SAME-SEX MARRIAGE – THE DOWNFALL of CIVILIZATION….

I have heard many religious leaders indicating that allowing same-sex couples to marry would be the downfall of civilizations.  People have even gone as far as blaming environment catastrophe’s due to states grating same-sex marriage.  Okay….let’s look at some statistics and facts surrounding the implementation and recognition of same-sex marriages around the world, here are some timelines: 

• Netherlands was the first country to extend marriage laws to include same-sex couples.  A same-sex marriage bill passed the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2000, taking effect on 1 April, 2001.
• Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriages.
• The provinces of Ontario and British Columbia in Canada legally recognized same-sex marriages in 2003 – Ontario (June) and British Columbia (July).
• In 2004 – The Canadian provinces of Quebec (March),  Yukon (July), Manitoba (September), Nova Scotia (September), Saskatchewan (November) and Newfoundland (December) legally recognized same-sex marriages.  Nationally, Canada (July) legally recognized same-sex marriage as of July 20, 2005 – becoming the 4th country to do so.  Sandoval County, New Mexico, USA (February; discontinued, reinstated by statewide legalization in December), New Paltz, New York, USA (February; discontinued, reinstated by statewide legalization in July, 2011), Massachusetts, USA (May)
• On July 3, 2005 – Spain became the 3rd country to officially recognize same-sex marriage legally.
• 2006 – South Africa (November) recognizes same-sex marriage.
• 2008 – California, USA (June, discontinued November and reinstated June (2013) and Connecticut, USA (November) recognize same-sex marriage.
• 2009 – Norway (January) and Sweden (May) and in the USA, Iowa (January) and Vermont (September).
• 2010 – The US States of New Hampshire (January) and District of Columbia (March) along with Portugal (June), Iceland (June) and Argentina (July) begin recognizing same-sex marriage. 
• 2011 – New York, statewide (July).
• 2012 – Denmark (June) and the US states of Washington (December) and Maine (December).
• 2013 – The US states of Maryland (January), Delaware (July), Minnesota (August), Rhode Island (August), New Jersey (October), Hawaii (December), New Mexico (statewide) (December) and Utah (December, discontinued in January and reinstated in October, 2014) along with the countries; Brazil (May), France (May), Uruguay (August) and New Zealand (August).
• 2014 – In the USA; Oregon (May), Pennsylvania (May), Illinois (statewide) (June), Wisconsin (June, discontinued 13 June and reinstated October), Indiana (June, discontinued 27 June and reinstated in October), Oklahoma (October), Virginia (October), Colorado (October), West Virginia (October), Nevada (October), North Carolina (October), Alaska (October), Idaho (October), Arizona (October), Wyoming (October), Montana (November), South Carolina (November) along with England of Wales (March) and Scotland (December).
• 2015 – Luxembourg (January) and the US States; Florida (January) and Alabama (February).

So what has happened since the all these countries and many states have legalizes same-sex marriages?  Have economies collapsed?  Did civil war break out in these countries and states?  For those who are religious and God-fearing – has God caused biblical floods of epic proportions or burned cities to the ground for granting same-sex marriages?  I can confidently say – that, with the introduction of same-sex marriages, unions, partnerships (whatever you want to call them), nothing drastic has changed for any heterosexuals couple that have opposed this in the past.  The only thing that has changed is for those individuals in same-sex unions.  Same-sex couples have the same benefits and rights that are afforded to heterosexual married couples and are treated equally under the law.

Let’s look at Canada – Canada has been grating same-sex marriages since 2003 (in 2 provinces – Ontario and British Columbia).  Ontario is my home province and nothing significant has happened in the province since allowing same-sex marriages.  As a matter-of-fact, nothing has happened anywhere in which same-sex marriages have been granted.  Same-sex unions/marriages are not to blame for the huge spikes in the divorce rates between heterosexual couples.  Instead of focusing their dissent on couples who are in loving  and committed relationships, why don’t those who are so opposed to same-sex marriages focus their rage and dissention on the increasing divorce rates, homelessness, poverty, violence towards women, and other more pressing social issues?

My spouse and I have been together for over 20 years and married for 7….our relationship or marriage hasn’t infringed on the rights and responsibilities of anyone we know.  We made the decision to marry to ensure we were treated equally in the eyes of the law (not to mention the fact that we love one another).  My marriage is as equally meaningful as my parents, my sisters or my brother’s marriage.  That is all.

As I mentioned above, if people would just focus their energies on the real social issues that need our attention, this world would be a much brighter and positive one!  Let’s make that happen.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

 

WE NEED A REVOLUTION FOR LOVE

What does this mean, we need a revolution for love?  Well – everytime I say or have said “we need a revolution for love”, it comes from frustration, anger, disbelief and lack of satisfaction from worldwide governments in acting for the greater good of the people and the issues that matter most to us.

