Just Another Writer

My World, My Opinion…

To The Religious Right… November 14, 2008

Filed under: Life — Just another writer... @ 3:16 am
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cooperI’ve got to say that I think Jewel and Christine hit the nail on the head with their comments concerning my article on Gay Marriage rights. Thanks for the comments, as they truly bring to light, the darkness that falls upon those who are perceived to be beyond the “sexual norm”.

I was watching CNN today and caught that lovely man, Anderson Cooper, interviewing one for and one against - gay marriage. It was a compelling argument and I thought it interesting that Cooper (an openly gay man) moderated the interview. However, at one point both sides of the argument got out of control and they started yelling over each other. It has become evident that those for gay marriage must speak louder or shout over the religious right - at every chance they get.  Gay men and women can’t even seem to get a word in edgewise, as the religious right keep pummeling away at them with the Bible. The “good book” is used at every turn to justify the “hatred” and the “foundation” of that “hatred” at those who have done nothing against God or country.

Went to God

Went to God

As I sit and watch the “elders” of the religious right fade into the past (or die and join their God) I can only applaud that they are no longer among the living, spewing forth a “hate” message toward a people who simply want to be recognized as not gay, bisexual, trans-gender or anything else but, human beings who have every right to be who they are and live in peace.

Gay couples should not have to hold quasi-marriage ceremonies or partner parties in “secret” or in foreign countries (or only in states that allow gay marriage) to have that relationship be legally recognized. There is no supreme being or court in the land that can dictate who can marry whom.

It's not good when counsins marry...

It's not good when cousins marry

OK, don’t want cousins to marry? Well, there goes half the royal family and their blue blood. I can understand brothers and sisters not being able to marry or those who are underage, however, where does one draw the line? Let’s see, not too long ago in a land not far away, if you were a black man in this country and wanted to marry a white woman, you could be hanged from the nearest tree. If you were from the south, you might as well have strung yourself up from the nearest tree for even having the notion of entering an inter-racial marriage.
There’s a certain sect of Mormons that seem to have no problem with who they marry, just the amount of wives they can marry. Now, I can sit back and give 100’s of examples of questionable marriage ideas but, when it comes to gay marriage, it’s deemed an abomination by those who have a big mouth and small mind.

The hate emails and comments I have received concerning gay marriage, have numbered into the dozens and they are all from God’s people. God’s people? Just who are God’s people? Could those be the ones who dress up in their Sunday best and head to church every chance they get to be redeemed? Are those the ones who need a confessional to “get off” with their local pastor, priest or some other Godly individual who fills them full of fear for their mortal souls? How about those morons on television who spew the same crap each and every Sunday to a group of followers who’s only purpose is to supply the cash for satellite air time and a big ass temple for God?

rightThat’s the problem with the religious right in this country, they are simply sheep. They can be herded to the left or, to the right. They have no mind of their own and therefore can be easily brainwashed with the “good book” and the lame interpretations of those passages - to a literal conclusion. They can sin all they want (in private) and simply be cleansed of their sins the very next day. Now, I’ve not even spoken about the Charismatic Christians and the fanatics, as we know what they’re all about. No doubt, these are the sinners, the righteous, the most pious and the highest of the high that go out and vote against an issue that has nothing to do with them. These are the people who stick together and claim they are “God’s People” and as such, they set policy.

poopOur German friend at the Vatican is helping things right along as well. Needless to say, one has to look no further than the Catholic Church for hypocrisy - they’ve got that one covered. The Catholic church has done nothing but, to drive its own people away from its own beliefs. Again, we have the “good book” at work and the man behind the curtain setting policy - excuse me, a former member of the party.

Sex is good, it’s righteous, it’s what we all do in the privacy of our bedrooms. Whether you’re straight, gay, bisexual or simply bananas, everyone does it and it’s about time that it’s taken out of equation of gay marriage. This is all about who’s diddling who. If you’re two men or two women, don’t diddle. In fact, if all gay people promised to never have sex with each other again, what would the outcome of the next vote on gay marriage be? Would it be OK if gay be people got married if they promised not to diddle each other? OK, we’ll masturbate but, we won’t diddle around - would that work for the hetero-religious right? No, I don’t think so. I think that in my lifetime I will see a black man in the White House but, that’s as far as we’ll progress as a society. I think that those who are black, who think they’ll advance because of Obama - will be sorely disappointed when they’re held back by those in this country - who will continue to dictate policy, who will decide what’s right, who’s wrong and that change is nothing more than an illusion.

