By now we are all pretty much aware of the gay marriage issue as a "civil rights" issue. This isn't "animal farm" where "All Animals are equal - but some animals are more equal than others". No - the elected representatives of the state decided that given their knowledge of history - where for example - slavery (which was biblically supported) was overturned, and hatred of Jews by the Nazi's led to no good outcome (just think of the pesky Palestine problem)... then it was pretty clear that there really was no logical support to the argument that two people able to enter into a contract shouldn't be allowed to have state sanctioned benefits of a marriage.

But oh yes - Gov. John Lynch in his wisdom did see fit to add a little wrench to the pot - seems he is concerned about the religious freedoms that may be impinged on by allowing Gay Marriage and so with the wisdom of Solomon - he decided to cut the baby in half. Yes - Gays have rights in the eyes of the State - but religious tax free status organizations are free to discriminate and enshrine the prejudices into policy at will. Yes - this leaves the child molesting Catholic Priests to continue their actions while condemning the folks who decide its ok as long as the two are adults and agree to it.

Well - this of course has raised the question of numerous of my non-christian friends as to - just what is meant by traditional marriage. Seems the religious wrong in America continually seek out their favorite guidebook whenever a hot button issue comes up and call on the spirit of a dead man to decide just what should be happening in the world today. Yes - but most get it wrong. They seem to believe that marriage in the bible is between one man - one woman. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth as any bible reading christian would surely know - course most skipped the book in favor of the movie (easier to grasp). Besides, Charlton Heston is easier to accept as a moses rather than what he probably actually looked like (think Osama Bin Laden without the penchant for shipping videotapes).

Luckily for us, Betty Bowers - America's best Christian breaks it down in simple to understand terms quoting directly from the bible - a BreederWatch non-exclusive:

Well folks, this is it - the final post. Why? Well - lets face it - tossing your opinions out their in the stratosphere can be fun, but its a bit like mental masturbation. The world is changing - 5 states recognize Gay Marriage, the new president has all but abandoned his platform, and well - life has just gotten busy.

I'll leave you with one video though - one that touches on the interesting dynamic of the remaining homophobes - those who seek to restrict the rights of others in the name of their own superiority. This is called racism. When you believe that your race is superior to any other and deserving of fundamental rights more than other people - whether it be based on color, the genetic makeup of someone's sexuality, or their genetic background. Racism is much more offensive than say - religious intolerance - because everyone can have an opinion on the lifestyle choices of others. We can view current Muslim treatment of women in various countries and be apalled - we can judge this as offensive. However, to judge someone for something over which they have no control is effectively invalidating that persons existence.

So why stop when so much evil still abounds in the world - when so many so - called Christians pervert the word of God to support their own prejudices all the while completely ignoring the passages in the same books that would cause them to perform Pidgeon genocide or stop eating at Red Lobster? Because they are boring. Tired. The religious right has retreated into pure "hate" attacks which are visibly apparent - in fact - they are doing more to undue their own cause than we could ever do. The NOM ad on marriage - so laughable that even gay unfriendly people I know started to rethink their opinions. "The Storm" - such high drama that it made the issue look ridiculous.

But - in a cognitive behavioral way - we have to have pity on some of the self professed homophobes and those that attempt to base their bias and prejudice on religious teachings. They are struggling with their own desires - forced to examine their own lives and choices realizing they did things counter to the make-up of their internal code. They are simply railing against their own internal lie.

The NOM story keeps getting better. Forget that their "ad" of real people discussing real fears - turned out to be actors reading a script. Then - they had YouTube remove the Rachel Maddow news story abou their ad... see - its ok to publish a multi-million dollar ad full of lies and sold under false pretenses - but its apparently NOT OK to report on it.

Well - the responses get better - here is another NOM ad:

Reprint from Queerty.com

What's a gay elephant to do? It's not enough to spend your life trapped in a crappy Polish zoo, but to have your local city councilman go after you because you won't stud out is enough to make you stomping mad.

That's exactly what happened to Ninio, an elephant at the Poznan Zoo, who councilman Michal Grzes is complaining "We didn't pay 37 million zlotys for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there." But don't fret Ninio. You're not alone. Gay animals are everywhere (we even have questions about the President's new pooch).

