It happened

What happened? A calm morning? A sleep-in (as in not having to get up early)? A natural disaster, a man-made disaster? Nope... none of that. I'm exhausted, the morning hasn't been calm, and as soon as I started typing this, one of the dogs started barking. Thankfully no disasters of any sort have disrupted me, at least I don't think what happened is a disaster. Not yet anyway.

I had to go into the kids' school today to enroll the boy for another year. The girl is graduating this year (OH yes... I have a college bound teen), so it will just be the boy for the next four years.

I was in the office filling out the paperwork, though not nearly as much as last year, because he is a returning student. I loved that, but the woman doing my paperwork this year, was different from the one who did it last year. She knows me when I come in, says hi, calls me by my name, etc, etc.

I guess this is why she was somewhat confused. She said, "Can I ask who this is?" Pointing to the other name, I looked down, looked back up at her and said, in the best offhanded way I could muster, "That's my partner." Last year, I said "That's the kids' step-mother." That statement flustered the woman last year, way more than what I said this year, to the new woman I was dealing with. Then I screwed up my new year goal of being proud of who we are, and what we have, by adding "But, we don't tell people that." I'm not really sure why I added that, except that I didn't want her to get all excited and start bombarding everyone with this newly acquired information, that probably confirmed a suspicion they've all had anyway.  Though the wife and I attend the events, and volunteer, we have more contact with the kids rather than the adults. This is why she wouldn't have known the wife. Anyway, back to why I made that statement to her.You must remember: small town/small private school. The kids have always been great with their life, but this year, the girl has been more self-conscious. Remember some of the kids pray at lunch. Some are very religious.::sigh::

I don't like that the girl views a person's faith as being an obstacle, as far as accepting that we are all different. An obstacle that prevents you from unconditionally loving your fellow human beings. I can't change that for her, because sadly, history, and the daily news, prove her right. It's very hard to raise your child to love God, without seeming like a hypocrite, but in all honesty, who is the hypocrite? The person who beats down those who are different, and tells them God hates them, or the person who loves God unconditionally, and knows in their heart, that God isn't hateful, and that God even loves the person who feels righteous enough to speak for Him in such hateful and judgmental ways.

The boy doesn't believe anything at all. I take some blame for that, due to my own negativity toward religion. It took me some years to realize, I needed to fear the followers of God, and not God himself. The boy is a very literal person though, and needs strong facts. When he was younger, I had to tell him he wouldn't get presents from Santa Claus if he didn't believe in him. I mean, Santa brought the best presents! He still says he believes, just to amuse me. I obviously can't do that as far as God, but I hope for happiness and peace in his life, and that he will eventually believe in something... perhaps himself! That would be a wonderful place to start.

Eh, enough of this talk. I'll tell you it's a regular soap opera at their sporting events. The exes come and sit as far away form each other as possible, with stone-faced expressions. I think they should do pat-downs before they allow us into the sporting events, just in case someone is feeling extra crazy that day. At least when the kids' dad comes, we all sit together and talk. Hell, life is too short to "hate..." anyone!!

How about you guys... does the word "hate" exist in your vocabulary? I read an article on "haters" recently. For all I know, I may have already blogged about it, and quoted it (by the way, I'm always so impressed with those bloggers who can bring up a topic, and then link you to a previous blog, maybe from years ago, which relates to what they are now posting). Anyway, I loved the last sentence of this story. It was asking "What ever happened to the words "I don't like?" Hate is a strong word, and you must understand the consequences of the words you speak, because someone is always listening.

I'm guilty... "I hate traffic!" "I hate people." Oh yes, this is my favorite one. Let's just say, as social as I am,  and as much a I love people, I also have a strong dislike for some people in general, due to their inconsiderate ways, thoughtlessness, lack of compassion, empathy, sympathy, and for "hating" me when they don't even know me. I once told the wife (this is in another blog, that I cannot even possibly link you back to), that I would love the superpower of blinking some people off of the face of the earth. It wouldn't hurt them, they would just go poof, to another existence, in which I would not have to suffer their brutal ways. Especially in traffic!!

No one should take this personally... I'm a lover, not a fighter. I just have a bit of a fight in me once in awhile, when I'm "riled" as the wife puts it, and right now I'm "riled." Four more years... I hope they will grow to love us in that time. It's unfortunate I'm the kind of person who feels the need to be accepted by all. How about that? Anyone have any input on that? Am I the only one who is crazy like that. Crazy, because my age dictates that I should know better.

Okay... time for me to go! I've a lot to do. The morning is gone, and I can't let the afternoon get away from me too! Have a safe, wonderful Friday 13th, 2012!!

Did you know?

Okay...

I'm feeling rather ignorant, but perhaps I shouldn't. I mean, it's not exactly our fault our education is/was censored. I'm not saying this censorship stems from some grand scheme. No, there are a multitude of reasons for censorship. The first reason is that whoever is teaching you, is teaching from their own background, with their personal beliefs ingrained in every lesson. I call this censorship because what they choose to leave out of a lesson, is in fact, based on their opinion of the importance of the information. The second reason for censorship... age appropriate material. Even in college. The third reason for censorship goes along with the first, in that there is SO much to teach, that you must pick and choose the facts. Oh, and the facts you're taught will be the ones you will be tested on when taking standardized tests... in other words, the Government decides what is important enough to know, and what is not.

Luckily the information is out there, and the internet world is more than willing to provide you data on whatever it is you enter in the search bar.

This is all simply background information... what I wanted to talk about is this...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-peron/creationism-and-the-marri_b_1177087.html

Creationism and The Marriage Debate. I love what this guy is doing, because he's using intelligence to fight an ignorant belief. A belief that's being used to withhold basic human rights from other human beings. HUMAN BEINGS... that's what we are. We are living, breathing, thinking, feeling, humans who deserve to live and love in happiness, without shame, and judgement. How can this happen? How would it feel for you to have your husband/wife have to wait for the public to vote on whether or not you have the right to get married? How would it feel for you, to have the Pope declare your relationship "a threat to the future of humanity?" I look at my family, and I'm not going to lie or be "humble," when I compare my family to that of others. HOW screwed up can some people be anyway??? How is my wonderful family a threat to humanity, when there are some really "f***ed up people out there, doing horrible things to their kids and families? This was supposed to be in a different post, that I've already put together, and it will be. So....

Stepping off of my soapbox now:

To sum it up, he's gathering facts on the history of marriage, and the reasons behind the sacred union from the beginning of time. He's doing this to prove there is no reason to protect the so called sanctity of marriage when the original reason behind it held no religious importance. I wish him luck in this endeavor, but as long as it's left up to public vote... as long as people, who have no power, are given the most honored power of deciding another's rights... we will remain less than human, with substandard rights.

The next thing I read about that I didn't know existed (at least not the exact term), was this:

Eugenics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics

I can't say I didn't know it existed. I knew about ethnic cleansing. A horrible thing that only happens in other countries, right? "Eugenics was the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population." This definition comes straight from the wikipedia article above. I had to google this term because I read this article on CNN:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/10/task-force-recommends-50000-payment-to-n-c-sterilization-victims/

Apparently Eugenics was practiced here in the United States (it was also practiced in other countries, most notably Nazi Germany) between 1929 and 1974. People were being sterilized for mental illness, criminal behavior, and in North Carolina, women and young children were sterilized if they were poor and uneducated. This was a Government program. Now I know why conspiracy theories exist. People have a great reason to believe in them.

We're taught history for many reasons, and one of those is to keep certain historic events a part of a history we wish not to repeat. Yet, the same horrible events happen again, and again... they just have a different face.