 

Gay Marriage - No Vote = No Rights = Shame on You… November 10, 2008

Filed under: Gay Life, Life — Just another writer... @ 3:13 am
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stonewallLet’s see, you’ll put an African American in the White House but, won’t vote on legalizing gay marriage? For all the African Americans in this country, Obama has proved that you can do anything you want, as long as you work for it. Gay people in this country have been “working for it” since Stonewall - and to this very day -the religious right (and those in this country who think that homosexuality is a sin) keep putting up a stone wall to prevent gay people from having the same basic rights afforded to a man and woman. If it’s two guys (or two gals), it’s simply NOT good enough to be called “love”.

gayCalifornia is supposed to be the “crazy state” and ahead of the times. The entire entertainment industry exists by way of “gay” related talent. Arnold, those people pay taxes and your Republican neo-”you know what” attitude is rather curious, considering your own background. You can’t even balance a budget, let alone, be man enough to support those -who have supported you - in your career. However, you’ll raise taxes and expect the entire gay establishment in your state to support those changes.

gay1As for “change”. Obama decries it’s “time for change”. OK, what are you going to do to give gay people their basic human rights? If you allow each state to make the decision, it will never happen. Yes, it’s easy to toss it back to the state level and stand back and say “I’m not the bad guy, it’s the people in your state and government making those decisions”. Since when, should anything having to do with something as “basic” as being able to adopt a child or, get married to someone you love - be put to a vote?

gay3If we’re going to put something to a vote, let’s vote on a quota, as to how many gay African Americans can be in the Obama Administration. Guess not, as such a thought (in this day and age) would cause utter outrage amongst gay African American males (and females) who have an MBA and “worked for it”. Time for a change? How about coming forward and doing the right thing? No gay man or woman should have to watch as their partner passes from this world (to the next), not having been recognized as a “family unit”.

gay4What’s interesting is that gay people pay state and federal taxes to “fund” everything hetero. We’ll pay state taxes to pay for schooling for children with hetero parents, however, we can’t adopt hetero or gay kids, as we’re simply not fit parents and/or NOT perceived to be “fit” to raise a family. OK, let’s givea a tax credit for any man or woman (under the age of 50) who can’t adopt kids because their gay. I see, hetero’s have NO problem taking my tax dollars to educate their children but, if I want to adopt some kids (no one wants), I’m NOT allowed to do so.

rrAs for sex. I know more hetero couples that engage in sexual practices that could make your hair stand on end. I know gay male (and female couples) that would cringe at the thought of what many hetero couples do behind closed doors. However, the thought of same-sex couples sleeping in the same bed (that’s mostly what we do) or, making love, is a put-off to the religious right? A penis is a penis and vagina is a vagina and whether and what you do with your sexual parts is no one business but, your own. I know, let’s vote on masturbation. Better yet? Let’s vote on orgasms. No, you can’t masturbate or have an orgasm anymore, as the bible teaches us to NOT touch ourselves “down there”. Also, no more smoking, drinking or talking about sex. Let’s just clean ourselves up into the model society we pretend to be.

cmSeems to me that those who use the bible, as some type of sexual do or don’t handbook, indeed have their heads up their asses. People masturbate, they play with themselves, can’t deny it. Hetero’s engage in unsafe sex and in fact, can swing more than a community of monkeys - with each other.  A lot of good the bible has done lately. Teens are having group sex and keeping scorecards, as to who can have the most sex with the most partners (and in how many positions). These are the same children of hetero parents who turn a blind eye to their own problems at home but, with eyes wide open, vote NO on gay marriage? There are simply way too many sick and twisted people in this country and, those who voted to ban gay marriage in California and Florida, are the cream of the crop.

