Gay Marriage and Christian Persecution

My friend, Joey, posted a note about being a liberal. Several of the 40 or so responses were people giving their opinions on gay marriage. Then, at Status this week, Kate gave a stunning sermon addressing many of the same philosophical issues. Below is my response which outlines how the recent votes banning gay marriage are the beginning of a very dangerous road.

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I have so much to say on all this, but there's just one aspect of this conversation I want to steer. Gay marriage.

We have to hone in on what the actual issue is here.
The issue is NOT, "is being gay a sin."
Nor is the issue, "do churches have to perform homosexual wedding ceremonies."

The real issue of the American gay marriage debate is, "should the United States government grant marriage licenses to gay couples."

My answer is absolutely NO. However, if you asked me, "should the Unites States government grant marriage licensees to heterosexual couples" I would respond with the same resounding NO.

Stop being misled by the gay marriage issue, and ask yourself the real question, "should the government really have the power and authority to determine with whom and the extent to which I am in consensual relationship with another person."

The government will take as much power as the people relinquish. We must stop giving it up!

This past November, the state of Florida passed Amendment 2, defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. All it took was for 60% of those who voted on the issue to approve the amendment... effectively legalizing unconstitutional discrimination against individual liberty.

So, when 60% of the population wants to amend the state constitution to define legal religion as any religion other than Christianity, know that it was largely Christians who set the precedence.

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You may be able to read Joey's original facebook note here:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=100144330234

You can hear Kate's message here:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=46484313&id=119875638

Books To Read

Here is a list of book I've read in the last few years that are worth the hours of investment. Do it.

Books that reveal truth about the human condition (aka... art)
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray... Wilde
2. This Side of Paradise... Fitzgerald

Prophetic Genius
1. 1984... Orwell
2. Anthem... Rand

Beauty of life and nature
1. The Sun Also Rises... Hemingway
2. A Land Remembered... Smith

Non-Fiction
1. Walking On Water... L'Engle
2. Irresistible Revolution... Claiborn

Short Stories
1. The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol 2
2. The Sons... Kafka

Different Time or Place (Nostalgic)
1. Their Eyes Were Watching God... Hurston
2. The God of Small Things... Roy

From the Stage
1. A Streetcar Named Desire... Williams
2. The Importance of Being Earnest... Wilde

These are in somewhat of an order from what I suggest first to what I suggest last.

The Beauty of Bocce

My first time playing Bocce Ball was with my friend and workmate, AJ.  Bored of office and coffee house meetings, we would hit up Portofino Bay...

... or at least as close as the two of use could get to the actual Italian village... the Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando.

AJ has since moved to California, but Bocce remains.  Over the last few months, when the weather's nice, we've arranged picnics at Lake Eola, and my other friends Ian and Melissa Soto have brought their set to the park.

I finally broke down and bought my own set a few weeks ago.  Here are some pics from our last Bocce picnic in the park.

I'm sure true Italians would find our court-less games laughable, so I was inspired to find some examples of real technique.  First, I found this, which made me feel okay about our games in the park - except for the fact that Eleanor Foltz is apparently a Bocce stud!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPUQUmV0ePE

Then I found this video of Josco Mardesic, a Croatian Bocce Champ in what is called the "Progressive Throw."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0HGEHXAkoo

I kind of want to see Eleanor try the Progressive Throw competition now.

Maybe we can convince Leo, the park manager at Lake Eola, to install some Bocce courts out at Lake Eola, but until then, we'll keep biking to our games in the grass.

St Pete/Tampa Art Show

If you're in the Tampa/St Pete, FL area tonight, be sure to check out this gem of an event.  A t-shirt art show put on by some of the top designers in the country.  Sure to be a good experience.

http://backinblackapparel.com/

Coldplay, quitting?

Saw this news article today.
It reports that Chris Martin expects the band to be done by the end of 2009.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn

RadioLab

If you haven't heard of it, you have lots of catching up to do.

Remember when you'd be watching Sesame Street as a kid, and they'd cut to the factory scenes where they'd show the machines making crayons or peanut butter cups? That was always my favorite part. RadioLab is the same thing, for adults.

The show is produced by New York Public Radio (and is the best produced audio program I have ever heard), and distributed on some NPR stations across the county. It's also available as a podcast.

The first episode of season five called "choice" was just released. You can get it free, here.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=152249110

My favorite is the one on "emergence." It's #20 at the same link.

Enjoy learning science again... and if you end up going and listening to the "choice" podcast, you'll come to see that your role in the entire decision was rather small.

Want To Know What Makes Me Cry?

If you don't want to read all this... skip to the third video. That's the important part :

I'm often asked, "do you allow yourself to be emotional?" The answer is, of course, yes. I do feel. I'm not a robot. The things that affect me most are not those that make me sad or depressed... I can - fairly easily - pick up the pieces and move on.

Rather the things that affect me most emotionally are the things that inspire. I remember watching the preview of the release of Mac OSX (Panther) in 2004 and crying and asking myself, "why in the world?!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfg1lC7Y5J4

Rather ridiculous, right? But I cried nonetheless. It's because I saw a corporation looking at the way things currently exist and saying, we can make this better. Then investing themselves in hard work, creativity and determination to achieve their dreams.

Then there was this. The finale of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba in Orlando. They call it the Power Track. I call it amazing. All of the performers in this show are incredible, but there's the one creepy guy at the beginning of the video who pretty much just walks around the whole show. Then... in this scene... he unleashes! There was something hidden in him, and now it's realizing its potential. Then the rest of the cast joins him for an amazing display of team work and skill.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whiiF2svQNs

Now... This is the important part of the post - the video you actually should watch. My friend, Nathen, posted this on facebook. So far, I've only watched the first 9 minutes and 40 seconds, and I had to stop and share this video. It was created by John Stossel, and it shifts the political conversation from, "who's policies are going to fix the country," to "can the government really solve our problems?" It's the same paradigm shift that Ron Paul was trying to accomplish in the debates, and most people didn't understand. But Stossel has done an amazing job at using illustration and example to clearly convey his message.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phs6CwnutoY

Unfortunately, most people are reactionary, so it's hard to keep the kid from touching the stove until he's done it once and sees how bad it hurts. That's why we have Obama and McCain as presidential candidates. Regardless of who wins - Obama or McCain - we're going to feel the pain (Obama more than McCain - but they are both for HUGE government). My only hope is that the reaction (a subsequent shift to small government and - therefore - liberty) happens sooner than later.

Why did this one make me cry? Maybe a little sadness. Sad that people are sheep. Sad that they blindly follow charisma. Sad that they are looking to the government for hope and change. But mostly out of inspiration. Inspired by the few, lonely voices crying in the wilderness. Inspired by those who haven't given up. Inspired by the hope that there is a possibility of a future where freedom lives.