Archive for Musings

Religious Conservatives, Bible Thumpers, and Hypocrisy | GLBT Civil Rights and Marriage

June 4, 2012 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Culture, Ideas & Philosophy, Musings

Recently, President Obama voiced his support for marriage rights to the GLBT community. Even more recently, a federal court in Boston ruled the Defense of Marriage act unconstitutional.

The debate especially for religious conservatives continues with their vocal protests. For them, gay marriage still represents a dramatic change in values and sexual morality.

For them, the proposed change raises questions that are troubling and profound. They seem to cling to the ideas that GLBT people are somehow more sexually promiscuous than the straight community, and that allowing GLBT marriage is equivalent to giving a green light to bigamy, polygamy, incestuous marriage, and pedophilia.

The conservative right continues to savagely caricature, ridicule, and condemn GLBT people in a way that they have done to no other group. It feels as if being a GLBT person has been pigeonholed as one of the top sins that humanity is capable of. They wrap their fear with just about every fear they can lump together when the subject is solely about allowing marriage between two people. It is bigotry in one of its purest forms. While some groups recognize this, others do not.

Bigotry Wrapped in Love is still Bigotry

Found on the Facebook page of The Christian Left.

From the reactions, writings, and hate speech that I’ve seen, I feel that the reactions are very representative of the 7 deadly sins. The two that are most closely aligned to these expressions of hatred are those of wrath and pride.  Wrath is inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. The sin of Pride is a disire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and the excessive love of self (especially holding the self out of proper position toward God). Pride is a denial of truth.

I have always felt that reason would eventually prevail over these outspoken waves of bigotry, wrath, and pride and I still do. I also think it’s time for the legal system and the government in the U.S. to declare that all peoples are indeed equal before the law and that all people have basic civil rights. Perhaps one day it will happen.

In an ideal world, fear would not rule people’s hearts and we would be respectful of each other’s differences.

The following film is an Irish anti-homophoic bullying advertisement that was created to raise an awareness amongst youth of a better way to combat this type of bigotry. The campaign promotes friendship.

Perhaps with persistence, one day, this portrait will be real.

I can’t seem to find the origin of this, but it seems to be going viral. It is from http://www.bewareofimages.com/ .

Before you judge others or claim any absolute truth, consider that…

… you can see less that 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum and hear less than 1% of the acoustic spectrum. As you read this, you are traveling at 220 kilometers per second across the galaxy. 90% of the cells in your body carry their own microbial DNA and are not “you”. The atoms in your body are 99.9999999999999999% empty space and none of them are the ones you were born with, but they all originated in the belly of a star. Human beings have 46 chromosomes, 2 less than the common potato. The existence of the rainbow depends on the conical photoreceptors in your eyes; to animals without cones, the rainbow does not exist. So you don’t just look at a rainbow, you create it. This is pretty amazing, especially considering that all the beautiful colours you see represent less than 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum.”

Before you judge others
 

Tolerance and Respect for others will one day rule…

 

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United Airlines Bereavement Fares a Scam?

April 17, 2012 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Musings

My brother recently had a traumatic brain injury after a fall. After a week of suffering, it was determined he was brain dead and the decision was made to take him off of life support.

I was faced with the task of buying a ticket out to the midwest. I immediately called United for assistance with bereavement fares. They supposedly provided a discount over the cost of the ticket. The discount was only 5%. When I called the agent, he told me that the normal fare was $2000.00. This was to fly from Vermont to Kansas City. With the bereavement fare it would only be $1900.00.

They also needed considerable information from me in order to save the 5% fare. I needed to provide the name of the hospital, the doctor who attended my brother, the hospital address, phone number, name of the funeral home, and the funeral home’s phone number. At that time, the funeral home information was not even available.

I did the necessary investigating and after several hours I had determined all the necessary information. The price of the ticket was still bothering me but I was also thinking I simply had to get out there for his funeral.

I did the one thing they probably didn’t want me to do. In checking on United’s own web site, I found I could fly to Kansas City for $1,163.20. Their claim of a 5% savings proved to be hardly that. I purchased the ticket online.

This still doesn’t sit well with me and I feel angry at United for their price gouging and attempts to take advantage of me in a time of desperation and emotional pain. It also makes me think twice about using this airline in the future.

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Bible thumpers, Justification of Hatred, and Homosexuality

December 13, 2011 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Ideas & Philosophy, Musings

Gay-BibleIt always drives me a bit crazy when I hear people “quoting” the Bible especially when it’s obvious that they know little about what they are quoting. It gets worse when people try to use the Bible to justify their persecution of homosexuals.

To put things in perspective… did you know that the Bible contains more than 31,000 verses? There are less than a dozen verses that say anything about a sexual act between men. Looking at simply the numbers of verses , it’s clear that the Bible was much more concerned about other things… oh like… gluttony, greed, economic condition, and treatment of fellow human beings.

There are only nine biblical passages that are invoked by people who wish to justify their persecution of homosexuals. The verses are:

  1. Deuteronomy 23:17
  2. I Kings 14:24
  3. I Kings 22:46
  4. II Kings 23:7
  5. Leviticus 18:19-23
  6. Leviticus: 20:10-16
  7. Romans 1:26-2:1
  8. I Corinthians 6:9-11
  9. I Timothy 1:10

The Deuteronomy and Kings passages simply forbid prostitution by both men and women. What more can be said?

The Leviticus passages are part of the Holiness Code. This code prohibits eating raw meat (Sushi anyone?), planting 2 different kinds of seeds in the same field (Whoops, there goes crop rotation and many of our gardens), wearing garments that are made from 2 different kinds of yarns (Guess I need to get rid of my silk and cashmere sweater), tattoos (Ok…a lot of people in this day are going to hell), adultery (How many people are guilty of this?), sexual intercourse during menstruation (Medical science tells us this is entirely normal and completely healthy.), and homosexual acts. The point here is we focus on one taboo and say that the others are excusable? Many of us need to drop our self-righteous pretensions if we’re to use these passages as justification for persecution. If you accept one rule as “God’s law,” don’t you have to accept them all?

The last 3 references are the most cited. All these references originate from St. Paul. He was concerned with homosexuality because it was one of the behaviors that represented sensuality and something that was contrary to his spiritual idealism. Lust and sensuality in anyone was considered abnormal and a sin by his ideology. To say that homosexual lust and sensuality is different than heterosexual lust and sensuality is not logical and makes no sense. For St. Paul anyone who put their interest ahead of God was condemned and that condemnation falls equally on everyone — not just homosexuals.

Passages in the Bible have been used by advocates of slavery; they have been used to keep white churches white;  the Bible has been used to justify sexism and to keep women quiet; it has been used to justify things that many of us would consider as wicked and evil but it has also been used as an inspiration to liberate many people including blacks and women. It includes metaphors of redemption, renewal, inclusion and love which belong to and are applied to everyone and not just the exclusive domain of the religious right.

The Last Supper

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Cool Whip – The Twinkie of Whipped Cream?

December 7, 2011 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Musings

I have a confession to make. I’m lactose intolerant.

Now, there are only a very few cheeses that I can tolerate and milk is a disaster for me. So, I decided recently that I would love to have some whipped cream to go along with a pie that I was having for dessert.

cool-whipI went to the grocery store and bought some Cool Whip. It was only after I got home that I looked at the ingredients. Here’s what I found in order from first to last ingredient:

  •  Water – The first ingredient. Not too bad there, life couldn’t exist without this.
  • Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil – Made from Coconut and Palm Oils. Hydrogenation is a process where hydrogen is added to oils to make them less likely to spoil. It also makes them more solid at room temperatures. Hydrogenation can turn many oils into trans fats. If oils are fully hydrogenated, it means they will be nearly trans fat free but it doesn’t mean that they are completely free of trans fats. Cool Whip indicates that it has 0 trans fats which is an indication that they are using fully hydrogenated oils. The FDA permits products to claim they are trans fat free is they contain less than 0.5 grams of a nutrients in a single serving. Trans fats are definitely linked to high levels of bad cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. A single serving size of Cool Whip is 2 tablespoons. Ha! When was the last time I had only 2 tbsps? Never! I wonder just how much trans fat I am really consuming?
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup – (glucose/fructose syrup in some countries). High Fructose Corn Syrup is a highly processed food. It is comprised of glucose and fructose and is considered a sugar. They are one of the most commonly added sugars in food and are used as a sweetener in many foods. It is always a good idea to limit your consumption of any sugar. This particular sweetener has been has had mixed results in studies. Some studies indicate that your body reacts differently to this type of sugar when compared to other types of sugars by contributing to weight gain and affecting appetite. Consumption of any type of sugar can be linked to weight gain, cavities, poor nutrition, and higher triglycerides which can result in heart problems.
  • Corn Syrup – High Fructose Corn Syrup is derived from Corn Syrup through enzymatic processing. Corn Syrup has varying amounts of maltose and other complex sugars. It is frequently used to soften the texture of food and prevent crystallization of other sugars. As a sugar it has the same negative health effects listed for High Fructose Corn Syrup.
  • Skim milk – Low in saturated fat and cholesterol, a source of vitamins. A large source of the calories in this food come from sugars. I have an added gulp! One of the sugars in milk that I personally have trouble with is lactose.
  • Light cream – Light cream is very low in sugar and sodium but also can be very high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Saturated fat is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. There are also correlations between this type of fat and various cancers. Bone density is negatively associated with saturated fat and men are more vulnerable to this effect than women. Ouch!
  • Sodium Caseinate – a stabilized molecule of sodium hydroxide and casein. Casein is a nutritious milk protein which some people are allergic to. It is a tasteless, odorless, water-soluble substance and is used for emulsification and stabilization of foods. Research suggests that casein and gluten act similarly in your body. It is something that you should consider avoiding if you are autistic. You should also avoid this additive if you know that you are allergic to casein. In addition, ingesting Sodium Caseinate in large amounts has the potential to cause harm to your kidneys. It also has the potential to lower blood pressure and, because of this, it is something to avoid if you’re going to have surgery.
  • Xanthan and Guar Gums – Xanthan is created by mixing corn sugar and a bacteria and used as a thickening agent and as a replacement for gluten. It is easier to digest than Guar gum. Guar Gum is an extract of the Guar plant. It can cause digestive issues when used in large amounts. Like Xanthan it is a thickening and emulsifying agent.
  • Polysorbate 60 – this is also an emulsifier used in cosmetics and food. It can cause detrimental reproductive effects, organ toxicity, and cancer in high doses. People intolerant of propylene glycol (antifreeze) should avoid it. I don’t know… a precursor to antifreeze in food and a carcinogen as well? Does that even make sense?
  • Sorbitan Monosterate – this is sometimes referred to as a synthetic wax and primarily used as an emulsifier to keep water and oils mixed. There are no reported adverse health effects. But wax? When was the last time I ate a candle?
  • Beta Carotene – found in fruits and vegetables and is an antioxidant. Used for coloring in this case. Synthetic beta-carotene supplements have been associated with increased risk of colorectal and lung cancer in smokers. There is no indication if the Beta Carotene  contained in Cool Whip is naturally occurring or synthetic.

Judging from the number of highly processed ingredients as well as some of their potentially detrimental effects, I’m now having second thoughts about the wiseness of my purchase.

But what’s a lactose intolerant guy to do?

I’m keeping the Cool Whip in the fridge this next year in case I have a moment of weakness but I suspect that next time, I’ll just skip that sweet, creamy, coolness completely. Unless someone out there has a suggestion?

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Angel Cards, Traditions, and Delight

January 18, 2011 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Musings, Writing

Angel Card - DelightI have a tradition.

In the morning after I have checked out the news I sit down with my morning coffee and shuffle the Angel Cards. Angel Cards are a deck of cards with profound sayings on them. After I shuffle the cards I choose one and regard it as a response to whatever questions I might have. Normally, I opt into a message of guidance for the day but sometimes I will ask for guidance about other things in my life.

Yes, I know.  I know that talking about Angels sounds awfully religious or very new age but I look at the cards as opportunities to reflect on things in my life. For me they are largely outside the influence of any religion or Angels for that matter.

Anyway, I selected today’s card.

Today’s card pictured an Angel who had hung up her wings on a coat rack and was lying down on a bed in the middle of an otherwise empty room. The card’s title was, The Angel of Delight. My first thought was why would an angel want to put its wings up for a moment and lie in bed and what does that have to do with delight?

Then I read the description of the card which I won’t repeat in its entirety here except for one phrase, “Delight is a pleasure that comes from within and relates with what is external in our lives in a way that makes everything more luminous.”

I realized from this that the artist who drew the image for the card was representing the Angel as taking a moment for herself to look within herself to rediscover where her feelings of delight come from — to rediscover what brings pleasure to her.

To me, this is a wonderful interpretation of what delight is. When I look within and ask the hard questions about what makes me happy, from what wells come my feelings of delight, the answers are there.  All the answers are there as long as I’m honest with myself. The most important thing behind knowing what brings me delight is for me to take action to make it happen.

I think thoughts about what makes us happy are rarely given precedence in today’s society. We are all about delaying until later in life exactly what we need out of life now. We tend to be a society of suffer first and enjoy later.  I believe we should be doing exactly the opposite, it is more important than anything else for all of us to ask today, “Am I happy?” or “What can I do to achieve happiness?”

When we are happy; when we know what brings us delight; we will be very positive, contented people. If you are happy, you have more energy to reach out to others and to help them down the path of satisfaction in life. The very positivity and energy that you exude can become a beacon that attracts good things and good people to you.

Take a moment today, look inwards, and ask yourself, are you experiencing delight? If not, it’s time to take the steps necessary to bring happiness into your life.

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Winter Day

January 12, 2011 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Art, Musings, Writing

Winter SceneHere we are once again in the Northeast expecting another major winter storm. Many schools have been canceled in anticipation and the snow is falling. The wind is picking up the snow and whipping it around placing it where it wants. People who can stay home from work are doing so and those who can not are driving very cautiously.

I decide to walk out to the mailbox to get today’s mail. I put on my coat, boots, scarf, hat and coat thinking that it is so much easier to do this in warmer climates. I open the door and find that walking outside is cold and treacherous. I struggle to keep my feet as the wind tries to push them out from under me. The sound of the snow and ice beneath my feet is delightful. I love to hear that steady crunch…crunch…crunch… with each step I take. The wind whispers and sighs around me. The air is incredibly fresh, clean, and cold. I savor the feeling but I also feel my cheeks burning with heat as the cold attempts to suck what heat I have from them.

I reach the mailbox to discover all that the mail has to offer me is advertisements for one thing or another, nothing of interest or value to me. When I return to the house it feels many times warmer than it felt when I left. My cheeks are bright red and my fingers feel cold. I quickly take off my outdoor paraphernalia and toss it over a chair and head into the kitchen to brew me another cup of coffee after tossing the mail into the recycling.

I sip the coffee and luxuriate in the warmth it provides me. It is quiet today, very quiet. No sound of traffic, construction, even the animals seem to be quiet. The snow continues to blanket everything, making it clean, white, and bright.

I think about my friends who need to drive home this afternoon and hope that they do not encounter any major problems.

The snow continues to fall steadily continuing to pile up.

I sit down to work.

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Guests from Warmer Climates

December 21, 2010 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Musings, Writing

I have some guests from Costa Rica living with me for the next couple of weeks. There are times when I tell people this fact and they can’t imagine having guests for such a long period of time but I think a lot depends a lot upon the guests and their willingness.

There are several things that I am grateful for with them.

It’s a fantastic opportunity to practice my Spanish. Neither one of the guests feels fluent enough in English to feel comfortable with speaking it. I’m comfortable enough to speak Spanish with them. It’s not just the practice with fluency that I like though. They bring with them their own unique sayings from Costa Rica which make up part of the culture and identity of the country. They are enriching my life with their experiences and just by being here with me. I also appreciate their patience when they need to explain a word that I might not understand.

It’s also fun seeing people experiencing snow and cold weather for the first time. So many questions about snow and cold weather… What’s it like when it’s falling? How do you keep the house warm? How does a thermostat work? Will my hair freeze when I go outside? Then the fun stuff like: running in the snow with them; using a sled to slide down a hillside for a first time; the first snowman; questions about culture and food; the need for sunglasses and sunscreen when the sun reflects from the snow. Many, many questions about things they are unfamiliar with.

I’m also grateful for guests that like to cook, wash dishes,  and don’t hesitate to jump in and help with the daily chores of keeping the house clean.

No… several weeks is not a long time with guests like this particularly when I am enjoying every single moment.

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Reducing Friends on Facebook – Update

December 20, 2010 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Musings, Writing

Friends on FacebookLast week I posted that I was cutting down on the number of friends that I had in Facebook. I had nearly 1000 friends and found it very difficult to keep up with all the contacts. Also, for me, the quality of the experience was deteriorating rapidly.

I have since cut my friends down in half. This is a time consuming process on Facebook for various reasons; however, I’m finding the time that I’ve invested in reducing the number of friends is the best thing I’ve done in ages.

The experience has turned out to be very rewarding. I feel like the time I have to spend interacting with specific individuals has increased. I have more time to read their posts and respond to them. In addition, some people who have been quiet on my wall have started talking.

It is not just that the time that I have available to interact with people has increased but also the quality of the interaction is much better. When I have more time to actually write a response rather than just clicking a Like button, it enriches all my interactions because people actually get to know what I think and it offers them a chance to respond back to me.  An exchange of ideas and opinions in my opinion is one of the best things that you can do on Facebook for yourself or others.

I highly recommend that you try reducing your number of friends, particularly if you have a lot of them. You might be surprised at the benefits and feel much more rewarded as a result.

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Quality versus Quantity and the Perception of Friends on Facebook

December 2, 2010 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Musings, Writing

I’ve been having an internal debate recently about what to do about Facebook. My friends list keeps growing and growing but the reality is I end up interacting with only a few people of the hundreds that I have accepted as friends.

My goal initially with Facebook was to make contact with artists all over the world. In this goal, I consider myself very successful. Then family members started joining Facebook and it became a way to keep in touch with the English and Spanish speaking members of my family. I’ve enjoyed this aspect as well.

There is a group of hundreds of friends that I rarely hear from. One part of this group is people who never interact at all after the first hello. The second and larger part is a group of people who I comment and interact with things on their walls but they never or rarely respond back.

Both groups leave me feeling as if a significant portion of my Facebook friends are not really very friendly at all. It ends up feeling very empty and unsatisfying. My internal debate has been what to do with these friends and what is my interest in continuing with these groups.

As of today, I have decided to undertake an experiment. I’m going to consciously limit the number of people in my friends list. If I haven’t interacted with them recently or they with me, I intend to unfriend them. I have no anger with these people, I am simply choosing to focus on quality relationships.

For me, a realistic number, would be no more than a couple of hundred people or perhaps even less. My expectation in the future and I will try to be clear with everyone that I friend is that I expect quality interaction. For me to feel satisfied, I need be on a two way street, If I interact with their content they should respond back and they should interact with my posts. They should also expect the same of me.

A new world, at least for me, begins today.

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10 Things I am Thankful for this Holiday

November 24, 2010 mfcarter@mfcarter.net Musings, Writing

  1. To have a loving and supportive partner. I couldn’t ask for anyone better or more understanding.
  2. My parents who are both still alive. They gave me everything and helped to form what I am today.
  3. To have dear and supportive friends who have helped a lot this past year.
  4. I am thankful for my many talents – writing, painting, photography, and many others that I am constantly discovering.
  5. I feel honored and very grateful to be able to surround myself with art.
  6. Being able to laugh even when the going is rough. The bright side is always there. All I need to do is look for it.
  7. Seeing wildlife in my backyard, the deer, foxes, birds, squirrels, turtles and numerous others.
  8. Being able to cook. I love to cook in the kitchen.  It doesn’t matter what I make from the lowly pancake to cooking for friends who are coming over, it is an honor to provide people unique and tasty experiences.
  9. For the seasons from the heat of summer to the falling drift of fresh snow. I am very happy for where I live because of this.
  10. To have had the opportunity to experience different cultures and be fluent in another language. It has both changed and enriched my life.
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