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.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, April 30, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
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 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.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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!
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!
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