The Bad Guys Always Win

One year ago. 

It's hard to think that just one year ago the news was covering the BP oil spill around the clock while one of the biggest environmental crises was unfolding. The images of the struggling wild life and blackened waters of the gulf. It was absolutely tragic.

The people were pissed and rightfully so. BP screwed up big time and they deserved to pay. So, many individuals boycotted the company and staged protests. They held the companies feet to the fire and demanded answers for why this happened.

So where is BP a year later?

Did the people punish them enough to do damage? Did this crisis cause their business to decline?

Yahoo had the answers:

Despite the uncertainties, BP announced Feb. 1 that it would restore its dividend and that it made a fourth-quarter profit of $5.6 billion, a 30 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. Rising oil prices are certain to boost its cash on hand and could lead to even higher profits. BP's stock fell 54 percent in the months after the spill, but it has regained much of that since then. 

The public should have bankrupted that company unless they made this right and corrected their mistakes. Instead we dropped the ball after the bad press died down and the headlines disappeared. BP's stock regained it's strength and they netted profits of nearly $6 billion, which the Yahoo article says is a 30% increase over this period last year.


So not only are they doing as good as last year when the oil spill took place--they're doing better.


Then there is Cincinnati Reds player Mike Leake. Leake may play in a profession I'm not that familiar with but I know enough about major league baseball to know he's paid a pretty penny. In fact, Leake made $425,000 in his second season as a major league player. 


Leake has the prestige of being a major league baseball player, the duty of being a role model to children and others, and an impressive high six figure income. 


And yet CNN is reporting this:

Police arrest reports said Leake removed the price tags from six American Rag T-shirts at a Macy's store and tried to leave without paying for them. Leake makes $425,000 in his second season in the majors.

A Macy's spokesman said the company had no comment beyond what was reported by police.

He's got an income that many of us would kill for. He's got the raw talent and incredible honor of being a pro baseball player. And he shoplifts at a local Macy's for $59.88 worth of t-shirts.


There are single mothers who shoplift, while feeling shame and guilt, to provide food or clothing for their families. And while that's no excuse for shop lifting, I find that more justifiable than some hot shot major leaguer too cheap to spend some of his six figure income on cheap t-shirts. 


Big companies are raping us at the pump and spilling gallons of oil in our ocean and we reward them with increased profits the next year.


Pro baseball players are entertaining us for a huge income and then shoplifting from local stores.


These are not isolated situations. Lindsay Lohan steals a necklace and stands trial. Her reward? Two movie offers. Charlie Sheen goes crazy. Do we get him help? No, we pimp him out for big money on a nationwide tour, while television and movie companies scramble to offer him big deals.


Why is it we stand for this? Why do we tolerate our neighbors getting kicked out of their homes because they can't pay their mortgage? Why do we let it slide when the local church closes it's door after serving the community for decades simply because the bloodsucking banks don't want to give them a loan to survive?


Why do we reward the bad guys and let the good people down?


BP will net record profits while the local fishermen in the gulf can't make a decent buck because of the damage BP's mistake cost them.


The bad guys always win. And for some reason, we let them.

Born This Way

If you asked a heterosexual male or female if they've been straight since their earliest recollection of their sexuality, they'd say yes. It amazes me that many homophobic individuals don't realize homosexuals are the same way. Nothing happened to make us this way, despite popular belief. We were just....born this way.

Recently those three words have been a rallying cry for many individuals. Some of it is because of the growing importance of the equal rights movement. Some of it has to do with the chart topping song by Lady Gaga. What ever the reason...it makes a lot of sense. We, as homosexuals, were born this way.

Is that hard to swallow? Maybe, but it shouldn't be. Straight people believe they were born that way, so why not us? Science clearly shows straight individuals are born that way. Hell, common sense shows that. The biggest anti-gay marriage protesters will shove in your face the fact that men and women are required to sustain life together in heterosexual relationships. It's harder to see evidence of natural same sex ties. But they're there. Scientists are quickly picking up on the biological, environmental and genetic nature of homosexuality. They're seeing it's more natural than we've previously known. Homosexuality is seen through out the entire animal kingdom. In the history of the world, homosexuality is seen in most species as natural and normal.

Why are we any different? Part of it is because the population of homosexuals is much, much less than heterosexuals. It's human nature to disapprove of things we don't understand. That's why the majority of white individuals in America didn't understand the minority of African Americans that were their slaves in the early history of our nation. We saw them as inferior and something to fear and loathe. We now look at that idea as racist and wrong. Time changes, opinions change and the awareness of African Americans as no different than us white folks is better known.

