The Perils of Being a Buddhist

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If you have been following, my one devout friend hsa been mentioning that, as a Christian, he feels he's persecuted for his faith. I find this mention growing, but, then again, on my FB page, I noticed, I know seven different ministers of different faiths.

None of them are Buddhists. None of them are Taoists.

Nor am I.

Neither am I.

There's something grammatically wrong there, but whatever.

But I try. I do believe in buddhism. I don't seem them blowing up stuff in Gaza, looking for wards to discriminate against their fellows, or using planes to kill people to show how peaceful they are.  Followers tend to be a peaceful lot and I like that. It's helped me more, it seems like, when Christianity left me because of my oreitnation and no one in the church would stop, other than to tell me I was wrong, going to burn in hell and to encourage me to kill myself.

Yes.

You know, that "Thou Shalt Not Kill" thing, apparently means alot in the faith.

I live in the Bible Belt as well and this kinda thing that is mentioned in the article is everyday. I tell people I'm a "Zennist," a form of buddhist philosophy, and I get laughed out and then sought out when they put up a Christmas tree-to make sure I see it. As if the presence of a pagan token will some how make me like God more. It's painful-but here ya go. Another child...A CHILD was put down for his beliefs.

Yes, I am a Christian too, but I had the benefit of being raised by a father who was not the same faith. I think it went a long way in understanding that we can, all, coexist.

But there's something else here too, and I think it infuriates me more. This was a teacher, a supposedly educated professional. I think to my own personal example. One of my conservative friends detests the Muslim faith. She goes about actively talking about it at our workplace. However, we have a huge Muslim population at several of our workspaces.

I watched her work with a young lady in a beautiful chador/burka without incident. And she said, "the child isn't the problem. It's the faith that is."

Misguided, yes, but I think she is half-way there.

So, yes, I'm a Taoist. And a Zennist.

And a Christian.

But, moreso, I'm everything, because, in the end, I can't take words with me. I can only take my history and actions. So I know better than to put down a kid who doesn't agree with one of my views.

Peace,
Roo

Because Roger Ebert is awesome...

All my life, I wanted a writer's life, a life where the page is the thing. Roger Ebert was that man. He had the life. And you want to see why? Check out the following article. Read a few of his sentences and you'll know why:

13 Funniest Lines from Roger Ebert's Pans....

Peace,
Roo

Happy Fourth of July, Folks!

Hey Dear Readers,

Enjoy this three day weekend and a celebration of our independence.   We've come a long way--but it's been all worth it.

Peace!
Roo

To Write or Not to Write about this....

I hate coming here.

No, not this blog. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time right now. I need to blog more. The fact is, life has sorta gotten away from me and it has become, finally, Summer Break. What can I do?  I gotta write. I want to work on my novel. Really, it’s the priority.  And that’s why I’ve not been here, blogging. But today? Today’s special. The Penelope monster is at the PetSmart, having her day at the spa, getting all pretty-like with the wonderful Miss Chelsea.

And the only coffeehouse is his shittyass Joe Mugg’s. I mean, really. Old candy at the counter. Bad coffee.

And no fucking free wifi.

So I can’t even post this shit up until I get home. If I remember. Half the reason I go to coffeehouses and the like is because it gets me away from the distractions that having a life tend to offer, like laundry, letting the dog out, and making lesson plans. I go out? I can actually just sit and focus on what’s important. The writing. And, with my headphones on, I’m pretty much in my own little world. But this place?

What a crock.

Joe Muggs is located with a Books-A-Million. The only bookstore in the north part of this very Southern County. You know the stereotype. That Southerners don’t read at all. Here’s your evidence.

Not a single fucking bookstore for miles. There’s one Barnes and Nobles in the Villiages. Another hour from here. Which means that the corgilou would be stuck at Miss Chelsea’s, whining that no one loves her just a bit longer than most times.

But this Books-A-Million is one of those dank, dark discount bookstores that sells crap moreso than books. Thank Fate for my Nook (which also doesn’t connect to the wifi) and the online world.   So I am worried about working on my book a bit, since I tend to save it on the cloud. But the wifi here? Pay for use. Seriously. Disney World? American Libraries?

FUCKING McDONALD’S….all of them free.

I guess I should run over there, come to think of it. There’s one nearby.

Thanks folks. I’m an idiot.
But there was a point I had whilst I was here.

I’ve been contemplating a lot about some things about Gay Rights and I’ve had a change of some feelings.

I’m discovering that that I’m more moderate than I realized.

1. Check out his display ten yards from my crusty cabaret table.  It’s Dang Duck Dynasty. I posted it about it on facebook.com. It upset me greatly. How many people supported them and their “Freedom of Speech.”  Even my own brother. Yes, a glorious middle finger at his younger brother; a prime example of why I left Colorado many moons ago. Now when Paula Deen make such comments about race? She was vilified and hung out to dry. Freedom of Speech? Nada. But put down the gays? You get a display case in the middle of the store.   Yes, I find it offensive. But that’s my personal issue. You don’t have to take it down. But it will limit what I buy here.

