Invader's-rant
Public Service Announcement: DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER!!!! Definition: MySpace [Mai' thpathe] (pronounced with a lithp), N. - 1. A shrine to Terrible teener web programming, the worst M$ driven Web2.sl0 has to offer.

2009-01-28

On Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 4:48 PM, <---------@---------.---> wrote:
> I challenge an assertion you make.
>
> Odds are that if legislation grants legal status to gay "marriages" then those refusing to perform those marriages on ethical/moral/religious/"law of Nature" grounds could indeed have legal action brought against them. Such legal standing is precisely what that camp is vying for - in many arenas.

a judge is as far as I know more or less required to marry anyone with
a license showing that they meet the requirements.. a priest or a
rabbi or whoever is not (I don't believe) bound by law to perform a
marriage, otherwise Pastor King of Adrian Church of God could be sued
for not marrying a couple where the man is a Mormon and the woman is a
Pentecostal - that happened (thankfully) to me. I will not be suing
him or being angry with him at all. I thanked him for saving my
posterior from a Really Dumb Mistake... like a Tall Building Jumping
From A Window class screwup [SPLAT!].

>
> ----- then a point or two to ponder -------
>
> The family - meaning a married Mom & Dad and their natural or adopted children IS the fundamental unit of society. So what happens then IF we redefine what a family is? Does this not cause a GREAT deal of confusion among the young who contend with much confusion already?
>
> Personally while I don't believe we should make legislation that would make homosexuality a punishable crime I also don't believe we should redefine what a family or a marriage is to include something so grossly against the laws of Nature - let alone the law of God.

I don't think it's ever been officially written down and codified in
secular society like not killing people or vandalism.. so any attempt
to define it is to (re)define it. I don't think public law should
define it. churches and cultures are free to define it as a norm. but
a law that has the intention of discrimination is one law closer to
George Orwell's Animal Farm or 1984. It is best not to go down that
slippery slope. Pretty soon people will be witch hunted because they
are gay, or not allowed to get married because they are mixed race.

Human beings are very powerful creatures in that we don't have to
follow many of the laws of nature. We can be or not be married and
have a family. We can self terminate. We can kill eachother for no
reason whatsoever, or commit random and senseless acts of beautiful
kindness. We can debate the meaning of our own existence, and that
meaning can change at a moments notice.

Free agency is a wonderful gift. And a terrible curse. And a grave
responsibility. The actions of one individual have potential to affect
the future of all humankind. Religion is a great tempering agent and
guide for the use of this powerful tool.. but it is not a law of the
land in America. Yet.

If I were a religious leader I would probably have to pass on
officiating these ceremonies, and forward a couple to someone else
with my blessings and best wishes.. honestly the thought of having to
make this decision hurts my head.

as a judge, my criteria would be to uphold and interpret the law as is
my power and job description. If the couple meets the requirements, I
would perform my duties honorably.

>
> While they frame this in terms of "civil rights" and "being a family" to reach out emotionally to the vast majority that find homosexuality the perversion it is --- my advice is "follow the money" because that is going to point out all sorts of things the emotional appeal is designed to blind you to.

very fair.. the same can also be said for the religious lobby or any
emotional self-defining way of life/thinking. I think that all people
with ulterior motives will get their due.

I think that the people in power who want this amendment stand to
benefit as well considering that if a gay person dies, any estate is
taxable, but if a married person dies, the estate goes to the spouse
without going through probate or any inheritance taxes. gay marriage
would increase the number of married inheritance transactions and
decrease $$$ for bridges to nowhere and other assorted pork (oo).

ultimately, an amendment of this type is the seeds of the American taliban.

2009-01-27

do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

> It’s only the third day of Barack Obama’s presidency, but he just announced his aggressive plan to force Americans to accept homosexuality.
> His just-revealed gay rights agenda, posted on the Whitehouse.gov website, is a dream come true for the homosexual lobby. Our new president wants to force Americans to accept homosexuality in the workplace and in the military. Plus, he will push hard to pass hate crimes legislation and give marriage benefits to same-sex couples.

it apparently is also a nightmare for the neocon airport bathroom hookups lobby...


