Monday, May 26, 2008
My response to Bush’s statement on same-sex Marriage
“Good morning.” “Eight years ago, Congress passed, and President Clinton signed, the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage for purposes of federal law as the legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” Which was a big mistake when he did it, and we should have fought tooth and nail then. “The act passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 342-67 and the Senate by a vote of 85-14.” It shows how much our elected officials really care about equality for all Americans. “Those congressional votes, and the passage of similar defense of marriage laws in 38 states, express an overwhelming consensus in our country for protecting the institution of marriage.” As well as an overwhelming ignorance that prevails within our nation and the denial of human rights in favor of prejudice. “In recent months, however, some activist judges and local officials have made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage. In Massachusetts, four judges on the highest court have indicated they will order the issuance of marriage licenses to applicants of the same gender in May of this year.” Finally, a step in the right direction. Tolerance, acceptance, equality. We do not seek to redefine marriage. We are seeking to be recognized as Americans, with all our rights intact and not hindered or reduced because of who we are. “In San Francisco, city officials have issued thousands of marriage licenses to people of the same gender, contrary to the California Family Code. That code, which clearly defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, was approved overwhelmingly by the voters of California.” San Francisco has decided to take a stand against hatred, homophobia, legislated morality and truly support and uphold our nation’s most important value, freedom. “A county in New Mexico has also issued marriage licenses to applicants of the same gender.” Let freedom reign. Let love rule. “And unless action is taken, we can expect more arbitrary court decisions, more litigation, more defiance of the law by local officials, all of which adds to uncertainty.” These decisions are neither arbitrary, nor are they defiant of the basic American ideal of equal rights for all citizens. What is uncertain is why our government so actively seeks to limit our freedoms as well as invade our privacy, as well as escalate war against countries for no reason. “After more than two centuries of American jurisprudence and millennia of human experience, a few judges and local authorities are presuming to change the most fundamental institution of civilization.” After two centuries of prejudice and non-inclusive laws, and the millennia of human experience, which has had its share of genocide, slavery, calamity, destruction and death, not to mention your term in office, finally some brave souls are willing to take a stand for the true meaning of equality and justice, not to mention love. “Their actions have created confusion on an issue that requires clarity. On a matter of such importance, the voice of the people must be heard. Activist courts have left the people with one recourse.” Their actions have illuminated the dark, prejudiced side of American politics, and ‘outed’ the ignorance and hatred that exists in our nation. “If we’re to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever, our nation must enact a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America.” If we believe that opting to lift the ban on same sex marriage would change the meaning of marriage, then the constitution needs to be amended to protect the rights of Americans, not the institution of marriage. Marriage is safe, no matter what. Americans, under this administration, are not. “Decisive and democratic action is needed because attempts to redefine marriage in a single state or city could have serious consequences throughout the country.” The attempts to define who is truly deserving of equality in any state or city would have serious consequences throughout the country. “The Constitution says that ‘full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts and records and judicial proceedings of every other state.” “Those who want to change the meaning of marriage will claim that this provision requires all states and cities to recognize same-sex marriages performed anywhere in America.” We don’t wish to change the meaning of marriage, but the meaning of what it is to be an American, with all the freedoms that are the right of all who live here. “Congress attempted to address this problem in the Defense of Marriage Act by declaring that no state must accept another state’s definition of marriage. My administration will vigorously defend this act of Congress.” Your administration would have all Americans limit their rights to freedom, equality, choice, privacy and the truth. Your administration has done nothing but put our children in jeopardy, fighting wars based upon lies you have told us, made the rest of the world hate us, skyrocketed unemployment, given unnecessary face time to the theocrats and recklessly driven us onto the road to ruin. We must vigorously defend ourselves against your administration. “Yet there is no assurance that the Defense of Marriage Act will not itself be struck down by activist courts. In that event, every state would be forced to recognize any relationship that judges in Boston or officials in San Francisco choose to call a marriage.” If justice were to be served, if this were really the America we are to aspire to being, then the Defense of Marriage Act will be struck down. Every state should be forced to recognize that humanity cannot be judged by one code of ethics. “Furthermore, even if the Defense of Marriage Act is upheld, the law does not protect marriage within any state or city.” Furthermore, marriage needs no protection. Americans do. In every state and city. “For all these reasons, the defense of marriage requires a