The Upcoming Election

I have no intention of making this a political blog. However, with just a few days until the election, I can't help it -- it's on my mind. This is one of those times when I really hate living in a red state. I don't get to vote in any really significant elections, other than the governor's race. Rick Perry is going to win again, and that seems almost guaranteed. Still, I'll do my part and vote for change. But Rick Perry just strikes me as another GWB wannabe, and I find it terrifying. His ads look more like he's promoting his new show "Rick Perry: Texas Ranger". I don't even know if he can talk, but, hey, he looks good walking on the Texas plains in tight jeans and a suede jacket, and he seems to know his way around horses, so he MUST be a good governor, right? Ugh. I just don't get how people can't see through the fact that we are now being ruled by an incredibly intolerant REGIME. My greatest hope is that major change happens on Tuesday, that the Dems take control of both House and Senate, and actually have the guts to challenge GWB on all his totalitarian policies. Not that I'm a fan of may of the Dems, either. But, given the choice, I think I'd even have Nixon back than have what we have now. Either way, we need more checks and balances. Though I've pretty much been a life-long Democrat (sometimes Independent, and occasionally Libertarian), part of me thinks that the best things happen in this country when one party is not in total control: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." But, in this case, I would like to see GWB impeached and arrested for war crimes. The level of incompetence in this administration is just mind-numbing, and if they remain in control after Tuesday, then I think I will end up in a major downward emotional spiral. My confidence in democracy will take a major hit and I will once again -- probably not for the last time -- seriously consider moving to another country. Maybe someplace where Troy and I could actually get married...

That's another thing -- can someone PLEASE explain to me how and why gay marriage can possibly cause "irreparable damage to the fabric of society"??? Granted, I have a bias here. But, seriously, how does it affect any straight person in any way whatsoever? Being against allowing same-sex couples to wed is such an indefensible, irrational position that the only thing people can come up with is "the bible says so." Well, no it doesn't. But, even if it did, the bible says a lot of things that we collectively overlook because we are progressive, compassionate society. Slavery? It's in the bible, but we now ignore it. "The Bible" is simply not a viable argument. Maybe in church it is, but not in a government system that's based on a separation of church and state. People, if you're going to argue this point and actively work to keep a segment of society from forming stable relationships, then you need to come up with something better than that. If you don't want us to marry in your church, that's up to you and your congregation. But who are you to actually OUTLAW it by constitutional amendment? Actual scientific research doesn't even support the "one man, one woman" philosophy of raising children as the "best" way. In reality, there are many, many healthy, happy, normal and even heterosexual children who have grown up in homes with loving gay parents. There is no higher incidence of dysfunction than in the general straight population, and there is a significantly LOWER instance of child abuse among children growing up in homes with stable gay parents. Go figure.

Ever wonder why there are so many gay sex scandals in politics -- especially among republicians and evangelicals recently? Do people really still not get the fact that as long as society considers immoral the normal, healthy same-sex sexuality that occurs naturally in most species, then there will be people out there who feel they must hide and repress their natural tendencies? As with anything we repress, it comes out somewhere. Mostly it seems to come out in the form of hate speech and hate crimes -- we rail the strongest against the things deep inside ourselves that we don't want to acknowledge. And sometimes, as in the cases of folks like Mark Foley and Ted Haggard, it comes out as hate speech AND private indiscretions. If men and women can't live honestly as who they are, then their darker aspects begin to emerge, sometimes in the form of sexual predatoriness and sometimes by "discretely" hiring hustlers, doing drugs, etc.

I feel very sorry for these men, in a way. Many will misinterpret their fall as "see what happens? -- this is god's punishment because they're gay." No. This is society's punishment because they are shameful hypocrites. They built entire careers railing against those who proudly express the very nature that they, themselves, cannot. It's actually really, really sad when you think about it. I'm sure they were both born perfect, beautiful babies, as we all were. But somewhere along the way they bought into the ubiquitous messages that "gay is bad", so they supressed, repressed, denied, ignored, and did their very best to deflect attention from themselves by spreading hate and preaching intolerance and injustice about the very group of people with whom they would not, could not identify themselves. See what happens?

Anyway, that's where I am right now. I really don't mean to offend anyone, but if I'm going to be honest, I guess I have to be ok with the fact that I may just do that now and again. And I really don't have a problem with having intelligent, well thought-out debate on just about anything. I don't think everyone needs to have the same opinion about things. The war? I don't know how to win it or what we should do, and I don't have a crystal ball. Bring on your ideas. Let's disagree, and maybe somewhere in there we'll come up with a creative solution that might really work. But when it comes down to attempting to defend hate and deny people basic rights, then you need to have a better reason than "the bible" or "that's just how I feel." Sorry, that's not gonna fly with me.