimination? 

In what I think is a victory for the secular world as a statement that they will not stand for religious hatred and bigotry to be spewed in a public forum, this article gave me hope.  While I agree that there is freedom of religion in this country (to a degree, see the religious right for more details) I also think that it is the responsibility of religious institutions and leaders to present their views in a manner that is in line with what they are preaching.  Also to have the proper permits and such in order to be able to spread their messages in a public forum.  They should also have the decency to acknowledge when they are being disruptive. 

However, I will say that much like the previous two issues, this one is an issues that extends into freedom of speech and freedom of religion.  Again, I will say that the mixture of church and state in any form, whether it's an issue of protecting religious freedom or allowing religion to dictate political policy, is a complicated issue with no clear answers.

There's a problem with reporting, or more importantly the issue of headlines.  I clicked on the link to this story because the headline read that the teens were charged in the murder of a gay principal.  If you'll read the blurb on Advocate you'll notice that the blurb does mention that they met him on a sex chat.  But nowhere in the blurb is it mentioned that the principal is gay.  I also skimmed the story that is found on the Washington Post website and there's no mention that the man was gay that I could see.  Simply that they met him off a phone sex line.  Now, my question is, what sort of journalistic integrity does it take (or not take) to say that a man was gay, put it in a headline, and not support the fact that you're saying the man was gay.  If the only reason that you posit that he is gay is that he was on a phone sex line, well there's lots of those for heteros too.  I'm challenging Advocate to retract that story and issue an apology, or give evidence that the man was indeed homosexual, and thereby attempt to keep their journalistic integrity.

I've thought for a long time that the law is not up to speed with what technology is capable of.  This story which is just another in a long list of social networking sites leading the horrible murders, really makes me wonder about a couple things.  Firstly, I think it's interesting to note that the social networking sites that lead to this (the many that there are) are all created to get people to have anonymous sex.  Which just goes to show you that there's really only one thing that the average person really wants.  Secondly, the law is vastly behind in being able to deal with issues that have to do with technology.  Cyber bullying which leads to suicide of [pre]teens is very prevalent and someone needs to be held responsible.  But the only way to do that is to stretch existing laws to cover it.  Perhaps there needs to be laws that cover crimes that happen purely in the virtual realm.

Speaking of issues regarding law, this story brings to light something I think we should all attempt to remember when dealing with crimes.  The fact that it was made a hate crime and therefore a felony was not that they were actually shooting at gay men (although I'm sure they were) but that they were targeting guys who looked like they were gay (by American standards of homosexuality/masculinity) and that is the reason that it was upgraded to a hate crime.  Because of intent.  I also think that they should have the book thrown at them because shooting anybody (whether it's with BBs or not) shouldn't be tolerated, and if your intent is to harass people based on your perception of their orientation (or anything else for that matter) you need to have the book thrown at you. (In my opinion)

Well that's it for this weeks quagmire presentation.  Next week, we'll see.  Oh, last weeks Savage Love had a link to the Savage Love Merchandise.  Since I really like Dan, I figured I'd give him shameless plugs on stuff.

Happy week!

As promised with a surprise included

So like I promised, here is your blog that is only a few days late.  In my defense, reorganizing a basement is exhausting work.  Anyway, let's see what issues are out there this week for me to blog about.

I can't blog without mentioning the oil spill in the Gulf.  Notice the lack of a link, because everyone knows about it.  I'm not getting into whether we should drill here, drill now or any of those issues.  However, I do have a few questions that I have about this.  First, what was the condition of the rig that it exploded in the first place?  Second, what sort of regulations were in place to keep the rig in a workable condition?  Third, when it did explode (wherein the logical extrapolation would be that it would sink and oil would end up in the ocean) why didn't they immediately begin to prepare for the oil spill instead of waiting until it happened?  Just a couple things, like I said.

"THAT GROUP" is doing more reprehensible things.  I mean, come on, picketing funerals (the funerals of veterans to boot) is one thing.  But who pickets and protests at a high school graduation?  What message is this sending, and what can possibly be gained from doing this, aside from cementing the fact that you and your group are the biggest [insert whatever appropriate expletive you want] in the world.

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article (and possibly linked to it here, but I can't find it) about how some baseball players got kicked off a league for not being gay enough.  You can find the PDF file of the lawsuit that followed here.  I can't think of anything that would justify this.  Is the gay community setting itself up for some sort of reverse discrimination quagmires?  I'm not sure.  But I don't like this sort of thing.