voteThe State of Florida has to come out of the dark ages. If all the minorities who voted for Obama (and who possibly understand the need of basic human rights) voted to afford gay people the right to marry and adopt children then maybe (just maybe) the State of Florida could redeem its sorted rebel past. If the American people (as a majority) don’t want gay people in this country, let us know and we’ll all move out of the country. We won’t be around to rebuild the ghettos and beautify downtrodden neighborhoods, we won’t entertain you on the stage, serve you up gourmet food, be your wedding planners, decorate your homes, educate your children, give you OUR vote when you need it (hint, hint Obama) or nurse you on your death bed. We simply don’t have to care what happens to any of you.

passThe time is coming when the gay community will shun their fellow Americans and become ex-pats. We’ll move to Europe, where the grass is much greener and we can live in peace and harmony amongst forward-thinking societies that don’t discriminate or denigrate its people. For those who voted for Obama, you voted for change. How about spreading some of that “love” around to those in this country - who may NOT be African American - only in love with someone of the same sex?

trhumpuIf you’re a bible thumper - save it, as I won’t post your comments. I won’t waste my time responding to idiotic statements from those who think that quoting scripture will save the world. I’m a Catholic, brought up in a Catholic household and completely ashamed of our church and its Pope. It should be noted that Catholic priests, who abused children, are the lowest from of life on this planet. This is why I can’t support the Catholic Church, its Pope or its agenda.

For those who think that the word “fag” can be used as freely as the “N” word, think again. The world IS changing.

 

Happy B-Day Girlfriend… November 9, 2008

Filed under: Life — Just another writer... @ 9:01 am
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12pinkrosesHappy Birthday to one of my dearest friends. My girlfriend is NOT just a friend but, a warm and thoughtful person. She’s very successful and has a lovely family. We’ve been friends long enough to know what each other is thinking. Our daily “touch base” calls are the staple in our long-distance relationship. We talk about everything that affects our daily lives. I’m not to going to turn this into a ”that’s what friends are for” song rendition, as to do so, would take away from the message of this entry.

It’s a B-Day BLOG WISH and that’s what it will always remain. I don’t have much money right now and if I did, I would have done what she did for my B-day and fly up to see her and give her a big kiss and a warm hug. In fact, if it was not for her love of helping others, I’d probably be on a bread line somewhere right now (and possibly homeless).

She’s like the big suster I never had. She’s always just a speed dial call away and very rarely fails to take the call. I have some friends (who pretend to be friends) and if they don’t feel like talking, they just ignore the call - not my girlfriend - she’s always there through thick and thin:-)

So, here’s to my girlfriend on HER day! I hope she has the greatest day of her life, celebrates with her family and KNOWS that her boyfriend (and his boyfriend) sends her a big hug and kiss on her very special day!

 

Jumping through HOOPS at L.A. Fitness… November 5, 2008

Filed under: Life, Money, Reviews — Just another writer... @ 9:09 pm
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ccI think it’s time someone come up a way to monitor online purchases for subscriptions, downloads and member fees. All too often, I find charges popping up on my credit cards for things I KNOW I canceled months before, however, the company seems to think they can just continue charging the card as their Terms of Service (TOS) has some type of bullshit “hoop” to jump through in order TRULY cancel your membership (or subscription). I have two examples to share with my readers:

LA Fitness - I joined two years ago and then had to cancel the membership, as I just did not have the time to hit the gym a few days a week. I called them over one dozen times and told them to cancel the membership. However, they just kept charging my card. In the last four days I received ten calls from these knuckleheads informing me they could not charge my card anymore, I replied - “oh, finally woke up over there and figured out that you can’t steal my money anymore?” They replied - “But, sir, you have to go into the gym and cancel directly”. I replied - “click”.

Channel Advisor (ChannelAdvisor.com)- This group has been charging my card since 1/2007 and although I canceled the account in 2/2007, they have continued to charge my credit card. I have been fighting through email and telephone calls with this group for the past eight days. “Sir, you must go to our site, cancel your account and then send an email to our billing department and inform them as well”. “Screw you asshole! I’m not jumping through hoops to cancel a membership when I canceled it two years ago. In fact, you knew I canceled this membership as even the email I registered with does NOT work (to this day) to log in to your site”. This company canceled the membership but, still (to this very day) charges $29.95 (without fail) on the 4th of every month.

