The great State of New York recently passed legislation allowing gay and lesbian couples the same access to mutual misery that straight couples have possessed for quite some time.
That’s right! I am speaking of the opportunity to marry the person you knocked up, were betrothed to in the womb, or got drunk with and proposed to in Vegas (it really doesn’t stay in Vegas, you know that, right?) Or, as in my case, the person I fell head over heels in love with. My little sister set me up fearing I might actually follow through on a vague threat to join the priesthood.
And if that love of your life happens to have the same working parts in their nether regions that you do, all the merrier! Marry 'em. (This offer good only in the states of New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont and D.C. Offer void when contested by bigoted, wealthy Christian denominations with more money than compassion and an energized faithful consisting of homo-phobes and the unenlightened willing to do their dirty work).
But I digress.
Bottom line:
Here’s what the church and the so-called tolerant want of their token gays. Be abstinent. Be silent. And don’t be seen. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll tolerate your presence within the congregation. But most likely not. But we still love you, and don’t let the cathedral door hit you in the ass on your way out. Love ya!
Arguments that gay marriage will single-handedly bring down the institution of marriage and destroy the family are baseless and provocative–and not in a good way. Heterosexuals are doing just fine destroying the estate of marriage, and the family as a whole.
Abusive husbands and absent fathers didn’t materialize over the ages because Elton John is gay. Unfortunately, in many cases the aforementioned are protected by the state and the church. Believe what you want, but children don’t end up in foster care and group homes because a lesbian couple in Connecticut wants to marry.
Opponents to gay marriage argue the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans-gendered) community is somehow deviant and evil and will lead to the downfall of civilization as we know it, or the return of leisure suits as a fashion statement--whichever keeps you up at night. I get night-sweats just thinking of the latter. Armageddon is a myth, polyester ain’t.
I have friends and family within the gay community who are neither deviant or evil. Unless you include the family cat. And as for those people that truly fall into the category of deviant and/or evil? Please, don’t get me started.. That’s a whole ’nother column.
Love is love, people. Whether it’s between two consenting adults of the opposite sex, same sex, or me and a pizza with double cheese, it will not be stopped. That’s what love is. It knows no boundaries and answers only to those it has chosen.
Go ahead, quote me!
There are many who like to cut and paste passages of the Bible to make a point. I’m not a fan.
But we Christians are taught that God has given her* children many gifts and through her Son asks this in return: First, love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Second, love your neighbor as yourself.
If you can’t love your child, friend, or even a passer-by who is gay, then dude, you have some serious self-loathing issues.
You love your child right? Ok, maybe not all the time. But more so, than not. Anyway, would you love your child any less if they came to you and said they were gay or lesbian? You may not approve of their “choice” but isn’t that what unconditional love is?
No one should have to prove that being gay or lesbian isn’t an illness, or a choice. Although, even in today’s so-called enlightenment, many must choose to stay closeted for fear of their safety, loss of a families love (for if there is no love if there can be no acceptance), job loss, the list goes on.
Some argue that gays and lesbians ‘opt in’ to a lifestyle. It’s not a choice and it’s not a lifestyle. The choice is either live a lie, or lie to live. From my vantage point that kinda sucks. Not everyone is brave enough to live their lives openly gay.
Three cheers!
Thank you to Ellen DeGeneres, Rachel Maddow, Neil Patrick Harris, Russell T. Davies (Dr. Who fans will know), Anderson Cooper, as well as many others, for putting themselves out there, in the forefront, giving a face to what it is to be gay. Guess what? Looks pretty much like everyone else. So deal with it!
As a people, a nation, we shouldn’t have to legislate equality. Nor should our government be legislating morality. Yet after 230-some years, here we are. All equal under the eyes of law? Many would disagree, and rightfully so. Writing it down and voting on it doesn’t necessarily make it so.
I cannot, and will not quote polls to make my point. Anyone can do that. There are polls all over the internet skewed to any argument, about anything, you want to make. I will not invoke the wrath of God, her so-called faithful have cornered that market.
When I discuss gay marriage, DADT (Don’t Ask Don’t Tell), gays raising children no one else will take (because they talk back and don’t and have that new baby smell) with friends and relatives most of us agree that we’re okay with gay marriage, and gays in the military, and deep-fried Twinkies. I acknowledge others don’t. That’s a shame. For them.
We the Peeps!
The state and federal governments and those parties in power who fail to listen to their constituents apparently didn’t get the memo. We the People can think, and make informed decisions, in the bedroom and outside of it, for ourselves, without regret. Let us.
