14 Years

I didnt post much out here this year. Which means I didn't complain much. Even though I had a lot to complain about.

No, I want to end 2013 on this particular blog on a mostly positive note.

For the previous 14 years, my daughter spent every Christmas Eve with my ex-wife and her family. There was no "every other year" schedule like some divorced parents handle things.  I simply wasn't given the option. But this year, my ex-wife decided to make changes in her life, which didn't include my daughter.  And like every single year of her life since the divorce, I was there for my daughter, who I did get to spend not just Christmas Eve with, but a good 4 months living in the same house, until she moved out on her own for the first time in her life.

A major postive change and moving forward.  Yet, making her papa proud and happy.  And elated I was.  A bit emotional on Christmas morning as well, as I was able to wake up with my daughter in the same house in that same 14 years absense.

On this same Christmas Eve night, another event 14 years in the making was the marriage of my step-daughter's father and his partner, thanks to the current legalizing of same-sex marriage in Utah.  It was a joyous moment amongst family and one that I was very happy to share in the good news reveal.

Aside from traveling and turning 50, I didn't feel much positive and progress happened for me in 2013.  But given how Christmas Eve turned out, it ended with greatness and giving me a boost of hope that 2014 will be a much better year.

Make It More Illegal

Yesterday, North Carolina voters took to the polls to pass an amendment that makes same-sex marriage (and any legal rights for co-habitating heteros) illegal, enshrining discrimination once again in their state constitution (it last happened in 1875 with interracial marriage).  But same-sex marriage was already illegal in the state.  I'm not sure why they felt they really needed to make it more illegal.  Let's take this idiotic idea and extend it to other laws.

Speeding
Going over the speed limit is illegal.  So to make it more illegal, why not pass a law that requires all cars to have a GPS-enabled governor so they can never go above the posted speed limit.  Speed limit says 35... your car can't go above it, thanks to the newly passed law.

Littering
Most littering (with the exception of water and feathers in California) is illegal.  How do we make this more illegal and prevent it from ever happening?  Add an RFID chip to each and every paper, cup, bag and potential item of waste so the next time you go to toss it out of your car while cruising down the highway, it comes right back into the vehicle.

Tax Evasion
If you don't pay your taxes, it's considered illegal on the books.  But until the IRS tracks you down years later, you get to keep the money longer.  Not so if we pass a make it more illegal.  You forget to pay, the government just takes it right out of your checking account.  Pay everything in cash?  The cash dissolves in your wallet and the former paper bill gets electronically deposited to the IRS.

The illogic of these "proposed" laws to make things more illegal is stupid.  Yet, that's what the majority of the voters in North Carolina did yesterday.  Took something that was already illegal and made sure it really was illegal.

Good thing that state has a history of rewriting it's constitution, for someday years from now, this discrimination will be removed and equality will add another chapter in history.

Protecting Choice

This last week's news of a federal judge overturning Proposition 8 in California, brought out both supporters of, and those against, same-sex marriage.  Most of these people are against same-sex marriage for pretty much three reasons: it's morally wrong, God says no and it's a choice.


While the first two are normally positions that are taken by ultra religious people, the last excuse is easily debatable.  Supported positions against gay marriage normally echo such statements like "it's their choice" and "they are welcome to marry a person of the opposite sex."


Yet, when thinking about other forms of choice that are protected under law, religion seems to come up as a large and glaring omission in their arguments.


While we can argue about being forced into religion by family, it's still our individual choice to belong to an organized religion.  It's also our choice to believe in Jesus, God, Satan, Allah, Buddha, a golden calf or nothing at all.


Yet, religion and belief is a protected status in the eyes of our government.


So here's my question to those against same-sex marriage because they feel being gay is a choice: why should your choice of what religion you belong to be protected?


Of course, for me personally, I do not believe that being gay is a choice. People are born gay and science and other studies have pretty much concluded that sexual orientation is not a choice.  But for the sake of argument here, I'll let others believe it's a choice, hoping for some thought-provoking honesty in their hypercritical view of the rights of others.