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( the issue that refuses to die )And yes, eventually i will put together a post about the “under God” controversy. I should probably do it soon because i’m sure there will be letters/articles in next week’s local papers which will rile me up, and i’ll need to send in a letter quickly before we leave on vacation.
A busy, yet boring, week.
Jun. 14th, 2002 03:00 pmSo i thought i wasn't going to be busy this week, and then i was. I was out for much of Monday (doing things which included visiting the high school and junior high for the last time this school year and finally getting a new battery for my watch) and when i came home i had 2 messages waiting for me. One asking me to work that night, and one asking me to work on Wednesday, though when i called back the Monday night slot was already filled. Before i went to work on Tuesday (already scheduled) i called my grandmother and made plans to spend the day with her on Thursday. And now here i am. Where did my week go?
I have few stories, so mostly you're gonna get copious quotage.
I walked to the high school Monday morning,and passed the house of this nice older woman (Helen Wohler). She asked if i'd graduated. I said i just finished my first year at college. She said she watched me go through (to?) high school. She said she remembered seeing my dad pushing me in the carriage. She asked what i was majoring in. I said English. She said, "Oh, I'll have to watch what I say around you," or something like that, implying that i'd be a writer who would draw heavily on real life. Which, of course, i am. I was giddy and grinning all the way up the street to the high school.
Mrs. Berger (my former art teacher) asked what i was majoring in, and when i said English she said there's so much you can do with that -- publishing, writing, teaching.
Oh how i love people who get it.
I stapled my thumb at work on Tuesday. The stapler was jammed, and as i tried to fix it i accidentally stapled my thumb. Only one leg of the staple went into my thumb, and it didn't go in very far, but still. It hurt like a bitch to try to get out. I wished i had wire cutters or something so i could just cut off the rest of the staple and let the bit in my thumb work itself out because it only hurt when i tried to remove it. Fran suggested running it under cold water, and i was actually able to remove it painlessly while running it under cold water. Woot. I am now much more cautious of staplers.
My dad showed me this from an article ("Suicide syndrome?" by Thomas Farragher) in the April 20, 2002 Boston Globe Magazine:
Reading Marion L. Soards' Scripture & Homosexuality: Biblical Authority and the Church Today, this really hit me:
This made me sad and really dampened my enthusiasm for researching how the Bible doesn't necessarily condemn homosexuality. If i have to choose between believing in the Bible as God's Word and believing that homosexuality/bisexuality is natural and not a choice or a sin i will discard my faith in the Bible. It makes me sad to think that i would have to do that.
Near the end of the book, he says, "The critic who reads the Bible and rejects its teaching---its view of God, the world, and human existence in the world in relation to God---is a better friend of those who seek to recognize the authoroty of Scripture than are those false friends who claim to love the Bible but labor assiduously to redefine its perspectives." I thought that was interesting.
This makes less sense now that i'm typing it all up, though. Jesus was talking about heterosexual marriage, and divorce. Obviously statements about homosexuality would have no relevance in that context. Just as if i were asking someone about California it would make no sense for that person to to start telling me about New York. In Matthew 19:11-12 (NIV), still talking about divorce, it is written:
My mom showed me an article ("Why the U.S. Will Always Be Rich" by David Brooks) from the June 9, 2002 New York Times Magazine. It had the usual statistics. ("The average household in America now pulls in about $42,000 a year. The average household headed by someone with a college degree makes $71,400 a year. A professional degree pushes average household income to more than $100,000. If you are, say a member of one of those college-grad households with a family income of around $75,000, you probably make more than 95 percent of the people on this planet.") It also had this statement: "One-sixth of the American population is part of the working poor, earning between $17,000 and $34,000 a year." My mom (the real breadwinner in my family) makes about $34,000 a year. So i'm on the edge of being part of the working poor. Who knew? Granted, we rent and don't have a car, so that cuts down on our expenses, but still. People complain about jobs starting at only $30,000 a year and i think, "I've lived comfortably in a family of four on that much. Supporting only myself on that much money would rock."
