Thursday, July 31, 2003
Pope Poops on Idea of Marriage
This issue has also gotten up my sleeve, and David says it with more immediacy to the first person feelings than I can. To the Pope: go pedal your Papal Bull elsewhere. In this country, we're having a discussion about a civil matter. Talking in a civil manner which does not involve name-calling. WhateverUpon further thought, and a well deserved knock upside the head by Zombyboy, in the comments section of David's post, I must add to my comments: I made the reference above as a way to differentiate superstitions of exclusions from religious beliefs; not to malign anyone's religious beliefs. I put it that way exactly because I see this particular part of the Pope's beliefs, as indicated by his statements, to be superstitious in nature. Below are the definition and the document on which I base my statements:
superstition: A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from a belief or practice irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature
The original document translated into English: CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH: CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS . Since this question relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society. Moral conscience requires that, in every occasion, Christians give witness to the whole moral truth ...Therefore, discreet and prudent actions can be effective; these might involve: unmasking the way in which such tolerance might be exploited or used in the service of ideology; ..." [emph. mine] Here's the fear part. and, above all, to avoid exposing young people to erroneous ideas about sexuality and marriage that would deprive them of their necessary defences and contribute to the spread of the phenomenon. And here's the ignorance part. The idea that if children see gay couples, they will be "turned" gay has been disproved in so many ways that I find it unreal that some still believe it. People are not "convinced" to be gay, nor are they "turned" gay any more than they can be 'convinced' to be straight. People can be convinced or forced to behave differently, deny their feelings, and live a lie. How helpful is that? Think it through. Do you know anyone who has been "turned" gay/straight? What would it take to "convince" you to be straight/gay? A heterosexual child who grew up knowing only a homosexual society would be subject to the same feelings of confusion and alienation as a homosexual child who had never seen anything but heterosexual people. With human sexuality, as with everything else human, there is a continuum -- a range within which everyone falls somewhere between the strictly black-or-white definitions of hetero- and homo- sexuality. Were it not for the rigorous training of our society which dictates that "you Must decide, one way or the other, and be bound by that decision forever," more people would be aware that they feel attraction for members of their own gender. Maybe enough to act upon it, and maybe just enough to lend a little more enjoyment to life. Alas, the penalty for even recognizing such feelings, let alone acting on them, is so high that many never afford themselves the opportunity to realize the many shades of color that lie between Black and White. Every humanly-created law is legitimate insofar as it is consistent with the natural moral law, recognized by right reason, and insofar as it respects the inalienable rights of every person. Blew a coupla toes off with that one, insofar as the inalienable rights of citizens of the US via the Constitution. Otherwise why would an amendment be necessary to exclude gay marriage? And, really; just because you run a major religion doesn't mean you can define for the rest of us "natural moral law" and "right reason." Here in America, religion is a choice. Philosophical outlook is a choice. If one chooses to subscribe to the beliefs of the Catholic Church, that is their Constitutionally given right. However, if one is in a position to make laws that govern others who subscribe to other beliefs, one must base those laws on the good of this society and for reasons which are demonstrable outside of the belief system of the Catholic Church, the Wiccan faith, or any other faith-based belief system. We take nothing for granted; we must prove the usefulness of all proposed laws, each on its own merit. Which statement, I believe, addresses the participation of Catholic lawmakers: Catholic politicians have a "moral duty" to oppose laws granting legal rights to gay couples, and non-Catholics should follow their lead since the issue concerns "natural moral law," said the Vatican's orthodoxy watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 7. Homosexual unions are totally lacking in the biological and anthropological elements of marriage and family which would be the basis, on the level of reason, for granting them legal recognition. Such unions are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race. This seems a bit of faulty logic as, otherwise, any people who happen to be unable to reproduce for whatever reason should also not be eligible to marry. Methodologies of contribution to the survival, and thriving, of the human race have gone far beyond simply procreating. Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development. According to this, children who are raised without exposure to music, literature, travel, and the refinements of every civilization the world has known are also being done violence as that is the environment conducive to full human development. Or, wait; isn't there something in human nature that requires that the individual must develop the skills to learn and discover for himself? I've never met anyone who believed exactly as their parents do, and who shared exactly the same interests, passions and perspectives in the world. That is definitional to "individual." [It's not like kids of gay couples will never see any heterosexual culture, after all. They might even have (gasp) heterosexual teachers or scout leaders.] 8. Society owes its continued survival to the family, founded on marriage. I disagree. I believe society owes its continued survival to recognition of the humanity in each of us, and a corresponding respect underlying the treatment of each individual by the State. 11. The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. Didn't the church take the position while ago that homosexual people didn't actually exist; only "deviant behavior?" I think that, despite themselves, they are making steps. Itty-bitty unconscious ones -- yet, steps. None of what I've read substantiates any of the fear contained within it. I think it behooves us to re-examine the actions and the resultant outcomes of the Netherlands and Belgium which have "extended marriage rights to all couples, no matter the partners' gender." [Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and, yes, even France have "civil union" laws.]
