I found this on The Soda Stand, which in turn linked to a Did I Say That? forum. Thought it might provide a few of you with some amusement. I know I giggled.

10 Reasons Gay Marriage Will Ruin Our Society

1. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.
2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
3. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.
4. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can’t marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.
5. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
6. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn’t be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren’t full yet, and the world needs more children.
7. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why we have only one religion in America.
9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.
10. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven’t adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

A very true quote appeared on Moo-Moo Mizzou yesterday. No offense is intended for my buddies down in Florida, of course - but you have to admit she makes a point.

You live on a fricking tropical peninsula that sticks way out into a body of warm, hurricane-nourishing water, and you “just didn’t think this would happen” there? Does anyone else think that there’s a statistically significant number of stupid people living in the extreme southeastern part of the United States?

In the meantime, my job hunt continues to progress, albeit rather slowly as I have not yet been bothered to attempt the many cover letters that are necessary (they’re a bitch, aren’t they?). I’ve narrowed down potential locations to the following: New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston … and Los Angeles. The latter is rather a new development, but I’ve found a few jobs that sound appealing out there, plus it’d be an awesome experience to live on the West Coast for a year or two. I know my mother would flip a shit if that happened, though; she seems to be going more and more insane with each passing day. Could it be ‘the change’? I’m not going to ask.

And while Chicago is not on my list - I don’t think I could handle living in a self-proclaimed “Windy City,” not after four years at St Andrews - those White Sox are makin’ me proud. Woot! Yes, I’m allowed to root for them, distantly; my dad is originally from the Chicago suburbs. Though, it’s funny how in no sport am I a Washington/Baltimore fan, with one exception: DC United. And, let’s be honest, I don’t really pay attention to American soccer, but I’ve been to a couple of their games and they were a good laugh, so there you go.

The debate between creationism and evolution has always been a big one in this country, though the intensity of such a conflict has seemed to fluctuate. Currently tempers are running particularly high as theories of ‘intelligent design’ are gaining speed. Proof of this can be seen in the following article, taken from Sunday’s edition of the Washington Post. I have just one word to say about it: huh?

You mad people.

In Evolution Debate, Creationists Are Breaking New Ground
Museum Dedicated to Biblical Interpretation Of the World Is Being Built Near Cincinnati

The guide, a soft-spoken fellow with a scholarly aspect, walks through the halls of this handsome, half-finished museum and points to the sculpture of a young velociraptor. “We’re placing this one in the hall that explains the post-Flood world,” explains the guide. “When dinosaurs lived with man.” Mark Looy - the guide and a vice president at the museum - already has walked over to the lifelike head of a T. rex, with its three-inch teeth and carnivore’s grin.

“We call him our ‘missionary lizard,’ ” Looy says. “When people realize the T-Rex lived in Eden, it will lead us to a discussion of the gospel. The T-Rex once was a vegetarian, too.”

… “Evolutionary Darwinists need to understand we are taking the dinosaurs back,” says Kenneth Ham, president of Answers in Genesis-USA, which is building the museum. “This is a battle cry to recognize the science in the revealed truth of God.”

This is just insane. Go read the whole article. Oh, and welcome to the American Midwest!

On a similar note, a group in Virginia has developed a textbook for a new course to be taught at public schools about the Bible. Fair enough; the class is to be voluntary, and to be honest, public school kids have learned about various religions through world studies classes for years, so this doesn’t seem very off-course. Even the US Supreme Court has said that the Bible can be used in public schools so long as it is “presented objectively as part of a secular program of education.” (School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania v. Schempp, 1963) Thus I have no problem with this idea, provided it doesn’t ultimately get phased into the mandatory courses required for graduation; this is a long shot, of course, and might not happen for years, if ever.

That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if this were to happen - this region seems to be headed backward in many, many areas of the private sector, which is distressing in of itself, and of course many Southern and Midwestern states already advocate teaching creationism above evolution …

… but I’m not going to say anything more about that for fear of being hunted down and shot. *winks*

I’m in a good mood today, despite having hit snooze so many times that I ended up having twenty minutes to get ready and get my arse to the Metro. Really, there’s nothing worse than starting one’s day in a rush. My mood was lifted, however, by the following article, taken from the Washington Post Express:

The Right To Remain Unadmired
A Halifax, England, hospital has banned cooing at newborn babies because of fears their human rights were being breached, the Press Association reported. Calderdale Royal Hospital prohibited people from asking mothers about their babies or looking at them in the maternity wards - because, it said, these actions disrespected the babies’ dignity. The staff even created a doll that carries the message, ‘What makes you think I want to be looked at?’ “These are little people with the same rights as you or me … People sometimes touch or talk about the baby like they would if they were examining tins in a supermarket,” said hospital manager Debbie Lawson.

That made me giggle. Although, surely the kind of attention they’re banning (basically coddling a child) is necessary for the bonding process between mothers and children, and for the formation of the skills for basic human interaction. It’s been proven that people - and even animals, for that matter - that are denied such bonding exercises in youth often become sociopaths, social outcasts. That’s just what this world needs.