BEING DIFFERENT

BEING DIFFERENT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

     Millions of people all over the world are realizing that no man is an island.  If the planet earth is to survive the one lesson humans must learn is how to get along with each other. There is decency in recognizing all humans as equals. Acceptance is easy, interesting, and educational. Appreciating diversity is the key to human happiness and happiness is the main ingredient in the recipe for successful living.

     The ability to look at the world and realize that present conditions are not working should be an easy realization. Still many individuals hold on to the traditions that have made the world a miserable place to live. There comes a time in any society when citizens must stand up and say NO to church leaders and politicians who are advocating policies that are detrimental to successful living.

    The United States has lost ALL respect for human dignity. Police continue to kill innocent victims with little or no outcry from most citizens. Airlines continue to drag innocent paying customers off flights and citizens merely look on. Political leaders pass laws that deny millions health benefits and brainwash citizens to think that this is the right thing to do. It has become the norm for politicians to lie to their constituents, and their constituents continue to reelect them to leadership positions.  And it is most amazing that thousands of Americans citizens stand up and cheer while politicians lie, cheat, and steal.  It is hard to believe that Americans are applauding while politicians are denying them health insurance that could possibility cost them their own lives.

     American preachers are advocating that parents kill gay children. Many other Christian ministers are teaching parents to abandon gay and lesbian off-springs. My way or the highway is not the American way. It is a miserable father who puts his son or daughter on the streets because he or she is gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual.  Love has never been greater than when a father puts his arms around his gay son and says, “I LOVE YOU.” When a father loves unconditionally it is the greatest “pleasure cruise” he will ever be on.  It may not be a “bed of roses” from the local preacher or from the guys in the neighborhood, but it will be the greatest relationship he has ever had because it will be a relationship built on love. Loving someone does not produce a criminal because in love no crime is committed. Love is the greatest example of human kindness found in the universe and how many times did Jesus have to tell us that it’s all about love?

     If Jesus walked on the earth today he would love African children as much as he would love any others. He would wrap his arms around all the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender teenagers who have been made homeless by parents who have listened to wrong Christian teachers. He would stamp out the money-changers in all the places of worship, and he would rebuke millionaire preachers who live in luxury while thousands of hungry and homeless people live in cardboard boxes.   

   

I DON'T THINK SO!

I DON’T THINK SO!

   Today every American is being tested. What kind of an American do you want to be? Questions are being asked, but answers are falling short of the goal post. Are we going to allow the greatest nation on the planet to be destroyed by an administration of the biggest number of liars ever assembled in a president’s cabinet? Are we going to allow American children to grow up in a divided society dominated by hate?  Are we going to allow children to be taught hate in all-white public schools, and allow hate to be the number one topic taught in the Sunday morning church services? Are we going to allow America to return to the days of Jim Crow laws being enforced by the KKK? Are we going to allow the Christian Church to be identified around the world as the symbol of hate? Are we going to allow young Americans to be brainwashed by white Supremacists and denied the existence of diversity as the peacemaker of American society? I don’t think so! Somewhere in this great nation patriotism is going to kick in and the majority of Americans are going to realize this is not the America we want to live in.

   We know there was a time when the world looked to America as the symbol of freedom. There is no doubt that at one time America was the leader of the free world, but things have changed. The only way to continue to be that leader is through a progressive agenda. No matter how many dissenting voices are heard, progress is what made America great. It is important that America continue to be a part of the globalization process. American products must continue to be competitive on the world’s market, and there is no other way to economic success.  To attempt to build walls around America and adopt policies of economic protectionism will be the death of America’s economic system.  

   It is unbelievable that intelligent Americans are going to allow this administration to move America into a regressive direction. To deny the existence of climate change and attempt to move America backwards in support of fossils fuels is to declare the destruction of the planet. Solar and wind power have already created millions of jobs and millions more are in the process.

