Taking a Summer Break

Decided that this writer needed a summer break to decide if I will continue writing Catalpa Grove. 

Have been encouraged by my wife to start pursuing some creative writing opportunities and decided a three month hiatus would be good time to channel my writing energies in another direction.    Should there be some earth shattering event that warrants my comment, I will calmly sit on my hands and let other writers offer their opinions!

So as we like to say in the business have Gone Fishing through the Months of June, July, and August.  

Much thanks for the following and look forward to resume again in autumn!

NBA Player Jason Collins Comes Out And So Do His Critics

When NBA basketball player, Jason Collins came out last week my first reaction was "so what," as it seems to be a trend that everyone is jumping proudly out of the closet.

But then, one has to realize Collins coming out is a big deal to that gay black kid who loves basketball and knows he could out play his other play mates on the court and now could pursue an athletic career if he so wishes. Coming out was probably a relief to Collins' former fiancee' Carolyn Moose who did not fully understand why the marriage was called off until his public revelation. 

Elected officials, celebrities, and religious leaders who publicly criticize homosexual men and women,  should offer details and references  regarding their personal bedroom antics that qualifies them to be critics.  Just quoting the Bible or Koran should not be good enough.
 
These critics need to provide specifics how  their sexual conduct  meet the stamp of God Approved.

Sounds absurd does it not?  But maybe not.

Perhaps those who are quick to interject their opinions on the private sexual lives of others, God has been streaming specific instructions to them that the rest of us just don't have the antennae to receive.

Perhaps these critics know specifics about sexual etiquette that God has not revealed to the rest of us and could answer the following questions about sexual conduct which God could approve. 

 For example:

•     During sexual climaxing, should there be silence between both parties?
•     Should sexual attraction and sexual compatibility be considered when getting married?
•     Should the sexual act be performed in the dark or in a lighted room? 
•     Are there sexual positions, which are God Approved, and those, which are not?  (Historically man   has attempted to write books about acceptable positions.)
•     Is oral sex a sin?  Is it abnormal for either partner to be revolted by oral sex or is one partner being selfish to request oral sexual acts.
• Why do many heterosexual men like to see and fantasize about two women engage in sexual acts but are totally revolted by men who are gay?

This list could be doubled and be much more specific and would probably offensive to some.  

Common sense is that for the billions of human beings, no sexual performance is exactly alike and can be categorized.  To condemn sexual acts between consenting adults is absurd---and in reality a waste of human energy.  If a critic believes in God, then perhaps they should let God decide if the act between two consenting adults is sinful.

 In our western society, short of rape, brutal incestuous behaviors, and practicing pedophilia,  there really is no universal agreement as to what is correct sexual behavior between consenting adults.   

As a westerner, one can make light of the discussion of sexual conduct.   But in the barbaric world of Muslim justice being just accused of homosexuality could be a death sentence.  A woman raped could be stoned to death.  And if a man or woman is engaged in adultery they could lose their lives.

When you get right down to it, it is nearly impossible to have a correct standard for sexual behaviors between consenting adults. 

No person makes the same noises during the sexual act.  Some physical features may be attractive to one person, but not to another.  One person might love the person, but hate the sexual act.
You should get the picture. 

To publicly come out of the closet is a very personal decision and uniquely a homosexual rite of passage for some.

Coming out could keep a person’s straight friends from arranging dates with persons of the opposite sex.  Coming out may prevent the heartache of a homosexual man or woman taking hostage a heterosexual partner in a marriage that should have never occurred. 

Coming out could allow a person to become fully engaged in society without fear of being outed by people who really don’t care about your well being.  (Often times it is the gay community which publicly outs other men and women who have chosen to keep their lives private.)

Perhaps in as short as a decade from now, at least in the Western world, people will not be defined as being a good person by their sexual orientation  and coming out will just be an old term for an older time.

Diva Kathy Lee Gifford Circulates "We Like Matt Lauer," Petition

Desperate times require desperate measures and that is the case of NBC trying to rescue the reputation of Today Show host Matt Lauer.

Now obviously this writer is not privy to the ins and outs of the intrigues of the politics of news making, but after NBC dropped Anne Curry, the public pointed their finger at Matt Lauer as being responsible for getting rid of her despite Lauer's denial of being involved.

Whether he did or did not, Matt Lauer's popularity dropped dramatically as people suspected he was mixed up in the decision.

After all his years in television, Lauer should know by now that if you worry about what everyone thinks of you then you will be paralyzed.

However,  Diva Kathy Lee Gifford, who has developed shows devoted to telling  us how glamorous she is, has publicly announced she has circulated a petition with the names of television personalities who said that they like Matt!