Today’s issues don’t have the same importance as the issues of 25, 50 or even 100 years ago.  The most important issue affecting the worlds economies is climate change and its’ affects.  We are spending more money rebuilding and on health care due to the devastation from more frequent super storms.  Why are we not using financial resources for sustainable and renewable energy – doing this would stimulate the economy and create jobs.  Think about it….solar energy used to power homes is much more effecient, cheaper and environmentally conscious than using dirty oil and depleting earth’s natural resources.  Building green cars/electric cars (the electric car was the first ever built) will ensure the reduction of pollution and many illnesses associated with pollution (asthma and bronchitis).

Governments are too busy passing legislation that serves the best interests of corporations that continue to contribute to climate change – McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Wendy’s (and any otherfood company that relies on the meat industry).  Factory farming is one of the main causes of climate change (deforestation for meat production factories, depleting water  resources, methane release into the atmosphere).  The oil industry pays governments to ensure they acquire drilling contracts/rights in very sensitive parts of the world- SHELL wants to drill in the Arctic.  The Canadian Government (Harper Government) and the National Energy Board want to complete oil exploration in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait – 80 to 90% of Narwhals live, play and breed here, it is THEIR home and oil exploration could potentially harm much of the regions marine life, including the narwhal.  Please GREENPEACE’s website to sign their petition to help Clyde River send their message that drilling/oil exploration in this region is NOT an option. Sign the petition here:  https://www.savethearctic.org/en-CA/clyde-river/?__utma=218051913.506200212.1415937089.1415937089.1415937089.1&__utmb=218051913.8.10.1415937089&__utmc=218051913&__utmx=-&__utmz=218051913.1415937089.1.1.utmcsr=(direct)|utmccn=(direct)|utmcmd=(none)&__utmv=-&__utmk=12012407

So – we require a revolution of love.  A love for the planet and not government’s who are creating a wider gap regarding income inequality between thos that have and those that don’t have.  We also have to ensure governments work for the people and people are not corporations.

What can you do?

• Contact your MP (member of parliament) and demand they vote for legislation that supports renewable energy and not polluters.
• Get involved by creating community groups and urban gardens.
• Educate yourself about the benefits of solar energy and electric vehicles and demand companies increase their production.
• Stop buying products that contribute to landfills and are not biodegradeable (water bottles, plastic, excessive electronic products, etc).
• Commute when/if you can.
• Don’t travel to environmentally sensitive destinations – The Great Barrier Reef, The Amazon, etc.
• Eat a vegan or vegetarian meal a few times a week.  This not only saves animals, it sends a message to the meat industry that deforestation is wrong, inhumane treatment of animals is wrong, the depletion of water is wrong, polluting our environment is wrong.
• Talk to your employer about ‘tele-work’ options – if you don’t have to commute to work daily and have an option to work out of your home office, why not do it?  This will increase productivity and decrease sick calls.
• Take public transportation whenever possible.
• Educate yourself.

Don’t believe that we can’t make a difference.  We know that governments and corporations act on demand – the more we demand, the more pressure we put on our governments and corporations to to act in the responsible and accountable manner that we demand of them.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

LOVE IS GAY and LOVE IS EVERYONE.

How do you define love?  What does love mean to you?  Here is one definition of love according to the The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Ninth Edition:  The foremost authority on current English:

love (n)  – an intense feeling of deep affection of fondness for a person or thing

We all have felt intense feelings of deep affection for many people or things but there are varying degrees of love.  You can love a family member as affectionately and with the same fondness as a good friend.  You can have a deep intense love for the planet, a hobby, an animal or even an object.  But no love is the same as the love you share with that ‘special someone’.  What makes this type of love different is the emotional, physical and sexual intimacy you share which heightens the intense of deep affection to a whole different level.  This is the kind of love I share with my husband – Jason.  We have been together for 19 years and have legally been married for 6.  We had mixed emotions about getting married – were we doing it because it was legal in Ontario, Canada, were we doing it for the sake of being married, or were we doing it for no reason at all.  Jason and I got married for all of those reasons and so that we could be viewed equally under the law as our heterosexual counterparts.  That brings me to the story of Shane Bitney Coney and Thomas Lee Bridegroom.

The first time I heard of these two young men was when I came across a YouTube video entitled:  It Could Happen To You.  There are no words to describe the video – the only thing I can say about it was that Shane allowed me to feel his pain, his anguish, his suffering and his hurt.  I want to reach out and hug him, comfort him, do anything to help with the pain he was feeling.  Watch for yourself:

I watched this several times and imagined how I would feel if I was told that I would not be able to see my husband if he was ever hospitalized – I would be devastated.  Again, my thoughts went to Shane and I cried thinking about the despair he felt.  But, that despair was only the beginning.  Imagine not being able to properly say goodbye to the person you loved more than anything in the world – How would that make you feel?  My feelings of sadness for Shane turned to anger towards Tom’s family for not allowing Shane to attend his partner’s funeral.  How could Tom’s family turn their backs on a loving partnership of 6 years?  How could they cut 6 years out of a young man’s life and misrepresent their son in a different light?  I kept Shane’s video images in my head for a long time – especially since Shane and Tom’s story could have been mine and Jason’s story or the stories of so many other same-sex couples who are in loving, committed relationships.  I would say ‘prayers’ for Shane and lovingly send them out into the universe in hopes that they would reach him and give him the strength to carry on.

