why...yet...and how come

WHY...YET...and HOW COME... to name just a few!

Why: The Catholic Church is at the ready to stop same-sex marriage, and women’s rights to decide the health of her own body. Both are an act of love and both actions make lives healthier and happier. Both actions are family oriented. Faster than a speedy bullet, the Church is chastising, harassing and tormenting Americans who only want the “...pursuit of happiness...”

YET: The Catholic Church is as slow as a tortoise to stop its own clergy from the horrendous act of  pedophilia. This act is nothing less then rape, abuse, and heinous. The Church acts as if they are the victim as they permit the real victims to suffer decade after decade. The Church turns the other check in denial as its clergy continues to abuse the kids and in doing so God’s word. And the only pursuit the Church is after is to ignore and refute.

So how come individuals who follow the doctrine of the Catholic Church have not said is this really what Jesus would do?

Why: So John Boehner and his merry band of robbing from the poor to pay the rich,(Republican/Tea Party) have decided to renege on the compromise to reach a balanced budget and NOT make cuts to defense. They insist, as they chuck away the bribery money from the Lobbyists of the Military Complex, that unless we spend, spend, spend on Defense the US will not be a place any of us can live freely.

YET

YET: In telling us how we MUST spend billions on the Military, the only way to pay for those necessary expenses is to reduce allocation of dollars to those who need food stamp assistance, access to pre school, money to pay for health care. The Americans who should stand in line and salute the flag, need not eat too much, not enjoy the fruits of early childhood education and unless they have extra cash just get sick and die.

So how come its okay to protect the shores of this great nation from the enemy when the enemy from within cares less about the citizens who live on those shores?

WHY: The Republican/Tea Party like to chip away at the rights of women, LGBT, elderly, unemployed and the Unions but insist that the only thing they are concerned about is less government involvement in the lives of Americans. They want no regulations on the Banking Industry, want to cancel any and all health restrictions in place by the EPA. They say big bloated government is just a fat cat as they only pay close attention to the “fat cat” billionaires financing their own pockets.

YET: More and more Republican/Tea Party majority state legislatures pass bill after bill giving the government the right to tell us who can marry, who can vote, who can reproductive health care. They write all kinds of rules and regulations on the work place, the bedroom and the doctors office. The Republican/Tea Party feel they can define the way we love and live, but anything else is Government interference leading to Socialism.

So how come the the people whose own life styles are being regulated by religious dogma espoused by bigots dressed as politicians permit this hypocrisy to happen? When did dumb become stupid and turn out to be ridiculous?

There are hundred and hundreds of other WHY, YET and HOW COME’S we face everyday. We stand by as if all of us are wearing a kick me please sign on us. Some of us try to ignore the idiocity, some of just place our heads in the sand, some of us just hem and haw and say nothing can really be done about it. And as we ignore, the bigots, bogus and bias applaud the inane and act as enablers continuing this disease to happen. WHY?

bristol palin, yet again

Dear Bristol Palin,

This is still a country, America, that permits all of us to voice an opinion. It seems with the election of more Republican/Tea Party politicians into office, free speech diminishes, but so far we still have the freedom to express ourselves as we see fit.

And Bristol you did just that (state your opinion) in a blog. I assume, (assume: making an ass out of you and me) that you wrote this on your own, but do know how your family likes to use a ghost writer or two. (So if your ghost writer, ghost writer: (to write as a speech for another who is the presumed author) please forward this letter on to he or she.

Now, Bristol, many Republican/Tea Party pundits always want to repudiate statements they made on the internet or via audio or video (repudiate: the truth as never having been the truth), and I know your Mom used the word refute but she made up that word. But BristolI I know facing the truth is a bitch, (bitch: slang- something unpleasant). But to help your own memory I have copied portions of your blog. And in writing this letter to you, it is written by me (I actually like to express my words myself, no need for a surrogate).

Glee" is bad for America ... so says Bristol Palin ... who just took a shot at the show during an anti-gay marriage blog entry aimed at Barack Obama. 

Palin makes it clear -- she believes Obama is a weak, pathetic, stupid man for allowing his daughters to influence his opinion on Gay Marriage. 

In her blog entry, Palin writes, "While it’s great to listen to your kids’ ideas, there’s also a time when dads simply need to be dads. In this case, it would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage."

Bristol, in your own words you called President Obama ‘...weak, pathetic stupid for listening to his kids...” Communication, (communication: "Any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states), has always been one of the special successes for parents in raising their kids with values and morals. Listening to, talking with and finding compromise are all tenants of Good Parents. (Wonder when your son Tripp grows older if he stands a chance to be heard or will live his life spoken to?)

The 21-year-old unwed mother continues, "As great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview."

So, Bristol once again repeating your OWN words from your OWN blog, (“...Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview.”) then I assume, assume: making an ass out of you and me) it was your Dad Todd Palin’s advice that led you to get pregnant out of wedlock. I suppose your Dad, Todd’s worldview convinced you to have unprotected sex and get pregnant!!!  And your insistence, insistence: to assert or demand (something) vehemently and persistently), “...that kids growing up in a mother/father home...” must mean, once again using your OWN words, your Mom (Sarah) and Dad’s parenting helped you to embrace sexual intercourse leading to a pregnancy. Oh and by the way Bristol, I am a Gay man I have two kids and the amazing thing is we communicate, relate and deal with all issues. And Bristol I raised my kids, (and in case this has been too much for you to read and remember, I am a Gay Dad) to be real and not a hypocrite, hypocrite: a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

Then comes the shot at "Glee" ... as Palin continues, "Sometimes dads should lead their family in the right ways of thinking. In this case, it would’ve been nice if the President would’ve been an actual leader and helped shape their thoughts instead of merely reflecting what many teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee."

