OK. So many of you have heard about all the hubbub in California regarding the same-sex marriage deal. Here's a synopsis as I have followed it in the news:
1. The State Legislature passed a bill allowing same sex couples to get married.
2. People got pissed and raised hell.
3. The State held a referendum putting the power in the people's hands to say whether they did or did not want to allow gay marriage.
4. Gay marriage was banned based on the vote of the people.
5. People got pissed and raised hell.
6. The State Supreme Court reviewed the issue and upheld the vote.
7. People got pissed and raised hell.
Now, I'm not about to start talking about Constitutional rights. I'm not gonna talk about homosexuality. I'm gonna talk about democracy and marriage. Here, we have an issue where democracy was seen in it's purest form. Everybody got a vote on the issue, they added up the votes and one side won. Isn't that supposed to be the end of the debate?
I guess not...
Folks, please understand that democracy means that you win some and you lose some. That's the price you pay for living in a society where everybody gets a vote. Sometimes you're on the winning team, sometimes you aren't. In order for this society to work, we have to learn how to compromise with each other. (Doesn't this sound like kindergarten all over again???)
But to address the issue of same-sex marriage itself: My vote would be to call it a "civil union". Am I splitting hairs? Maybe. But I believe that "marriage" is a religious institution between a man and a woman. I know, I know..."But you have to get a maarriage license from the government." (Whiny, freakin liberals...) That's a formality that came from laws against polygamy and issues of property rights upon the death of one's spouse. Besides, you know the government will find a way to make you pay for any and everything it can.
It's true, some religions allow same-sex marriage. But those folks are in the vast minority. The majority of the people in this country of Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths are against homosexuality.
"So democracy just allows the majority to impose their sense of morality on everybody else?" No, democracy allows every citizen a vote. Some people don't equate legal issues and moral issues. There are some folks who really don't give 2 bits about gays getting hitched even though they think it's wrong. We have more important things to do than worry about who YOU are having sex with. (Like who WE are having sex with.) For all the people who think homosexuality is wrong, I don't see too many movements to stop people of the same sex from HAVING SEX. There is, however, a movement to protect what many feel is the sanctity of the institution of marriage. (Although the entertainment industry offers us so many opportunities to taint it.)
So all you folks who jumped up on your soap box, wagged your finger and spit every time you mentioned the outcome of this case...GET OVER YOURSELF!!! Maybe you don't like the outcome. Think about it this way, it's your tax dollars at work, defending the cause of democracy. (And holding back the wrath of God from smiting us with His anger for allowing this abomination. I kid, I kid...)
Correction: It has been brought to my attention that the Supreme Court of Cali had originally said that denying gay couples the right to marry was unconstitutional. Here is my response to that and an old friend's argument that this is similar to a vote that would (hypothetically) overturn Brown v Board of Education.
The rights of an individual are derived from the society they live in. If that society, through a democratic process (which we claim to be the best of all governing systems), decides that certain things are not to be, how can we (or the court, for that matter) argue with that? Leave morality to the side. Being born black is a proven biological issue. Can you find ANY scientist to say DEFINITIVELY prove that being gay is a product of biology? If not, then the analogy to Brown v Board of Education is faulty in that it compares something innate to something that is (arguably) a lifestyle choice. Also, since there was no definitive rule on same-sex marriage PRIOR to that vote, yeah...the court had to say that denying them marriage rights was unconstitutional. There was no precedent to say marriage was strictly a man-woman thing. The popular vote, however, changed that.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
James Harrison isn't going to the White House...
...and so many people got their panties in a twist.
OK. I fail to see why this is an issue. Harrion isn't protesting a war. He isn't draft dodging. He's not even saying anything negative about the situation. He's a grown man who doesn't think it's a big deal to go to the White House for a photo op with the Presdent. He basically said, "If you aren't downwith us when we're losing, don't try to get down when we're winning." It's not even the first time he's done it. He didn't go back in 2005 either. But nobody knew.