Another aspect of that is religious in nature. When African Americans were mistreated by white slave owners, many pro-slavery individuals used Bible verses to justify their support of the medieval practice. Many of them misused Scripture and seemed to claim that God approved of the slavery of African Americans. We know that's insanity today. But back then, that was understood as truth.

Do we see homosexuals as something to be feared because we don't understand them? Do we use Scripture to justify misunderstanding and hatred towards gay people? Society has to really think about this. If you're going to deny rights to individuals because of their sexual orientation, you better have a damn good reason. 

One of the things that annoys me is the fact that many people who oppose homosexuality focus on how we have sex. They don't focus on us as individuals. They don't realize we have many of the same hopes and dreams, fears and insecurities as them. We like the same foods and go to the same public events. We live many of the same boring routines in life that heterosexuals experience. I know I do, at least.

Further, many look at the stereotypes of homosexuals. They see homosexuals as feminine, promiscuous, prone to drug abuse and alcoholism. One example I'd use is the African American community. Many people stereotype them with violence and drug abuse. Most black individuals are good, decent people. They live and die like we all do. But some of them get caught up in the stereotype. Some of the youth turn to drugs and violence, all because a stereotype tells them it's what they're supposed to be. It shouldn't be that way and it doesn't have to be that way. Homosexuals are the same way. If you tell them they're supposed to be promiscuous and feminine, a lot are promiscuous and feminine. A few bad apples don't spoil the whole tree. Most are good, decent individuals.

If you look at this with the religious aspect again, you'll see many Christians label gay people as hopeless, incredibly sinful people. If you tell people they're hopeless, they'll act hopeless. If you tell them they're bad to their core, they'll act that way. It's not an excuse but it's a glimpse in the logic of many homosexual individuals. And those same judgmental Christians ignore the examples of the majority of gay people who live as model citizens with good morals and good hearts. And they ignore the many bad, lost people in their own community.

At the end of the day, if homosexuality isn't natural, we still owe this community of people respect and equality--even if it's a choice. We're all children of God and nothing about the sexuality is downright bad. Are there bad homosexuals? Sure. But there are bad heterosexuals. I have to believe that my sexuality is what God produced me to be. That may be controversial and polarizing but it's true.

I'm not gay for attention. I don't want my sexuality in the headlines, I just want my rights--nothing more or less. I'm not gay because something happened to me in my child hood. I wasn't molested. I didn't have a different childhood from my straight brothers and sister. I'm not gay because it's some hip fad. Lord knows that we face enough discrimination and hatred that if it were a choice, I wouldn't want anything to do with it.

In the end, Gaga has it right. God makes no mistakes.

And I'm glad....I was born this way.

Random Thoughts

I've tried coming up with solid topics to talk about in a blog post. So far all I've came up with are ideas that I couldn't talk about for more than two or three paragraphs without it sounding like an incoherent rambling session. So I've decided just to combine all the random, barely coherent thoughts I've had lately in one giant smorgasbord of a blog.

So here we go:

- Our church did a service on the importance of serving in the church this past weekend. I wanted to sign up but Joel was concerned. I think he's been doing stuff like that his whole life and wanted to take a break. He's still got a lot of raw feelings about religion that he needs to deal with and I respect that. I've even tried to help him. But for me, it's an old itch I want to scratch.

This may surprise some people but I like serving others. I've been doing it on and off since I was 16 years old. From volunteering on campaigns for good causes and political movements to spending time at homeless shelters. I stopped when I was about 18 or 19 but I missed it a lot. So when I was 20 and 21, I did it again. Only this time I didn't tell anyone. Not my family or most of my friends. I just did it and didn't talk about it. It wasn't for my own glory or for myself. I was just helping others. That's been something I've been reluctant to talk about till now.

I just don't like feeling like I'm patting myself on the shoulder for doing something we should all be doing. It really makes me angry to see the selfishness we face in our own lives today. I'm not immune from it either. Recently we were at Taco Bell and they asked us to donate to a good cause. It was only a dollar or two, so we didn't even hesitate. If I can afford four tacos and a drink, I can afford to help someone I'll never meet, but who needs the help more than I do.

And yet, I sat in my chair watching person after person turn down the cashier when she asked, "Would you like to donate a dollar to _______ today?" It made me angry. If you're poor, you're poor. That's no excuse. I had $30 in my bank account at that point and I didn't hesitate. Again, not trying to pat myself on the back. There have been times when I turned down charities at stores and restaurants.