*Her, him, it, whatever. I think God’s pretty cool with just getting a shout-out in this day and age. - js
Showing posts with label Rants and Ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rants and Ramblings. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Rants and Ramblings
The Joe Schutte Manifesto (of sorts)
The following is a rant of mine that has been a long time coming.
There are many out in the world today who don’t believe the way I do about religion; the right to marriage for gay and lesbian couples; repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; affordable health care for all, even if it must be provided by the government; equality for all; not shooting illegal immigrants on sight; if you were born here you’re an American citizen; regulation of Wall Street and big business to prevent another Great Recession and ease the financial burden of the family and individual; a robust and vibrant small business environment.
I believe we are not taking the best care of our fighting men and women, who deserve great health care, on us, for the rest of their lives; money to go to college; low interest loans for buying a home and our undying gratitude for doing what we ask of them, without question. Our men and women in the military deserve to go into battle with the best equipment money can buy. No soldier should fear dishonorable discharge because of their sexuality.
These beliefs don’t make me a communist, a socialist or an enemy combatant. I know there is give and take in life, in the political process and the business world. But right now no one is giving and everyone is taking. That’s their right and their prerogative. But it’s beginning to piss me off.
Over the last year I have opened and read some horrible and truly frightening emails about our President, Democratic leaders of Congress, immigrants, gays, blacks, Muslims and whatever else inspires prejudice in some people. I have friends whom I disagree with politically, but they don’t send these emails. Theirs are always funny, fair jabs addressing the President, Democrats and current administration policies they may disagree with. I can give as good as I get. The result? No hard feelings and everyone is talking to each other at the end of the day.
The others? For the most part they are forwarded to me by some who think they know me, but obviously don’t.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Please note the interchangeable use of genders when I am speaking of God. I don’t think He/She is all that worried about it. (Some readers may disagree.) I have also erred on the side of caution when capitalizing honorifics, such as those associated with our government; i.e. President, Congressman/woman, etc.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
So, if after reading this little rambling preamble you don’t want to use my silhouette as a target at the rifle range, and you think you’re up for it, read on McDuff. (By the way, it’s all over the place. So hang on tight it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.)
It’s been a whirlwind time of groundbreaking rulings and anniversaries. Most importantly, there is the overturning of Prop 8 in California. All I can say is, hurrah! In case you’ve been living in a cave, Proposition 8 overturned California’s law allowing gay marriage. Gay marriage seems to scare the living crap out of people in a way I have never understood. Especially some in the church.
I am not speaking about all churches or all religions, mind you. Just those religions that believe they, above all others, hold the monopoly on speaking for God Herself. As it best suits their prejudices here on this earth.
As a disillusioned Catholic, I can not reconcile the church’s vehement refusal to extend the sacrament of marriage to gay couples when some (but not all) straight couples--which the church supports--wreak havoc on the family unit in ways that are both horrific and demeaning. These couples or individuals can be ultimately forgiven through the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) and still continue their sin; running and hiding behind the grace bestowed by the sacrament in the confessional.
I am well aware there are many who don’t hold my viewpoint, and they are entitled to their opinion. In this case I believe they are wrong. As much as they believe I’m going to burn in hell. Gay marriage isn’t going to bring on the apocalypse, the rise of the machines or rampant pedophilia (a game favorite of those who use their stature and power to demean and abuse those weaker then they, who look to them for counsel and guidance.)
But it doesn’t end there. The scary stuff is just beginning and gets scarier and scarier by the day.
Did you know?
Those who oppose, or do not subscribe to the tenants of the Republican party, the Tea Party, radical right-wing political pundits and the religious far right are considered to be either unpatriotic, anti-American or worse. It’s the worse that I’m worried about.
A fallback to a new age of McCarthy-ism is a frightening, and all too real, prospect. If you don’t believe me, a well-known Republican senatorial candidate from Nevada has twice said she believes there are people within Congress whom she claims are “domestic enemies”. Really? She of course refuses to specifically name anyone. Yet.
The President and the Democratically controlled Congress can’t seem to reign in a Republican party run amok. A party whose main goal in life appears to be obstructing any legislation, good or bad, that may benefit the disadvantaged or the middle class. Is it out of political spite? Or fear of a constituency they no longer understand?
Less concerned about the common good, should Republicans regain leadership of even one house of Congress this nation could be thrown into a modern day "dark age”. An age where science, education and the will of the people are repressed by a government giving sway to a small but powerful witch-hunting, right-wing conservative group of demagogues in big business, the right-wing media and a politically active, ultra-conservative church.
