Banal Leakage » same-sex marriage

Sanctimoniously Speaking

martymankins — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:26:53 +0000

Growing up in Orange County, I remember my mom talking about other people. Mostly good, rarely directly to them, always vocally sharing her opinions to at least herself, but often to a select few. They were never meant to be harmful, just meant as vocal commentary.

I always wondered what some of these people had done to elicit such commentary. Did they cut her off in traffic? Were they rude to her in line at the grocery store? Had they somehow embarrassed her in a public setting? While I understand the above scenarios can generate an immediate opinion, they should never be intended as a permanent response to others like them.

This is not to say that I am placing a discriminatory label on my mom. Not even close. What I am saying is that when you get in a habit of treating select groups of people a certain way, it somehow becomes acceptable.

Core Values

The core values that make up a person are related to how you treat others. But there can be diversions placed in between your true feelings and what you physically broadcast to the rest of society.

There are times when people react to situations and end up saying things that are similar to the opinions of others you associate with. Yet inside, they wonder why they said such a thing verbally to another person. True, some people really do translate exactly what they feel inside and express it outwardly – in sadness, happiness, hatred or disgust. But in general, those immediate peers can be influential when verbally expressing one’s thoughts, ignoring your true feelings.

It’s how we treat and deal with others that are different than us that is something I question.

Court Decision

Yesterday, a key decision was made in California by their Supreme Court on the validity of Proposition 8, last year’s ballot measure that placed a ban on same-sex marriage in that state, after being legal for over four months. By a vote of 6-1, the court decided that the passage of Prop 8 was valid and will be kept in place, barring any future ballot measures brought up for vote to the people.

Although devastating news to future same-sex couples of California who wish to marry, there was a positive outcome from the court’s other decisions. The 18,000 same-sex couples who were legally married from June 16th to November 3rd, 2008 remain legally married. A sound decision that continues to protect legally married same-sex couples.

Equal Protection

Given this recent court decision, there is a outstanding question that needs to be answered: what protections do unmarried same-sex couples have in California? According to California Family Code 297.5, there are a lot, almost as much as a legally binding marriage. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, it’s pretty close to marriage. [NOTE: Click here for the Wiki page on Calif Domestic Partner benefits and rights.]

Close, But Not Complete

But close means not all of the legal benefits are there. Which is why there is a push to make sure all of the included legal benefits for married couples will be part of the California Domestic Partnership law. While this is commendable, it raises a bigger question: why create a completely separate set of laws and legal benefits just for same-sex couples? All of the separate paperwork, laws, forms, details… it seems redundant compared to allowing same-sex couples to legally marry like any heterosexual couple, not to mention being equal and fair.

Gay marriage is a heated and sensitive topic, very much like abortion and stem cell research. Those that follow me on Facebook and saw my response to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision already know this is a very divisive subject. There are arguments on both sides of the issue that are either very convincing or just outright childish. I’m very opened minded and listen to all sides of the debate, but when it comes down to the very heart of the matter, there should be only one question: Should everyone be treated equally when it comes to marriage rights? In this person’s honest opinion, the answer is yes.

Separate, Not Equal

Original photo link – from Flickr user anti_christa

Many have offered arguments on why they do not want gays to legally share the term ‘marriage’ with them – religious, traditional, financial or a concern over future laws that may go too far… the list is almost endless. Regardless of the reasons, it leaves me asking some serious and valid questions: Why the fear? Why the concern? Why is it ok to have something separate to contain rights? Is it the “ick factor”? If so, why are people that focused on what goes on in other people’s bedrooms?

People in general are resistant to change. There’s an unknown factor that they are not sure of. And I can understand that. But change has been part of society for centuries now. We evolve. People adjust. Things move forward. This isn’t the stone age where the males club the females over the head and drag them off by their hair. We treat people fairly, or at least we should. Everyone wants to know that they live in a country where they are not the outcast. They are included. Not everyone is against people having rights, just what they deem is acceptable. They don’t want gays sharing marriage with them, so they support something different to be created. That’s not about protecting the sanctity of marriage. That’s making sure someone different from them doesn’t have to share the same rights. If all of this is sounding very familiar, it’s because it’s history repeating itself.