Scientists have found over 15,000 species that engage in some form of homosexuality. Step right into our bestiary of gay members of the wild kingdom, because being gay is a natural thing, kids.

Penguins

Denizens of the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, Wendell & Cass are media darlings. Penguins are monogamous and despite the fact that the duo are both boys, zookeepers say they're deeply devoted to each other– and that they keep the neatest nest of all the penguins in their care. Gay penguins, it turns out, are very common.

The Central Park Zoo has a pair that's been together for six years named Roy & Silo, though Silo has shown some bisexual tendencies and has shacked up with a female named Scrappy from time to time. Since there are no gay penguin adoption agencies, Roy & Silo took to stealing eggs from the hetero couples. The zookeepers solved the problem by giving the couple an egg-shaped rock, proving that while they're a loving, caring couple, they're not exactly all that bright.

Dolphins

In the dolphin world, homosexuality isn't just common, it's the norm. Male dolphins pair up and take care of each other (as well as engage in sexual rubbing) and only hook-up with the ladies during mating season. Occasionally, dolphin couples will have underwater orgies with each other.

Dolphins aren't the only marine mammal that gets its gay on– male killer whales are often observed riding each other for fun, as do gray whales and manatees.

Bonobo Chimpanzees

Some of our closest relatives, bonobos are almost uniformly bisexual, willing to get in on just about anytime, anywhere. Nearly 2/3 of the same-sex action is on the part of the females, showing that the idea that male of the species isn't always the hornier.

Though this has a lot to do with bonobo society, which is matriarchal and which often treats sex as an expression of dominance. In fact, all apes exhibit various forms of homosexuality, including the annoying talking ones.

Amazingly (or unsurprisingly, depending on how easily shocked you are), the bonobo bisexuality issue is something that Fox News has weighed in on.

Spotted Hyenas

Since ancient times, humans have been fascinated by the hyena's sexual habits. Ovid thought hyenas constantly changed their gender and the animal was frequently associated with prostitution and sexuality throughout the middle ages.

The reason for all this superstition is that female hyenas have a sex organ that well– looks like a penis. The hyenas that fair the best in their matriarchal society are the ones that are exposed to the most testosterone, regardless of gender. Female hyenas are often larger and more aggressive than the males, as a result– and not shy about getting it on with other lady hyenas, either.

Luckily there are some good news today - especially on the side of those who don't fit the "norm". This time, a straight 47 year old woman from Scotland, picked on her entire life.. now showing the world that different is ok too...

Youtube has unfortunately disabled the embedding of this video - so to see it - you must click this link. Its well worth it. Get the hankies out.

Heterosexism. The belief that somehow on the basis of being born straight - a man / woman is endowed with inherent superiority over anyone different. It is the belief system that the majority is "right" to the exclusion of all other God given traits. NOM has produced an anti-gay marriage ad full of deciept, lies, and - yes - turns out the "real people speakers" were actually paid actors. Nice. Well - tit for tat - lets see that ad as it really should appear.

As a gay man - who is also part of the leather community - occasionally the need arises to attend events wearing clothing that might not be acceptable at - say - the church bake sale. Every community has its uniforms. In business, its the suit. For the Shriners - its those adorable FEZ hats. At Halloween most young girls dress up as sexy objects of desire. And - at a Leather event - gay men attempt to do the same. Outfits range from the boots with jeans and leather vest - to hyper masculine costumes. The construction worker. The fire fighter. The soldier. The Skin Head. All require a level of tightness and cash outlay that would be deemed by others as either too constraining and / or extravagant.

Well - when in Rome...

During the day I'm normally in jeans and a shirt. Yes - I work in software and this outfit is meant to show my "rebellious" nature. But - I'm also in software for the financial community. So - during meetings its suit and tie - clearly intended to show my "adherence to social norms and respectability". At events its a tuxedo, which is associated with elegance and success. At the gym its sweats for their utilitarian usage. And for a leather event, its a codpiece, chaps which highlight that muscular ass that I worked so hard to achieve, boots, and a leather vest (to show off the pecs I've worked so hard to achieve. The outfit is meant to be suggestive and show off health and sexual prowess.

