Seperation of church and state, anyone?

Ok, I won't attack you, Edgar Jann Palomo. I am a Christian, I read the Bible (not as much as I should), and I must admit, I am a little "uncomfortable with the lifestyle choices of homosexuals and bisexuals." Now, with that said...I am also a very sympathetic individual and believe that love really is the answer to any question we could have...and it breaks my heart to think that for some, they could never get to experience real, romantic, lover & best friend all in one, LOVE. And I realize that looks completely different to everyone. We all have our own definitions of what love is, and I don't believe it's any of our business to judge another's opinion...

I had a good friend in high school, and one day we got on the topic of same sex marriage. She said that the Bible says homosexuality is wrong, therefore it should be illegal. I thought this was extremely closed-minded, especially with the "let he who is without sin throw the first stone," statement running through my head. She was having sex with her boyfriend at the time, which is adultery, premarital sex, ALSO A SIN! (These things called "sins" are guidelines God has given us to try and live a good life, and I have learned after years of doing what I wanted regardless of what God wanted me to do, they are there to protect us from harm, and to keep us safe and happy and healthy.) When it comes down to God's commandments, and His grace, the most important value of Christianity is forgiveness; that Jesus died for us because he knew we were going to continue to sin. But we should still TRY not to, even though it's hard, and for some this may mean ignoring their attractions to the same sex. When you said it's not a curable disease...you are right, but I kinda sorta do think it is a choice, and societal changes have led it to be a more widely accepted choice. In a way I think the government's argument of respecting and maintaining the sanctity of the insitution of marriage is, unfortunately, kinda sorta a joke. Hello, heterosexual divorce rates?

I definitely agree with you about not being able to "fathom why most opponents care as much as they do." Personally, I believe that marriage is one of God's greatest gifts to us, and that man and woman were created for eachother. But I am not the one to say that has to be true for everyone.

If the seperation of church and state is such a big deal to this country, I agree with you that this should be a human rights issue and not a religious one.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, also known as UAVs, are an up-and-coming advancement in the world of military technology. While they have been around for a while, they are becoming more and more common, and a vital tool for all branches of the military.

There are two Air Force bases in the United States specializing in UAVs. Both are in very remote locations, Clovis, New Mexico, and Indian Springs, Nevada (close to Las Vegas). The UAVs contain million dollar cameras, and the pilots are in communication with soldiers on the ground, letting them know if insurgents are in the area, or whatever is going on that they need to know about and be prepared for, thus the term “eyes in the sky.” Some of these planes also carry missiles, and they have the capability to shoot. From Nevada or New Mexico…A missile shot in Afghanistan or Iraq. The UAV pilots are not actually overseas, although they are required to deploy just like everyone else, only less frequently and in a less dangerous scenario, the majority of their combat time is from across the world.

Because most of their work is classified due to National Security reasons, the media is left to guess much of what goes on, often misleading the public about it. Unfortunately, UAVs have a slightly bad reputation in the media as “heartless,” and “inefficient,” but this is an unfair assumption to make because the reporters and the viewers, for the most part, do not know the tactics of the military, much less the soldiers behind those tactics. This is what makes UAVs controversial. Some people feel that because of the fact that they are not “actually” in the war, it is unethical to shoot and kill, that the soldiers aren’t risking their lives to do it so they are desensitized. However, they are only given clearance to shoot missiles after plenty of observation and confirming that they are actually watching “bad guys,” and that there are no civilians present.

These pilots are trained to fly actual airplanes, but the Air Force is heavily recruiting for this new machine. For the pilots and their families, it is a much easier assignment because they go to work on base, fight the war by keeping an eye on things in Afghanistan and Iraq, (or whatever mission is on the agenda for that day) for the length of their shift, and are home in time for dinner.

DADT

Although I have heard of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell,” I did not know exactly what it was other than it had to do with gays in the military. For instance, I was not aware that gays are prohibited from joining, I just thought it was frowned upon, not that a gay person could get dishonorably discharged if discovered to be homosexual.

I also did not think about the cost. You’re probably right about numbers of DADT cases doubling since 2003 due to the fact that America (in general, civilian life, not the armed forces) is getting more and more accepting about people being openly gay therefore more and more people are “coming out.” I wonder if military members who get dishonorable discharge have to pay anything back, though. I have heard some cases of guys who got out of the military (though I’m not sure the circumstances) and ended up actually owing money and having to pay them back for the school expenses previously paid for by the military.

I am somewhat on the fence about homosexuality. On one hand, I feel that it is everyone’s choice and we all deserve to be loved and happy. I think as humans some of us are wired differently to be attracted to different types of people. Whether he likes blonde women or she prefers tall men…or he prefers shorter men and she prefers brunette women…we are not all the same in our attractions. So who’s to say what’s right or wrong for someone else without having been in their shoes? I’ll tell you who: God. In the Bible it says that homosexuality is a sin, and although it is the human condition to sin, we are to try to avoid it and choose not to sin when given an opportunity to make a conscious choice.

Also, you should know that before January 2010 I had zero exposure to the military. Since then, I have been dating an air force pilot who has taught me a lot about how the military works and our necessity for it that I never realized. From a heterosexual soldier’s perspective, they are often in life or death, war situations, living in close quarters, and even if a straight man in the service thinks it is fine if people choose to be gay, it can still make him feel a little uncomfortable and it’s just not safe. These guys need to be able to make decisions under enough stress as it is. I do see your point when you say it’s a shame that homosexuals can’t serve in the military because there are probably many who would want to, and many would argue that sexual preference has nothing to do with one’s ability to serve his or her country.

