I knew then that this was not to be my path. It took a long time and a lot of study to get where I am now, and I am nowhere near finished with learning and studying, with exploring which path I should take. I know, for sure, that I am headed in the right direction for me, though.

When I read posts like “I used to tell God I hated him” I can’t help but wonder what it is that people are seeing in the Bible that was leading them to take this path and for so many to follow along, sometimes blindly. Perhaps it is just what is brought up in this article (among other things) about the Magdalene laundries, that children are raised to believe that their sins are not or can not be forgiven? If they were, then surely this sort of thing wouldn’t be happening. They would repent these “sins” and go on to do better, especially the children and adults who had made terrible mistakes in the eyes of their Catholic parents, instead of sending them away to be abused indefinitely. After all, there are no children of any religion until they are old enough to choose. As Richard Dawkins puts it in the introduction to “The God Delusion” (the paperback version), there are no “Christian children,” only children of Christian parents. Parents should teach their children about their beliefs (and other’s), but they should not ever expect them to follow them all and then punish them when they can’t.

It seems impossible to me that there can be so many offenses against those of non-Christian faith based on the teachings of the Bible, but alas, look at war. I don’t even mean all the ones that have gone before in the name of Christianity, but even the current ones. Soldiers, representatives of the United States (most certainly not a Christian country-never has been), are on a mission to convert others overseas. When you read “Onward Christian Soldiers (General Order what now?)” also be sure to click that first link. They actually believe that these people want to be converted to Christianity and that they need religion. They have a religion. They are mostly Muslims. They believe that the job of the chaplains of the US military is to proselytize in other countries because the Bible tells them to “witness.” Their jobs are to support our troops and not to violate the laws of other countries by pushing their beliefs on others. It’s bad enough when that pushing happens here, but to take it there, not only violating a direct order from this country but also breaking the laws of the one they are in? How would Christians feel if Iraq or any other country invaded our country and then went about pushing Islam on us?

I know a lot of Christians, and I know that the vast majority of them here really do believe that all of our sins are already forgiven. Most of them have respect for our differences in beliefs, lifestyles and choices. It seems to me that all religions come down to taking care of each other and living a good life. Pushing one’s beliefs on another, whether it be a child or an adult, seems like a sin to me, you know, if you believe in such a thing as “sin.”

Given that there is to be separation of Church and State in this country, and also given that this country was founded on freedom (including that of religion), how could anyone use the Bible, and nothing else, as their argument against everyone having equal rights? The main issue in each of these state’s confusion about their constitutions in relation to legal unions, as far as I can tell, is how they want to define a couple. Everyone who reaches the age of consent has the right to enter into a legal union (a legally binding contract) with someone of the opposite sex, but few have the right to enter into a legal union with someone of the same sex. It seems that the government is being asked to determine what a “couple” is when it has nothing whatsoever to do with what a couple is. It is none of the state’s business whom I choose to enter into that contract with or why. I am free to live as I am or as I choose as long as it does not hurt anyone else. The question of marriage or handfasting or whatever is a totally separate part of the equation that has nothing whatsoever to do with the IRS/insurance company/Social Security Administration/hospital/etc. A person’s preference as to the type of bond they choose to have in their hearts, the ceremony, is based on their spirituality/religion and comes from the potential partner’s church or spiritual beliefs. It has nothing to do with a legal contract, a separate document that provides certain rights and protections under the law of the state. Why is it that so many believe it is their business who enters into that contract, who can and who cannot? What does anyone’s church have to do with that personal decision?

These arguments against same-sex unions seem to assume that everyone wants to get married which, to me, implies a Christian union. This country is not Christian and is not only comprised of Christians (or Muslims or Jews or adherents of any one religion). It is not to be assumed that everyone lives by that Bible or worships that god. I’d like to see the debate that assumes that we are all citizens of this country where there is a separation of Church and State. And I’d like to see the debate assume that everyone here, every citizen, has the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. After all, this is the case. This is that country.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (quoted from Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress 4 July 1776) While the Declaration of Independence is not really a legal document, it is a statement to the king of England outlining why this country was going to separate from England and govern itself. It does not mention anyone’s god, but it does allude to the author’s belief in a divine creator. The author was Thomas Jefferson, and while he was not an atheist, he did not believe in organized religion. He also states that he believes that all people are entitled to equal rights, although as a slave owner, he must have struggled with necessity of slave ownership in his time.