What not to where (or wear - your choice):

But since 2008, I'll never wear chaps again. I still find them attractive. Yes - I even enjoy looking at a muscular man in a thong - call me weird. (I'll like it). But during this fateful year I had an auto coolant incident and I blame my reticence to don an expensive part of my leather gear on a local car dealership. Clearly - one run by breeders. The entire incident was pre-meditated - I'm sure.

At the time, I owned an Audi TT 225 hp Roadster. A nice car. A sports care. A sexy car. And - of course, when you have such a vehicle - you make sure it gets all the servicing it needs. My instinct was to do this at the dealership.... free maintenance plan and all. And so - the car was sent into the shop 2 days before a major leather event in Fort Lauderdale - a 30 minute drive from my home.

On the night of the event, I dressed in my best chaps - adjusting them so that they really highlighted my ass. The codpiece in front accentuating my package - which is really quite standard and normal - and hence needs the use of a codpiece to make it look intimidating - and just a little angry. Aggression and masculinity go well together.

Hopping in the car - I set off for Fort Lauderdale. This drive entails getting from Miami Beach - across the city over to Highway 95 then North to gay central - otherwise known as Wilton Manors. On the way you pass by every kind of neighborhood. First, there is the beach community of idyllic cottages set by the ocean. Next comes a more industrial warehouse area, a main boulevard, and finally - a dangerous ethnic minority neighborhood filled with all - black hoochie girl strip joints where the dancers can make their ass vibrate like butterfly wings. The whole thing - according to Chaos theory - probably sets off hurricanes in third world countries - but the men of the area love it.

Of course, lining the street are the cheaper crack whore prostitutes trading sex for a fix of heroin - and their patrons and pimps. Basically, not the area you want your car to break down in. Especially not when your wearing chaps - with your ass hanging out.

It Happens:

I'm driving along this stretch of road when I glance down to the instrument panel and see that the vehicle has gone red line. Pull over. Check the car - restart - instant redline. "holy shit" - I think. Looking back on the road - I see the reason why. My car decided to commit suicide and apparently disconnected all its cooling hoses - leaving one in the center of the street. A car without coolant (except the air cooled porsche) is not a good thing. The dealership would later deny any culpability. But for the moment - I was stuck. Stranded. Hoochie girls approaching the car they think contains a wealthy white guy with money to spare. YIKES.

You can imagine - or maybe you can't - the anxiety. Its the dream of going to high school naked magnified times 100. Not only aren't you in a safe neighborhood - but your in one with your ass hanging out basically screaming "make me your prison bitch"!

Well, as a white male with liberal leanings - of course I had the one token black friend. Anthony. He reminded me of the one black guy in our NH high school. Back in the late 70's NH didn't have blacks. But we saw them on TV. Drug dealers, pimps, and criminals - all of them. So when the high school Anthony moved to town - I felt badly for the guy. After all - with no black females - who could he possibly date? My sister was apparently the solution to that problem. I was shocked. Appalled. Who would possibly want to date my sister?

But - back to the story. With AAA on the way - and fearing having to explain to the tow truck driver how I managed to land in an all ethnic area - surrounded by hoochie girls and pimps wearing nothing but some leather pants with the backside missing - what kind of excuse could I make? Costume party? Village People revival band member? None seemed sufficient - though in my mind I played each scene out - all ending the same way with me having to give him a blow job before he'd tow my car. Ok - that was the fantasy - and I knew it - reality would be much different. So - I call Anthony. "Don't ask" - I say - "Don't even mention this to anyone - but I need you in Overtown right now with an extra pair of sweats for me and a t-shirt". Anthony obliges. Of course, the person I called had to be black. Its a liberal thing - we're limited that way. When in Rome - call a Roman. Made sense at the time.

So - the sweats arrive - the tow truck arrives... and I made it out alive... but with the Post Traumatic Stress of never being able to wear chaps again. The world can breathe a sigh of relief.

Relevant during the Supreme Court Case in California - and moreso representing the need for a federal Gay Marriage statute - Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz is in deep financial trouble - due to the DEATH TAX. That's right, when partner Susan Sontag died - Annie inherited the entire thing. Of course, much of this is in properties, future revenue's relating to residual payments, and non-liquid items such as Art.

