I'm Back

Some of the things that I was going to write about, but didn’t get around to it...

Gay lifestyle isn’t America’s to judge
Columnist Issac Bailey gave some great points to Evan Wolfson’s recent book; however, he prefaced them by prompting the reader to “judge” by what they read. (July 6, “Writer’s case for same-sex unions good.”) Mr. Bailey, thanks, but no thanks. Trust me when I say there has been far too much of that.

My stance as a gay person is that my choice of people to love and to spend my life with is not for your readers to judge, choose or concern themselves with. Like it or not, Americans, we are out there and always have been.

We are not going to start living to your expectations because you have no tolerance for difference. I have met lesbians who have been together since before I was born (1962). They have endured this “judgment” and lack of tolerance for many decades and yet their love and commitment are still so strong. American heterosexuals take love for granted so much that many are defending the very bond and union that they do not even appreciate.

Hillsborough County Pride is Back!
Busloads of gay men and lesbians from the Tampa, Fla., area are expected to head to Key West this weekend for the first-ever Hillsborough County Pride in Exile.

The series of events was organized to protest a resolution passed by the Hillsborough County Commission in June that prohibits the county from recognizing, promoting or participating in gay pride events. The new ordinance led to the removal of two gay pride exhibits from the county’s libraries.

When she introduced the ordinance, County Commissioner Rhonda Storm said tax-supported libraries “shouldn’t be used as a bully pulpit to introduce [gay] issues” to children. The commission passed the resolution 6-1. [...]

While the commission’s action did not actually ban gay pride events in Hillsborough County, the new ordinance has raised questions about whether or not gay groups will be able to get parade permits from the county, said Stratton Pollitzer, South Florida director for Equality Florida.

Being In The “IN” Group
Unmarried couples just can’t catch a break.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson’s reasonable attempt to give unmarried couples, gay or straight, some recognition with a listing on a city registry is a lightning rod attracting opposition from those who are determined to prevent any legal standing for people who live together but are not married.

Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, believes that all legal benefits of being in a committed relationship are reserved for married folk and he has vowed to put a halt to the mayor’s proposal. He said Anderson’s idea is “tantamount to the San Francisco mayor standing on the steps [of city hall] and performing [gay] marriages.”

Saying so doesn’t make it so, of course; signing a registry is nothing like taking marriage vows. Still, it is possible that even this small recognition could lead - as, in fairness, it should - to the granting of hospital visitation rights, survivor rights and employee benefits for all city residents in committed relationships.

Why I No Longer Believe in the Death Penalty
A pardon is issued in Georgia to Lena Baker, a black woman who was convicted of the murder of a white man 61 years ago in a one-day trial in which she claimed self-defense.

Baker was sent to the electric chair in 1945 because of what the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles now calls “a grievous error.”

And now we will have to listen to all the opponents of capital punishment pick nits about the occasional person who every once in a while is put to death by mistake.

This is exactly why I no longer believe in the death penalty. The woman was murdered 60 years ago for simply defending herself. Her real crime, it turns out, was that she was a black woman defending herself from a white man.

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That was what was in my list to write about, but I never got to it. I had thoughts on each on of those items, but those thoughts are lost and I’ve let them go. I don’t know if anyone actually cares to read about them.

I’ve had a difficult week. I have periods of depression, on the severe side. Not just depression really. It’s almost like I’m in a dream, where I have no energy or interest in anything. So, I usually channel my energy in to “positive” things that are not “emotionally loaded”. To me, that means work. It’s hard to be emotional about writing computer programs. It’s easy to lose yourself in that because you can spend hours analyzing how you want a program to behave.

In real life, things go on. Gas prices are out of control, we still have that damn war, although it’s in the news less and less, I suppose because the President is shortly going to go to Idaho as part of his vacation. At least he won’t have to deal with grieving mothers camped on his doorstep in Texas. And, by going to Idaho, he will be visiting one of only two states where his approval rating is above 50%. I believe the last approval rating taken for Idaho showed the President’s approval rating at 64%. You can’t lose there. I wonder if he actually cares about anyone or anything at this point. I would personally find it hard to go on vacation knowing that every single day, young men are dying under my watch for a war that I drug my country into. But, that’s just me. Apparently, he doesn’t have that problem. I guess it’s because of his faith or some other useless reason he has.

Kent is home now from Austin, Texas. Having him away last week made last week one of the longest weeks I’ve had in a long time. On Friday, I went to court to testify at a high profile case here in Connecticut, although I’m not at liberty to talk about it. Most of what I know will go to the grave with me.

And during all of this, I thought I was going to die of high blood pressure. I wasn’t feeling well during the first part of the week. So, I took my blood pressure and it was 169/111. That puts me in the Stage 2 high blood pressure area. Not good. I started taking my medication again (that the doctor took me off of), and it’s getting down to a manageable level again.

So, all in all, not a good week. But I’m back again, for now.