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Wednesday, July 14, 2004

More Pressing Issues?

With the vote on a gay marriage ban in the senate now concluded, and defeated, we can get on with the more pressing issues. That seems to be the mood of opposers of the amendment. I guess I should apologize for caring about a moral issue. Poverty of all kinds wreak havoc on the fabric of our society. Finanacial poverty is a problem, environmental poverty is a problem, but so is moral poverty. Homosexualty is an issue of moral poverty.

The problem, however, is complex. We (the United States Government, churches, etc) have lowered the bar on marriage so far that any justification for banning same-sex marriage rings hollow. Adultery is winked at, divorce is epidemic, and the grwoth of cohabitation is outpacing every other kind of family construction.

We microwave outselves into marriage, consume it, and dispose of it. We treat our marriages in the same manner as we treat a frozen dinner. On what grounds do we have the moral credibility to do this?

I believe it is a moral issue, but who can stand for preserving marriage as between a man and a woman in a convincing way? Mother Teresa, where are you?

This is the Second Civil War.

Thursday, July 08, 2004

Storms

When the sun sets during a storm, sometimes its rays bend through the sky shining one last glimpse of light, brilliant pink and purple, blue and green, off the towering thunderheads, in original tints and shades. Sometimes the sun invents new colors, used only once in all of time, to paint the clouds of the fierce storm before giving way to the horizon's cover. Then lightning dances its web through the colored cotton clouds; here, then there, every time a surprise, every time a wonder. The clouds are washed down to the earth like the wisp of a child's watercolor smear. Beauty and danger dance like lovers. The fearsome and wonderful thunder gives rhythm to the dance.