My mom also showed me an article ("The Bad News About Barney" by Chava Willig Levy) from the February, 1994 Parents Magazine. The author says that the main problem with Barney is that it encourages denial. I found it a really interesting article.
This (from a Cinescape article) gives me hope for Firefly:
And at the bottom of the same page:
My mom showed us this from the Spring, 2002 issue of Natural New England Magazine:
I was telling my mom that i've seen most of the Staurt Little movie baby-sitting and it's so not like how i remember the book. I remember the book as being more adult, dark and scary at times, and the movie is very fun and little kiddish, bright primary colors and all. I said i had to reread the book to make sure i was right, which annoyed me because i didn't really like the book when i read it the first time. And then i said i really should watch the movie in its entirety so i can make a full and complete critique. She said i definitely am my father's daughter.
Allison had a sticker saying "I Poke Badgers With Spoons" on her door, and i recently saw an LJ icon with that phrase on it. Something last night made me think of it randomly, and my dad wondered where it had come from. I had Googlesearched a while back but had only come up with personal sites which quoted it and suchlike. That was last night. This morning my dad sent me an e-mail titled I found out whence comes "I poke badgers with spoons." in which he wrote:
I have few stories, so mostly you're gonna get copious quotage.
I walked to the high school Monday morning,and passed the house of this nice older woman (Helen Wohler). She asked if i'd graduated. I said i just finished my first year at college. She said she watched me go through (to?) high school. She said she remembered seeing my dad pushing me in the carriage. She asked what i was majoring in. I said English. She said, "Oh, I'll have to watch what I say around you," or something like that, implying that i'd be a writer who would draw heavily on real life. Which, of course, i am. I was giddy and grinning all the way up the street to the high school.
Mrs. Berger (my former art teacher) asked what i was majoring in, and when i said English she said there's so much you can do with that -- publishing, writing, teaching.
Oh how i love people who get it.
I stapled my thumb at work on Tuesday. The stapler was jammed, and as i tried to fix it i accidentally stapled my thumb. Only one leg of the staple went into my thumb, and it didn't go in very far, but still. It hurt like a bitch to try to get out. I wished i had wire cutters or something so i could just cut off the rest of the staple and let the bit in my thumb work itself out because it only hurt when i tried to remove it. Fran suggested running it under cold water, and i was actually able to remove it painlessly while running it under cold water. Woot. I am now much more cautious of staplers.
My dad showed me this from an article ("Suicide syndrome?" by Thomas Farragher) in the April 20, 2002 Boston Globe Magazine:
It is commonly held local wisdom that Norwood, more than any other town in the United States, is a place where local boys marry local girls and settle down in their hometown. Many residents actually believe it is enshrined in the Guinness Book of Records or, alternately, as an answer to an arcane question on a Trivial Pursuit game card.That upset me, because i was certain i had actually seen the Trivial Pursuit card and have told many people the story. It upsets me to think that i've been spreading inaccurate information.
It isn't true. But it doesn't matter. That belief, familiar to reference librarians at Morrill Memorial Library who have often been asked to confirm it, speaks volumes about the town's self-image.
Reading Marion L. Soards' Scripture & Homosexuality: Biblical Authority and the Church Today, this really hit me:
While Jesus is not reported to have spoken on homosexuality or homosexual behavior, his one recorded statement about human sexuality [referring to his speaking on divorce, Matthew 19:3-8 or Mark 10:2-9] reveals that he understood males and females to be created by God for mutual relations that unite and fulfill both male and female in a (permanent) complementary union.I looked up the appropriate passage to be sure.
"Haven't you read," he [Jesus] replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' [Genesis 1:27] and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall be as one flesh' [Genesis 2:24]? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."Earlier, Soards had stated, "At the heart of Christian faith is the word of God, God's self-revelation. As Christians we believe God's Word incarnate is Jesus Christ." If you say that Jesus was just a product of his time and what he said doesn't really apply to us now is to say that he's not really the incarnation of God's word for all time. You can't just pick and choose what you believe from the Bible without destroying the integrity of the Bible.