This is the bad part about using a credit card online. There are thieves on the net who think they can get away with making free money over and over again. Use PayPal and you can get double-dutched and if you don’t pay attention, PayPal is behind the scenes working its magic by doling out a dollar here and dollar there to merchants with subscription accounts.

Go into PayPal and try to find an easy way to cancel a subscription and your name might as well be Helen Keller, as there’s no clear-cut way to do it without knowing where to look. (The best way is click on the long reference number and click on the details of the transaction. Be sure to scroll all the way down to the CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION button or they won’t cancel it).

Another tip is to NEVER (EVER) use a debit card online, as it’s harder to get the money back once the thieves have charged a debit card. One more thing, if you are going to join something that’s some type of membership or subscription, be sure to untick the box that states “Bill Me Monthly” as if you don’t - you become the gift that keeps on giving.

 

Good Morning, Mr. President… November 4, 2008

Filed under: Life — Just another writer... @ 11:51 pm
Tags: ,

obamaI’ve watched my fill of CNN and it’s time to go to bed. Undoubtedly, I’ll wake up to find that title of Mr. President has taken on whole new meaning, and hopefully, a whole new world. I think back as to where the Republicans went wrong and my opinion is that they were short-sighted and sent a 70-year old man on a wild goose chase. What Bush and friends never realized is that little people do eventually grow up! When they grow up, they don’t listen to their elders and they rebel. What Obama proved is that we had an American Revolution for change - a peaceful act - capped off with the ultimate screw you to The Administration.

Bush, Republican Senators and Congressmen (and women) failed ALL Americans for eight years straight. They did nothing but instill fear in all Americans, screwed up innocent lives with the Patriot Act (Obama, hint - hint) and made our lives miserable when traveling abroad.

Even our Freedom, which we all took for granted, was stymied at airport terminals. Blacks, Hispanics and anyone - who was not white - (I am) are subject to profiling. Neighbors began reporting their neighbors to Homeland Security (Obama, hint - hint) and we were all thrown into a melting pot of fear.

I’m not white, I’m Caucasian - you’re not black, you’re African American. I’ve been saying this to myself for years, as I simply did not care for the Black/White statement, as nothing is black or white. I believe that when I wake up in the morning - we are ALL simply “Americans”.  We care about each other, we respect each other and we start helping each other. We don’t allow those with agendas to separate us from our goals nor pull us apart as a people. The world will view us ALL as winners (in the morning) and we will ALL collectively gain the respect we ALL deserve.

OK, time for bed. I know I have a dream waiting for me tonight and I’m just glad the nightmare is over.

 

Gay Marriage, It’s about time! June 16, 2008

Filed under: Life — Just another writer... @ 11:17 pm

Good news! Gay couples are lining up to get married. It’s about time that gay people are recognized and afforded the same rights as everyone else. Now, if you have a problem with gay people getting married then don’t read this blog, in fact, just go away completely.

If you’re a bible thump-er, get on outta here (and never come back), as I’m not interested in wasting my time in reviewing your comments and having to delete them (as that’s what I do when I don’t believe in free speech on a subject matter that should have never been a “subject” to begin with).

The bible is an interesting read, however, the interpretation of the “good book” has been used more like a recipe book for those who take the “word” literally (and to their own advantage). Quite frankly, I enjoyed reading The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. For the bible thump-er’s, go get yourself a copy of “Biff”, have a good laugh and don’t take the “gay marriage” thing to heart. I believe God is looking down on those who do the “right thing” by other fellow human beings - no matter they be gay, straight, bi or trasngender.

As for the “lucky ones” getting married in California, congratulations to you! Hope that the law will spread to all the other states.

 

Going Green with Envy over Green Machines? June 16, 2008

Filed under: House, Life, Money, Reviews — Just another writer... @ 1:20 pm

I got this great idea! I had to visit LA and decided to drive across country in three days, as opposed to flying into LAX in four short hours. I just bought an H2 Hummer and wanted to break her in. So, we get into the car and began our cross-country tour. The price of gas kept climbing, as we headed north toward Atlanta, however, started to come down (dramatically) as we headed West and into Texas (go figure). In fact, gas prices in Texas were $0.50 a gallon cheaper. No doubt, I spent a good chuck of change on gas and would have spent less had I flown into LAX and rented a car.