2. Here’s the tic. I posted a reminder on Facebook, that, ahem, I’m a flaming flamer. Gay as tiara on a Tuesday.  Everyone either forgets or doesn’t want to acknowledge this vital part of my existence. Instead, family and friends ran to support those individuals on that “reality” program, regardless of the fact that those individuals put me down and reminded my family and friends that I would rot.  More “Freedom of Speech.”  I learned who my family and friends truly were.

3. Now there’s those laws in Arizona, so that groups can put down the gays and not be followed upon or sued. Interesting. It doesn’t seem to matter that there’s already, written into the constitution about Freedom of Religion. You can fire a hot blonde dude for being gay at your work. He has no rights or recourse. Try firing them because they go to church. You can’t. Not at all. (This was written before the Hobby Lobby quaqmire)

Yet they feel the need to make another law. It stems from the fact some people have refused to serve a gay person’s wedding and they were sued.  In other words, they feel threatened.

How? Has there never been a Christian president? Has there been a huge sweeping of Christian bashing?   Does my mere existence threaten them? No more than any other sinner, I like to think.

TOP DOWN and BOTTOMS UP..

Okay, so let me ponder this puppy a bit more. I guess, the title for this section is meant to be dirty. I means, it is not okay for those above us to discriminate, but we, the peons, should have choices.

Where does that leave those in the middle? I’m not too sure.

I refuse to go to ChicFilA, no matter how much my coworkers love to go there and remind me of my place in the world. So, I elect to discriminate, I guess, on the basis of shitty chicken. And they have the right to do so as well.  But the top means the government. I am to move freely within the confines of the government. And that means the government needs to see me as a person. They should give money to organizations that put me down, no?

Well, they shouldn’t give money at all, frankly, but that’s me.

So? The top, downwards, shouldn’t discriminate.

Those of us on the bottom? We should be able to choose on where we do business.

Isn’t that already happening, however?

I am really at a loss here. I sound so much like a hypocrite and it bothers me to no end. I choose not to buy books here or chicken over there. But they can’t have the same kinds of choices as well? Or should they?
Personally? No. I don’t think they get a choice. But shouldn’t they have one? Again…where the heck are my lawyer buddies. I’d ask my friends, but they’re all on party lines and like to yell and hurt each other feelings, making sure neither will side with the other.

Look at these photos, from right here….I thought I’d take a walk, since my conservative friends and allies do tell me they feel just has persecuted as I do.  That they have no rights to anything. So,when I saw this Duck Dynasty, I figured I’d walk over and take a look around.   How discriminated are they?  Having been discriminated against both with having Jewish parents and being gay, I'm a bit sensitive. I even work with minority students. I see their pain.  I understand it.

I found Bibles. Okay, a popular book. Unrestricted purchasing power to get them. Christian Living. Inspirational Christian books in fiction. In fact, I found four aisles of books.

   

So? I elected to look at the magazines. 28 different Christian magazines.

Impressive.

I went to look a gay and lesbian magazines.

Two. A whopping two.

Now, this isn’t scientific, Dear Readers, I know that. But I think that if a group is going to claim being oppressed, their evidence is lacking.  Media? Sure. Gays are making strides and are on the news nightly. But established institutions, race, religion, gender, are as well, but not in the numbers we would see in, say, like the sixties. And, in that, I’m beginning to wonder, if the “feeling” of oppression is probably more due to mass consumption than realities. My straight friends, I’ve noticed, never get mocked or stared at Disney World and have never been thrown out of some place.

But, I could be missing something. Maybe they were…but was it for wearing a cross?

I guess I did write something. I’m just trying to understand. Like I said, I’m beginning to feel like a hypocrite. I choose not to watch Fox. But does that mean certain companies have the right to not serve me? Like this place does, er, doesn’t?

Just something I’m pondering. I’m far from right on the subject.

Peace,
Roo

Hollywood's Favorites....

Take a look at this list. Know that, too, I've seen every movie on it.

Now, are there any real surprises? Other than the fact that they are all originals-nothing here is a rehash. And there's not many sequels that I see. So? Hollywood is lost in finding new material and the box office drives production.

Assholes. The whole lot of them.

Peace.

Religious Survey....

Heh, Who Knew?

I had to laugh, because the experience typfied my experiences in the South. The set up sounds like a bad joke: A Baptist, a Catholic and a Queer were having lunch...

....but, seriously, the amount they didn't know about religions only equalled the amount of hate they had for Islam. Now, I understand where that was born from, and, well, let's face it, religion runs on making sure you find something to hate and then creating the "cure," but in this case, they had no reason to hate other religions at all.

But, dang, as soon as they put up a Christmas tree, they thought, "You hate that don't you?"

"Not at all, I have two Christmaskkah trees in my house. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK THAT?"

And, for atheists, they're always going to have to argue their point (but most people in the US don't even go to church), so that makes sense they understand all the misinformed out here.

I am not atheist, by the way. Not in any way. But it makes sense. Same with the Jews.

PRAYER MUST BE IN SCHOOLS!