Throughout time, people have been discriminated against for a variety of reasons, but mostly it’s been males in obtaining greed and power, while hiding behind their insecurities. The fight for gay equality is just another cog in the wheel of human treatment. Women and blacks have been through it and we’ve seen major strides for them over the last few decades. Gays and lesbians will see the same steps forward. Until then, we can accept nothing less than equal treatment under the laws, including marriage.

Discrimination, on any level, is just plain wrong. Some support it by hiding behind a barrier of belief or religion. Others use it as a source to validate their method of segregating others different from them. Sometimes it’s innocent, other times it’s intentional. Regardless of the reason, it’s unacceptable and needs to be stopped.

To Those Who Oppose Same-Sex Marriage

We only ask for one thing: Stop working to deny people their proper rights. Stop trying to create something separate. Marriage is nothing more than a legal contract. It should not be exclusive to any one group, religion or belief. It’s a civil act that should be available to committed and loving people that want the benefits and protections of being in a recognized relationship. It’s not going to get ruined or destroyed by allowing it to be open to others different than you.

A phrase that I’ve used in my life for many years is something I feel would be good to end this on:

“At the end of the day, we are all human.”

In The Final Hours

martymankins — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:16:46 +0000

Election Day is tomorrow. Many have already voted early in a lot of states. There are a lot that will stand in the polls on Tuesday to help decide many things, one of which is a new president on January 20, 2009. It’s the outcome of these issues and individuals that will decide the course of our country for the next four years to the next twenty years. This is my final post before the election and my views and who I voted for the office of president.

For President

I am a life long Democrat. I make no bones about it or try to hide it. But, I do not vote straight ticket, as I think there are many other qualified candidates that can put aside their personal vendettas and other divisive thoughts to represent the people their jurisdiction covers. I want to see more independent candidates on the ballots, for I think they could very well help erase a divide in this country and get people to really be concerned about true issues that affect all Americans.

As I always do, I researched the candidates, fairly and unbiased [which is not an easy task] and tried to see all of their positions and what kind of changes they would bring to the table. Let’s face it, the country is in tailspin of bad shit. Economy, the environment, human rights… there’s a lot that needs change. For almost the last eight years, we’ve wasted fuckloads of money in a country we don’t belong in, focused our efforts on issues that shouldn’t be issues anymore, allowed corporate greed and corruption to give large sums of cash to walking CEOs while wiping out the working class investments and threatening any chances of a stable future. Sure, we’ve made some progress, but in my opinion, it’s been minimal and it’s time we found someone to help guide this place to a better future. We can’t erase the past, but we can elect someone that will help both houses of Congress and other elected officials to get back on track.

Bob Barr

I had some discussions with one of my friends, a frequent commenter here, on the presidential candidates. Bob Barr was brought up as a potential option. Mr. Barr is a Libertarian, who’s party stands for less government intervention. I’m very much for less government in our lives. Although, we do need checks and balances and regulations set up, I think that could be managed a lot better than it is today with less than it has been for the last thirty years. But as I researched Mr. Barr’s positions, I found that he really didn’t have much of a history of pushing for less government. He started the whole impeachment process against Bill Clinton. Not for the “blow job” issue but for campaign fundraising issues. When the impeachment proceedings continued on, not on the fundraising concerns, but the lying under oath about Ms. Lewinsky’s actions on Mr. Clinton’s johnson, that was very off track and wasting taxpayers money and government time . Add to that a list of other “more government” meddling: Defense of Marriage Act, The War on Drugs, voting for the war in Iraq. To me, this is a Republican, which at the time of these positions he took, he was one. In late 2006, he moved to the Libertarian party and has since changed some of his positions. Sorry Bob, it’s a little too late. Leopards don’t change their spots over night and two years in the political scheme of things is considered over night.