Apparently DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) is working just fine.  As evidenced by the video for this week's blog.  The video shows a group of soldiers who are apparently in Iraq making a parody video of Lady GaGa's music video "Telephone".  So...yeah.  DADT, works great.  I'm not supporting DADT in any fashion, but attempting to make a joke.  Not sure if it worked.  Blogging is a hard medium for comedy.  Go watch the video already.





So even the former FLOTUS couldn't even convince her hubby to leave gay marriage alone.  This article/blurb mentions a quote from her memoir.  I'm actually shocked that they have gay friends and such.  And I don't know why, but it just strikes me that if they have gay friends, and are friends with people who have gay children, wouldn't you think that would give you some insight into the hardships of the gay community?  Apparently not, as evidenced by the last sentence of the blurb.

The bigotry and hatred in the south continues to abound in ways that continue to astonish me.  But then again, it's the south, so...  This article mirrors the Constance McMillen issue, but apparently being gay is still thought of as catching according to this article. 

I wonder if these issues involving High School-ers are being thrust into the spotlight is because kids are coming out earlier.  In any event, here's another issue of High School bigotry in full force.  I can't even imagine how she must feel to have been left out of the yearbook.  The yearbook is one of the highlights of every year of school.  To be left out, would be tantamount to having your classmates tell you that you don't exist, and aren't worthy of being acknowledged as a person.

Being that it's the south, I'm sure that they're approach to homosexuality would be to send them to an ex-gay ministry/therapy.  Well as this video shows, and I'm sure there are more, but I'll post a link rather than just the video so you can explore.  The video is basically ex-gay advocates apologizing for what they supported.  I watched part of it, and it's not bad.  

There's a lot more going on in the realm of gay news.  You can follow links on this page to go search for yourself.  On that note, happy weekend, and I'll see you next Wednesday, assuming that I don't get totally wrapped up in dealing with boxes and re-packing.

Delayed Post

Sorry I didn't get around to posting yesterday.  I was busy re-packing some boxes from when I moved a year ago from "crap thrown in a box" to "packed and stackable" so it makes moving easier.  I learned after 4 years of college and many moves post college that as long as your boxes are all the same size and shape (approximately) it makes moving easier.

And then I had a friend that needed some company, so there was the potential for a radio show there called...well I can't tell you what it was called because it involves names...blah.

So, since I'm not doing anything horribly strenuous on Saturday, blog will happen on Saturday.

Can't believe

I can't believe that I forgot to write about this.  Maybe it was a brain lapse, or I'm just that totally out of it by working second shift.  Or maybe I hadn't had enough coffee.

A friend of mine posted this link to the Give A Damn organization on my Facebook page.  The story also references an article from the Advocate which you can find here.

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this.  I mean I'm happy that steps are being taken to reduce religious bigotry, but I find myself in a precarious place theologically.  Let me make an attempt to explain.

I recently read the book Homosexuality and Ethics (linked to in a previous post), which focused more on Christian Ethics/Moral Theology.  And while I personally ascribe to (and need to do more research on) the views of religion and homosexuality as presented by Helmut Thielike which is that, if I remember correctly (and I may be paraphrasing poorly), homosexual "acts" are intrinsically evil (i.e. sinful) but the state of being homosexual is no more or less unforgivable than being human (i.e. inheritors of Original Sin).

Every time I present this viewpoint to any Lutheran theologian that I speak with, they always bring up the same arguement, and that is true repentance breeds change.  That is to say that if one is truly repentant of whatever sin they are repenting of, then the will endeavor to change their behavior so as to not perform the same sin again.

My problem with this argument is that if it is all about actions, couldn't this be a case of "take the plank out of your own eye, before you attempt to remove the speck from your brother's".  The reason I say this is because how many "Christians" go to church and repent of damnable sins (which they all are) and leave Church, they continue to indulge in the same sins seemingly without regard for their "true repentance".

So my question is always, "What is the difference between the repentant homosexual who doesn't change his/her sexual practices and the fornicating christian who continues to fornicate after being absolved?"  Very rarely do I get a satisfactory answer to this question.

Also, for those who can put 2 and 2 together, this is the basic premise of "The Project".  Albeit that the final version will be longer and have a great deal more references.

