2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

Africa is a big continent...that is probably why you didn't see me there.

There are enough perverts in heterosexual life that the homosexuals can't catch up. I have seen two men who loved each other more than two heterosexuals. Trust me when I tell you that heterosexuality has done enough to set itself back, the idea that homosexuals have a crazy agenda to undermine the development of youth is absurd and "black helicopter" crazy.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
view in context

Because we see heterosexual love and marriage upholding the virtues of society every day in this country, and around the world. I think the shining beacon that should lead us is Catholicism and their strict adherence to morality and the prudence allowed by their religion. You are probably happy about the fact that witch doctors in Africa telling AIDS infected men to rape virginal women, because that cures AIDS. I am assuming that you remain ok with that because the women don't grow to be screwed up, as they were sexually assaulted in a heterosexual manner.

Bravo.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
view in context

Reproduction is not a factor in the argument. It is a misleading point that has no barring on anything. The entirety of the world reproduces without marriage (mating for life included). Only humans make a ritual of the commitment beyond the act of reproduction. Every other reproducing object in the world does a courtship that is temporary and for reproduction. Then they move on. Marriage is only one thing - a social construct. What define that social construct as is the debate. Rproduction takes place every day and is proven time and again not to need marriage. It is up to us to define the social construct of marriage. Just as it was to define the social construct of women voting. There was a time when that was considered to be unnatural and immoral. Now women vote. Social evolution. So, are you going to be the bigot that said gays can't marry or the person that supports the major of people that are willing to have social change? There are still people that think women shouldn't vote or that blacks shouldn't be free. They are called bigots. I refer to the skit by The Daily Show members: it gets worse. Someday, twenty years from now, the people who kept gay people from marriage will be the piria of society.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
view in context

So all people should be given a test before marriage, and if they are not able to reproduce only healthy babies they too shouldn't be allowed to marry. As well, older couples or couples on second marriages shouldn't marry because, statistically, these types of marriages never result in children. So your basis of reproduction=marriage means that all unions must result in offspring.  What kind of term limits are you giving couples in this?  If a couple doesn't reproduce within a certain time, then they are violating your biological regulations (which are bogus by the way). If they are violating those conditions of no offspring, then they should be separated from their marriage, and new one established. But then again, second marriages and older couples marrying don't result in offspring, on a statistical basis, so one marriage only, and offspring within a given time.

That makes a lot of sense. Nice work...

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
view in context

The best way I can add my two cents is to ask people to watch this short documentary I did about a man named Patrick. He was in a registered domestic partnership (married as far as I am concerned). He was thrown out of the hospital on the death bed of his partner/husband because they weren't "married" though the registration gave him legal rights to be there. The hospital attendant didn't know there was no legal difference.

http://vimeo.com/14980239

Watch this story and tell me that marriage for same sex couples should still be illegal.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
view in context

I have found that unemployment seems to work for people who are manipulators of the system more than people who work hard and find themselves in a bad place.  I was a teacher, and had to start substitute teaching last December.  Wasn't getting called enough and got another job in March.  I was laid off from that in August and had to go on unemployment.  They haven't and won't pay me because teachers were off for the summer and so, since I was once a substitute, I can't qualify. Even though I had another job, and got laid off, and haven't been on unemployment in 10 years, and was working full time up to October of last year, I still can't get help due to nothing more than a technicality. So much for the noble position of being a teacher. No one is helping me now, especially my government.

posted 3 years, 8 months ago
view in context

As a person who watched a "world class fishery" be destroyed by these exact same actions, I think Spirit Lake should be left alone. 

I grew up in Burns, and we used to fish Lahoten Cutthroats from Mann Lake in the 80's.  Mann Lake is barbless, single hook, artificial lures only.  Which meant that is was really only the fly fishers out there.  Add the unstable weather that came from the Steens Mtns, and you had maybe a few people out there fishing.

When a picture was taken of a little girl holding a 32" cutthroat caught there, everyone flocked to it.  The agency responce was to build a parking lot, add bathrooms, create a campground, all while trying to maintain the barbless, single hook, articifial lure poilcy.  Now there is trash everywhere, a parking lot, pit toilets, and the lake is being considered for "Chemical Cleansing" because people snuck non native fish in they were using for bait (gold fish I believe).  Now a world class fishery, Mann Lake, is destroyed because a few people decided the everyone has the right to be everywhere.

Can't we enjoy the fact that a place like Spirit Lake exists and we don't have to "harvest" from it or take something away because we feel we need to fulfill some need of the ultimate experience?  That is what got our world in trouble right now:  everybody thinking they were entitled to everything.

Once you open that door to one group, everyone will want in!  The bait fishers and hardware throwers won't wait for there turn!

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
view in context