The legal document that the country was founded upon is the Constitution. There is no mention of God, Jesus or any other deity in it. The concept of separation of Church and State is very clear throughout and makes sure everyone has the right to choose their deity or deities (or not) with no involvement by the government. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” (quoted from the U.S. Constitution ratified by congress on 4 March, 1789)

So, to me, this is all a given. Why wasn’t same-sex union made legal many years ago? Was it because we were allowing a church or religion to make governmental decisions?

Feel free to comment on this, but please do as I ask if you want to debate: comments cannot include anything related to any diety or any reference to a book for any religion. I want to see a debate about government, law and equal rights for the people. If not here, somewhere. I want to know why everyone shouldn’t have the right to enter into a legal union with their life partner in exactly the same way heterosexuals can enter into legal unions now. I’d like to see why it is anyone else’s business but mine (and my partner’s) who I choose to enter into a union with. What is everyone so afraid of?

The map is pretty darned blue, but eastern Europe seems to be on the red side. It would be cool to see more votes there for a better representation of the world’s opinion about tomorrow. I hope the voting turnout for the United States, for the votes that count, will be huge! It won’t be too long now until we finally have the answer. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~The cab drive I will never forget ~

Five years ago, I was a part-time cab driver while going to school.

It was a cowboy’s life, a life for someone who wanted no boss.

What I didn’t realize was that it was also a ministry.

Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, and made me laugh and weep.

But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night. I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some partyers, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.

But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation.

Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.

So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

“It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”

“Oh, you’re such a good boy,” she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”

“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.”

I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

“I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.

“Nothing,” I said.

“You have to make a living,” she answered.

“There are other passengers.”

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

“You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”

I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware – beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

I keep hearing comments such as “one million Muslims are not worth one American soldier” and “the Muslims want to destroy the world” and the ones about the war in Iraq being revenge for 9/11. It hit me the hardest tonight when I was speaking to a friend, someone I actually know and know to be a reasonably intelligent man who said “if we kill everyone in the Middle East, it’ll be fine with me.” At that point, I had to end the conversation. I am disappointed. I am frustrated and embarrassed that there are so many ignorant and bigoted people around me in my own country still buying into the lies and contributing to the hatred that will only perpetuate these problems. But I sure didn’t expect it from someone I consider a friend.

These unaware and small-minded people all, I’m going to pretend for my own peace and use the word “coincidentally,” they coincidentally also want to vote for the same candidate who said tonight in a debate that America is the greatest force for good, that we are peacemakers and peacekeepers. Where have they all tucked their heads?! This is the candidate who is of the same party as the one who started the war. We invaded Iraq. He supported it. This was not something we did cooperating with the U.N.; it was an invasion. It had nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden and nothing to do with a lie about weapons of mass destruction. How does that, in any way, resemble a peaceful act or the act of a peacemaking country? Our people are still at war there, killing and being killed. I’ve not been around for very long this lifetime, but in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve not seen much of my country being peacemakers or peacekeepers. He’s been around longer than me. He’s seen more senseless war and death than I have.

This attitude of some of my fellow citizens of anger and hate, this warmongering, this bizarre belief that everyone should have democratic governments and be Christians needs to stop. Now. It needs to happen on every level between the youngest of citizens and the oldest of leaders, political and otherwise. We’ve seen too much hate and fear and discrimination and intolerance. We’ve taken a lot of steps backward in the last eight years. It’s time to start fixing what we have done and move forward so that we can get to a point where we can get as many people home and with their families as we can, save as much as we can before there is nothing left to save.

“There is no glory in battle worth the blood it costs.” ~Dwight Eisenhower

That was embarrassing. Was the point of Governor Palin’s performance to make a mockery of the job to which she has “applied” or of women or both? Or was it just another attempt to cover up the fact that she hasn’t the first clue what she is doing?

I suppose it’s handy that she made it easy for anyone who wasn’t quite sure before. She left no question now that she cannot do the job, that she could not be sent to represent the United States at funerals of foreign dignitaries or meet with other heads of state, that she cannot handle herself as a professional. I shudder to think of her replacing McCain as president, not that he had much of my confidence to start, but she is proof that there is always someone worse.

Just. . .wow.