Well, either he is about to be canned and  the girls and guys around him know something he does not know and don't wish to be despised if Lauer is discharged so they signed the paper.  Or out of pure altruism, the people who signed the petition actually believe that their opinion will sway the public perception of Mr. Lauer as being a sleaze ball who will undercut people to stay ahead.

One can almost imagine Princess Kathy cornering people asking them to sign a petition and then go public with their adulation for Matt. (What if a person refused to sign, would the Princess choke him or her?)

Does Princess Kathy really think the public really cares about Lauer's reputation?  Does she believe co-workers who signed such a petition will somehow rally the troops of viewers who will see the error of their perception and realize Matt is a loveable kind of guy.


Friends or colleagues supporting Lauer  who have signed  that petition to say that he is actually a nice guy really did not do him a favor.

What this petition demonstrates is that the rich and famous television personalities operate in a vacuum publicly patting each on the back. They actually believe that they somehow still can relate to the average Joe who will never earn the exaggerated incomes they  are paid as they ride to the defense of one of their own overpaid television personalities.


Perhaps the recent problems of Lauer  have nothing to do with the Anne Curry firing.

The balding 50-year-old is no longer the sex symbol or boy genius the network promoted in his early career.   Lauer has just run his course of popularity and it is time to step down so younger hosts with more hair can step in to the morning time slot. 

Lauer probably should just join Ann Curry and former CBS network anchor Dan Rather and either reinvent himself or kick back and enjoy his millions retired on a beach.

Charging Boston Bomber with Federal Crimes is a Dangerous Precedent

Like most Americans, I followed the arrest and capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and would have lost no sleep if the young man had been killed.

Some news reporters tag Tsarnaev as a teen influenced by his deceased  his 26-year-old fanatical brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Regardless he and his brother committed horrific acts against innocent citizens and the younger brother is being kept alive to face charges.

Not surprising, the politicians have decided to become involved and conservative Bobbsey Twins Senators John McCaine and Lindsey Graham have said that his rights as a citizen should be curtailed and he should be tried as an enemy combatant----which is a whole set of rights different than American citizens. 

Fortunately as of today, for American citizens that most dangerous precedent  will not be occurring.  Rather he will face federal charges creatively crafted to give him the death penalty for using a weapon of mass destruction.

The citizens of Massachusetts  ended the death penalty and if found guilty Tsarnaev would receive life imprisonment. If the same act was committed in Texas he could receive the death penalty etc. Charging him at the federal level with the charge of using a weapon of mass destruction could mean a death sentence and is playing to current public sentiment.

In reality, Tsarnaev's actions are no more hideous or more destructive than many of the crimes committed by other men and women who inflicted the same amount of damage using high-powered weapons.

And though most Americans have no sympathy for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, tweaking the laws to move an American citizen to be tried under a new set of laws to assure a death sentence should be objectionable to all Americans.

Those men and women who have defended the Second  Amendment to bear arms should be alarmed with this current discussion.    High powered guns are equally as destructive and potentially could be classified as weapons of mass destruction and subject to new regulations.  

In some respects the 911 terrorists did succeed in beating us.

When 911 occurred we had a dismal set of leaders of both parties whom quickly enacted laws and made decisions to protect the nation. Through our elected representatives, Americans quickly gave up rights, which will impact the rights of all abiding citizens and if in the wrong hands could be abused.


From government monitoring of the internet and telephones, becoming entangled in Iraq and Afghanistan, the continued indefinite imprisonment of people at Guantanamo Bay,  water boarding to extract information from enemy combatants, the discussion of drones targeting American citizens overseas, and now American citizens possibly being charged as enemy combatants or using weapons of mass destruction for terrorist acts, are examples of Americans slowly giving up their rights to the federal government.

Senator Marco Rubio Wants A Study to Understand Violence

The interview of Senator Marco Rubio on Meet the Press was like watching a kid engaged in a high school debate.   He was well-rehearsed.  Rubio knew point by point what he had to say or not say and how to avoid answers by saying  a lot of nothing. 

His voice fluctuated like an excitable  teen hoping to win the  school debate.  And for this writer,  it is still amazing the citizens of Florida elected him to the Senate.

 

From the onset, Rubio has been capitalizing on his Cuban heritage and has been deemed an expert on solving the problem of legalizing the status of illegal immigrants.  Well---someone has to address the issue and it --might as well be the Cuban American kid.  

But Rubio's  answers on his opposition to the expansion or enforcing background checks on firearm purchases was actually a bit disturbing that he even sits in the Senate.   Rubio questioned the discussion of background checks when he said to Meet the Press moderator David Gregory:
 

But ultimately, the reason why we are doing this, in essence, we are spending all of our time talking about background checks as if, somehow, criminals will no longer getting guns because they have to undergo a background check. We're lying to people. That isn't true.

