Creationism is a Theory; Evolution is Not

It really is a simple as that.  There is no data to support the idea of Creationism; sorry folks but the Bible does not count as support, it creates a circular argument.  As Richard Dawkins stated evolution is a theorem along the same lines as The Pythagorean Theorem.  There is ample evidence for evolution being fact out there and I am not going to do a simple rehash of all of it here, it’s been done before and I really see no sense in it.

Now, to put a cork in all you flat-earthers out there before you get started I am going to correct you ahead of time.  Darwin never said we evolved from apes, he said that all modern primates evolved from a common ancestor.  The fact that “we evolved from monkeys” is your starting argument shows that you have never taken the time to review the material at hand because a simple concept of evolution is that, for a lack of a better term, the old version of the species no longer exists once the process of evolution takes place.  Things evolve to adapt to changes in the environment, QED their previous forms could not handle the current status of the environment.

I do not claim to be a scientist of any sort and I fully admit I do not understand all the workings of evolution, however I know enough to know it makes more sense that creationism.  The simple fact that science has proven religion wrong on many concepts about the universe is enough for me to doubt creationism.  I hear the screaming from the pews now:  “How has science proven religion wrong?!?!?!”  Well, let’s see here – the Earth is in fact not the center of the universe, turns out the Earth is not flat after all…  there is plenty more out there.  Another reason creationism falls apart is because of the times involved as laid out in the Bible.  Somewhere between 7000-10000 years ago, according to the Bible, man was created.  Now, setting aside the entire issue of Adam’s sons finding wives of their own, in a few generations we arrive at Noah, yes the famous Noah of the flood where most of the population of the planet was destroyed.  Now, we are expected to believe in the short amount of time from when the flood receded to now, man explored the world and developed the technologies and ideas we have now?  What about the differences in skin pigments, hair types and other racial features how does creationism cover those issues?

As my fellow blogger over at The Dixie Flatline notes, we have a problem relating to big numbers, and that is what involved with evolution, the idea of a large amount of time that takes species A and evolves it into species B.  I can relate to that, at a certain point numbers become an abstraction, an idea that we all except of a symbol of age, amount, etc.  The idea that this universe is only 10,000 years old is quite frankly, obscene for a lot of reasons.  The most obvious reason being that the Christian god is in fact testing and intentionally tricking us with a planet that was created old.  Sorry, I just don’t buy it.

Whether the church accepts it or not Evolution is in fact the truth while creationism is at best a neat idea.  As I have stated before everyone is entitled to their own beliefs but you do not have the right to force it onto the public.  Keep creationism, and religion overall, out of the public school system.  We need to be teaching our children truthful things that can be supported with proper evidence, teaching creationism in public schools is the equivalent of teaching Grimm’s Fairy Tales and telling the children everything the need to know about live is contained in that volume.

Related articles

• Evolution – It Could Have Turned Out Differently (theness.com)
• “Only a theory”??? – Jerry Coyne – Why Evolution Is True (richarddawkins.net)
• Is Evolution “Just a Theory”? (psychologytoday.com)
• Charles Darwin: a great man (rashidfaridi.wordpress.com)
• The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins – Best Evolution Primer (mindi.authormeanders.com)
• Richard Dawkins And Archbishop Rowan Williams To Go Head-To-Head Over Origins Of Man (evolutionarymystic.wordpress.com)
• Richard Dawkins celebrates a victory over creationists – Jamie Doward – The Guardian (richarddawkins.net)
• “Only a theory” redux (scientificawakening.com)

The Perils of Not Being a Christian

I am still rather new to this whole blogging thing and one of the blogs that I have happened to trip across is Amanda the atheist.  Her blogs has provided me with some interesting insights, links and has given me new fuel for my own personal thoughts on belief and religion.  Like any blog she discusses a wide variety of things, however it is her posts on religion/atheism that have provided me with some interesting critical thinking.

For the last few years I have been stuck on the decision as to whether I am a Deist or an Atheist.  While a quick review of their definitions can show one that they are very different in meaning and thought actually having to debate the two internally shows they have a lot of similarities.  I am 37 years old and I am still unsure of my religious leanings.  I was not raised in a religious family at all.  Weddings and what not at a church, some time at a Baptist Summer camp, but no real exploration into Christianity and when I would ask questions I was always shot down with the old stand by of, “take it on faith.”  Well, that does not fit in with my personality, I am the type that requires proof for what I am expected to accept as fact.