So what's the difference between now and then? Then, he was broke (relatively, it's hard to think of a pro football player as "broke" as we normal folk would call it). Now, he just signed a fat contract. Then, he was relatively unknown. Now, he's the Defensive MVP. Then, he wasn't in the public eye. Now, he gets run up on at a gala event, somebody puts a microphone in his face and he had to come with a quick response.
Did he give an eloquent explanation for his decision? Not really. He said that he doesn't like the fact that it was a conditional invitation. "If you win the Championship, you can come see me." And to be honest, in our lives, don't we operate under the same principle? If a fine woman wouldn't give you the time of day yesterday, but today after you came up on a fat stack of loot...you would call her a gold digger and keep it movin. Obama just wants a photo op to make himself look good. (Or better, people seem to still like him.) Think about your fake-ass "friends" who only show up when times are good. But when you call them and you're in a bind...you can't get them to pick up the phone.
But more importantly...IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW ELOQUENT HIS EXPLANATION IS!!! He isn't turning down an invitation to the UN or the G-8 Summit. We're talkin about lunch at the White House. He can get free food anywhere in Pittsburgh...and plenty of other cities for that matter.
If I were Harrison, I wouldn't be at the White House either. I'd be startin on my Memorial Day weekend early. Get my gear together, custom-made of course cause I just signed a FAT contract. Find the best condo on South Beach. Organize entertainment for the many sexy ladies that are sure to be in the area. Rent a flashy sports car for my time there. Sorry, Mr. President, but I'm too busy gettin my swag on. Plus...you aren't even a Steeler's fan.
You make the choice: Hang wit Obama vs Plan for Memorial Day Weekend. Please don't let me down.
OK. I fail to see why this is an issue. Harrion isn't protesting a war. He isn't draft dodging. He's not even saying anything negative about the situation. He's a grown man who doesn't think it's a big deal to go to the White House for a photo op with the Presdent. He basically said, "If you aren't downwith us when we're losing, don't try to get down when we're winning." It's not even the first time he's done it. He didn't go back in 2005 either. But nobody knew.
So what's the difference between now and then? Then, he was broke (relatively, it's hard to think of a pro football player as "broke" as we normal folk would call it). Now, he just signed a fat contract. Then, he was relatively unknown. Now, he's the Defensive MVP. Then, he wasn't in the public eye. Now, he gets run up on at a gala event, somebody puts a microphone in his face and he had to come with a quick response.
Did he give an eloquent explanation for his decision? Not really. He said that he doesn't like the fact that it was a conditional invitation. "If you win the Championship, you can come see me." And to be honest, in our lives, don't we operate under the same principle? If a fine woman wouldn't give you the time of day yesterday, but today after you came up on a fat stack of loot...you would call her a gold digger and keep it movin. Obama just wants a photo op to make himself look good. (Or better, people seem to still like him.) Think about your fake-ass "friends" who only show up when times are good. But when you call them and you're in a bind...you can't get them to pick up the phone.
But more importantly...IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW ELOQUENT HIS EXPLANATION IS!!! He isn't turning down an invitation to the UN or the G-8 Summit. We're talkin about lunch at the White House. He can get free food anywhere in Pittsburgh...and plenty of other cities for that matter.
If I were Harrison, I wouldn't be at the White House either. I'd be startin on my Memorial Day weekend early. Get my gear together, custom-made of course cause I just signed a FAT contract. Find the best condo on South Beach. Organize entertainment for the many sexy ladies that are sure to be in the area. Rent a flashy sports car for my time there. Sorry, Mr. President, but I'm too busy gettin my swag on. Plus...you aren't even a Steeler's fan.
You make the choice: Hang wit Obama vs Plan for Memorial Day Weekend. Please don't let me down.
Welcome to a New Era
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to introduce myself. The government calls me Justin Paige, my friends call me Pizzle, J. Paige and a host of other things that...well quite frankly may not be appropriate to share with complete strangers. But anyway, welcome to my blog. As you can tell this is a brand new site and there isn't much to browse at the moment. Don't worry, I'll take care of that soon enough.
