http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php Type description here... en-us Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:56:15 -0500 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:56:15 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Originally published at DailyKos &nbsp; The one thing that bothered me the most during George Bush's presidency was the abrogation of US Constitutional rights in the name of fighting terrorism. That includes both the right to habeas corpus as well as privacy and due process. &nbsp; To be sure, we all want the government to be aggressive in fighting and stopping those extremists (DOMESTIC and foreign) from harming US citizens. But I do not want ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1239394549 Politics http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1239394549&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1239394549 Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:25:43 -0500 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on March 19, 2008 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Thank you Barack Obama for your leadership! <!-- &nbsp; Print Article --> <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234402690 Politics http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234402690&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234402690 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:38:10 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on February 4, 2008 &nbsp; &nbsp; Exactly forty years ago this nation lost a great leader, a man of vision and hope, a man who dared to believe in a world where a person is judged by the content of his character and not the color of his skin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. &nbsp; Four years ago America was introduced to a man who had the ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234401921 Politics http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234401921&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234401921 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:34:34 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on March 31, 2006 &nbsp; It's bad enough when a member of the highest court in the land, Antonin Scalia, takes a repulsive attutude toward his critics in front of a church (using a vulgar finger gesture), indicating his self-righteous arrogance, but this man who plays a critical role in impartially reviewing cases of constitutional law continues to publicly display his bias. &nbsp; Mr. Scalia was scathing in his minority ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234400373 Politics http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234400373&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234400373 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:05:18 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on March 23, 2006 &nbsp; Even as I have moved, personally, from fundamentalist Christian to agnostic, I strongly support freedom of religion. We have a Constitutional guarantee of such in the United States, but this right is not universal across the world. &nbsp; Prior to 9/11, my life partner was very open and tolerant to people from all walks of life, including people of all faiths including Islam. That changed ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234399968 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234399968&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234399968 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:52:48 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on March 6, 2006 &nbsp; A resolution made it out of committee in the Missouri state legislature "that supports prayer in schools and recognizes a 'Christian God'". The article in STLtoday.com discussing this resolution goes on to discuss some familiar myths:"The proposed resolution states that the country's forefathers 'recognized a Christian God and used the principles afforded to us by Him as the founding principles of our nation. ... As ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234399368 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234399368&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234399368 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:46:18 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on December 5, 2005 &nbsp; The late Pope John Paul II was a conservative, without doubt, and he stacked the College of Cardinals with like-minded men. But that pope had an outward attitude of compassion and love. He may have been stern morally, but he reached out to all people. &nbsp; The new pope, Benedict XVI is also morally stern, as much as John Paul, but without that face of ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234398722 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234398722&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234398722 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:33:21 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on August 28, 2005 &nbsp; Pope Benedict XVI will soon be reviewing a document " produced by the Congregation for Catholic Education and Seminaries, the body overseeing the church's training of the priesthood " that will recommend gay men not be allowed to serve as priests in the Catholic Church. This is an apparent reaction to the sex abuse cases involving priests and boys in the United States. &nbsp; I do not ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234397568 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234397568&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234397568 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:12:48 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on August 8, 2005 &nbsp; As a rational skeptic, this blogger takes pride in trying to remain open minded on any issue and be prepared to change my mind based on new evidence. I have argued in this space before about the existence of God and other beliefs related to a belief in God. Apparently a well-known atheist, Anthony Flew, a British philosophy professor,&nbsp;has changed his mind at 81 and ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234396919 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234396919&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234396919 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:02:57 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on August 4, 2005 &nbsp; &nbsp; We must never forget those brave men and women fighting in far off lands who often are asked to make the ultimate sacrifice as 20 brave Marines from my old home town of Cleveland did the last week of July 2005. &nbsp; When I heard on the news&nbsp;that week a 20 year old young man telling his mother in email that he was ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234395574 Politics http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234395574&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234395574 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:52:15 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on July 29, 2005 &nbsp; I listened to a report (from the Crooks and Liars website) on MSNBC with Paula Zahn talking about a group called Love in Action Refuge which offers people "struggling with the addiction" of homosexuality to leave "that lifestyle". The report showed how these so-called ex-gay ministries keep no statistics on their success rate at "converting" homosexuals and in fact in this report this group did ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234393606 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234393606&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234393606 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:18:51 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on July 11, 2005 &nbsp; Love, that hard to define human emotion. We know it when we see it, when we feel it, but it is not easy to define in words. &nbsp; One knows they are truly alive when one loves, when one is loved. &nbsp; Love is both exhilarating and invigorating as well as terrifying and painful all at the same time. Each of us have developed ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234392218 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234392218&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234392218 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:43:38 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on June 10, 2005 &nbsp; Some of my atheist readers may be surprised by these comments, especially considering my many articles against religious extremism, but when I say I am a fervent defender of the First Amendment, I mean every word of it. &nbsp; Source with article: iBurlington.com &nbsp; A Vermonter requested the above vanity license plate and was refused "because the state cannot endorse a religious viewpoint". ...