Iran and Airplanes

There is an awful lot going on in Iran. I'm not even going to pretend like I can do the situation justice, so for more on the what's going on, visit The Daily Dish. Andrew Sullivan and company have done a wonderful job over the weekend with analyzing the different news coming out of Iran via the citizens and social networking sites.

CNN all day has been talking about the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas. Al Qaeda has now confirmed that they are behind the 23 year-old Nigerian's plot to bring down a plane from Amsterdam to Detroit Friday. Headline News has been asking people for their opinions about the raised security at airports and some of the responses astound me. There is a lot of racism and religious intolerance regarding this event. One particular gentleman was upset that "our people" are being searched.

For the record, you never know who is going to be involved with terrorism. There are plenty of homegrown terrorists or those who support terrorists. I, for one, have no problem going through more searching if I can be confident that my plane trip will go smoothly or that my loved ones will be fine during their trips.

Prediction Time

The 1960s ended up being the era of love. The early 1990s was the grunge era. What will the early 2000s be known as?

The era of irresponsible parents.

Think about it. We have seen arguments against the Jon & Kate show, only to see the family fold under the pressure of stardom and ruin their children's' lives even more (by the way Kate answered questions the other night for anyone interested).

We have also experienced murderous moms, incestual fathers, and more.

Oh, and let's not forget the balloon family.

Manditory Health Insurance?

Don't worry, there are hardship waivers. But what will President Obama define as hardship?

This may be a bit on the selfish side, but we can take a look at my family and examine all the things that I would define as hardship.

My step-dad, back in December, had a toe amputated. Now, not only is his paycheck cut in half by his ex-wife and the remainder in half by the IRS (he's not the brightest crayon in the box), but now we have to pay off these fees. My sister's seizure has cost a lot of money so far, with the upcoming MRI and EEG sure to add to the total. My mom has too many credit cards as it is and has trouble paying the bills, to the point where she does so every other month too often. Add in that mix a crappy paying job for both of them, without proper benefits, treatment, or reimbursement of mileage, and this is a recipe for disaster.

Now, if my family doesn't quite qualify for governmental assistance in any way and we're barely scrapping by, how fair is it to demand that we get health insurance and not let us have a hardship waiver? Most of the people without insurance, I would gather, do not do so out of hatred of their family, but because of their financial situation.

Oh, Netanyahu...

You've been a busy boy.

Monday, the current Prime Minister of Israel met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss the peace process in Israel/Palestine... Interesting. It seems like Netanyahu wants Egypt's help with a new crack at peace in the holy land (meant semi-sarcastically, trust me).

Thursday, he made a surprise trip to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II:

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Mr. Netanyahu, said that the Israeli prime minister and the Jordanian monarch discussed bilateral issues and the peace process with the Palestinians. On the subject of Palestinian statehood, Mr. Regev said only that “the Prime Minister expressed his view that he is committed to moving forward and is committed to tangible steps that will benefit people on the ground.”

A statement issued by the royal palace after the meeting and quoted by news organizations said that the king had also asked Mr. Netanyahu to accept the Arab peace initiative, which offers Israel normal ties with the Arab world in return for a full withdrawal to its pre-1967 boundaries and a solution for the Palestinian refugees of 1948.

If that wasn't enough for the day, Netanyahu met with Pope Benedict XVI to ask for a denunciation of Iran from the Catholic Church.

In a closed 15-minute meeting in Nazareth, the northern Israeli city where tradition says Jesus lived, the pope and Mr. Netanyahu discussed “how to advance the terms of the peace process,” Father Lombardi said.

Mr. Netanyahu said he and the pope had discussed “the historic process of reconciliation between Christianity and Judaism.”

Father Lombardi said they had also discussed the continuing negotiations between the Vatican and the State of Israel over the Roman Catholic Church’s legal and taxation status in Israel.

Why is there a need to discuss the reconciliation between Christianity and Judaism? I guess I'm not important enough to say, but if there is a reason, it must be to try and figure out a way to bring about the same sort of phenomenon with the other monotheistic faith, Islam.

