Compos Mentis: Rationality Prevails, For Now

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Professor Taboo

Paul Clement and John Boehner are key crusaders for DOMA

Anti-discrimination advocates received great news over a week ago Monday, April 25th. The law firm King & Spalding, hired by Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans to spend overspent taxpayer dollars to defend DOMA (the Defense Of Marriage Act), withdrew their representation of the case. If you are unaware of the litigation details, basically supporters of DOMA feel that gay-lesbians who want to marry, not only for the EQUAL legal benefits that hetero marriages freely enjoy, but just as much for the sake of “love“. They are clearly discriminated upon by not being legally allowed to marry under the guise of DOMA. Very specific religious-based groups who do not represent the entire diverse American population (much less the rest of the free-world), feel it is their “God-given” right to enact laws binding others how they are to live their personal lives. How have other religious-based power groups used the same God-given battle cry at the cost of basic human rights and lives? How many can you name and are their principles much different?

With my already published blog Sexual & Gender Ambiguity as my personal foundation on this issue, I am not going to waste my time or yours with the political rhetoric and unsound empty premises that DOMA and its supporters use. Here is my parody of the issue and how I condense their bottom-line:

Only heterosexual couples deserve all the personal and legal benefits of marriage in America. Period.

Well no, let me rephrase that to show more accurately the DOMA logic:

Only white-with-white, or Afro-American-with-Afro-American heterosexual couples deserve all the personal and legal benefits of marriage in America. Period.

Well, no no, let me rephrase that again to show more accurately the logic:

Only people with exactly 10-fingers and 10-toes who can produce children naturally through federally approved intercourse, deserve all the personal and legal benefits of marriage in America. Period.

Well, no that doesn’t work quite right either. Let us rephrase it again:

Despite that well over half of American heterosexual marriages end in divorce more than once, spending untold amounts of sparse overspent taxpayer dollars in court fees, etc., let’s pretend they represent TRUE LOVE (since “God” agrees only with heteros) and hence are the only couples who deserve all the personal and legal benefits of marriage in America. Period….until we can sound more convincing the next time.

Various amounts of sexual hormones then genitalia develop first at the molecular level, not according to any post-natal religious propaganda.

Well, that last bottom-line doesn’t work either because who or what has the right to define what true love is…the Federal or State governments? Or more poignantly, the U.S. Constitution? As any elementary school student will recognize, the rationale behind these highlighted DOMA premises might seem ridiculous, but I hope they show the incredulous basis behind any person or legal/political organization trying to dictate onto persons and their private lives what defines the sanctity of marriage, love, or gender combinations the two belong. As my last ‘rephrase’ points out, American heterosexual marriages CERTAINLY have no track record worthy to define what love, marriage, or where the gender combinations belong.

My instinct tells me that DOMA advocates will grasp further outside Constitutional jurisdictions, calling upon their own individual religious or faith-based presumptions that discriminate against another sector of people with differing world or religious views. For me, it is glaringly obvious which position should be given legitimate “Constitutional protection“!

I remind readers that these views are as much a parody as they are a personal method to cause reflection on a subject that is ultimately OUTSIDE governmental or religious dictation. I also urge readers to read my earlier blog Sexual & Gender Ambiguity to gain proper perspective on my personal position on this discriminatory issue. While ‘hate‘ messages are not permitted, dialogue is most certainly welcomed. Thank you for respecting this.

[Later addition] Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who vetoed a bill in 2005 for legalizing same-sex marriage in California, admitted May 17th, 2011 that ten years earlier he fathered a child with another woman other than his wife. He never told her or his children, and most certainly while being governor paid-off monthly child support to keep this unethical behavior out of the public eye. Whether Schwarzenegger is a great example of the “sanctity of heterosexual marriage” or not, is not the real issue. The very REAL issue is America’s acceptance of not only non-monogomous marriages or relationships, but more importantly getting out of everyone’s personal lives and bedrooms and concerning themselves with and accepting the ethical sanctity of humanity instead of the genetic-hormonal-sexual differences of humanity. One of the best things now that Schwarzenegger can do to save face is reverse his position on same-sex marriage and start campaigning for its legalization. For more on this important genetic-sexual issue, read my blog Sexual & Gender Ambiguity.

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The One We Feed

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Professor Taboo

One day an old Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson. He said, “There are two wolves fighting inside all of us – the wolf of fear and hate, and the wolf of love and peace.“

The grandson listened, then looked up at his grandfather and asked, “Which one will win?”

(paragraph separation)

The grandfather replied, “The one we feed.”

(paragraph separation)

The Love Within and Beyond

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Professor Taboo

As part of the Alternative Lifestyles blog-posts migration over to the new blog The Professor’s Lifestyles Memoirs, this post has been moved there. To read this post please click the link to the blog.

Your patience is appreciated. Thank you!

Time To Take A Hard Look America

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Professor Taboo

#1 – Denmark

In a recent poll by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) the happiest citizens in the world — out of 140 countries polled — are in Europe, northern Europe to be exact. To read details about the questions used in the poll, click this link: ABC News: Business & Economy. Where did the self-proclaimed mightiest “land of opportunity” nation rank? The United States did not even crack the Top 10.

The OECD found that the health of the nation’s economy was a major influence on the pollees, such as the current unemployment rate. A 2005 article written by Dr. Tony Delamothe and published in the British Medical Journal reported that “individuals typically get richer during their lifetimes, but not happier. It is family, social and community networks that bring joy to one’s life, according to Delamothe.“ Delamothe’s research included Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Another very significant influential factor was the citizen’s hourly balance between work and leisure. The poll showed that “While Scandinavian countries boast a high GDP per capita, the average workweek in that part of the world is no more than 37 hours. In China, which got a low score of just 14.8, the workweek is 47 hours and the GDP per capita is just $3,600.“

Before Americans typically begin screaming and quickly pointing the finger, it is time that the deconstructing segregating mentalities — that are often based in medieval conservative-elitist ideologies — be dropped all together and a more GLOBAL humanitarian tolerant mentality be embraced. How critical is this self-examination? Easy….because on a global comparative scale the United States falls short and well behind the rest of the world in too many categories! Whether America likes it or not her once arrogant image of herself as the “beacon to the world” by Lady Liberty in New York harbor, needs to be much more inclusive than globally exclusive. Gone is the age when Americans are immune to the world’s brilliance and problems across two oceans.

Here is an idea: instead of constantly considering ourselves proud Americans, let’s consider ourselves human beings from planet earth that has OTHER 6.8 billion humans existing on it as well….whom ironically are doing better and are much healthier and happier. Happiness, brilliance, or righteousness is not exclusive to just one continent, let alone one nation or ideology. Tunnel-vision is a very risky game when entering narrow railroad tunnels and the status of trains (other nations) are unknown. By the way, who are the other happiest nations that have social-political methods for America to learn from, or model?

#1 – Denmark, #2 – Finland, #3 – Netherlands, #4 – Sweden, #5 – Ireland, #6 – Canada, #7 – Switzerland, #8 – New Zealand, #9 – Norway, #10 – Belgium

Where did the United States rank? According to LifeScience.com, the U.S. comes in at #12. Other studies (Gallup Survey) have America coming in lower. The majority of the unhappiest nations are found on the African continent. One particular area of interest; notice that of the Top 10 nations listed, it begs at least one question, “What type of healthcare systems do they have?” Hmmmmm.

This work by Professor Taboo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://professortaboo.wordpress.com.

The Invitation – Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Professor Taboo

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.