John McCain

Enter John McCain. Decorated war hero, POW and an all around nice guy [on most days]. He’s been in the Senate for over twenty years and seemed to have some moderate views like stem-cell research and concerns for the environment. But red flags go up everywhere right away when you look at his voting record – over 90% of the time with George W. Bush. Then there’s the lack of support he gives to POW/MIA war veterans. Dave from Blogography has been very vocal about this over on his blog and explains Mr. McCain’s position [or lack of one] very well. And watching his campaign implode into a series of hate-filled rallies and racial epithets [although to McCain's defense, he did try to tell people "that's not very nice"] and focusing on what a bad guy his Democratic opponent is, turned me off even more. His meager offering for health care reform was to give a $5,000 tax credit to help add to your helath care and HMO coverage. At least they were upfront that this $5,000 would be taxable. Tell me how someone who makes $25,000 a year is going to come up with an additional $5,000 during the year for health care costs, then have to wait till April to claim it on their taxes, only to be taxed on that amount in the end. If I am reading this right, it means you are being taxed on money you spent only to write it off and be taxed on it. Not very logical or helpful unless you make a decent amount of money. And even then, $5,000 doesn’t even begin to make a dent into any emergency hospital visit. Adding to this his involvement in the Keating Five, which doesn’t give much hope for correcting these economic failings we are having. And I’ve not even mentioned his choice for a running mate, which could extend this blog post longer than I would like it to be. So I have to say a big “NO” to John.

Barack Obama

Which brings us to Barack Obama. First off, let me outline what I don’t like about Obama. As a junior senator from Illinois, I do think there is some lack of experience here. Not a lot, mind you. But being president can be tough. It requires some know-how and being able to negotiate terms and make decisions that can and do affect over 300 million people. Some of the promises he made to the people of Illinois were never put forth. I can understand that not all campaign promises are kept, but there were some innercity programs that could have had more attention. I wish he had the guts or balls to say he supports gay marriage. If it’s a personal decision, fine. But I think it’s a cop-out to say you support something that gives rights to same-sex couples, but than wanting to call it something else. Marriage is a civil right, not something exclusive to any religion. I will talk more about this later, but don’t appease for the sake of being nice.

What’s that you say? Why didn’t I mention other negatives like his middle name or that he “palled around with terrorists” or that he “wants to take everyone’s guns away” or that he’s not eligible to be president because “his birth certificate is a fake and he wasn’t born in this country”??? Because all of those issues are not negatives. They are fucking red herrings that people chase to ignore their focus on real issues like job creation, clear air, alternative fuels, health care, ending a useless war, financial stability and getting back our positive outlook to the rest of the world.

Lots of people have middle names that could scare up a controversy or two. If you focus on Mr. Obama’s middle name, you are being racist and just trying to incite fear. Bill Ayers is a well respected professor at a university. It’s been years since he was a violent protestor. It’s not like he was on the news last year for killing people. People do change over thirty years. The government is not going to come into each and every home and take all of your guns away. Do you really think that 37 states are going to ratify an appeal to the second amendment? This is about controlling illegal assault rifles and keeping them out of hands of kids and adults. Responsible gun owners will never be affected, despite the lack of Obama’s moose-hunting skills. And finally, how many birth certificate experts are there on the internet? Obviously, there’s hundreds of you. You are so well skilled at PhotoShop that you can spot a forgery a mile away. What the fuck ever. Get over your self and read this link or this one.

Casting The Vote

I voted this last Thursday in early voting. I waited in line for over twenty minutes. It was a line I didn’t mind waiting in. As I walked up to the voting machine, I placed my vote for Barack Obama for President. While I have reservations about his experience, I have enough confidence that he can focus on the imperative issues and what needs to be done in this country to help get us back on track. The Bush years fucked us over pretty bad. Ultra religious zealots running around trying to sway the vote and inject fear into getting people to vote their way. It’s not about winning that matters. It’s about someone standing up and wanting to take charge and give this country back to the people. If you have to use dirty tricks and fear and other forms of discouragement to win an election, we really don’t want you in office. That just means you’ll use the same tactics to get your way once you are elected. That only helps selected individuals, not the entire population. I want unity, not diversity. That’s why I voted for Obama. He is the strongest candidate to bring unity back to this nation. Will it happen for sure? I don’t know, but I think he’s got a good shot at making it happen.

——————————————————————————

Civil and Human Rights

There are two issues that I feel that should be removed from the political landscape: abortion and gay rights. While I mentioned above that I wished Obama wouldn’t beat around the bush for an alternative solution to gay marriage, I do wish it didn’t even have to be brought up at all. The whole religious vs. non-religious divide is doing nothing to help anyone in this country. To focus all of your efforts to save the unborn or deny someone their rights shows how short-sighted and selfish your views are. While they may be important to you, let’s face it… making abortion or gay marriage illegal does nothing to help or hurt you in your life. Your marriage stays intact. Your choice to not get an abortion never changes. If all it does is help you sleep at night or help you to know you are controlling someone else’s life’s decisions, then those are not valid reasons.