I was happy to know that a full-length feature documentary was being made about Tom and Shane’s relationship and the love they shared for one-another.  The documentary ‘BRIDEGROOM’ became a reality after much support from the likes of Brad and George Takei and Neil Patrick Harris and so many other influential people.  Over 6,500 people funded the film on Kickstarter.com and it became the most funded documentary in the history of crowd funding.  The film was written, directed and produced by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason creator of the critically acclaimed television series Designing Women.  The film was released in the fall of 2013.  For more about the movie, bios about the people behind the documentary, the official trailer – please visit the movies official website:  http://bridegroommovie.com

I hope that the hurt and pain that was left in Shane’s heart has decreased and I hope that Shane’s current devotion to removing the barriers of marriage inequality has somewhat filled that emptiness.  I know that nothing Shane does will ever bring Tom back – but, I do know that wherever Tom is he is smiling, knowing that Shane is standing strong and fighting for something they already had – A deep sense of love.  I tap 3 times on the desk my computer sits on in the memory of the love these 2 young men shared and for all the work Shane has/is doing for marriage equality.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one! 

IF I WERE A POLITICIAN…..

What reputation do our politicians have?  I can only speak of Canada and the United States because it is the policies of these countries that I hear most about.  Politicians in our continent are engaged in scandals that would make a celebrity blush.  There are stories of greed, sex scandals, politicians getting kickbacks from big corporation, the lack of accountability, over-spending, war and not working for the individuals who hired them.  I know what I elected my politicians for, and it wasn’t to bail out banks, allow oil companies to drill the earth dry, allow developers to destroy the earth’s natural resources at an alarming rate and to keep people oppressed, depressed and paranoid.

So – what would I do as a policy maker?  Great question with a simple answer.

1.  I would focus on legislation that would help those who are suffering because of out-dated policies that just do not work.  I would work very hard to garner the publics trust by REALLY listening to their needs.  I know that people who have money don’t need as much help as those that do – it’s really simple and that easy.

2.  You want jobs – I would  give incentives to companies that find sustainable alternatives to those things that contribute to climate change.  I would demand solar, wind and other sustainable ways to find climate change.  I demand that car companies to stop making automobiles that leave a carbon footprint and use ‘dirty oil’ and, I would ask them to make them affordable.

3.  Religion and politics don’t mix.  I would ensure that my policies were based on the greater good of the people and not because of certain religious beliefs.  God doesn’t run a country – the people do.  If you want to pray, you can pray at your church, synagogue, mosque and house.  There is no place for religion in politics.

4.  Everyone receives that same health care……people shouldn’t be dying because they can’t afford medicine that can save their lives.  I would also ask doctors to promote preventative care – such as proper diet, nutrition, exercise and natural ways to cure ailments before they prescribe pharmaceuticals.

5.  I would ensure that BIG OIL stop drilling immediately.  This will make people realize that THERE ARE other ways to power the provide us with power that do not have such a negative impact on our earth.

6.  I would protect existing forests, lakes, oceans and rivers.

7.  I would ban guns – unless you were in the military, you would not own or have a gun.  This would include police.

8.  No hunting – Why do we have so many animals on the endangered species list?  We lack respect for our environment, the planet and the animals that were here long before us.  We are crowding into their space and they become displaced.

9.  Everyone would have the same opportunity in terms of education.  It would be affordable and everyone would be taught the same.  It would be mandatory to include meditation, proper nutrition and essential life skills (what is a mortgage, the proper use of credit cards, how to invest, how to save money) as part of the curriculum.

10.  I would ensure that no-one travels to places that are advertised in travel companies as “10 Places to see before they disappear” – they include:  Glacier National Park, Galapagos Islands, The Great Barrier Reef, The Dead Sea, The Alps, Madagascar, The Congo Basin.  The only way you would be able to travel to these places is to help in their sustainability.  Here is a link as to why I would ban travel to these places:  http://dailyinfographic.com/10-places-to-see-before-theyre-gone-infographic

11.  I would promote a culture that understands the implications of over-population.  I would encourage the use of contraceptives and give incentives to parents who adopt children rather than having them.

12.  Committing a crime against an animal would have the same implications as if you were committing the same crime on a human.  A life is a life.

13.  The debate on abortion would end.  Politics has no business on any women’s right to choose what she does to her body.

14.  I would allow and give incentives to developers who focus on building sustainable communities – communes, organic gardens, community living, local farming, etc.

15.  Ban the use of pesticides and genetically modified foods (unless the GMO’s have had long-term and positive studies). 

If other politicians decide they can’t handle these policies that all people would benefit from – I would ask them to leave my government.  We are living in a moment of history were debates and talk must stop and we must take action.  It is time to seriously look at new ideas and politicians must stop creating legislation based on what and how they can benefit from.  It is time that the people hold their politicians accountable for their actions – this has worked in other countries, we must make it work here.  I am confident that positive change will come – especially if our leaders are thinking for the greater good of the planet and its inhabitants and not the “almighty dollar”.

Together we can make the world a more positive one!