The damage they’ll do could set this country back 150 years in terms of equal rights for minorities and women, the stagnation of scientific and medical advancement and research, and, if they could swing it, the return of the Cold War. Small comforts, I suppose. The devil you know and all...
I must again reiterate that everyone has a right to speak their mind. The Bill of Rights protects the right of a certain segment of society to spew hatred and sow fear into the minds and hearts of people who are left to feel they are in some way disadvantaged by people they don’t understand. People who don’t look like them, speak like them, or have the same color skin.
That same Bill of Rights protects my right to advance my disappointment and outright fear of that group of people I believe are going to gleefully destroy what’s left of the middle class and increase the plight of the poor by dismantling medicare, medicaid, social security and affordable health care because we do not deserve the same entitlements as the rich and powerful. Unless we mortgage the farm to do so. Forget that. Big Banks aren’t lending.
Then there is the promise of taking the sting out of, or even the rescinding of, hate crime laws. Laws protecting minorities, the gay and lesbian community, women, the trans-gendered, the poor, the immigrant, and anyone left who doesn’t fall into the category of old, white and filthy rich. (As said by a guy who is old, white, and far less than rich.)
It has taken years to get these laws into place and it is hard enough to get enforcement as it is.
The courts will protect us?
Fear not a supposed liberal, elite-minded, activist judiciary. Turn to the current conservative-leaning Supreme court which has consistently voted on the side of big business, the insurance industry and Wall Street. Thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling, any group that can pony up millions of dollars of corporate funds to support and buy influence in federal election campaigns is now free to do so, trumping the individual and giving even greater power and influence to big business and Wall Street.
I grant you, those who espouse the need for smaller federal government may have a point. There should be less governmental interference in our lives. A bloated and broken federal system is in need of an overhaul. But dismantling it altogether is asking for nothing less than anarchy. A country this large needs governance, not with a heavy hand, but with wisdom and decency. A government run by flesh and blood individuals, not corporations.
Does this make me anti-business? Not in the least. It makes me pro-government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’. There is no place in our federal or state governance for a senator “Wall Street” or congresswoman “Insurance Lobby”. But today’s Supreme Court would have it so. Who’s the activist now?
As for those who believe we must turn to some form of faith-based (Christian) government? Well...no. I have great faith in our ability to manage our nation with compassion, common sense and an underlying morality handed down to us thousands of years ago by God in her many manifestations. But not specifically in His Name.
As a Roman Catholic (lapsed and disillusioned, but I made that point already) I don’t want the Vatican calling the shots anymore than I would the Missouri Synod or the 700 Club. Anyone who says they are governing or wish to govern in God’s name is lying. It’s not what God wants, it’s what those who would embrace a Christian, faith-based government want. The fact they want to force it upon everyone else makes it even more wrong. And yet they still persist. It’s not power to the people. It’s more like “power over the people”. Can I have a witness? Amen!
Just say No to theocracy
For those who wish to declare the United States a Christian Nation I have this to say, “The God of Abraham, the God of Mohammed, Gaia, the Great Spirit, and the God of many others doesn’t want the job of running the country. She wants us to run it. For ours is a country of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Wiccans, Neo-Pagans, Greek Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Agnostics, Athiests and a whole lot more.”
Don’t you see? The United States of America is a Christian nation, a Jewish nation, a Hindu nation, a Wiccan nation. The list goes on. This nation belongs to all religions. All religions have the freedom to flourish in this country. That’s what makes it great. That’s what makes it the United States of America. Not the United States of the Judeo-Christian belief system.
Even if the population is predominately Christian we must welcome all to practice their faith freely without interference. I pulled this little ditty, in part, from the United States Constitution: The First Amendment to the United States Constitution reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ;". Seems pretty straight forward to me.
Oh, and guess what everyone? We have a black president. (Actually, our president enjoys a dual racial heritage. Being the son of a white mother and a black father.) He’s an American citizen, a Christian (not that it should matter), an orator, a lawyer, our president. He’s not perfect. Right now I feel he is listening to the wrong people in regard to the economy and jobs. I’m not happy about it. But, I can deal with it. Because the alternative, as I have mentioned, frightens me more. Boo!
As I have stated more times than are probably necessary, there are many out in real life who do not feel as I do. They’ve made their voices heard and their thoughts known. In some very unsavory ways. This is my voice. These are my thoughts. Not as eloquent and smart as some people I admire, such as Rachel Maddow. Nor am I as completely informed as Anderson Cooper. I can only dream to have the wit, humor and satire of Jon Stewart. It would be nice though.