   It is plain and simple, Americans have been lied to and even though millions now recognize it, thousands more must accept it. As an American citizen I can only hope that there are enough stable men and women in leadership positions in all branches of American military to prevent an inexperienced military novice from entering America into a Third World War.  But one thing we know, one certain person knows that neither he nor any of his children will ever be the boots in the trenches where old men create situations for young men to die in war.

THE UNTOUCHABLE

THE UNTOUCHABLE

   One of the most uncomfortable places to be is standing in front of a urinal in a men’s restroom in America. You must focus your eyes directly on the cold, grey wall in front of you.  You dare not allow your eyes to look at the man to your left or your right, and above all else you must never allow your eyes to venture below the waist of any man. An American who looks another man directly in the eyes and then looks below his waist is immediately given the title of a queer. Being a queer in a Christian society is an awful thing to be. The number is endless of young boys who have suffered physicals attacks because they allowed their eyes to wander below the waist of other boys in an American High School locker room.  Yet to the American male size is important.  Even Christian men place emphasis upon size as a sign of masculinity. Many Christian males use the bulge to attract people of the opposite sex although sometimes it attracts others. Even preachers sometimes step outside the pulpit to show the imprint of a manly bulge.

   Christianity has developed into one of the most restrictive religions of all lifestyles. The religion that has imposed the most rules against sex has become the religion dominated with sex. Somewhere in the golden era of the scriptures in the gospel according to Saint Luke, Jesus said, “Therefore I say unto you, the size of a man’s penis determines the manliest among you,” or is this a miss-quote? At one time this was in the canon of the scriptures, but it was deliberately eliminated because King James #1 was secretly known as the king with small hands among the English monarchs.  Nevertheless, it is evident that Jesus enjoyed the company of men. Peter, the rough and tough fisherman, was the manliest of the disciples. Then there was sweet, lovable, John, and not far behind him was dear, little, timid, Timothy. There was a mixture of men among the disciples but Jesus loved them all.

   The one thing that the Christian Church has done and done well is to teach people how to be hypocrites. Christianity is the only religion that teaches a young boy that it is a deadly sin to touch a certain part of his body. This is like placing a beautiful decorated cake in front of kindergarten children and telling them not to touch the icing on the cake until the teacher returns.

   The well-developed human body is a magnificent work of art designed by a genius. With females it is beautiful and with males it is handsome. It is an enjoyable experience to visit an African tribe where little emphasis is placed upon clothes. The unclothed human body is even a greater work of art.  I am privileged to live in Thailand where young men and women consider it an honor to display beautiful and handsome bodies in full nudity. It is a great delight to gaze upon young unclothed performers without being riddled with guilt, knowing that some of the most intelligent men of the universe were fascinated by nude bodies of both men and women.  

   

BEING HUMAN

BEING HUMAN

    The human body is a sophisticated machine consisting of thousands of   working parts designed by a genius. But of all of the working parts, visible to the eye, there are thousands of non-working parts that are important in the make-up of being human.  Being human means being capable of expressing emotions of happiness, but also being able to express grief at the lost of a loved one.  When we were given the capability to express joy and pain we were not promised that life would be a continual bed of roses, but we were provided with the ability to live with the thorns.  Somewhere along life’s journey I hope I have learned to be a human.    

    To my friends who sent condolences at the loss of a very special friend in my life, I thank you, and it has been those words that provided me with the strength to get through the last few days.

    An empty heart is one that is hard to be refilled with meaningful love.   Nevertheless for those of us who have had our hearts broken, but have managed to put the pieces back together again, even with scars, we have learned to live by the motto of “Keep on Trucking.”

     

12:01

12:01

At 12:01 P.M. on January 20, 2017 an authoritarian ruler was sworn in as the President of the United States. David Duke and the members of the KKK rejoiced, White Supremacists celebrated, and NRA members fired rounds of bullets into the air. They believe that America has finally returned to the days of “white’s only” drinking fountains, African Americans in the back of the bus, gay men castrated and nailed to fence posts, and lesbian women raped. Shot glasses in the Wild West were filled with a concoction of white lightening. This was to assure that white only corn silks floated in the powerful white man’s brew. Then shouts of jubilation were heard across America’s South-land.

