Furthermore, let’s be serious, why does gay marriage bother anyone anyway? It doesn’t infringe upon any of your rights. It’s truly a case of “this doesn’t affect me, but I insist you don’t do it.”  It’s holier-than-thou nonsense.   The fact that these so-called protectors of traditional marriage feel strongly perplexes me: Burt Bacarach is still right: “what the world needs now is love, sweet love.”  Those lyrics don’t work when you replace “love” with “exclusionary dogma”.

You don’t have to advocate homosexuality to “be okay” with not limiting marriage via law or constitutional amendment.  Legislating hate and discrimination is the most un-American thing we can do.   We’ll all look back at Miss California the way we look back at people like James Earl Ray, who felt they would be seen as martyrs and voices of reason, but instead just look like fools.

I’m not anti-Chritianity (or any religion at all, for that matter) but – boy, oh boy – those fundies do a good job at making themselves look foolish.

Incidentally, I would be saying the same thing if things went the other way.

• If your candidate wins, you are alloted 60 days or until the next major holiday to leave a bumper sticker on your car. You are allowed 5 days for lawn signs.
• If you candidate loses, you are permitted a mere 48 hours to get the signs out of the ground, and just a scad longer at 72 hours to get the bumper stickers off, unless it’s a weekend sooner, in which case, by Saturday.

I think you look like an idiot with campaign stickers on your car any more than 3 months after an election. I still see people with “W 04″ stickers on their car. Aside from the fact that I can’t believe there are actually people who think that this country is better off than in 2004, I think it looks so tacky to leave them on your auto. I saw a car the other day that had a “Clinton/Gore ’96″ sticker on it – I swear. I couldn’t believe it.

So, please, do us all a favor: if you’ve got lawn signs in the ground, go ahead and remove them this weekend. If you were a McCain/Palin supporter, please remove your bumper stickers tomorrow, the 8th. If you were an Obama/Biden backer who adorned your car, congratulations, go ahead and celebrate until, say, Thanksgiving. But please, don’t let us catch you with those stickers after New Years, okay?

President Elect Obama

America chose HOPE over HATE.  As rabid Sarah Palin supporters chanted “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!”, Obama calming chided us to be above the name calling.  As Obama painted a picture of peace, neighborly goodwill, and hope, the opposing candidates painted a picture of war, terror, hate, and fear.  They spoke about Obama instead of what their actual plan was.  They spoke about Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright instead of about the issues.  They tried to convice us that Obama is anti-American and that he “pals around with terrorists.”  But it failed.  And their lies and hate became their downfall, as America promptly told them “Yes we can!” 

America chose PEACE over WAR.  Both literally, as we gaze towards Iraq and Afghanistan, but also as we realize that Obama’s television ads – at least here in Florida – were all about repairing the US and what Obama would do about it, while the McCain/Palin ads were almost exclusively negative ads about Obama.   I still know nothing about Sarah Palin other than the pre-packaged crap they wove together for the convention and what we pieced together from her string of embrassing interviews.

America chose COURAGE over FEAR.  Because, although right-wing brainwashers will try to convince you that wanting peace is weak, it takes a much bigger man to say it’s time to end the war in the name of security and bounty for our nation.  Because the enemy you know is always safer than the enemy you don’t.  Because while the Bush administration tried to scare you in conformity and constantly glancing over your shoulder, we know better.  We know that fear will destory us.  

And best of all, America chose HONOR over all else.  It’s no secret that the USA is now hated in many areas across the world.  And frankly, I began to believe that our best days were indeed behind us as we embarked on an impossible mission to “spread democracy,” themed by pre-emptive strike and racial profiling.   But the US is a powerful entity, and we’re not only aiming to reclaim our spot of the #1 place in the world, but also to inspire.   To give people faith. 

We’ve elected a leader who has, I think most will agree, has led one of the most faith-inspiring campaigns in history.  Whether you like his policies or not, he spoke to all Americans and asked them to have a little faith as we seek to rebuild over divided union.  There’s little doubt that his campaign of hope has been incredibly effective and resonated with people who have never voted in their lives. 

I believe Obama will change the world in unbelievable ways.  I believe that we have a charismatic leader the likes of which we haven’t seen since JFK.  I believe the US is ready to put aside the hatred and work together to restore our dignity in world view.  And I hope.

I hope.

Ten score years ago, defeat the kingly foe
A wondrous dream came into being
Tame the trackless waste, no virgin land left chaste
All shining eyes, but never seeing

Beneath the noble bird
Between the proudest words
Behind the beauty, cracks appear
Once with heads held high
They sang out to the sky
Why do their shadows bow in fear?

