Friday, March 29, 2013

Homosexual Lifestyle Naming Rights

It's only been a century or so since state governments got in the business of "blessing" marriages.  Before that it was largely religions or some other private law system that maintained the records and enforced the rules.

With the state and its "equal protection" new possibilities in social ordering have emerged.  Since I have not signed on to state recognition of marriages, I do not really have a dog in any definitions a state might come up with.

But there are a couple of angles to the debate going on right now that might be well worth reflection:

1. Within the homosexual community, there has always been a exhibitionist segment.   These are the ones that find favor, for their entertainment value, from the breeders.  One form or exhibitionism is to mock bourgeois conventions, and pretending to be married is a classic.

Gore Vidal notes how this particular form of exhibitionism plays on those very bourgeois sentiments, as though the sex between men is the same thing as sex between a man and women.  Or that sex and love are the same thing.  Straights applauding "same sex marriage" are applauding their own derision.  Stupid people get vicious when they realize they are the butt of a joke.

2. Homosexual inclination runs along a continuum, with everyone more or less finding some degree of same sex attraction.  Rare is the lad who at some point does not wonder if he is homosexual.  Along there entire continuum are men who more or less identify strongly with same-sex attraction, yet marry a woman, stay faithful, and raise a family, the biological way.  I personally know several. Why would someone we would identify as homosexual get married to a woman (tautological) and raise a family?

To be happy.  The homosexual lifestyle is hardly "gay" and to be married in a loving relationship with a spouse and raising a family is a happy, fulfilling thing.  That particular happiness is open to all, straight or gay. All men are tempted to stray, and all men have to say no to much sexual escapade on offer.  Most say no thank you, because they want to remain happy.  To remain faithful to one's spouse in order to remain happy is true whether a man married to a woman (redundant) is straight or gay.

3. The idea that homosexuals have uncontrollable urges that must be met for them to be happy makes homosexuals different that any other people is absurd.  There is nothing unique in an urge of one kind in one person and another kind in another person.  Whereas society requires we refrain from acting on some urges, homosexual urges are given a pass.  The solidification of this notion is extremely dangerous, for it identifies homosexuals as different in kind. This sword is two-edged.

4.  The Social Security Administration in 1933 promised that under no circumstances would the registration of citizens ever be allowed to be consulted by any other government agency.  Within a decade it was the Social Security lists that were consulted to identify and find Americans of Japanese ancestry to be arrested and put in concentration camps.  Not to put too fine a point on it, the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs was appointed to run the camps. Homosexuals who are registering themselves with the state my come to regret this action.

If the law is what a vocal motivated minority says it is (for this present supreme court case is one where a minority is trying to overthrow a majority law) then should another vocal minority gain ascendency then the law will be what they say it is.  Because the meaning of the constitution changes as peoples views change.

5. The USA is pursuing actions around the world and domestically that are destroying our country, benefitting the few while harming the many, because the few can.  Our systems are on full "gay marriage" watch while our country is further reduced around the world by the actions of a few, who can.

A higher priority, indeed a clear and present danger, are these destructive initiatives: wars, bailouts, torture, collectivization, etc.  Yet across the spectrum Americans have elected to devote themselves to an entirely risible concern: a state definition.  As if that matters.

6. There are massive economic forces at play.  Our system is unsustainable.  We got here by cheating the laws of economics and then privatizing the profits and socialising the losses.  Those who benefit hardly disagree.  Those who benefit have the luxury of pursuing risible projects that at the same time allow one to ignore our soldiers setting little girls on fire with phosphorous rockets. But among those who benefit from our system, first things first.  To argue against setting little girls on fire with phosphorous rockets is to deny oneself the system that allows for exhibitionism.  Gotta keep priorities straight, first things first.

7.  People with a lot of time on their hands have the opportunity to work from the fringes out, to the point you cannot escape their antics.  Here from wikipedia:

There were 1,748 households, out of which 499 (28.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 574 (32.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 181 (10.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 99 (5.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 143 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 10 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 767 households (43.9%) were made up of individuals and 288 (16.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16. There were 854 families (48.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.07.

Well.  Nothing controversial there.  Except to the muleskinners in Bishop, California.  And now they know.

8.   When things go bad, society will look for scapegoats.  The now cheap and easy support of the exhibitionists will evaporate.  People who today say "I've grown, and my son should be able to marry the man he loves" will just as easily repudiate that tomorrow.  It was only day before yesterday that his view was thus.  the fellow changed his mind for votes.  He'll certainly change his mind to save his own skin. People deeply offended at some point will take over and settle scores.   A lot easier than people think.