This is who I am. And this is how I feel. Thanks for hearing me out.
The following is a rant of mine that has been a long time coming.
There are many out in the world today who don’t believe the way I do about religion; the right to marriage for gay and lesbian couples; repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; affordable health care for all, even if it must be provided by the government; equality for all; not shooting illegal immigrants on sight; if you were born here you’re an American citizen; regulation of Wall Street and big business to prevent another Great Recession and ease the financial burden of the family and individual; a robust and vibrant small business environment.
I believe we are not taking the best care of our fighting men and women, who deserve great health care, on us, for the rest of their lives; money to go to college; low interest loans for buying a home and our undying gratitude for doing what we ask of them, without question. Our men and women in the military deserve to go into battle with the best equipment money can buy. No soldier should fear dishonorable discharge because of their sexuality.
These beliefs don’t make me a communist, a socialist or an enemy combatant. I know there is give and take in life, in the political process and the business world. But right now no one is giving and everyone is taking. That’s their right and their prerogative. But it’s beginning to piss me off.
Over the last year I have opened and read some horrible and truly frightening emails about our President, Democratic leaders of Congress, immigrants, gays, blacks, Muslims and whatever else inspires prejudice in some people. I have friends whom I disagree with politically, but they don’t send these emails. Theirs are always funny, fair jabs addressing the President, Democrats and current administration policies they may disagree with. I can give as good as I get. The result? No hard feelings and everyone is talking to each other at the end of the day.
The others? For the most part they are forwarded to me by some who think they know me, but obviously don’t.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Please note the interchangeable use of genders when I am speaking of God. I don’t think He/She is all that worried about it. (Some readers may disagree.) I have also erred on the side of caution when capitalizing honorifics, such as those associated with our government; i.e. President, Congressman/woman, etc.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
So, if after reading this little rambling preamble you don’t want to use my silhouette as a target at the rifle range, and you think you’re up for it, read on McDuff. (By the way, it’s all over the place. So hang on tight it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.)
It’s been a whirlwind time of groundbreaking rulings and anniversaries. Most importantly, there is the overturning of Prop 8 in California. All I can say is, hurrah! In case you’ve been living in a cave, Proposition 8 overturned California’s law allowing gay marriage. Gay marriage seems to scare the living crap out of people in a way I have never understood. Especially some in the church.
I am not speaking about all churches or all religions, mind you. Just those religions that believe they, above all others, hold the monopoly on speaking for God Herself. As it best suits their prejudices here on this earth.
As a disillusioned Catholic, I can not reconcile the church’s vehement refusal to extend the sacrament of marriage to gay couples when some (but not all) straight couples--which the church supports--wreak havoc on the family unit in ways that are both horrific and demeaning. These couples or individuals can be ultimately forgiven through the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) and still continue their sin; running and hiding behind the grace bestowed by the sacrament in the confessional.
I am well aware there are many who don’t hold my viewpoint, and they are entitled to their opinion. In this case I believe they are wrong. As much as they believe I’m going to burn in hell. Gay marriage isn’t going to bring on the apocalypse, the rise of the machines or rampant pedophilia (a game favorite of those who use their stature and power to demean and abuse those weaker then they, who look to them for counsel and guidance.)
But it doesn’t end there. The scary stuff is just beginning and gets scarier and scarier by the day.
Did you know?
Those who oppose, or do not subscribe to the tenants of the Republican party, the Tea Party, radical right-wing political pundits and the religious far right are considered to be either unpatriotic, anti-American or worse. It’s the worse that I’m worried about.
A fallback to a new age of McCarthy-ism is a frightening, and all too real, prospect. If you don’t believe me, a well-known Republican senatorial candidate from Nevada has twice said she believes there are people within Congress whom she claims are “domestic enemies”. Really? She of course refuses to specifically name anyone. Yet.
The President and the Democratically controlled Congress can’t seem to reign in a Republican party run amok. A party whose main goal in life appears to be obstructing any legislation, good or bad, that may benefit the disadvantaged or the middle class. Is it out of political spite? Or fear of a constituency they no longer understand?
Less concerned about the common good, should Republicans regain leadership of even one house of Congress this nation could be thrown into a modern day "dark age”. An age where science, education and the will of the people are repressed by a government giving sway to a small but powerful witch-hunting, right-wing conservative group of demagogues in big business, the right-wing media and a politically active, ultra-conservative church.
The damage they’ll do could set this country back 150 years in terms of equal rights for minorities and women, the stagnation of scientific and medical advancement and research, and, if they could swing it, the return of the Cold War. Small comforts, I suppose. The devil you know and all...
