March to a Different Drummer

Here is an argument that may sound odd at first, but the more I ponder it, the more intuitive it becomes. Years ago with some time on my hands, working in Riyadh, I began a genealogical hobby and was proud of the approximately 500 individuals, back to Jamestown and before, that I had discovered. I had seen how, not just arithmetically, or geometrically, but exponentially do the cousins and grandparents and branches and twigs grow into a tree, that were it to be taken back twenty or so generations would have encompassed most of the then population of the then Europe. This may be the core unconscious draw to genealogy. It is this realization of the connectedness we constantly deny. We stop at a traffic light and are indifferent to the “relatives” in the car next to us. Or we haven’t a clue as to our relative who lives a few inches away in the next-door apartment. Or the very distant cousin who is the annoying salesperson we dealt with recently. It is this realization on which I’d

For anyone interested in the Virginia marriage amendment I hope you will check out and perhaps spread the word of this Call To Action .

I wonder how history will view this period of American politics. This ruse of making gays the boogeymen, the whipping boys, for the moral ills and the transmogrification of traditional American family values into the decadent excesses and moral ambiguities of 2006. Frightening this must be to those over 60. But even more frightening to those who so fear change, so hold dear the security of their status and the comfort of their family and the esteem of their position in society – to see all around them, wretched moral decay. Oh, politicians are clever and this generation has produced some of the cleverest. And in Machiavellian style they have looked for a scapegoat – not unlike how other minorities have been scapegoat in the past – we all know about those. Whether there are witches to burn, or heretics to torture, or Jews to incinerate – or homosexual perverts to bash. Whip up frenzy, diatribes of ignorance, even exhort from your pulpits to exorcise the demons. Bring down the que

A close friend who is a psychology major at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) lent me several of his college psychology books. I found a few sentences from the topic “Why Do People Marry” from a heavy text called ‘Human Sexuality’ quite interesting. “Not until the nineteenth century did the notion of love as a basis of marriage become widespread in Western society.” “Marriage provides a sense of emotional and psychological security, however, and opportunities to share feelings, experiences, and ideas with someone with whom one forms a special attachment. Desires for companionship and intimacy are key goals in marriage today”. “Broadly speaking, those people who want to get married do so because they believe they will be happier if they get married.” This suggests two things to me. (1) Our notion of what marriage is is evolving and changing – it is in somewhat of a flux – and to carve it in stone into our State and Federal Constitutions may have substantial negative repercussion

I am a Christian - and I refuse to allow others to define what Christianity is for me. The intrusion of the far right conservative fundamentalism into government policy is troubling. I am particularly concerned with the position on so called "gay marriage". The issue is more clearly about civil marriage - and why two adults who love each other and make a commitment to each other and are a couple in all respects similar to a heterosexual couple - why this homosexual couple should be denied the rights and responsibilities that are routinely given to a heterosexual couple. Here are some questions I have been unable to get satisfactory answers to about the relationship between the state and gays: (1) My aunt remarried in her 70's after her first husband died. How is that civil marriage so much different from a homosexual civil marriage, as children and sex were not factors so much as were companionship and legal issues? (2) With all of the un-adopted children - why don

<< The following are my impressions and imaginings of the recent Town Hall Meeting Tuesday, January 31, 2006 7:00 PM with Senator John C. Watkins Delegate John M. O?Bannon, III Delegate Katherine B. Waddell I admit I am trying to tell a story and not be a reporter - but to give my point of view. I want to also say I applaud the contributions these elected officials make, and only want to catch their, and the public’s, attention to this issue. >> So, Senator Watkins, you’ve said that the senate is a bit different in character than the house, and that senators are more “big picture”, broader perspective, longer range – wiser. So, senator, since we are about to engrave discrimination to second-class citizenship for all homosexuals in the state, tell me, what role do you want us to play? What fundamentalist, conservative, religious right behavioral model do you suggest we play? Remain in the closet, out of sight, out of mind? Or should we immigrate to more progressive enlighten

Please Join Us for Town Hall Meeting Monday, February 6, 2006 7:00 PM with Senator John C. Watkins Delegate Katherine B. Waddell Delegate R. Lee Ware at Midlothian Middle School 13501 Midlothian Turnpike This is your opportunity to question, comment, propose, and complain to your state senator and your state representative. And it is your citizenship responsibility in our democracy to participate in forming the issues that will directly affect you in your daily lives. No one can credibly complain if they do nothing. Can you really be critical of our politicians and our government if you are unwilling to spend only two hours of your time to attend a town hall meeting? And can you honor the sacrifice and courage of those who came before, and fought for the liberty, freedom, and equality we take for granted, and yet not make the effort to participate, or at least familiarize yourself with the issues? Too often there is the observation that special interest groups are running things – thi

And the swing from excessive exuberance to unfounded pessimism is as natural as anything in nature – for it is merely nature written large. This path between risk and reward is the intelligent design that has taken the pure energy of the big bang and guided it to colalese into particles, then atoms, molecules, DNA, life, man, computers, intelligent design – voilà. The ring is unbroken. © Bill Garnett - 2006