9. When the time comes, and the whimsical nature of state government changes and targets homosexuals, the only argument against state action that will be viable is the moral one.  Yet the very entities that are making a moral argument now are being denigrated today by tomorrow's victims.  Will those who have "forgiven their enemies" and argue for amnesty for the targeted group have enough moral suasion left over to save the day?

We have seen this countless times before in history.  The answer, usually, is no.

This whole "gay marriage" thing is absolute madness.

Feel Free To Email This To Three Friends.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Dorothy Day

My kinda gal...

Day was an activist throughout her life, but she nonetheless cautioned against the “heresy of good works,” insisting that “[a]ction must be preceded by thought.” Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the homeless without reforming the social order so people could do those things for themselves was a treat-the-symptoms approach that betrayed a lack in faith in both God and one’s fellow man, Day said.

Rare.

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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Frum On Iraq and Murder for Oil

David Frum is a Canadian who was imported into the USA to tell stories that are not true, for example, that Iraq was a threat to the USA.  He is having second thoughts.

When Bush decided to go to war in 2003, you’d think he would have been gripped by self-questioning and hot debate. That never really happened. Bush’s speechwriter David Frum looks back at the daunting messaging effort—and how Tony Blair swayed Democrats in Congress and liberal hawks in the media.

This is interesting.  He made up untrue stories that others might believe.  But he starts off his self-criticism by telling us of his fears.  But wait, since he knew what he was saying was untrue, why would he be fearful?  Anyone else might have some reason to claim to be fearful, but people who make up stories about boogie-men should hardly be afraid of the boogie man.

Glenn Greenwald takes Frum apart...  and note the widespread agreement among responsible parties that Iraq is about murder-for-oil.

We ned to rid ourselves of a standing army, at least.

Feel Free To Email This To Three Friends.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Happy With Slavery

Here is a fun passage from one of my favorite books:

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges.[a] He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

There is nothing new about people wanting to remain slaves.  I've always wondered at tattoos and piercings, piercings especially, they seem to be saying "Don't hurt me, I am already hurting myself."  As if we are in control of what harm comes our way.

It ain't the hand you are dealt, it's how you play the cards.




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Friday, March 15, 2013

We Hate Those We Harm

Tacitus pointed this out, and Abram showed us how to react to someone who is bent on harming us:

"What are a few sheckels between friends?"

I had a customer say to me "I will not buy anything from Iran given how much harm they have done us."

Wait, what?  How much harm they have done us?  We've waged 60 years of oppression on a country that has never threatened us, nor could they do so.  We commonly engage in acts of war.  We blew one of their civilian airliners out of the sky, killing hundreds.  We've done a lot of harm, and so we hate them.

We cannot harm anyone without the leverage to do so.  That leverage can be accumulated in disordered societies, or not.

USA spends more on "defense" than all other countries combined.  This terrifies USA citizens, who in turn own more guns that all other citizens of all other countries combined.    All that prep and fear sure takes away form peaceful productivity.

In aikido we train to let the aggressors power and leverage work against the aggressor.  When all of our hate ends badly, as it will, there will always be a better way.

Feel Free To Email This To Three Friends.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Pope Francis

The Church is universal, but the Roman Rite is the most populous.  The Cardinals just elected a Argentinian Jesuit as Pope Francis.

Now the Francis might be inspired by Francis or Assisi, a peacemaker or Francis Xavier, the Navarre founder of the Jesuit order who lived in the chaos of war and spread the Gospel worldwide.

Xavier had a hard time learning Asian languages, but his follower Matteo Ricci made up for that.

Pope Francis' first public words were "Good evening, everyone..."  Indeed, this is the beginning of a dark night and a Pope with a sense of history will be critical.

The attacks on the Vatican for "child abuse" will continue as the Vatican struggles to teach nonviolence.  It will be a tough gig.

Feel Free To Email This To Three Friends.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Think About It Now

Here is a fellow who received his draft card a year earlier than I did...  1- H status means he was not drafted but available until he turned 26.  Mine is 1 - O, the most radical conscientious objector status (women and children first.)  Wikipedia has a nice rundown on the selective service.  Note how the names collected today are turned over to the advertising arm of the armed forces recruiters.  Today is easy to tailor and ad to prey on a particular persons preferences.  I'd like to see screenshots of ads various young men get, and comments as to what the young men find appealing in the ads.

draft card front
Without a draft, there will never be an anti-war movement.


Burning draft cards.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Her Shoulder Is Too High

The kickback could dislocate her shoulder from that position...  she is trying to stop the recoil at the shoulder...  ouch! She needs to get an ever so slight bend in the wrist and more in the elbow, and then hold her body so most of the kick is absorbed by her back knee, also slightly bent.



It is appalling as modern country women feel the need to protect themselves.

 Feel Free To Email This To Three Friends.