However, there were other noticeable events that received little or no attention from the mainstream media. A seismic activity shook the Lincoln Memorial and forms of condensed moisture rolled down the Washington Monument like teardrops. The words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. echoed across America, but Americans were too busy to listen.

 “We will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’” The words of Dr. King continued, “We cannot turn back,” which in present political terminology means we will not allow Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and a cabinet filled with bigots, to turn back the pages of American history.

Other important events occurred but were not noticed by the media. From the clay hills of Alabama, Jeff Sessions’ white drummers in the “Heart of Dixie” were not allowed to march across the Selma Alabama Bridge. The crossroads of Indiana were jammed with buses filled with gay boys and lesbian girls escaping the institutions of Conversion Therapy. Suburban Texans shouted at Ted Cruz quoting an unforgotten text from his holy book, “When the blind lead the blind, they all fall in the ditch together.”

At 12:01 I silenced the TV because I could watch the moment when America’s democracy was raped, and “they who know not what they do,” cheered. I sat at my desk and reread;

Neal Gabler’s “Farewell America.”

*********

         “Surrounded by darkness,

the only sound

was

      the beating of my heart.”

*********

Then I lay bleeding on the floor,

With Poe’s Raven quoting,

“NEVERMORE!”

  

  

A HOMOPHOBIC NATION

THE DEVASTATION OF A HOMOPHOBIC

 UNITED NATION

I lived most of my life in the southern part of America, and like most gays I had difficulty accepting my sexual orientation. The Southern United States is a basket filled with social injustices with homosexuality being just one. Still today living in the homophobic Southern Bible Belt is a challenge for any LGBT person, but with the 2016 presidential election it has become even a greater challenge. It is a shame that millions of Americans who desire to be free have been forced to leave a country where freedom is supposed to be the cornerstone of the government.

The United States is faced with a situation in which Christians have declared social warfare against the gay lifestyle. It is not unusual for Christians to be militant, but it is unusual for Christians to promote an unnecessary social battle against a lifestyle that does no harm to anyone. It is a lifestyle that does not use force to recruit members, and it is a lifestyle that does not advocate the over throw of its adversaries. Plus, it is a lifestyle that desires a peaceful solution to the conflict.

On the other hand, Christians who have made homosexuality the greatest of all sins are not willing to settle for a peaceful solution.  They are using every means possible for a complete extermination of the gay lifestyle. They lost the battle against slavery and the battle that denied women the right to vote, and in every social aspect of history they have been proven to be wrong.  But yet they have a selfish determination to win this battle against America’s gay citizens. They have elected a leader, who in order to get their vote, had to promise to appoint Supreme Court Justices who would overturn the Marriage Equality Act.  Thus, when all else failed they turned to the government to pass laws that will force the Christian lifestyle on a free society. 

In spite of all the negative rhetoric, social diversity has been accepted in most of America’s public schools. Millions of students have learned to get along with each other. White students have become friends with black students and they together have welcomed Latino students into the social realm of American society.  Straight boys have become friends with gay boys, and transgender students have been elected to the court of the High Schools Home Coming King and Queen. Bisexual students have been elected as Student Council Presidents and even in the heart of Dixie, in the Southern Bible Belt, progress has been made.

Yet, on the other hand, Republicans have refused to accept the progress of the Obama administration.  So white Republicans defiantly marched to the polls and elected a Caucasian, bigot, racist, sexist, and homophobe, to be the leader of the free world. In so doing they turned the clock back at least fifty years in America’s race relations. Memberships in the KKK have increased ten-fold. White Supremacists have proudly marched in the streets displaying the Confederate flag, and American Nazis have hailed the new leader as the Hitler of the United States. The Republican Christian Church has attempted to commit genocide against all LGBT American citizens.