The fact of the matter is that we have a violence problem in America. Guns are what people are using. But violence is our problem. And no one is having a debate about the violence problem. And I think this is a missed opportunity to have an honest and open conversation in this country about why these horrifying things are happening, not simply what they're using to carry this out, but why are people doing this to begin with?

Surely the Senator understands the reasons for violence by now.  Does Rubio really want a million-dollar study to understand violence?  Or is the real purpose of commissioning a study is just to hope the gun control legislation will just go away?   Surely Rubio  knows that even if a commission were to produce conclusions about violence or ways to reduce the severity of violent acts, politicians like he would just disagree with any recommendations.

Americans don’t need another study about violence and Rubio knows that.

Most Americans know that violence stems from gangs engaged in the illegal and lucrative drug trade. 

Recent current events show that the most horrendous mass killings have been committed by the mentally ill men who have access to guns, which can discharge many rounds of ammo before being reloaded.   Americans either know by personal experience or by news reports, that many people are killed or harmed in incidents of domestic violence by either family members or people that they know.  And lastly there are those people who choose to use guns to commit suicide and take other victims with them.
 
A reduction of the number of rounds of ammunition would certainly reduce the severity of a mass shooting and would be even a better solution. However, too many politicians of both parties are like Rubio and beholden to the gun manufacturers and that will never be addressed under a guise that our Second Amendment rights will somehow be curbed.

All that Americans are asking that comprehensive background checks are put in place and enforced to reduce the likelihood guns ending up in the hands of people who should not have guns.

Rubio’s comments were those of a second rate politician and mind.   Rubio lacks backbone and like many of his colleagues he hopes the discussion will just go away.  

This Sunday, the Senator demonstrated he has a long way to prove to Americans that he is even Presidential material. 

Three Stories About the Private Lives of Children and the Celebrity Parents Who Love Them

Today, I am recommending 3 articles to read.  

Though two articles deal with two young men and their families accepting their homosexuality and the other is about a family dealing with their son who committed suicide, they are not being recommended  to discuss growing up gay in America or living with a child with a mental illness.

Rather, the articles are about the unconditional love of three groups of parents for their children.  

The children  of these three  families were thrust in the national spotlight because the parents have national notoriety.  Hopefully the stories serve to be a helpful for both parents and children. 

Homosexuality  is not a choice anymore than a person choosing  to be heterosexual.  How a child begins to deal with his or her sexuality will likely be influenced by parental reaction. 

Most parents would hope that their child is straight.  Straight parents don’t understand same sex attraction, but most certainly know the world is most definitely not gay/lesbian friendly.   A gay or lesbian child will have many social hurdles that his or her straight counterpart will not have to deal with.

Magic Johnson was interviewed after his son Ervin "E.J." Johnson III made headlines for being filmed walking hand in hand with another young man. Johnson and his wife Cookie just knew their son was gay when he was 12 or 13 years old.  Rather than waiting for  EJ to come out to them, they chose to address the issue when he was young. 

By letting their son know he was still loved, some of the personal turmoil that EJ would certainly be dealing with hopefully could be lessened.

Take a moment and read the following link:  

Magic Johnson Speaks About Son Coming Out 

Republican Ohio Senator Bob Portman announced that he would support same sex marriage and at this time is the only Republican Senator to publicly do so.   When interviewed on national television, Portman acknowledged his support was because his son Will is gay. 

Rather than rehashing Portman views on the issue, recommended reading would be an article authored by his son Will about coming out.

Often time  people get interested in how parents deal with a child’s coming out and little is discussed about the very real dilemma of a gay child coming out to his parents.

Take a moment and select the following link to read Will Portman's article about coming out to his very public and politically conservative parents.

Coming Out My Story As A Senator's Son

No parent should have to endure the death of a child let alone a suicide.

When the suicide act occurs,  only the deceased and God knows the reason for killing himself.   And the survivors ask themselves "why," or "how could have we prevented it from happening."    
Nationally known Pastor Rick and Kay Warren's 27 year old son Matthew committed suicide after battling a life time of depression.
 Rick Warren and his wife protected their son from public scrutiny and strove to find both medical and spiritual assistance to help him deal with his depression---unfortunately to no avail.

Though Matthew's death has to be still very raw for the family,
the following article is about how such a very public family tragedy might help others learn to deal with similar events in their own lives.

Take a moment and read:  Suicide of star pastor Rick Warren’s son sparks debate about mental illness

Pastor Rick Warren and wife Kay Warren

As for the weekend, just love your kid, nephew, or niece and let them know that you will be in their corner should they need to talk.