constitutional amendment.” For all these reasons, the defense of our country requires the Bush administration to end its reign of error. “An amendment to the Constitution is never to be undertaken lightly.” Nor shall it be used to buy more time in office. “The amendment process has addressed many serious matters of national concern, and the preservation of marriage rises to this level of national importance.” The preservation of freedom is far more important. “The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society.” Same sex marriage will promote the welfare of children, providing them with more two parent households, as well as promote the stability of society by expanding the range of what the American family is allowed to be. “Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society.” Marriage does not seek to be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots. It seeks to be available to all Americans. Hatred and homophobia are the elements that weaken the good influence of society. “Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all.” Government, by recognizing and protecting Americans, serves the interests of all. “Today, I call upon the Congress to promptly pass and to send to the states for ratification an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and woman as husband and wife.” Today, I call upon all Americans who love their freedom, to uphold the rights of others who are denied it. “The amendment should fully protect marriage, while leaving the state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than marriage.” The amendment would leave Americans with an open door for the government to limit our freedom, equality and rights in everything outside of marriage. “America’s a free society which limits the role of government in the lives of our citizens. This commitment of freedom, however, does not require the redefinition of one of our most basic social institutions.” America’s freedom relies upon the ability of our elected officials to uphold it. This commitment of freedom, however, does not require the redefinition of freedom, our most basic social institution. “Our government should respect every person and protect the institution of marriage. There is no contradiction between these responsibilities.” Our government should respect every person and protect the institution of freedom. There is no contradiction between these responsibilities. “We should also conduct this difficult debate in a matter worthy of our country, without bitterness or anger.” “In all that lies ahead, let us match strong convictions with kindness and good will and decency.” This is what I would have said too. “Thank you very much.” No thank you. Very much.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Stand Up, Be Counted!
I came across a entry of mine from an old journal entry; from 2004:
What do we do if we don’t get the democratic candidate to support same sex marriage? We don’t think about that until we have to think about it. I never have a back up plan. I just assume that when I step up, there are going to be stairs there. Perhaps it’s foolish, but fools rush in, where angels fear to tread. I am no angel. I am the former, but that hasn’t done me any harm so far.If there is no going back from here, if we are to hold fast to our beliefs, if we continue to display these acts of civil ‘disobedience,’ what else can we do but create new standards for our elected officials?If gay and lesbian couples continue to line up at city halls all over the nation demanding marriage licenses, if one by one, the mayors decide to let the people have what rightly belongs to them, if the media sees these families, solid and loving, so many already in place for years and years, yet without acknowledgment from government agencies and society at large, if they are unable to ignore the numbers of us willing to fight for what we believe in, if we can become an army of lovers, how can we lose this war? Would they bring out the riot police? Throw tear gas instead of bridal bouquets into the waiting bridesmaids hands? Hose the newlyweds off the street? “The harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all.”We have no idea how powerful we actually are. So many of us have not voted or even registered to vote. Understandably so, for we were never considered part of the general, ‘respectable’ population. Why vote in a country that cares so little about who we are? “This land is your land, but this land isn’t my land” - that is what so many of us have thought. This second class citizenship has sunk in so deeply that we have barely any awareness of it. We had no idea that this is the enemy we are truly fighting. “The enemy is within, don’t confuse me with him.” That quote is from an Elliott Smith song and feels overwhelmingly appropriate.That silent complicity with the status quo, even with the great strides in GLBT activism and the burgeoning mainstream gay icons of “Will & Grace” and “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy,” has kept the true face of who we are quietly hidden. We have no knowledge of how far our reach is. We don’t know our own strength. We don’t know that we are warriors. The time has come for us to know. Even if you are still in the closet, the voting booth is a private place to fight. No one has to know which side you are on but you, and know that when you are ready, you will be welcomed with open arms into your true family, the tribe you were born to.If you are not gay, it is still your issue, because if we are to lose this battle, who will be there to defend your rights? If the government is allowed to take freedoms away from a certain group of people, then how much longer will it be until they come for you? We are a much more formidable opponent than anyone would have known. We’ve never had a chance to grab the brass wedding ring, the symbol of equality, the real civil union - not between us in place of marriage - but the union we have with the rest of the citizens of this nation. How strong is your grip?In the immortal words of Bette Davis, as Margo in “All About Eve” - “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