I must again reiterate that everyone has a right to speak their mind. The Bill of Rights protects the right of a certain segment of society to spew hatred and sow fear into the minds and hearts of people who are left to feel they are in some way disadvantaged by people they don’t understand. People who don’t look like them, speak like them, or have the same color skin.
That same Bill of Rights protects my right to advance my disappointment and outright fear of that group of people I believe are going to gleefully destroy what’s left of the middle class and increase the plight of the poor by dismantling medicare, medicaid, social security and affordable health care because we do not deserve the same entitlements as the rich and powerful. Unless we mortgage the farm to do so. Forget that. Big Banks aren’t lending.
Then there is the promise of taking the sting out of, or even the rescinding of, hate crime laws. Laws protecting minorities, the gay and lesbian community, women, the trans-gendered, the poor, the immigrant, and anyone left who doesn’t fall into the category of old, white and filthy rich. (As said by a guy who is old, white, and far less than rich.)
It has taken years to get these laws into place and it is hard enough to get enforcement as it is.
The courts will protect us?
Fear not a supposed liberal, elite-minded, activist judiciary. Turn to the current conservative-leaning Supreme court which has consistently voted on the side of big business, the insurance industry and Wall Street. Thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling, any group that can pony up millions of dollars of corporate funds to support and buy influence in federal election campaigns is now free to do so, trumping the individual and giving even greater power and influence to big business and Wall Street.
I grant you, those who espouse the need for smaller federal government may have a point. There should be less governmental interference in our lives. A bloated and broken federal system is in need of an overhaul. But dismantling it altogether is asking for nothing less than anarchy. A country this large needs governance, not with a heavy hand, but with wisdom and decency. A government run by flesh and blood individuals, not corporations.
Does this make me anti-business? Not in the least. It makes me pro-government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’. There is no place in our federal or state governance for a senator “Wall Street” or congresswoman “Insurance Lobby”. But today’s Supreme Court would have it so. Who’s the activist now?
As for those who believe we must turn to some form of faith-based (Christian) government? Well...no. I have great faith in our ability to manage our nation with compassion, common sense and an underlying morality handed down to us thousands of years ago by God in her many manifestations. But not specifically in His Name.
As a Roman Catholic (lapsed and disillusioned, but I made that point already) I don’t want the Vatican calling the shots anymore than I would the Missouri Synod or the 700 Club. Anyone who says they are governing or wish to govern in God’s name is lying. It’s not what God wants, it’s what those who would embrace a Christian, faith-based government want. The fact they want to force it upon everyone else makes it even more wrong. And yet they still persist. It’s not power to the people. It’s more like “power over the people”. Can I have a witness? Amen!
Just say No to theocracy
For those who wish to declare the United States a Christian Nation I have this to say, “The God of Abraham, the God of Mohammed, Gaia, the Great Spirit, and the God of many others doesn’t want the job of running the country. She wants us to run it. For ours is a country of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Wiccans, Neo-Pagans, Greek Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Agnostics, Athiests and a whole lot more.”
Don’t you see? The United States of America is a Christian nation, a Jewish nation, a Hindu nation, a Wiccan nation. The list goes on. This nation belongs to all religions. All religions have the freedom to flourish in this country. That’s what makes it great. That’s what makes it the United States of America. Not the United States of the Judeo-Christian belief system.
Even if the population is predominately Christian we must welcome all to practice their faith freely without interference. I pulled this little ditty, in part, from the United States Constitution: The First Amendment to the United States Constitution reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ;". Seems pretty straight forward to me.
Oh, and guess what everyone? We have a black president. (Actually, our president enjoys a dual racial heritage. Being the son of a white mother and a black father.) He’s an American citizen, a Christian (not that it should matter), an orator, a lawyer, our president. He’s not perfect. Right now I feel he is listening to the wrong people in regard to the economy and jobs. I’m not happy about it. But, I can deal with it. Because the alternative, as I have mentioned, frightens me more. Boo!
As I have stated more times than are probably necessary, there are many out in real life who do not feel as I do. They’ve made their voices heard and their thoughts known. In some very unsavory ways. This is my voice. These are my thoughts. Not as eloquent and smart as some people I admire, such as Rachel Maddow. Nor am I as completely informed as Anderson Cooper. I can only dream to have the wit, humor and satire of Jon Stewart. It would be nice though.