"It's the Vatican's good right to make statements like this, but here in the Netherlands, we have separation of church and state," said Kathleen Ferrier, a spokeswoman for the Christian Democrats.
In Belgium, where three-quarters of the population is Roman Catholic, the Flemish Christian Democrats said the issue boiled down to supporting all kinds of families.
"For us, what's important is sustained relationships," said Luk Vanmaercke, a party spokesman.
Sustained relationships. Mutual respect among people. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They all belong together and support one another.
More foto madness
And on a blog from Mexico, Epuk Blog, I found a link to Metafilter which asks the musical [appropriate...] question, "Is Bush Gay?" In the comments comes:
from quonsar
The ...er, cream of the crop is below:
Other things...
Now for something completely different:Go check out the many varied ways of interpreting these 26 things. And you can see a bit more about how I view the world in a less linear way.
Did *you* know?
This is what I learned while awaiting my burrito today:...an elaborate conspiracy ties the Enron scandal, the war in Iraq, 9-11, the 2000 election and the CA energy debacle together.
Wow.
SF Mayor Willie Brown controls not only CA, but the US Senate, too. "He's the most powerful man in the world." And Brown, Bush, and Ken Lay were co-conspirators in 9-11.
It goes on to include employees being stopped by "men in black vans" [what we used to know as "MIBs"] phone taps, one-man protest marches, and large signs stuck in a pile of poop [horse, I believe.] Life through the eyes of The Bohemian...
AOL is SOL
America Online released Thursday an overhaul of its software that relies on improved tools and content to keep current customers from defecting, even as the company's dialup business continues to shrivel .
Couldn't happen to a more deserving outfit. ['cept M$N...]
New term
typosquatting: using a minor variation of a well known brand name to divert customers who mistype it.Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Ain't it the truth!
.
ThanQ! again, Michael Heraghty
Uh, oh . . .
APA describes Internet Addiction. [Gee, I hope it's only a V-Code...] Here, this'll help. ThanQ! to the most amazing Michael Heraghty -- worth risking even an Axis I Dx... Go see.Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Haaallp?
I can't get the "email me comments" thingie to work. Anyone had that problem? Anyone solved that problem? ThanQ!Is is silly-season, already?!?
Any similarities between these to stories are due only to your excellent perceptual abilities.Operating for two decades as a small alternative program with just two classrooms, the new Harvey Milk High School officially opens as a stand-alone public school with 100 students in September.
[btw -- don't they have any notable, accomplished gay men [or women?!?] in NY to name this place in honor of? is it really the banner they want to run under one of a mediocre SF,CA politician who was killed by a nut-bucket? or is that "martyred" by a "straight?"]
"Using a white teacher would send the wrong message to black students... "... that the importance of your historical background is less important... than a schedule conflict."
Well, if we can't tell kids who live in the valley a story about mountain climbing, I guess there's gotta be short people's history, history for people who paint their toe nails, dog-lover's history, red-haired people's history, history for math-majors. Oh, gawd! What if I fall into two of these categories?!? I'll never make it across campus in time to catch both classes! How about history for people who are always late? Just forget History for Adults.
