The Ensemble Cast

Buy American?

The car has long been a symbol of American freedom, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity, and we are given to believe that buying an American car is our patriotic duty.  But why should we when the industry hasn’t been able to keep pace with foreign marques?  The average American car is stuck in the slow lane while competitors from Asia and Europe are, and have been building more efficient, more reliable, and safer cars for years.  Domestic cars have long been plagued with unreliable electronics, noisy, squeaky interiors, misaligned body panels and inefficient gas guzzling engines. 

Cars from Japan and Europe both sport superior build quality, durability and reliability and that quality comes from more than just the way the cars are bolted together.  On the whole, cars from Europe use thicker steel than their American counterparts.  Further more, American manufacturers have used spot welding to hold pieces together, while the imports use a combination of full seam welds and glue to attach various panels.  The result is a vehicle with higher torsional rigidity and a high-quality feel.  Try slamming the door on an old Saab and an old Oldsmobile.  The Saab still feels rock solid, while the Oldsmobile feels like it’s about to come apart.  Additionally, some European manufacturers began galvanizing the body panels they used way back in the 1980s.  This extra step ensured that the body panels would never rust.  Take a look at 1990 Audi and a Lincoln from the rust belt.  Chances are you’ll notice small pockets of rust around the lower portion of the Lincoln, while the Audi’s body is still clean and unblemished.

The difference in quality is also evident with just a cursory visual inspection.  Check out a 1985 Chevy Caprice and a Toyota Camry from the same year.  Twenty-four years later, you’ll notice that the gaps between the Camry’s body panes are both small and consistent.  The Chevrolet’s are far wider and you’ll notice that the gap is probably tighter at one end, indicating that the entire panel is sitting crooked on the frame.  Take a look at 2005 Chevy Impala and a Camry.  You’ll notice that the Chevy’s gaps are tighter than they were in the 80′s, but they still can’t compare to the Camry’s.  This isn’t just true of Caprice’s and Camry, try it the next time you see any domestic vehicle parked next to an import.

The imports have also led the Americans in the areas of safety and performance innovations.  The first three point seat belt, crumple zones and anti-lock brakes all found their way onto European productions lines long before those features crossed the pond.  Volvo introduced the three point safety belt in the 1959 PV544 and Volvo claims that over 1 million lives have been saved to date.  The first four-wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS) was introduced in the 1978 Mercedes-Benz S Class and in 1986 ABS became standard equipment on each new BMW and Mercedes.  Today this proven safety feature is still considered optional on many American vehicles. 

While American manufacturers did introduce the first production airbags in the 1970′s, they failed to follow through with further passive safety innovations and all but forgot about the airbag until the late 1980′s.  Audi, on the other hand, introduced the “Pro-Ten” system in it’s 1984 5000.  In a significant front end collision the car’s engine was designed to drop away under the vehicle instead of landing in the front passenger’s lap.  As the engine dropped, cables connected to the engine block and the front seat belts tightened, pulling the driver and passenger back into their seats, away from the dashboard.  The system also pulled the steering wheel down through the dashboard, and out of the way of the driver’s forehead.  Audi was also the first company to make all-wheel drive available on a passenger car with the introduction of the 1981 Quattro, a torch that was later picked up by Subaru who has since made it standard equipment on each car it produces. 

Cars from Europe also have far more cache than domestics.  Which would you rather pull up to the club in?  A 15 year old Mercedes Benz S Class that looks classy, or a brand new Ford Taurus that looks affordable.  Both carry the same price tag, but only one will convince your date that you’re worth going home with.  They not only have more “snob appeal” but European cars look better longer.  Take a look at any 1999 BMW.  If you didn’t know better, you’d never believe the car was a decade old.  The paint is still glossy and the clean styling means that the cars look fresher longer.    There’s none of that cheap-looking glued on plastic that marred so many Pontiacs of the same vintage.