I guess I'm just in a state of uncertainty.  But change always does that.  Whether this is for good or for ill, I can't say at this point.  I just hope that it doesn't spell more trouble for the Lutheran Church as a whole.  I can't say that I'm not happy about the change, but I can't say that I'm totally elated either.  I'm just going to take a step back and wait to see what comes from it.

A conglomeration of Issues

Wow, there's a lot going on in the world.  Most notably there was a meteorite over the Midwest of the US.  And a volcano grounding most air travel into/out of Europe.  I guess it just goes to show us that no matter how advanced we get technologically, we can always get smacked down by our own planet.  And the things it hurls at us from the sky.

But let's take a look closer to home, and less about what the planet is doing to us and more about what we are doing to each other.  Because while the planet is capable of widespread destruction and death, the worst the planet can do is kill you.  Human beings are capable of so much more.

As evidenced by this story which gave me a bad feeling in my mouth.  I just can't believe that two lucid adults (who just happen to be older folks) who also have all of their legal "I's" dotted and "T's" crossed can have all of it stripped away because some uppity workers of the county decide that they're not worthy of the basic respect and dignity all human beings should have.

In reference to this article I have thought about writing a letter to the president imploring him to use whatever measures he has at his disposal to help ease the suffering of the survivor.  Since he just enacted legislation that would force hospitals to allow visitation rights to same sex couples, I think this is a timely issue to show a little strength and prove that there will be consequences for overstepping your bounds.  Not to mention asking what's the point of having all the legalities in place for things like this if they can just be ignored anyway?

As a matter of interest I am mentioning this article about sex-slavery in Afghanistan.  I'm not judging on anything except the sexual exploitation of minors, which is despicable any way you look at it.   I'm at least going to watch the thing online when it comes out.

Echoing the sentiments of the first story I mentioned, this article shows that you don't even have to be gay to be fired.  You can only be fired for seeming gay in a workplace filled with heterosexual innuendo.  So now you don't even have to actually be gay, all you have to do is have others perceive you as gay, and whammo you'll be fired.  Let's just conveniently forget that the perception of homosexuality is purely subjective.

I guess I'm not surprised that this could happen in the South.  But I guess that's the way things go in down there.  But at least when confronted they relent.  I have a feeling however that once all the hubbub is finished, retaliation will be huge, you know like in school when the teachers aren't looking...

In a groundbreaking study Harvard has determined that Sexual Minorities are at a greater risk for violence.  Duh!  What's more interesting is that the above story appeared right next to this story about two drunk girls kicking a man to death in the UK.  I kinda hope they'll throw the book at them.

I ran across this story a day or two ago and didn't really know what to think.  On the one hand they allow those who do not conform to their beliefs to join, just not make decisions about the directions of the group.  So on the one hand they're allowing for discourse regarding different viewpoints by allowing those who hold them to attend the meetings.  However, since they're using school resources and space for these meetings they should be held accountable to the schools policies regarding groups.  Just like all other groups.  I feel that this is a blatant attempt to hide bigotry behind the freedom of religion argument.  Bad form.

As a testament to the fact that our government is totally off the deep end, this story proves that they're now thinking that they're going to be fighting in the streets of the States at some point in the near future.  They're worried that kids are too fat to fight, and somehow this is us letting the terrorists win?  I'm sorry, I thought joining the army (outside of being drafted) was voluntary.  Not to mention the rigorous basic training program that they have, which is guaranteed to shed poundage.  (Seriously have you ever seen a fat army guy who's currently serving?)

Well that is certainly a lot this week.  Not a lot of huge revelations, but enough food for thought I think.

Oh, before I forget I finished reading the book by John Boswell and have moved onto The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer which is something that I started reading a long time ago, but never had a copy of until I found on in the local AMAZING used bookstore hear in Milwaukee.  I found the Boswell book to be very informative.  I'm not sure how most religious people will take to the understanding that in the middle ages the Church was a refuge for gays and lesbians and a vast amount of homosexual love poetry was written by monks and nuns.  And that it wasn't until the late 13th/early 14th century that discrimination and criminality was associated with homosexuality for any lasting period of time.  *sigh* Oh well.

More next week, hopefully!

End of the World as we Know it...

So I'm beginning to think that the end of the world really is nigh.  I mean just look at some of the things that I'll be mentioning today and we'll see what conclusions you draw.