This is who I am. And this is how I feel. Thanks for hearing me out.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A two-fer! Blah, Blah, Blah; Rants and Ramblings
Thoughts, Post Independence Day, 2010
Sometimes it’s just a struggle to concentrate these days on just one topic with which to regale you when visiting this blog. From time to time I may compromise by doing a post consisting of a collection of mini-rants and ramblings. Caution: this blog has liberal tendencies, conservatives read at your own risk.
This is one such post. Two, technically.
The Green and White dodge a bullet!
It’s been a couple of weeks now since I feared the worst. Will the world end in 2012? Nah, there’s no money in it for anyone. The well-dressed doomsayer would just waste it on neon clapboards anyway.
No, my greatest fears, while sometimes paranoid and oft times unfounded, remain securely locked in the recesses of my mind. Firmly held back by the voices in my head. For now. It gives the voices something positive to do, saving me from the embarrassment of having to explain their whereabouts when I go over the deep end.
Voices aside, my latest rambling shouts out to the Green and White--Michigan State University. Naturally. The MSU men’s basketball program dodged a potentially fatal bullet recently. If you weren’t aware (or your nervous system is constantly bombarded by the unnatural hues of blue and corn hemorrhaging through the visible light spectrum) there was the possible defection of men’s hoops coach Tom Izzo to the bright lights of Cleveland, OH.
Or did it?
Coach Izzo briefly flirted with the thought of leaving collegiate sports when the Cavs management dazzled the Yooper native with an almost obscene amount of green (appropriate here, don’t you think) to walk over to the dark side. Not to mention an opportunity to coach one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, LeBron James.
But there were two huge obstacles standing between Tom and the Cavaliers (actually three if you include the mere thought of the basketball dynasty he carefully built at MSU imploding). The first being LeBron James. There was no guarantee the focal point of the Cav’s offense was even staying with the team. His free agency is in full force. The second, and most important? Tom’s fans within and outside the University. ‘Nuf said there, I think.
Let’s recap. Michigan State University or Cleveland? Money, lots and lots of it. LeBron James, maybe. Okay, the money was totally obscene--all that green--and I’d of shamelessly gathered it up without looking back. Maybe roll in it naked in the privacy of my own bedroom. Who wouldn’t? Tom, of course. He remains true to the Green and White. Who was worried? Yeah, yeah. Nothing more to read here. Let’s move it along.
Thanks for nuthin’
I want to take a moment to thank our congressmen and women, as well as our senators, on both sides of the aisle for....wait for it...NOTHING. Congress has gone home for the July 4 holiday. But not before they chose to walk away from a vote on an extension for benefits for the jobless, nor a vote on reigning in the excesses of Wall Street.
So the score remains, Wall Street one, the jobless voter, the underemployed, small business, the struggling family, the shrinking middle class, schools, seniors, the uninsurable, the States... nothing. Zippo. Seems fair, wouldn’t you say? (That is sarcasm, just so no one misinterprets what I am trying to convey.)
Apparently, to our lawmakers, ‘We the People’ are meaningless non-entities. If we aren’t a special interest group we’re unimportant. If we can’t be traded on the stock exchange, we’re of no use, or importance, to the men and women we voted into office.
And why should they care?
They’ve got the best health insurance money can buy–for life. Not us. God forbid there should be a national health plan like that! I hear the pay isn't half bad, either.
Most politicians have lifted nothing heavier than their forks in the pursuit to put food on the table. In some ways they’re more entitled than the minorities they rail against.
When they leave office they’ll most likely saunter over to K Street and make even bigger bucks as lobbyists. No fear of missing a meal there. They’re set. For life. (See a recurring theme?)
Here’s what we “The People” get
One law-maker for the Republicans went so far as to suggest the retirement age for Social Security be raised to 70, as well as including cuts to said program, to pay for the wars. How’s that again? Another senator of the same persuasion is blocking Wall Street reform to guarantee that the taxpayer, not banks, pay for the cost of the bill.
Just because the Party of No believes some voters are writing off the Dems doesn’t necessarily mean those same voters are even thinking of turning to the same nay-sayers for refuge (or the Tea Party for that matter). The Dems, on the other hand, are doing no one any favors by refusing to stand up to the Republicans or to stand up for the people of this great nation who voted for them. Needless to say banks and insurance companies have no such fear. (See, recurring theme.)
The fact that my voice isn’t necessarily heard doesn’t mean I don’t have an opinion. I do. So do many others like me. Unfortunately we weren’t recently bailed out. So, bottom lining it, we won’t be heard. (Again with the recurring theme.) Is there an app for that?