Throughout his visit to Jordan and Israel, Benedict has been calling attention to the plight of Christians in the region, whose numbers have been declining.

Unfortunately, Christians end up being grouped with Muslims as a minority in Israel. These same people who have experienced "reconciliation" with Judaism are forced into the most terrible parts of Israel/Palestine and are even made to use roads of a lesser quality because of their 'religious and ethnic inferiority.'

This upcoming Monday, Netanyahu visits DC in order to meet with President Obama. This is a major part of the Obama administration's stance on the conflict in the holy land - that there should be a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine:

The Obama administration has fired its own warning shots. It asked Congress to make minor changes in a bill to allow aid to flow to a Palestinian unity government that would include members backed by Hamas — a step away from a blanket refusal to deal with Hamas, which it labels a terrorist organization.

The changes ruffled lawmakers in Congress, who tweaked the wording to make it more restrictive. But the episode rattled Israeli officials, who recently waged a fierce military campaign against Hamas in Gaza to stem its rocket attacks on southern Israeli towns.

Adding to Israel’s qualms, a senior State Department official, Rose Gottemoeller, said at a recent conference in New York that the United States favored having Israel sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which would require it to declare and give up its nuclear arsenal.

We will see how well the talks go, but with the tension regarding Iran, it may be a trickier situation than the optimistic one many hope for. Netanyahu says, though, that Israel will not strike against Iran without Washington's approval. Let's hope they don't get it.

Brown & Houston (aka Rihanna)

Anyone else think this is just a repeat of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston?

I've tried to sit out on this as long as I could, mostly because I've been getting over a nasty cold, but I can keep quiet no longer. At first, I was very worried for Rihanna. I enjoy her music and, sure, I guess you could call me a fan. However, I recently heard that she and Chris Brown have reconciled, even going so far as to record a duet together. I gotta tell ya, I'm not happy about it.

I'm always the friend who's trying to get people to see how the decisions that they're making affect their lives, both in the short and long-terms. As such, I'm extremely disappointed that she would get back with Chris Brown. Let's toss away the regard for her personal life, say parents, and focus on her place as a role model. I sure don't want my little girl looking up to Rihanna and, consequently, getting back together with an abusive boyfriend because, well, RiRi did it, so it must be fine.

At the same time, I believe that this should be a somewhat private matter for her. I mean, she did just get the living shit beat out of her by someone she loves. But, again, as someone who's been in an abusive relationship, I know that it's not easy to get out of. She had a great out here with how public this beating became. It's just sad that she chose not to use this opportunity to get help.

It's Christmas Morning!

Well, maybe not exactly.

But it is Inauguration Day! Woohoo!

Since you guys know I can't really keep anything serious, I grabbed some of my favorite silly Obama videos to share with y'all.

If you haven't watched Alphacat's impersonation of the 44th President, you are missing out. He's hilarious.





If those ones aren't stuck in your head, this one will be.



And I can be a little serious today, I suppose.

Finally - The Prevention First Act

With the inauguration of President-elect Obama quickly approaching, it is time to turn our attention to the many problems that need to be fixed both in our country and our world.

For eight long years, abstinence-only education has been the norm and the only federally funded sexual education program. As a result, unexpected/teen pregnancy and STI rates have greatly increased. However, with the change in leadership here, Congress is already planning to back comprehensive sex ed in order to educate the masses about birth control and more. The link embedded in the title of this post goes directly to the NARAL site's explanation of the Prevention First Act. Here are, without much explanation on my part, the goals for the act:

• Help Women Obtain Family-Planning Services.
• End Insurance Discrimination against Women.
• Provide Compassionate Assistance for Rape Victims.
• Improve Awareness about Emergency Contraception.
• Reduce Teen Pregnancy.
• Fund Honest, Realistic Sex-Education Programs.

