Hate In the Desert

I was over at rightwingwatch.org and found the following little gem:

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/god-commands-you-kill-gays

This man is calling for the outright murder of GLBTQ people. How do these people just accept what wingnuts like this "pastor" say and not realise that murder is murder is murder...and how about Jesus' statement that if you have murder in your heart it is still murder?

I live in the Phoenix area and I am very concerned that this individual is allowed to spew this level of hatred and bgotry. My spouse and I tend to stay home but with this going on I don't even know if I'd want to go out to a gay restaurant or bar. I feel that one day, one or more of his wingnut parishioners is going to go off the deep end and beat or kill one or more LGBTQ people.

I get asked why LGBTQ people tend to be "down" on Christianity--could it be that they have only recently begun to accept that we have rights to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness? Mmmmm....could be.

Individuals like this "pastor" aren't really interested in preaching the word of God..all they want to do is to drive LGBTQ people back into their closets.

Happy Forth GLBTQ and Childfree America

Well, here we are to yet another July 4th in which to celebrate our freedom. Unfortunately, for the GLBTQ and childfree communities, there is discrimination and inequality. In today's New York Times I found the irritating "'Family Friendly' White House Is Proving Less So." It croons about how awful it is that White House schedules keep PARENTS from a nine-to-five workday. The sentence that burned me was "To support working parents, the Obamas distributed laptops to aides with families--before those without children--so they could work from home." Of course, the CF have no obligations so they can work without the most basic tools 24-7.

WHY is it that the childed are automatically given things like laptops and the chance to "work at home"? Why are the childfree constantly expected to pull more than their share of the load? Why do breeders (as opposed to parents)cthink that they automatically DESERVE a 9-to-5 job? I'm sure many childfree would LOVE to be able to work 9-to-5 Monday through Friday but guess what, my friends? NOT HAPPENING! I am sick and tired of the breeder element thinking that all sorts of perks and preferences should be theirs solely by virtue of their being parents! You deserve no less and no more than any American. To the breeders: GET OVER YOURSELVES! The childfree are sick to death of all the tax breaks, special working arrangements, and all the crap you keep agitating for.

Breeders screamed untiil child-free housing complexes are damned near impossible to find. There is sufficient accomodation everywhere for families, yet when a venue is seen to be childfree, many with children invade said venue with a vengeance. It seems that the childfree are not even allowed to complain if a meal is disturbed by noisy ill-mannered parents and children! Even the 55-plus communities are being slowly infiltrated by children who either visit or are living with their grandparents. This is not acceptable. And yes, you will see the childfree challenging the assumptions of those with children in the future. I certainly will be challenging those assumptions.

As for the GLBTQ community, we are far from even the universal right to marriage. Hell, in Ft. Worth the cops raided a gay bar over Pride weekend! We are forced to fight this battle state by state by state. Even at the start of the 21st Century, we are still fighting people like NOM (who cannot seem to edit their ads) and all the rest of the homohaters who yell about how promiscuous we supposedly are yet will not allow us to be married. They say that our ability to marry will destroy "traditional marriage". We can do nothing to the institution that straights hav not already done.

So my fellow childfree and my fellow GLBTQ Americans we have a way to go til we can truly say "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"

NOM Fail

Found this and thought I would die laughing. Not only did they misspell "marriage", but they used the word "same" twice. The more that these people open their mouths or put ads on TV, the more ignorant they show themselves to be.

It is incredible that anyone takes these people seriously, but people do. We need to be out there and visible in supporting marriage equality. Even in 21st Century America, nonsense such as this still seems to command credibility.

A Surprise Indeed

Whilst checking out waynebesen.com, I found the following URL;


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carlos-watson/how-the-prop-8-ruling-wil_b_208095.html

More complete story here:

http://www.americablog.com/2009/05/bush-solicitor-general-ted-olson.html

In short, it seems that Ted Olson, former Solicitor General during the Bush Administration is going to bring a suit against Prop. H8. This is welcome news indeed. Why? Because it means that more moderate people may be starting to take back the Republican Party from the religious fanatics. Those like Olson and Steve Schmidt, former McCain strategist who are in favour of marriage equality have come to see that the way of hate and fear espoused by so many in the Religious Right is wrong. It is wrong politically and has cost them big, More importantly, it is wrong morally. If hardcore Republicans have come to realise this then there may be some hope for the Republicans and the Log Cabin Republicans.

The shame in this is that I have yet to hear President Obama say Word One in the wake of the California Supreme Court decision the day before yesterday. His silence is deafening. He promised change yet has not lifted a finger on our behalf. This in and of itself speaks volumes about his personal commitment to change and what it says is that there is a possibility of change for everyone except the GLBTQ community.

Many in the gay community mistrust both Mr. Olsen and his real intentions in bringing this suit. I can understand that. The Republicans have historically been no allies of the GLBTQ community. Mistrust is perfectly understandable under the circumstances. However, I will take a wait-and-see attitude. It is entirely possible that Mr. Olsen has experienced a change of heart and if so, that change will bear fruit.

I believe that sooner or later, the Supreme Court of the United States will have to rule on marriage equality. The religious right will fight this until the government lets them know once and for all that equality is for ALL Americans, regardless of race, religion, physical disability, or sexual orientation. You may believe as you wish, but you do not have the right to force others to live according to those beliefs. It happened in the case of the African-American community (remember, many bigots felt they had the Bible on their side in maintaining segregation and bigotry. The Supreme Court finally put paid to that particular element.

It would indeed be a great irony if marriage equality were to come about at the hands of Republicans--avowed conservatives. In this case, if successful, they would be following in the footsteps of our Founding Fathers by extending the actual rights (as opposed to just words on a piece of paper) of "life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness" to all Americans.

Won't Back Down

I thought I would put up a link to a lovely video on YouTube for people to enjoy and to be inspired by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfPNO7G7qqY

H8 Has Won Out... For the Moment

The Supreme Court of the State of California has upheld Prop H8. There is no gentle way to break the unfortunate news. The Court has seen fit to uphold hatred and bigotry rather than equality and justice. What this says, loud and clear, is that Californians get to vote on the civil rights of fellow-Californians. Whose civil rights would you like to vote on next? Women? African-Americans? Latinos? You can, you know, if you can get a proposition on the ballot. That's all it takes to make sure some group YOU don't like has their civil rights denied.

I urge anyone who reads this blog to log onto the site below and to donate to "Won't Back Down":

http://www.wontbackdown.org/

Yes, this may stand for the time being, but I urge ALL LGBTQ people, families, and friends: don't back down until all people have the right to marry whom they love and when they do, that they have all the RIGHTS and responsibilities of marriage.

CA Supreme Court To Rule on Prop H8

Apparently the Supreme Court will hand down its ruling this coming Tuesday. In view of the recent victories in other states and the District of Columbia, it would be nice to think that decency will overcome hatred and mean-spiritedness, but to be honest, I haven't the foggiest idea of whether the Court will overturn it or not.

This bruhaha over marriage equality makes me ill at times. The fact that the Religious Right takes smug and malicious pleasure in any victories that can be scored against us makes me even more ill. I see God/dess as love and acceptance. while their God hates and rejects, just like so many of his followers.

Why is it that small countries, such as Uruguay enshrine marriage equality in law while we are forced to fight this battle state by state by state, with no guarantee that the Religious Right will not manage to get it voted down should the Leslature pass a marriage equality law or State Courts rule the banning of marriage equality to be unconstitutional?

I have only one comfort if Prop H8 is upheld: sooner or later, we WILL have marriage equality. One day, people will vote on the basis of love and acceptance rather than to have a group to look down on as inferior.