tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post2969341153236766581..comments2024-03-25T17:38:55.490-07:00Comments on Dar Kush: The Happening (2008)Steven Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-51945527575531720332008-06-20T13:56:00.000-07:002008-06-20T13:56:00.000-07:00Suzanne:I didn't mean that gay relationships mirro...Suzanne:<BR/><BR/>I didn't mean that gay relationships mirror heterosexual ones. I suggest that they mirror human ones. Whether business or platonic, some are roughly equal. Some are not, one person, friend or partner having more...well, more "juice" than the other. I personally would prefer the equal. I've run into women who were interested in being dominated. Not interested.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-59414644727147433122008-06-20T04:15:00.000-07:002008-06-20T04:15:00.000-07:00MArtywhat I described about my nephewdoes not appl...MArty<BR/>what I described about my nephew<BR/>does not apply to homosexuals<BR/>he is tranasgendered<BR/>which is a different thing<BR/>from homosexuality<BR/><BR/>he had breast reduction surgery<BR/>and takes male hormones<BR/>so he has chest hair<BR/>and a beard<BR/>and a low voice<BR/><BR/>he did not <BR/>9at least the last time I had contact with him<BR/>some years back) had not had<BR/>surgery to turn his vagina into a penis<BR/><BR/>as he said to me<BR/>"it doesn't take a penis to be a man."<BR/><BR/>he vividly described the horrors<BR/>of knowing he was in the wrong sort of body<BR/>which began for him before adolescence<BR/><BR/>he is in an intimate relationship<BR/>with a woman<BR/><BR/>as to homosexual relationships<BR/>having hetero relationship features<BR/>the example given of wife - submissive<BR/>and husband - dominant<BR/><BR/>please people!!!<BR/>that was then<BR/>several decades ago<BR/>it's not so relevant - thank the goddesses - today!<BR/><BR/>in any relationship at any given moment<BR/>I suppose you could say<BR/>one or the other person is<BR/>dominant by one criteria or another<BR/>in the best of all possivble worlds<BR/>as far as I'm concerned<BR/>it would be a constantly fluctuating thing<BR/>based on capability<BR/>with whoever's best ast a given thing being the dominant one<BR/>wheen that thing or activity <BR/>is what;s happening<BR/><BR/>that's what I currently strive for<BR/>in long term relationshipsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-24920991440514658192008-06-19T18:57:00.000-07:002008-06-19T18:57:00.000-07:00It actually seems to me that marriages are a lot l...It actually seems to me that marriages are a lot like other kinds of relationships: friendships, boyfriend-girlfriend, business partners, etc. In other words, its just human stuff.<BR/>#<BR/>Nancy--I don't necessarily think this is deliberate provocation. I'd feel reassured if it were. No, I see this as largely (but not exclusively) subconscious anger, fear and tribalism. You can't change human beings directly, but you can change the laws that bind them into societies. <BR/>#<BR/>Yes, I think the Republicans should be punished, but not horribly. In my opinion, they went over the line the last eight years. Without a correction of some kind, they will be encouraged to maintain the same tactics. Of course, once the Democrats are in power for a while, they'll need a little chastisement as well.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-91649393687850274742008-06-19T18:38:00.000-07:002008-06-19T18:38:00.000-07:00"..Tony still works and Bernie stays home and some..."..Tony still works and Bernie stays home and some of their conversations when Tony gets home sound like something out of a 50's sitcom between husband and stay at home wife."<BR/><BR/>I do find it fascinating that the power and sex dynamics of gay relationships appear to often echo those common to straight sexual relationships, as opposed to striking a distinctive cord. In both cases, one partner is often more dominant, the other largely submissive. Gay dominance/submissive dynamics are even expressed through imitation of traditional male/female postures, gestures and psyches.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-9450579390614878732008-06-19T17:44:00.000-07:002008-06-19T17:44:00.000-07:00With respect to my friend Bernie, he has never ind...With respect to my friend Bernie, he has never indicted that felt he was born the wrong gender, but I do find their relationship somewhat amusing in the sense that Tony still works and Bernie stays home and some of their conversations when Tony gets home sound like something out of a 50's sitcom between husband and stay at home wife.