~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

While I am all for teaching all sides to issues as long as they are based in fact (let’s please keep creationism out of schools, seriously, and I am painfully aware of the quality of teachers in the US system now, but we work with what we have if we aren’t going to pay what teachers are really worth), I am not for teaching children that they cannot or should not do their part to help when they can. The exact figures on how much of global warming is coming from humans’ effects is certainly controversial, and which figure you choose to quote certainly depends on which side benefits you (usually financially), but that does not mean we are not having a noticeable impact. It also does not mean that our future scientists, engineers, architects, inventors, etc. are not in school right now. What is wrong with giving them an awareness of the world outside of their physical selves? What is wrong with showing them that the things they do, literally everything, affects everyone else? Their parents might not help them to feel/see/whatever their spiritual connection to everyone and everything else, but I do not see anything whatsoever wrong with making them aware of how their decisions at the store or when buying a home or car, or when designing that home or car, affect everyone including the very planet we all live on and depend on for our very lives. And even if our effect is only 5% (which I believe the poster chose because it works best for her argument, and let’s face it, we can find some source to cite for just about any figure we want to pull out of our asses to support our own viewpoints), what is wrong with making them aware of the part they can play? It’s still a pretty impressive figure. I wish it were the real one, but telling children the information in that video is wrong as opposed to perhaps biased or that the bears are not protected now, well. . .

That would be a lie. I’m sad that the author has been missing the point all along. She’s still wrapped up in “me.” This isn’t about her or me or any one of us, especially us old folks. We’ll likely be gone before the “sins” of our youths will really come down on them. It’s about teaching social and environmental consciousness. It’s about responsibility for our own actions, for our own part and parts in this society. I am tired of lazy people who will not take responsibility for their own actions (or inaction), and I am even more tired of people teaching their children their bad habits. Do NOT stop someone who is trying to motivate the children of the lazy, irresponsible people who want to sit around debating what is causing global warming and if there is such a thing at all (in between stuffing their faces with junk food while watching “reality shows”) instead of starting to make better decisions on their own now while we wait for the exact facts and figures to come in about the causes, and there are likely many. Please. She should give them some other facts (stressing facts here) to temper Mr. Gore’s if she wants but to not, in any way, lead them to believe they cannot or should not do their part to make responsible choices as consumers and as citizens of the planet. This is not indoctrination; it is education. There is a huge difference.

What is wrong with teaching children to use and re-use bags they bring from home so they do not have to answer the “paper or plastic” question? What is wrong with teaching them to think about packaging, to read labels and to buy locally when they can? What is wrong with teaching them to get off their butts and walk or bicycle to where they need to go instead of getting a ride? What is wrong with showing them with that film or some other AND by example to carpool? to buy light bulbs that save electricity and last longer? to hang up the laundry on the line rather than using the dryer whenever possible? What is wrong with showing them that sometimes there could be a better way when they are designing a product and to consider more than looks or function but also impact on other people and the environment? Even if global warming had nothing whatsoever to do with humans, what would be so bad about teaching people early on not to squander resources and make unnecessary messes that may be very difficult to clean up?

What is wrong with teaching children about the natural cycles of life and that polar bears are a part of it, and that keeping balance in an ecosystem means all of the animals, the predators and the prey, and the plants? What is wrong with helping them to understand that eliminating one species changes the balance in that ecosystem?

I don’t understand why it is preferable to sit around and debate things we KNOW to be true while we try to figure out the rest. Why wait? Why not teach children about responsibility now?

I needed to mop the kitchen floor even though I knew it was going to be raining again in a few days and we’d be tracking mud in again then. I hauled the broom, mop and bucket into the kitchen. After a thorough sweeping, I just about knocked over the cookie jar and noticed there was only one cookie left. That’s just enough to split amongst the rats since there aren’t many left so I did just that.

While giving the rats downstairs their part of the cookie and doing the usual schmoogling and all that goes with playing with cute, furry pets, I noticed the de-humidifier needed to be emptied, so I dumped the water into the plants in the deck garden. The goldfish on the deck always wants to be fed, so while I was out there, I fed him and played with him as I do at his feeding time. Might as well feed the inside fish, too. One of the cats likes to try to get the fish food, so while I was in the kitchen with it, she batted some out of my hand. I scoop her up and hold her like a baby, rubbing her belly. She loves this. It’s handy that I had the broom there to sweep up again. The phone rings. I could have had the mopping done by now if I had just done it.

I’m on the phone with a friend for awhile talking and joking around, and we plan to do rosemary chicken on the grill and all sorts of other yummy things to make with it. This is going to be a really good meal, but it gets me thinking about deviled eggs. I’ve not had deviled eggs in a long time. Once I’m off the phone, I set out on this new mission: I’m going to make deviled eggs. By now it’s after 10 PM. I do my best work at night anyway.