People do amuse me though, take for instance something that happened in my Intro. to Lit. class the other night.  We were discussing the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and I was pointing out all the religious (Christian) connotations in the story.  I do not know how it came about, but it was soon revealed that I do not accept the Bible as fact and then came the questions:

• How can you not believe in the Bible but make all these claims about the story? (Bible can be read by anyone, hello)
• Don’t you know Jesus died for you?  (Honestly, in the current age we are in I could sue him for infringing on my right to sin.)
• You talk about the Bible as if you know it but don’t believe in it? (Well yes, how can you debate something without knowing it?)
• And many more…

I’ve read various versions of the Christian bible and of course different translations.  How is anyone supposed to base a belief system off of something that is so self-contradictory?  One of the topics I’ve researched is homosexuality, specifically the verses that are most commonly used to argue against it.  The interesting thing is, the Bible does not in fact say what people think it does about homosexuality.  Here is one of my favorite articles written about the subject, particularly considering the author himself is a reverend.

I do not understand how it is that a religion that is supposed to be built on love and forgiveness can have some of the most hateful people as followers?  People wonder why I am so against any religious involvement in government and all I need to do is reflect on the hate that is shown by “honest christian” people towards those they deem unworthy.  Why is it so hard to live and let live, to let others have their own lives?

When Christ compelled his followers to spread his message, he did not intend for you to throw us all on the ground and shove it down our throats.

Related articles

• ‘Atheists Must Believe X’ (dangeroustalk.net)
• The Difference Between Chuck Norris and God (amandatheatheist.wordpress.com)
• Dealing With Religion Lite (anythingbuttheist.blogspot.com)
• Atheism is the default position (godless.biz)
• Why I am an atheist – Xios the Fifth (freethoughtblogs.com)

Separation of Church and State is a One Way Street

I apologize for the quality of this image, it was taken from my cell phone as I was driving down the road.  I chose to insert it as a thumbnail so that you can open it to view it fully without losing this post.  A little background on this image:  Maine, where I live, no stalking please , has a law called something to the effect of “Keep Maine Beautiful”, among other facets of it, billboards are not allowed in the state, except apparently for this religious based one.  This billboard has been around for many years, 20+, and I have always wanted to comment on it so I decided between this image and a post I have been drafting about the inequality of the idea of “Separation of Church and State” I had a pretty good article to write.

I’ve never understood why it is so possible for the church to be so active, and persuasive in government, but the first time anything even remotely comes about that appears to go against their beliefs they scream bloody murder.   For this to be an effective stance it needs to work in both directions or you wind up with what we currently have, a broken system.

All to often people bemoan the influence of government on religion, i.e. the current issue with contraception, however, these same people miss a lot of the influence that the church is permitted to have outside of their designated sphere of influence.  If the church is so unwillingly to change their ways as to allow basic human rights, then they have no place is our modern society.  Americans have proclaimed clearly we do not want religion in our public schools, in our medical decisions or in fact in our government at all.  While I can agree that the 10 Commandments provide a good base for laws for society, history shows that a government based on religion rule never works out as well as it is proclaimed.

It is not for me to decide if Jehovah, or any other god is real or not, but the numbers show that people are moving away from organized religion.  Through actions of their own the church is losing followers because the church itself is not adhering to its own doctrine!  The Bible is a great book if read as literature or from a life lesson point of view, I truly find offense in the idea that it describes how we are supposed to live.  While a somewhat poor analogy it still serves the purpose, if I as a parent treated my kids as the Christian god treats his followers I would lose my children and wind up with jail time.

The church needs to be held accountable for all its actions.  If they want to become a political force then they need to lose their tax exempt status.  Opinions are one matter, supporting certain candidates with money or words is something else entirely.  We are so afraid of going against the church for fear of what exactly?  I am not denouncing religion, I never have it is for each person to have their own beliefs, however when they try to force their beliefs on me, tell me I am damned because of my own beliefs, then they are doing wrong and deserved to be punished.

Tax the churches, hold them accountable for their actions and make everything they do transparent to the public, and you know what, if they don’t like it the sanctimonious assholes can go back to Rome.

