On the other hand

Continuing right along with the theme we have here that Americans are idiots when it comes to gay rights..

This story describes the American military ousting gay service members.

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of highly skilled troops, including many translators, have left the armed forces because of the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s rules on gays, at a cost of nearly $200 million, the first congressional study on the impact of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy says.

Many who were discharged had intelligence-related jobs. Also, 322 spoke foreign languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Korean, and Mandarin, which the Pentagon has called critical skills amid threats from terrorists.

So, let me get this right. In a "time of war" and when terrorism threats loom, when the World Trade Center comes crashing down killing over 3000 people - it's more important to our government (and probably Joe American too) that we kick highly needed service members out for being gay. That's just sooooo American!

Here's a little perspective. On 9/11, Mark Bingham was instrumental in fighting the terrorists aboard United Airlines flight 93 over Pennsylvania. His actions helped assure that the plane did not impact another building costing many more lives. Mark Bingham was gay, and the United States Military would not permit him to serve. American law does not recognize his human worth, and the Pope would call him "evil" - see blow post. If Bingham had a partner, he would not be eligible for any of the benefits given to married victims of 9/11.

Is there another way to handle this? Ask the English..

LONDON, Feb. 21 - Five years after Britain lifted its ban on gays in the military, the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging them to enlist and has pledged to make life easier when they do.

"The fact that we are making this high-level commitment will hopefully show people that it's not just empty words when we talk about diversity and opportunity," he said, "but are actually taking action to do something about it."

Well, how about that. Once again, a European nation is far more enlightened than the red neck culture in the United States. In fact, the English (and other Euro nations) have found it to be a complete non-issue as we all knew it would be.

But.. in America, land of the free, home of the brave, our moronic population voted in 8 state constitutional amendments banning basic rights for gay people. Those people - are evil...

It's really important that we all fight the Christian fundamentalists, Republicans, and bigots. I've written about it many times, but we all need to emphasize intellect, rational thought, basic human dignity - and we need to stop the influence of organized religion. If you belong to a church that denounces gay marriage, stop going and tell them why. If you belong to a Catholic church - run like the wind. Tell them why on your way out the door, and definitely don't leave your kids unattended.

Continued participation is tacit approval of their policies. Think about that..

There are a great many Christian churches in the United States that support the dignity of all human beings. I suspect that after attending one of their services, you might actually feel uplifted.