I don't see this as a bad thing.. My relationship with my GF or the marriage of my parents is of no less worth or value because two men or two
women can share the same love for one another.. frankly their supposed salvation is not my responsibility. I believe that homosexuality is the wrong path for me but it isn't my place to tell someone else that it's wrong for them. what happened to the golden rule? would you want them to legislate away some right or privilege because they said it was wrong? should the Muslim community be able to outlaw me eating pork or should I be able to say that its illegal for people to marry in a native American ceremony? I think the whole "make homosexuality illegal" thing is being spearheaded by people who are feeling insecure of their own sexuality and afraid that they might be a little funny themselves. I cite Larry Craig, Ted Haggard, and countless other proponents of hating homosexuality. they so vehemently supported this cause because they hated themselves.

legislating discrimination is a very Un-American thing to do. this includes current implementations of affirmative action. If we say gays can't get married because its unchristian then Muslims and Jews can't either. lets ban Buddhists and atheists as well. Ultimately marriage is a legal contract. you can go be married by a judge. Not having anti gay legislation doesn't mean that anyone who performs marriages is REQUIRED to officiate marriages they don't approve of.

The Constitution is supposed to protect and ensure equal treatment for ALL people. It should not be changed to single out a group of people for different treatment. This anti-gay amendment discriminates by denying the rights and protections of marriage.

The only intent and effect of a Constitutional amendment like this is to deny basic rights and protections under the law to gay and lesbian people.
The anti-gay constitutional amendment does not defend marriage, it denies marriage rights to loving, committed couples. Thousands of children are being raised by gay and lesbian parents. Denying these parents the rights and protections of marriage leaves their children vulnerable.

love thy neighbor as thyself.

do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

honestly i think we need to worry more about the families in Alaska who can't heat their homes because of the cost of fuel in one of the most fuel rich states in the union.. about the displaced workers in Michigan who are in the same boat.. about our grandparents and some of our parents who have to choose between pills or food when the pharma companies are pulling record profits and selling north of the border at 1/2 the domestic prices.

you can't force a person or persons to accept anything. I am free to leave if someone starts smoking, drinking excessively or chewing with their mouth open.. I don't have to accept those behaviors no matter what any law says. If i did not like black people i have every right NOT to work in Pontiac, or if i couldn't stand KKK people I could choose not to attend a march :) .



>
> Here’s a short list of what our new president wants to do:
>
> Pass hate crimes legislation that will criminalize opposition to homosexuality.

it will criminalize opposition to homosexuality in the same manner that the civil rights act criminalized actions against black people, and employment law criminalizes opposition to not hiring someone because she's female.

> Allow homosexuals to enter into civil unions, which will “give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples.”

as Kinky Friedman said on Feb. 3, 2005, "I support gay marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us"

> Repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

it doesn't defend marriage, marriage doesn't need defended. unless this "act" keeps people from killing brides or grooms before they can utter those two words.. but there are other laws that cover that.

> Oppose a federal constitutional amendment to limit marriage to a man and a woman.

I dont think it's government's place to say what constitutes a marriage besides a contract two people who love each other. the sacredness aspect is upto their own beliefs. If a particular faith chooses to not recognize the marriage, that's their right to do so.

A legal marriage contract should not be confused with a temple sealing or a jewish wineglass smashing or a Hopi Qomi ceremony or etc..

> Repeal federal law to allow open homosexuals to serve in the U.S. military.

it's just as inappropriate to talk about who you slept with whether its gay or straight activity if said activity offends those around you.

if advances are made on another person that are not desired, it's equally harassment, whether by a guy against a guy or a guy against a girl or a girl against a girl or whatever.

none of this behavior is appropriate for the job description of being a member of the armed forces.

again, laws should not be made to discriminate.

> Give homosexual couples the right to adopt young children.

will the child be..

fed?
clothed?
taught not to steal, swear, blaspheme, lie, cheat, kill?
taught to obey his/her parents?

if yes then what's wrong with that?

