The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
A general category for things related to our society and how we interact with one another.
I seem to be called on often to give the prayer at the end of our Sunday School class. We just started a study of the Beatitudes, and of course the 9/11 commemoration services were all over the TV and radio this morning. Just before going into Church I heard President Obama at the Memorial in New York read Psalm 46. I try to make the prayer topical with current events and the lesson, so this is most of what I recall saying:
Read moreThe unfortunate reality is that we simply don’t want to have see this kind of poverty in our own neighborhood. We don’t want to be reminded of how many people are hurting, and how badly they hurt. We are simply afraid to look in the eyes of these people. It makes us uncomfortable, and we want to banish them so we no longer have to see what we have wrought.
Read moreSo, should I eat ice cream, or take a nap. I can appreciate the young man’s dilemma, they are both a pretty good way to spend an afternoon. They’re usually mutually exclusive, but he’s doing a pretty good job of multi-tasking. Call is the lazy, hazy days of summer I guess.
Read morethe Pope was busy Sunday in Spain speaking out to deny gay people equal treatment under the law. Unfortunately for Pope Prada, God wasn’t too happy with what he had to say. In a gesture that surely could only have been intended to say, “STFU,” God whipped up a surprise wind storm and knocked the hat right off of the pope’s smarmy head.
Read moreThe Senate today held hearings on the Defense of Marriage Act. There were a lot of poignant moments, but Senator Al Franken may have pulled off one of the best exchanges of the day. Franken is a smart guy, and these idiots from the hate organizations need to not sell him short. They may get away with making shit up with other Senators, but not much gets by Sen. Franken.
Read moreI admit to being a little late on this one, but head of SPLC designated hate group Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, is just all atwitter about marriage equality passing in New York State. Get this, he’s deeply concerned the law doesn’t “protect” deeply religious “divorce lawyers.” If, as Perkins and the other haters claim, they are just in this to “protect marriage,” why would there be any such thing as a “deeply religious divorce lawyer.” Wouldn’t their deeply held beliefs prohibit them enabling any divorce?
Read moreThere is a great tradition in the Northeast United States of annual town meetings. Important issues for the town are voted on by everyone attending (who is a legal voter in that town), and this is where the famous line, “stand and be counted” comes from. After everyone has spoken on the issue, they call on those in favor to “stand and be counted.” We’ve just celebrated the day the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Those founding fathers did more than just vote, they pledged their lives and fortunes in defiance of the Crown. Note they not only said it, they affixed their signatures to the document…an act of treason.
Read moreABC News did one of their “What Would You Do” segments in a Texas diner. They had a lesbian couple with children (actors), and a gay couple with children go in, and a person playing a waitress who began to criticize the couples openly. I must admit, I was heartened by what transpired, and reminded of how important it is to speak out in face of bigotry and inequality. The Texan’s fared better than New Yorker’s. But leave it to NOM to go hating on the people who stand up to bigotry.
Read moreI had occasion to hear the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus several times when I lived in Dayton. In fact, it seemed their Christmas Concert and that of the Cincinnati Gay Men’s Chorus were often the same weekend, so I’d do Cincinnati Saturday evening, and then go to Columbus for their Sunday afternoon concert. Both were excellent choruses, and they both had very different styles, so it was a great fun. Here the Columbus Chorus provides a youtube for the “It Gets Better Project” with the Columbus Youth Choir. I’ll just let the music speak for itself.
Read moreI returned once again to the Administrative Council at my church to ask them to pass a resolution adopting a non-discrimination statement. The last time I went in 2008, one of the members, Bill Josey, an attorney, objected because I had included a statement that we would, when reasonable, try to do business only with other organizations that had a similar statement. That was his only objection. I took it out, completely, but guess what, at January’s meeting he had a different objection.
Read moreWe here in Tampa owe a debt of gratitude to the Sterling District’s representative on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for his excellent description of Tampa’s annual Gasparilla Festival. Eugene Delaudio probably just upped the attendance at next year’s festival by 30% with his description of the party as … “Word is that Radical Homosexuals have infiltrated as event organizers to promote homosexual events that are designed to prey upon unsuspecting college students by enticing them to join their “krewes” and help build parade floats in exchange for free alcohol.” You gotta read it to believe it.
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