Most people will now be completely confused or angry with me for that matter. Well let me clarify a little bit for those who are not blinded by emotion, because all those who are stopped at the first paragraph. I am a gay man, who wishes to settle down with a husband for the rest of my life, however, I strongly oppose gay marriage. As do all Republicans (as stated in their various campaigns) and most Democrats (also stated in their campaigns [Clinton, Obama]) at a national level… Gay marriage is going to be hard to do and going to take 10-15 years at least.

Civil Unions are similar in most ways. It depends on what state they are in and they cannot be taken across state lines. Here’s the catch… Some Republicans (even Rush Limbaugh) and all Democrats support Gay Civil Unions on a national level. NOW!

What they oppose is the use of the word “marriage”. Something I don’t particularly care about anyway. They can have this small victory as long as I can have my big victory of being able to live my life with my partner! Or did we all forget about something called compromise?

If we could pass a law to make Civil Unions a Federal Law instead of various State Laws I could create a union with my partner tomorrow. This method would create making a Federal Law of Civil Unions of which there is already one for Marriage. This is the way to fight for my rights, not hold out for the word “marriage”.

Also, you don’t have to fight with all these court battles, you don’t have to deal with various state’s laws. The Civil Union fight would be much simpler to do. Just mirror the rights and responsibilities of a marriage call it a civil union and make it a Federal Law that cannot be denied between any two humans. Most congressmen and women as well as most senators these days would support this today! I know Obama would…. This is the kind of solution he himself has proposed! Yet he, and I are opposed to Gay Marriage….

Let’s take the state of Oregon for instance. They have a State Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage, yet the gays there are able to wed and be happy and have all the rights they would have if they were “married” because they have state Civil Unions that Mirror the Federal Marriage (rights and responsibility) calling them Civil Unions. If I wished to live in that state I would be perfectly happy….

We are currently attacking this the wrong way. The current strategy seems to be fight on a state by state level for the word “marriage” which we are not getting anywhere except the far left states. Although, we even failed to get that word in California. Then(?) work to get it solidified on a national level? I have no idea what the long term strategy of the current fight for “gay marriage” is. The fight right now seems disjointed and different in each state. Divided we will never get anywhere, we need to unify around an attainable goal.

Make something new, don’t try to change something already existing…  I hate to tell you guys out there fighting for “gay rights” and “gay marriage”… You are not fighting for my rights, you are fighting for a word. To be honest it’s a word I don’t really care for or particularly want. If you wish to continue fighting for that word I won’t begrudge you, but if you wish to fight for my rights, please…. please! Give up on the word Marriage.

Support my right to have a Union!

In 2008 Obama won the war of words. That is how he got elected. He chose a target (Bush) and battled a war of words against him. Obama spoke well, I can’t say I agreed with what he said, but he said it in a way that was mass marketable. Also it was a good time for him to come along after a president that by all accounts didn’t always choose the English language as well has he could have.  Now that I’ve gotten this politically charged let me take a giant step back.

Words hold a power that no other object in the course of human history has had. Words also work in very mysterious ways. If I were to say the world “Liberalism” it would stir up emotions immediately. That word just by it self has the power to bring forth pure anger, or pure happiness. From the far-right of US politics this word brings forth anger with the response ”It will ruin the economy of the United States and the world as a whole”. From the far-left of US politics it will bring for happiness with a response of “It will bring fairness and the equality of each and every person.”

I would argue that both of these responses are wrong. However, that one word “Liberalism” can create those reactions. That is, to me, out of phase with reality. Liberalism does not have that power, because everyone in the world I believe is part Liberal, part Conservative… It’s just a matter of how much of each. I would argue that if you added a word to support Liberalism, you could make those thoughts realistically true. That support word would be “Unrestrained”. Unrestrained Liberalism has the power to reach both of the emotional feelings that appear when using the one world. Yet, now a lot of the emotional power has been removed from the word Liberalism. This is a result of the magic power of words.

My goal of this post is not to convince you of any political argument or position. My intent is to show just how much power words have. The best way I know how to do that is through politics and emotion. Words can destroy relationships, but by the same token they can also save a relationship that’s on the rocks (at least for a little while). They have been shown to both start and end wars.

