Month: September 2013

Lost Weekend

Wow, I have been so out of it today. I know part of it is not have eaten for over 24 hours before I was able to have some chicken and noodles. Not much, but it did keep me going. I’m going to have some scrambled eggs for supper, again not much, but as I found out with the soup, it does aggravate my gums to eat anything which isn’t apple sauce… but I am getting better, it’s just going to take some time.

I have been trying to catch up on my blog reading, though I’m sure there is a lot a missed. I also noticed I can’t “Like” post from the dashboard at the moment, though I probably need to restart my browser. I’m just too lazy to do it yet. 

I’m also going through yet again and trying to straighten out my iTunes library. I didn’t realize just how many songs I had never bothered to rate and those I did, I’m not happy with the way I have them marked, so it’s start at the beginning and listen to each song and make adjustments as needed. It’s time consuming to say the least. Add to this I am looking to see what songs I will put together for my NaNoWriMo playlist. Then it will be time to straighten out the music on my phone… I use it as my iPod for work and I know there is a bunch of stuff I want to remove when I have the chance.

The bad thing is this has pretty much wiped out my weekend, but I was expecting it to. I really wanted these two days to recover so I won’t miss any more work. 

Okay, I hink I’ve rambled long enough, I’m going to get off here now and let everyone get back to your normally scheduled programming. 🙂

A Better Day

This is just a small update. 

I woke this morning with much less pain and my near migraine was gone as well. I am still sore, especially in my jaw, but as long as I don’t yawn it isn’t too bad. 

The most difficult thing is being restricted in what I can eat for these fist few days, only soft foods and liquids, which really sucks when your the one fixing the meals for everyone else and all you can do is smell it cooking… and be told how good the food was, which makes me feel a little better.

Taking The Night Off

Dental icon md

 

I’m basically taking the night off. I have this set to post up for tomorrow, (by WP time).

 I had two more teeth extracted today and I feel as if I was hit in the face with a bat, so it’s pain meds and sleep for me.

 

I’ll be back tomorrow.

 

Hope everyone has a great night,

Kira

Marriage Equality: Some Thoughts

In the Untied States, marriage equality continues to be an issue of debate. With the rulings of the Supreme Court and the federal government recognizing same-sex marriages, the fight has moved to individual states. 

Despite what is seen as sever setbacks to the anti-equality groups on the federal level, they see a chance for gains in individual states which will allow them circumvent those rulings with which they so strongly disagree. Several states have already passed laws for equality, some have passed them against and there is still a long way to go before this issue is settled.

There is a continuing stream of propaganda coming from pro religious right groups giving their reasoning for why states and communities should continue discriminatory practices with regards to who is and is not allowed to be protected by the laws and regulations as set forth under marital relationships.

There is just one small problem.

They have and continue to miss an important point. Marriage in the U.S. is as much a secular institution as it a religious one. Therein lies the heart of the debate we are currently seeing.

Despite what many of these groups would have you believe, America is not a Christian nation. Though it is the dominate religion practiced, the founding fathers saw fit to make provisions for keeping the government sectarian. 

If marriage had remained a religious ceremony free from any recognition by the government, then these groups would be well within their rights to refuse to recognize any union which goes again their beliefs. However, once the government began to grant special consideration to couples who marry, it then moved beyond such simple considerations. 

It becomes the responsibility of governments, state and federal, to apply these considerations to all unions which meet the requirements of a marriage equally regardless of religious affiliations. 

This should have become clear when government officials were granted the power to join two people in marriage outside of a religious setting. Judges have the power to recognize marriages and make them legally binding. In such cases the institution of marriage has clearly moved from a religious rite to a sectarian institution as described in law. 

It is this fact which must stand above those who have religious objections.

The law is intended to apply to everyone equally regardless of any other consideration. This fact is the basis of anti-discrimation legislation and mandates. Everyone is bound by the same restrictions and protections no matter what their race, ethnicity, religion, or social status. When it is decided to exclude one group, equality is lost and the letter and the intent of the law is rendered moot.

If today we say a law protects everyone except group A, then tomorrow it can be changed to group B, C, or all of them. All it requires is a rewording of who is to be excluded. This is not equality and in the end we all lose.

When this exclusion is based on a religious belief, it immediately violates the rights of everyone who does not follow the same belief system and is therefore unconstitutional. Government must remain neutral in regards to how it interacts with every citizen irregardless of the views and opinions of individual officials. This is equality.

