27. December 2010 by admin.

It’s official, my brother is an asshole.  Now mind you, this was not something he achieved at birth, in fact he was taught better.  No, this is something he learned by marriage and has been causing harm with ever since.

So, here’s the scenario: he and his wife are at a cousin’s house in southern Wisconsin for Christmas.  They see my Dad and his wife as well as several cousins from his side of the family there.  On the way back to Minnesota, they drive up I-95.  My Mom is at her sister’s house, also in southern Wisconsin, where she celebrated Christmas with my cousin and his family as well as my Aunt and Uncle.  My Aunt and Uncle live seven minutes from an exit off I-95.  My brother and his wife do not bother to take a whole seven minutes out of their way to visit my Mom, whom they haven’t seen since the spring.  My Mom made sure they knew where she would be and what the travel distance would be.  They did not stop.

And then there is the selfishness.  My brother used to be a reasonably unselfish person but now it seems it is more important to buy things for himself and his wife than for others.  My brother makes a good buck.  True, his wife hasn’t had a real job in years, mainly because she alienated people (go figure!) which makes it difficult to get a job in a smaller town.  But he still has enough to keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed.  The total spent on gifts for me and my partner for Christmas is roughly $100 (and that’s rounding up) while we spent more than $150 on him alone.  So why the cheapness?  Has he hit a tough spot?  But I just can’t see this behavior from him, it has to be something else.

Ok, so I still believe that he is a nice guy underneath it all.  I just wish that he wouldn’t let anyone else dictate his actions to him.  He used to love his cousins and all the aunts and uncles, we had a great extended family, and now it appears that he is too good for them.  Interesting.  Well, there’s a reason karma comes back on people who hate and plot.  I know she will get hers and he will discover that he lost something that has more value than he could ever imagine.

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment »

24. December 2010 by admin.

And so, with the flourish of a pen, the President eliminated one of the major barriers to equality for gay men and women: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.  It’s funny to hear how the right wing fanatics are beating the airwaves with claims that the military will collapse, that we’ll have to reinstitute the draft and that this decision will destroy our ability to rule the world..er..maintain our safety in these troubled times.  Please.  First, by saying these things, you make the United States sound like a weak nation.  How is it that other countries can integrate their militaries but the United States cannot?  I mean, if the British can do it why can’t its former colony?  Are we less than them?  That’s what they will have you believe.

And then there are the claims that suddenly, because they now can come out, gays will be showering with their straight counterparts in the military and sexually assaulting them.  Since there have been gays in the military since there has been a military, I seriously doubt anything will change.  In fact, it may help to alleviate the sexuasl issues that have plagued the military of late, perpetrated, I might add, by straight men against straight women.  The assault cases against cadets in the Air Force academy were not gay.  In fact, if you look at the statistics, gay men and women tend not to be the problem, straight men are the problem.  I don’t hear any call for “outlawing” them.  Ah well.

And then there are the concerns that this is just the first step toward giving gays and lesbians full equality!  Oh, the horror of it!  Soon we’ll have gay marriage and then you’ll be able to marry animals and children will have to grow up knowing there are gay people in the world.  Um…ok.  Why are these people so concerned with me?  Don’t they have their own lives to live?  Don’t they have their own marriages to destroy?  I mean, if marriage is such a sacred institution, then why is divorce allowed?  And why do 50% of marriages fail?  I would suggest that if these people are so afraid of the lives that others live that they begin with their own lives first.  He who is without sin, first stone, ect.  When your house is in order, then you can come and check out mine.  You’ll find it’s cleaner, more organized, and fabulously stylish.  Please!

So, here’s my proposed timeline:  In 2011 we will see the fall of Proposition 8 in California.  Civil Unions will begin the erosion of discrimination against gay marriage which will culminate in the codification of civil marriage sometime in 2013 or so, allowing religious marriage to supplement, but not control, the institution of marriage.  Sounds like a dream but then, the repeal of DADT was once thought to be a fantasy as well.  Here’s to our dreams coming true in our lifetimes!

Posted in Leadership, Gay, Your Rights, Freedom, Politics | No Comments »