I thought it was horrible (and so embarrassing) when Georgia had a vote to outlaw gay marriage a few years ago, and it passed by like 4-1. I'm obviously not gay, and I don't know anyone who fully is, but I still can't believe that our society looks down on gay people like it does. And I really hate it when that hate is thrown down in the name of Christianity. I'm a Christian, and it makes me sick when people use the name of my Lord and Savior as an excuse for hate. There's just no excuse for that at all.
Very well said. I agree fully. _________________
I'll make a sig soon. Or I'll forget about it. Or I'll forget about it and then remember and make it. Or I'll forget about it, then remember, then forget again before I make it.
hi pals
its so hard to think what i could possibly contribute to this thread, being in the land of earwax man (if you want to know more, type kevin rudd eats earwax into youtube and thats who's running our country)
facts are almost irrelevant in this day and age, its all about how information is passed on, by whom, and with what agenda. the australian media in the last decade become deeply anti american and one thing that has been refreshing is that the media seems to have enjoyed following the race between woman person and black person... the media has been happy to feed us the story of the post bush enlightenment of the us of A. its a nice change from the evil seppos* narrative they usually bang on about
but given my limited view, i feel that obama has definitely got more substance than mccain, and more skill. however i cant help but think the presidency is a poisoned chalice for the next term...
my ma, who is from Virginia, voted for Obama, but she is very doubtful that america would actually vote in an african american man, regardless of his calibre, or his name. perhaps shes been away too long, but she reckons that its just not gonna happen, no matter what the polls say. im not so sure i agree with her.
either way, change is in the wind.
i might as well chime in on a few other issues too, seeing as i'm stopping by for a throw
gun-totin: the land of ear wax is a land with very tight gun controls, and their use is restricted to things like hunting and animal control, sport and policing and security. there is really no such thing as gun ownership in australia for self defense, its just not part of the culture here. we do not have a right to bear arms, and as a nation we consider this a blessing rather than an injustice.
sure guns and crime go together, but guns are (compared to the USA) very rare. they are still available if you know where to look i guess
obviously that means that death by shotgun is very rare, except when police go round shooting people
so culturally, 'gun toting' is anathema for many of us because its just not part of our belief system. as a result, 'gun totin' has become a stereotype, which holds that gun toters, and even people who are pro gun ownership, are irresponsible rednecks who are somehow collectively responsible for all the deaths by gunshot. yes people kill people, but its a hell of a lot easier with a gun.
i mean no offense by what i write here, im just offering an insight into the australian cultural lens on this particular issue.
gay marriage: its sure a long way away ... in australia there are so many more areas where we dont have legal parity. its shit, everything about being gay is so contractual, its like if you want to have rights in your relationship you have to register with the council like a dog, and if you want to have babies you need to hire a lawyer to make it all safe and sound. if you want you partner to be your next of kin you have to write a will. anyway its all a bit shite when you think about it that way, so its much easier to just reject the institution of marriage and go on being a homodefacto
xx
*some time ago there was a yarn about rhyming slang, well seppos is pretty offensive rhyming slang for americans, seppo short for septic tank Yank _________________ mmm
gun-totin: the land of ear wax is a land with very tight gun controls, and their use is restricted to things like hunting and animal control, sport and policing and security. there is really no such thing as gun ownership in australia for self defense, its just not part of the culture here. we do not have a right to bear arms, and as a nation we consider this a blessing rather than an injustice.
sure guns and crime go together, but guns are (compared to the USA) very rare. they are still available if you know where to look i guess
obviously that means that death by shotgun is very rare, except when police go round shooting people
so culturally, 'gun toting' is anathema for many of us because its just not part of our belief system. as a result, 'gun totin' has become a stereotype, which holds that gun toters, and even people who are pro gun ownership, are irresponsible rednecks who are somehow collectively responsible for all the deaths by gunshot. yes people kill people, but its a hell of a lot easier with a gun.
i mean no offense by what i write here, im just offering an insight into the australian cultural lens on this particular issue.
Well put that is what I ment. _________________
Woo Hoo Whedonfest 2007
there is really no such thing as gun ownership in australia for self defense, its just not part of the culture here. we do not have a right to bear arms, and as a nation we consider this a blessing rather than an injustice.
gay marriage: its sure a long way away ... in australia there are so many more areas where we dont have legal parity. its shit, everything about being gay is so contractual, its like if you want to have rights in your relationship you have to register with the council like a dog, and if you want to have babies you need to hire a lawyer to make it all safe and sound. if you want you partner to be your next of kin you have to write a will. anyway its all a bit shite when you think about it that way, so its much easier to just reject the institution of marriage and go on being a homodefacto
The thing about guns in Britain is pretty similar, I think. You have to have a liscence to own a firearm, and self defense wouldn't be accepted as a reason. It'd have to be something like being part of a shooting club, or I think farmers are allowed them sometimes, for defence of livestock (or shooting rabbits, which isn't quite defence... hmm...) but even then laws on hunting here have been getting stricter and stricter. For instance in 2005 (I think... 2002 for Scotland) hunting foxes with dogs was banned, and that would have had some impact on the gun issue. The ban is still a pretty big issue around me, because loads of the farmers used to do it. Actually, speaking of hunting, thats another area where laws are really different in the US. I think Sarah Palin hunts wolves and moose (blood sports are poo) which I'm pretty sure wouldn't be legal here. Though that may be just because we don't have any wolves or moose. We used to have wolves, but we hunted them to extinction here, hence the different laws, I suspect. In fact, there's even talk of deliberately reintroducing them.
Anyway, back to the whole guns thing, I think that in Britain it's the same as you were saying, cardy, that not being allowed guns isn't seen as an infringement on our freedom in the same way as it is in America. Of course, people do still find ways around it... There's been more stabbings in schools this year than the press can deal with...
Next issue, heehee
Gay marriage in Britain is something I'm a little unclear on the ins and outs of. Basically, you can get a civil partnership, which in many ways is exactly the same as marriage in terms of tax and next of kin stuff. The main difference is, I think, that there can be no religious content.
Same as cardy, I don't mean any offence here, just writing what I think is generally true across the country. _________________
Election day is almost here!!!!!!!
I hope all Americans on this site (who can, anyway) go out and vote tomorrow. No matter what happens in the Presidential election I hope that everyone (in the country; not here, since I know that the people on this site are the nuts) can be civil and supportive of the new President (probably Obama, but we can't be sure yet.) _________________
Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.
ooh, fun. Someone tell us whats happening. I can't see from here. *tries to see over the sea...*
Obama by far. I hope that he can make a great president; this country needs one and I sure hope that he can deliver.
Oh, and a brag: after hearing about how long the lines would be, it was awesome that my brother and I got in and out of the polling place this morning in under five minutes. It was the nuts. :) _________________
I'll make a sig soon. Or I'll forget about it. Or I'll forget about it and then remember and make it. Or I'll forget about it, then remember, then forget again before I make it.
Lol, awesome, TwoToGo! You're right though, I heard from all over that the lines were CRAZY.
Also - YAY OBAMA!!! I'm so happy! _________________ "Your father was captain of a Starship for 12 minutes. He saved 800 lives - I dare you to do better."
I'm really eager to see how President Obama handles the job and the problems facing this country, and the world. He should have a huge mandate with that landslide victory, and with the Democratic-controlled Congress he should be able to easily push through his policies. I certainly hope that Obama will turn out to be a wonderful President, and that he can help to fix the messes of the economy and the wars. I think he'll do a good enough job, but I hope that he becomes a truly great President.
I mean, after eight years of President Bush, we're due for a good President...
_________________
Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.
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