What do we do if we don’t get the democratic candidate to support same sex marriage? We don’t think about that until we have to think about it. I never have a back up plan. I just assume that when I step up, there are going to be stairs there. Perhaps it’s foolish, but fools rush in, where angels fear to tread. I am no angel. I am the former, but that hasn’t done me any harm so far.If there is no going back from here, if we are to hold fast to our beliefs, if we continue to display these acts of civil ‘disobedience,’ what else can we do but create new standards for our elected officials?If gay and lesbian couples continue to line up at city halls all over the nation demanding marriage licenses, if one by one, the mayors decide to let the people have what rightly belongs to them, if the media sees these families, solid and loving, so many already in place for years and years, yet without acknowledgment from government agencies and society at large, if they are unable to ignore the numbers of us willing to fight for what we believe in, if we can become an army of lovers, how can we lose this war? Would they bring out the riot police? Throw tear gas instead of bridal bouquets into the waiting bridesmaids hands? Hose the newlyweds off the street? “The harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all.”We have no idea how powerful we actually are. So many of us have not voted or even registered to vote. Understandably so, for we were never considered part of the general, ‘respectable’ population. Why vote in a country that cares so little about who we are? “This land is your land, but this land isn’t my land” - that is what so many of us have thought. This second class citizenship has sunk in so deeply that we have barely any awareness of it. We had no idea that this is the enemy we are truly fighting. “The enemy is within, don’t confuse me with him.” That quote is from an Elliott Smith song and feels overwhelmingly appropriate.That silent complicity with the status quo, even with the great strides in GLBT activism and the burgeoning mainstream gay icons of “Will & Grace” and “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy,” has kept the true face of who we are quietly hidden. We have no knowledge of how far our reach is. We don’t know our own strength. We don’t know that we are warriors. The time has come for us to know. Even if you are still in the closet, the voting booth is a private place to fight. No one has to know which side you are on but you, and know that when you are ready, you will be welcomed with open arms into your true family, the tribe you were born to.If you are not gay, it is still your issue, because if we are to lose this battle, who will be there to defend your rights? If the government is allowed to take freedoms away from a certain group of people, then how much longer will it be until they come for you? We are a much more formidable opponent than anyone would have known. We’ve never had a chance to grab the brass wedding ring, the symbol of equality, the real civil union - not between us in place of marriage - but the union we have with the rest of the citizens of this nation. How strong is your grip?In the immortal words of Bette Davis, as Margo in “All About Eve” - “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
New Sins
Brand New Sins!Friday, March 21st, 2008
The pope has just released a number of brand new sins! They include drugs, pollution and genetic manipulation. I am not sure how he gets to do this, but if he can, I think everyone should be able to! So here are some new sins from me (not in any particular order…)
Tailgating. Thou shalt not drive too close to other cars. Mortal sin. People can get killed. One time, I was being tailgated so close on the freeway that it felt like the other car was raping my car. I mean it was a vehicular sexual assault. He kept pounding the back of my car until his car just blew up and sprawled across multiple lanes blocking traffic up for miles. Isn’t that just like a man?
Talking too loud in someone’s ear at a club. Thou shalt not try to talk over the booming techno beat, shattering your friend’s eardrums and annoying everyone in the process. You don’t even get heard, you strain your voice, you hurt their ears, no information is that important. Thou shalt wait til thou is outside.
Homophobia – thou shalt not be a homophobe! (this is something the pope cannot get enough of!)
Sexism and racism in the presidential race. Thou shalt not try to use gender or racial stereotypes in order to undermine presidential candidates, no matter who thou might vote for!
The pope has just released a number of brand new sins! They include drugs, pollution and genetic manipulation. I am not sure how he gets to do this, but if he can, I think everyone should be able to! So here are some new sins from me (not in any particular order…)
Tailgating. Thou shalt not drive too close to other cars. Mortal sin. People can get killed. One time, I was being tailgated so close on the freeway that it felt like the other car was raping my car. I mean it was a vehicular sexual assault. He kept pounding the back of my car until his car just blew up and sprawled across multiple lanes blocking traffic up for miles. Isn’t that just like a man?
Talking too loud in someone’s ear at a club. Thou shalt not try to talk over the booming techno beat, shattering your friend’s eardrums and annoying everyone in the process. You don’t even get heard, you strain your voice, you hurt their ears, no information is that important. Thou shalt wait til thou is outside.
Homophobia – thou shalt not be a homophobe! (this is something the pope cannot get enough of!)
Sexism and racism in the presidential race. Thou shalt not try to use gender or racial stereotypes in order to undermine presidential candidates, no matter who thou might vote for!