First of all, with the number of earthquakes that we've had recently across the globe, doesn't it seem a little odd to anyone?  Personally I'm waiting for California to break off the continental US.  That alone will convince me that something is really most sincerely wrong with the world.  Anyway, on to the main events...

I was actually appalled when I read this article.  I can't believe that in some parts of the world even the dead cannot rest peacefully.  It sickens me that there are those in this world so filled with hate that they would actually dig up the corpse of a fellow human being in order to express that hate to their community (and because of the effects of mass communication) the world.  I just think that there are better ways to make a point, and the dead should remain peacefully buried/cremated/liquefied/mummified/at rest.

Speaking of hate, and taking a look at the plank in our own eye before we go spouting off about the speck in our brothers', I came across this article and, I'll be honest, my first thought was "this is news to people?"  I kinda figured after President Obama was elected that there would be a surge in such activities.  I actually thought it was going to be worse than it was, thankfully it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  But then with the Healthcare ruling, and the reactions surrounding that, (I attempted to find the actual articles from more journalistic sources, but failed, so here are a couple links which both say the same thing that the article I had hoped to find would have said) Article A, Article B.  The fact that a ruling on healthcare in this country, where a woman can die in the waiting room hospital and nobody pays attention, which starts the revamp of things, (I get that the story is a couple of years old, but nonetheless still shocking for our post-industrialized nation, don't you think?) can cause such an extreme reaction is just more evidence that it's easier to hate than it is to compromise or love your fellow humans.

Then there's this, which while I think is a good thing considering all the risks around sex, I found it very interesting that a gay icon would say that.  Now I only make that statement with the knowledge that the gay community is known for (stereotypically and literally) being rather free with (and militant about) our sexual rights. So for a gay icon like the Lady to support abstinence/chastity over sex is a huge boon to our community.  Although, I'm personally surprised that more people haven't vilified her for that statement.  But I guess that's the power of celebrity. 

I came across this story while I was looking today and was rather intrigued.  Mostly because (I'm sure there are more, I just haven't heard of them) I was wondering how many Christian music artists/other Christian celebs are going to have to come out in order for the christian community to realize that Gay's aren't going away, and they probably know more of us than they think.  The first time I thought this was when I found out that Katy Perry (I kissed a Girl and all that) was formerly a Christian music artist.  Huh, well who knew...?

And then, probably as the biggest harbinger of the end of the world, Bill O'Reilly in a moment of either extreme passion or clarity offered to pay the court costs that the ruling foisted off on the father of the marine who's funeral was protested by "that organization" (I refuse to mention the name of "that organization" in my blog for similar reasons that I will not link to Ex-gay ministries).  While I'm not a big fan of Bill, and usually think he's an inflammatory rhetorical boob, I have to say that he has gained a smidgen of grudging respect from me for this move.  While I'll admit that it was more than likely either a move to gain popularity or involve himself in the politio-judicial whirlwind surrounding that story, either way it was still a nice thing to do.  Let's hope he has the cajones to follow through.

Well there you have it.

Clash of Technology with some LGBT thrown in for good measure

So another Wednesday, another blog. Today it's all about the review of the movie I've seen, the book I just finished reading, and a few other things.

Firstly. I went to see Clash of the Titans. Before I give my rating of the movie, I'll go over a few things about it. Warning, this may or may not continue spoilers. Foremost, Perseus was not accompanied on his journey by the clockwork owl. Bad move. Also, the storyline was incredibly choppy compared to the original. (I only say these things based on the fact that I grew up watching the original 1981 Clash of the Titans). Now I've not viewed the original in a long while, but I remember enough of it (I think) to make some comparisons.

The biggest difference is that in the 1981 version, the story was structured similarly to the tales of greek mythology wherein a hero fights against the decree's of the gods because that's what heroes do. In 2010, the whole reason for the movie was that humans had (more or less) declared war on the gods.

In the 1981 version, Calibos was his own character and was cursed by Zeus into a bestial form. In 2010, he was dual-character-ed as the human stepfather of Perseus and his bestial appearance was more his disfigurement from being struck by a Zeus-thrown lightning bolt.

Also, the scene involving the giant scorpions (while incredibly well done, if not a bit long) broke away from the original in that the scorpions came from Calibos' blood as opposed to the blood of Medusa's head.

