associated in random thought

the birds here are not shy.

i just got off work a few minutes ago, and on a whim decided to saunter over to the boatyard for a glass of wine on the water. the air is humid enough for smoke to hang in the air around my face, and my hair is decidedly flat and ugly.

and the birds are grackles today, dive bombing me, and begging for cigarette butts, while the swans wag their tails a few feet ahead.

today i am a hormonal force to be reckoned with: i fluctuate back and forth between calm and raging. the calm is the water under the humidity diffused sun. and the rage is politics. anyone who has read my blog since day one (three years ago now!) knows that it is rare that i wax political, mostly because it's simply not my nature. on the blog, especially, i long for more unity than debate, but i must say that i am outraged by the state of texas' overhaul of child protective services.

it's all about saving money, they say, rerouting the funds to best benefit the welfare of foster children. yet, at the last minute, an amendment was made, one that would prohibit gays, lesbians, and bisexuals from fostering children at all. not only does this amendment cross the line of privacy by making it mandatory to ask about one's private life, but it also bans thousands of foster parents who are dedicated to texas' children. AND, this amendment erodes further the line between church and state, as it is made on the premise of God's perceived will, and that children will become gay themselves if exposed to "the gay lifestyle".

here is a quote from the amendment's author, Rep. Robert Talton:

“It’s a learned behavior, and I think a child . . . ought to have the opportunity to be presented to a traditional family as such,� (Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena ) said. “And if they choose to be homosexual or lesbian, then that’s their choice when they turn 18.�

you can read the whole article here.

i don't know where you stand on all the divisive issues surrounding homosexuality, and i certainly don't wish to indoctrinate anyone with my beliefs, but i can't help but be angry and a little afraid of all the political issues that are being thrust upon our country in the name of Christ. the gay marriage amendment is one thing, and bad enough a divisive issue, but to deny children a home because it does not consist of mommy, daddy, fido and the picket fence? are you kidding me?

*stepping off soapbox now*

lighting another smoke.
drinking water. waiting for a sierra nevada, 50 cents off, to arrive.

i suppose that if i call myself a christian, i must pray for wisdom. wisdom for the state legislature to do what is right and good for the children of the state. and as a citizen, i must raise my voice in dissent.

i can't let this reactionary amendment send me to bed for 13 hours of troubled sleep.

the sun is out now, bright and uncomfortably in my eyes. i am remembering a movie that helen and i watched from the bed of the pullout couch last night. it was a documentary called sunset, about the friendship between two elderly women in an assisted living home in LA, ages 95 and 82. the home is a place for retired radicals, and one of the ladies, irja, goes in her wheelchair to demonstrations often. she wheels around registering voters. she says of her life that she must take causes to the street, join the voices.

so i wonder, dear readers, what causes, what issues, take you to the street?

Posted by bananie at April 21, 2005 4:20 PM