So - basically, you have a lot of stuff - but it takes time to sell - and until then is essentially worth nothing - except to the IRS. You see - as a married couple, Annie could have inherited it all - with no taxes. However, since they can't marry (thanks Breeders) - she is forced to pay 50% tax on everything.

Can you imagine - the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Your husband dies. And suddenly, you have to buy your house again (50% of it at least) and give the funds to the IRS. You can't drive that car - until Uncle Sam gets his cut (even though it was bought and paid for - with sales tax and everything).

Well - now you understand the legal implications frought with the blatant discrimination towards Gay people in the eyes of our laws.

The full article is here: Queerty

Ok - so now well respected pundits such as Russian Political analyst Igor Panarin has declared that the US will collapse by 2010. The reason: Gays. So - the proponents of the planned economy are now perfectly aligned with the Religious Right of our own country. Strange bedfellows indeed. Of course, many in the republican party deride the concept of socialism in our own country - or - at least any brand of socialism designed to help the individual / common man. For large investment banks however, the story is different.

You see, since the bailout of Chrysler the US has been a socialist nation. Whenever a country uses taxpayer money to prop up failing business models, they essentially set themselves back many years. Its like putting the kids oxygen mask on before your own - great for the kid - not so good for you. You pass out - and maybe you never get the kid's on either - both die. So - while we are busy shifting taxpayer dollars to the very institutions who have had the least regard for taxpayers - the end result will be institutions barely surviving that should have died long ago.

So - why aren't we helping out those mid sized banks without investment arms - you know the ones - they are down the street, they've been investing locally for years... they don't have huge investment arms dedicated to helping Hedge Funds fleece the nation of its wealth? The entire system is broken. Hedge Funds, Investment Managers, and financial guru's produce nothing. In fact, from a simplistic standpoint - these folks are really nothing more than parasites living off the work of others. Oh sure - you say.... investment was the grease for modern business. It provides much needed capital to business to grow. But does it? And at what cost?

Certainly the argument for cash infusion and innovation would work if say... an investment was "Long" only. If you like a company - buy its stock - they get capital. If you don't like it - "sell" the stock. But with todays long list of derivative products that let you bet on how a company will do - or profit when mass hysteria takes place and even good companies with great business models and fantastic cash flow are thrown in the toilet - and you have to ask about the positive benefits of the system. This is where we have to finally wake up and realize that the primary goal of a Hedge Fund and / or Long / Short manager is not to provide investment capital - but rather - to maximize profit for their investors. They place bets. They take money from one person to give it to another - but nothing of value is created for the country as a whole.

Just look at your 401k if you don't believe me. These fat expense fee cows for investment firms typically hold funds that underperform the market and provide the largest kick-backs to the 401k provider. They also invest "long" only. Meaning - you don't play the full market - and your pitted against folks who do nothing all day but figures out ways to reallocate your wealth into their own pockets. These are - by the way - the folks we are now bailing out. So - when times are good - they are stealing from you - and when times are bad our government is giving them your money.

Alas. The entire situation has social implications. Yes - people are losing their jobs and latest reports indicate that the mortgage foreclosures now peaking aren't due to ARM's but rather to the impact of job losses. Good middle class families who always tried to play by the rules, who bought homes they could afford, who always made their payments - have lost their jobs and are now unable to survive. Sure - Obama issues a plan that if your Fannie or Freddie backed - you can refinance. Two main catches - there is no way to find out if your Fannie or Freddie backed - and IF you have lost your job - you don't qualify to refinance. Nice.

Additionally and throughout this process we now have conservative radicals winning arguments across the land. Kenneth Starr yestereday literally argued that if the majority of a state wanted to revoke the right to free speech, that should be allowed. No longer are "inalienable" rights "inalienable" - they should now be left to popular vote.

The dog is eating its own tail people. Citizens are turning on each other searching for someone to blame and corporations are faceless so we look to other places. Hence - the rise in Gay Bashing with over 4 horrendous attacks this week alone leaving the victims either dead or horribly maimed. All in the name of "preserving the values of the nation". Perhaps the values of the nation need a complete rewrite?

If only it were possible that a magic potion could change the attitudes of the world. Maybe something like: