Homophobia, Religious Freedom, and Boycotts.

The recent fuss over the Christian stance of Chick-Fil-A's CEO and the proposed boycott has me defending a "homophobe".  The guy is within his rights, and even strikes me as a better Christian than many, but this requires some explaining.  The stance of the Bible (you know, that book the Christians use as an instruction manual) is clear - homosexuality is a sin.  Those of us who approach the Bible from a more intellectual standpoint can fill in the gaps of historical content and cultural bias, but the true Christian runs on faith, not on facts.  It would be hypocritical of him to do other than run his business by his own standards.  He catered an event that made a lot of money for his business - an event that also supports his beliefs.  When asked about it, he gave an honest response.  I do think he is in the wrong to support legislation that infringes on the rights of others, because of this little thing called Separation of Church and State, but I otherwise have his back.  


The gay community is calling for a boycott of his business.  I will not be participating in this, or any, boycott.  Boycotts hurt more people than they help.  Think of all the people employed by this company - how many of them are you willing to put out of work? How quickly will you judge them when they apply for Welfare?  If I boycott every business run by, or employing, people whose private lives I disapprove of, I'd never go anywhere.  The girl who rang me up sleeps around, the boy who bagged my groceries smokes, the manager of the store is a racist...  it could go on forever.  I'm sure someone working for the company that made my truck is a really bad person, but I still want my truck.

We can't just let nature run wild!

I read that quote somewhere and laughed at it so hard I hurt myself.  I think it was a politician who said it, which wouldn't be surprising.  Look at the stuff they are trying to ban or already have banned.

Did you know that many areas ban breast-feeding because someone might see a boob?  I guess because a boob is what they call a "secondary sex characteristic".  So is chest hair (not that you see much of that anymore, but that's another rant)  and beards, which you can legally flaunt.  Some of us find a hairy chest or a beard just as sexy as others find a boob, and I've never heard of those providing nutrition and/or boosting immunity.

The whole gay marriage debate is stupid.  Homosexuality DOES happen in nature.  It is a deviation from the norm, yes, but certainly more natural than living in square boxes. It's against someone's religion?  So are cars.  Which, by the way, are not natural.  Gonna corrupt our youth?  No more than legal and unnatural things like books and schools.  

Then we have a plant that could do wonders for the environment, the economy, and the world in general.  Hemp seeds are nutritious and their oil can be used just like linseed oil.  We can make clothes from hemp.  The use of Hemp Fuel and Hemp Plastics could replace Big Oil.  Petroleum is natural, but refined into a pollutant, by the way.  Rope, canvas, even oil dry can be made from this evil plant.  How many of these things can be done with tobacco or alcohol?  Both of which are legal and one of which does not grow naturally?  


Seriously.....  "We can't just let nature run wild."   

Personal Responsibility

There's an old saying "Bring up your children in the way they should go and when they are grown they will not depart from it".  This is true, to a point.  That point is the crux of today's rant.  Certainly, your child is more likely to hold the same basic values as you.  They will probably agree with your religion, your politics, your opinion of the world around you.  This is why we have to model the life we want our children to lead.

However!  (You knew that was coming, right?)  There comes a time when the children must chose their own path.  We could argue all day about when that is, whether a certain age or a landmark event, but the time does come.

People are not pottery - a flaw in our clay is not permanent.  And our parents are not the only potters turning that wheel.  "It takes a village to raise a child" even in today's Mind-Your-Own-Business world.  Had my parents been the only influence in my life, I'd have never developed many of my interests.  I would not believe that people are inherently good (if a tad selfish).  There were other potters at that wheel.  The flaws any one potter put into my clay was either fixed or worsened by the others.  


By elementary school, we've been taught stealing is wrong.  By Junior High, we know that we're expected to show up for work (and going to school is your job at this point).  By High School , we know what birth control is.  By the time we are drinking age, society has shown us that booze affects our judgement.  Even if our parents are drunken thieves with no job and sixteen children, we know these things.

Bring up your child in the path you'd like him to follow, lead by example, and when he is grown...  Hold him responsible if he does something bad or stupid.  He isn't an urn.  He's a human being, capable of working around the flaws if not of repairing them.

Proud to be an American?

I've often said that being taken for granted is the most annoying compliment possible.  If so, America must be quite flattered and annoyed!  Today being Independence Day, it seems right to get my red-white-and-blue soapbox out.  The USA was meant to be run by us - the people.  Why does it seem that the people are being run roughshod by the privileged few?  Because they are, plain and simple.

Why?  They allow it.  They do not use the power given to them by the government.  They don't protest, they don't vote, they don't care.  Example: The village of Bethel, my hometown, has been invaded by a bug called the Asian Longhorned Beetle.  The ALB burrows into a tree trunk to lay its eggs, and the larvae munch on the inner wood, which can hurt and even kill the tree in question.  Bethel contacted the US government for help, as they should have, and the response was extreme measures.  Every tree found to be infested, and every tree that might conceivably become infested, was to be destroyed.    Bethel is a lovely little town, rural and heavily wooded, and this idea has not gone over well.  The environment (both definitions) of Bethel is dependent upon trees.  The citizens of Bethel and surrounding Tate Township are using their power!  They are writing to everyone they can think of to stop the deforestation of the area (and possibly a nearby State Park), they are proposing other methods, they are calling attention to their cause.  What they are NOT doing is sitting around crying about it and pointing fingers.  They are taking action, and I say good for them.  They are doing what the Founding Fathers wanted done.

Too many Americans will not do this.  They want to have their freedoms and their rights, but they don't want to work for them.  And all they have to do, really, is take an active part.  When I applied for Disability, I had to jump through lots of hoops.  I wrote to many government offices to plead my case.  When it comes time to vote, I intend to remember who helped and who didn't. "But I don't understand politics" you say... find someone you respect, someone who does understand politics, and ask for guidance.  "One vote doesn't matter"? Tell that to the people of  North Carolina - one of their legislators poked the wrong button and now fracking is legal there.  "I wanna vote for a third party candidate, but that's wasting my vote".  Even writing in Alice Cooper is not wasting your vote.  The only wasted vote is the one not cast.  Your vote is your power, given by the Founding Fathers, and if you waste it - shut up.  You've given up your right to complain.

Then there are those who think it's okay to use the word Muslim as a synonym for Terrorist, but they wave the flag that stands for Religious Freedom.  The ones who want to ban Howard Stern but say Freedom of Speech is precious.  If you are a True American, you stand for all those things.  You understand that, even if you can't grasp wanting a bazooka, your neighbor has the right to own one.  

If being an American means watching the people I elect and expecting them to listen when I present intelligent suggestions, then I am proud.  If it means respecting the rights of others in exchange for having those rights myself, I am proud.   Are you a True American?  If so, be proud.  I know I am.