Plain and simple… abortion should be a medical decision between a woman and her doctor. Marriage should be a decision between two people that want to legally commit their lives together. Human and civil rights should NEVER be put to the vote of the people. Each and every time, the majority will vote away the rights of the minority, especially when it comes to subjects that border on religious beliefs. Now I’m not against anyone’s religious beliefs, just when they affect everyone. Again, it’s a majority vs. minority issue.

If you live in California, Florida, Arizona or Arkansas, you may be familiar with propositions that are intended to remove, deny or eliminate rights for GLBT citizens. Arkansas and Florida even effect foster or adopted children. I’ve already done a recent blog post on voting No on Proposition 8 in California. Marriage isn’t some exclusive right only for people that get married in a church. Marriage is civil. It’s a legal right. People get married without being religious or belonging to a particular sect. My wife and I got married on a beach in Lake Tahoe, Calif. Hardly a church [but some place I would consider spending my Sunday at]. And tradition…. what tradition? Marrying for property rights? Shotgun weddings? Divorce rates? Get it a rest. Remove your bias. Throw out your cherry-picked bible verses. Stop listening to the fear about what will happen if gays are able to marry. No church is forced now to marry anyone. Why would that change with same-sex marriage being legal? Any church has the right to deny who they want to marry. It happens with heretosexual couples, it will happen with same-sex couples. Nothing changes and people go find another venue to get married in. Just vote NO on each one of these propositions. It will prove that you really are not bigoted and biased and can let others live their lives, even if you don’t like it. Because at the end of the day, we are all human.

———————————————————————————-

Vote

I cannot stress how important it is to vote. Even if you disagree with me on each of the issues and positions I discussed above, at least exercise your right to vote. And stop finding ways to deny others to vote. That’s a fucked up way of trying to get your person elected or initiative passed. It’s a right we earned and each and every eligible person over the age of 18 should never be stopped from voting.

That’s all until Wednesday morning, when we will see what the outcome will be of all of this.

Propped Up On 8

martymankins — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:28:32 +0000

Yep, this is a political blog post, but I’ll keep it short and to the point.

VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 8

I am a heterosexual male that is passionate about human rights. The constitution, the Bill of Rights and other laws and guidelines our founding fathers set up were created to extend rights to people. In June 2008, California became the second state in the nation to allow marriage for same-sex couples. Now many groups are pouring large amounts of money, time, energy and effort into removing that, redefining marriage to an exclusive group of people. They call this “the right thing do”. I call it pure and utter discrimination.

I know people are concerned. Maybe some are naive about this and just want to “protect marriage”. Others have serious issues against those that are part of the GLBT communities and just want to “stop the perversion”. Whatever your reason for supporting this proposition, please take a moment and consider the following:

No heterosexual marriages will be dissolved. Your marriages will not be affected by allowing same-sex couples to marry. Nothing will change.
No church will be forced to marry a same-sex couple.
Schools are not forcing children to learn how to be a homosexual. Stop thinking this. It’s dumb and it’s stupid.
If you are a member of a church that’s supporting this, you have the right to disagree. That is an alienable human right to think how you want and with your own conscience. If your heart tells you one thing, but your preachers and leaders tell you something else, follow your heart.
If you have to think of a reason to vote NO and can’t remove any other reason, look at it from a civil point of view. As a tax-paying adult, you expect certain rights and privileges. How would you feel if a group of people came in and wanted to vote away one of your civil rights? This is regarding something civil. Marriage is civil, plain and simple. It’s not exclusive to a church or race.

There’s so much more I can go on about, but I don’t want to labor this subject. This should be a no brainer. Today, it only affects Californians. But in the end, it affects everyone…. maybe even a loved one or a close friend. Don’t let discrimination go any further. It’s happened to too many states already. Keep California Legal. If you live there, I urge you to consider the above and consider voting NO on Proposition 8.

Check out the following site for links to sites against Prop 8: Californians Against Hate

I’m A Liberal

martymankins — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:13:51 +0000

Since Barack Obama clinched the nomination for the Democratic Party the other day, I’ve been very elated that we get a candidate that is not part of the toe-to-heel politicians that have run this place for the last couple of decades.