In 2010 there was a new character/race called the Djinn (according to Wikipedia they are: "gentle and benevolent Sand-Demons with magical powers"). As far as I know there was no such race in the 1981 version. (Ergo, they were added simply to show more special effects.)

Thetis was actually Calibos' mother in the 1981 version, as opposed to some immortal being who want's to help Perseus. Hades was the main protagonist in 2010 as opposed to a jealous Thetis. Calibos was supposed to be married to Andromeda in 1981 and there is no mention of this in 2010 because Calibos is actually the wife of Perseus' mother (as mentioned above).

I could go on and on, but I won't because I don't have that kind of time. Suffice it to say that I was unimpressed with the movie. Now, I will say that normally I don't make such an issue out of some of the issues above, because I understand that sometimes things have to be cut/changed for the sake of prognosticated cinematic success. My reasons for this are is that the 2010 version is billed as a remake of the original 1981 film. It can't be called a remake if the entire storyline is changed. That makes it a whole different movie.

So, I give the Clash of the Titans 2010 a 3 out of 10.

Moving on, I finished Homosexuality and Ethics and I was really let down. I had hoped that it would be a more understandable book for the average person. It turned out that it was more of an academic text riddled with very obscure academic terms and meant more as a reference than anything. So not overall happy with it, but still grateful that I have it as I think it will benefit "the project" in the long run. I was impressed by the varied viewpoints in the book, as I think it makes a good attempt to present those views as dispassionately as possible. I was a little miffed at the constant comparison or supposed connection between homosexuality and pedophilia (which is nothing more than a stereotype). But since the copyright date of the book was 1980 (if I recall correctly) it makes sense. We've made great strides since then, unfortunately not enough.

Next book to read is (I think, unless I decide that something else would be better) this (I didn't want to type the whole title).

So I've also been reading some articles posted on the walls of some of my Facebook friends. This article was interesting, even if it was an opinion piece. I was impressed by the presentation of the idea that homosexuals are just as normal as everyone else. I was also impressed by the information held in the article. As opinion pieces goes I think it states it's point with very little bias, which is good. I also think I agree with one point in the article that once homosexuality comes into the picture, people stop looking at you as a person, and start looking at you only in regards to your sexual orientation, which isn't fair or right, but it is the truth.

I also saw this article from GLAAD (also interestingly enough on the same profile as the story above) and figured it was worth mentioning. I've recently been meeting with an old professor of mine, and while we disagree on Homosexuality (and we agree that we disagree) it doesn't stop him from speaking his mind. I've mentioned that conversion therapy and such is dangerous to people. This comment launched us into a conversation regarding the political pull of the gay rights movement in counseling and mental health. Now, I have to say that I would never subject myself to anything resembling Ex-gay therapy. I've also read some things by Wayne Besen who is a militant opponent of any sort of Ex-gay therapy/Ex-gay ministries. You can find his information regarding these things here. I refuse to put links to any site that would take a reader to anything like an Ex-gay ministry or anything like that, but if you were really interested I would encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions.

Ok, so there's not extra things thrown in for good measure, but that's a lot of writing and opinions. Hopefully I'll have just as much by next week.

[EDIT: It seems like I'm always forgetting something, in this case it was the technology part. Apparently my blackberry broke up with my school email. Since my school email is essentially my business email address this was bad for me. Since my FB account also went through that email, it was kinda important to get email from that account, so I could also get FB notifications on my phone. (all of which is important since I lack a computer.) So, I had to set up an additional GMail account and change my FB contact email. Then I had to make sure that my school email would forward all messages to the new email address. And then I had to set up the new email address on my Blackberry. Basically I had to get some sort of couples therapist for my school email and my Blackberry so that they'll continue to talk. *sigh* Technology is so complicated.]

Settling In

Well, I'm settling into the routine of new job schedule and everything, which is going well I'm happy to report.

I finished reading And the Band Played On earlier this week, and I have to say that I'm rather shocked and incredulous about the whole thing. I don't even want to get into it because it would take way too long and would make me sound like some sort of nutcase.

In the requisite gay news, Ricky Martin finally announced that he was gay. *yawn* Tell us something we haven't known since the late 90s.

I didn't get a chance to write the blog yesterday as I was busy and seem to have twisted my knee. Mental note: refrain from doing that again.

I started reading Homosexuality and Ethics and I have to say that it's a pretty interesting read. It starts out by presenting four different views regarding Homosexuality in the context of Moral Theology a.k.a. Christian Morality, with a few sub views thrown in for good measure.