Related articles

• Separation of Church & State (visionary102.wordpress.com)
• Rick Perry Makes Harder Push To Kill Separation Of Church And State (inquisitr.com)
• Separation of Church & State: Our Blessing (elishasvision.wordpress.com)
• Separation of Church and State is a Must in America! (socyberty.com)
• Santorum’s Expertise: Imposing your values on somebody else. (amandatheatheist.wordpress.com)

The New GOP Movement: Occupy Vagina!

I tripped over this rather disturbing article and quite honestly I am rather surprised that none of the blogs I follow have posted about this yet.  The article I am referring to is Personhood Bill Resembling Failed Mississippi Measure Advances In Virginia House.  This whole concept of personhood is one that is quite mind boggling to me; as in corporations are now considered people.  Now, I am going to leave the religious aspect out of this as well as the science behind when life starts, those are issues for another day.  What I want to focus on here is the rights of women and the government attempting to enter their vaginas without their consent, which any normal person would call rape.

I really do not understand how any person can find these actions acceptable at all.  Are we really trying to bring our society back to pre-1920 when women got the vote and it was realized they had their rights as well as men?  By refusing to allow the amendment for contraception, the GOPs are saying that this is in fact an anti-abortion bill.  If, as they state, it is only to allow pregnant women legal recourse if an accident causes her to miscarry, then why not allow the contraceptive amendment?

What this article fails to mention, and I find it interesting, is one aspect of this bill that will even more infringe upon women’s rights.  Marshall states himself :

it just provides a legal framework for mothers to sue if anything happens to her unborn baby.

Now, what is not being considered here is that there are equality laws on the books that say something to the effect that a law has to be fair to gender, race, orientation, etc. etc.  So here comes the problem, where do men stand on this?  Now if you allow a mother to sue if she loses her unborn baby in an accident, doesn’t it stand to reason that if the mother and child are killed the father gets the right to sue?  If so that opens a whole new can of worms, such as the father being able to sue the mother of his child that gets an abortion!  A similar law that was being considered not to long ago had some interesting wording to it, along the same lines of protecting your unborn child, that while debatable, gave men the right to shoot the doctor that preformed the abortion.

Let’s face it, we are no longer living in an age where men can assert control over women, or vise versa for that matter.  If you want to make a law that gives women the right to sue someone if they cause her to miscarry (notice I avoid the word abort on purpose), then do so without the ambiguous language that is only going to lead to anger and fear.

It’s a woman’s choice what she decides to do with an unexpected pregnancy and I can only hope she would talk with the “father” to get his opinions and feelings too.  Although if it is an unexpected pregnancy I would tend to think he would not want it either.  Whether the GOP likes it or not, abortion is legal in this country and that is not something that is likely to change, ever.

Our focus should be on rebuilding the economy, getting and keeping jobs in the country and, lord forbid my arrogance, fixing the goddamn mess that is the educational system.

Related articles

• Personhood (ronscoffeeandchocolates.wordpress.com)
• GOP-Controlled Virginia House Passes Personhood Bill (thinkprogress.org)
• Brilliant Democratic State Senator Tacks ‘Every Sperm is Sacred’ Clause to Oklahoma’s Personhood Bill [Roe V World] (jezebel.com)
• Women Beware: Republicans Will Probe Your Privates (duanegraham.wordpress.com)
• Oklahoma senator adds masturbation clause to ‘Personhood’ bill (digitalspy.co.uk)
• Virginia House GOP Pushes Through Hotly Debated Abortion Restrictions (washington.cbslocal.com)

Am I Pro-Choice After All?

So, as I stated in a prior blog, That Old Abortion Issue, my view on abortion is evolving as I take in more information and read some fairly persuasive arguments.  This is a very heated and constantly debated issue and I am going to do my best here to explain my thoughts on the whole thing.  Yes I am a male and as far as the conceivable future is considered I will never have to directly go through an abortion myself, although the chance is there, in theory, to experience it indirectly.  As this is an ongoing issue that I am exploring, I am asking for my reader’s input on this topic, but please behave in the comments, I really do not want to have to censor.  Over the last few months I have been using my skills in critical thinking to evaluate exactly what it is I think and believe in.  I am not a religions person in the traditional sense, I do not identify as a Christian, so that aspect of this debate is not something I ever focus on.  So, without further ado, the following are my thoughts on some of the issues around abortion.