-Matthew 19:4-6 (NIV)
This made me sad and really dampened my enthusiasm for researching how the Bible doesn't necessarily condemn homosexuality. If i have to choose between believing in the Bible as God's Word and believing that homosexuality/bisexuality is natural and not a choice or a sin i will discard my faith in the Bible. It makes me sad to think that i would have to do that.
Near the end of the book, he says, "The critic who reads the Bible and rejects its teaching---its view of God, the world, and human existence in the world in relation to God---is a better friend of those who seek to recognize the authoroty of Scripture than are those false friends who claim to love the Bible but labor assiduously to redefine its perspectives." I thought that was interesting.
This makes less sense now that i'm typing it all up, though. Jesus was talking about heterosexual marriage, and divorce. Obviously statements about homosexuality would have no relevance in that context. Just as if i were asking someone about California it would make no sense for that person to to start telling me about New York. In Matthew 19:11-12 (NIV), still talking about divorce, it is written:
Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kindgom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."I remember reading something which talks about eunuchs as homosexuals. I must look that up.
My mom showed me an article ("Why the U.S. Will Always Be Rich" by David Brooks) from the June 9, 2002 New York Times Magazine. It had the usual statistics. ("The average household in America now pulls in about $42,000 a year. The average household headed by someone with a college degree makes $71,400 a year. A professional degree pushes average household income to more than $100,000. If you are, say a member of one of those college-grad households with a family income of around $75,000, you probably make more than 95 percent of the people on this planet.") It also had this statement: "One-sixth of the American population is part of the working poor, earning between $17,000 and $34,000 a year." My mom (the real breadwinner in my family) makes about $34,000 a year. So i'm on the edge of being part of the working poor. Who knew? Granted, we rent and don't have a car, so that cuts down on our expenses, but still. People complain about jobs starting at only $30,000 a year and i think, "I've lived comfortably in a family of four on that much. Supporting only myself on that much money would rock."
My mom also showed me an article ("The Bad News About Barney" by Chava Willig Levy) from the February, 1994 Parents Magazine. The author says that the main problem with Barney is that it encourages denial. I found it a really interesting article.
This (from a Cinescape article) gives me hope for Firefly:
“I love spaceships,” Whedon said. “I love sci-fi. I love hard-science sci-fi. I wanted to do a show without latex. I wanted to come back down to Earth and do a western. I wanted to make STAGECOACH really bad and that was the impetus. [I don’t think] there will be aliens three or four hundred years from now [when FIREFLY is set]. There would just be people, and that’s the point. They’re not smarter, they’re not better. War hasn’t been abolished. Some of them are decent, some of them aren’t. Some are just trying to scrape by after being trodden on by history. … It’s a very low-tech show. It’s a sort of immigrant story, taking from all the cultures we already have and imagining them spread out over a galaxy.”Skimming yesterday's Bulletin i hit page 4.
More things that make you go hmmm...Oh, things that make me want to spit. I really doubt that the crèches will have big disclaimers. So it's okay to create the impression that Norwood is a Christian town, but not that Norwood supports and affirms its gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered citizens?
For Your Consideration.../ David J. Tuttle
* Did anyone expect that six months after establishing a policy that allowed for the crèche to be placed on the Town Common a display for gay pride would appear? And is it right for the display to have the words 'Norwood Celebrates Gay Pride?' This wording may appear to the casual observer that this is a Town-endorsed display. You have to get very close to read the sign stating that this is a private display.
And at the bottom of the same page:
Letters To The EditorAt dinner last night my mom told me that for graduation they're gonna get me the complete Buffy on DVD. Squee! That means i can even stop drooling over the Buffy musical DVD from the Tuesday, May 28, 2002, Daily Variety on eBay. Hey, doesn't the library get Variety? Oh, that's a weekly magazine, though; that's different. Damn.
Thanks for Gay Pride Week support
To the Editor
The Norwood-Walpole Citizens for All Families is grateful for the opportunity to have presented our Gay Pride 2002 display on Norwood Common during Pride Week.
