I think I may be racist

MSNBC host apologizes after panel makes fun of Romney photo with black grandchild

MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry, a black woman herself, hosted a panel that mocked Mitt Romney for a picture he sent out that was of him, his wife and all of their grandchildren, one of which is black.

Here is why I think I might be racist.  I looked at the picture and the first thing I thought of was the song from Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the other."  Then what happens?  The first comment from the MSNBC panel was someone singing the same song.  Now, am I racist?  Or am I guilty of noticing details.  I wouldn't say it out loud however.  I can guarantee that there are racist comments being made in private and not from liberals.  IN GENERAL conservatives notice race.  Liberals notice racism.  

If you knew me well enough you would know I sign that every time I'm in a situation where I see a bunch of things that are the same and one in that same group that's not.  It's the first thing that came to mind when I saw this pic.

Here is the problem with MSNBC and the comments made.  This is a small sound byte from that panel of a much larger segment going on to explain in context what they said what they said.  If you watch the rest of it they do use the grandson as a means to point how they feel how contradictory it is to see a republican and a black person in the same group.

It begs the question, is it racist to call someone else racist?
Is is racist if a black person says something about another black person?

It's obvious the panel is not racist BUT it's always bad form to involve a child in the mocking of another person.  Liberals did it with Sarah Palin's Downs Sydrome child as well.  It's just not cool.

I think the panel isn't guilty of racism.  They are guilty of bad taste.

Christmas Christians are becoming the majority

President Obama skips church on Christmas...along with almost half of the country.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/conservative-blogs-take-note-of-obamas-skipping-church-on-christmas/

Conservatives are up in arms because President Obama did not attend church on Christmas.  Hold on and wait for it because here comes all the "he's a muslim!" malarky.  You know who I'm talking about.  They are the same people who also say his birth certificate is fake.  However, ask one of them to prove their certificate isn't fake and guaranteed they can't.  Hey geniuses! Why are you mad about him not attending church if you are positive he's a Muslim?

I think giving the man who is the leader of the free world a little slack when it comes to missing an hour in church on December 25th is more than ok.  The job has to be the most stressful and let's face it, when the president is on "vacation," he's really not.  He still does what he needs to do.  He just does it in Hawaii rather then the White House.  President Bush did the same from Crawford.  People giving any president grief for going golfing is really not taking in consideration that amount of stress that is being relieved when taking a little break from the job.  Don't worry.  I'm sure there is a little red button somewhere on the golf bag so he can blow up the world whenever he wants.
The moral of the story is who cares?  Depending on who's poll you look at you can spin vacation time any way you want with any president.

NOW BACK TO CHRISTMAS...


A pew survery (link below) talks about christians and their church-going habits.  Let's talk about people who consider themselves christian.
The definition of christian means: christ-like.  A true christian is someone who reads the bible and follows it's teachings every day without fail.  They usually go to church every Sunday and even may attend bible studies or youth groups.
The definition of a "Christmas Christian" (that's what I call them) are the people who only attend church on Christmas or Easter.  They will tell you that "oh yes, I'm a christian.  I don't go to church but I believe in God."  Guess what?  That doesn't make you a christian.  It makes you a non-athiest.
They have no knowledge of what is in the bible or what their beliefs should be.  They just know that it is politically correct to say they are christians because being atheist or agnostic is frowned upon..for now.
A Pew survey this month finds that only 54 percent of Christians attend religious services on Christmas, and just a little over one-half of Christians consider it to be more of a religious holiday than a cultural one. It also takes note of the generation gap in religious views of the holiday. http://www.pewforum.org/2013/12/18/celebrating-christmas-and-the-holidays-then-and-now

Apparently the younger generation is getting more and more complacent about not attending church on Christmas as well.  Not only that but they don't even consider it a religious holiday.

Adults under age 30 are far less likely than older Americans to say they see Christmas as more of a religious than a cultural holiday. They are also less likely to attend Christmas religious services and to believe in the virgin birth… the new survey also shows that even among Christians, young people are more likely than older adults to view Christmas as more of a cultural than a religious holiday. *Mediate.com

Times are changing at a very rapid pace.  The christmas we had in the 1950's, 60's,70's and 80's is no longer what we have now.  The under-commercialization of the holiday when we were kids is just a weak memory that shall never be duplicated.  The special days of waiting and waiting for Rudolph to air on tv and sitting down with the whole family to watch it is gone.  Now you can buy Rudolph and Its a Wonderful Life and watch it anytime you want. Buying decorations on December 1st is gone.  Now they are sold in August.  Christmas music used to be played between Dec 1st and New Years in stores and now I'm sick of it by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.  All stores were closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Now you can shop all day and still get your Starbucks late at 3pm on Christmas Day (I know because that's what I did).  There were original toys that were made well and lasted years and now kids get crap that breaks and most of the toys are just knock offs of the toys of 30 years ago.  Whatever happened to the christmas lists we gave mom and dad with a short list of toys?  Now parents go and buy hundreds of dollars worth of toys and electronics because they are afraid their kid's christmas will be ruined if they don't.  I got five or six gifts total and they were always great gifts.  If I didn't get what I wanted it just meant mom and dad didn't have the money.  I was ok with it.