1. Pro-Life - I used to firmly believe that I was pro-life, however after reading some interesting essays and reader comments I have come to the conclusion that I am not.  I much prefer the availability of abortions instead of children winding up in negligent or abusive homes or being put into the already swamped foster care system.  While I do believe in human rights I also believe in capital punishment for those deserving of it.  (Yes, I know, who am I to judge, etc. etc. I will address that in a later blog.)  If a woman makes the conscious choice that she is not ready to be a parent, then we as a society should respect that decision.
2. Lack of a Uterus - I hate, absolutely hate, this argument.  While males do not give birth, this should not exclude them from the discussion.  If the idea of an abortion is being considered why is the male left out of the decision?  Maybe it is because I am male that I do not understand this, I admit that may very well be, however, if the child is carried to term males are expected to stand up and do their duty without an “out” option.
3. Rape & Risk of Death - This one is obvious, of course an abortion should be allowed.  Risking the life of the mother is never acceptable, no matter your thoughts or opinions.  As far as rape is concerned, the choice should be there for the women.  Being a victim of rape myself I understand the emotions involved and I can only imagine what it would be like to carry & raise a child conceived in rape.
4. Abortion as Birth Control - No, absolutely not.  The thought of this makes me feel very ill.  Abortion should be used as a last option, not as a means of convenience.  There are many forms of birth control out there up to and including surgery to prevent pregnancy; the reason I mention surgery is that if a woman is having multiple abortions obviously she has no intention of ever having a child.

So, now I am looking for some input from you my readers.  I have covered the main points that I wanted to, however, if you have any questions that you think will clarify things feel free to ask them.  I am really trying hard to come to grips with this issue.  Being a male I am at a disadvantage when it comes to news site comments and what not as I get shot down for having a penis and I get ignored, which is highly unfair and discriminatory.  I am not trying to start a fight or oppress women in any way, I am merely trying to define my own position so that it makes sense to me.  Maybe there is not a label…  it could be as simple as that too.  As a society we are so stuck on the concept of having to label everything that when we encounter something that cannot be labelled we get confused.

Related articles

• Abortion rate higher where it’s illegal (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Anatomy of an unsafe abortion (Dr. Jen Gunter)
• Unsafe abortions rise as contraceptive funding is cut (followmehere.com)
• Why Abortion Should Be Legal: It’s More Common (And Dangerous) When Banned (blisstree.com)
• Unsafe Abortion on the increase in Africa, a new WHO Report reveals. (africahealth.wordpress.com)

Equality — What Does It Mean?

Strangely enough, people have many different meanings and ideas of what equality entails.  Now, I am not talking about “marriage equality”, at least not this time, I am talking about equality in general and how we, as a species, have a long way to go towards realizing this very simple concept.

I truly do believe in the concept that all people are created equally.  No, I will not refer to the quote from the Constitution as that would invalidate the point I am trying to get across here.  But, yes, I do believe that all people are created equal without limitation, clarification or elimination.  However, we are not there yet, not by a long shot and I am not merely referring to LGBT rights or minority rights, I am talking about everything in general.  Sadly, this post will generate some hate towards me, but all I ask of my readers is to take a moment and contemplate what I am saying and determine for yourself whether or not it all makes sense.

It is a sad state of affairs that we need to enact laws in order to ensure equality across the board, that is something I have always felt.  It speaks volumes for us as a species that we need words on paper telling us how to treat one another.  How can we honestly expect to handle any extraterrestrial event when we are not unified on our own world?

By now a lot of you are wondering what I am talking about, I mean after all we have established laws to ensure equality for women, minorities, LGBT, etc.  While this is true, we still live under inequality.  What am I talking about?  Well, let me just highlight some topics of interest here.