Ann Coulter on Violence

I chose to read Ann Coulter's blog because I know she is infamous for being extremely opinionated. I admire how she doesn't hold back, says what she means and means what she says, but I also think she is a little over the top at times. I think she is pretty credible based on the fact that she is very well-known and publicized. Her intended audience is people who want to read about politics. Mainly conservatives, probably, as she seriously slams liberals, though she does not seem to feel that anyone is "right" in this case.

In her most recent post, Coulter is ranting about how some Democrats claimed that Republicans showed racism at anti-Obama rallies and the Republicans did not stick up for their party. Instead, she claims they came across as moderate.

Coulter describes many situations in which liberals were arrested at protests where things got out of hand and violence was displayed, such as the 2008 National Democratic Convention where car and store windows were smashed, tires slashed and firearms carried illegally by liberals. “(If only they could muster up that kind of fighting spirit on foreign battlefields.)” She continues to explain that there were no conservatives arrested at the same event. She also discusses the fact that “Over the past couple of election cycles, Bush and McCain election headquarters around the country have been repeatedly vandalized, ransacked, burglarized and shot at (by staunch gun-control advocates, no doubt),” and how back then “It was a good day when George Bush was merely burned in effigy, compared to Hitler or, most innocuously, compared to a monkey.”

Things are getting out of hand! She ends this post by saying that the Republicans need to stand up for themselves, that “Conservatives who prefer to come across on TV as wonderfully moderate than to speak the truth should find another line of work and stop defaming conservatives.” I agree- don’t be afraid to admit what you believe in!

Illegal Immigration is just that...illegal

The controversy about the new immigration laws in Arizona is no secret. Being a native Texan, I see illegal immigrants on a regular basis. I have not personally experienced any trouble from illegal "aliens", and my job is not threatened by their presence. I was reading an article in Texas Monthly the other day in an air-conditioned hair salon, drinking tap water without getting sick, and I have to admit it made me a little sad. I read about a man whose family lives in a dangerous drug-trafficking war-zone, and all he wants is for his daughters to be safe. A black suburban came through and left a note on the ground that said everyone needs to evacuate the area before the end of the week. Where are they supposed to go to flee this lifestyle? I realize their hometowns are extremely unsafe, they did not choose to be born there and the process of becoming a citizen of another country is not an easy one. I want to have sympathy for them...but...

At the same time, the law is the law for a reason. We are born into whatever country we are meant to be born into. That's not to say that nobody should leave their place of birth, but if someone wants to move I believe they must follow the rules in order to do so. The population of America (and the south specifically) is growing so much. Beautiful grass and trees are being uprooted to build business and malls and restaurants. Austin was not always a big city, it was a treasure of a town with hills and greenery. The tourism aspect has brought many people here and the over-population is ultimately ruining what everyone loves about it. I have seen a bumper sticker around town which reads, "Austin sucks - don't move here." I was at Zilker Park last night, at the free summer musical which I have been attending literally my whole life...and it was jam packed. My mom said she has never seen it that crowded in 24 years. With the economy the way it is, I would not be surprised if they start charging people admission. Unfortunately, with the economy the way it is, people love having a free family event to go to. I couldn't help but wonder if the problems of worsening traffic and lack of available jobs and over-crowded parks have anything to do with illegal immigration.

In Arizona, the new law states that if a person gets stopped by the police, they will be required to show identification proving that they are US citizens. I do not think this is wrong. I have blonde hair and blue eyes and am clearly not from Mexico, but I am expected to show identification when asked by a police officer and I am not offended by that. It is the law. If people are fleeing from corruption in Mexico but wanting to break the law and live here in America illegally, that is not any better. It's just bringing corruption here.

Something's gotta give!

Thomas Friedman enlightens us on How 7 GOP senators can improve our energy policy. In my opinion, this article is clearly intended for liberal readers, because the author obviously does not think very highly of the conservatives, as you can tell by his sarcastic attitude when referring to their lack of care about energy.

Friedman explains how seven Republican senators need to sign the new energy bill, “which would raise energy-efficiency standards, require utilities to get 15 percent or more of their power from renewable sources, like wind and solar, and create a limited cap on carbon emissions from power plants,” in order for it to pass. He feels that if this doesn’t happen now, it will take basically an emergency or something drastic for us to change our oil hungry ways.

According to Friedman, the government is spending too much money on “honoring” soldiers who are fighting the war and not enough money “helping” them and their families. I absolutely agree that we need to be less dependent on oil, and that things need to change before the climate change gets really bad. But at the same time, I understand that war is a necessary evil and the money spent on weapons instead of energy conservation is done so because the government feels it is necessary to have such weapons. I think Friedman has a good point when offering his rebuttal to the disbelief in global warming. He points out that with population growth, “demand for fossil fuels is going to go through the roof — and all the bad things that go with it.”

I wish we just had more funds to go around for all the important things we need. (Who doesn't wish that, though?) I don't believe the military deserves any less money for the war effort, so something else has to give in order for us to obtain a better energy policy, and soon.

Does Muslim mean terrorist?

Because many people feel so passionately about their religion, and there are so many different religions, it is always a very controversial topic. One such recent occurrence has to do with Obama feeling that we need to be more "politically correct" when discussing terrorism, and careful not to make it seem like we assume that people who are Muslim are automatically considered terrorists. According to the Obama administration, this misunderstanding could result in Muslim-Americans becoming alienated. Arguers claim that religion plays a huge role in decisions that the terrorists make, and it is a mistake to ignore that. Is there any middle ground here? Read more about it in the Austin American Statesman.