I Wonder Why We Have Policemen in the First Place.

I often wonder what the world would be like if there weren't any policemen. I'm not trying to sound facetious or anything, but every time I surf the net I stumble upon some moron in a blue suit with a badge causing harm to a civilian. I remember what happened to Abner Louima who was brutalized by New York's "finest." And then Amadou Diallo gets shot 41 times and was killed a few years later makes me wonder what exactly goes on when they hire potential applicants to serve as policemen? Shouldn't they at LEAST have a college education?

Now here is the story about science fiction author Peter Watts. Watts was arrested arrested by border patrol officials stating that he 'attacked a patrolman.' After reading the article and so many others like this I begin to wonder what the true purpose of policemen in our society? Better yet, where are the policemen who are really sterling examples and who are honorable? Please tell me so I can find them.

On a closing note, I was told that our local gas station was robbed a few days ago. Please keep in mind that I live in a fairly affluent suburb and the policemen in the area are alway out patrolling the main strip in our town. I wonder then how they managed to miss as heist such as this one where it required the thieves to haul a safe out of a building from the roof at night? Not to mention the gas station sits on the main street the policemen use every day. It makes me wish that there really is a Batman who looks out for the citizens of his city.

He Changed His Mind

At least Rick Warren has done the noble thing in denouncing what is going on in Uganda. So where is the Pope, the Dali Lama and other so-called religious leaders? Speak up fellas, I'm ready for your close-up!

And a Partridge in a Pear-Tea!

Apparently this is the 'tea-baggers' idea of smaller, limited government.

I Always Knew There Was Something Fishy About Pokémon!

It's evil! Evil I tell you!



I really wish people would find something more constructive to do with their time. Especially religious nut-jobs! Hey mister, how about ministering to the sick instead of preaching about the 'evils' of a toy for kids?

Ooops Upside Your Head.

I promised myself that I wouldn't blog about the Tiger Woods scandal. I'm not too keen on seeing his dirty laundry being aired out in public like this. Yes, I do have issues with some of the things he has said about his race or for that matter not being black. I admit I was angry about his statement, but I got over it. I mean, this is America and we can be whatever we want to be, right?

However when I was doing my morning ritual of reading the Huffington Post, I came across this wonderful gem about America's favorite big mouth, Rush Limbaugh. It seems that Rush got his degrees in sociology and psychology off the back of a cereal box because his view about how Black America feels in light of the Woods scandal is outrageous and a little pathetic. Here's his radio diatribe courtesy of Media Matters.

So Mr. Limbaugh, let's see: Black America is in a tailspin because of Mr. Woods' choice of women? Ha, ha. Very funny. So I guess White America was in a tailspin when you caught in that oxycontin scandal a few years ago, right? Mr. Limbaugh, please don't assume that we are upset and falling apart because of Woods' lapse in judgement and that he prefers white women. We aren't. We're doing fine and will continue to do so no matter what.

Well Said, Mr. Bond.

They Shoot Gay People, Don't They?

After last week's defeat of marriage equity for gay couples in NY state, I didn't things could get worse. Well, it turns out I was wrong. It appears that there is a bill that will more than likely pass in Uganda that call for the execution of LGBT and people with HIV.

According to the website Talk to Action and other sources, the bill will more than likely pass. So in this day and age we have genocide sponsored by political and religious zealots.

Rick Warren the founder and pastor of Saddleback Church has tacitly backed this decree by Martin Ssempa, a religious nutcase and creator of the bill. So, let me get this straight [forgive the pun]: Two 'Men of God' believe that it's OK to kill a minority because they don't like said minority. Where have I read about that before? Oh, yeah, that's right...the Holocaust, the Inquisition, the KKK, you get the picture. What's even more chilling is that so far there hasn't been one major news organization to cover this holocaust that is about to unfold. Could it be that we Americans are tired of the 'gay' thing? Or is it that killing gays in a land that is so impoverished anyway isn't news-worthy?

Also, where is the outrage or concern for this threatened minority from the UN, the Pope [yeah, right he's too busy wondering about the new Prada slippers for spring 2010] or any other religious figure?  Either way things do not look good for my LGBT brothers and sisters in Uganda. I hope they will be able to find asylum somehow and escape this hell that is about to be unleashed.

New York City Blues

Well, it seems that the state of New York has taken the low-road when it comes to gay marriage. Needless to say, I'm disappointed in the outcome. I mean, why is it my rights as a gay man are left up to popular vote? Does anyone remember the Civil Rights movement? Think about it-- my ancestor's rights were at the mercy of a bunch of morons who wanted to keep them in the back of the bus and drink in separate water fountains. It wasn't until the Civil Rights Act that set things in motion for blacks to have the same rights as whites.

