Thursday, March 28, 2013

Blah Blah Blah Gay Marriage and Children


Since the Supreme Court is arguing the Constitutionality of DOMA and California's Proposition 8, and gay marriage is the talk of facebook, I figured it was time to enter the fray and flesh out my thoughts with a blog post. The way I see it, civil marriage is a civil right for ANY two committed adults who wish to share a life together. This is separate from any religious definition of marriage, and would not force religious organizations to bless any union they are opposed to. As a Christian, I differ from many of my brothers and sisters in Christ in believing that God sees the love and commitment behind the vows of marriage rather than the genders of those making the vows, but that's beside the point. What's being debated now is a civil institution existing within a secular and pluralistic society.

So any religious belief with regards to homosexuality is irrelevant to the SCOTUS. Apart from that, the main argument I keep hearing from social conservatives is basically "think of the children," and I don't think it holds up. What are the rights of a child? To be raised in a secure and loving household, yes. To their biological mother and father? Not when such people are often unfit to raise them. To be raised by two parents of the opposite sex, regardless of biology? Again, one's gender has nothing to do with one's fitness to be a parent, and all credible and unbiased studies show that children raised by gay couples fare no differently than children raised by straight couples.

But what really got me was the graphic to the left.

This is Mitt, who is infamous for talking about how 47% of the people think they are entitled to freebies from the government like food and shelter and healthcare.

So apparently people, including children, have no inherent right to the basic necessities of  life, but children DO have the right to a mother and a father? A right to be raised by two parents, as long as they are of opposite gender?

Someone's priorities are a little screwed up.

Yes, same-sex couples are marrying under the law in Massachusetts. And same-sex couples are forming partnerships and raising children across America. They aren't going anywhere. All they are asking for is the same civil rights and recognition as opposite-sex couples.


Saturday, March 16, 2013

I Intensely, and I Mean Intensely, Dislike Cops...

and here's my story as to why (warning: major rant to follow).

So tonight ended up taking a majorly bad turn. I went to the movies with a friend who lives in Southern PG County around 8. I was fairly tired after the movie got out, but I still had to drop off my friend after giving her a ride and check in on the cats I've been cat-sitting for (I do morning and evening visits b/c one of the cats has a thyroid condition and has to take a pill twice daily). I went to check on the cats and when I started my car back up, I discovered I had a flat. It may have been leaking since I hit the curb at the cash station earlier; I'm still not sure. But I'm a pretty stereotypical female when it comes to car trouble; I have yet to learn to change a tire myself. And did I mention I was tired? And that I just wanted to go home and go to bed? I decided to see whether it was drivable and then pull into a nearby shopping center and decide what to do from there, figuring that between finding someone to help me and my roadside assistance I would be ok.

Well, little old me naive me never suspected that I would be pegged a drunk driver. I had passed several police cars and a small group of people by the entrance of the shopping center. When a cop pulled up behind me, I (again with the naivety) thought maybe he saw that I needed help. Instead he asked me if I had been drinking.

I answered no, I hadn't had a drop of alcohol today. I mean I understand that it's the eve of St. Patrick's Day and all, so they're gonna be extra vigilant. But someone driving on a flat with her emergency flashers on, and then pulling into a parking lot? I tell him that I was out, realized I had a flat, and am just tired and frustrated and upset. He clearly doesn't believe me; asking me at least three times whether I had been drinking "even a little." Clearly I must have been, I mean why else would I be driving on a flat tire?

In don't deal with cops well.  In my various dealings (including after a break-in at my parents' beach house), I never have. I just find them to be really...intimidating. I find situations where I have to deal with the police to be upsetting to begin with, and of course they aren't very empathetic to my being upset. I understand that they are used to dealing with, well, criminals, and so they're going to be a good deal cynical. They're expecting lying; they're expecting guilt. But there's something rather humiliating about being treated like a law-breaker without firm evidence to the contrary.

I had to go through the whole sobriety test shebang for the first time in my life. Walking along a line, standing on one foot...things that are difficult to do even when sober if you are upset and tired. Then they finally gave me the breathalizer and let me go. The worst part is they didn't even offer to help me with my tire before they left, though they did wait around while I called my mom for a ride. Did they wait to see that I made it out of the parking lot safely? Nope.

So I left my car in the parking lot and will deal with that tomorrow (actually later today). I just really need to sleep my anger and frustration and upset off.

Edited to add: Huh. It's actually almost 2 am on St. Patrick's Day now. I have no idea how to change the time  in blogger. *shrugs*