Watch the cities rise, another ship arrives
Earth’s melting pot and ever growing
Fantastic dreams come true, inventing something new
The greatest minds, and never knowing

The guns replace the plow, facades are tarnished now
The principles have been betrayed
The dreams’s gone stale, but still, let hope prevail
History’s debt won’t be repaid

On religion:

“But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg…. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.

Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.

I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvres to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another.

Religion is a subject on which I have ever been most scrupulously reserved. I have considered it as a matter between every man and his Maker in which no other, and far less the public, had a right to intermeddle.

I am really mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, a fact like this can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too, as an offence against religion; that a question about the sale of a book can be carried before the civil magistrate. Is this then our freedom of religion? and are we to have a censor whose imprimatur shall say what books may be sold, and what we may buy? And who is thus to dogmatize religious opinions for our citizens?

On Freedom of the Press:

Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.

The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.

On Opposing the Government:

I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.

Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.

On States’ Rights:

I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground: That “all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people.”

On Freedom and the Government:

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.

Bigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. Education & free discussion are the antidotes of both.

On George W. Bush (ok, not really):

A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake.”

All quotes courtesy of Wikiquote.org

The divorce rate in the United States is somewhere between 40% and 60%, Wikipedia has a thorough statistic review. Marriage, as a general institution, may in trouble. The family unit may be in trouble. But it’s not because of gay marriage. No, Americans have f’ed this one up all by themselves without the help of the gays.

So why would anyone care at all if two gay people want to commit to each other and enjoy the same tax and governmental benefits? How is this anything but defying the Judeo-Christian “Live and let live” doctrine; how is this anything but boldly defying the “love your neighbor” adage? The world needs more peace, but obviously, those who oppose this on religious grounds feel they are worthy of passing judgement.

Then there are those who oppose it on political grounds. They favor a ban on gay marriage via an amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and thereby excludes gay couples from such a practice. What is the motivation for this? Do we not have enough problems in this once great nation? I just can’t see how you can favor a constitutional ban on gay marriage and claim to be a patriotic American at the same time. Nothing could be more anti-American than intentional discrimination. Remember, that is exactly that from which our forefathers were fleeing! But then, as a nation, we have little respect for the vision the forefathers actually had. In fact, too often it is argued that they meant something other than what they eloquently and laboriously detailed.

Look back at the 18th amendment, which reads

[...] The importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

It seemed like what the United States wanted at the time, but what is perceived as more American in this century than a man enjoying a cold Budweiser? Just a few short years later, we had to alter the constituion of the nation once again just to repeal this crazy knee-jerk amendment. Gay marriage will, in my lifetime, be permitted and seen as normal. It’s inevitable.

It’s foolish of us to think that if we build a discriminitory amendment into the constitution, future generations won’t look back and us and laugh. It’s amazing that there are actually old curmudgeons who care enough, who suggest they feel threatened by gays getting married. I can’t find anything more ridiculous, particularly when Larry Craig and Mark Foley and a host of other elected officials campaign strongly against homosexual rights, only to go home to their gay hooker boyfriend for a good bathroom-stall shagging. I think it’s amazing that there exist bigots like this (read the comments) in this country and that they dare call themselves Christian. If there is indeed an afterlife, they will face their long overdue judgment.

Thank God “Dear Abby” is enlightened. Hopefully, she can change even just one narrow, dogma-fed mind. Too bad there are others who sit in judgment who believe they are qualified to judge their fellow man. So — who are the people who most vocally and actively oppose gay marriage? I’ll tell you who: self-hating closeted homosexual men.

• are anti-science
• are anti-gay
• don’t believe in evolution
• don’t believe in global warming
• are anti-stem cell research
• are anti right-to-choose
• believe in forced school prayer
• are pro-war
• believe there is actually a “war on terror”
• disregard separation of church and state as envisioned by the American founding fathers

…tend to be the least tolerant and most narrow-minded people of all? Have you noticed these people are sheep who spout uninformed political nonsense, flock to church and swallow the tripe whole, are perfectly comfortable with genocide anywhere but in the US, and then preach about morality? Can you believe that these people dare to call themselves “patriotic Americans” without bothering to even contemplate what that even means? The founding fathers – brave men who stood for honesty, integrity, truth and liberty – would be ashamed of us.

It’s no surprise these people exist. These people are routinely the least educated in the nation! That’s right, smart people voted for Kerry, and dumb, white, fat Wal-Mart shoppers voted for Bush. Hey, don’t yell at me, this is what the statistics show!