I say enough is enough. I want my rights! NOW! I don't want to wait until I'm 70 to be able to marry my partner! I'm also tired of subsidizing something that I will not benefit from at all. Remember the phrase "No taxation without representation."? And for those who want to talk about the sanctity of marriage, check out these two stellar examples: Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2.

So my question is: How come these people can get to marry as many times as they want, but I can't even do it once?

Me, Myself & I

Since this is my third post, I wanted to give my readers [if there are any out there] some information about myself. I will be very forthright about the aspect of 'transparency' on the internet concerning bloggers. Since most blogs are from an individual point of view, I don't feel the need to divert from that tradition. That being said, I intend to keep certain aspects of my life private. I will not mention names of friends or family members unless they give me the OK. If I do mention a name, the reader should assume that it is a pseudonym. Events that happen in my life will be told in as much detail as I can remember. However, my opinions concening the world and the events that happen will be from the heart and mind, with little censoring.

So a little about me: I'm a forty-something gay male living in south Jersey. To be honest, I never thought I would be living in New Jersey, but I fell in love with a fantastic fella from the Garden State, so here I am. I must say, that it's not as bad as it seems, but I do miss my home town of Philadelphia. I work in the publishing industry as a marketing/PR manager. When I tell people that I work in publishing, their eyes get big and they say, "Oh, that must be really exciting!" Well, to be honest, it's not as exciting as most people think. But that is another story for another time. [I'm actually considering leaving the industry for another career, but I'm going to have to consider my options before I take a leap.]

I am a total geek. Though I am note the most computer savvy person [I can program in FORTRAN and Pascal with the best of them!], I am very much into all things related to science fiction, comic books, the X-files, Fringe, Star Trek and collecting action figures. I love to cook, lift weights and hang out with my friends. So, yes, it's pretty mundane.

On the flip side, I'm a total clothes horse and like shoes. [Thanks, Mom!] I believe that we have to put our best foot forward in any situation and dressing well helps in that matter. You will probably never catch me strolling down the street wearing sweat pants. Not unless I'm coming from the gym. And you can bet I will NEVER, EVER wear flip-flops. I never understood the appeal to those things.

So thanks for stopping by and I hope you stay around for the ride.

Saturday or There's a Boy Riding a Scooter in the Restaurant!

Last Saturday I ventured across the bridge to my homeland of Philadelphia to have lunch with a good friend. He needed some cheering up because there was a sudden death in his family. I figured we'd go out and have a few drinks and do some shopping to take his mind off his troubles.

My first instinct was to take control of the day and set an itinerary of where we would eat, shop, etc. However, I decided to let my friend decide where to eat. [Wrong decision.] He wanted to go to one of those family style restaurants since there was one in his neighborhood the food was reasonably priced. I did't want to go, but I figured what could happen?

We went to the restaurant and were seated promptly. The server came to the table and took our drink orders. As she left, I noticed a little boy riding a scooter in the middle of the restaurant. I did a double take to make sure I wasn't imagining things; but indeed there was a little boy frolicking around on a scooter in the middle of the restaurant! I turned to my friend and muttered, "I'm so glad I don't have kids, because if that was my kid, I would lay the smack-down on his ass."

My friend looked at me in agreement and said, "What is wrong with parents?" Indeed, what is wrong with today's parents? It seems that most parents want to be their offspring's friend rather than the disciplinarian or adult in the relationship. Scooter-boy's dad was just looking at his son rolling around the restaurant on his scooter oblivious to the danger or possible accident he may cause. I mean, what's a broken ankle compared to letting scooter-boy have his fun? And there lays the problem! Parents want to give their kids almost anything they want just so they can be liked. My friend had to ask our server to tell the scooter-boy's dad that he had to stop riding that thing in the restaurant. [BTW, neither one of us have kids.]

Well here is a newsflash to those parents: You are harming your kids more than you are helping them because when they turn 18 [if they get to be that age] they are going to be in a world of hurt. You cannot be your child's friend! It doesn't work and it's not HEALTHY. How are you going to expect your child to respect other people and authority if you continue to allow them to pull such antics as riding a scooter in a restaurant, throwing tantrums in a grocery store, or being disrespectful to their elders. The world is NOT their oyster! So please stop treating them like your friends. If you do this now, your kids will have respect for you and others as they get older.

I know this, if scooter-boy was raised by my mother, he wouldn't have even thought about riding his scooter in the restaurant. If he even would have thought about it, my mother would have shot him a glare that meant, "Don't you dare." and that would have been the end if it. No questions, no crying, no complaints. It sort of makes me long for the good old days.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! My hope is to cultivate an audience and share some of my observations in my life. More to come!