The most telling indication of the failure of the domestic car industry is the fact that American manufacturers recognize that they can’t keep up and have sourced many “domestic” vehicles from their over sea’s competitors.  General Motors has perhaps been the most aggressive importer.  The Chevrolet Chevette was actually a reworked Isuzu Gemini, and the entire, now defunct, Geo line was made up entirely of imports.  The 1988-1993 Pontiac LeMans was actually produced by the Korean manufacturer Daewoo, as is the current generation Chevy Aveo. Toyota provided the the Pontiac Vibe, Chevrolet Prism, and the last generation of the Chevrolet Nova.  The other Big Two have also sourced vehicles from far away lands.  Chrysler purchased the Eagle Premier and Dodge Monaco from the French coach maker, Renault.  All three generations of the Dodge Colt were the same vehicle as the Mitsubishi Mirage.  Mitsubishi also gave birth to the Plymouth Lazer, the Dodge Raider, Daytona, and Stealth, the Eagle Talon and the Eagle Summit.  Ford talked Mazda into selling it various generations of the Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer, and the Mercury Villager mini-van was actually a Nissan Quest.  When Ford brought the Thunderbird back in 2002, it relied on Jaguar to provide the chassis and engine for this new “American” classic. 

American manufacturers have traditionally done one thing very well: build large, comfortable and affordable full-size family sedans.  But now even those are being sourced from overseas.  Two of the best selling domestic vehicles of recent years, the Chrysler 300 and the Ford 500/Taurus, aren’t domestic vehicles at all, and are in fact left-over European designs from the 1990′s.  The Chrysler 300 shares it’s underpinnings and base V6 motor with the 1995 Mercedes E-Class.  That’s right, the new for 2005 Chrysler 300 was actually a ten year old Benz.  The same can be said for the 2004 Ford Five Hundred (later re-badged Taurus).   It is actually the same car as the 1998 Volvo S80.  In fact, Ford liked the Volvo S80 so much that it based two crossover SUV’s, the Ford Flex and Ford Freestyle, on the Volvo.

This is all the more unfortunate because Americans do know how to build great cars.  The problem is that domestic manufacturers can’t afford to do it.  American manufacturers are spending somewhere between $70 and $77 per hour on their employees while Japanese companies pay their American workers up t0 $48 per hour.  That’s not to say that the average Chrysler work is bringing home $150,000 per year, she isn’t.  But the company is still paying the retirement benefits for the worker she replaced 20 years ago – a retired worker that is no longer contributing to the company’s bottom line.  Instead of sourcing better materials, or investing in research and development, the Big Three’s pocket books are hemorrhaging money to pay benefits for thousands and thousands of retired workers.

The current economic crisis forced the entire nation to look at the Big Three differently.  GM has gone Bankrupt, for the second time in a decade Chrysler has been sold to a European manufacturer and Ford is selling off assets to keep the lights on.  All is not lost however.  The American car industry is poised for a major come back in near future.  New “green” products from the big three are in the works and promise a complete reinvention of the automobile industry.  New commitments to quality mean that the cars coming off American assembly lines will be able to compete head-on with the imports.  New management within the industry point to a realignment of corporate values that will once again allow American manufacturers to really compete in a global marketplace.  All of this predicts a future where domestic vehicles will once again set the pace for the entire industry.

And you can sell their babies on Craigslist…

I have tremendous soft spot for our canine brethren and really have a hard time understanding why anyone would choose to make a baby instead of buy a dog. Sure, dogs aren’t always easy to deal with, but they’re a hell of lot easier than tolerating a screaming newborn. They’re cheaper, they’re always happy to see you, and if they happen to get knocked up you can sell their babies on the Internet.

Babies are LOUD! There is no sound more grating, more annoying or more likely to make you want to commit a felony than a crying baby (although Sarah Palin’s nasally quasi-midwestern intonated screachings come in a close second). I can’t count the number of times I’ve been enjoying dinner at a restaurant or have been engrossed in a movie at the theater only to have the experienced annihilated by the piercing banshee wail of a parasitic infant. Oh, that reminds me: did you know that it’s possible to drown a baby in less than an inch of water?

On the other hand, nothing pulls at your heat strings more than the soft, hopeful whimpering of a new-born puppy who wants only to lick your face in exchange for a belly rub. Puppies and dogs will only bark to tell you that they’re excited and happy, or scared and lonely. Either way, the situation is easy to deal with. Give them a tummy rub or snack (incidentally, the same technique works on my boyfriend), and they will quietly roll over and bask in your glory.

Eeeewwwwww, what is that smell? Puppies don’t smell as funky as kids do. Sure, dogs can be stinky, but you don’t see them waddling through your living room with their pants full of excrement – which, by the way, I will not help you with.  Kids play with their food, throw it on the floor or at you, and never pick up their toys. Dogs, on the other hand, can be potty trained in a matter of weeks, never leave a speck of food on the ground and can easily be trained to put their toys away.

