Having a full slate of things to do over the long holiday weekend severely cut into my ability to blog in the manner that I have become accustomed to doing. But needless to say, I will take a weekend entertaining my soon to be three-year old grandson, any day of the week. And as a result, my slipping in and out of cyberspace moments were infrequent and short. However, I have managed to come across a few things that might be worthy of a look, should you choose to do so.
From the IHT comes this op-ed piece comparing and contrasting the philosophical differences of Europe and her "renegade" child, America.
From the BBC comes this article that isn't getting much attention from the media here in America right now, despite the fact that it is a significant development in Iranian-American relations.
From the AP comes this article, one that every radical gay activist in America needs to read and consider the next time they are tempted to criticize the treatment of gays, here in America.
The next time someone is tempted to make a fuss over the perceived loss of rights and silencing of dissent in America, they should take a look at this article, from Reuters.
Happy reading.
25 comments:
one that every radical gay activist in America needs to read and consider the next time they are tempted to criticize the treatment of gays, here in America.
Excuse me??? radical gays in America? What is radical about them? Because they are fighting for the same freedoms of all Americans, the freedom to marry and live as others, that's radical? I guess the women of America were pretty radical, too, when we wanted to vote or have equal pay. ;-)
las- regarding the last two links, i have to say that i'm not in favor of the "it's worse elsewhere" argument.
it can always be worse somewhere else. i don't consider that reason to ever stop questioning ourselves.
ot- hope that your city is recovering its tranquility!
Seeing as allowing gays to marry would go against a few thousand years of evolution, I see no problem in calling same-sex marriage supporters radical. And yet I have no issues with same-sex marriage. Maybe I'm a radical, and so be it.
I think the point on that story and the others was that a lot of Americans who whine about "tyranny" and "loss of rights" and the "destruction of our democracy" and the "abandonment of the rule of law" etc, should probably look around the world a little bit. If they did, they'd find out that things are still way better here in those depts than most anywhere else (including englightened, perfect Europe).
For example, though the "rest of the world" thinks GWB is the world's biggest terrorist and a tyrant, M. Ahmadinejad has attained rock-star status by "standing up the the Great Satan" (and denying the Holocaust and calling for the destruction of Israel and various other things). But M. Ahmadinejad has commenced a serious crackdown of the dress of women in his country. Take a look at this truly distubing video. Makes you wonder whether people are just ignorant, or whether they actually support this....
http://tinyurl.com/3cdeae
I don't know about you guys, but I consider being a US citizen to be the greatest gift I could possibly receive.
Seeing as allowing gays to marry would go against a few thousand years of evolution
i'm not so sure. homosexuality exists among most sexually-reproducing animals- it doesn't seem to be much of a negative factor in terms of evolution.
I personally don't see the problem of allowing same sex marriage and think more countries should get on and do as the Spanish have done and create a real marriage institution for same sex couple rather than these agreements (PAC's) such as the French have done.(Inheritance is still very vague. Even a wife in France cannot inheret directly from her husband and you cannot write your kids out of your will) Spain being one of the most Catholic countries in Europe where everyone's name has got a Jesus or Maria tucked in somewhere went through the transition fairly easily. I've got two gay friends down in Alicante and they had no problem whatsoever getting the paperwork done for their marriage. Now they can live as a normal couple and not have to worry about inheritance or any other of the troublesome questions which often plague gays couples who can't legally tie the knot.
Time to move on but I fear in America for example to much religious interference would sink this question.
No mention in the BBC article about Iran's new American hostages. I read that Kian Tajbakhsh hails from George Soros' Open Society Institute; and Ali Shakeri is a peace activist working with the University of California-Irvine. These are among the same people who have been advocating more dialogue with the mullahs. I wonder if their positions have changed at all....
Greg, the tinyurl you gave for the video leads to a selection page, where you're supposed to choose country, station, program, keywords, etc. Or you're asked to enter a clip number. Can you please give a direct link to the specific video, or give us the clip number if known to you? Thanks.
rocket
I agree with you, it's time the US woke up and faced the facts that there are (gasp!) homosexuals in this world and they've been around since the beginning of written history. Before we took over America from the Indians, they allowed for gay unions. This is one thing that I will never agree on with the Catholic Church..or any church for that matter. I wouldn't doubt, if somewhere tucked in with those 12 apostles there was at least one gay one.
Ok...that may have been a radical statement for a Catholic girl, but so be it.
Greg
I agree, being a US citizen is great and I wouldn't have it any other way...at least that's how I feel now. We'll see if we get another Republican for President...especially if it's Guiliani...oh no, I mean Mitt Romney...oh no...McCain. Hell...any of them would drive me out of the country.
LA
The last word verification is ALOLFU
LOL-FU??? What kind of blog are you running here?
http://tinyurl.com/3cdeae
Clip #1445
If that's what Greg meant to link to.
It really is horrible, and it goes beyond Ahmedinajad's (or a few of the top Mullah's) being medieval. It is about giving the reigns of a society to a most backward and ignorant segment of it; don't forget that the Islamic revolution in Iran was a people's movement. I can no longer bear hearing the word "democracy" coming out of the mouths Islamist apologists. They are a threat to the sanity of the whole humanity.
Should have read: "... the mouths OF Islamist apologists."
That was indeed the video. Glad you found it. They need to make it easier to post links to their videos on that site.
Before we took over America from the Indians, they allowed for gay unions.
Well, howdie-doodie, I did not know that. So perhaps you and miss miami were right that it is not a radical idea, at least in some cultures.
Still, the ladies say I'm "radical." ')
Greg
Are you sure you heard the ladies correctly and they didn't say you were risque?
ME,
//I guess the women of America were pretty radical, too, when we wanted to vote or have equal pay. ;-) //
WERE??? ;)
LA
You goof.... :-D
MsM
//it can always be worse somewhere else. i don't consider that reason to ever stop questioning ourselves.//
I agree that it shouldn't be an excuse to not look inward and improve. But I also think it's important to note those that that have it worse than us and put it into proper context, for a better understanding.
//i'm not so sure. homosexuality exists among most sexually-reproducing animals- it doesn't seem to be much of a negative factor in terms of evolution.//
Animals also defecate and urinate at the moment they get the urge without any consideration as to who is around, so in my estimation, this isn't the best argument. Please note that I not saying that gays are animals, but I am saying that humans are of a higher order of creature. So to attempt to explain behaviors of humans by comparing them to animals, isn't the best way to make this case.
//hope that your city is recovering its tranquility!//
It is, somewhat. But, F-1 will be here soon and this possibly being the last one, I expect more people than in past years. But, as we always say, we will soon see.
Hi Rocket,
//I personally don't see the problem of allowing same sex marriage and think more countries should get on and do as the Spanish have done and create a real marriage institution for same sex couple rather than these agreements (PAC's) such as the French have done.//
Polls are showing that the majority of Americans oppose it, should that be discounted? As for civil unions so gays can have rights to be on their partner's healthcare and have rights to property should something happen to their partners, I think is should be looked at. I personally think companies should offer healthcare to partners that qualify. By doing so, it will take them off medicaid and give relief to an already depleted system.
ME,
//You goof.... :-D //
:-P PFFFFFFT
;)
LA
Tell me, what do you think the threat is for heterosexuals if homosexuals get married? Those politicians on the right who disapprove of gay marriage are the same people who have been married multiple times, had lurid affairs...some with little boys. So tell me,who are the they to say that homosexuals lead an immoral lifestyle?
If you want to talk polls, a large majority of Americans want us out of Iraq. Should they be discounted?
Gay marriage is not a threat to anyone. My marriage is not in danger , nor does it mean less, if a gay couple wants to be married. We do not live in a theocracy and we should not be made to live by theocratic laws.
Now, where did I put my burka...
ME, keep your burka handy, you never know when you may need it. See, homosexuality, prostitution, or polygamy are the options available to women. Take your pick... (Or count your blessings for your husband who hasn't yet awaken to the fact.)
Enter clip #1295
P.S. This was a sarcastic comment. Just in case...
Animals also defecate and urinate at the moment they get the urge without any consideration as to who is around
las- actually, many animals very consciously select when and where these operations take place.
anywho, my point is that no matter how 'advanced' we are, we are still animals. like them, we are subject to our primate bodies and have to urinate and defecate with the best of them.
if you check out "homosexuality" in wikipedia, they point out that homosexual behavior has been well-documented in hundreds of animal species. something like 99% of our dna is identical to chimpanzees, right? are we really so special that we can bypass something apparently so common amongst sexually-reproducing animals?
Animals also defecate and urinate at the moment they get the urge without any consideration as to who is around
Wait a minute, like ms.miami said, animals are careful about where they go (my dog takes forever to decide on just the right spot), however, how many times have I heard about men urinating against the walls or in the curbs in Paris, when all they have to do is put a Euro or two into a public facility instead.
I just read a story yesterday about a couple of homosexual cranes that have "adopted" and are raising a baby bird who's nest was deserted in a zoo somewhere. I'll look for the article if you like. Sounds to me like the homosexual birds have it all over the heterosexual bird who deserted her nest.
ms.miami: good point on the dna and chimpanzee thing. I think homosexuality has everything to do with dna and evolution.
Or, like the infamous Mr. Rogers sings:
Some are special on the inside.
Some are special on the outside.
Every body's special.
Every body's fine.
Your body's special.
And so is mine!
Good ol' Mr. Rogers. ;-)
anonim
Wow...it's a good thing I got married young before all the men were gone, eh? I might have ended up to be "public property". Yikes! :-D
ME
"Wait a minute, like ms.miami said, animals are careful about where they go (my dog takes forever to decide on just the right spot), however, how many times have I heard about men urinating against the walls or in the curbs in Paris, when all they have to do is put a Euro or two into a public facility instead."
ME
Unfortunately they are too cheap to pay even that 1 or 2 €. Around where I live non resident parking is 50 eurocts/hour and they are too cheap to pay it out even for an hour. This is a very low price but the French especially the Parisians like to show they can outsmart the system. Fortunately the police are patrolling more and giving out more tickets and even towing away cars. Something we never saw in the Golden years of Socialism.
Plus on alot of cars which are parked without paying the owner puts a note of excuse asking for indulgence from the meter maids.
It's not my fault. So typically French
But the best thing of all is the penchant the Parisians have for parking in front of garage exists.
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