The copyright date of this book is 1980 which is interesting because I finished reading the section that goes over the viewpoint that homosexual acts (and therefore homosexuality) is intrinsically wrong/evil/sinful and I thought it was interesting that even though these authors present a religiously conservative viewpoint regarding homosexual-ness they also make sure to mention that they are solidly against any civil discrimination regarding homosexuals (in the realm of employment and housing discrimination). They do make a special mention regarding marriage and it is the conservative christian viewpoint regarding gay marriage minus the vitreous bile spewed by the christian right today.

Also, between reading this book about ethics and the previous one about the AIDS epidemic, it made me realize that sometime in the 80s, during the Reagan administration, fundamentalist Christians began to throw their weight around in the political arena. People like Jerry Falwall and Pat Robertson began to infuse their religion with politics (or vice versa) and make a play for power. It was this abominable blend of politics/religion that caused political policy to be influenced by religious morals rather than political needs and justice.

I was thinking about this the other day and when we ask people to sit on a jury, we make sure to require them to put any bias' they may have, regardless of what they are about or where they come from, in order to have them reach a (relatively) impartial ruling. Why can't we require this of our politicians/representatives/justices?

[EDIT: I forgot to apologize. I was going to write a/this blog yesterday, but got busy and really needed to get some sleep. So I went to bed early. Sorry for the schedule change. I will do my best to achieve consistent Wednesday updates. It's just that with only one day off in the middle of the week, I've got a lot to do and only one business day to do it all in.]

Shifting tides of creativity and inspiration

I just got done taking the dogs for a walk, and I wasn't going to post a blog today (I wasn't feeling like it all that much). And now I'm attempting to write and play all at the same time. It may take awhile go get this blog typed, but it will happen.

I haven't researched anything regarding current events to critique (not that I'd have to look hard). But I will add my opinion to the Healthcare thing. All I will say is that the road of change is long and fraught with perils. Not the least of which is/are those who benefit from the current status quo.

In reference to the title of this post, I'm currently still reading And the Band Played On, and I think I've been making some interesting connections in my head. Now, as I said before, I've been thinking a lot, and have had a lot of creativity. But most of it isn't blog worthy (or it is blog worthy, but the subject matter is sensitive or some other reason) ergo, not going to be blogged.

*big sigh* Sorry. Once you start thinking and have a couple of profound thoughts (or subjectively profound) it ends up like an inferno that sweeps across your synapses and all you can do is wait for rain. So I'm waiting.

New information

Alright, now I had thought that there were some bigger changes in my life, but then I started writing and realized that there really weren't all that many HUGE changes. Just a couple.

First off, new job. I love it. I'm good at it. It's full time and I finally have a permanent schedule. I have Saturdays and Wednesdays off, which means that blogging will probably happen on those lazy summer afternoons on Wednesdays. Go me!

Also, in keeping with my time honored tradition of reviewing movies that I've seen in recent weeks (or not so recent) I saw Alice on opening day. I thought it was good, although the beginning of the movie lagged quite a bit (but what can you expect from a stuffy Victorian beginning?) It also had the darkness I expected it would from a Tim Burton film. Although I did think it was a little clunky overall. But that's to be expected considering the content. Although, I also recognized some actors from other things. The actor who plays Alice's mom is this woman, who I recognized by the end of the movie as the wacky lady from Under the Tuscan Sun (great movie!). And the fellow who plays Alice's dad is this guy, who played Borias in Xena. Also, as I was looking I noticed that he was also Celeborn from LOTR. Which I didn't know. Shocking, isn't it.

While we're on the topic of movies, I am rather excited to note that there are a bunch of movies coming out in the rapidly approaching months that I am probably going to see. Because I can. They include (but are not limited too) The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Prince of Persia, and last but not least (at least for me anyway, since I loved the original and just have been too lazy to pick it up on DVD) Clash of the Titans! I'm sure there are some other ones coming out that I'll want to see, but this is the three that I can think of as I'm writing this and watching House from Monday. By the way WOW what a twist, and a little disturbing...

So while I haven't had any news articles or huge opinions to share with you, and no rant this time, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that more is on the way, and soon. Since I have hump day off from here on out, until something really horrible happens. (I can't let you off the hook thinking that I'm totally an optimist, now can I?)