What do you really get in exchange for all of your diaper changing and burping? By the time the kid is three you have a petulant little brat now knows how to tell you to go fuck yourself while running away from you. By the time a dog is two or three years old they’ve learned how to sit on command, walk by your side, protect you, your loved ones and your home, keep your feet warm at night and make you feel welcome when you come home. Show me a kid that can do that without the aid of psychotropics.

Dogs only ask you for three things: food, love and a warm place to sleep. Kids ask you for all of that PLUS new clothes, new toys, new books, cell phones, cars, and college tuition. Its not enough that your provided them with your DNA, they still want more!

The average dog will cost somewhere around a $1,000/year. In exchange for that G you get a companion who will absolutely love you unconditionally whenever you need it, someone who is always happy to see you when you come home, and true friend that would gladly sacrifice their own life to save yours. The average child costs between $6,500.00 and $15,000.00 per year. They are so ego-centric that I doubt they are really capable of love, they don’t want to spend time with their parents and they continually expect additional sacrifice from every adult in their life. The numbers just don’t make sense.

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, I have a few friends with children. I am thrilled that they are happy with the decisions that they’ve made, and wish them every happiness that they ever could dream of. What I don’t understand is why they made the choices that did…

I can’t fix stupid.

Most consumers never get to see behind the “customer service” or “tech support” curtain and really have no idea what happens when they pick up the phone to get help. They also really don’t know what to do to help out the person trying to help them. Hopefully this will help your next interaction with a random stranger over the phone go a bit more smoothly.

1.) Don’t do it…
Are you really sure that you need to call? I’ve been doing tech support for the better part of ten years now (this is not the appropriate forum to discuss my career, so don’t ask) and I am always amazed by how helpless most people who call up really are. You may be surprised to know that I really don’t have access to all that much more information than you do. Before you decide to pick up the phone and spend 20 minutes on hold to reach a real person, check out the documentation that’s publicly available. It probably does have your answer. Chances are, I’ll be reading the answer I’m about to give you from the FAQ on the website. Look it up. It will save you the aggravation of listening to shitty hold music and it will save me the aggravation of telling you something you could’ve figured out on your own. While I can’t fix stupid, I can sure make you feel like an idiot while pointing out that the answer was right in front of your face.

2.) Know your shit…
So you’ve decided to call. Before you pick up the phone, get everything you need together. I hate hearing “I don’t know what my account number is” or even better “how would know what model computer I have?” Seriously? If you can’t find the sticker on the machine that tells you what it is HANG UP THE PHONE! First, I can’t help you if I don’t know what equipment, services, or software we’re working with. Secondly, if you really can’t figure that shit out, you’re probably beyond help. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what it is, and I can’t fix it if you’re too stupid to know what you bought.

3.) Let me ask the questions here…
By this point in the game, you’ve gathered your information and you’re ready for me to fix your problem. I know that your mother told you were special, but as far as I’m concerned you’re not. You’re just another customer for me to get off my phone so that I can make my quota before my next break. Chances are I’ve already talked to ten people today who had the exact same problem that you do, so please, let me drive. You telling me what you think is wrong wastes both our time. The very fact that you picked up the phone and waited to speak to me indicates that you’re not qualified. Let me do my job. You need to be smart enough to get out of my way. If you’re not, sorry, I can’t fix stupid.

4.) Do as you’re told…
If I ask you to reboot your computer, or verify your account settings please do it. Remember that part about you not being qualified? Rebooting really does fix a lot of shit, and believe me I’m not asking you to do this so that we can hang out and chat. We both have the same goal here: fix your problem, get off the phone. It’s pretty stupid to ask for help and then ignore me, and I can’t fix that.

5.) Shut the fuck up…
No really, be quiet. I don’t care about your kids, about your job, or about how this problem is fucking up your entire day. I especially don’t want to hear about how you had to wait on hold for 15 minutes. You know what I spent the last 15 minutes doing? Talking to some one else who had their head up their ass and thinking it was dark ’cause I turned off the lights (that’s a metaphor, try to keep up).

I especially don’t want to hear about your religion and don’t ask about mine. I actually had a customer once say that they wouldn’t give me their credit card number unless I was “a believer” (you can guess how the rest of that call went) And don’t you dare “bless me” when we’re done. I don’t know you, I don’t know your god, and I don’t want your god’s blessing. Your god can’t fix your shit and clearly, they can’t fix stupid either.