In terms of magic, the pagan belief that we can all effect the world around us, the most simple of spells are just charms… Nothing but words repeated over and over again to yourself, to create a result. “Calm down”, “Get excited”, “Do better”, “Don’t forget the ear plugs”

Words have hidden meanings as well, more so then any other way to communicate. This is where part of the fun is… Miscommunication. If you glare at someone with an angry face it is usually very clear your intent. However if you say something like “No, I’m not angry,” Some people actually are. Sometimes that’s quite a bit harder to tell. Sarcasm isn’t always clear… And my personal favorite set of double/triple meanings: Fag (faggot), a derogatory term for a gay man. A Fag also a British slang term for cigarette. My personal favorite however a fag (fagot) is a bundle of sticks, twigs, or branches bound together and used as fuel, a fascine, a torch, etc.

So please, choose your words carefully… Also, start looking at people’s word choice and why they choose the words they do. They may be telling you more then you realize. You can have more effects then you realize. You may even completely change the universe around you.

Sorry got distracted. I was thinking about the issues people have and considering the best was to fix peoples problems…

I further reinforced my theroy no matter how hard you try to help people you don’t know the best way to solve the problems of other people.

I could never just up and fix the various problems family members have and they would never ask me to. I can help if and when they ask me not before.

So, how can this governent help people they’ve barley met?

They dont know what the true problems are!

So I ask this new “I can’t wait to spoon later!”, “I can’t wait to kill myself” – cousins Jill & Kim.

Sorry distracted again. So I ask the new goverment we have: please stay out of my life!

There are still people out there who are trying to discredit psychology and sociology as “pseudo-sciences” I am not here to do that. I am here to express my thoughts of the definitions of both words, and some of the things that fall under those categories. The term pseudo-science has a negative connotation. I was speaking with a friend and honestly felt uncomfortable using the term because pseudo implies fake. That’s not what I mean! So let’s start investigating.

Sciences:

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Geology
• Botany
• Meteorology
• Astronomy
• Oceanography
• Astrophysics
• Geography
• Zoology
• Mathematics
• Archeology
• Animal Science (mostly)
• Computer Science (mostly, I’ll get into that later)

Science therefore is where we humans can look at something make theories and observe results yes? That’s the most basic definition of science. However we do everything we can not to get human emotion or human effects into the situation. Everyone was instructed in 5th grade (or similarly level grades) the Scientific Method.

The Scientific Method:

1. Define the question
2. Gather information and resources (observe)
3. Form hypothesis
4. Perform experiment and collect data
5. Analyze data
6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
7. Publish results
8. Retest (frequently done by other scientists)

Pseudo-Sciences still use that scientific method, however, pseudo-sciences thrive on that human result, or that human reaction, or must cater to the human in one way or another. Pseudo-sciences work much the same way in terms of making theories and observing results, but the results or what we are observing is deeply human. Most pseudo-sciences are built on one or more “true” Sciences. Sometimes the scientific Method is hidden well, but it’s always there.

Pseudo-Sciences:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Astrology
• Environmental Science
• Anthropology
• Some Animal Sciences (compare animals to humans)
• Engineering/Architecture (must keep in mind how the building will look to humans)
• Computer Science (must consider all possible errors — therefore, how humans can screw things up)
• Magick
• Alchemy

So my goal here is to dispel this negative connotation that pseudo-sciences are “fake” They all contain the same scientific method as other “true” sciences. So, from a definition of science they qualify, they are just science applied to HUMANS which is why their results aren’t as “solid”. So why does a scientist have to run from these terms? Does every answer have to be true with 100% of the human population for it to be science? Wouldn’t that make us all robots? How sad.

Years ago I would have said NONE!

That was when I was not religious. Since then I’ve realized religion can be helpful in life.  Religion is a good guide for morality. As long as Religion is supplemented with a healthy dose of reality and taken in moderation.

So what role should it play?

I’d like to see religion as an issue, an issue under a ‘character issues’ category, like economy is under ‘national issues’. I’d like each candidate talk about their religious beliefs, in a very candid way. However, that would never happen. I think most of them would sound similar.

I would use this litmus test: An’ it harm none, do what ye will.

A.K.A. As long as their religious beliefs didn’t condone harming anyone I could vote for them.

This would again, never happen, but I think it should.

Comments?