While these all help everyone in the long-run, they're most important for people stuck in poverty. Women in the middle and higher classes have a better chance of having enough money (as odd as I know that might sound to some) in order to visit the doctor, obtain proper health care, or have access to family planning materials. Planned Parenthood is very popular because of the anonymity and low cost of services. Hopefully, with this act, they'll get more funding and be able to function much better.

Oh Tommy Boy

Tom Hanks, you are never too far from my heart:

“The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” he told Tarts. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed, and people can see who's responsible, and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting Constitution, and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So let's have faith in not only the American, but Californian, constitutional process.”

Bill McKeever, a rep for the Mormonism Research Ministry, added, "Personally, I find it un-American to tell people that they shouldn’t vote their conscience. Hanks said he doesn’t 'like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper.' Considering that just about every law discriminates in some form or another, makes this comment ridiculous. Hanks’ comment shows that he very much believes in discriminating against people with whom he disagrees. I may not agree with Mormon theology, but I certainly defend their right to express their opinion."

I agree with both points. However, I agree with Tom Hanks more. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't think that churches should be involved in politics to that extent. Technically, they could tax exempt status for doing so.

If America is really the land of the free and the home of the brave, then why do we not allow everyone to have the same rights without fighting even harder than the last minority group?

Blagojevich Impeached

Finally.

The Illinois House of Representatives impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich for abuses of power after federal prosecutors accused him of trying to auction President- elect Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat.

The House voted 114-1 today to remove Blagojevich for violations of the state constitution such as creating health- care programs unauthorized by the Legislature and rewarding campaign contributors with jobs and contracts. Blagojevich now faces a trial in the Senate of the fifth-most-populous U.S. state.

Blagojevich, 52, is the first governor impeached in Illinois’s 191-year history. A 67-page report underpinning today’s vote said the governor should be removed for “scheming to obtain a personal benefit for the Senate appointment” and engaging in “abuse of office of the highest magnitude.”

“This is a good, glad happy day for the state of Illinois because it shows that no one is above the law,” said state Representative William Black, the deputy leader of Republicans in the House.

Blagojevich, a former prosecutor twice elected to the state’s top office, is the fourth of the past seven Illinois governors to be arrested. His predecessor, Republican George Ryan, is serving 6 1/2 years in a federal prison for corruption.

Now they'll have to spend millions of dollars taking his name off of the toll road signs. Yipee.

Interesting Stories of the Week

Yay love!

Using brain scans, researchers at Stony Brook University in New York have discovered a small number of couples respond with as much passion after 20 years together as most people only do during the early throes of romance, Britain's Sunday Times newspaper reported.

I really thought this story was interesting. It's kind of funny to note how long people I know are generally in "long" relationships (about a year and a half at the longest) before they break up. My parents, as silly as they can be, are still in love the same way today as they were five or six years ago when they first started going out.

This English town is starting to ban "rude-sounding or unflattering names like Hoare Road and Cracknuts Lane." I can understand where they're coming from, but that's kinda silly. By acknowledging that those names are dirty, they're going to cause more of a problem than exists right now methinks.

And why is it scary to be four years old right now?

Lil William Nelson was able to give enough details that the police have arrested a suspect in his mother's killing.

They said he told them a strange man had entered the home without knocking and shot his mother. His account, including his home address and parents' names, led to the discovery of Nelson's body.

"I began asking him questions, and he told me that a stranger had come into his house without knocking," Mike McConnell said from Baltimore. "And I said 'Well, where was your mommy?' And he said 'He shot my mommy."'

Explaining how the little boy was able to give specific information to authorities, Nelson said: "He's a very sharp kid. He's like a sponge, he just soaks everything up. My wife, especially, insisted that we work on him learning his address, learning the phone numbers, just important things ... a lot of things people would take for granted, and it saved him."

This lil girl was not so lucky. A reclusive and mentally unstable man was found to have her dismembered body in his fridge.

"He said that human meat was in fact delicious," Chinese media quoted a neighbor as saying, recounting comments the suspect allegedly made while watching a film depicting people being killed in battle.

And if you need some cheering up after that, check out the new X-Men movie trailer. I know I'm excited.

And one final exciting note: I'm working on a post to help explain more about JRA, so if you're interested in that, stay tuned!

Some People's Kids

And some people's fake mothers.

You'd think that after all the hullabaloo over the Caylee Anthony case and that poor child's body someone would not lie about a child missing. But, once again, there has to be someone stupid to prove me wrong. This woman even has the nerve to say that the child was left with a nanny and went missing from there. UGH! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Meagan McCormic was so desperate to get back with an ex-boyfriend that she made up a story about a love child. When said boyfriend showed up, she then said that the nanny had been the last person seen with the child. She even went so far as to download a picture of a random kid in order to give police a proper description.

Poor ex boyfriend. No matter what he did to her, he doesn't deserve this kind of treatment - no one does. On top of that, trying to build off of someone's already ruined life and terrible lies is the worst thing I can imagine somebody doing, short of actually being Casey Anthony.

I really do hope that she feels ashamed for what she's done.

Happy Holidays

With the holidays approaching - or already here in some cases - I feel obligated to share some odd news regarding Christmas and Hanukkah.

First off, there's this interesting story about church members dressing like the stereotypical Jesus in order to bring awareness to the 'scandal' of saying "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Now I can understand being upset about that, but we do live in an age where freedom of religion is valued. I enjoy Christmas - for non-religious reasons - but I respect the people who do not. Even at work, I say "Happy holidays" despite the fact that most people who shop there, especially now, celebrate Christmas. While some find it disrespectful, I find it extremely respectful of others' beliefs. In this day and age, we need more of that.

In the monotheistic Holy Land, gold coins depicting Heraclius from the 600s CE were found by a tourist volunteering to help with an archaeological dig. I'm impressed at the number of things that continue to be found in that area of the world. I hope that more will be found to increase our knowledge in ancient history.

Now, I know that many people are upset with the snow and ice, but there are better ways to get rid of it than to try and melt it off your porch. At least it was his own house that he set on fire...

Here's another fun story. This South Salt Lake man tried to steal a fire engine in order to drive home to see his mom for Christmas... in Washington. Hopefully he wasn't in a hurry to play the Wii. He could get hurt doing so, or, even worse, could ruin their game system:



In a Hanukkah-related story, a man in New York won a latke (potato pancake) eating contest. Pete Czerwinski scarfed down 46 of the pancakes, coming in at a whopping seven pounds total. Latkes are extremely tasty, so, while I'm surprised at the sheer quantity Czerwinski was able to eat, I'm not surprised that someone like 'Furious Pete' could nom them down.

And, in the overwhelming spirit of the holiday season, scientists found that people will deliberately torture others if told to do so by people with authority. How disturbing is that? It's interesting, given the history of people during wartime and just plain greedy people as well; other people are always looking to seek approval from their superiors. Sadly, this is how the majority of bad things happen - craving approval, greed, fear. In the future - no matter how overwhelmingly idealistic I am - I hope that people can be more like the religious and political figures they idolize and act like decent human beings, not because they are told to, but because they know it's the right thing to do. And that should be the real message behind the holiday season - being a good person because it's the right thing to do, not because of rewards in this life or the next.

Ever Heard of "Quit While You're Ahead?"

Apparently these people haven't. Squashing a group's constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness wasn't enough, clearly. No, now they want to revoke/nullify the thousands of homosexual marriages that took place while it was LEGAL.

This guy has a point:

"Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification," Brown said in a written statement.

According to the Ninth Amendment, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." In non-psycho babble, that means any fundamental rights that are not directly listed in the Constitution are protected as well. Sexual orientation? Not in there originally. And, hey, aren't we all protected from discrimination based on our gender, race, ethnicity, age, and um... sexual orientation?!

I am so tired of all the high school drama BS. Every single group is discriminated against by somebody. It's getting to be too much to handle. I wish everyone could just be tolerant of other people's lifestyles. Seriously, I'm not saying that you should be homosexual by saying that you should support gay marriage - I'm simply saying that we need to all band together in order to get rid of the injustices in our own country. No matter what it takes, this country needs to recognize the basic right of two human beings in love to join together in a partnership that is recognized no matter where the couple goes.

Basically, here's a video I found showing how damn ridiculous this whole thing is. Enjoy.

Protect Marriage, Protect Children, Prohibit Divorce - watch more funny videos

Here's another great video of Jon Stewart discussing gay marriage with Mike Huckabee. Oh Huckabee, how misguided you are.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Really? We've redefined terms like "man" and "human being" but we can't redefine marriage? That, my friends, is a ridiculous notion.

"Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality." So true. A person doesn't wake up in the morning and decide to be gay for a day/week/30 days/a few years. It's something that we're born with, something that makes up who we really are. Until we all embrace our sexuality - whether that means marrying another girl or being perfectly fine with expressing your sexual nature like someone who truly loves their bodies and sexual lives - no one is going to be happy.

I hope that people can learn to see past their own bigotry and fears in order to embrace people of all backgrounds and lifestyles someday. I am determined to help fight the good fight, to be a soldier in the army of love. Even if this problem isn't solved in my lifetime (which it better be), I am dedicated to the cause. I hope that you'll join me.

Surf or Sex?

I might have problems, but I'm wondering exactly who would give up sex for two weeks in order to have the internet in their home? Almost half of women, and less than a third of men apparently would.

I'm guessing either these people aren't in a relationship or don't get jiggy with their partners/friend's partners/random people that often. Now, maybe it's just me, but I fail to see the benefits of this. I mean, sure, a lot of people need the internet for work and such. It's an interestingly sad commentary on our society that people are more interested in their jobs, facebook, and internet porn than spending some love time with their significant other.

On the other hand, intimacy is the important thing, not the sex.

Now, here goes my [not so] wholesome image... and Theron's (sorry hun).

I love Theron with all my heart. We have a wonderful relationship. I'm pretty sure that the internet could never match the intimacy that we share, with or without sex. The sex isn't important, but the intimacy is. Still, I think that picking the internet over Theron is the wrong way to go in any situation.

Maybe it's just because I'm a romantic hippie, or because after almost a year and a half I'm still crazily head over heels for him, but love should be the most important thing in our lives. Can anyone imagine how the world would change if that were the case? If we all actually started practicing the teachings from all the great religious figures {The Buddha, Jesus, Muhammed, etc}? I think we could actually have a good chance at world peace if people stopped looking out for their best interests and started looking out for others.

So if you were asked, what would you do? Pick the person you're supposed to treasure or the internet that seems like it gets in the way enough already?

Are Teens Dying For Attention?

It seems more and more like teenagers these days are craving more attention. That's not really an issue, but the problem is the new and more destructive ways that teens are going about getting that attention. Gangs are more rampant now than ever before because kids just want to belong to a group of people that care about them. Families aren't enough - parents are never home or, when they are, instead of love and care, shouting and abuse is the present.

This article that I found on CNN really disturbs me. This poor kid decided to end his life in a very public way. While I do not doubt that he was depressed and, clearly, suicidal, I believe that this was the ultimate cry for attention. Subconsciously, this kid wanted someone to alert some sort of authority figure to get him help. Instead, these people mocked him and watched him die:

He was seen lying on his bed on the streaming video, posted on the Web site Justin.tv. On the site, a person can stream video from a Web camera while "viewers" chat with each other in a box next to the video, Crane said. The comments and video have since been removed from the Web site.

Crane read the comments posted during the 10 hours the youth could be seen lying on his bed.

As the teenager was lying on his bed, she said, people were typing things like, "Oh, that's not enough to kill you." Others, she said, were egging him on, saying things like "Go ahead and do it." Still others thought it wasn't real, Crane said.