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-78969818385435969712008-06-19T17:26:00.000-07:002008-06-19T17:26:00.000-07:00"Reading this description certainly led me to beli..."Reading this description certainly led me to believe there was a law banning same sex marriage."<BR/><BR/>There was an initiative that got passed way back when it looked as if the courts in Hawaii were going to legalize same sex marriage there (and prior to when it actually <I>was</I> legalized in Massachusetts), which could be interpreted either as barring same sex marriage altogether here, or as barring out of state same sex marriages from counting in California without California having legalized them. Some time <I>after</I> the initiative, our domestic partnership law got souped up to be as close to marriage as the legislature could make it, and still later, the legislature made the two attempts to legalize same sex marriage (which Schwarzenegger vetoed in favor of having the courts rule).<BR/><BR/>It's a complicated history, and I can understand that people not in California might miss all the twists and turns.Lynn Gazis-Saxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16775215056055972392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-58342090579257291452008-06-19T17:18:00.000-07:002008-06-19T17:18:00.000-07:00Regarding the original posting:1. I think your sta...Regarding the original posting:<BR/><BR/>1. I think your statements are compelling but I disagree with them. <BR/>But that's okay. If we all thought the same way, the world would be about as interesting as white bread.<BR/><BR/>2. Obama <I>is</I> in more physical danger than any other candidate in history. It's the part of The Burden of the First. By the time the second comes along, the "dangerous novelty" will be past and those in power will be of another generation. Praise God.Elzabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13546347357623249053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-12482058429769037702008-06-19T17:14:00.000-07:002008-06-19T17:14:00.000-07:00lynn an dallI have a nephewwho alas I don;t know v...lynn an dall<BR/>I have a nephew<BR/>who alas I don;t know very well at all<BR/>who was born as a niece of mine<BR/><BR/>when I finally got a chance<BR/>to meet and speak with him<BR/>at my mother's funeral<BR/>he told me<BR/>how clear it was to him<BR/>that he'd been born <BR/>into the wrong kind of body<BR/><BR/>there is no way<BR/>if I hadn;t known his history<BR/>that I would weever have thought him<BR/>anything but a man<BR/><BR/>and as my father said<BR/>after his alterations<BR/>(the wisest thing I ever heard my father say:<BR/>"the thinfgs you think will kill you<BR/>are NOAt the things that kill you."<BR/><BR/>goddess <BR/>but I loved my father<BR/>watching his Mind disappear<BR/>was one of the worst things<BR/>I ever experiencedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-62878939000824676322008-06-19T16:50:00.000-07:002008-06-19T16:50:00.000-07:00-- "My problem comes when we say that one or both ...-- "<I>My problem comes when we say that one or both have been assigned the wrong gender and so one or both act like the other gender.</I>" -- <BR/><BR/>Sorry but this actually does happen sometimes. It's extremely rare and I think that probably the majority of people who <I>say</I> they've been "assigned the wrong gender" have no basis for that claim. But there are a few cases in which "wrong gender" can be proved medically.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-38075650212906024302008-06-19T16:45:00.000-07:002008-06-19T16:45:00.000-07:00Lynn: This is a quote from the article in the Los ...Lynn: This is a quote from the article in the Los Angles Times describing the ruling.<BR/><BR/>"The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would invalidate virtually any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation."<BR/><BR/>Reading this description certainly led me to believe there was a law banning same sex marriage. But your description of the situation is probably right since you seem to follow the whole thing closely and I certainly don't. Frankly, I am more interested in the issue of judicial activism than of gay marriage. While fun to debate the issue of are gays entitled to the right to marry, versus should they be allowed to marry, versus should they not be allowed to marry is very low on my importance scale. I really don't care either way.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-1773221706926070282008-06-19T16:03:00.000-07:002008-06-19T16:03:00.000-07:00Hell, to paraphrase a comedian: Why should straigh...Hell, to paraphrase a comedian: Why should straight people be the only ones allowed to be miserable about making a grave mistake of sharing their life with the wrong person?