Posted by Frankly Francis on January 30, 2009 under Social Issues/Politics | 
I abhor discrimination in any form. It is insidious – the social and economic costs are enormous. The lives that are diminished because of it reflect the real loss that our society endures. It is just plain common sense that we all lose out when we deny opportunity to those willing to take it.
Gay people cannot serve in America’s military. I’ve never understood the argument that someone’s sexual orientation affects their ability to do a job. I do understand that homophobic attitudes certainly impair the ability of gays to function in any capacity.
Under President Clinton, in order to compromise the rules regarding gays, the policy for all sides of the issue became, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This is patently unfair. A person’s sexual orientation should not be a matter that needs to be revealed or hidden.
Yet, somehow this is still an issue. We need to get past it.
As a veteran of the US Air Force, I can say this… I was always proud to serve beside anyone else (gay or straight, black or white, believer or non-believer, etc.) who took the oath of serving in the military as seriously as I did. Can’t think of anyone I served with who didn’t feel the same general way.
And for those of you still clinging to the foolish concept that being gay is a choice, then I pose the following: If you believe being gay is choice, then you, yourself, should have the ability to choose to feel the same way emotionally and sexually to members of your own gender as you do about the other gender. If you cannot honestly do this, then you are on the road of awareness headed towards reality. On the other hand, if you can honestly do this, you probably have a suspicion that you may have been programmed bi-sexual.
However, the foregoing test is irrelevant when it comes to anyone’s rights as an American. It is important for all of us that gay people have the same rights as straight people because, ponder this, when anyone’s rights are infringed, everyone’s rights are infringed.
To the Gay Community, my apologies as you continue to face this discrimination, along with the other needless indignities you still endure. May it end soon.
Frankly,
Francis
Posted by Frankly Francis on January 26, 2009 under Quotes |
I love words, phrases and quotes. Thought I’d pass some along that I have collected while revolving around the sun. I’ve done my best to get the quotes correct and to attribute them properly. Any quotes from myself are, to the best of my knowledge, mine, but I could have picked them up somewhere too. Do let me know if you have any corrections that should be made, but more importantly, please throw your favorite phrases and quotes back at me.
I’ve also added a much larger collection as a separate page labeled “Quotes.”
Here we go:
Without music, life would be a mistake – Friedrich Nietzsche
Whatever you are, be a good one – Abraham Lincoln
Do no harm
Commit random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be – Douglas Adams
Make love, not war
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity
The present moment is everything; there is no rewind button when it comes to life – Francis Law
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years’ -Abraham Lincoln
Mark Twain
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect – Mark Twain
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind – Theodore Seuss Geisel
The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money – John Henry Jowett
Leave the world better than you found it, but if you can’t do that, then at least clean up after yourself
Treat others the way you want them to treat you
Too much of anything is bad. Too much whiskey is just enough – Mark Twain
Oscar Wilde
In life, I can resist all things except temptation – Oscar Wilde
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain – Dolly Parton
If you’re going through hell, keep going – Winston Churchill
Kurt Vonnegut
Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be – Kurt Vonnegut (from Mother Night)
Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly – Epictetus
I don’t hate my enemies. After all, I made ’em – Red Skelton
Do not initiate violence, but be prepared to respond
Choose your battles wisely and never cut-off your enemy’s escape route
What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding? – Elvis Costello
It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory – W. Edwards Deming
It’s not the cards you’re dealt; it’s how you play them – Francis Law
The end is nothing; the road is all – Willa Silbert Cather
Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live it dangerously – Friedrich Nietzsche
Benjamin Franklin
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety – Benjamin Franklin
Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to give it to others – William Allen White
Love of one’s country is a splendid thing, but why should love stop at the border? – Pablo Casals
To him in whom love dwells, the whole world is but one family – Buddha
Let your actions speak so loudly that no one can hear your words – Marv Levy
If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it – Jonathan Winters
Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly – Robert F. Kennedy
When it is time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived – Henry David Thoreau
May you live every day of your life – Jonathan Swift