About 11 a.m. Wednesday, Crane said, some viewers began to get concerned, writing things like, "He's not moving" and "He's not breathing."

One contacted the site's moderator to get the youth's contact information, she said, and the police were notified.

Why didn't someone get help sooner? If they had, maybe this poor lost kid could've gotten the help that he needed. I don't ever want to wish harm to anyone, but I hope that those who watched this young man take his life never forget what they were party to, that they are haunted by what they experienced.

I cannot understand the terrible things that people do these days.

Veteran's Day

Today is a day to honor anyone who has served in the United States armed forces.

My uncle Nathan has always been someone who has inspired me. Growing up, he was more like a brother than an uncle, both because of age and the fact that we lived in the same house. I always looked to him for guidance and help, not to mention to learn how to be a cool tomboy. Without him in my life, I would be a completely different person and I am so grateful that he is still around.

As I've noted before, my uncle served in the military and was deployed to Iraq for about sixteen months, missing the last few months of his wife's second pregnancy and the adorable little girl's birth.

He has gone through a lot of hard things; despite that, he is still true to himself and his beliefs. I am so proud to be a part of his life and to have shared so much of it as I did. I can only hope that, as I grow older and mature, I can be more like him... and go visit all of them :)

That's So Gay

I was checking facebook a few minutes ago and it got my blood a-boiling!

I am friends with someone who used to work at Kmart with me, but I really just dislike her in almost every way. Honestly, she was a terrible worker. Since then, she posted incorrect information about Barack Obama's heritage and then blasted me and another person for politely correcting her mistakes.

Anyhow, someone had commented on her status and they got into a little conversation. The friend was sad that my "friend" couldn't stay at school longer after the play and referenced it was being "gay."

Here's a video explaining how I feel if you're tired of me ranting (I love the Wanda one).

If you think something is bad or stupid, say it's bad or stupid. There are at least half a dozen other adjectives you can use to describe something.

I could say that something is SO Kayla or teenage girl who doesn't do anything, but that would be rude right? How much ruder would it be if I said "that's so crime victim?"

So, seriously, please find a word that ACTUALLY describes your situation/problem/whatever. I'm pretty sure an oppressed group is not what you want to talk about.

Kthxbai.

Oh, and in case you have a fever, here's two videos as your prescription.

More On Proposition 8

I'm still pissed that it passed.

Religion shouldn't be involved in politics at all. If we are truly a nation with separation of church and state, then gay marriage shouldn't be an issue. Theron says that marriage shouldn't be a word or concept that is allowed in the Constitution, and after giving it some thought, I'm still on the fence. Even if it isn't a religious wedding, we all say that we're "getting married," not a civil union. While marriage really was a religious idea, I think that it's changed to mean a joining of two lives, a partnership between two faithful, loyal, and loving people. If we say that marriage shouldn't be in the Constitution, then we need to call all "marriages" civil unions. If people want to call it marriage, more power to them. Maybe then people won't be so upset with gay people getting the right to marry whomever they want.

This story on CNN really frustrated me. This issue is a big one in my family, because my parents are Mormon and I am not. In fact, my whole extended family is Mormon. I know that my mom is upset with the protests around Mormon areas that the church's support for Prop 8 has brought, even if she hasn't said anything to me. However, I think that the church should've been prepared for it, not to mention that churches should NOT be getting involved in political matters in the first place.

Anyway, here are some parts of the story that really struck me:

"It is disturbing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election," the church said in a statement Friday.

On Thursday, Roman Catholic and Mormon leaders said their efforts did not target any specific group.

The coalition of religious communities and citizens who supported Proposition 8 wanted to preserve "the bedrock institution of marriage" between a man and a woman, said Cardinal Roger Mahoney, the Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles.

"Proposition 8 is not against any group in our society," Mahoney said in a written statement.

_____

The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights have filed a lawsuit contending the ballot initiative was "improperly used."