Sometimes it’s just a struggle to concentrate these days on just one topic with which to regale you when visiting this blog. From time to time I may compromise by doing a post consisting of a collection of mini-rants and ramblings. Caution: this blog has liberal tendencies, conservatives read at your own risk.
This is one such post. Two, technically.
The Green and White dodge a bullet!
It’s been a couple of weeks now since I feared the worst. Will the world end in 2012? Nah, there’s no money in it for anyone. The well-dressed doomsayer would just waste it on neon clapboards anyway.
No, my greatest fears, while sometimes paranoid and oft times unfounded, remain securely locked in the recesses of my mind. Firmly held back by the voices in my head. For now. It gives the voices something positive to do, saving me from the embarrassment of having to explain their whereabouts when I go over the deep end.
Voices aside, my latest rambling shouts out to the Green and White--Michigan State University. Naturally. The MSU men’s basketball program dodged a potentially fatal bullet recently. If you weren’t aware (or your nervous system is constantly bombarded by the unnatural hues of blue and corn hemorrhaging through the visible light spectrum) there was the possible defection of men’s hoops coach Tom Izzo to the bright lights of Cleveland, OH.
Or did it?
Coach Izzo briefly flirted with the thought of leaving collegiate sports when the Cavs management dazzled the Yooper native with an almost obscene amount of green (appropriate here, don’t you think) to walk over to the dark side. Not to mention an opportunity to coach one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, LeBron James.
But there were two huge obstacles standing between Tom and the Cavaliers (actually three if you include the mere thought of the basketball dynasty he carefully built at MSU imploding). The first being LeBron James. There was no guarantee the focal point of the Cav’s offense was even staying with the team. His free agency is in full force. The second, and most important? Tom’s fans within and outside the University. ‘Nuf said there, I think.
Let’s recap. Michigan State University or Cleveland? Money, lots and lots of it. LeBron James, maybe. Okay, the money was totally obscene--all that green--and I’d of shamelessly gathered it up without looking back. Maybe roll in it naked in the privacy of my own bedroom. Who wouldn’t? Tom, of course. He remains true to the Green and White. Who was worried? Yeah, yeah. Nothing more to read here. Let’s move it along.
Thanks for nuthin’
I want to take a moment to thank our congressmen and women, as well as our senators, on both sides of the aisle for....wait for it...NOTHING. Congress has gone home for the July 4 holiday. But not before they chose to walk away from a vote on an extension for benefits for the jobless, nor a vote on reigning in the excesses of Wall Street.
So the score remains, Wall Street one, the jobless voter, the underemployed, small business, the struggling family, the shrinking middle class, schools, seniors, the uninsurable, the States... nothing. Zippo. Seems fair, wouldn’t you say? (That is sarcasm, just so no one misinterprets what I am trying to convey.)
Apparently, to our lawmakers, ‘We the People’ are meaningless non-entities. If we aren’t a special interest group we’re unimportant. If we can’t be traded on the stock exchange, we’re of no use, or importance, to the men and women we voted into office.
And why should they care?
They’ve got the best health insurance money can buy–for life. Not us. God forbid there should be a national health plan like that! I hear the pay isn't half bad, either.
Most politicians have lifted nothing heavier than their forks in the pursuit to put food on the table. In some ways they’re more entitled than the minorities they rail against.
When they leave office they’ll most likely saunter over to K Street and make even bigger bucks as lobbyists. No fear of missing a meal there. They’re set. For life. (See a recurring theme?)
Here’s what we “The People” get
One law-maker for the Republicans went so far as to suggest the retirement age for Social Security be raised to 70, as well as including cuts to said program, to pay for the wars. How’s that again? Another senator of the same persuasion is blocking Wall Street reform to guarantee that the taxpayer, not banks, pay for the cost of the bill.
Just because the Party of No believes some voters are writing off the Dems doesn’t necessarily mean those same voters are even thinking of turning to the same nay-sayers for refuge (or the Tea Party for that matter). The Dems, on the other hand, are doing no one any favors by refusing to stand up to the Republicans or to stand up for the people of this great nation who voted for them. Needless to say banks and insurance companies have no such fear. (See, recurring theme.)
The fact that my voice isn’t necessarily heard doesn’t mean I don’t have an opinion. I do. So do many others like me. Unfortunately we weren’t recently bailed out. So, bottom lining it, we won’t be heard. (Again with the recurring theme.) Is there an app for that?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Rants and Ramblings
Citizenship Lost?
There has been some talk lately of stripping Americans, charged with, or suspected of, terrorism, of their citizenship. Before they are even brought to trial.
I have no problem with stripping anyone of their citizenship after they have been found guilty, by judge or jury, of crimes against the people or against the state. But after. Not before.