What makes us hesitate when people need help? When they need served? What makes us so uneasy that we can't give an hour or two every week to help others? Heck, what makes us so uneasy we can't even donate four quarters in our pocket?

Remember this blog next time you're at a restaurant and they ask you to donate. Most of the world lives on less than two dollars a day, you can afford to hand over half that amount.

Oh, and don't forget to tip your waitress.

- Charlie Sheen has gone from mildly entertaining, to psychotically hilarious to down right embarrassing. It's amazing how much the media is loving this. It goes back to my "Don't Let Me Fall" blog I posted like a month ago. We're obsessed with famous people crumbling. And through it all, I don't see many people offering to help him. He's desperately on a comedy tour trying to make a quick buck and the reviews have been horrible. And yet, no one is helping him. Maybe no one can. But it amazes me how much the media focuses on the man and they bring on friends of Charlie to talk about his misfortunes. All the while, rarely focusing on ploys or plans to get him help.

Maybe I shouldn't feel sorry for him. He's an adult who made his own bed, I should let him sleep in it. He's made more money in the last year than I'll ever have my hands on. Sheen has been arrogant and vicious to everyone around him the last few months. This is his fault.

But when someone is addicted to drugs, we get them help. We don't pick at everything they've ever done wrong. We simply want them better. Charlie Sheen is no different.

- Lady Gaga recently came out with a song that got many talking. It was called "Born This Way" and it was probably the first song in history to have the word "transgendered" in it. She went on to rally all those who are insecure with themselves to be who they were born to be. It's a good message to some, to some it makes them uneasy. But she got people talking and I think that was her point all long. Now she's coming out with a song called "Judas", which is being hyped by those who have heard it as one of her top hits since "Bad Romance" and "Poker Face". While that gets many excited, including me, the subject matter of the song is a little....uh, troubling.

It's being reported that the music video will portray her as Mary Magdalene and a well known actor as Judas.  The whole thing has a biblical nature to it and it's potentially offensive. So potentially offensive that Gaga's creative director Laurieann Gibson almost called it quits on the music video. Gibson, who is a Christian, said:

"I was like, 'Listen, I don't want lightning to strike me!'" Gibson told The Hollywood Reporter. "I believe in the gospel and I'm not going there."

Gibson goes on to say she helped reign the music video in. Even so, I think many Gaga fans (including myself) are looking at the song concept with concern. I have no doubt the song will be huge and will probably top the charts. But at what cost? Remains to be seen.

Gibson did give some hope from the set of the "Judas" music video for concerned Gaga fans:

"It was amazing because to have that conversation about salvation, peace and the search for the truth in a room of non-believers and believers, to me, that was saying God is active in a big way," Gibson said. "And the place that it came to is surreal."

I have opinions and I'm not afraid to share them

The title is long.

I'll try and keep this short.

We all have opinions. Some have more opinions than others. Some are more willing to share their opinions on everything, no matter what it is. I'm one of those people. It gets me into some great debates and conversations. It also gets me into a lot of trouble. There are some things you should just avoid.

I guess one of the things I've learned in the last year is when you speak, it should be quality, not quantity. 

Example: Joel gets onto me all the time because I tell him that I don't think home schooling is the best option. 

His parents were religious and for whatever reason they thought it would be a good idea to keep him away from the secular world. As if you could do that. (Didn't Jesus say you can't escape the world?) Joel agrees generally that public schools are better for social lives and relating to other children. The point we disagree about is the quality of their education. He thinks public schools aren't effective and I think home schooling doesn't give the kid the help they need if they're falling behind. If you have a child who isn't learning as well in public schools, they can get tutoring help and put into programs. You don't get that at home, I would think.

Maybe I have a valid argument. Maybe not. But that's not really the point. The point is it bothers him when I bring up my point of view. If I'm guilty of anything, it's of being insensitive. I like to tell it how it is, or how I see it. I'm brutally honest and obnoxiously blunt. It's a blessing and a curse.

To top the cake with icing, I'm kind of a hypocrite. If I had to make a list of my greatest sins and biggest character flaws, double standards would be on the top of the list. I often hold others to standards I'm not willing to follow. That's not fair. It's also not a good selling point for convincing others to respect issues sensitive to me, when I won't give them the same respect.

You've heard the saying, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. Well for me it's "if you think you have something nice to say, think before you say it. If you think you have anything to say, think about it before you make new enemies."

P.S- That wasn't really all that short. See what I mean? I have opinions and I'm not afraid to share them!

God Hates Fruit Loops- Part 2

Libby Phelps isn't crazy.

