Destor on Ordering a Pizza Conservatively in Texas
Ramona: Hatred in a Lovely Church
Gallup: Obama 46, Romney 46
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Destor on Ordering a Pizza Conservatively in Texas Ramona: Hatred in a Lovely Church Gallup: Obama 46, Romney 46 |
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I want to marry gays. I really do. If it were legal to do so in my state, I would become an ordained minister to join a gay couple in holy and legal matrimony. I view it as a benchmark of American progress. It would be a fine example of the reason prevailing against rhetoric, because reasonably LGBT folks should be able to marry and enjoy all the benefits that heterosexual couples do.
Why should gay marriage be legal? Because the arguments against it are so asinine they make neocon political ideals look logical, or even moral.
Let’s take a look at a few [note: if you are reading aloud each anti-LGBT argument should be said in a southern twang].
“Homosexuality is just not natural” a.k.a. The Tab A, Slot B Argument:

As in it doesn’t happen in nature? It is well documented that homosexuality is prevelant in many different species. In fact, many well known animal actors are homosexuals. I won’t mention names (Mr. Ed, Flipper, and the original Lassie was a lesbian), but it happens. Seriously though, homosexuality has been observed in many different species: dolphins, apes, birds, dogs, etc.
Canadian Grey Geese are a well known for their lesbianism. Biologists have observed that lesbian geese couples often take care of abandoned eggs to do their duty as a good goose and raise the orphaned gosling to further the species. In “nature” homosexual animals can contribute to the overall betterment of their species if some other jerk heterosexual (perhaps many of them homosexuals themselves) don’t butt-in and tell them it’s not natural to do just that.
“The Bible says so!” a.k.a. The My God is Bigger Than Your God Argument:

I’m sure the Bible does say that in your opinion. You would have been quite an asset during the Inquisitions, but we live in the now, in America, where the rules say that no matter how wacky your beliefs are, you are allowed to follow them as long as they don’t infringe upon anybody else’s rights to being and last time I checked two homos being homos doesn't infringe on anybody else's rights. If you want the government to use religion as its basis for governing go live in a theocracy. I encourage you to do so, ‘cause this country isn’t one. Ask the middle east how the whole theocracy thing has been working for them.
The Bible says a lot of things. Some Catholic’s believe it says not to use birth control because it is a sin against God – yet we allow the sale of condoms. Some protestant’s believe imbibing in alcohol is sinful – but we still sell beer. So even if the Bible does "say so," why can't we legalize gay marriage? If your religion is so fragile that the legalization of gay marriage would destroy it, it probably doesn’t deserve to exist. I am pretty sure religions and LGBTers can get along. Jesus was all about compassion, yes?
“It will threaten the sanctity of marriage” a.k.a. The Sanctimonious F*ck-hole Argument:

Who does more damage to the sanctity of marriage in America: 2 loving committed people of the same gender who marry and stay committed or Brittney Spears going to Vegas and getting married and divorced shortly there after? Who is more of an influence on young people in America? You may not agree with gay marriage, but don’t pretend that homo-marriage will all of a sudden destroy the institution – 50% of American marriages end in divorce!
Also, throughout human history marriage has rarely reflected the idea of sanctity. For thousands and thousands of years marriage was little more than a business arrangement between two families with the idea of both mutually benefiting from it – like a business transaction. This is America for cripes-sakes! We are all about business arrangements, that's what makes us great. Everyone should have the same ability to make a business arrangement (such as a marriage) with anybody else they want to. How come those free-market right-wingers only argue for a free market when it means allowing corporations to run rough-shod over consumers?
These are just a few of the arguments against LGBT equality. They are all bullshit and lack genuine reason. Common sense is perhaps one of God’s (if you believe in such a thing) greatest gifts. For us to ignore this gift while impinging upon other people’s rights to be happy and marry who they choose is shameful and woefully un-American.
This post was sponsored by the good folks at AbFab Cruises:
You can read the full blog, including Larry accidently signing up for a cruise, by clicking here.
By Ismail Kahn, New York Times, May 23/24, 2012
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A Pakistani doctor who helped the Central Intelligence Agency pin down Osama bin Laden's location under cover of a vaccination drive was convicted on Wednesday of treason and sentenced to 33 years in prison, a senior official in Pakistan said.
A tribal court here in northwestern Pakistan found the doctor, Shakil Afridi, guilty of acting against the state, said Mutahir Zeb Khan, the administrator for the Khyber tribal region [....]
By Sergei L. Loiko, Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2012
MOSCOW — Stiff new penalties aimed at opposition protesters were given preliminary approval Tuesday by Russian lawmakers loyal to President Vladimir Putin, the target of mass rallies and demonstrations before his March election victory.
The bill, which opposition parliament members termed draconian and protested by threatening to file out of a legislative session, calls for fines of up to $50,000 and up to 200 hours of community service for organizers of rallies and demonstrations that grow violent or exceed the approved number of participants.
The sanctions were approved on first reading by parliament's lower house, which is controlled by Putin's United Russia party. They mark a return by the Kremlin to a tough stance against critics after concessions during the recent election campaign [...]
Also see:
Russians back Putin, strong leadership
Washington Post, May 22, 2012
A Pew survey of 1,000 Russians found that President Vladimir Putin is well-liked by more than 70 percent of citizens, especially older adults.
Associated Press, May 21, 2012
HAVANA — It was all sunshine, smiles and celebratory speeches as officials marked the arrival of an undersea fiber-optic cable they promised would end Cuba's Internet isolation and boost web capacity 3,000-fold. Even a retired Fidel Castro had hailed the dawn of a new cyber-age on the island.
More than a year after the February 2011 ceremony on Siboney Beach in eastern Cuba, and 10 months after the system was supposed to have gone online, the government never mentions the cable anymore, and Internet here remains the slowest in the hemisphere. People talk quietly about embezzlement torpedoing the project and the arrest of more than a half-dozen senior telecom officials.
Perhaps most maddening, nobody has explained what happened to the much-ballyhooed $70 million project....
By Tamasin Ford in Monrovia, Guardian.co.uk, May 22, 2012
Husbands, not strangers or men with guns, are now the biggest threat to women in post-conflict west Africa, according to a report by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) released on Tuesday.
The IRC report, Let Me Not Die Before My Time: Domestic Violence in West Africa, based on data collected over 10 years by the IRC in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast, said domestic violence is the "most urgent, pervasive and significant protection issue for women in west Africa" [.....]
By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press, May 22, 2012
WASHINGTON -- Uncle Sam may not want you after all.
In sharp contrast to the peak years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Army last year took in no recruits with misconduct convictions or drug or alcohol issues, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press. And soldiers already serving on active duty now must meet tougher standards to stay on for further tours in uniform.
The Army is also spending hundreds of thousands of dollars less in bonuses to attract recruits or entice soldiers to remain.
It's all part of an effort to slash the size of the active duty Army from about 570,000 at the height of the Iraq war to 490,000 by 2017. The cutbacks began last year, and as of the end of March, the Army was down to less than 558,000 troops.
For a time during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army lowered its recruiting standards [....]
"Homosexuality is just not natural”, pt deux: murder is perfectly natural.
The most entertaining case against the case against gay marriage that I have read.
PS I once saw dogs doing the doggy-style-conga-line as in the deer photo. There were six or seven of them in a row going at it. Sadly, I had no camera. Some readers may be familiar with one of the participants in the orgy, aptly named "Lucky."
PPS Think about the blog post you could have written if you actually went on the cruise.
PPPS The "by clicking here" link is broken. I think that it needs an "http://"
He does sound "Lucky." Link is fixed, thanks for the heads up!
Once again, Canada Geese crossing the border to cause trouble in the U. S. of A. It's not enough that they take an airplane down into the Hudson River. Now they've got their geese spreading gay marriage.
Next thing you know, they'll be chewing through wires at Guantanamo, grouping together to fly detainees across the Caribbean, and dropping them off at Kansas shopping malls.
Blaming Canada geese is a fowl canard.
I didn't used to buy the slippery slope argument. But I'm having second thoughts...
Despite the obvious good time being had here, there is one simple refutation of the slippery slope argument in this case: Animals are not legal persons. They can't file taxes. They aren't allowed in hospitals. Now, maybe we should start taxing them, but then we'd have to let them vote so as not to run afoul of that old no-taxation-without-representation-chestnut, lest we end up with a bunch of agrieved animals. If you thought this April 15th was bad, wait until a bunch of un-neutered gay bulldogs want to get in on some public teabagging. You haven't seen Glenn Beck cry until he has to figure out which side of that argument he's on.
Now a person marrying a corporation...