Malice in Dallas?

Wow, who'd have thought that the beautiful Fountain Place tower here in Dallas would be plunged into the news two days ago? It could have been a very tragic terrorist attack, but was averted by an excellent operation performed, in part, by the FBI. Moments after the story broke, a rather vocal blogger had this to say:

"This also SCREAMS that we need to close our borders and control who comes into our country, and assure it's only with our permission and at our invitation."

Of course, the blame game continues against a myriad of targets: Obama, Bush, Democrats, Republicans, Muslims, Arabs... you name it. In the meantime, I'd love to hear this blogger's thoughts on how closing the borders and controlling who enters our country will help secure us against our own citizens... those like the American who attempted to pull off a similar terrorist act in Springfield, Illinois that very same day.

Yes, that delusional American citizen who empathizes with people such as John Walker Lindh; the deranged American, such as Timothy McVeigh, who thinks mass destruction is the answer to getting across anti-government messages. It's these people that we can't account for with border closures and immigration control, and none of us know how many homegrown nuts we truly have.

Besides... while I'm all for improved border security, protecting over 7400 miles of international border is unrealistic -- and I doubt it's the answer to plucking the homegrown nuts off the tree... or even those that follow the rules and come into our nation legitimately... only to unleash some hidden agenda in the future at some point.

Cycle of Evil, Part I

Today, I feel like I'm 52 years old. For those of you who are keeping tabs, that's almost two decades ahead of my current age. The reason is very simple, and very sad as well.

You see... earlier yesterday, I hired a younger relative to mow my yard for some extra cash, because I'm a firm believer in working for your keep. He was out of gas and out of money... stranded without employment, motivation, or a future. Plus, he's had his run-ins with the law, which has since spawned a gargantuan rift in our small family.

On one side, there are those of us that believe nurturing and understanding will eventually break the cycle of evil. On the other side (which I'm on), we seek to avoid playing the role of "enabler" -- teaching and endorsing a sense of learned helplessness and diffusion of responsibility. I just can't afford to chunk money at him carte blanche; I demand hard work for honest gains. Sadly, I've been criticized for that approach and accused of not being there for a family member.

So, imagine how upset I was when I got home from work last night and the yard wasn't completely mowed. I had also discovered that he'd somehow used an entire 2-gallon jug of gasoline for my yard, which made no sense. I swiftly concluded that he put the rest of the gasoline into his car and drove off after doing a half-ass job.

There I was, grinding my teeth, when I received a text message from him. He wanted cash for an incomplete job, so I ran up to the ATM in the middle of the night to retrieve some cash. Then, I'd give him his money after he turned on the back porch light and/or flipped on a flashlight and finished mowing the yard closest to the house. Yeah, I'm prepared to take the label of asshole for that one. I'm cool with that. Nevertheless, however strong my resolve was, it had cost me precious sleep... hence, I feel like a 52-year-old man.

I'm so frustrated with him, and I wonder what it will take to break this cycle that he and other young men like him are in. What will it take to stop the stealing, drugs, and irresponsibility? Incarceration? Well, I'm wary of the overuse of incarceration as a means of staving off criminal and irresponsible behavior... and I certainly don't think capital punishment is the ultimate answer for anyone.

I'm just thinking to myself: How many youngsters like him have gone to jail and actually come out cleansed of their deviance? Are we just feeding a cycle of evil by breeding new generations of criminal predators through incarceration? Or, are we as a society marking young deviants with a scarlet letter of eternal failure? (Play your Race of Spades card here, if you dare.. or wait until my next post to see if it can be trumped.)

More and more, I think that even if juveniles escape back into society with the determination and motivation to make themselves a better person, they will ultimately carry with them an insurmountable stigma. Just ask the Michael Vicks of society... it doesn't matter that they served their punishment... they will always be criminals in society's eye.

With that said, should we blame them if they ask themselves, "What's the point?" Should we blame them if they have the mentality that they have nothing to lose? It's a vicious cycle of evil, I tell ya.

The Phone Slave

Okay, now that I've finished up a hot bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, I finally decided to take out my mobile phone and see who's contacted me since yesterday morning. Yes, that's right... a day without answering my phone. A day without returning text messages.

I know, I know -- I hear it every day. I confess that I just plain suck at answering my mobile phone. It's not that I hate the world, or that the person that's calling me has somehow pissed in my milk... rather, some people are slaves to their phones. I'm not.

I work next to a phone that rings constantly for up to 16 hours a shift. I walk two dogs, which leaves no hands available to answer the phone. I mow a 1/2 acre lot almost constantly due to demonically-growing grass/weeds, which makes it far too noisy to hear if someone calls. I commute to and from work, and would rather not plow into an 18-wheeler talking on the phone about a sale at Armani Exchange. I don't have a phone clip to hook my phone into my belt loop and the matching t-shirt that says, "iBitch". It simply means that I have a brave, new world out there that I occasionally explore free from technology.

