This one is a bit philosophical. I want you to actually think about this, to 'ponder' this. Don't just read it and go "oh that's nice", and walk away.

Do not be satisfied by hearsay or with tradition or with legendary lore or with what has come down in scriptures or with conjecture or with logical inference or with weighing evidence or with liking for a view after pondering over it or with someone else's ability or with the thought "The monk is our teacher." When you know in yourselves: "These things are wholesome, blameless, commended by the wise, and being adopted and put into effect they lead to welfare and happiness," then you should practice them and abide in them... ~The Buddha, Kalama Sutta

Now, what do you think that meant? Hmm? Well?
 

Sorry for not having a Quote yesterday. So, you'll be getting several quotes today. Here is the Weekend Quote Special!

An engineering professor is treating her husband, a loan officer, to dinner for finally giving in to her pleas to shave off the scraggly beard he grew on vacation. His favorite restaurant is a casual place where they both feel comfortable in slacks and cotton/polyester-blend golf shirts. But, as always, she wears the gold and pearl pendant he gave her the day her divorce decree was final. They're laughing over their menus because they know he always ends up diving into a giant plate of ribs but she won't be talked into anything more fattening than shrimp.
Quiz: How many biblical prohibitions are they violating? Well, wives are supposed to be 'submissive' to their husbands (I Peter 3:1). And all women are forbidden to teach men (I Timothy 2:12), wear gold or pearls (I Timothy 2:9) or dress in clothing that 'pertains to a man' (Deuteronomy 22:5). Shellfish and pork are definitely out (Leviticus 11:7, 10) as are usury (Deuteronomy 23:19), shaving (Leviticus 19:27) and clothes of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19). And since the Bible rarely recognizes divorce, they're committing adultery, which carries the rather harsh penalty of death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:22).
So why are they having such a good time? Probably because they wouldn't think of worrying about rules that seem absurd, anachronistic or - at best - unrealistic. Yet this same modern-day couple could easily be among the millions of Americans who never hesitate to lean on the Bible to justify their own anti-gay attitudes. ~Deb Price, And Say Hi To Joyce
 

Let's just say that the military is showing just how entrenched in bigotry they really are. They have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy regarding gays. They don't ask you if you're gay, and you don't tell anybody that you're gay. The Daily Show did a piece on this, I think you might enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOWpfLb4PBY

Now, tell me. Did you laugh? Seriously, did you? 'cause I laughed my head off. I mean, I was angry, but it's still funny. And let's face it, there are females in the army! One female that decides to 'seduce' other men in the army would cause far more chaos than a gay guy. The arguement that a gay might be distracted by another man is bullshit! It doesn't hold up. And yet the army, and the homophobes that are in control, continue to ignore the truth.
 

What is up with those idiots in the media? Every time there's a gay pride parade, the media is there...commendable, I suppose. Except for the fact that all they show is the drag queens in their highheels and the BDSM community in their leather harnesses. I'm not criticizing these people, but they are a minority among gays. You never see the loving, monogamous couples holding hands, as if they don't exist. The media does have a large part to play in shaping people's preconceptions, and all they're showing are the extremes of the gay community.

I was going to talk about the US military's stance on homosexuality, but I'll save that for tomorrow. I'd rather not get too riled up right now, It's too late and I'm tired. So I'll just leave you with The Quote Of The Day!

There is not one big cosmic meaning for all, there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person. ~Anais Nin
 

Ok, so this one isn't about me, as such. It's about *gasp* gay politics! Specifically, gay marriage. Most of the opposition of gay marriage comes from the religious conservatives. Here's some of the most commonly used objections:

1. 'It's morally wrong' (alternate with, 'It's a sin', and, 'God said...')

2. 'Against my religious beliefs'

3. 'Definition of marriage is a man and a woman'

4. 'It's just wrong' (alternate with, 'I just don't agree with it')

5. 'Homosexuality is not normal/natural'

6. 'Purpose of marriage is to have children'

7. 'Bad for children'

8. 'Opens the door to other immoral behavior'

9. 'Undermines traditional family' (alternate with, 'Undermines the meaningfulness of Marriage')

10. 'Gays don't have long-term, stable relationships'

11. 'Causes economic/legal problems'

Ok, now I'm going to debunk all of these comments. And boy am I going to enjoy it!

1. Now, this really assumes that all people have the same system of belief as you do. Also, this is assuming that the Bible is God's Word, straight (aha) from Heaven. I do not believe this. I do not believe that the Bible has remained unchanged for all the hundreds of years it has existed. In fact, I know that it's changed. You have the New Testament, which was created from nothing. I mean, really, the King James Bible was altered by King James. I know that I'm going to step on some toes with this next statement, but so be it. The Bible is not the Word of God, it never was. It is fiction. That's right, fiction. The Ten Commandments? I can accept those as the Word of God. But the Bible? No. So anything that the Bible says, does not neccesarily reflect God's viewpoint.

2. Ok, I can accept that. Against your religious beliefs. Other people have other beliefs. That is no reason to lobby against gay marriage. If that's your only reason for being anti-gay marriage, then you are trying to force your own personal beliefs on someone else. We don't appreciate it!

3. I found an article that deals with better than I can. It's a bit long, but well worth reading! The URL is: http://www.reason.com/0406/fe.jr.objections.shtml It is not actually written from a gay position, and although it doesn't really answer many questions, it certainly asks some good ones.

4. Much like number 2, this deals with your beliefs, and should not be used as an arguement against gay marriage.

5. There have been numerous studies done regarding homosexuality in the animal kingdom. All sorts of animal, from beetles, to monkeys, to birds, etc. There is no logical arguement that homosexuality is unnatural.

6. The vast majority of sexual acts that married couples engage in do not result in children, nor are they meant to. 'nuff said.

7. There have been numerous studies done, that show that there is no reason to believe that growing up in a gay household is harmful to children. Nor will growing up in a gay household make the children gay.

8. The most common example is bestiality. Panic-mongers scream, "If you allow gays to marry, what next? Allow a man to marry his dog?" Now, first off, I don't think this would happen. Even if it did, it wouldn't be gays marrying their dogs, because they would already be happily married to their spouse. The only ones wanting to marry their dogs would be the ones that already engage in bestialty, so you wouldn't be changing anything.

9. Ok, undermines the meaningfulness of marriage? WTF?! Are you saying that Madonna's 'thirty-two-hour-just-for-fun-marriage' was meaningful?! And traditional family? Look, that's all well and good, but the only thing that matters is if the parents (no matter what sex they are) love and support the kids.

10. I repeat, WTF?! Gays are just as capable as having long-term relationships as straights. I think that the reason many gays don't, is that, with straights, any girl you see is fair game to be woo-ed. With gays, first, you have to (subtly) find out if he/she is gay, then you have to start wooing. About the only place that you'll find a concentration of gays is in gay bars, and let's face it, most people in gay bars are probably there to pick up a guy for a one night stand, not a long relationship. But that doesn't mean we can't love, dammit!

11. *sigh* Look, gay marriage has been legal in Denmark since '89, and the other Scandinavian countries followed soon after. Gay marriage has helped the economy in those countries, not hurt it! People say, "Gay marriage is an untested experiment!" No, it's not. You have over a decade's worth of 'data' that shows gay marriage has not harmed those countries. Oh, and another thing? Before gay marriage was legalized, something like 70% of the clergy dissapproved of gay marriage. Several years after it was legalized, something like 80% approved of gay marriage. Big turn-around.

Oh, well. I know that my writing this isn't likely to change much, but I'm not giving up. Besides, I did enjoy this...

Here's The Quote Of The Day!

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. ~Terry Pratchett