End of Line....

Seriously. This is my 201th post. Whew.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I'm done. This phase of my life is over...ranting and raving publicy.

I've started a new blog, which is the complete opposite of this one - it's more positive and productive. And it makes me feel better about what I'm doing.

I'll leave this one up for historical (or hysterical?) purposes only.

As Douglas Adams said, "So long and thanks for all the fish."

Newsweek: The Religious Case for Gay Marriage

Thank you Newsweek. This week's cover story is "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage - Our Mutual Joy" - Opponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.

> Read the full story online here

Wow. You can almost see the smoke coming from the divisive religious fanatics ears & also from homophobes across the country.

As Jon Meacham says in his weekly Editor's Letter, "The reaction to this cover is not difficult to predict. Religious conservatives will say that the liberal media are once again seeking to impose their values (or their "agenda," a favorite term to describe the views of those who disagree with you) on a God-fearing nation. Let the letters and e-mails come." (read some of the misguided reactions here)

Tell Newsweek thank you and pass on this great, major story to everyone you know.

Gay Adoption: The Real Agenda

On Nov. 4, Arkansas voters approved a ban on adoption by unmarried couples. The purpose of the ballot measure, according to the Family Council Action Committee, was "to blunt a homosexual agenda that's at work in other states and that will be at work in Arkansas unless we are proactive about doing something about it."

On Nov. 25, a court in Florida pointed out something that the Family Council Action Committee and other anti-gay groups somehow manage to overlook: Allowing gay couples to adopt is much less about protecting gays than protecting children.

> Read the full piece in the Chicago Tribune here.

Yay for Florida. This is what really gets me - read the language previously in the Florida law:

The Florida ban is simple and stark. It says, in effect, that a child may not be adopted by gays even when the adoption is in the best interest of the child. That's the main reason the court overturned it: It violates the rights of children and "causes harm to the children it is meant to protect."

...and Finally:

Those who want to keep gays from adopting think that's a small price to pay for blocking the "homosexual agenda." But then, they're not the ones who will be paying it.

We have so much more work to do.

Presidential Election Resources

Voting:

Find your polling place:
http://maps.google.com/vote

Register to vote:
http://www.votesmart.org/voter_registration_resources.php

Candidates:

Non-partisan information about candidates:
http://www.votesmart.org/election_president.php


The facts (non-partisan sites) behind the speeches & campaign ads:
http://www.factcheck.org/
and
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

It's an important one to be sure, but I don't have to tell you that. I'm voting for Obama, here are a few reasons why:

Palin pt. 2

An excerpt of the Rolling Stone piece is online here.

The famed atheist also has an amazing piece in the latest Newsweek about Sarah Palin here.

We have all now witnessed apparently sentient human beings, once provoked by a reporter's microphone, saying things like, "I'm voting for Sarah because she's a mom. She knows what it's like to be a mom." Such sentiments suggest an uncanny (and, one fears, especially American) detachment from the real problems of today. The next administration must immediately confront issues like nuclear proliferation, ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and covert wars elsewhere), global climate change, a convulsing economy, Russian belligerence, the rise of China, emerging epidemics, Islamism on a hundred fronts, a defunct United Nations, the deterioration of American schools, failures of energy, infrastructure and Internet security … the list is long, and Sarah Palin does not seem competent even to rank these items in order of importance, much less address any one of them.

I'm sure you've seen the other stories lately about her - it's been a disaster. She is definitely not ready for prime time - watch this Cafferty piece from the week.

The Truth about Sarah Palin

Links courtesy of Rolling Stone. Tell your friends...

> The Truth about Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin's credentials as a "reformer" are nothing but spin. She has sided with Big Oil, lobbied to increase pork spending and abused her public power to carry out personal vendettas. Here's a guide to separating myth from fact.

There is also a great piece in the latest issue of their magazine by Matt Taibbi...it's not online yet, but definitely worth reading.

You Can't be a Catholic Church Music Director & be Gay

Man, even around progressive Madison this kind of thing happens (from Sunday's local paper:

> Church Music Director Was Fired For Openly Gay Life

After decades of honing his musical skills, Charles Philyaw landed his dream job in 2004 as the full-time director of music liturgy at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Verona.

The church, with 1,643 adult members, was more than just a place to work for Philyaw. He and his partner, James Mulder-Philyaw, joined the parish and participated fully in the religious community.

Then in June, it all collapsed. Philyaw said he was told by the parish priest, the Rev. Dave Timmerman, that he would no longer be retained because he was living an openly gay life. He was given two weeks notice.

Philyaw later learned that five parishioners had raised concerns about him and his partner being so prominently involved in church activities. Bishop Robert Morlino's office became involved, leading to his dismissal, Philyaw said.

I've posted and posted and posted about how I feel about this subject. Check the archives. It's a damn shame and I can't imagine the complexities of being gay and loving God in an unjust world.

Some other local residents are outraged as well. And a few old-time haters had to write as well - "I don't hate the homosexual, I hate the sin" - ugh. As I have seen and as it is 0 Gays that are born gay, just like people are born man or woman, or with white or black skin, or like eggplant or hate broccoli. It's a fact of life. Get over it. Letting a man who loves another man marry won't cause society to implode. Yes, the bible says it is bad. But, that was a simpler time when people didn't understand the world or genetics and also stoned people to death and had slaves.



I'll leave you with some rational, un-divided thoughts from today's opinion section:


No wonder Catholic membership is dwindling


In reference to Sunday's article about the firing of an openly gay music director at Verona's St. Andrew Catholic Church, I am outraged! What's next, a lynch mob or burning cross on Charles Philyaw's front lawn?


As a lifelong Christian and confirmed Catholic, I feel certain that Jesus would never turn people away just because they are different or live outside the so-called norms of the majority. Shame on Bishop Morlino for embracing such bigotry and exclusionary practices. We are all God's children and should be respected and embraced as such.


Two devote Catholics were turned away, and we wonder why the church's membership is dwindling. How many more have been lost as a result of this action? How does the bishop justify doing harm to good people in the name of Christ?

-- Jeanne R. Tentis, Poynette

Catholic church rewards honesty with exclusion


Regarding the firing of the St. Andrew openly gay Catholic music director, are we not aware that concealing one's true identity can be an unhealthy and dishonest way of life?


Someday the Roman Catholic Church will have to apologize for its efforts to conceal the sexual identity of so many cardinals, bishops, clergy and faithful. Meanwhile, it practices the politics of exclusion when people try to live honestly as they are.


And all this in the name of Jesus, who practiced a politics of inclusion to the extreme, as the Gospels tell us.

-- Jim Green, Middleton