This entry is filled with links. So be ready to do much reading or save til later when you have time and patience. Also its about 10 hours later than I intended it since I lost track of time and had to run to work...here we go:
Yesterday I started writing again after weeks of writer's block..
Well, that's not entirely accurate. Writer's Block suggests having no thoughts to write. What I had were plenty of thoughts and no desire to sit down and write. The problem with writing is you have to write.
Getting wind of James Coleman's blog by way of his stepdaughter's tweets seem to have roused me out of my stupor.
It helps that is stepdaughter is someone I'm a big fan of, but in the end it was a good clear statement of what isn't pleasing about the new President and the direction this country does not seem to be going in that made me feel like scribbling again.
So....here goes.
Another great disappointment so far in the Obama administration is his near silence and then confusing statements about Don't Ask Don't Tell. I've already blogged on this so I won't elaborate further on it except to say we have lost over 15,000 soldiers in the past few years because of who they love and not how well they serve their country. This is treasonous as far as I'm concerned. And if the policy is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", why is the military establishment investigating to find out who among them is gay and who isn't. Oh I get it, that's not asking, that's prying...so...I guess that's ok then.
Now on to the bit I have to say on "Gay Marriage"
This will likely piss a few people off, but the fact is I think we ought to take marriage off the books for everyone. Period.
Civil Unions are only available in a few states but it ought to be in every state. This entry explains why for now, Marriage is preferable, which makes sense, but were this country in my benevolent dictatorship (as it should be) here's how it would work;
Marriage is none of the governments motherfucking business. Marriage itself was originally only a contract about property that involved mating and dowry. Its only in the last couple of hundred years that marriage has become more about love than property and that's been an evolution of sorts. And since the state has no business declaring love, it simply ought to stay out of the complications of love.
Civil Unions are simple legal contracts between 2 (or more as far as I am concerned, why are we limiting adults from the number of people they choose to love and commit to?) consenting adults regarding property, financial and life and death decisions etc. The business end. Who has a right to be claimed on insurance policies, who has visitation and informational rights in case of hospitalizations etc. All this would be covered in a civil union.
Like marriages are currently, each state would have its own peculiarities, but each state would recognize any civil union. In the world we live in, this is not the case. For instance Georgia has specifically stated it will not recognize civil unions from Vermont (What was that about small government not intruding on people's lives?). That would not be the case under the United States of John.
Alright, so basically what I'm saying is simply replace the word Marriage with the two words Civil Union and leave Marriage to the church, synagogue, mosque, healing circle, yellow brick road or whatever form you choose to make a ritualistic commitment with.
It's your life, its your heart, not theirs.
Prop 8 is a travesty. How a group gets to vote out the rights of another group in this country, with this constitution, not to mention California's constitution.
In our Declaration of Independence, it is stated that our most unalienable right is the Right of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. So while that phrase is not in the Constitution, it is certainly implied in the Founder's Intent...since you know....they SAID IT.
Anyway, Obama has stated that he supports civil unions and not gay marriage...sooo...here's a thing he can think about while he is backing away from campaigning against Don't Ask Don't Tell.
Its a shame and an outrage and I hope Rachel Maddow continues to bring it up on her show.
Some people have asked me why I, a straight man in my 40s, unmarried, is so pissed the hell off about this.
Well, first of all, it always starts off with a minority, and then definitions shift...Gays on day one...blacks on day two, Jews next, then Catholics and oh yes..Muslims, etc etc.
When I was a kid in some parts of this country you couldn't vote if you were black and if GOD FORBID you want to marry someone of another race.
We just started expanding rights in relatively recent history. Its a little soon for restricting them again.
Every right that is taken away from a group is taken away from all of us, whether we realize it or not.
Life, Liberty and the Purfuit of Happineff. It's for everyone, not just us straight white guys.
As a side note; Thanks Eliza, for posting about your stepdad, your mom, Uganda, Prop 8 and all the fun projects you are doing. You've even got me rethinking my rejection of Major League Baseball. I've learned you are an even more interesting and layered woman than I ever suspected. You rock, and I'm proud to be a fan.