<br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234389285 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234389285&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234389285 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:18:05 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 31, 2005 &nbsp; So, how many federal and state benefits, protections and responsibilities are married couples automatically granted when married (benefits, protections and responsibilities not available to gay couples, including , on the Federal level, those legally married in Massachusetts)? According to the federal government's General Accounting Office, there are 1,049. &nbsp; - Access to Social Security after spouse's death - Access to health insurance through spouse's workplace - ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234388741 GLBT http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234388741&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234388741 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:46:23 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 31, 2005 &nbsp; Let me further expand on my thoughts about marriage equality and why that is actually good for the institution of marriage as opposed to destroying it. &nbsp; In reading Gay Marriage by Jonathan Rauch, Mr. Rauch points outs some thoughts I have not considered despite my active interest in this subject. &nbsp; He first talks about marriage in general and what it is. Marriage is ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234382856 GLBT http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234382856&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234382856 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:41:27 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 28, 2005 &nbsp; I'm sure one of the most galling things to religious extremists is the ever increasing "coming out" of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) people. Many religious extremists may sincerely believe, naively and ignorantly, that LGBT people are as they are by sinful choice and that they should hide their shame in their closet. But we who are LGBT know we are who we are, not ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234382480 GLBT http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234382480&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234382480 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:02:08 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 23, 2005 &nbsp; I was raised in a family that went to a conservative Baptist church. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 8 years old. I was baptized (dunked) when I was 12 years old. &nbsp; When I was 16 years old I had a spiritual awakening after watching Charlton Heston's Ten Commandments – February 19, 1973 to be exact. I ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234381818 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234381818&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234381818 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:50:18 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 17, 2005 &nbsp; The year 2000 saw something unprecedented in American government when the state of Vermont implemented a new law, a civil union law, which would allow gay couples to have the trappings of marriage without actually being married. Governor Howard Dean, personally opposed to marriage for gay people, signed this compromise bill. &nbsp; The events in Vermont were preceded by events in Hawaii and Alaska nearly ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234381044 GLBT http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234381044&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234381044 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:37:24 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 9, 2005 &nbsp; Homosexuals are an abomination before God! Homosexuals have an agenda to destroy society, to destroy marriage, to destroy the family! Homosexuals are nothing more then drugged out sex crazed hedonists only interested in their own pleasure. Homosexuals choose to live a homosexual lifestyle. God showed his wrath toward homosexuals in no uncertain terms in Sodom and Gomorrah. Homosexuals will be damned for all eternity if ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234378915 GLBT http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234378915&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234378915 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:56:15 -0500 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 9, 2005 &nbsp; Queer - to be different. This once offensive term has been adopted with pride by gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered and any other people who are not what society says people should be. &nbsp; As I continue my journey, and it is a journey, discovering the real me and coming to terms with who I am, I take time for careful thought. &nbsp; I cannot ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234378674 GLBT http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234378674&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234378674 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:57:54 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 9, 2005 &nbsp; I do not know if my weblog will ever become widely read. Perhaps not. But I have been trying to decide how can I make my weblog more compelling, more interesting? &nbsp; To merely copy news articles probably will not do it. I need to give my thoughts, my ideas, and my perspective. &nbsp; Clearly the most compelling part of my life has been my ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234376914 GLBT http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234376914&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234376914 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:53:43 -0600 Originally posted on dailyspeech.net on May 5, 2005 &nbsp; Even when I was a fundamentalist Christian , I never believed God created the world in 6 days, as we know them, or about 6,000 years ago based on genealogies in the Bible. &nbsp; Once I asked my pastor, why are the dinosaurs not mentioned in the Bible? He said they are between verse 1 and 2 of Genesis chapter 1. Really? They were on Earth ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234376417 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234376417&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234376417 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:45:26 -0600 Originally&nbsp;posted on&nbsp;dailyspeech.net on May 4, 2005 &nbsp; Abortion remains a contentious issue in our society. There are extremists on both sides. Most pro-choice people want to see as few abortions as possible, but make sure the woman has the right to an abortion. Most anti-abortion people also want to see as few abortions as possible, but are willing to consider some exceptions where an abortion can be legal. &nbsp; I do not believe in ... <br clear="all"> http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234375877 Religion http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234375877&comments=comments http://myownworld.us/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1234375877 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:45:48 -0600