> Fight AIDS with sex education, condoms, and needle-exchange programs.

Sounds like a good practical way to do it...

Abstinence Ed made Sarah Palin a grandmother twice over.

>
> Right now, the President has the political wind at his back. Most in the media and Congress are cheering for him and his agenda to succeed.

That's because the social conservative movement has now had TWO double length administrations to prove that their way is better. this has been a dismal failure BOTH times. This movement has nearly dropped us into a 1930s class depression Twice. at the same time during it's leadership. 1986 and 2006. this way of leadership has driven us so far into debt and done so much damage to the environment and humanity that some damages could take a millenia to repair.

The social conservative movement of jerry fallwell and his contemporaries is a crime against humanity.


> That means he most likely will unless men and women of moral conviction and courage stand up and say “No!”

define morality?

whose morality?

flying spaghetti monster adherents?

word of wisdom adherents?

Qu'ran or Torah or Tripitaka or Veda followers?

who is to define right and wrong!?

I personally can never hope to be all knowing enough to do anything other than to define what right and wrong mean to me, and to defend the rights of others do the same for themselves.

This is why I believe that the ten commandments are a good thing. They say not to take what isn't yours, not to be dishonest, don't take your or other people's religious figures' names in vain, listen to your parents, don't have any gods before your god, dont kill people, etc. these are all great ideals to adhere to. by people of any faith.

>
> We have resources to help you understand these issues and to take action.
>
> Ten Truths About Hate Crime Laws shows why so-called “bias-crime laws” threaten free speech, religious liberty, and equal justice in America. And if you’re wondering What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage?, Dr. Kennedy has the answer in his book by that title. Finally, if you’re looking for aid in thinking biblically about every area of life, Dr. Kennedy’s book, Lord of All: Developing a Christian World-and-Life View will give you scriptural perspectives on politics, education, human life, economics, marriage, and more.

should it be protected speech to

call someone a fag or a queer (slander)
write in a newspaper that Paul Wolfowitz is a filthy jew (libel)
burn a cross in a black person's yard(arson/property damage)
throw blood on a person in a fur coat(assault/battery)?

These instances of the parenthesized crimes are particularly heinous because they are grossly offensive to more than one person. there was a time when christians were treated as they want gays to be treated.. they should remember history in the first 500 years AD... and what happened to Christ himself. Christ being crucified, albeit necessary in christian lore, was a hate crime. an assassination to try to preserve the status quo. Christ was seen as a rabblerouser and heretic and he was murdered for it. All religions have these occurrences, so no religion should be against hate crime legislation.

>
> Thank you for your partnership with Coral Ridge Ministries! Your immediate online donation today will help us defend America’s moral heritage and bring God’s Word to bear on every area of life.
> And look for more details in coming days about what our new

President is doing to impose “change” on the nation – and what we, with your help, are doing to defend traditional, biblically based American virtues!

American values are no more directly biblically based than any other religion. they are technically masonic in similarity.

American values are possibly summed up with E Pluribus, Unum. Of/From many, One. All have an equal part in the whole. which infers that all people are to be respected equally and their rights protected.

American values have been hijacked in the 20th century by people who fear anything that is not the same as they are.

The founding fathers did not wear their religious beliefs like so much designer clothing or a fancy car. They allowed it to define how they lived their lives.

see, the thing here is, _I_ am not threatened by gay people or Jews or people with green eyes or left-facing cowlicks.. Other men might be so offended, but as was said by Salahuddin Ayyubi, I Am Not Those Men! I am comfortable in my own skin and have no fears of myself.

ultimately, ultraconservative homophobia is a fear of their own latent homosexuality or jealousy that someone might not be chained down by the same restrictions. now, anyone is free to ask someone to not do something or leave their property... or to walk away themselves.

An honorable person will respect that.

Truth and justice has won the day. the terorist-pleasing witch hunting lynch mob hysteria of post 911 is over. now we can go back to our true purpose, being the land of the free and the home of the brave, all being welcome here. the bigots can now go peacefully into the pages of history.

if it were only that easy.