• Different standards for men and women in the armed forces.  Now, the job description is for a soldier gender should not matter into it.  If the job description says you must be able to do ABC then whoever applies for and trains for the job should be able to do it without modification based on gender.  This also applies to law enforcement and firefighters as well.
• Why is it all right for a woman to be the stay at home parent but when a couple decides for the father to be the stay at home he becomes a lazy bum?  This is a serious double standard, the father can do just as good of a job with the children and the housework as the mother can.
• Why is it that men as elementary school teachers are frowned upon and it is considered creepy?  It was not that long ago in our nations history when it was considered perverse for women to be teachers.  I understand with the recent events in an LA school it is a concern, however women can be child molesters as well; Hello Pamela Smart!  With the proper background checks this is a non-issue.
• Hate to break it to you, but yes, men can be raped too and not just by other men.  An erect penis does not imply consent any more than a woman having an orgasm during a rape.  Now this also applies to domestic abuse, there are men out there that are the victims of their wives.  The reason we do not hear about it more is our society scoffs at the idea of a man being the victim of a woman so men never report it for fear of humiliation.
• Why is it that men are not allowed to have a say when it comes to abortion?  And please, spare me the “you don’t have a uterus” mantra, it does not fly with me.  It takes a male and a female to make a child, it should be both making the decisions.  Lord knows when it comes to child support whether or not the man wanted the child he has to pay.  Seriously, I am not trying to demean women here, but this should be a mutual decision, not something left up to just one person.  Imagine for a moment ladies if your man decided to have a vasectomy without discussing it with you…

Now, I am not all about the down-trodden male here, there is still plenty of inequality towards women as well and I think that needs to change as well.

• Why can’t women serve in front line combat positions?  There are other countries in this world that allow their women to fight in the military and it only makes sense as it is their nation too that they are defending.
• A clear look at the elected positions in this country shows that the voting people are still not open to the idea of women and minority representatives.  This is a sad state of affairs and needs to be rectified.  Now I am not saying elect them just for the sake of it, I was never a fan of affirmative action, but if they are just as qualified they should get the votes too.
• As with elected positions, the same applies to higher up positions in corporations, police departments, law firms, et al.
• Sports – now there is a big one.  Women’s sports should not be set aside as some side event.  Do I think women should get the chance to play on the same teams as men?  If they can compete, absolutely!  But, I do think the professional leagues need to do more to promote women’s sports than they currently do.

And now my final topic on the issue of equality for all and this one may catch some of you by surprise.  The worst example in the world on creating and allowing inequality comes to us from religion.  Religion, or the church, if you will attempts to keep its followers on a lower level than the “elect”, the enlightened ones.  Women do not get a fair representation in the church, in fact they are told their role is to keep quiet and obey their men.  The church imposes rules on all its follower, demanding they follow the rules of their god, while at the same time not living within those same rules.  Quite frankly religion is a blight on our society as a whole that needs to be removed quickly.  Set aside wars, nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and disease, religion if allowed to continue unchecked as it has been will be what kills off our species.  If the church had its way we would still be living in the Dark Ages, ignoring science and technology, forgoing most medications and vaccines, and living constantly under the rule of the church and the fear of their god.

I am thankful each day that these bold, brave people came forward and brought all these things to us.  As a whole we are healthier, more aware of our world and our universe .  We are able to think independently and freely and live without fear.  At a certain time the church may very well have been needed to maintain order and protect people from the mysteries of the world but that is not true any longer.  The world we currently live in is far from perfect, however that is not likely to change until we can all come together as one with respect and fairness for all.  These are changes that cannot happen over night nor do I expect them to happen in my own lifetime.  Greed and malice are to much a part of our makeup at the current time.  Sadly, I think it will take either the threat of, or the act of, some global event to push us in the direction of unity and I truly do hope for our species that it will not be to late.

Related articles

• The bishops love the idea of equality – but not for women | Catherine Bennett (guardian.co.uk)
• {Debate} Men, Women, Equality (sherara.com)
• High Profile Speakers at 5th World Conference on Women and Sport (prweb.com)
• Republican Representative Fights FOR Equality! (soyezvousmeme.wordpress.com)
• Is shared parental leave a good thing? (psychologymum.wordpress.com)

Patriotism Is Not A Disease

I am very proud to be an American and I am not afraid to state that.  However, that being said, that does not mean that I fully subjugate myself fully to my government.  in fact, I disagree with the actions of my government quite a bit, but, that is what makes this nation great–we are allowed to do that without penalty!

This is not a concept that just applies to America either, people honestly do care about their nation and culture no matter where they live and completely independent of whatever government is currently ruling over them.  It is not for the USA to dictate to other nations what their beliefs should be, we should be willing to accept the fact that other nations have rich histories and cultures of their own.  The issue of ruling governments is something different entirely.