Dont get me wrong. I liked Bill Clinton and thought he made some great decisions and ran things well for 8 years. We had a strong economy (with some bumps here and there), a balanced budget and some items signed into law that benefited all of us. There were also some laws and bills he signed that I didn’t agree with (Defense Of Marriage Act, the act to allow insurance companies to base rates on credit worthiness, parts of the 1996 Telecommunications Act). And that’s the beauty of being able to support a candidate, but also knowing they are not going to share 100% of your views. No one candidate can or will be able to do that for any American.

As for our current president, his toe-to-heel approach the last 7 years left me with only a couple of things he did that were defined as positive for the country. I respect his personal life and really don’t have issues with what he did before he was put into office. It’s the lack of policies and respect for some of us in this country that I take issue with. Whoever his successor is, they’ve got a lot of work ahead of them to help put things back into shape. January 21, 2009 cannot come quick enough.

My Rule

I have a rule that I live by, which helps to keep peace with those I come into contact with on a daily basis. This applies to family, friends and co-workers. I do not discuss two topics (or at least do my best to not bring them up): religion and politics. I have found over the years that these two topics are the most divisive subjects ever. They even beat the PC vs. Mac and XBox vs. Playstation strongholds. Living in Utah, these two topics are discussed a lot as most of the residents of this state belong to one political party and one organized religion. But every once in a while, I hear a conversation that I feel comfortable in participating in where I don’t feel like some sort of freak or outcast.

Politically Blogging

But not everyone is elated about Obama’s delegate win and pending general election campaign. There are a couple of blogs that I visit where Obama isn’t welcomed.

Blog of Whall – I like Wayne. I’ve “known” him for a long time now, mostly as a commenter over on Blogography.com. But in the last few months, I’ve gotten to read a few of his blog entries and found them entertaining and informative. He’s a fellow IT person (so he knows late nights and server management) and he posts LOLcats pictures from I Can Has Cheezburger. His few political posts that I’ve left comments were detailed and it’s evident he spent a lot of time getting the facts, complete with links to support his positions. Agree or disagree, you’ve got to respect those efforts.

The Brilliant Brunette – I don’t know Amanda at all, save for the few comments I’ve seen from her on a few blogs the last couple of weeks. So I really can’t judge her until I’ve read some of her work, which I did last night. Her posts are well written and she’s obviously very passionate about how she feels about many subjects. Honestly speaking, she does make some valid points, if you view them with an extreme conservative eye. [is there such as thing as a "bleeding conservative"?] After reading many of her political-subject posts, I felt out of place. I wanted to read more, but it was hard. I felt like I was some kind of outcast or freak for not brandishing a gun, being pro-choice or being against drilling for oil where ever the dollar looked like it could multiply quickly.

Apply The Rule

I have nothing against Amanda or Wayne and I really do not wish to change their political positions, but as far as political posts of theirs, I have to restrain myself. I get too heated and worked up and want to post anything and everything, only to be frustrated that whatever I say is viewed as some sort of un-American rant. [how I feel, not words that either blogger has ever spoken or directly implied] Both already know how I feel and where I stand. [or at least they will after this blog post] No use trying to stir shit up and drag all of us into a never-ending debacle of divisive political discussions. I still plan to visit their blogs, especially Wayne’s since he and I share other subjects we are interested in. And I may post a line or two on their political posts, but it will be reserved.

My Stances

Now onto the subject of this blog post. My stances as a liberal, not in any particular order, are:

Abortion – I am pro-choice. This does not mean that I am advocate of “killing babies” or that I hate children. In political discussions, i’ve been called ‘Pro-Abortion’. I take serious offense at that label. I personally feel there are other alternatives to abortion and would encourage a spouse or daughter against abortion. But I also support the right of a woman to choose, regardless of who it is and aside from my personal concerns. Simply put, it should not be against the law. There should be restrictions, though [term limits]. And yes, I do sleep at night.
Gun Control – I am 100% behind the 2nd Amendment and do not wish for it to change. And regardless of various links, statements and other comments made by Obama, I doubt he is planning to repeal the 2nd Amendment and forcing each and every American to surrender their firearms. I don’t own a gun, but I support the right for each and every American to own and posses a gun for any reason they wish to use it. If they kill another human intentionally with that gun, then they should face the criminal prosecution associated with that crime. Automatic weapons that come into the US illegally for the sole purpose of killing other humans is something I am against.
Global Warming – This is a stated fact and not some hoax that the liberals invented. Yes, the world evolves and changes and some of those damaging effects on the planet have been happening for thousands of years, without our help. But there is no doubt in my mind that the products and pollution we’ve added the last 120 years of modern society have accelerated the process. Simply put, we need to take measures to reduce the wear and tear we put on this earth.
Same-Sex Marriage – Every tax-paying adult in this country should have the right to marry another tax-paying adult of their choice, regardless of what it says in the bible or how many religious people feel it is “wrong in the eyes of God”. This does not mean men can marry their dogs or we now need to pick out matching litter boxes for two felines to legally marry each other. I call those ridiculous arguments “slippery slopes”. If two men or two women want to marry and have a gret life together, they should be able to legally marry and enjoy the same benefits heterosexual couples enjoy when they legally marry. I view this as a rights issue, not a “God says it’s wrong” position.
Death Penalty – Honestly, I do not have a definite position on this. I really don’t. I feel that serious crimes should punished. But I also have to think about how sometimes the wrong person gets convicted. It doesn’t happen often, but the fact remains that it does. And if they are put to death, only to be exonerated years later, it’s kind of hard to bring them back to life. Some you reading this may think this is in direct opposition to my position on abortion, but it’s not. Think about it from a legal, court of law decision, where a jury can affect the life of one person.
Evolution – Evolution happens and it is real. In my opinion, there is no “Intelligent Designer.” Things evolve based on science, not a creator or being. When I see a child born with no eyes and missing limbs, I do not think about a creator. I think about the DNA process that created that child in the womb and that evolution, while amazing and fascinating, is not always perfect. If that child was created by an intelligent designer, why is it not born without any imperfections? Intelligent Design suggests to me that it’s not so intelligent if anyone is born with a disease, condition, deformity or physical differences. Science and evolution go hand in hand.
Church and State – Keeping religion and politics separate would help reduce a lot of division in this country. Racism, homophobia, abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action… all of these social issues wouldn’t be as prominent if church and state were kept separate.
Affirmative Action – I am against most forms of affirmative action. Anything that promotes segregation or separatism, I am against. If there are forms of affirmative action that promote positive programs and functions for any human being, then I would have to treat each one on a case-by-case basis before throwing my support behind it.
Universal Health Care – We need health coverage for all US citizens. I don’t know who’s program or plan is going to be the best solution for all, but every tax-paying citizen and every child born to a tax-paying citizen needs to be covered from day one. Places of employment can still offer coverage, but government-subsidized. Other countries may not be 100% perfect, but they have shown that it does work and work well for most.
Religion – I am an agnostic. I lean more towards atheist, but at the same time, I really do not know if something or someone exists or not. I have been called a fence sitter and indecisive. I’ve also been told to pick a side (with references to heaven and hell). I do not belong to or believe in any organized religion, even though I spent the first 33 years of my life in an organized religion (Mormon). None of that is important to me in life. What’s more important to me is: treating people with respect and kindness, being honest in my life’s dealings, being a productive resident of planet earth and enjoying all that life has to offer. None of this requires that I belong to a church or read an ancient book. I live my life based on how I want to be treated in life. I treat others with respect, I would like that to be reciprocal. I prefer not to live my life in fear of what may or may not be there when I die. I do respect others and their right to worship anyone or anything they choose, so long as they: a) don’t force me to believe the same way, and b) they have the same respect for me and my lack of belief as I do their right to believe, especially when it comes to making laws in this country.

That’s all for now

I promise these types of posts will be rare. Regardless of the Presidential outcome, you can expect another one around the second week of November. My purpose of this post was not to demean or offend. I simply wanted to write up how I felt about certain things. Kind of a reference point for any future questions or discussions.

Scooter Sunday #5

martymankins — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:42:35 +0000

Ok. This is the first Scooter Sunday where I did NOT ride my scooter…. shockingly true. And I can tell you it won’t be the last time I will have a Scooter Sunday post that doesn’t include a ride on the scooter. But it doesn’t mean there won’t be some scooter talk, as well as other stuff that happened since last week.