• Most of them seemed anti-war because: “War is bad.” This logic drives me absolutely insane. If you are going to protest a war have a reason to protest that specific war. Say your reason. I believe: “War should be avoided, but if it must be done it must be done” It is not something to be entered into lightly. (See my notes below on peace)
• I didn’t think that ditching my education, even if it was during a class that I hated, was a good idea. Actually, looking back, if there was a class that I would have liked to ditch it was the one during the protest. In fact many people went to the protest because they wanted to ditch their classes. The class I was in was almost empty

This does not mean I supported the war, In fact in the days following the protest a couple people asked me and I had to clarify, “No, I do not support the war, but no, I do not support your protest either” It was an odd position to take, in retrospect. I was not in support of the war in those days for one major reason: “It would be a distraction from the real conflict: Afghanistan & Bin Laden” Today, who talks about Afghanistan? It’s gotten better in the last couple of months, now that Iraq is getting quieter (I’ll get to that). However, during the time of the worst in Iraq, Afghanistan was never mentioned. That is the real war on terror.

I have much more to say but it’s far too long for the front page:

Going though the first couple of months I was still like, come on… We don’t need to be here. I was still sitting on the same reasons. Then the day they took Hussein down I knew I had to support the war on that day. Although I wouldn’t have called it a war, and I still don’t like that. It’s a rebuilding effort. I learned something very important in kindergarten. “Finish what you start.” So yes, technically the war is over, we are no longer at war. However, the media and the general public, and in fact the government is still naming it that way. That “Mission Accomplished” speech was mission accomplished, people just don’t realize it.

From there it was mismanaged up the wazoo. The U.S. Army had not prepped for a rebuilding effort, we did not send enough people in. Bush and his Administration did not manage this well. I do not support Bush on the war, however, all the time that this was being mismanaged McCain was saying “we need more people” over and over again. Once we did that things started getting better. A lot of democrats have been saying the violence has gone down because of a cease fire on the part of one of the Leaders of the Insurgency. In truth the world is shades of gray. The violence has gone down because of BOTH OF THESE THINGS. We are finally now on the right track again.

I understand there have been thousands of U.S. Soldiers dead in Iraq, and tens of thousands more in injuries. The civilian deaths are though the roof. The numbers are absolutely staggering. I wish I could reach out and hug every family affected. My thoughts and prayers shall always, every night, be with those lost out there. If we leave, they all died for no purpose. Yes, we did remove Saddam, but if we leave now, the whole region will most likely collapse, and someone even worse will climb to power.

We need get them organized again. We destroyed their government. I think it is our responsibility to help them get reorginised and get their country together. We are still, as a matter of fact, in Germany and Japan after World War II. Any time we have failed in a war is when we’ve pulled out before the job was done… Quagmire or not. This conflict will not solve itself if we leave. My opinion is that our humanitarian responsibility is to stay.

This is a good time to talk about my thoughts on peace. My church recently did a service (on a Friday [a special service]). The month of March in the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) is a month to look at peace. They used this service as a large anti-war service, I was not outraged, but close to it. Peace for me is not only the absence of conflict, it is the presence of justice. Is justice, having the biggest guns? That is what will happen in Iraq if we leave. We are building justice in Iraq.

Soon our troops will begin coming home as Iraq takes control. In fact some already are. However, we must not pull them all out too quickly. There would be an instant collapse as Iran and Saudi Arabia rush in to take control and turn Iraq to their side.

So that is where I am, you may not agree and I respect that. If you wish to leave comments on this post you are welcome to but make them THOUGHT OUT. There are many people for or against “The War in Iraq” that have not thought out their position. I respect anyone that has thought out their position, and there are some, currently against the war that I respect. I would concede a good point against me, as long as you would do the same. There is room to disagree on this issue. We can not know all the possible outcomes.

I’ve been thinking about this for the last couple of years. I’ve been fighting with this idea. I’ve been trying to come to some conclusion. The general thought is Science ≠ Religion. However, in some ways I’ve never been able to shake this feeling that Science = Religion. For me Science is like Religion, more then not.

So here it is in list format.

Science ≠ Religion:

• Science is based on ‘scientific fact’, Religion is based on ‘religious fact’ or belief.
• Science has a ‘right answer’, whereas in Religion each ‘right answer’ is determined by the person practicing the religion.
• They get ‘conflicting answers’ on some similar questions. Which creates a little bit of a contest, so one must step back and the other will reign that answer. Which steps back? I think that’s up to the person.

Science = Religion:

• They both are working to answer some similar questions: “Where did we come from? Why are we here? etc, etc.”
• Both Science and Religion has massive grey areas of discussion, how the practicies are done and if they are safe and right. If the answer is that of the one predicted, if there even is an answer yet.
• It’s a process though experiments (at least I feel it should be, some religions aren’t). E.g. If something isn’t working for you in your religion, take it out. At least I would. Don’t drop the whole religion, pick and choose. With science, it picks and chooses for you. Some things don’t work so those theories are dropped and reworked.
• They both make people feel on top of the world now that they have all these answers, they are both very easy to convince a human their way is right.
• They both help make sense of the world, and help us humans live in this increasingly complex society. They both provide a way of living.

Therefore, I’ve come to the conclusion: Science ≈ Religion. I’ve found a way in my life, that they do not conflict at all. Is this a good way? Do they need to be kept apart? Can they work together for a ‘greater good’?

P.S. I’ll be adding more as I think of things, and please leave comments on the compare, contrast of science and religion. I will update the time stamp each time I update the page. That will make the post ‘bump’ to the top of the website. I would kind of like this article to become a discussion, if you all are interested.

So it may as well be the two I feel the most connected to: Artemis & Apollo.

The other fourteen appear in my beliefs for various reasons, they all specialize in something (they are in alphabetical order not order of importance):

Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Dionysus, Erebus, Eros, Gaia, Hemera, Hephaestus, Hermes, Khaos, Khronos, Posiden & Uranus

So, shall we take them one by one?

Artemis:

Greek Legend

Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the hunt and archery. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and is Apollo’s twin sister. Since Apollo was associated with the moon Artemis got associated with the Moon. She always provides the food for the family, yet is always still a little childish. She asked her father to keep her chaste for eternity so she would never be confined by marriage. She is involved in many of the great stories of Greek myth, including that of Orion. She was also involved in the Trojan war on the side of the Trojans (Note: the etymology of my last name would suggest that my family dated back to Troy, although no solid proof has yet been found — it may be this little coincidence that makes me feel so connected to her and her brother). Here is the Wikipedia about her: Artemis.

My beliefs & Working into Paganism

The Great Maiden. There are 3 parts to the great Goddess, one is the maiden, before motherhood and rather carefree. This is how I see Artemis. The Great Goddess is many times personified by the moon. Anytime that I see the Great Goddess as a maiden I come running to Artemis. Though the year the Goddess changes from the Maiden to the Mother to the wise old Crone. When those changes occur I celebrate two other Goddesses as the Great Goddess, Artemis is not always on top Sometimes the Great Maiden can be a little naive. Throughout the wheel of the year the Great Goddess matures and moves from the Great Maiden to the Great Mother to the Crone.

Apollo:

Greek Legend

Apollo is the Greek God of a laundry list of things: light and the sun, truth and prophecy, archery, medicine and healing, music, poetry, and the arts. He was the most beautiful of the Gods, second only to the Goddess Aphrodite. He is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and is Artemis’ twin brother. He, unlike his sister did not remain chaste, and in fact had many encounters with women and men. Also, all of his lovers were younger then he was. Apollo, the embodiment of male beauty, spent a lot of time in the palaestra, the athletic gathering place for youth who all competed in the nude. He, like Artemis, was heavily vested in the Trojan War. He also took the side of Troy because he was the Patron God of that city. Apollo is one of the more talked about Gods, he is all over Greek Myth. Here is his Wikipedia for more information: Apollo.

My beliefs & Working into Paganism

The Great God. His life is short every year. The Great God is born every year on the Winter Solstice (about Dec. 21st) also known as Yule. He lives until his death on October 31st (Samhain). He is the masculine side of everything in the world. He is most of the time embodied by the Sun. Again another little coincidence that works out in my favor. Even during the time of the year where he is ‘dead’ I may still call on him if I need him. Everything is a metaphor in my mind. He isn’t literally dead. There are many of reasons I’ve looked for his guidance. Most of the time it isn’t for archery It is the Great God’s life that progresses the life of the Great Goddess. As the Great God has his cycle so does she, and the cycle repeats every year.

Aphrodite:

Greek Legend

Aphrodite is the Greek Goddess of love, lust, and beauty. She is proclaimed the most beautiful of the Gods and Goddesses. She is married to Hephaestus and is frequent lover to his brother Aries. The story of her birth is quite an interesting one. She apparently rose from the sea. The painting of Aphrodite in the shell rising from the sea. She has some jealousy issues and appears in many stories interrupting the love of pairs of lovers. She has no childhood in myth. She was full grown and mature from the day she was born. She is one of a few characters who played a major part in the original cause of the Trojan War itself: not only did she offer Helen of Sparta to Paris, but the abduction was accomplished when Paris, seeing Helen for the first time, was inflamed with desire to have her—which is Aphrodite’s realm. Here is her Wikipedia for more information: Aphrodite.