EDIT: I totally forgot (and I can't believe that I did) that I'm also going to see The Last Airbender when it comes out. I've been waiting for this since last year when I heard about it!

I hate lemons, why can't I have chocolate instead...

Well, it finally happened. I think my computer finally decided to die. Which means that until that either gets fixed, or I get a new computer my ability to blog will be severely compromised. I can still use my roommates computer off and on, but that's not like having your own. My external hard drive also died at the same time. Well I'm attempting to be optimistic, and even if I can't get it fixed, I've got the blackberry which should take care of some of the basic essentials of email and such. And now I have a reason to ask for cash for various gift-giving holidays in order to put money to a new computer.

So I'm an avid reader and I have a large stack of books that I've aquired that need to be read. With the good news that I have a full time job (starting in March) which is second shift, I've been attempting to stay up late to get into the schedule. Reading is one way that I'm attempting to remain awake. I've started reading a book given to me by my friend S. Entitled And the Band Played On, written by Randy Shilts, it's proving to be an interesting read. Considering it's about the revelation that AIDS is really an epidemic, the first 12 pages or so read like a horror novel.

And while I've only touched the surface of the whole thing, in the first 15 pages it is made bluntly clear that the fact that AIDS became an epidemic of global proportions is due to indifference, miscommuncation, and fear. And while I came to this realization, it also struck me that here in America there are a lot of things that shouldn't be handled through people playing on fear.

Now I'm going to approach this from a rather religious standpoint, but it seems to me that a vast majority of religious leaders get people to do what they want by playing on their fears. Fear of being different, fear of being the same, fear of being corrupted by that which you don't understand, etc... But to me, being part of a religion, no matter what religion it may be, means that you should be confident enough in what you believe to be able to exist with people who may or may not agree/believe the same as you.

At it's most basic level, Christianity is about love. So why then, is fear used to push adgendas in the religious and political communities? And why are religious organizations using religious based fear to push adgendas that have nothing to do with religion and everything to do with politics?

While I realize that there will always be interplay between religion and politics, I think we need to take a step back from all the debating and all the fighting, and take a serious look at why we are doing (religiously and politcally) the things we are. For too long, I think, the religious majority has been conducting an overture of fear and the political community has waltzed away without regard to the consequenses. Maybe it's time to stop dancing, put our dancing shoes away, and get down to business.

As an endnote, this rant is incomplete. The last two sentances popped into my head and were too good to not write down. So this is an incomplete train of thought and very poorly presented and ill thought out. Perhaps I'll come back to it later, but for now, this is all I've got.

Looking up and what about boys...

Well here I sit, writing yet another blog. Still jobless, still looking for a job, and still attempting to make sense of single life as a 20-something. Although being that I'm approaching a quarter century of life while my mother is simultaneously reaching the half century mark this year, makes for an interesting year. We shall see what happens. I'm pleased to report, however, that the job hunt (and chances at possible employment) seem to be improving. Not only for myself but for a number of friends who recently shared my status as [insert witty synonym for unemployed here]. Met with an old friend a few days back, and got to talking about my pet project about Homosexuality and Lutheranism (there has got to be a more pithy title than that) and she ended up proving herself to be a valuable resource. Needless to say, that if this project of mine ever finds its genesis, she will be amongst the many dedications/special thanks that it will receive.

Now for the requisite rant of my post.

Recently I've seen a number of commercials (or the same commercial numerous times) regarding an interesting phenomenon of "self esteem workshops for girls and young women". [sarcasm]Seriously?[/sarcasm] I recently read a story that a friend posted on Facebook which you can find here which states that he only brought the gun to school so he could "act like a man", at least according to the police spokeswoman.

Now here's my problem with this. We have boys and young men thinking that acting all macho and possessing firearms is a way to feel like a man, but we're advertising on television self esteem workshops for girls (for the purposes of this argument, I'm going to use boys/girls rather than say boys and young men, etc) of the same age? Why isn't there any support for young males out there. They have just as many problems with self esteem, and probably far less role models of what men should be, out there than girls have. I'm wondering if it ever occurred to anyone to do something for/regarding the self esteem and image problems boys feel in addition to those problems that girls feel.

Well that was significantly shorter than I had hoped. But I'm making an attempt to get back into this blogging thing, and come up with witty rants and long (well written) opinions. It seems, though, that I am a bit rusty. Well we'll just have to work on that won't we?