I get asked…

The weather was nice enough this last week to ride my scooter to work three out of the five days. It was cold enough in the morning to need my windbreaker, but warm enough to ride home without the coat.

One of my rides home, I was stopped by two people at stop signs, who rolled down their windows in their cars and asked how much I paid for my scooter and how many miles to the gallon I get. The popularity of these two-wheeled vehicles are mostly based on the current price of gas (which is at $3.59 here in Salt Lake). I can’t blame people for wanting to cut back on gas consumption. And with the 100 mpg I get on my 2006 Honda Metro, who wouldn’t want to park the car and liberate themselves from a larger gas hog. Of course, I can’t help but smile since I’ve had mine over a year now, being ahead of the game and leading the popularity pack.

Golf

My first bogey of the day

Last week was not only Mother’s Day, but also a weekend without golfing. Now I’m not a fanatic about the game, but I do like to golf. Even the worst game golfing was better than not getting the clubs out. My short game is a lot better than my driving and fairway play. As a right-handed golfer, I have a wicked slice that affects how I drive the ball. I know it’s how my stance is, but because I’ve played so long with my current stance, it’s hard to change without a lot of practice. So for now, I compensate for it by hitting more to the left. This increases my desire to get out more often, so I can work on my driving skills. I really do want to fix this because I know once I do, my game will improve greatly.

A Legal Win

A legal victory, but it’s not over yet

Most people know some of my political positions. I share how I feel about various issues and political stances with a good number of my friends and family. For the most part, I have been and continue to be very liberal in my views. One of these views is same-sex marriage. Since this societal issue has been debated, I’ve always been in favor of same-sex marriage. I see nothing wrong with it. Every working adult (and some non-working) that is alive today in this country pays taxes: straight, gay, old, young, poor, wealthy (well, the wealthy seem to find ways to pay less taxes, but they are just as obligated to pay as every other US citizen). And as tax-paying citizens of this country, certain rights and privileges should be afforded to them, based completely on their living in this country and paying taxes. And I feel that marriage is one of these rights.

Of course, there are many that disagree with me on this, mostly based on religious reasons. One the main arguments I hear against same-sex marriage is: God created marriage and it should only be between one man and one woman. I also get told that marriage is ordained of God. And that the bible says homosexuality is a sin. And the list goes on and on and on.

So my first question is this: if marriage is directly tied to religion and God, how can someone that has no belief is God enter into a marriage? Are the couple forced into some church, placed in front of an ordained minister while he proclaims how “God is part of this union” and various other religious statements? Of course not. Atheist couples can marry. And I’ve not heard any outrage from any “believers” trying to pass laws or put to a vote to make it illegal for atheists to marry.

So why the outrage with two men or two women wanting to marry? Why do people feel it’s ok to put to vote any human rights? It wasn’t done in 1954 with Brown v. Board of Education, even though I’m sure there were enough people prejudiced against the black population that would have been willing to vote in favor of keeping segregation. The correct procedure was done, which was a decision by the Supreme Court.

And the correct decision was once again made in California this last week by members of the California Supreme Court. The fight is not over, because there are enough people that don’t see the bigger picture. They see things only from a religious point of view, forgetting that not everyone in this country is religious. They see things only from a prejudiced point of view, because they can’t live with the fact that there are other humans that are different than they are.

There are so many other arguments for and against, and paying taxes is not my only reason for supporting same-sex marriage. But it’s one of the logical reasons to support it. And I hope those that look at this logically will have their voices heard and extend this right to those that deserve it.

Shopping

Speaking of marriage, my fiance and I have a wedding coming up on June 21st, in Lake Tahoe. And part of the planning involves finding the right outfits, what matches and what will look good. We have decided to get married on the beach of the lake. This involves finding shirts, pants, dresses and shoes that will look good on the sand. So this past weekend, we spent a lot of time looking, buying a few things here and there and getting closer to having everything in place for the big day. It is exciting, even more so for my fiance. I like the casual styles we have picked out, too. It’s something that will be remembered for many years and we want it all to be as close to perfect as we can get.

Until next week (which is Memorial Day weekend and have me back on a scooter), comment as you wish. I think I’ve loaded this post with something to talk about.