She's actually quite normal, all things considered. She was born and raised in the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church; that engages in cult-like protests all over the globe proclaiming homosexuality is the sin that broke the camels back and that God is destroying our country and killing our troops because we won't obey.

It's sick and it's twisted. But it's what they believe and nothing seems to stop them. When they protest troop funerals, motorcycle riders will stand in front of them to cover up their signs and they'll start their engines to blare out any sounds from the Phelps. Yet still, the protests go on. Radio shows are now giving them air time to stop some of the funeral protests. And yet, they still continue. The father of a fallen soldier who was protested by the Phelps, who was told by them that his dead son was burning in hell for fighting for our freedom, took them all the way to the Supreme Court. They won. And it still continues.

Megan Phelps hinted this week on her Facebook the possibility of an reality show to get their message on an even bigger audience. Shirley Phelps-Roper is all over Twitter and all over TV and radio. They're bigger than ever.

Among it all, Libby Phelps got away. She's among a handful of Phelps who got away. She recently came out of hiding and did an interview at an Q&A session with Kevin Smith, the director of an Phelps-inspired horror movie called 'Red State'. What Libby had to say shocked me.

Not only do the Phelps do this for publicity, as expected, but they do it because they really believe this stuff. It's not some ploy to just gain attention entirely, it's attention with a message. And it's a powerful message. 

The message is:

1. God hates gay people

2. God hates America

3. God hates churches

4. God hates Christians

5. God hates dead troops

6. God hates alive troops

7. God hates dead celebrities

8. God hates alive celebrities

9. God hates President Obama

10. God hates everything he created

......BUT THEM.

Libby also said that she left the church after praying with the other members of the church (and I use that word loosely with them) for people to die. Innocent people to die? That's what they pray for?! Not for world peace, an end to poverty, that sinners would repent, that God's will be done here on earth. None of that stuff that Christians pray for. None of that stuff Jesus talked about. Nothing that the Bible would prescribe they pray about.

Just death. They want people to die.

That's sick--even for them. 

I've spent many years studying their church, researching their view point and even on occasion interacting with their church members. I've come to the conclusion that they've been brainwashed to hate. They believe God wants them to hate, as he hates. Or so they say.

In doing so, they miss the reality of God. They miss the big story line of the Bible. They miss the reasoning why Jesus died on the cross in the first place. And they miss the most important commandments of the Bible that Jesus uttered himself.

Love. 

It's love, stupid. 

Yet what Libby Phelps talks about is an environment where she was expected to hate other people. She was expected to spend all of her time, money and energy proclaiming a false doctrine of hatred. God does get angry, he does have wrath. But mostly importantly, he loves.

I feel bad for Libby.

I feel bad that she was lied to about Christianity. I feel bad that her picketing and her families picketing led to people getting a false impression of Christians. 

I just....feel bad.

Libby isn't crazy. Far from it.

She's compassionate, funny, warm, and...loving.

And that's something that God surely doesn't hate.

My take.

The 'Belief Blog' is CNN's websites religious opinion section.

They recently did a blog post arguing why the Bible condemns homosexuality. In response to that, based on the massive feedback they received, they added another blog called 'Your Take' posting some of the readers responses. There were a lot of responses but CNN picked these few as the best of the best.

Before I go any further, let's clear something up.

My sexuality is the hot button issue addressed by CNN.

It amazes me sometimes. My life isn't much different than my straight friends or my families. I like a lot of the same movies and music, I do many of the same activities and I have the same kind of boring routines in my daily life as they do.

But because of one aspect of who I am (my sexuality), I'm seen to some as spiritually broken, morally unacceptable and just plain wrong.

We can argue why that's so. But in doing so, I think we'd all agree that religion plays a big role in the equation.

CNN knew that, addressed it, and let the readers respond.

Taking it a step further, I want to address and respond to those readers:

Josei
Interesting that gay is a sin. However, I never see the "correct" religious people fighting to save families and male-female marriages. Are you out there condemning those "straight" couples who cheat, beat and abuse one another, then flee a marriage? No, you don't. But, yet I see you "correct" religious people fighting to keep gay couples from being married in even a civil union when straight marriages are trashed every day.

I like this response. We've all seen the statistics that half of heterosexual marriages end in divorce, many due to sins like adultery and sexual immorality. How come we never see those so violently opposed to same-sex marriage bring up these numbers? In Matthew, Jesus asks the question: Why do you see the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye but not the plank in your own? The word choice Jesus uses is hypocrite. It's hypocrisy!