6.) I’m right, you’re wrong – let’s move on…
You called me for help, remember that part? By picking up the phone you are tacitly admitting that you don’t possess the skill, knowledge, or equipment to fix what you broke. Don’t argue with me and tell me that I’m wrong. If you don’t like my answer, hang up and fix it yourself. Remember, I do this shit 8 hours a day and your problem isn’t unique. I know what’s wrong before you can even finish the sentence. There’s no good reason for me to lie to you – my goal is to fix your problem so that I can get you off my phone. Not fixing your problem will result in a subsequent call, and neither of us want that. I can’t fix it if you’re stupid enough to argue with me.

7.) I’m not your bitch, don’t hang your shit on me…
I have no control over the things that you’re unhappy about. I can’t change our company’s policies, get you your money back or send you a new printer. When you start bitching about that shit, I start doing other work and pretty much tune you out. I’ll check back in when I hear silence. You should also understand that while there are things that I have to do for you, there are also things that I can do if I feel so inclined. When you start going off about how I’m lazy, stupid, or apathetic, I become lazy, stupid and apathetic any you’ve just nuked any change that I would make this easy for you. I can’t fix stupid and I won’t fix it if you’re a prick.

10 Commandments of Restroom Etiquette

For those of you who don’t know, there is an unwritten code of conduct which governs your actions in public restrooms. I can no longer tolerate behavior contrary to this code so I thought I would do you all a favor and commit that code to paper, errr, cyberspace.  Be aware, that these are not guidelines, or suggestions, but hard and fast rules that should always be followed. If there are other commandments you would like added, please leave them as a comment so that others can learn from your insight.

NOTIFICATION
Informing others of your need to visit the facility may be appropriate in some circumstances. Word choice in these situations is of the utmost importance. It is never permissible to say “I’ve got to take a leak” or – heaven forbid “I’ve got to drop a load” (which incidentally, breeder boys, means something very different in homo lexicon). While I’m happy to know that you’re not leaving the room because of something I’ve said, I don’t need to know what you plan on doing while you’re out. The table below specifies some “no-no” phrases and suggests some acceptable alternates

Not Acceptable	Fair Game
I’ve got to take a leak	I’m going to the washroom/restroom
I need to piss	I need to use the facilities/powder room
I’m gonna drain the main vein	I’m going to visit the little boys/girls room
Going to feed the toilet	I’ll be right back.  Excuse me, please
I’m sitting on the throne	I’m predisposed at the moment

EYES FORWARD
The rules surrounding the use of urinals in mens’ rooms are cryptic and complicated, so I’ll only be covering some of the basics here. First among them is keep your eyes forward. Tea room encounters are dangerous and tacky, so let’s try to avoid them, ok? If you look like you’re trying to sneak a peak, and you’re cute, you might just get one. Be careful what you ask for.

SHUT UP!
I really hate it when guys try to talk to me in the restroom. A quick acknowledgement of my presence, if I know you might be appropriate. Other wise, shut the fuck up! I’ve had sex with people without saying anything to them or even knowing their names so I definitely don’t want to talk to you while you’re doing your business. If you insist on talking to me while I’m holding on to my junk, you had better be talkin’ dirty.

The restroom is not a place to talk on your cell phone either. I sure as hell don’t care about your conversation, and I’m sure the person on the other end doesn’t want to hear what’s going on around you. If they do, HANG UP – you’re on the phone with a real sicko. Lest you think I’m prude, I have no problem with watersports, but watersports don’t mix well with phone sex and you definitely shouldn’t be doing that in a public restroom.

OTHER DEVICES
The stalls in a restroom are provided for your privacy, so let’s try to keep what’s going on in there private. I shouldn’t be able to hear any sort of buzzing or beeping coming from under the door. If I do, I’m gonna think you’re in their with a vibrator.

NO REALLY, I’M NOT INTERESTED
Some guys are so paranoid about being checked out while it’s hanging out that they look like they’re riding the urinal. Isn’t that uncomfortable and a little gross? There’s a difference between putting your goods on display and getting busy with the porcelain.

NO LOITERING
The restroom is not a place to chilax and talk to your friends (see commandment #3). If you’re in there you’re pants better be unzipped or you should be washing your hands.

