Friday, October 10, 2008

Phew!

Here is an email I just received from the governor.

Thank you for writing to urge a veto of AB 2567.  I appreciate your
active participation in the democratic process, and I value your
suggestions on how government can better serve the people of California.

I am pleased to inform you that I vetoed this bill after extensive
consideration and thorough deliberation of arguments from both
supporters and opponents of this issue. The public impact of
Harvey Milk's efforts should continue to be recognized at the
local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions.
My veto message for this legislation may be found on the Official
California Legislative Information website: www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Again, I appreciate hearing your opinion on legislation that
affects the future of our great state. Taking the time to
communicate your views and offer suggestions is essential
to good citizenship and good government.

Sincerely,


Arnold Schwarzenegger
For those of you that do not know what this is about. Harvey Milk was a Homosexual and an activist for his rights He won elections and was mayor of SF (i think). Anyway gay rights people have been fighting for May 22nd to be Harvey Milk day. So on that day Kids will be taught all about him, homosexual lifestyles and activities.

I have nothing against gay people. I think it is a sin but it is their choice and like other sins I can see the person not the sin. But lets get real here. Lets have every activist group submit a report on why their leader should have a dedicated day to honor them. then lets pick from, PETA, Sierra Club, Indians for Casinos, and gay rights to see which one gets it. I think it is ridiculous to single out one activist/interest group. And if this passes then I want a straight day, where we celebrate heterosexual activities.

the fuss is over (for now) and luckily the Govenator vetoed it.

Kim

Sunday, October 5, 2008

agree or disagree, but this is my stance

It has been a little while since I have put any time into the blog. After a very inspiring General Conference, I am repenting and renewing my energy to blog. I know how important it is to keep my family in the loop even though they have defected the mother country for the desert oasis. Yes, we Californians love being challenged about our beliefs on a semi regular basis. Unlike Utah, we actually have to overthrow our liberal judges so we can keep the right to call marriage....um....marriage. I know, call us crazy, cuz, well.... you should.

On a side note, I have heard that the Reptiles in Australia are fighting to be named Marsupials. It's a bit of a PR stunt, but Marsupials are so much more popular, they feel like it would help overhaul their less than ideal image. Also, orange is fighting to change its name to blue. It is a bit strange, but you know how it is. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone say their favorite color was orange. They've been down long enough. Time to fight back.

A telling story. We ate dinner at some friends of ours tonight. My buddy, Jason, was telling us that his 6 year old was asking about why he was walking around neighborhoods (for prop 8). Kim and I have had these conversations on how much information our own 6 year old needs to hear right now. So Jason decided to tell him. Here was the conversation.

Jason: "Well, son, some people think that Daddies should be able to be married to other Daddies..."
Son: "Yeah right, real funny, Dad!" And then realizing he was wasting his time talking to a dad who was obviously just completely off his rocker, he ran off to play.

We then had a conversation about how it used to be easy to just follow a moral code, do what you knew was right, and not too many people had too hard of a time with it. Now, you have to be willing to seem intolerant, in order to stand for a moral issue. Those who read this blog, should know, if they don't already, that I believe in a Supreme Being who loves and is willing to forgive any person who has ever made a mistake. The price has been paid for every single one, no matter how severe. I feel that it is harder to be more tolerant than that. I know my Supreme Being isn't nearly as trendy as the one who doesn't care what our choices or are actions are, but I still think mine is pretty good. I've made my fair share of mistakes, and I know I have to improve and strive to live my life in more of a way that would please him. But the intolerant view in my mind is to say that I can not have the freedom of religion or speech to believe or share my view. This issue of marriage, and it is a moral issue, will have unforeseen, destructive consequences, if it is not fought for.

So, with that, I am taking a stance, and anyone in the world (there are only 3 readers of this blog so I realize this doesn't make me that brave) can know I have one. Excuse me for my sarcasm here, but in some ways I feel like I did with my daughters homework the other day. She asked me what 8 times 3 was. I told her to count it up and see what she gets. She then said 27. I tell her she should count again, and she tells me she did and it is still 27. After that, trying to convince her it is actually 24 was almost impossible. I certainly couldn't argue with her, she wasn't going to take my word for it until she had proof. I was just an idiot, until she figured it out on her own.

The time has come. I don't usually use this blog for much outside of family pictures and posts. But I want it to be clear where I stand on what I think is a very important, albeit, in many ways asinine (especially if you live anywhere other than Massachusetts's, San Francisco or Hollywood) issue. I believe marriage is between a Man and Woman. Call me crazy, and intolerant, but I DO.

Editor's note; I also believe that killing, bearing false witness, stealing, worhipping false idols, dishonoring father and mother, taking the name of Deity in vain, coveting, overspending by the people and their government(that is one of them right), and all the other 10 commandments that I can't remember right now should stay as thou shalt not's. If this also appears intolerant, I take full responsibility.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Bates Nut Farm





Madisen and Dad had a nice 1st grade field trip. I haven't been on a field trip for school in about 15 years. It was a bit warm but the day was full. We had a fun hay ride, straw maze, lecture on gourds and their famous cousins. Madisen even picked out her own pumpkin at the end of the day. Great fun.