If you're Jewish, there's a reason to be nervous by that sentence.

Just, interesting. Nothing wrong with it. Something to ponder. Given my multifaith background, I had to grow up knowing things from religions I had no intention of going near. But I still would visit various temples to get the good snacks, trust me!  Oh...and faith too. God is too big for one religion and one path.

That I do believe.

Peace!

Stumbled across this on Reddit. It looks sad and depressing-but it isn't. It's joyous. I thought about putting it on my Facebook page but I think the immaturity of some might not be handle it. There's something wonderful here. "Ghetto" is a negative term here, but not there, it just means from a certain lifestyle in Uganda, where this video is from.

Hard to believe this fabulousness is a country that executes gays.

Jimmy Somerville re-records Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ for 30th anniversary

Ah, the beauty that is music...

A recap of a thirty year old song...and song with a profound impact...

Go ahead, and listen. I'll try to include just the video below, just in case. It's hard to believe this song is thirty years old. I would have been fourteen. Yes. I knew then. I knew. I knew that my feelings didn't match the world around me; everyone kept telling me I was to date girls and make families, but, when I slept, I dreamed of doing the same thing with men. I knew. Even at fourteen, when the hormones swooned and pounded on my temples.

Times, they were different in the 80s. I would have to go to the public library and hide in the stacks to find those books that helped me understand.  And entertainment was abject hell. Every word was negative; and the gay characters usually ended up dead.

We had MTV back then, a time when it still played music. And, since, even then, sleep was a fleeting concept, I would sit up and watch videos. I discovered, interestingly, that Britain actually had a separate "Top 10," and Wham!UK had a cool song on it, called "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go!"

I was mesmerized. I had to see more.

And I would have to learn how to find it.

I was hooked on the British New Wave, a kinda of synthpop that sounded like rock but had electronic backgrounds that gave it a pop-ish hold.

It was only a matter of time before I saw this song. Once. Just once one of those late night television viewings, while my parents were asleep in their room.

I was hooked a song about a man like myself. Falling for another dude and suffering the angst that comes with it. Of being utterly alone. But it also worked on another level. That wonderful falsetto was singing TO ME. He was Out and Proud.

I wasn't alone.

No. There were others.

And now, he obviously, must, understand the importance to that song to the Generation X crowd who are now making waves with marriage equality and equal employment.

We're still not alone. I'm at as much as I can be-so others never feel that unending dread that, one day, they'll be a victim. No. No more. You'll be just as annoying and satisified as the rest of the world. It does, in the end, get better.

Enjoy...here's his newer rendition.

Good music is good music.

And? Here's when he found a busker doing it on the streets and sang along...good going Jimmy!

Peace all, I'll try to write more.

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Enough is enough already. Let's do this!

Peace,
Roo

11. The Media Can Legally Lie – Top 25 of 2005

Here. Right here.

I read this article way back when. At the time, I could really just give a crap. I watched Fox, I didn’t really like CNN, just watched whomever had the better soundbite.

Then I read this.

And realized that the news, as a whole, is a farce. Basically, the article says that Fox News is entertainment and doesn’t have to report anything and can say what they want.

Sure, anyone can. They did it when they sues for fraudulent information. They were, like, “No, we’re just entertainment-so we can be fictional.”

I’ve told several of my friends who are conservative about this. They screamed at me as it was a liberal plot to keep them from getting news.

Maybe? Didn’t look at it that way.

So I elected to just not watch the news, outside of the weather (I do live in Florida, after all) and traffic.

And entertainment. E! News daily is more accurate AND has beautiful people that can make a sentence.  I also listen to my friends, liberal and conservative alike.  NPR has yet to really hurt me; Daily Show and Colbert are always high on my list.

My two cents.

Peace,

Roo

11. The Media Can Legally Lie – Top 25 of 2005

An anti-LGBT Oregon business shuts doors following state’s recent tough stance against discrimination | THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT by Lexie Cannes

I have some thoughts on this, folks, no surprise there. You can hate who you want, but if you’re going to play in the public sandbox, you’re not allowed to discriminate, period. Let’s see how this holds up, shall we?

I’m mean, after this incident, on a lark, several advocacy groups called them as anti-Christian situations to just see if they would serve them. One group of women called them as a bunch of witches, a coven, and they were having a Satanic ritual.

Nope. No problem. They’ll have their cake ready early so that they could have it by sundown.

But not the gays.

I think of the owner of Marriott who is devout in his Christianity but follows anti-discirmination laws to a tee. He’s said his faith is against homosexuality, but that it is a private issue for him and he would never turn away gays and lesbians from his doorstep. In fact, you’ve never seen him make a donation to anti-gay causes. If he does, it must be in secret. But that’s the way it should work. My friend had a devout doctor who even said, “that wouldn’t be professional.”

So? They’ve closed their doors. It’s probably because no one wants to give them business.

Imagine the scenario if they had just made another fucking cake?

Peace,

Bardy

An anti-LGBT Oregon business shuts doors following state’s recent tough stance against discrimination | THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT by Lexie Cannes