JESUS CHRIST, WASH YOUR HANDS
No, really, wash them. I don’t need to be thinking about the genital sweat, dander and bacteria that you’re spreading. It’s disgusting. And believe me, people do notice. I keep a list in my head of the people I know who don’t wash their hands after using the restroom and I judge them for it.Incidentally, washing doesn’t mean holding your hands under running water for a few seconds and then drying them on your pants. Do it right, with warm water AND soap. If you’ve never been taught proper hand-washing technique, watch this video and sin no more.

NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED
Don’t bring it in. It’s disgusting.

GET RID OF IT
Guys, at this stage in your life you should really be able to hit the bowl. It’s not cute, funny or entertaining to see how far you can make it go.  This is not the place for a pissing contest or to practice your dick writing in preparation for the first snowfall.  It really doesn’t take much effort to lift the lid. Once you’ve finished FLUSH THE TOILET. I don’t want to see on the rim, on the seat, on the floor or even in the bowl. Make it go away. If you accidentally miss your target than wipe it up. Your mother is not gonna take care of it for you.

URINAL CHOICE
We all want as much privacy as can be afforded in a public restroom. When choosing which urinal to visit, look for one that is as far away as possible from any other visitors. Ideally you’ll be able to find one close to a wall. Most guys know which urinal is the right one by instinct. If you don’t, take the quiz below and study the correct answers before your next visit.

National Healthcare?

Back in day, I was a staunch republican. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that homos usually don’t support the GOP, but I was all about small government, low taxes, large military, and every-man-for-himself capitalism. Lest you be too concerned, I wasn’t into bible thumping, prayer in schools, or getting rid of a woman’s right NOT to have her body riddled with stretch marks. That having been said, I was certainly opposed to federalized health care.

I changed my mind about health care a couple of years ago while listening to Rush Limbaugh. He was telling the audience about an illegal alien in Miami who was receiving dialysis treatment three times a week at tax payer expense. Rush went on to bitch about how it was completely unreasonable to expect American tax payers to fund ongoing medical treatments for someone who “didn’t belong” in this country. If the patient had stumbled into an emergency room with a bashed in skull, that was a completely different matter. It would just be cruel to turn anyone away – in a life or death emergency situation we have a moral obligation as decent humans to help others.

How is emergency health care any different from dialysis? Without the dialysis treatments, the patient would be dead within a week. It seems to me that that type of care is just as critical. And, couldn’t we say they same thing about all medical care? Why is the ER obligated to remove the beer bottle out of someone’s ass who got a little over-zealous in the bedroom while jacked up on poppers, but society isn’t obligated to provide chemotherapy, or AZT? It’s as though opponents are saying “It’s not OK to let someone bleed to death, but it’s alright if disease kills them off slowly over the course of weeks or months.” I don’t follow that logic…

A huge part of the debate over health care is finding the money to pay for it. Should the “haves” have to pay for the “have-nots”? Why not? Sure in a true capitalist system everyone would carry their own weight, but we don’t have a true capitalists system, and never have. We have a system that blends socialism (not a bad word by the way) and capitalism. The government’s job is to provide an environment where businesses and individuals can pursue wealth. In exchange for that, the government gets to set down certain rules and charge certain fees to pay for whatever they deem appropriate.

The best part is, WE get to decide who makes the decisions in government, and WE have decided that national health care is important enough to put our current representatives in place. Obama said something to the effect of “in a country as wealthy as ours, health care is a right, not just a privilege.” No one is forcing you to play the game. During the 2000 election, silly west coast liberals were talking about leaving the country if W was elected. If you right-wingers aren’t liking the new rules, you’re certainly welcome to leave. Don’t let door hit you on your way out.

Majority Tyranny

“All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression.”

Thomas Jefferson

Stop the Baby Killing!

Praise the lord!!  Pro-lifers rejoice and sing his praises!  Actually, sing my praises for I have stumbled upon the solution to the growing abortion problem in our hedonistic-instant gratification seeking society!

 Babies are being sucked down the sink at alarming rate because the demand for the cute little bundles of parasitic narcissism has plummeted. The current economic debacle (hats off W) means that more and more rhythm method practitioners are less and less likely to jump for joy at the prospect of yet another private Catholic school tuition five years down the road.

 What makes the problem even more daunting is the fact that we’ve had 8 years of abstinence only education in our public schools (thanks again W). The supply of unwanted burdens will be increasing exponentially!