Other highlights from the survey include:

• Among the religiously unaffiliated, 87% say they celebrate Christmas, including 68% who view Christmas as more of a cultural holiday.
• Roughly eight-in-ten Americans (79%) say they plan to put up a Christmas tree this year. By comparison, 92% say they typically put up a Christmas tree when they were children.
• Nearly six-in-ten Americans say they plan to give homemade gifts this holiday season, such as baked goods or crafts. There is a big gender gap on this question; two-thirds of women (65%) plan to give homemade gifts, compared with 51% of men.
• Those who celebrate Christmas as more of a religious event are much more apt than those who view it as a cultural occasion to say they will attend religious services this Christmas (73% vs. 30%) and to believe in the virgin birth (91% vs. 50%). But on other measures, the differences in the ways the two groups will mark the holidays are much smaller. Roughly nine-in-ten in both groups will gather with family and friends and buy gifts this Christmas, and identical shares of each group will pretend to get a visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve (33% each).

I know this was supposed to be about Obama not going to church but the way we are heading, it's not going to be such a big deal.  Besides, Muslims don't go to church on christmas...right? 

Catholic School fires gay Vice-Principal and probably did the right thing.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/12/19/catholic-students-protest-on-behalf-of-gay-assistant-principal-who-was-fired-for-getting-married/

Seattle area Eastside Catholic High School Assistant Principal Mark Zmuda was fired last week because over the summer he married his husband Dana.  He was told it was because he was gay and he went against catholic teachings.

He did sign a contract with the school that promised he would adhere to the rules of catholic teachings.  They did not fire him over breach of contract.  They fired him simply because he is gay.

The school has every right to fire him legally since he did sign a contract and broke that agreement.  The principal did try to save him by asking him to dissolve his marriage but Mark refused.  She had no choice but to fire him. Which again is legally their choice to do.

Now the question is was it moral?

Firing someone for breach of contract is one thing but firing them over something that has nothing to do with job performance is another.  Your sexuality is not something you can change.  It's part of who you are and to ask one to suppress their true self is immoral.

One can be gay and "choose" to live a heterosexual life.  That's the only choice any gay person has to make.  The stress of pleasing family, friends, jobs and the church have forced many homosexuals into the closet and lead a life of lies and despair all to appease the people around them.  If people were more tolerant than gay men and lesbians would not have to hide who they really are thus leading more healthy lives and contributing more to society.  Therefore, gay men and women "choose" to lead a heterosexual life which leads to affairs with other gays, other bi-sexuals, other closeted gays like themselves or just plain hooking up to satisfy the need that they can not get from their opposite sex spouse. It can also lead to depression and other health issues.

Religious beliefs have little to nothing to do with one's sexuality.  Once you discover you are gay there is nothing that can be done.  Ask any scientist, doctor or better yet, any gay person. For a straight person to say that being gay is a choice means that this straight person had to at some point make a choice to be straight or gay if they know for sure it is a choice.  Otherwise saying someone made a choice about something you know nothing about is ignorant.

Should an organization have the right to fire someone because of their religious beliefs?  Yes.

Religious beliefs are protected under the constitution.  I would never ask someone to change their beliefs any more than someone asking me to change my sexual orientation.  It can't be done.
You can ask to have an open mind and try to tolerate and recognize the rights of people who are not likeminded.  You can judge me based on my character or my ethics.  You can't judge someone based on what you think you know about their sexual lives.  It's none of your business.  It seems that straight people are so concerned with what gay people are doing in the bedroom when that is such a minute aspect of our lives, anyone's life.

What can we do as a society?

We have to help make the changes we want to see.  We have to be the ones to voice our opinions and concerns over what we think it unfair and unjust.  The only way the catholic church is going to change their laws is if enough people protest and show their support for this gay vice-principal and people like him. By being active, positive and creating awareness of issues like this than maybe organizations like this will change their tune.  It will be tough and we are dealing with dogma and religious beliefs but as times change so do beliefs and constrictions.  The Pope has even voiced his opinion on this matter asking, "who am I to judge?"

Whatever your opinion or beliefs, equal rights should always be at the forefront.  Discrimination is rampant.  It's rampant against Christians, Muslims, Jews, black, white, homosexuals, heterosexuals, men, women, anything or anyone is a target.  Fortunately for us the youth of today are much more tolerant that we are.  Once the baby boomer generation dies out and is out of our legislatures than laws that discriminate will stop being legislated.  The youth are our future and we will become a more tolerant society soon.  I just hope I'm around to see it.