We are grateful to the many who have expressed their appreciation for the display.
Our intent through this display has been to affirm and support the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered members of our community and their families and friends. We will continue to seek ways to do that.
For the Norwood-Walpole Citizens for All Families.
Kevin Devine
Nichols Street
Beth Goldman
Marion Avenue
Leah O'Leary
Devon Road
Paul Plato
Devon Road
Daniel D.P. Smith
Mountain Avenue
Russell Tanner
Winter Street
My mom showed us this from the Spring, 2002 issue of Natural New England Magazine:
We've been there. My mom's boss has a cottage near Conway and we stay there for a weekend or a week or whatever every summer, and one summer we went to see the boulder. It always makes me think of Spike's line in "Becoming, Part 1": "It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a rock this big." Now i want to find the photograph of all of us in front of the rock and scan it and get someone to make an LJ icon out of it with the Spike quote on it.Don't forget the Madison Boulder!
A visit to the Conway area of New Hampshire can't be complete without taking a look at the Madison Boulder, arguably one of the largest so-called erratic boulders in the U.S.
This is likely the largest rock you've ever seen. It weighs thousands of pounds, extends deep into the ground and it's been there for something like 15,000 years since it dropped out of a fast-metling wall of ice at the end of what is called the Wisconsin Glacial Period. Its surroundings, a rural area just north of Madison which is just south of Conway, have changed considerably over the ages. But the rock has not.
The Madison boulder sits entirely by itself with a single explanatory sign posted by the State of New Hampshire about 100 feet away. The site is a 17-acre property on a small residential road off Route 113 owned by the statue and listed as a "National Natural Landmark." It is marked on most maps including DeLorme's Maine Map page 41, B-9.
The boulder's official statistics are 83 feet long, by 37 feet wide. It rises 23 feet above the ground and projects at least 12 feet below ground. No one has ever been able to weight it accurately, but it is believed to weigh more than 7,500 tons. It consists of what is called Conway granite.
The rock's well-rounded shape and smooth sides indicated that it likely spent many a millennia buried in the ice, constantly subjected to milling and sculpting during movements, according to geologists. Most geologists believe the Madison boulder was transported by the great glaciers down from some point of origin in the White Mountains and then left in a solitary repose what would eventually become known as the town of Madison.
I was telling my mom that i've seen most of the Staurt Little movie baby-sitting and it's so not like how i remember the book. I remember the book as being more adult, dark and scary at times, and the movie is very fun and little kiddish, bright primary colors and all. I said i had to reread the book to make sure i was right, which annoyed me because i didn't really like the book when i read it the first time. And then i said i really should watch the movie in its entirety so i can make a full and complete critique. She said i definitely am my father's daughter.
Allison had a sticker saying "I Poke Badgers With Spoons" on her door, and i recently saw an LJ icon with that phrase on it. Something last night made me think of it randomly, and my dad wondered where it had come from. I had Googlesearched a while back but had only come up with personal sites which quoted it and suchlike. That was last night. This morning my dad sent me an e-mail titled I found out whence comes "I poke badgers with spoons." in which he wrote:
Several times I got referred to eddie izzard web sites. He turns out to be an English comedian, I gather edgy, androgynous, and with quite a following. I posted the question on an eddie izzard bulletin board and got a number of responses in no time. The best:Oh yes.
It's part of a routine Eddie does about the Catholic Church and the concept of original sin. (This is in the Show Dress to Kill, which shows up on HBO occasionally.) How hard it must be to go into the confessional and be *original*!
"Forgive me Father for I have sinned, I slept with my neighbor's wife."
"Heard it!" the priest says.
But if you went in there and said "I poked a badger with a spoon," well, the priest probably has not heard that one before! So say 10 Hail Marys and 3 Hello Dollys and off you go...
It's not even hate mail.
Jun. 6th, 2002 02:42 pmI got mail today. My name and address was printed on the envelope from a computer and there was no return address. I opened it up and found three pieces of paper.
