A very brave man Dances.

Hello Friends;

  There are those in this world who stand up, and in the midst of handling their own issues, their own trials and struggles, declare themselves ok.  They are ok to be them, and it really doesn't matter if Sister Beulah Betterthanyou (yes, that was a music reference to this) and all the others in the front row of the First Self Righteous Church approve or not.  From my little closet, I applaud you Chaz, and I thank you for having the great courage to stand.  In your strength do I find courage for myself to stand, and that is a rare gift to give another....and I'm angry that there are those who would steal that gift.
  The incredible irony of these fools who would thump their Bibles and declare Chaz wrong for even being alive is that, having the surgery, Chaz is now 'heterosexual'.  Isn't that what these Tools want?
  The sad truth is that these wolves claiming to be sheep in God's pasture who go about condemning and screaming about "Christian Values" seem to forget that Jesus, the very Christ in "Christian" only had one moment in which he became angry and lashed out at the people:  when the Temple of God was being used by moneylenders.  Yep, using God's House as a profit center and affiliating oneself with Him as some sort of cosigner for the misdeed is what truly angered Christ.
  Since Christ's other messages were of love for fellow man and love for God, not judgement, not 'standing in the doorway' and declaring who may enter heaven and who may not, I would say that Chaz will be welcomed into Heaven...... and yes, I understand that some do not believe this religion, but bear with me..... and held in Christ's loving arms, and those who would condemn the man for being himself would find a different sort of response from on high.

Chaz;  I hope you Dance    

Is this who we want as our leader?

  In a stunning moment of divine translation, Republican Presidential hope Michelle Bachman has decreed the recent hurricane Irene to be an act of God, specifically to put Ms. Bachman into the presidency. 
  Really?  You mean it has nothing to do with a natural progression of storms that have been a part of this world for the known history and in fact presumably the last million years or more?  It's just God saying "vote Republican or you'll get more of this"?  Wow.
  And, in this moment of trial for thousands, millions even, of Americans who have seen their entire lives washed down the street, some even losing their lives, and now are dealing with the heartache and confusion of what to do, Ms. Bachman's response is not of compassion and help, it is of laughter and 'you deserved it because God did it.  Vote Republican.'  Billions of dollars in damage.... should really vote Republican.
  What about the little old lady who not only votes Republican in all things, still with a crush on Ronald Reagan, but works diligently for the GOP in all party elections?  Did she need to suffer also?  What did she do wrong, Ms. Bachman?  Or, how about the heat in Texas?  Is that because they are closer to the fires of hell and need to change their ways or the devil is going to get them....or could it be they are just much closer to the equator than say, oh...Minnesota, and thereby get a bit more of the heat.  I guess it all depends on what silly ass point you are trying to make, huh.
  How about the child who died, the family without power and losing their food and all possessions due to water damage?  What about the roads destroyed, the business destroyed, the mud and the water and the wreckage, and what about all the people out of work and homeless, afraid and hungry?  Well, I guess they should have voted Republican.  According to Ms. Bachman, you heathens had it coming.
 

The strange ways of our mind...

Hi Everyone;

  I haven't been posting so much lately, if you've not noticed already.  Sorry.  Just sort of busy and not quite so much to say.  But, when something does come up I like to share it. 
  I would like to take an aside and say that I'm adding to the two picture blogs - you can see these on the right - fairly frequently and that some of my less cerebral time goes there.  Of course, that indicates that there may be some cerebral activity going on here, which is not all so fair to presume.

  I was just reading on Time (http://moneyland.time.com/2011/08/26/how-consumers-fool-themselves-into-thinking-theyve-made-good-purchases/ ) about how we are manipulated in our shopping experiences.  I try to be wise in my purchases because I don't have the funds to venture into foolishness too often.  It was interesting in some avenues - specifically, I think, that we will spend more for products at easy reach than those not so simply attained.  I know for myself that when I am ready to purchase an item, and my toolbox at work is a great example of this, I'm ready to buy.  If that item isn't available right away, I'll go elsewhere and spend more for it rather than be patient.  Other times, I'm very patient and know I want something and what it costs before I make the purchase, so then wait until I find the "deal".
  Another interesting fact is locality.  That refers to area as well as time.  The manner in which foods are shown changes over the years.  The article used Clam Chowder as an example....in a generation past it was a thin soup.  Now it is very thick.... another is what is considered good food.  The article talked about an area where grasshoppers are fried and eaten and shrimp is considered garbage.  I recall reading where the new colonists to America were restricted to feeding their indentured servants lobster no more than 3-times a week.  Now it is a delicacy.
  So, having read that and beginning to think on the manner of manipulations we go through every day, I went on to see this video that I'll play below.  It was really interesting in the way that the very understanding of things, in a more simple and uneducated form, can influence purchase habits and value in other areas.
  I am interested in the psycho~social impact and value system this represents even to adults.  Please feel free to comment and maybe we can all learn a bit more about how we think.  Personally, I'm a bit intrigued.

The Sadly Real Story

Hi Friends;

  I was updating my understanding of the news and knows in our little community via a stop over to Milkboys.  http://www.milkboys.org/article/periodical-political-post-71/  The story of Indian Rep. Phil Hinkle being caught in an effort to have consensual intercourse with an adult teen posting his desires on Craig's List is not exactly news, but his actions since have been very interesting.
  To begin, the young man wrote an ad on Craig's list detailing his desire for a "sugar daddy".  Phil responded with an offer of $80 and a possible tip for a fun filled evening - I'll let you fill in the details for yourself.
  Now, to detail some issues:  Phil has held a decidedly anti-gay viewpoint, specifically in regards to so called "gay marriage".  In fact, he led the way on a full block of the issue in Indiana.
  His response to being quite caught in the above attempted prostitution of a young man, encouraging what some may call illicit and immoral acts for money has been "I'm sick and need help".  "I did nothing really illegal".  "We were going to talk baseball" (I believe that's a line from Jani Lane's Cherry Pie as well, but that could just be coincidence).  He has refused to step down as an Indiana Representative, though he has been stripped of his committee appointments and has been publicly asked to step down by the Indiana House Speaker.  Does that about cover things?

  Ok, so here is my point:  The fact that Phil Hinkle was caught in an attempted illicit homosexual affair is not the crime here. 

  The fact that Phil Hinkle felt he needed to hide his orientation and have these dark room affairs is the crime.

  The freedom that we as gay men and women strive for should not be now thrown in this man's face with laughter, meanness and 'gotcha' gloating at his being caught, it should lament the very need for him to be hiding and unwilling to be himself.  He was in a power position, and has lost it all for his inability to be himself.

  Furthering his distortion of his need for "a walk on the wild side" (Lou Reed), this old man did lasting damage.  His legislative efforts against the freedom we all hope for will not be tossed simply because he is in fact bisexual (at least), or even that he is actually duplicitous, two-faced, hypocrite.... you fill in the word... because the politicians really have no problem with any of that particular character trait.  No, his efforts will be held in esteem, quietly, and pushed forward simply because they further an agenda that decries homosexuality as immoral - no matter how many bodies they have to step over to be on the 'moral high ground'.

Thea Hopkins - Jesus Is On The Wire

 This song was written in dedication to the memory of Matthew Shepard.  Enjoy.

Do you remember him?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Shepard