The pan of eggs is set on to boil, and I start unloading and reloading the dishwasher and cleaning up the ramen noodle mess my spawn just got done making on the counters and stove. How can one man make this much mess boiling noodles and adding powder to them? I call him in to help (on principle), and we start goofing off and talking about how much he is looking forward to the new Warhammer game on the 18th of the month. Somehow we did get the mess cleaned up, and I deal with my boiled eggs. I fetch some parsley from the deck garden and start cracking and peeling the eggs. I cut them in half and scoop out the yolks, mmmm, this is going to be sooo good, dump the yolks in a bowl. . . and we have no mayonnaise? How can we have no mayo? Mayo is white people’s soul food (according to Martin Mull’s 1985 mockumentary “The History of White People in America”), and somehow it didn’t get onto the list when we went to the store today? Oh, no, this is bad. I’m jonesing for deviled eggs by now. It’s just after 11 PM, and the store that has the canola mayo doesn’t close until midnight. Whew.

But there is no gas in the car. I frantically pull on a pair of jeans and fumble for keys and phone and plastic while checking with all in house to see if there is anything else we forgot. I stop at the Quiktrip a few blocks from my house for gasoline. The guy in front of me needs 752 money orders for amounts varying from $13.63-$400 each. I should have paid at the pump, but I just had to get a lottery ticket while I was here. Too late now. The guy behind me is on a beer run and also in a bit of a rush to get back to the party. We amuse ourselves cracking jokes about politics and mayonnaise and money orders (all with the “waiting” theme). I wonder if he is old enough to buy beer? Everyone looks so young to me.

I’m off to the grocery store at about 11:35. Once there, I grab a canvas grocery bag and head for the door, the one I know they lock at 10 PM. I’ve been going to this store for seven years. You’d think I’d remember by now that that door is locked at 10 PM and you have to go around and use the other one. Maybe I am slipping a little. Just a little. I’m in! Made it before closing time. I can taste those eggs now. . .mmmm. . . but while I’m here, maybe I could get one more pack of those gorgeous blueberries they have on special. Oh, and some shiitakes for miso soup would also be a good idea. Got my mayo and headed for the soda aisle to get what the kid wanted. On the way to check out, I glance down an aisle to see a cute young couple-he is holding up the cell phone to take a picture while she pretends to ride a broom. A silly grin spreads over my face as I arrive at the counter and am greeted with a pleasant smile and “hello, did you find everything you needed tonight?” Through my stupid ear-to-ear grin, I tell her “yes” and can see the look she is giving me. So I tell her about the couple in the aisle with the broom. She is trying not to laugh as she tells a co-worker who walks up behind her. We’re all having a laugh and then go into all the stupid pranks we’ve pulled in grocery stores like when we used to throw long passes with frozen hamburger with Dad or the Matchbox races at the Piggly Wiggly with friends when I was a teen. They’d done similar things and one had even ventured into label switching. We’re all in jolly spirits as I grab my bag to leave and see the couple we’d been discussing approach. The stupid grin comes back as I tell her those are the ones. Her reply is something along the lines of “thanks a lot, you just had to tell us, now how am I going to keep a straight face?” To which I reply, “have a fabulous night, ladies!” My work here is done.

On the way home, I blast Modern English from the stereo and get a lewd, but very interesting, offer from an absolutely adorable young man at a light. Thanks for the offer, sugar, but I’m on a mission. I seriously doubt he could buy beer if he wanted to. Is it just me or are guys getting very, very forward nowadays?

At home I finish making my deviled eggs, clean up after myself including sweeping shell fragments from the just-swept floor and offer some to my son. I eat three halves and put the others away for later. My brother and my son’s girlfriend are both already sacked out, so they will have to wait for their treats. This has been a really fun night but not in the usual way, not in the way that happens when you plan/expect a fun night. It’s been that special kind of fun that you can’t plan, the kind you have to just take in and appreciate as it happens, as you are lucky enough to have the opportunity instead of stressing about things that can wait like housework. Life is much too short each time to spend it on things instead of on Her living beings. I’m tired, and I want to read now. The mopping will only take twenty minutes or so. I’ll do it tomorrow (by now, later today). Or maybe the cleaning faeries will come along and deal with it for me. They’d probably do a better job, anyway. Maybe I should leave them some honey and cream. . .or an egg.