When I think of what this will do to the thousands of little gay boys and lesbian girls living in a homophobic nation, I shudder. I never dreamed that one day a bigot would occupy the oval office, with a VP homophobe side-kick, surrounded by a cabinet filled with narrow-minded, intolerant, fanatics, who would attempt to destroy the social progress made in America.   

With anti-racism reaching an all time high many people have been hurt, but those who have been hurt the most are children. Thousands of innocent children have suffered because of the color of their skin, their ethnic origin, or their sexual orientation. I have heard many Christians speak of concerns about the fetus of the unborn child, but I have never heard a Christian speak about the fetus of a gay child who will suffer in a homophobic nation whose chief oppressors will be those who call themselves Christians.

     

THE ERA OF POLITICAL IGNORANCE

THE ERA OF POLITICAL IGNORANCE

There are several factors at work in the process that created the era of political ignorance in America. But the greatest of all is the professionalism by which Fox News reports lies in a way that millions of Americans believe them.

It is common knowledge that Fox News is a supporter of the Rich Man’s Party and the Rich Man’s Party is determined to control America’s political system regardless of the cost. The political ignorance by which average working-class Americans support the Rich Man’s Party is a classic example of the effective use of brainwashing.

From the very beginning Fox News and the leadership in the Republican Party were determined that the administration of America’s first black president would be a failure. They sent out a memo to all Republicans in Congress requesting that they vote against any proposals made by President Obama.

One of the President’s main objectives was to provide medical insurance for 20 million uninsured Americans. Adults and children were suffering and dying needlessly because they could not afford proper health insurance. After many long hours of hard work President Obama persuaded the majority of the democrats in the Congress to pass the bill entitled, “The Affordable Care Act.”

The bill provided universal health care to all Americans. The Affordable Care Act, which later became known as Obamacare, proved that President Obama has a genuine concern for people in need. He is a compassionate president with a kind heart. Anyone would have thought that a man of this character would have received all manner of praise, but instead he got just the opposite. Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and the leadership of the Republican Party, immediately began calling him the devil. Amazingly millions of Americans joined in, and Obama’s approval ratings reached an all time low. Even Republican Christians referred to the President as the devil, and the name calling did not stop there. Fox News and the Republican Party led a movement to persuade thousands of Americans to call the president’s wife and children disrespectful names.  Fox News had successfully ushered in the era of political ignorance into the United States.

The Obama administration saved America and the world from an economic depression. It was no surprise that Fox News and the   Republican Party denied the facts because the recession was started by   economic decisions made in a Republican administration. The denial of facts concerning the economic recession proved that the era of political ignorance had reached an all time high.

In spite of Fox News and the Republicans fighting him every step of the way, President Obama’s accomplishments have been many. One of his greatest accomplishments has been putting Americans back to work.  He did this by improving America’s relations with the nations of the world, and therefore opening up trade opportunities which provided a market for American made products.  

He opened diplomatic relations with Vietnam, which has a growing population of 94 million people. Vietnam is the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia. The working-class in Vietnam are being paid the highest wages ever paid in the history of their country. Therefore, higher wages means a greater demand for products and many of these products are American made. If given the opportunity Vietnam will continue to be a valuable trading partner with United States, and if not with the US, then with China. As expected, Fox News and the Republicans criticized this relationship which once again proved the era of political ignorance had developed well into the advanced stages.

President Obama reestablished relations with Cuba. Cuba has a growing population of over 11 million people. Millions of wealthy Cubans have been waiting for over 50 years to purchase a new American-made automobile. Plus, there is an open market to sell millions of other American products just 90 miles off the southern tip of Florida. Fox News and the leadership of the Republican Party criticized this movement just like they have criticized all of the economic improvements accomplished by President Obama.

The fact is that for the last 8 years America has been guided by a very compassionate, capable, and intelligent President. I do not have to say it, because history will say it for me, Obama has been one of America’s best presidents. To those Americans who are still denying the facts, it is hoped that soon you will realize that to judge a man by the color of his skin is a wrong decision. Such decisions have continued to place America in the era of political ignorance.