At this point I need to interject with some simple definitions.  To clarify on my word choices it is important to note any references to country are meant in a geographical sense while references to nation reference to a large body of people within a country.

There is somewhere in the neighborhood of 196 countries in this world, that is a huge number when you consider the fact that there tends to be many nations, or societies/cultures if you prefer, within one country.  We are not at the point as a species of having a collective belief system, this is something I have addressed before and most likely will again, and it is unfair for anyone, person, nation or *cough* religious institution, to attempt to force their belief system on another.  You would not go into someone’s home and tell them how to rearrange their furniture would you?  It is important to respect the belief systems of other nations, especially when you are a tourist.  People will most likely spot you as a tourist and have their own preconceived perceptions, however, if you act in a polite manner (as if you were in someone’s home, which you are) then chances are you will be treated politely yourself.

I have grown very tired of Americans disrespecting their own nation, it is uncalled for.  While you may disagree with the current powers in government, they are not a true reflection of this nation, yes they are the “representatives” however this nation is to culturally vast for that few people to be a reflection.  It would behoove you to realize as well that only a small number of the government people in Washington D.C. are elected, a fair amount of them are appointed for one reason or another.  The concept of a career politician was not something that the Founding Fathers intended, this nation was founded on the principal of being citizen led, with elected officials serving the needs of those citizens.  Speaking of the Founding Fathers, this is a great chance for a segue into the topic of The Constitution.  I want to start this part with a quotation from Thomas Jefferson:

I am certainly not an advocate for for frequent and untried changes in laws and constitutions. I think moderate imperfections had better be borne with; because, when once known, we accommodate ourselves to them, and find practical means of correcting their ill effects. But I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.

Thomas Jefferson was fully for the idea of a “Living Constitution”, a constitution that could be revisited and revised on a regular basis to reflect the changes in society and technology.  Instead, what we have now is akin to a religious movement for a document that is over 200 years old and was written in a different time with a very different culture.  The original intention of our Constitution was to create a government that was more centered around the people than the British rule we had lived under.  Which, that was fine and good for that day and age, but as many events have shown it no longer applies to the here and now.  The Founding Fathers never envisioned the Internet, women’s rights, freedom of the slaves or open acceptance of homosexuality.  While yes, we have an amendment system for our Constitution it is not enough, not by far.  The core of the Constitution needs to be revisited and edited to reflect the age we currently find ourselves in.

To close this off, I want to touch once again on religion.  While I agree with the concept that everyone is entitled to their own belief system, religion should never be a part of any government, they two are not compatible.  The purpose of government is supposed to be to insure the welfare of the govern, also know as the citizens.  Religion seeks to control the masses with the “elect few”, the priest caste.  Religious doctrine is government does not allow for a free and healthy society, if one reflects on historical wars you will see that more than any other cause they have been started for religious reasons…  Just take all of the Crusades as a fine example.  Religious reasoning has been used far to often to oppress people and to deny them of their basic rights:  Women, minorities, & LGBT to name but a few.  Religion is fine in the home, the church and gatherings of like minded people, but please, leave it out of the schools, my government and off my front porch!

Related articles

• Myths and Fairy Tales about America pt 2: Glorifying The Ugly (themoxiesophic.com)
• Diests Founding Fathers rejected Trinity and were Unitarian (very close to Islam) (rupeenews.com)
• The Founding Fathers, Social Media and the Democratization of Communication (thehealthcaremarketer.wordpress.com)
• Losing Our Liberty (gunnyg.wordpress.com)
• What did the “Establishment of religion” mean in 1776 (trutherator.wordpress.com)
• The Contraception First Amendment Fight Is Not About Freedom of Religion (my.firedoglake.com)

… And I Take My .45 To Your Laptop — Boom! Headshot!

So, I finally get to blog on something that is current news.  Yay Me!  In case you did not figure it out yet, this is going to be about Tommy Jordan and his YouTube post where he not only calls out his daughter for her behavior but destroys her laptop with his .45.  I first heard this video as I was watching a movie and my wife was playing it on her laptop and it gave me a chuckle, now a couple of hours later I am going through my Facebook feed and The New Civil Rights Movement put up a post completely condemning him for his actions.