The first page is a photocopy from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. I know this because it says "Revised Standard Version" in blue pen, block letters in the upper lefthand corner. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is bracketed with red pencil and parts of it are underlined.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
The next piece of paper is the same thing, but from the "New King James Version."
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covertous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
And the final piece of paper is short typed document:
Homosexuality and the Bible
I couldn't help laughing.
Totally anonymous. I mean, heaven forbid we open ourselves up for debate.
As i was typing up these up, i noticed a footnote after "homosexuals" in both versions. The RSV says "Two Greek words are rendered by this expression." What kind of footnote is that? Lengthy book chapters have been written about those "two Greek words" (malakoi and arsenokoitai). The NKJV footnote says "That is, catamites." Yeah, because we all know what those are. (The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd ed., defines "catamite" as "A boy who has a sexual relationship with a man.") I told my dad, and he made an extended joke about the fleas that cats have and that's why he doesn't like cats, but it's a free country and who is he to dictate what people do behind closed doors and so on. I was so punchy.
And then that last page. The whole "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" argument is so weak that i always forget about it. Other than that it's such an incomplete listing, though. There's a verse in 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 1:10) much along the same lines as the 1 Corinthians one, and of course there's the classic Leviticus (one of the most definitive, but also one of the most easily shot down). Oh and how can we forget Paul's Letter to the Romans. That's the only time the Bible ever mentions lesbians.
Anyone who's interested in my arguments can read the essay i wrote a couple years ago. I'm sure it could use editing, and i need to do some more reading and add some information to it, but it's still fairly good.
The first page is a photocopy from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. I know this because it says "Revised Standard Version" in blue pen, block letters in the upper lefthand corner. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is bracketed with red pencil and parts of it are underlined.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
The next piece of paper is the same thing, but from the "New King James Version."
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covertous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
And the final piece of paper is short typed document:
|
|
I couldn't help laughing.
Totally anonymous. I mean, heaven forbid we open ourselves up for debate.
As i was typing up these up, i noticed a footnote after "homosexuals" in both versions. The RSV says "Two Greek words are rendered by this expression." What kind of footnote is that? Lengthy book chapters have been written about those "two Greek words" (malakoi and arsenokoitai). The NKJV footnote says "That is, catamites." Yeah, because we all know what those are. (The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd ed., defines "catamite" as "A boy who has a sexual relationship with a man.") I told my dad, and he made an extended joke about the fleas that cats have and that's why he doesn't like cats, but it's a free country and who is he to dictate what people do behind closed doors and so on. I was so punchy.
And then that last page. The whole "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" argument is so weak that i always forget about it. Other than that it's such an incomplete listing, though. There's a verse in 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 1:10) much along the same lines as the 1 Corinthians one, and of course there's the classic Leviticus (one of the most definitive, but also one of the most easily shot down). Oh and how can we forget Paul's Letter to the Romans. That's the only time the Bible ever mentions lesbians.
Anyone who's interested in my arguments can read the essay i wrote a couple years ago. I'm sure it could use editing, and i need to do some more reading and add some information to it, but it's still fairly good.
lookie what i found
Jun. 5th, 2002 02:42 pmhttp://world.std.com/~dpbsmith/allfamilies/
See the picture at the top of that page? That's this mythical Gay Pride display which i had heard nothing about until i read that letter in the Bulletin. Now i want to go downtown and see it for myself.
See the picture at the top of that page? That's this mythical Gay Pride display which i had heard nothing about until i read that letter in the Bulletin. Now i want to go downtown and see it for myself.
I didn't notice it when i skimmed the May 30th Norwood Bulletin on Thursday because it was near the fold, but my letter got in this week's Bulletin as promised. Page 4. Basically exactly as i'd written it (which made me happy), and my surname was spelled properly, which always brings me glee.
I was a little annoyed with myself for not getting the letter in in time for the immediately following week, but this week's edition has as its cover story "Class of 2001: An Odyssey Last year's grads look back at life - a year after graduation," so i suspect more people than usual will buy it, so that makes me happy.
Anyway, here's the letter.