My beliefs & Working into Paganism

I call on Aphrodite for love spells, not as much for physical romance, but for spiritual or emotional romance. I may go to her for advice on love. She isn’t directly linked to Paganism in my belief but she is still a Goddess, just not one of the three that are part of the Great Goddess. In paganism there’s the Great Goddess and the Great God. She plays a minor roles in my beliefs but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist for me.

Aries:

Greek Legend

Aries is the Greek God of war, more importantly the savage parts of war and blood lust. He is brother to Hephaestus and is a frequent lover of his wife Aphrodite. He was very active in the Trojan War, he was originally suppose to be against Troy but changed sides, and his mother Hera demanded him driven back. When he got hit by a spear his cries caused both sides to tremble, and when Athena drove it deeper Troy was forced to fall back. Later, Aries tried to get back at Athena but she bested him again by crushing him with a boulder. Most of his stories relate to war. Aries is very all over popular culture today. First of all, his Roman name is Mars. Anything relating to Mars relates to him. He is the main antagonist in a video game called God Of War. Also, the rocket that is planed to replace the Space Shuttle is slated to be called Aries. Here is Aries’ Wikipedia.

My beliefs & Working into Paganism

Paganism as a whole does not really have a place for Aries. Most pagans are primarily pacifists. I would like to avoid war if at all possible. I don’t look to Aries very much for advice, but he is still there, war is still prevalent in the world. If I ever ended up participating in a war I would probably consult him more. Although if ever I’m questioning a war, or thinking about war, E.G. Iraq & Afghanistan, I look twoard him.

Athena:

Greek Legend

Athena is the Greek God of wisdom, as well as a companion to heroes as the goddess of Heroic Endeavor. In most myth she was born directly out of Zeus’ forehead, therefor has no Mother. She is also an armed warrior Goddess. Athena never took a consort or lover. She is a background goddess a lot of times. She plays minor roles in many myths. She is attended by Owl many times in stories. Here is Athena’s Wikipedia.

My beliefs & Working into Paganism

The Crone. The Crone is the third form of The Great Goddess. She is the wise Goddess, she has been tested by time and has served her biological purpose, of having children. She becomes the guidance for the world and the universe. Everyone consults her for her wisdom, and I do as well.

I Shall Continue this in Part 2. Watch for it~

Mathematics is a very black and white thing the answer is right or wrong. It seems that now a days everyone expects life to be black and white. Two colors: Black or White. Right or Wrong. Is it a coincidence this has happened slowly over time as Math has become more prevalent. It’s almost creepy. It’s almost as if because more people are learning math, they expect the world around them to be right or wrong. All the time, just like math.

In math, and as people are expecting the world to be, there’s always an answer. There’s maybe a couple of answers, but there’s right and wrong. If anyone comes up with a differnt answer or theory, it’s not discussed as it should be in a shades of gray world.

So, let’s drop the Math mindset and start understanding each other again.  A lot of times, I think they had it right way back in the day.

The statistic I heard was this, out of Sex Ed. As I remember them, and the specific numbers don’t matter that much. Just the idea they show. That’s what I remember the most. Classes some 98% teach Abstinence, 50% teach about Safe Sex, and 30% teach about how to use a condom. So almost all teach Abstinence, the mighty goal of don’t have sex before marriage. I had probably a group of 12 friends back in high school. Abstinence Ed. worked on only one, at least to this day. We will see if it continues to work. The rest of the 11 had to figure out for themselves the nuts and bolts of Safe Sex. It was a MIRACLE that no one got pregnant. If any one of them was just a little bit lazier we would have had an issue.

I have more to say, but not for the front page:

The point I’m getting to is this. If 11/12 people end up enjoying sex before marriage (which I’m sure is not the national statistic.) I’m sure my upbringing is different because of the liberal town I grew up in, and only half get safe sex ed, and of that half you have people like us who were not taught HOW to have safe sex just that it existed, there’s a high rate of accident.

It just seems like there’s quite a bit of danger here. Why take the risk. We should teach not only safe sex but how to have it, I think.

Next topic: Abortion!