From Georgia native and nationally syndicated columnist Charley Reese ...
You would think to hear some people complain about gay marriage that heterosexual couples would drop dead or become impotent as soon as some state approved a gay-marriage law. Whether gays get married or not, it has no effect on the rest of the population. Except for gays, it's meaningless. It's a non-issue.
In the meantime, there are plenty of issues that do affect all of us -- the devalued dollar, high energy costs, loss of manufacturing jobs, wars overseas and ballooning debt, both public and private.
As a heterosexual, I personally don't give a hoot one way or the other about gay marriage. If gays wish to provide more business for divorce lawyers, it's no skin off my nose. If they think making the state a third party to their marriage is desirable, it is OK with me. It's one of those legal matters I don't have to worry about, and I like those kinds of legal matters a lot.
What irritates me is busybodies who want to stick their nose in other people's business. For God's sake, let us all mind our own business. The world will be a better place if we do.
Most people believe that homophobes are in fact latent homosexuals and what they really hate are their own secret urges. So under no circumstances should any child be driven to despair and suicide because someone disapproves of his or her sexual preference. Whether homosexuality is a matter of nature or nurture, I don't know, and it doesn't matter. It simply is not important enough to cost the life of any child.
Furthermore, if the state recognizes a contract -- which is all marriage amounts to, in secular terms -- it by no means sanctifies anything. No one accuses the state of sanctifying sales contracts.
The religious aspect of marriage is separate and apart form the state's involvement. In fact, I don't think the state should be involved, but it has involved itself. But whatever is holy and sacred about marriage is a matter of religion, not a state marriage license, which is no different from a plumber's license.
If you wish to worry about marriage, it is better to worry about the all-to-many marriages that fail. It is better to worry about all the single mothers struggling to raise children without a father. It is better to worry about a sleazy culture that disdains the necessity of marriage and treats a relationship as nothing more than a sleepover. There are a lot of legal and moral issues that need to be addressed in our society, but gay marriage isn't one of the. It's an issue only for a small minority of the population. If they wish to live together in a state-licensed relationship, it's nobody's business but their own.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Mount Righteous
I might just have a new favorite band.
But first, a little Lillian musical background.
I have a very wide selection of musical interests. My favorites as a young girl mainly consisted of showtunes and Disney songs. I've had all the colors in Joseph's amazing technicolor dreamcoat memorized since I was about seven. (Red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ocher and peach …) And, of course, I've always had a fondness for the folk music I was raised on. Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger, etc. And, of course, we can't forget the Beatles.
In elementary school, I listened to Faith Hill, Sarah McLachlan, the Backstreet Boys, N*Sync and the Spice Girls. Even now, I really appreciate popular music. I went to a Hanson concert last October. Yes, Hanson.
In high school, my major musical loves were John Mayer, Weezer and Ben Folds (and more showtunes). In my later years of high school, I was introduced to Rilo Kiley, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sufjan Stevens and Death Cab for Cutie. I guess that's where my interest in so-called "indie" music began.
Nowadays, I will listen and want to listen to pretty much anything, including bluegrass, country, rap, hip hop, punk, folk, rock, pop, electro. Put something in front of me and I will check it out. Probably the only music I just cannot make myself like are screamo, emo, Christian music of the annoying variety (this doesn't include hymns and old religious songs), and some of the more disgusting and/or degrading rap songs.
My favorite songs are inevitably the ones that leave me feeling really ridiculously happy, and let me tell you, you don't get much happier than Mount Righteous' album called "When the Music Starts."
Let me introduce you to the band – the ELEVEN-piece band. There's a sousaphone, snare drum, xylophone, accordion, bass drum, melodica, a few acoustic guitars and two trombones. Everything they play is completely acoustic – no mics, no amps, no synthesizer, no electric instruments whatsoever. As it states on their MySpace, they sound like a "happy marching band choir."
Just a few examples of their lyrics:
But first, a little Lillian musical background.
I have a very wide selection of musical interests. My favorites as a young girl mainly consisted of showtunes and Disney songs. I've had all the colors in Joseph's amazing technicolor dreamcoat memorized since I was about seven. (Red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ocher and peach …) And, of course, I've always had a fondness for the folk music I was raised on. Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger, etc. And, of course, we can't forget the Beatles.
In elementary school, I listened to Faith Hill, Sarah McLachlan, the Backstreet Boys, N*Sync and the Spice Girls. Even now, I really appreciate popular music. I went to a Hanson concert last October. Yes, Hanson.
In high school, my major musical loves were John Mayer, Weezer and Ben Folds (and more showtunes). In my later years of high school, I was introduced to Rilo Kiley, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sufjan Stevens and Death Cab for Cutie. I guess that's where my interest in so-called "indie" music began.