( click here to read )
I was a little annoyed with myself for not getting the letter in in time for the immediately following week, but this week's edition has as its cover story "Class of 2001: An Odyssey Last year's grads look back at life - a year after graduation," so i suspect more people than usual will buy it, so that makes me happy.
Anyway, here's the letter.
( click here to read )Worked on Wednesday. I came in with Anna Hargreaves, this older woman whom i don't know but who knows me because i work at the library and seems quite fond of me and talks to me every time she sees me. Then Joe Gallant (who, for those who don't know, is a bit off) came in and was talking to me. He was wearing sunglasses and said that yes there was a bit of sun out and i probably wish i had a pair of prescription sunglasses or just a large pair i could put over my regular glasses but i probably have a boyfriend (he has said all this to me before, and i still wince inside at the hetero assumptions) who could buy me a pair so i could look even more gorgeous than i already am. (What is up with older guys thinking i'm hot shit?) Then Lillian Eagles, whom i know because we both volunteered at the Norwood Food Pantry, checked some books out and asked about my grandma (who had broken both her shoulders about 8weeks ago and is now in rehab). Then Valerie Dwyer (family friend) came in to get some books for Dee and we talked a bit. Then Ana Puzey, whom i know from church, was in with her kids and took out lots of stuff and we chatted. After she left Kelly said i was like the mayor of the library; everyone knows me. "Comes with being a townie," i said sheepishly. She said everyone comes in and says things like, "Oh, it must be summer; Elizabeth's back at the library."
I worked 1-9 and then went to see Diane at Puddingstone, leaving around 11:20.
My dad had A Few Good Men out for the night, cued up to the "You can't handle the truth" part so i could see that. I decided to watch the whole thing. Yeah, nevermind that i had to be at work at 9 in the morning. It was surprisingly good. I actually cried at the end. What is up?
Went to visit my grandma for nearly 2 or 3 hours today. We talked about various things, including Olive's funeral. Lots of people were upset because Marilyn Cote listed herself as Olive's "longtime friend" in the obituary, even though she had only known Olive for about 10 years and lots of people had known Olive for 30, 60 years. My grandma told this to Linnea, a former minister of ours who couldn't make it to the service, and Linnea laughed because "longtime friend" is often the phrase used by lesbian or gay couples. I hadn't realized that (and i'm sure Marilyn hadn't either) and had to laugh.
After work i hung out for about an hour and a half. One of the things i did was to read today's Norwood Bulletin (one of the local papers, which comes out every Thursday). Page 4 and i got so angry.
Letters to the Editor
Gay display a disgrace
To the Editor:
It is a shame and a disgrace that the Norwood Board of Selectmen have allowed a 'Gay Pride' display to be placed on the Town Common. Only Gary Lee made any inquiry as to the display and his inquiry was weak at best. God calls homosexuals (sodomites) an abomination! It is an evil and wicked perversion! The Roman Catholic church is facing a major disaster specifically because she has allowed this perversion to exist within her ranks. In the name of 'diversity' our children are corrupted, family morals belittled and honest God fearing people attacked. Where are the churches in Norwood that will speak out against this perversion? Will no one in Norwood stand up against this perversion?
Edward J. Campisano
Alden Street
Dedham
(The letter writer was born and raised in Norwood, went to school in Norwood, enlisted in the Marines and Navy in Norwood, goes to church in Norwood, and works in Norwood.)
There are just so many things wrong with that letter.
I walked all around the Town Common and saw nothing, so i assume it's something which will be going up in the future. Given that this is Norwood, i am both impressed that this is happening (the display) and sure that it will be something fairly inoffensive. I want to contact the Board of Selectmen to find out what the display is going to be.
Okay, here is where i type up my attempt so far at a response Letter to the Editor.
Whether Christianity disapproves of homosexuality or not should have no bearing on whether a Gay Pride display is allowed on town property. We had a lot of discussion regarding the separation of church and town during the long debate about allowing the creches to remain on town property.
I will argue with anyone from parishioner to pope that the Bible does not in fact condemn homosexuality, but that is not the issue here.
