Quote Of The Day - Gay Marriage Is Like WHAT?!

"The government should not force us to ever use our business and use our talents, to go against what we fundamentally believe in.  For example, we would not force a Muslim to participate in a Koran-burning ceremony. We wouldn't ask a black photographer, and force them to go take a picture of KKK event. This is America. And in America, we should be able to live freely and not be forced to support or endorse ideas."

- Kellie Fiedorek from Alliance Defending Freedom, speaking on CNN.

The Alliance Defending Freedom is a Scottsdale, Arizona group of 44 lawyers. While not yet technically an SPLC certified hate group, they have many board members that are affiliated with hate organizations.  Alliance has been getting a lot of media attention recently, because they're the group that drafted Arizona's SB 1062.  SB 1062 is the bill that allows businesses to deny service to individuals (gay folk), based on someone's "sincerely held beliefs".

MINI RANT

Every interview that I have read or seen with someone supporting this bill, the person being interviewed has repeated the term "sincerely held beliefs".  It's almost as if it has become some kind of catchphrase that Conservatives use instead of "homophobic".

Okay.  Mini rant over.

So, let me see if I understand this correctly.  Having to bake a cake or provide flowers for this:

is akin to participating in this:

Or this:

What kind of fucked up world do you live in, where these are the first two examples that come to mind?  Koran burning and Klan rallies? Why on earth would anyone even do these horrible things to begin with?  Why would anyone force any of their employees, regardless of what their religion or ethnicity is, to participate in something like this?

That would be like....well...forcing one of your gay or lesbian employees to refuse service to a gay customer.

Fifty Years, And Still Dreaming

August 28, 1963 was a turning point in American history.  A speech given by an Alabama preacher turned activist, eloquently articulated the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. That, 'my little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color or their skin, but by the content of their character'.

Over the years, I have heard a number of different stories of how that iconic speech came about.  Some say that Dr. King's prepared remarks had blown away from the podium in the afternoon wind.  Others claim that a woman in the front of the crowd shouted, "Tell them about the dream", referring to a sermon given in Detroit earlier in the year.  One thing is certain:  The majority of King's sixteen minutes on stage were ad-libbed.




On the surface, it may appear that in 50 years, King's dream has been realized.  But, look closer.

When authorities are faced with the necessity of listing an offense as a "hate crime", we are still dreaming.  When politicians rush through so-called "voter ID laws", in order to make voting more difficult for minority voters, we are still dreaming.  When African-Americans make up only 13% of the general population, but account for 40% of our nation's prison population, we are still dreaming.

So long as the United States has over 1,000 active hate groups, our dream will not come true.  So long as political pundits and commentators are able to make a living, shamelessly race baiting and fear mongering, our dream will never come true.  So long as police are given authority to "stop and frisk" a person, simply for the crime of looking suspicious not being white, we are still dreaming.

It's difficult not to take a "glass half empty" look at civil rights and race relations.  Yes, in 50 years, we have taken many steps forward.  But, at times, it's almost as if we've taken twice as many back.

My Little Civil Rights Activist

The three of us were running errands this morning, and pulled into a parking lot next to a flat bed tow truck.  The truck was in the final moments of picking up a car, and was about to pull out.

Lennon asked us what kind of truck that was in the parking lot.  We explained that it was called a tow truck.  I told her that it picks up cars, and takes them to the mechanic if they need to be fixed.  Then, I said that sometimes the tow truck picks up cars and takes them to the police station.

Instantly, she had a concerned look on her face.  She said, "They can't take those cars to the police station, Daddy.  People need those cars to go to work."

I looked at her with a smile on my face.  "That's right, honey.  They sure do.  Give me a high five."

She makes daddy so proud.

Today, We All Have A Dream