<BR/><BR/>And to Steve, concerning this: "Gee. Wonder if her case will be reopened? Naw. Probably what she's really being punished for is being stupid enough to get caught."<BR/><BR/>Guess the same could be said, NOW, about Bush on down who have been caught, as well.<BR/><BR/>But you are correct. The military, to my knowledge has NEVER gone back on a charge. Trust me on this: The UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) is more archaic and much more stringent than civilian law.<BR/><BR/>And IF there has ever been an enlisted military individual (I'm talking low ranking enlisted, here) whose sentence was overturned, I have never heard or read of it. I would love to hear of it happening, though. Too many have been raked over the coals and hung out to dry for bull shit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-31554414201531757292008-06-19T14:26:00.000-07:002008-06-19T14:26:00.000-07:00"Did I miss something. Did the CA legislature make..."Did I miss something. Did the CA legislature make gay marriage legal. I thought it was the ruling of a single judge. "<BR/><BR/>Yes, Marty, you did miss something. The CA legislature passed a law legalizing same sex marriage. Schwarzenegger vetoed that law, saying that the courts needed to rule. The CA legislature, in a subsequent session, passed a law legalizing same sex marriage. Schwarzenegger vetoed the law on the same grounds. Finally, the case that had been making its way through the courts reached the CA Supreme Court (which had earlier invalidated the San Francisco same sex marriages performed by Mayor Gavin Newsome, but which hadn't yet ruled on the substantive issue, just the "major jumped the gun" issue). The CA Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage. The Governor then declared himself in favor, and against overturning the court decision by initiative in November; evidently, for reasons I don't really understand, he really did want the decision made by the courts rather than the legislature (rather than actually being opposed to same sex marriage).<BR/><BR/>So, all three branches of our government have now declared themselves in favor of same sex marriage, though the order in which they did so is a little odd.Lynn Gazis-Saxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16775215056055972392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-33275336277601738992008-06-19T14:04:00.000-07:002008-06-19T14:04:00.000-07:00christian howell,The various religions and denomin...christian howell,<BR/><BR/>The various religions and denominations constantly choose and change which precepts, tenants and commandments to emphasize and obey, and which to downplay or downright ignore. Catholics conspicuously ignore the "No Graven Images" commandment, while Muslims adhere to its Koranic transliteration with homicidal vehemency. Thankfully, most modern Christians and Jews ignore injunctions to kill witches, disobedient children, Sabbath breakers and gays, as well as the tacit Biblical condonement of slavery and the Leviticus prohibition against contact with blood (adherence by Jehovah's Witnesses to this archaic folly causes incalculable suffering and death since the ban prohibits transfusion). Given that the sensible religious have a long history of interpreting scripture so as to conform with civilized and enlightened mores, let them do so once again and recognize gay and straight matrimony as equally sacred and beautiful in the eyes of "god".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-14474197866351224862008-06-19T13:46:00.000-07:002008-06-19T13:46:00.000-07:00Christian, no one is comparing lifestyles. We're ...Christian, no one is comparing lifestyles. We're comparing the judicial decisions that allowed interracial marriage, and same sex marriage. The courts have to do that. You may not want them to, but it's reality. You can't deny it.Josh Jasperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08441897278413737658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-24116702099088282932008-06-19T13:14:00.000-07:002008-06-19T13:14:00.000-07:00Suzanne: Did I miss something. Did the CA legislat...Suzanne: Did I miss something. Did the CA legislature make gay marriage legal. I thought it was the ruling of a single judge. In my mind your argument has something of a chicken and egg nature. If we are talking about legislation, then attitudes have to already have changed for the legislation to have been passed. Of course once the legislation has passed, if it's good legislation more people may see that it is good and so attitudes may change further. <BR/><BR/>Now as far as gay rights go domestic partnership laws can resolve issues such as attendance in critical care units. As for social security issue you brought up<BR/><BR/>1) As with tax benefits for married couples there is some question in my mind as to whether the benefits should apply to married couples who don't have children and<BR/><BR/>2) Secondly the spousal benefit is becoming more and more irrelevant as the percent of women in the workforce increase. My wife earned much less than I, but do to the nature of the benefit calculation she already gets eighty-five percent of my benefit on her own.