To bring in the Catholic Church scandal is foolish. Do we condemn heterosexuality because some men molest little girls? No. We condemn child molestation. The people this display affirms are not child molesters. They are good and upstanding citizens just like yourself who just happen to find emotional and sexual fulfilment with partners of the same sex.
[My queer self of course winces at the end of that because of course gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people run the gamut from Republican to anarchist, from polyamorous to celibate, etc. I'm also a bit disturbed at the idea of "Gay Pride," which excludes not only transgendered persons but even bisexuals. I need to look into this more. I also need to polish this letter because it sucks. I have to drag myself out of bed fairly early again tomorrow, though, and although i was mostly okay today i did have a headache for much of the day, so as Aly says, "niters."]
I worked 1-9 and then went to see Diane at Puddingstone, leaving around 11:20.
My dad had A Few Good Men out for the night, cued up to the "You can't handle the truth" part so i could see that. I decided to watch the whole thing. Yeah, nevermind that i had to be at work at 9 in the morning. It was surprisingly good. I actually cried at the end. What is up?
Went to visit my grandma for nearly 2 or 3 hours today. We talked about various things, including Olive's funeral. Lots of people were upset because Marilyn Cote listed herself as Olive's "longtime friend" in the obituary, even though she had only known Olive for about 10 years and lots of people had known Olive for 30, 60 years. My grandma told this to Linnea, a former minister of ours who couldn't make it to the service, and Linnea laughed because "longtime friend" is often the phrase used by lesbian or gay couples. I hadn't realized that (and i'm sure Marilyn hadn't either) and had to laugh.
After work i hung out for about an hour and a half. One of the things i did was to read today's Norwood Bulletin (one of the local papers, which comes out every Thursday). Page 4 and i got so angry.
Letters to the Editor
Gay display a disgrace
To the Editor:
It is a shame and a disgrace that the Norwood Board of Selectmen have allowed a 'Gay Pride' display to be placed on the Town Common. Only Gary Lee made any inquiry as to the display and his inquiry was weak at best. God calls homosexuals (sodomites) an abomination! It is an evil and wicked perversion! The Roman Catholic church is facing a major disaster specifically because she has allowed this perversion to exist within her ranks. In the name of 'diversity' our children are corrupted, family morals belittled and honest God fearing people attacked. Where are the churches in Norwood that will speak out against this perversion? Will no one in Norwood stand up against this perversion?
Alden Street
Dedham
(The letter writer was born and raised in Norwood, went to school in Norwood, enlisted in the Marines and Navy in Norwood, goes to church in Norwood, and works in Norwood.)
There are just so many things wrong with that letter.
I walked all around the Town Common and saw nothing, so i assume it's something which will be going up in the future. Given that this is Norwood, i am both impressed that this is happening (the display) and sure that it will be something fairly inoffensive. I want to contact the Board of Selectmen to find out what the display is going to be.
Okay, here is where i type up my attempt so far at a response Letter to the Editor.
Whether Christianity disapproves of homosexuality or not should have no bearing on whether a Gay Pride display is allowed on town property. We had a lot of discussion regarding the separation of church and town during the long debate about allowing the creches to remain on town property.
I will argue with anyone from parishioner to pope that the Bible does not in fact condemn homosexuality, but that is not the issue here.
To bring in the Catholic Church scandal is foolish. Do we condemn heterosexuality because some men molest little girls? No. We condemn child molestation. The people this display affirms are not child molesters. They are good and upstanding citizens just like yourself who just happen to find emotional and sexual fulfilment with partners of the same sex.
[My queer self of course winces at the end of that because of course gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people run the gamut from Republican to anarchist, from polyamorous to celibate, etc. I'm also a bit disturbed at the idea of "Gay Pride," which excludes not only transgendered persons but even bisexuals. I need to look into this more. I also need to polish this letter because it sucks. I have to drag myself out of bed fairly early again tomorrow, though, and although i was mostly okay today i did have a headache for much of the day, so as Aly says, "niters."]