According to the three groups, "such radical changes" as outlawing gay marriage cannot be made by ballot initiative, but must, "at a minimum, go through the state legislature first." The groups also argue the measure takes away a "fundamental right" from lesbian and gay Californians.

The three organizations filed the legal challenges on behalf of Equality California and six same-sex couples who did not marry before Tuesday's election, but would like to be able to wed now.

The three groups contend that California must honor the marriages of the 18,000 lesbian and gay couples who have already married.

______

First off, if I'm not mistaken, isn't there some rule that says churches aren't supposed to get involved in politics or endorse certain people? Wouldn't that apply to issues too? They shouldn't really even talk about abortion, let alone gay marriages. Anyway, I love how the churches say that this isn't a measure attacking any group of "our" society. I know they probably meant that their intention is not to attack anyone, but that's exactly what they're doing.

Using the Bible to back up the argument against gay marriage is just like people using it to justify slavery or polygamy. Religious people need to understand that the Bible is NOT to be taken literally anymore. If being gay is such a crime, then why haven't gay people been wiped off the earth Old Testament style? Oh wait, that's what people think AIDS is all about right?

I'm tired of the old mindset. This is the twenty-first century and times are changing. If you don't want to be a part of the change, then move somewhere else. This is America - land of the FREE and home of the BRAVE - and here we accept each person as s/he is and we give them certain inalienable rights. You can have your ideas, your preferences, but you do not have the right to limit how other people can do things. If what Ellen is doing is actually causing YOU harm, then you have a right to mad. Otherwise, shut up because no one is going to make you marry a gay person.

Really? I - I - Really?

So I recently read this story, which just put into words what CNN and other news organizations were saying:

Seven in 10 African Americans who went to the polls voted yes on Proposition 8, the ballot measure overruling a state Supreme Court judgment that legalized same-sex marriage and brought 18,000 gay and lesbian couples to Golden State courthouses in the past six months.

"I think it's mainly because of the way we were brought up in the church; we don't agree with it," said Jasmine Jones, 25, who is black. "I'm not really the type that I wanted to stop people's rights. But I still have my beliefs, and if I can vote my beliefs that's what I'm going to do.

"God doesn't approve it, so I don't approve it. And I approve of Him."

The overwhelming rejection of same-sex marriage by black voters was surprising and disappointing to gay rights advocates who had hoped that African Americans would empathize with their struggle.

Pablo Correa said his mind was made up by a TV spot in which a young girl comes home from school and tells her mother she learned how a prince could marry a prince.

Really? I can kinda understand the church argument, but really?

I thought that black people, especially those who had lived through (or relived through stories) the era of interracial marriage banning AND the era where blacks couldn't officially get married at all, would support the homosexuals. Am I really just too far out there? Does religion override their ability to help people in a similar situation?

I am really sad that this ban passed. Eventually, gay marriage will be allowed (most) everywhere, but I really felt like now was the time. If we're so ready for change and equality, why can't we grant it to the group that is the most discriminated against?

This argument that children will have to learn about princes marrying princes is bullshit. Kids aren't taught about marriage of ANY kind in school until they're old enough to understand (aka middle school at the very earliest). Even then, this information is NOT shoved down their throats.

This election, with the exception of Obama being put in the White House, was a failure on many fronts. Not only did Proposition 8 pass, so did a ban on unmarried adoptions and foster care in Arkansas - which was directly aimed at gay couples.

That's right, because every gay child is the result of a gay parent...

All this discrimination is just freaking ridiculous. Since people seem to NOT understand the basis of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, I'm rewriting both.

This Is Your Victory

I'm reminded of the famous Goonies line "This is our time, it's our time down here."

I don't know whether it was because I knew I got to see Theron or because I knew Obama was president-elect, but I was eager to wake up this morning, to greet the sun with a cheery smile and not one of those classic "five more minutes" routines.

I know, deep down in my heart, that this is what our country needs. Hopefully other people will realize that soon too.

For a fun audio slideshow, via CNN, click here.