A month goes by and I have to go back out LA and this time I decided to fly into LAX and rent a Prius. I figured I would think “green” and try to fit in with all the other “green” conscious California types who drive Hybrid cars, adorn their homes with solar panels and collect rain water in colorful buckets. When I was last in LA, I got some dirty looks from those driving Hybrid cars (it seems there’s an abundance of Hybrid’s dominating the highways of California these days).

At traffic lights, drivers to my left or right (or both) would send over a look of scorn or, simply shake their head in disbelief that someone had the nerve to actually drive a Hummer in this day and age of global warming and high gas prices. However, drive a Prius and all the other little Prius people will wave at you (as they go by) and even toot their horn in approval.

I drove 1500 miles up the California coast (in four days). I drove through national parks, up an 8,000 foot mountain and into Nevada. I made it to Reno and then came south back to LA. It was a beautiful ride and I don’t regret one minute my trip. However, I’ve got to say that while the Prius is great on fuel, it lacks the comfort features that we have all come to enjoy in our big, beautiful (sometimes tricked out) land yachts.

It cost more to rent a Prius than a comfortable convertible and any savings in gas was eaten up by the rental car company. When I returned home, I actually thought  about replacing my Hummer with a Prius. I spent a few days searching on line and visited all of my local Toyota dealership’s in search of the little “green machine”. Considering I’ve seen Prius’s all over the roads in the California (and in even Tampa, Florida where I live), I figured there has to be plenty of them to go around, especially in the secondary market.

To my dismay, I could not find ONE Prius available (or even on display at three Toyota dealerships). I went online and every listing I found seeks to add a high premium (in the thousands) to the price of the car. In other words, it cost plenty of “green” to go “green”.

The Prius is NOT a comfortable car. It rides low to the ground, has no optional comforts, no leather seats and looks like any other compact car on the road. It’s basically a golf cart with doors. In addition, it lacks personality, which may be one reason why my first car was an H3 (loved it) and my follow-up to the H3 was an H2 (love it even more). Yes, I get crappy gas mileage but, the H2 can go “green” when off roading and the gas mileage is no worse than other trucks - if you don’t pump her down the highway at 80 mph.

One of my friends got his hands on a new Prius. He paid a $7K premium and then spent another $1000.00 on leather seats and a few thousand more adding some extra stuff like a cd player radio, new speakers, new rims and interesting paint job. It seems as though he spent enough to build a brand new car. Why go through all of this trouble to go green?

It seems that anything “green” is sold at a premium. My buddy, who has his tricked out Prius, is paying $300.00 more on his monthly car payment then on the SUV he traded in toward his Prius…huh? He already figured out that what he would have spent on gas during the next five years (if gas prices stay the same) comes out to be about the same if he kept his two-year old SUV.

No doubt, the next few years will be all about going “green”, however, at what cost?

I just learned that Hummer is considering halting production of the H2. OK, that makes sense and I hope they do stop production, as once they do, my H2 will be worth that much more, as you won’t be able to get them except on the secondary market.

When I went to Toyota to look at a Prius (they didn’t have), I looked at other Toyota’s and tried them ALL out. The experience was akin to that of the three bears story. One was too small, another too uncomfortable and there just wasn’t one Toyota (that I could find) that was just right.

Here’s what I’m going to do to go “green”. I’m no longer using my dishwasher (just two people in the household). We’re washing our dishes after dinner and have found we actually enjoy the chore and get to talk about the days events and have a few laughs.

We’re turing off all the lights in the house we don’t use (ambient lighting I call it). We bought two bicycles to do short runs to the local store for eggs and milk. We’re taking shorter showers (together). We’re more conscious at the grocery market and bring our own cloth bags to tote groceries home (no more plastic bags). We even set our air conditioning to a comfortable/hot temperature, as opposed to the comfortable/cool we’ve become to be used to in hot, muggy Florida.

In other words, we’re not wasting water, electric or filling up the garbage dumps with plastic. However, one luxury that we will keep is the H2. We drive to the office (8 miles round trip per day) and enjoy that eight mile ride. Gas prices will more than likely go up (maybe down, who knows) but, we won’t be buying a tricked-out golf cart to make a statement of being green:-)