Nowadays, I will listen and want to listen to pretty much anything, including bluegrass, country, rap, hip hop, punk, folk, rock, pop, electro. Put something in front of me and I will check it out. Probably the only music I just cannot make myself like are screamo, emo, Christian music of the annoying variety (this doesn't include hymns and old religious songs), and some of the more disgusting and/or degrading rap songs.
My favorite songs are inevitably the ones that leave me feeling really ridiculously happy, and let me tell you, you don't get much happier than Mount Righteous' album called "When the Music Starts."
Let me introduce you to the band – the ELEVEN-piece band. There's a sousaphone, snare drum, xylophone, accordion, bass drum, melodica, a few acoustic guitars and two trombones. Everything they play is completely acoustic – no mics, no amps, no synthesizer, no electric instruments whatsoever. As it states on their MySpace, they sound like a "happy marching band choir."
Just a few examples of their lyrics:
Lollipop roads custom made for painted toes
all landscaped by people in the know
I've never been there, but I've heard it's gorgeous.
Walking the streets, you wave hello
to all the birds you meet (tweet, tweet).
The bumble bees will never sting your feet,
Well, they're too busy making honey.
Don't worry baby there are cupcakes in the sky
Everything will be alright, you're the apple of my eye.
We'll take a paper airplane flight into the licorice night.
- from "Licorice Night"
all landscaped by people in the know
I've never been there, but I've heard it's gorgeous.
Walking the streets, you wave hello
to all the birds you meet (tweet, tweet).
The bumble bees will never sting your feet,
Well, they're too busy making honey.
Don't worry baby there are cupcakes in the sky
Everything will be alright, you're the apple of my eye.
We'll take a paper airplane flight into the licorice night.
- from "Licorice Night"
–––––––––––––
Love the world a little more,
Give them what they're hurtin' for.
Open up both your arms and stretch them wide.
Learn, learn, learn a little more,
Ignorance is such a bore.
Learn and then you can soar above the lies.
Run, run, run while you can,
God will hold you in his hands,
Set your feet back on the ground when you fall down.
Give, give, give a little more,
Of your live so sweet and pure.
When you give all your love you shine, shine, shine.
- from "A Little More"
–––––––––––––
Never met a martyr but I met a lotta men,
Never met a zero, never met a ten.
If I ever met a hero I could tell you then,
But I never met anyone quite like you, my friend.
One, two, three, four you're the one that I adore.
Four, three, two, one, now I'm telling everyone.
Met a lotta chicks, met a lotta dudes.
Met a lotta not a lotta never like you.
- from "You the Magic Number"
–––––––––––––
Doesn't it just make you go :-) ?
You should check them out.
Love the world a little more,
Give them what they're hurtin' for.
Open up both your arms and stretch them wide.
Learn, learn, learn a little more,
Ignorance is such a bore.
Learn and then you can soar above the lies.
Run, run, run while you can,
God will hold you in his hands,
Set your feet back on the ground when you fall down.
Give, give, give a little more,
Of your live so sweet and pure.
When you give all your love you shine, shine, shine.
- from "A Little More"
–––––––––––––
Never met a martyr but I met a lotta men,
Never met a zero, never met a ten.
If I ever met a hero I could tell you then,
But I never met anyone quite like you, my friend.
One, two, three, four you're the one that I adore.
Four, three, two, one, now I'm telling everyone.
Met a lotta chicks, met a lotta dudes.
Met a lotta not a lotta never like you.
- from "You the Magic Number"
–––––––––––––
Doesn't it just make you go :-) ?
You should check them out.
Blog Neglect
I apologize for the inevitable period of blog neglect.
My absence is partially caused by pure laziness. This laziness in only enhanced by the fact that, since last week, I've been working a different job at the paper.
A copyeditor/page designer recently moved back to her hometown, and because I know the pagination program, InDesign, I was recruited to work on the copydesk. This also means that instead of working from 10 a.m. to around 6 p.m., I go in at 4 p.m. and don't leave until after midnight. So the hours aren't great, but I'm learning a lot about InDesign which will make my job with The Cluster next year SO much easier.
Welcome to the most thankless job in journalism.
My absence is partially caused by pure laziness. This laziness in only enhanced by the fact that, since last week, I've been working a different job at the paper.
A copyeditor/page designer recently moved back to her hometown, and because I know the pagination program, InDesign, I was recruited to work on the copydesk. This also means that instead of working from 10 a.m. to around 6 p.m., I go in at 4 p.m. and don't leave until after midnight. So the hours aren't great, but I'm learning a lot about InDesign which will make my job with The Cluster next year SO much easier.
Welcome to the most thankless job in journalism.
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