<BR/><BR/>The spousal benefit was created in a time when most women stayed home to raise the children and would have had no social security without it.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-65970128962863742892008-06-19T12:48:00.000-07:002008-06-19T12:48:00.000-07:00There is and never will be a comparison of the liv...There is and never will be a comparison of the lives and lifestyles of blacks and gays.<BR/><BR/>I have no problem with two men or two women being married. My problem comes when we say that one or both have been assigned the wrong gender and so one or both act like the other gender.<BR/><BR/>From the religious side, how can we say we believe in God, but we pick and choose which things we follow and which we ignore as "old-fashioned."<BR/><BR/>But all in all, knock yourselves out. I don't want to be married.Christian H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-21387794280969131252008-06-19T12:20:00.000-07:002008-06-19T12:20:00.000-07:00martythat same argument was made"you can't legisla...marty<BR/>that same argument was made<BR/>"you can't legislate. . . "<BR/>about blacks<BR/>with repect to affirmative action<BR/>in colleges and universities<BR/>and it was as invalid then<BR/>as it is about gay people<BR/><BR/>right you can;t legislate <BR/>bigotry and homophobia away<BR/>but if you wait for it to go away<BR/>before you assure that gay people or black people<BR/>get a fair shake<BR/>then you wait for<BR/>forever<BR/><BR/>I'm nt sure gay people care whether you are comfortable<BR/>about their intimacy choices or not<BR/>really it's none of your business<BR/>(or mine or anyone else's)<BR/>it has nothing to do with any straight person's marriage<BR/>or how they raise their kids<BR/>but tweo people<BR/>ANY TWO PEOPLE<BR/>who are committed to each other<BR/>and responsible for each other<BR/>have a right<BR/>to all the rights attendant<BR/>upon being responsible<BR/>and sharing a life committment<BR/><BR/>whether its attendance at a critical care unit<BR/>or a deceased's social security <BR/>or whatever<BR/><BR/>legislation is not about<BR/>forcing people to be comfortable<BR/>it's about asssuring rights<BR/>and fuck whether people are comfortable<BR/>waiting for that is just an excuse<BR/>to do nothingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-4492473412813181302008-06-19T11:51:00.000-07:002008-06-19T11:51:00.000-07:00Steve: There is an individual who was a coworker o...Steve: There is an individual who was a coworker of mine, since 1977. We began to work closely together and became friends about twenty years ago. He was gay, but hid from everyone until our facility was closed down eight years ago and he was no longer afraid that the knowledge he was gay would hurt his career. He never even admitted it those of us he was fairly close to although we were with him enough to be fairly sure he was gay. So in one sense you have it right. Being gay can hurt you and it is tough. On the other hand I still say that if a majority or a substantial minority of the population are anti-gay, then you don't make the problems for gays go away by legislation or judicial fiat. If Bernie and his partner Tony had the right to marry and Bernie still had to fear that being openly gay would hurt his career, then they would not have married and he still would have hid his gayness. The problem is better solved by educating the bias out of society.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-86343312664078437862008-06-19T11:35:00.000-07:002008-06-19T11:35:00.000-07:00I don't think all talk about Obama possibly gettin...I don't think all talk about Obama possibly getting assassinated is provocation. There's a higher risk than there would be for a white candidate or president, and it hasn't exactly been a safe job for whites.<BR/><BR/>I'm looking forward to eight and a half years of worrying about Obama getting assassinated.<BR/><BR/>I do think he's the better candidate, but do you have an opinion on the idea that the Republican party must be punished?<BR/>I hear it often enough, and it would imply that other things being equal (or even if the Democratic candidate is slightly inferior), one should vote for the Democrat.Nancy Lebovitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07068537632391466902noreply@blogger.com