MARRIAGES BEING ERASED

If you are not gay and you are married, try to imagine what it would feel like to wake up one morning and find out that someone was trying to ruin your life. That's exactly what is happening in California. Not only have they stopped any new marriages from happening but they want the ones that have already taken place to reversed. I understand that different people think differently but what happened to individual rights? Is it now okay for one religious group (I'm talking about Christians here) to decide what rights everyone except gays and lesbians? Isn't this how the Holocaust started out? Along with those of the Jewish faith, gays and lesbians were also gathered up and killed, is that what is coming next? I am a Christian as are many of us and I don't think that your religion or any other rules supreme over this great nation. Your money being used to fund this fight could be better put to use by feeding the homeless, helping people find jobs and letting them feel more like humans again. There are all kinds of ways for your money to be put to good use. And if you are going to enter the political arena then I demand that your tax status be changed and you should be paying your share to voice your opinions.

I have a personal belief as to why there are so many gay and lesbian citizens of this world and that is to teach people, especially the religious, patients; understanding; kindness and love. For Jesus said: Love each other as I have loved you. And if any two adults love each other and want to create a home where that love can abound, then who are you to disobey His message. Oh yes, there is that other quote about "judge not less ye shall be judged". So take your money and put it to a finer purpose, one that would make GOD proud not anger him for destroying love.

Mike

AT WHAT PRICE SHOULD YOU BE ELECTED?

Today is November 3rd, the day before people all over America will elect a president and local representatives. I voted early to avoid the crowds but they are still out there and that is a very good thing that people are excising their right to vote. But what I want to talk about today is how those running conducted themselves and what it is doing to the public at large.

How many of us have had our blood pressure raised listening to all of the DIRTY TRICKS that these people will stoop to just to get elected. Lies and lies by omission of the facts. Smearing your opponent with slander. Commercials every couple of minutes until you just unplug the tube or just watch the cable channels. Who can you believe? Stupid questions by the media or those who just show up at the events to cause trouble. If a politician were asked, "Is it true that you have stopped beating your wife?" how could a person answer such a question. And now everyone thinks that he might be a wife beater even if his wife comes forward and calls it BS. The seed has already been planted.

And regardless of who gets voted in I as a citizen intend to hold them to every campaign promise that they made and if they fail us then we need to find a way to get them out. It won't be easy, they get real comfortable once they're in, but it is up to each and everyone of us to make sure that we get what we paid for. We do it when we go grocery shopping and that same theory should work for politicians as well. Grass roots got a lot of them elected and we should be able to de-select them the same way.

That's what's on my mind today. How do you stand on this idea? I'd love to hear you thoughts.
Mike

FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY

It occurs to me that all things considered, I have a lot to be grateful for and I've been lucky enough to have a lot of help along the way. And now it's my turn to be on the helping end and yours too if you want to join in. There are 24 hours in everyday and if we all take just one quarter of one of those hours to help someone else we can make this a better world. Maybe you could call people who you know are shut-ins or just alone and make their day and you will feel better about yourself as well. Make phone calls from your home to encourage people to get out and vote for the candidate of their choice and make a difference for your area or for all of the USA.

There are all kinds of volunteer organizations that would love to have an hour or two of your time even if it's only once a week if you can spare the time. And another benefit of doing this kind of work is that you are likely to make friendships with others, people who also want to share and make a difference and after all who doesn't want more good friends like them.

At sometime in your life there was someone there for you, could this be your time to reach out and give fifteen minutes of your time? I hope so and I'm glad to call you my friends.
Mike

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES

Since I live in Florida, the acknowledged Sunshine State, perhaps it is up to me to start pushing for solar power. The state and local communities would be a great place to start I think. Just imagine if there were no electric bills for all of those offices, jails, libraries and other government offices. This alone could lower taxes all around the state both sales and property taxes, is it possible that is a bad thing? Could it be that I'm the only one who has thought of it? And this would bring about less dependence on both foreign and domestic oil and bring all of our residents cleaner air.

And while we're at it, why not start building cars with built in solar panels on the roof or trunk. Have I gone too far? I think not. Offer large one time only tax breaks for private citizens and business' for installing solar panels as an incentive for installing them. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.This would also create new jobs to manufacture and install these units and show the rest of the country what we are made of and maybe start a revolution of revitalization in America.

And then there are those wind mills. One hurricane or even a near miss would probably light up the state for a month. We have the technology at our disposal, why not put it to good use. Big oil could fight us every step of the way or they could use some of those windfall profits to get behind us and clean up their names at the same time. Give the Ozone a chance to heal it self with our help and make this a better world for all of us.And just think of the help we could extend to third world countries, give them free electricity and build a better world for them. What would you give to know that some how you were building a better world by maybe just starting a letter writing campaign or collecting signatures to send to your government representatives.

The world, this planet we call home, deserves a chance and we can do it, one person at a time.

Just thinking out loud, what are your thoughts?
Mike

CONTACT AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

There are millions of Americans, and certainly I am one of them, who are so addicted to tobacco that the thought of quitting causes fear and anguish. At 60 years of age I have smoked for 46 of them. I know that aside from the cancer that smoking may cause it also raises my blood pressure and prevents me from being more energetic (or maybe lazy would be a better choice of words).

Also I'm tired of trying to get visitors to my home to believe that I have painted my previously white walls to an antique yellow. Actually everything in this apartment that was once white in now that same pale yellow including some of my clothes. And I don't dare wash a spot on one of the walls or I would have to wash the whole wall and as I have already discussed above, I just don't have the energy for that.

Then there's the cost of the cigarettes themselves. I often ponder what I could do with all of that extra money given that I spend $100.00+ per month for this disgusting habit. Hell I could wake up and find myself on a cruise ship sailing off somewhere nice. Or even better, get a nicer car. And when I see young people lighting up I'm tempted to pull the cigarettes right out of their hands and faces and tell them what's in store for them later down the line.

I'm a poor addict looking for real ways to stop smoking. And if you think that addict is too strong a word, but there it is, call a spade a spade. I know that I'm not strong enough to do it on my own, I've been down that road too many times, I NEED HELP.

If you can imagine, if we stopped growing tobacco and started growing real food we could help all of the starving countries around this world of ours. Or turn them into fields of solar panels and create clean renewable energy that would not pollute the environment and help the ozone rebuild itself. That's my opinion, I'd like to hear yours.
Mike.

POLITICS AS USUAL

Well it's that time again. Once every four years it happens and no, I'm not talking about the summer Olympics, that I like. No, it's time for the dirt to be hitting the fan in the presidential elections and their commercials. Smear campaigns on every channel, except the premium channels and those are what I will be watching. I have sent letters to newspapers, TV and radio stations and to the candidates for years all to no avail. Don't tell me what you know or think about your opponent, talk to me about you and let me make up my own mind. I already know that I don't want a book burning soccer mom (aka pit bull with lipstick, a heartbeat away from the top job in the world). Hillary I would have loved to have seen but not Palin and I made up my own mind from watching the conventions.

And if you are planning to enforce the beliefs of your personal religion on this nation, stop now. I have already lived thru too much of that already. Read the constitution and the bill of rights and follow them. No one religion will satisfy an entire nation, nor should it. And equal rights for all citizens means exactly that, not just what you personally believe in. If you don't believe in abortion, don't have one. If you don't believe in gay marriage, that is your personal belief but don't think that it gives you the right to stop others from what they believe in. That is NOT your right. I don't tell you how who to pray to, don't tell me who I can marry.
Mike