Enlightened Self-Interest
There's a new *thang* going on is the blogosphere: AfricaBlog. Brainchild of Zombyboy long of Resurrrection Song fame, AfricaBlog will be written by five contributors. They are highlighting news and analysis of Africa focusing on the challenges faced by the West in developing policies that help lift the continent out of the political and economic strife that has characterized its history. "...we hope to offer new views that lead to solutions to these problems. " Tall order y'all. We'll be checking in to learn more. Timely and well focused. We [US] may be sending our own troops there in the near future, and the AIDS crisis is likely to effect the world for generations to come. Anyone who may think that Africa is "none of our business," or "not our problem" hasn't caught on to the fact that Chaos Theory *is* applicable to politics. Everything effects everything; the issue is to figger out how and either push things in a positive direction, or failing that, get out of the way of the splash. It will be even a longer stretch to grasp the basics of prevalent cultures there than in the Middle East. As one contributor says, "actual cannibalism is said to have been practiced during the fighting." [in West Africa] Focusing on educating ourselves to this largely ignored area of the world can do naught but good.Appreciation
Kelley is an amazingly loyal woman. Even though the best she could find for her cul-de-sack on this here sorry ol' blog last week was some pix of sea lions -- she linked anyway. [btw, I agree with her estimation...] I'll work on pulling up my socks and making some more lively posts. Thanks, Kell. You're a brick. And a blogosphere builder. Update: and that's why yer deservin' all o' them thar hits!Kewl Toys
I finally got those Video training tapes for PhotoShop downloaded. As I have a loverly b'day gift of PS, and am wondering at the mystery and capability of it all - these are first on my list of fun stuff to do. Got 'em at 3D Buzz, home of the hottest new stuff in 2D and 3D graphics and web design. Go see.Don't Nanny Me!
And speaking of keeping the gov't outta my life -- who thinks this is a fine idea? CSPI is back on the warpath trying to make food processors remove 50% of the salt from all commercial foods over the next 5 years. [heard on KKGO radio am news] Salt is only bad for ya if you have a certain kind of high blood pressure. [see your cardiologist for more information, please] It is about too great a volume of blood in the system. Salt helps the body to retain water thereby increasing blood volume -- in some cases.The rest of us, particularly those of us with low blood pressure, can install a salt lick next to our chair and have at it with no ill effects. But, no. Someone comes up with a "health concern" and we all have to fall in line, running from bits of falling sky. According to the CDC, only 1 in 4 Americans even have the problem. Why should 75% of us be limited by a condition effecting only 25% of the population? Isn't it their look-out? Nannying; that's why. That co-dependent, herd-mentality sickness that is effecting every portion of our society. Based on fear and shoulding* on one-another, nannying has become an industry [and branch of gov't] of its own. Aren't there some more pressing problems we need to see to at the moment?! Everybody has some condition that requires attention. Some are "easy keepers," should we remove all high-calorie foods from the available selection? Some are allergic to peanuts, potatoes, tomatoes, shellfish; should it be illegal to serve PB and J sandwiches, mashies, pizza, and clam dip? Isn't it up to the individual to monitor his own bodily requirements and, please, while you're at it, shut the hell up about it?! *A “shoulding:” It resembles a stoning, only with words.Progressing backwards
What kind of Horse Hockey is this ?!?Americans have become significantly less accepting of homosexuality since a Supreme Court decision that was hailed as clearing the way for new gay civil rights, a USA Today -CNN-Gallup Poll has found.
"Yeah, but we watch Will and Grace" . . .
the survey shows a return to a level of more traditional attitudes
"Traditional" Nice objectivity. Are those the same traditions that endorse calling "uppity women" witches and then making them a nice stake BBQ?
Those making the biggest shifts in attitude included respondents who said they attended church almost every week.
Those sweet, loving Xians, again...
In recent weeks, [... Texas, ...marry in Ontario,...] and Wal-Mart expanded anti-discrimination protection to gay workers.
Wasn't that covered in Federal Anti-discrimination Employment laws? C'mon y'all. This is about Human Rights; specifically the right to keep the government's nose outta yer drawers!
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{/if}