That’s not to say Kerry was a shining star, it’s just to say that the decline of the United States in general can be placed squarely on the shoulders of George W. Bush and his brainless followers, so-called “Christians” who preach war, intolerance, and anti-American initiatives. Oh, and it’s pretty much a sure thing that history books will concur.

But alas…

Limbaugh’s argument goes something like this: Global warming cannot exist, because God designed Earth and what God designs is perfect. Therefore, man could not be killing the Earth.

Honestly, that’s it. The most anti-science, anti-education nonsense I’ve ever ingested by someone far to bright to be doing so, but more than likely, like L. Ron Hubbard, probably so inflated from his brainless supporters he believes whatever he manifests. It’s honestly stupid – truly dumb. I have to laugh that there are people who fall for this. People may not believe in global warming – that’s another debate – but for these reasons? Puh-lease!

But it goes even further, for reals! He then continues, therefore, it stands to reason that any “liberal” who believes in global warming is doomed to suffer in the flames of Hell. I shit you not, this is what it says. Liberals will burn in hell. And when you are pandering to a ultra-biblical crowd, the crowd who has condemned progress and science and sheepishly believes it anti-Christian to oppose Neo-Conservatism, they lap it up.

There is only one so-called “conservative” who doesn’t make me want to unswallow my breakfast, and that’s Ron Paul. There are far better candidates for me, but at least Paul understands that Neocons have robbed this country of its freedoms and quite literally *everything* that made it great.

Rush Limbaugh is a terrorist. He keeps his audience in fear – fear of what will happen if they should ever trust in a “liberal.” Liberals, who, by the way, oppose only the mounds of restrictions that neocons, you know the ones who believe in “freedom” have implemented to restrict it. That’s dirty anti-American, and deplorable… at best. These are the people who terrorize the USA – not Al Queda. I’m not afraid that Al Quaida is going to attack. I am afraid that nearly all of the freedoms guarateed by the Bill of Rights have been selectively revoked.

If there really was a place where flames burn and people are tortured for eternity, I’d stake my retirement that Rush Limbaugh has a suite small box set aside with his name on it.

The concept of “distrust the customer” is growing, and it’s forcing people to do the “wrong” thing more often. Who is most inconvenienced by anti-skip technology, FBI warnings, and CSS, the DVD content protection technology? There is no doubt: it’s the legit DVD consumers! Because pirates crack that in seconds, so only the real, paying customers even have to see it. Who is put out by the online activation of Microsoft products? Not the pirates – the real customers!

How do big dinsaur companies like AOL and Verizon and Discover Card, who have lost their ability to innovate and serve, gain customers? They don’t, they just refuse to let their customers leave. And that is what’s missing from life today: no one gives a shit about their customers anymore.

Yes, these are the days of restrictive cell phone contracts, where military men leaving for duty abroad are fined $200 by their carriers for terminating their contracts. These are the days when voting machine manufacturers, those doing the work of the nation, refuse to allow their software to be audited. This is the age where police, who once served at the pleasure of the public, scare law-abiding citizens like we’re in the Commuist Block.

Because in place of customer satisfaction, we have inflexible rules.
And, as a result, in place of protection, we have proactive litigation.
And, as a result, in place of common sense, we have strong government lobbies.
And, as a result, in place of the USA, we have a shell of liberty.

I have some areas that I am staunchy liberal though: I am pro decriminalization of marijuana and several other drugs, I am pro net neutrality, I am pro choice, and I cannot fathom why gay marriage should be prohibited, let alone introduce discrimination into the constitution. I am also extremely anti-war in the Middle East.

So today I took a political test on vajoe.com to find out which candidate best matches my current beliefs, and lo and behold, I guess I am a very typical democrat. Every Democrat matches me closer than every Republican, and, as I expected, Ron Paul matches me best from the GOP – since he’s barely even a Republican, more of a libertarian himself.

It’s also worth nothing that the “conservative” swing I’ve felt is more of a traditional conservative from the 60′s than the kind we see today. Barry Goldwater would vomit at what passes for a conservative today.

The night is black, without a moon.
The air is thick and still.
The vigilantes gather on the lonely torchlit hill.
Features distorted in the flickering light, faces are twisted and grotesque.
Silent and stern in the sweltering night, the mob moves like demons possesed.
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right, confident their ways are best.
The righteous rise with burning eyes of hatred and ill-will.
Madmen fed on fear and lies to beat and burn and kill.
They say there are strangers who threaten us: our immigrants and infidels.
They say there is strangeness to danger us in our theatres and bookstore shelves.
Those who know what’s best for us must rise and save us from ourselves!
Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand.
Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand…

PDF of the New York Times. Check the bottom right.