As I've mentioned before, I'll never understand society's dire need to take calls no matter where they are... especially the guy chatting on his phone from the confines of a stinky bathroom stall. And don't get me started with airline passengers that have to be told 50,144 times to turn their frickin' mobile phones off so we can depart on time.

*sigh* Sheep... mere sheep.

Nonetheless, I tolerate such addictions because we are all different. For those of you who are frustrated with guys like me that don't answer the phone immediately, I humbly ask for reciprocal toleration. Phones are nowhere near the top of my priority list... never have been... never will be. If it's an emergency that can't wait until I check my voice mails and return your call, chances are better if hang up and dial 9-1-1.

I'm a dinosaur... living in the past when there were no mobile phones. Please don't be mad at me or any others like me. It doesn't mean we are cheating, lying, stealing, or in the middle of something... promiscuous. It doesn't mean we are angry, reclusive, or arrogant. It just means that some of us out there are resistant to total assimilation by technology. It's nothing personal... 99% of the time... I swear.

The Three Doors

It's a cool, wet morning here in North Texas... eight years and one day removed from one of the most vicious, history-altering events of our great nation. Some spent 9/11/09 in a prolonged state of reflection. For others, like one of my friends and former high school classmates it served as a reminder of 'why he hates God... why he's now an Atheist'.

Of course, technically, he can't hate something that he doesn't believe in because that would acknowledge its existence... but it was a very bold statement to make on a worldwide stage such as Facebook or Myspace. So, for those of us who identify ourselves as Spiritual or a member of an organized religion, why was 9/11 "allowed" to happen in the first place? Why did those terrorists slaughter many Americans? What message were they really trying to send?

In my opinion, the seeds of religion run deep into the soil of countless acts of violence, oppression, and suffering that have stained this world's cloth with the blood of innocent people. Life on this planet is morphing into something that is increasingly unsustainable, and when Gayagenda.com's James Hipps challenged me with the question of how to counteract the effects of the Religious Right, this unsustainable state of affairs has become more and more apparent to me.

I believe we have reached the end of a hallway and now stand before three doors. Behind one door, there are endless acts of violence based upon unprovable beliefs that will eventually make 9/11 seem like a blip on the radar screen. Behind door number two, the disproportionate ratio of natural resources to consumers will serve as a catalyst for our arrogance, which will trigger a human-spawned Armageddon that will kill billions. And, behind door number three... there is a single shopping basket. Inside, there's logic, common sense, reason, and hard evidence -- enough to make 7 billion doses of a potion that will provide a greater sense of self-awareness. A potion that will help us see any and all outdated claims and beliefs regarding religion.

The problem is, the doors are not numbered, and we can't open more than one at a time; but one must be opened. So, how do we counteract the Religious Right? I bluntly believe that you can't make someone change... you can only poke holes in their beliefs, such as question what the Bible says about hermaphrodites. If it doesn't say anything or specifically address the implications of God's children who are born with both sexual organs, then certainly, one can draw into question the basic foundation upon which the Religious Right draws their power.

And don't even get me started about finding life on other worlds. Just think of the motives that drive those in power to ensure that we never truly know that answer unless E.T. lands on the White House lawn. Of course, if the Bible specifically addresses that scenario as well, please let me know where you find it. The bottom line is -- over time -- more events will unfold that cannot be affirmed in the Bible, and thus bring about questions that will erode the Religious Right's credibility, with or without our help. In a nutshell, Mr. Hipps... the answer is either time or opening up the door with the shopping basket behind it. Hopefully, we won't kill ourselves in the meantime.

Twist of Fate

I just wrapped up a guest appearance on James Hipps' Blogtalk radio show, featured every Wednesday on Gayagenda.com. It was truly an honor and a refreshing experience!

I was just about to crack open some wine and kick off the 3rd season of The Lair, when I ran across an article in the local news. Apparently, several pro-Gay Christian billboards have been spotted along one of Dallas/Ft. Worth's major arteries, Tom Landry Highway (Interstate 30). And so the fiery debate begins.

In an incredible twist, a woman driving down the freeway sees this gargantuan billboard and gets all riled up and pissed off... so much that she fires a scathing email stating that she didn't appreciate the Lord's words being twisted to fit someone's needs. But lady, dare I ask... Doesn't EVERYONE do that? As a matter of fact, aren't YOU doing that right now by getting upset because someone interpreted the word of God in a way that YOU didn't agree with?

While I applaud these local churches for apparently endorsing gay acceptance, one could easily argue that they 'accept' gays in their congregations and collection plates -- but not necessarily incorporate gay acceptance in their sermons.

I'll dig up more info on the five churches that sponsored these billboards and get back to ya. In the meantime, this receives a YELLOW light.

Is There an Artist In The House?

The Black Man Next Door has been working feverishly on a gay fiction novel, and things are coming along very well. A special thanks to those friends who have been very encouraging and supportive along the way. Finally, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

Eventually, I'll have a dedicated website and a Facebook page for the work. But in the meantime, does anyone know someone that's great at book cover illustrating? GLBT or GLBT-friendly artists are welcome to hit me up for more details!