Now, while I do think he overreacted I do agree in essence with what he did.  Teenagers today have a vicious sense of entitlement, completely disrespect their parents and when they do not get exactly what they want they cry abuse and neglect.  Everyone is seeming to forget that this young girl completely embarrassed and disrespected her parents in a Facebook post that was seen by many.  Mr. Jordan did not invade her privacy as she gave him the laptop to repair/upgrade, seems he spent over $100 for her computer, and that is when he discovered the post.  The world proclaims that we should monitor our children online and always be aware of what they are doing, when a situation like this occurs we start screaming about a violation of civil rights.

Unfortunately, with the way society is these days and the way this video is seeming to go viral, some overachieving journalist, and I use the term loosely, will start crying out for justice and law enforcement of some type will get involved.  Which is sad, because this child will learn no lesson from this except that her sense of entitlement was right and she is the princess of the world.  None of us know the situation outside of this video, we do not know the family rules or values nor the society in which they live.  We are all judging from our own perceptions based upon the values we hold in our own lives which, SURPRISE, stop at your front door.

I remember what it was like growing up in my parent’s home and let me tell you, kids these days would never have made it.  Why’s that? You ask me.  Well, let’s analyze this situation shall we:

• It was my parent’s house, no question about it.  They paid the bills and what not, I only lived there.  I did not get to dictate what would be done and when nor did I argue about the rules.  When I did there was swift and fair punishment.
• My father believed in punishments such as: going to bed without dinner, standing in the corner, spanking and the loss of privileges.  Well, from what I see nowadays that is considered abuse.  I cannot even honestly fathom that.
• While I did not agree with it at all, while I lived in my parent’s house my curfew was dark, no matter the time of year.  Can you imagine any teen dealing with that today?
• Neither was I allowed to ride in vehicles that were being driven by my friends.  See above statement.

You get the point and for any of you from my generation I am sure you can relate and have your own rules that you lived under in your home growing up.

The only real point I wanted to get across here is that children need to learn that parents are the boss in the home.  While there was a need to be addressed with child abuse 20 or so years ago, it has go to far now to the other extreme.  Children need to be disciplined, yes that means spanked when called for, and they need to realize firmly where the boundaries are.  If children want extra privileges and what not, especially in a big family, then they need to step up and assist with the duties around the house, at the least cleaning up after themselves.

So yes Mr. Jordan, and I do not know if you will ever see this, while I agree in spirit with what you did, I do think you went a tad far.  You do have my support on this issue should any national attention come about from it.

Related articles

• Parenting…Are we failing our children? (busymomof03.wordpress.com)
• Spankuse (vinakent.com)
• What can happen to your child if you spank them? (beautyhealthandwellnessblog.com)
• Research: Spanking may worsen behavior (boston.com)
• Spanking Undermines A Child’s Long-Term Development (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Spanking makes kids more aggressive, should be illegal: Report (theprovince.com)

It Does Not Offend Your Morality, It Offends Your Perception Of Reality.

So, yes, it is time for me to speak on this issue once again, especially now that EqualityMaine has collected enough signatures to get marriage equality on the ballot again this coming November.  This initiative is especially important this time around because if it passes Maine will become the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular vote.  Why is that important, you ask?  Simply put it means that the people are saying “Yes, it is time for everyone to have the same rights.”  While it is almost guaranteed that eventually the federal government will legalize same-sex marriage, this is an important step towards that goal as it shows people are awakening to the issue and realizing the injustice that the current standard allows.

I’ve posted on this issue before, back in 2009 when Question 1 was a hot topic, and I will continue to for some time.  This is an important issue that cannot be allowed to fade into obscurity and you can be sure it will not.  While some state that it is unfair to compare marriage equality to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, one cannot deny the similarities that exist between the two issues.

While homosexuals do not face the degree of discrimination that the Blacks pre-Civil Rights Movement did, thanks in part to current laws, they are still discriminated against on a daily basis especially when it comes to the right to marry the person that they love.  Bullying exists in all age ranges it is just different terms that are used depending on the age ranges being discussed.  Not allowing same-sex marriage is no different from teenagers bullying a gay teen on Facebook.  Although I do not believe in the strict Christian doctrine, I have my own thoughts on religion, it seems to me that if there is a higher being, a supreme deity in charge of it all, then everyone of us was put into the world for some reason.  Despite what people say to the contrary, the Bible does NOT mention homosexuality, at least not in the modern definition of it.  Surprised aren’t you?  If you want to read a great argument on that check out the Soulforce article below.