Starving Dog in Art Exhibit
Subject: Boycott Guillermo Vargas at the Biennial Centroamericana Honduras 2008
In 2007, the ‘artist’ Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, tied him to a rope in an art gallery, and starved him to death.
For several days, the ‘artist’ and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful ‘masterpiece’ based on the dog’s agony, until eventually he died.
Does it look like art to you?
But this is not all… the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the ‘installation’ was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.
PLEASE HELP STOP HIM.
http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition.html
It’s free of charge, there is no need to register, and it will only take 1 minute to save the life of an innocent creature.
Thank you for your time.
In 2007, the ‘artist’ Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, tied him to a rope in an art gallery, and starved him to death.
For several days, the ‘artist’ and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful ‘masterpiece’ based on the dog’s agony, until eventually he died.
Does it look like art to you?
But this is not all… the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the ‘installation’ was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.
PLEASE HELP STOP HIM.
http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition.html
It’s free of charge, there is no need to register, and it will only take 1 minute to save the life of an innocent creature.
Thank you for your time.
Gay Marriage
What ever happened to gay marriage? People don’t really talk about it anymore. I fear the issue has just gone away. With all the excitement about a Bush-free world, everyone sort of forgot that we don’t really have equal rights for gays and lesbians yet. I am just as excited as everyone else that Bush will be out of office soon, believe me. Bush wasn’t a bad President. He was the WORST President. But just because he’s leaving doesn’t mean all our problems will be solved automatically.
I am just worried that the issue of gay marriage has been dropped as a political argument because the consensus from the last election is that so many people hate gays that there is no way to maneuver around that prejudice, so we might as well forget it. This is amazingly depressing and I am not sure what to do about it. I don’t want to forget about gay marriage because I think America can overcome its prejudices. We are a country that has made our history doing just that. I believe we are ready to abolish homophobic attitudes. They are outdated and frankly, totally beneath us. This is a great country. Why are we acting so immature about people wanting to build families? Who cares who makes a family anyway? Why is it even a problem? Why would anyone be against it? Why are people accepting that people are against it? Why is homophobia still OK, even among presidential candidates?
The only candidates who seem confident enough to talk about gay marriage are the ones who are adamantly against it, like Mike Huckabee. Oh my, I so do not heart Huckabee. He equates homosexuality with bestiality, which is interesting because he is so very closely tied to Chuck Norris, who does have a bit of a sensual beast in him. If you hate gays so much, why did you pick the celebrity who looks most like International Mr. Leather 1995 to endorse you?
Hating homosexuals is supposedly a Christian thing-which I don’t get either. I believe in God, and more importantly, I think I understand God. What God wants, what God is asking from all of us, is basically, “Don’t be an asshole.” That’s it. And we are lucky because of Jesus, now it is “Try not to be an asshole.” This of course, is the King James Version.
I wish for Huckabee, and for all those out there who oppose gay marriage, to just try, try, try not to be an asshole. It is all Jesus really wants.
I am just worried that the issue of gay marriage has been dropped as a political argument because the consensus from the last election is that so many people hate gays that there is no way to maneuver around that prejudice, so we might as well forget it. This is amazingly depressing and I am not sure what to do about it. I don’t want to forget about gay marriage because I think America can overcome its prejudices. We are a country that has made our history doing just that. I believe we are ready to abolish homophobic attitudes. They are outdated and frankly, totally beneath us. This is a great country. Why are we acting so immature about people wanting to build families? Who cares who makes a family anyway? Why is it even a problem? Why would anyone be against it? Why are people accepting that people are against it? Why is homophobia still OK, even among presidential candidates?
The only candidates who seem confident enough to talk about gay marriage are the ones who are adamantly against it, like Mike Huckabee. Oh my, I so do not heart Huckabee. He equates homosexuality with bestiality, which is interesting because he is so very closely tied to Chuck Norris, who does have a bit of a sensual beast in him. If you hate gays so much, why did you pick the celebrity who looks most like International Mr. Leather 1995 to endorse you?
Hating homosexuals is supposedly a Christian thing-which I don’t get either. I believe in God, and more importantly, I think I understand God. What God wants, what God is asking from all of us, is basically, “Don’t be an asshole.” That’s it. And we are lucky because of Jesus, now it is “Try not to be an asshole.” This of course, is the King James Version.
I wish for Huckabee, and for all those out there who oppose gay marriage, to just try, try, try not to be an asshole. It is all Jesus really wants.
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