 The solution is to find a new, untapped market for unwanted babies. Sure, you can still sell your late-night-I-promise-to-pull-out mistake on the black-market in Thailand (maybe even Craigslist), but wouldn’t you rather keep your DNA in this country?  Currently, un-married homosexual couples are forced to import their babies from 3^rd World Countries.  Wouldn’t everyone be happier if they could buy American?

 Let’s allow the Mo’s to get hitched.  Then they will HAVE to buy babies to hold their marriages together (just like the breeders use their kids for).  It’s a win-win situation for us all.  I call on all the fundamental right-wingers (I’m talking to you Fred Phelps) to stop the baby killing!  Help us to help you. 

 

Help me to understand this…

I am so disappointed that the voters of Maine chose to deny marriage rights to same sex couples. More than being disappointed however, I’m just plain confused. Take a look at what Mark Mutty, chairman of Stand for Marriage Maine had to say last night:

“We prevailed because the people of Maine, the silent majority, the folks back home spoke with their vote tonight,” said Mutty. “Let’s be clear. What the people of Maine had to say was that marriage matters and it’s between a man and a woman. This has never been about hating anyone, hating gays or anything. This has been about marriage and only about marriage and preserving it.” (Check out the full article here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120080859)

Someone please explain this to me. Here’s what I don’t understand:

1.) “marriage matters and it’s between a man and a woman.” But why? Is it because your god says it has to be that way? My god doesn’t. More importantly the government doesn’t have a god, so why am I forced to abide by the definition handed down by your god? I don’t get it.

2.) “This has never been about hating anyone, hating gays or anything.” Really? The California Supreme Court said that marrying the person you love was an important step towards self realization. Why, if you don’t hate someone, would want to deprive them of a fundamental civil right, and deprive them of the opportunity to express the love they have for their partner through a legally recognized marriage? I don’t get it.

3.) “This has been about marriage and only about marriage and preserving it.” I think, given the current divorce rate, that we can all agree that marriage, as an institution is really in trouble. How could opening it up to a community that longs to enter into the institution be dangerous? Same sex couples have fought long and hard for this right and it’s obviously a commitment that we take very seriously. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be spending our money on it, demonstrating in support of it, or educating the public about it. I don’t get it.

Here’s what I’m having trouble wrapping my head around. The opposition is a large chunk of the population and I probably know quite a few people who are quietly opposed to same sex marriage. My friends are all intelligent people whom I respect. I can certainly understand to a “gut feeling” you may have that same sex marriage should be withheld. What I don’t understand is how you can legally deny civil rights based on an irrational feeling. Please, someone explain it to me so that I understand. I don’t get it.

I’m pissed off…

Today, Maine voters could be the first electorate to pass a same sex marriage bill. In the past, same sex marriage has been put into law by either a state’s judiciary or legislature. I really have mixed feelings about this. I would certainly welcome the “approval” from Maine’s voters and be excited about the step towards national marriage equality. At the same time, I find it insulting that this is still an issue. I find it more insulting that my civil rights are being voted on. Since when do we let a misguided majority of voters decide what’s fundamentally right and wrong? This isn’t a tax levy, or a vote to elect a city council. This is a vote on a minority’s civil rights. Since when is that ok?

I am even more insulted by what’s going on in Washington State and the “Everything but Marriage” bill. It’s as though they are saying: “we agree that your relationship is worth some sort of legal recognition. At the same time, we don’t agree that your relationship is “as valid” as ours’ and therefore you can’t be married. You’re not good enough for that.” Excuse me?!?! That pisses me off! And our community will roll over and say “thank you” if the bill passes.

Marriage is a spiritual/religious/familial commitment. As such, I really don’t believe that the government has any business sanctioning it. I would support nation-wide domestic partnership registration, for both hetero and homo couples. Leave marriage to the churches. We all know that that will never happen. In lieu of domestic partnerships for all, let’s at least allow everyone access to the same institutions.

We’ve experienced majority tyranny on this issue for far too long. It isn’t enough anymore that homosexuality is legal and that we are tolerated. I long for a Supreme Court decision along the lines of Brown v. Board of Education that requires same sex marriage in each state. Until then, I will begrudgingly accept the incomplete rights that are ever-so-graciously handed down by the majority, but I refuse to celebrate the “progress.”