Why are people against same-sex marriage?  That is a fair question and it really boils down to three issues: Religion, Procreation and Nature.  Well, I am going to set about debunking all three of those topics and if anyone comes up with something new in the comments I will debunk it as well.  I am an intelligent person and I pride myself on being aware of issues and the arguments used within them.  I conduct a lot of research before I form my own opinions and suggest everyone should do the same.  Critical thinking is something that everyone should do, sadly they do not and instead choose to follow party lines, peer opinions or family traditions.

Religion:

Before I begin, let me throw out a disclaimer.  Everyone is entitled to their own belief system and I will not begrudge them that.  However, when you start trying to force your beliefs on society as a whole, then I have a problem and will step in to remedy the situation.  That being said, religion is the least reliable source to refer to in any argument.  Why, you ask?  Well that depends, whose religion are we referring to?  Who has the say on which belief is right and which is wrong?  There is no proof to show that any one religion has it right over any other.  Just because you have a billion followers does not make you “right” it just makes you persuasive.  The messages from these religions were recorded in the distant past and it is very difficult to apply the language from then to now, especially when it is translated, sometimes multiple times.  And honestly, let’s face it, the closest thing any of us have come to a burning bush in recent times is our television sets.

Procreation:

While it is true that a same sex couple cannot have children by themselves, there are plenty of heterosexual marriages out there that do not result in children.  If we are to base marriage off the concept of being able to procreate then how are we to treat elderly marriages and marriages that never produce children?  If procreation is the basis of a marriage, then why is it we have sex without the intent of having children?  Why are there so many forms of birth control as well as surgical means to prevent pregnancy.  For me, marriage is a commitment of the love shared between two people, their proclamation of wanting to join together as one.  People do not get married to have children they get married out of love.

Nature:

Homosexuality is not natural.

I so love debunking this one, it is so much fun and easily tossed aside by a little research.  Homosexual behavior has been observed in close to 1,500 species, ranging from primates to gut worms, and is well documented for 500 of them (wikipedia).  Now, how can you argue with those numbers?  Some might claim poor vision on the part of the animals…  while that might be true for one specific case, the thought does not hold water to the critical thinker.  Oh, you want to argue about my use of Wikipedia as a source?  Well, the links provided in that article are from more scholarly sources and do in fact make the same claims as the original sentence.  The fact is homosexuality is a natural occurrence and not just as a form of establishing dominance.

What it all really boils down to is that homosexuality, and same-sex marriage, offend people on a personal level.  As I stated in the title, it offends their perception of reality.  While ones personal opinions and beliefs cannot be wrong, attempting to force them on everyone else is very wrong.  Aside from the fact that this country was created on the concept of equality for all, as intelligent, self-aware beings we are deserving of living our own lives how we choose.  The fact is we should not have to have a law allowing same-sex marriage, it should just be, like anything else that applies to us, we should not have to fight for these inherent rights as they are already rights we are entitled to.

As I stated at the beginning, the reality is at some point we will have a federal law legalizing same-sex marriage.  Just as we have laws allowing rights for women, Blacks and other minorities they will come about for LGBT citizens as well.  All that remains is how long you are going to draw this fight out for before realizing the simple truth that it does not matter what you think or feel, it comes down to what is right.

Related articles

• Same-Sex Marriage Question To Appear On Maine Ballot (thinkprogress.org)
• Marriage Equality Question to Appear on 2012 Maine Ballot; LGBT Advocates ‘Comfortable About Winning’ (towleroad.com)
• Senate passes same-sex marriage bill (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Maine Rep. Pingree Endorses Marriage Equality On House Floor (thinkprogress.org)
• Maine poised for 2nd public vote on gay marriage (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Maine Secures Ample Signatures For Marriage Equality Ballot Question (thinkprogress.org)
• What the Bible Says – And Doesn’t Say – About Homosexuality (soulforce.org)
• Homosexual behavior in animals (wikipedia.org)