It behooves us all to look beyond our immediate surroundings and situations and see the broader picture as it relates to every member of society not just today but into the future. If the religious right has its way and they are allowed to impose their views on everyone as regards this single issue, then what is to stop them from doing so in other issues with which they do not agree? It may be marriage today, but it may be who can receive aid tomorrow. Financial, housing, food… all of these things could be regulated based on which religion a person adheres to. If you don’t meet the requirements, then you can be turned away. Is this what they want for the country? Christianity may be the most vocal and reactionary religious group at the moment, but what happens if that should change? Think about what this would mean if another religion were to rise up and in so doing decide these same groups should now be excluded from benefiting from government recognition? The loss of tax exemptions, loss of freedom of religion, of speech. It is not impossible being a Christian could become illegal, much as these same groups have sought to outlaw homosexuality.

If you are saying to yourself; “That could never happen in America,” I suggest you go and take a long, hard look at the Patriot Act, then come back and tell me again.

There is an old, old saying which seems to apply now, more than ever.

Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. 

The Traps Of Privilege

It seems as though a regular topic of discussion is that of privilege. Depending on which circles you move in, this is seen as racial privilege, gender privilege, married privilege, religious privilege, and national privilege.

We are all perpetrators and victims.

Think about it. The rich have privilege over the middle class who have it over the poor who have it over the destitute. Whites have it over non whites, citizens over immigrants. Adults over children, one generation over the next. The free over the incarcerated. The moral over the immoral. Then we as humans hold privilege over all we see as beneath us… the plants, the animals, the land, the sea, the planet.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

The whole of history is built on the granting and taking of privilege. We give to our leaders and those they choose, we give it to gods and demons and the forces of nature themselves.

We give it to the things we value the most.

Men have been given privilege simply because they are male but it is more than this alone. It is based on those things which society deems to be of value. Wealth, power, influence. Where he lives, where he works, what he drives, what he wears. All of these add and subtract to his privilege. It also plays a direct role in the type of women he can attract and keep.

Women too have a role to play, for they carry their own weights and responsibilities of privilege. Here too is the judgment of society. Where did you go to school? Where do you work? Where do you live? What quality of man do you attract and more to the point, what kind of man did you keep? Then there are your offspring who reflect as much on you as anything else. It is easy to say your worth is not tied to such things, but the truth is, these are the standards by which society judges you, by which it is determined how worthy you life has been. It is all arbitrary and the goals are always moving, yet we look at one another on the street, in our cars, in restaurants, on television and in movies and we judge. 

Each and every one of us.

We call it success and judge how far above or below us another is and determine their worth by what we see. Don’t believe it? Take a little time and look at others around you. How are they dressed? What cars do they drive? Where do they live? Is their husband handsome? Is their wife beautiful? Are their children well behaved? Do you know what church they attend? What school their children go to? Can you guess just from a first impression? 

Maybe you can, maybe you can’t, but you will have made a judgment none the less.

Nice clothes versus work clothes, a luxury car versus a beater. A nice home in the suburbs or a rental on the wrong side of the tracks? Is their church the same as yours or is it different?

Do you really know or are you making an assumption?

There are going to be some who say I have confused privilege with being judgmental. I say the reason one feels the right to judge another arises directly from privilege. If we as a people, as a race, were to truly embrace equity, there would be no privilege and therefor no judgment, at least none based on artificial standards but as a direct reflection of personal worth. Which would you rather be your legacy, a judgment of your material accomplishments or the memories of what you contributed to the world in word and deed? It is true we can leave much behind for those who remain, but is any of it worth anything at all if what you have left behind you in their hearts is anger and resentment?

With true equality there is no need for privilege. Each person is accepted as having different strengths and weaknesses, none more worthy than another, simply different but just as valuable. Each of us has something to contribute if we are given the chance.This is true in all relationships, personal or professional. Regardless of any other factors. 

If we can ever accept this truth, the world would be so much the better.

 

Rock the March to launch October 22 Marriage Equality rally in Springfield, Illinois

Illinois-based headliners perform one hour concert to launch March on Springfield 

From Chicago Pride.Com

 

Chicago, IL — Nationally prominent performers with Illinois roots will kick off the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality on Tuesday, Oct. 22 with a free one-hour concert live near the steps of the Illinois State Capitol. The diverse entertainment bill includes reality TV stars from “The Voice,” “American Idol,” and “America’s Got Talent;” a national poetry slam winner; a world champion & MVP quarterback who is also a pre-Grammy nominee; and a 2013 Trans 100 honoree fighting violence against transgender people.