If you want to address the problem with your brother's sexuality and their perceived sin, maybe you should first acknowledge and address the big problem you face with your own marriages.

Neutralizer
Why does my son have to learn at school that being gay is cool and OK? Tell you what, no praying in school and no brainwashing our kids that being gay or transgender is acceptable?

First of all, what school system teaches that being gay is cool? Public school systems are embracing anti-bullying measures to address the growing problem of homosexual teen suicide and depression. Much of the problem is due to attitudes like this. Some parents don't want concepts like acceptance taught in schools. The only thing that acceptance does is teach children we are all different and while we have different opinions, it's not okay to discriminate or bully someone because of their individuality.

You call it brainwashing, I call it responsible. We have to address bullying.

FYI--You're allowed to pray in public schools. Does the school push prayer? No it doesn't and it shouldn't. We have separation of church and state in this country for a reason. The two issues are apples and oranges.

kcv
As a Christian, I know the No. 1 rule is to not to play God ... which means not judging! We all have our prejudices, which is human nature, but I try very hard to not judge. Here's a very simple rule that makes it easy:

You can look at your neighbor and decide that you would NEVER do, act, or speak things that they will do, act, or speak ... but they are looking at you thinking the same! None of us are perfect, and we ALL do things the Bible says not to do (including abominations like eating pork, shellfish, gold, etc..)!

They bring up an important argument: We shouldn't play God.

We're allowed to oppose things because God opposes them.

But we are supposed to love our neighbors.

Love is not hatred. And unfortunately, that's how a lot of Christians express their feelings towards homosexuals.

Let's have a conversation and a dialogue on what the Bible opposes. But let's do it with love--not hatred.

Salvatore
Like Sirena I have read the Bible multiple times. I was raised Catholic, parents were religious educators and lectures ... I think reading the Bible, front to back, and not just the little snippets you get on Sunday, would turn most reasonable people away. It is so full of contradiction you have to suspend belief to believe. How can you take one "instruction manual" and wind up with so many "products"? It's ridiculous.

I don't really have much to say to this readers response. Disbelief in the Bible's accuracy isn't a good starting place for answering the question. To make it worse, the reader didn't really address the question at hand. Just like homosexuality, the Bible is a hot button issue. Which is why neither side gains much traction in these debates. Too many emotions and feelings get involved and it turns into a pissing contest.

The last readers response was similar, so I won't address it.

I just want to finish with this:

War.  Rape.  Murder.  Poverty.  Equal rights for gays.  Guess which one the Southern Baptist Convention is protesting? 

Think about it.

Don't let me fall.

Why are we obsessed with watching people fall?

Reality television has been dominating networks since Y2K. But that style of television has seemed to evolve towards embracing shows that show the failures of others. People with drug habits go on Intervention. People with weight issues go on Heavy or the Biggest Loser. We can't get enough of watching people at their lowest point.

Why is it fascinating to us? Is it because we realize we're a few bad decisions away from that person? Is it because we're so insecure with our own lives, we'd rather watch as others lives tumble around us?

I watched Hoarders the other night with Joel and the only reaction we both had was "how could these people do something that stupid?" One man had so much stuff on his two acres of land, he wasn't able to get into his own home. Instead he would sleep in the only ten feet of room left in a camper on his property. And I couldn't look away. His failure and misery was my entertainment. It's cultures entertainment.

Pain, suffering and, yes, failure is our favorite entertainment of choice.

Personally one of my biggest fears is failure. No one wants to fail. We all hate that feeling of not being thin enough, pretty enough, rich enough, talented enough, etc. Does watching a show about obese people make me feel better about being thinner? Does a show about people with drug problems make me feel good inside because I don't have a drug issue? No, not really. But it's not me, I'm not the one failing. They are. 

Lady Gaga was recently interviewed and she said something that stuck with me. She said that people would like to see her die. Why? Because she's a worldwide celebrity and a pop music icon. Society would love to see her dissolve just as fast as she rose to stardom. We love to watch them fall, right? Britney Spears having a nuclear meltdown, Christina Aguilera on a downward spiral and Charlie Sheen going postal. It's our obsession.

Society is so sick that we'd rather watch the failures of other people than make something of ourselves. Maybe that's why our education system is in crisis, we've got moral decay across the board and our government is as corrupt as it's ever been. It's all our fault and we could care less. Show us someone else failing, we want to be entertained. 

Give us politicians in sex scandals, celebrities in rehab, ordinary people in crisis. But don't let us fall.

We're just bored. And they're just interesting.