Some would argue that stripping one of their citizenship is no different than holding another without bond. The fear being they will flee the country before being brought to trial. Be that as it may, that person will still stand trial and may even be found innocent of the charges brought before him or her.
Should that be the case, their innocence confirmed, they are free to go, with full citizenship, honor, life intact. At least that’s the theory.
In my mind the same should remain true of any American citizen charged with crimes against the state, or terrorism. A trial, in a court of law, and not one of the kangaroo variety, should come first. If, and when, one is found guilty of terrorism, treason or some other heinous action against the people of this great country, then and only then should their citizenship been taken from them.
Nor should they ever again be given a second chance to do harm to this country or its citizens. It boggles my mind that any citizen of this great nation, born here or naturalized would wish to do this country harm. But they are out there. And we need to deal with them.
When I attended school (all those many years ago) what I took away in terms of the American judiciary is this: the rule of law overshadows all else. Or did I imagine that?
No matter what the court, whatever the crime, one immutable rule governs over all else in these United States of America: a person is innocent until proven guilty. That a person has a right to face his or her accusers. You can only be tried once for a crime. Once found guilty you are sentenced within certain guidelines; once found innocent you are immediately freed.
Watch Law and Order sometime. It’s in reruns everywhere and very enlightening.
Did I miss something?
American citizenship is bestowed upon us by birthright. The instrument of that right is the U. S. Constitution and is forged within the 14th Amendment, Section 1.; “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Seems pretty straight forward to me. If you were born on United State’s soil, you’re a citizen. If you want to take it away you better have a damn good reason. That reason comes at the end of a fair trial. Guaranteed by due process. Not before.
I am not a lawyer. Nor do I play one on tv, in the bedroom or elsewhere. As fun as that may be for some, and perfectly legal in the privacy of your own home, but don’t quote me. (Never quote me. That could get you into serious trouble.) Certainly I am not a constitutional scholar. But I don’t think you have to be schooled in law to understand the basic tenets of the Constitution.
There is much to afraid of out in the big, bad world. Those that wish to strip citizenship from Americans, without due process and trial, scare me. Just as much as the terrorists.
There has been some talk lately of stripping Americans, charged with, or suspected of, terrorism, of their citizenship. Before they are even brought to trial.
I have no problem with stripping anyone of their citizenship after they have been found guilty, by judge or jury, of crimes against the people or against the state. But after. Not before.
Some would argue that stripping one of their citizenship is no different than holding another without bond. The fear being they will flee the country before being brought to trial. Be that as it may, that person will still stand trial and may even be found innocent of the charges brought before him or her.
Should that be the case, their innocence confirmed, they are free to go, with full citizenship, honor, life intact. At least that’s the theory.
In my mind the same should remain true of any American citizen charged with crimes against the state, or terrorism. A trial, in a court of law, and not one of the kangaroo variety, should come first. If, and when, one is found guilty of terrorism, treason or some other heinous action against the people of this great country, then and only then should their citizenship been taken from them.
Nor should they ever again be given a second chance to do harm to this country or its citizens. It boggles my mind that any citizen of this great nation, born here or naturalized would wish to do this country harm. But they are out there. And we need to deal with them.
When I attended school (all those many years ago) what I took away in terms of the American judiciary is this: the rule of law overshadows all else. Or did I imagine that?
No matter what the court, whatever the crime, one immutable rule governs over all else in these United States of America: a person is innocent until proven guilty. That a person has a right to face his or her accusers. You can only be tried once for a crime. Once found guilty you are sentenced within certain guidelines; once found innocent you are immediately freed.
Watch Law and Order sometime. It’s in reruns everywhere and very enlightening.
Did I miss something?
American citizenship is bestowed upon us by birthright. The instrument of that right is the U. S. Constitution and is forged within the 14th Amendment, Section 1.; “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Seems pretty straight forward to me. If you were born on United State’s soil, you’re a citizen. If you want to take it away you better have a damn good reason. That reason comes at the end of a fair trial. Guaranteed by due process. Not before.
I am not a lawyer. Nor do I play one on tv, in the bedroom or elsewhere. As fun as that may be for some, and perfectly legal in the privacy of your own home, but don’t quote me. (Never quote me. That could get you into serious trouble.) Certainly I am not a constitutional scholar. But I don’t think you have to be schooled in law to understand the basic tenets of the Constitution.
There is much to afraid of out in the big, bad world. Those that wish to strip citizenship from Americans, without due process and trial, scare me. Just as much as the terrorists.
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