But I wanted to start off with something that I feel is the cardinal rule of my blog. It's the right to free speech. Now I'm not gonna advocate yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater or denegrate people with your words just because you are different from them in some way. If you think being gay is wrong, fine. Express your opinion and move on. If you think Obama was a bad choice for President, cool. Give your argument and keep it movin. People spend too much time on 2 things.
First, worrying about other people's opinions. Who cares if someone agrees with what you say? Do they pay your bills? Are they gonna send you to Hell for an eternity of torment where there is "Weeping and gnashing of teeth"? Please. If someone can't take the time to understand your opinion, that's their problem. Stop tryin to get people to agree with you so damn much. It's desparate...and quite honestly beneath you.
Second, trying to not offend other people. If somebody is so touchy that they can't take a lil criticism in their life...again, not your problem. Now I'm not sayin go around and be hard on people out of pure meanness. But you can't tip toe all the time. If the hammer has to come down, it's gonna come down. Better to be upfront from the beginning and treat the person like a grown up instead of all the handholding and such. That's just gonna make you a crutch and they'll be handicapped. Also, people who get offended are people who tend to take things personally. If you're a Dook fan, don't take it personal...I hate your team, not you. I wish all the bad things in life happen to Dook. It's nothing against you as a person, you just have sided with an institution that I see as a blotch on the city of Durham, a stain in the boxers of the ACC...sorry, I really REALLY hate Dook.
So before you jump on a soap box callin me all types of names like "bigot", "hate monger" or the like...I'm probably more open-minded than you are you self-righteous, self-serving, pedantic prick.
Whew...
Now that I've gotten all that out the way...I hope you can read my blogs, listen to what I have to say and if you disagree, do so in a civilized way. (And if you agree...we can make fun of all the people who don't. Hehehe...)
Enjoy.
Allow me to introduce myself. The government calls me Justin Paige, my friends call me Pizzle, J. Paige and a host of other things that...well quite frankly may not be appropriate to share with complete strangers. But anyway, welcome to my blog. As you can tell this is a brand new site and there isn't much to browse at the moment. Don't worry, I'll take care of that soon enough.
But I wanted to start off with something that I feel is the cardinal rule of my blog. It's the right to free speech. Now I'm not gonna advocate yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater or denegrate people with your words just because you are different from them in some way. If you think being gay is wrong, fine. Express your opinion and move on. If you think Obama was a bad choice for President, cool. Give your argument and keep it movin. People spend too much time on 2 things.
First, worrying about other people's opinions. Who cares if someone agrees with what you say? Do they pay your bills? Are they gonna send you to Hell for an eternity of torment where there is "Weeping and gnashing of teeth"? Please. If someone can't take the time to understand your opinion, that's their problem. Stop tryin to get people to agree with you so damn much. It's desparate...and quite honestly beneath you.
Second, trying to not offend other people. If somebody is so touchy that they can't take a lil criticism in their life...again, not your problem. Now I'm not sayin go around and be hard on people out of pure meanness. But you can't tip toe all the time. If the hammer has to come down, it's gonna come down. Better to be upfront from the beginning and treat the person like a grown up instead of all the handholding and such. That's just gonna make you a crutch and they'll be handicapped. Also, people who get offended are people who tend to take things personally. If you're a Dook fan, don't take it personal...I hate your team, not you. I wish all the bad things in life happen to Dook. It's nothing against you as a person, you just have sided with an institution that I see as a blotch on the city of Durham, a stain in the boxers of the ACC...sorry, I really REALLY hate Dook.
So before you jump on a soap box callin me all types of names like "bigot", "hate monger" or the like...I'm probably more open-minded than you are you self-righteous, self-serving, pedantic prick.
Whew...
Now that I've gotten all that out the way...I hope you can read my blogs, listen to what I have to say and if you disagree, do so in a civilized way. (And if you agree...we can make fun of all the people who don't. Hehehe...)
Enjoy.
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