Now Bristol I agree that some of the dialogue, (dialogue: conversation between characters in a drama or narrative), is a bit hokey. I am sure from watching fiction on television, like ‘Sarah Plain’s Alaska’, you understand that dialogue is meant to add comedy or drama and has nothing to do with the truth, (truth: conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement), but in fact creating the truth). I am sure you understand that fabrication, (fabrication: to concoct in order to deceive) for some is necessary because facts are too difficult to address, especially for your family and your family’s handlers.

Dear, dear Bristol, as I said this is America and anyone, from the ignorant, (ignorant: lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact) to the bigot, (bigot: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance) to the moron, slang-moron: a person who is notably stupid or lacking in good judgment) can speak their mind and by all means should. So, you or your ghost writer have made statements and I feel behoved, behoved: to be necessary, fit, or proper) to let you know what a true fool, (fool: one who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding) you and your Mom and Dad are!

By the way Bristol, I provided you with some definitions of words because, a). you have no idea what they mean, b). you represent many of those words so well, c). I think you are stupid, (stupid: slow of mind, given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner, lacking intelligence or reason.

With no respect toward you but a whole lot of sincerity in my dislike for you I submit this note in response to your blog written to President Obama. Oh and by the way Bristol, he is so much more of an American then you, Todd or Sarah could ever wish.

Gerry Buncher

those were these days

Boy the way Glen Miller played 

Songs that made the hit parade. 

Guys like us we had it made, 

Those were the days. 

And you knew who you were then, 

Girls were girls and men were men, 

Mister we could use a man 

Like Herbert Hoover again. 

Didn't need no welfare state, 

Everybody pulled his weight. 

Gee our old LaSalle ran great. 

Those were the days. ("Those Were the Days" by Charles Stouse and Lee Adams)

When Archie Bunker hit the airwaves in in 1971, America was greeted with a character who openly could say many of the things secretly thought by so many. At first many who considered themselves educated, progressive, liberal were appalled because as savvy as the intelligent were, it seemed, a little too much hate and bigotry for one half hour. The bigot, racist, homophobe however thought at first they finally had a hero. They were too steeped in their own unintelligent religious/family based ignorance to see just how much the fool Archie Bunker really was.

And as “All In The Family” aired until 1983 it did not shy away from addressing controversial or socially relevant subject matters and tried its best to demonstrate how the lack of information, truth, and real depth could destroy and demean. At the end of each episode however we the fabrications were found and the fraud revealed.

On May 8, 2012 a majority of bigots, spurned on by falsehoods preached at their house of God, by so called interpreters of God voted to ignore our Constitution in favor of a misinterpretation of a Bible. A majority of North Carolinians who need a scapegoat to hide from their own failures in life, voted to deny the right for the LGBT community wed legally, and to dissolve any households where children are being raised by common law or same sex families. (The same state also amended its Constitution in 1875 to ban interracial marriage). Sinfully so, these individuals call themselves Christians and perceive themselves as messengers from God. (You know the same God who fought in the Revolutionary War penned the US Constitution, and wore the colors of the Confederacy during the Civil War.) 

And like the lyrics from the television show ‘All In The Family’, heralded those good ole days when men in white robes roamed North Carolina soil and burned crosses in the name of Jesus.

But then, like the last scene on episodes of ‘All In The Family’, a lesson was written, to help the viewer better understand that bias and bigotry, venom and vitriol do not always have to trump good and righteous. Today, President Obama said “Same sex couples should be able to get married and supporting equality for the LGBT community. 

The bigoted, ignorant, uneducated North Carolinians who voted for Amendment One wanted to drive that LaSalle, once again elect Herbert Hoover and listen to Glen Miller, have won one battle in their war based on religious discrimination. But with the presidents encouragement and conscience this is just one small defeat in a war for equal and freedom and an America where all people are free.

Wouldn’t be nice if in 5 years from now we can look back at this Republican/Tea Party anarchy having brought truth and justice back to the fore and say, wow those were days...when a real America was re-born.

invisible

“Never be invisible, once you allow people to not notice you; you have given them permission to overlook you, to ignore you and to hate you. When people say you don’t exist, because you have not made your presence known, they have no reason to ever acknowledge you or the fine things you have done”. And even if you think you are visible but those around you look the other way stare them right in the face, most cowards do not like confrontation”. (Howard Buncher circa 1967)

Amendment One North Carolina: On May 8, 2012, North Carolinians will be asked to vote on an amendment to the state constitution that would make marriage between a man and woman “the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized” in the state

I watched the news today as a young woman (22ish) pregnant, with her fourth child, without any emotion but a Bible in her hand spoke in a monotone voice saying that all she was doing was saving true marriage in North Carolina from being tarnished. Without looking at the anchor or the other guest in favor of same sex marriage, she said she was tired of Un-American activists trying to destroy her marriage, and the future marriage of her three kids, the oldest who might have been 5. And not permitting the other person from speaking, the woman said in the same monotone voice, sometimes God’s work is all you need.

Once again Gay is taking the forefront in the politics of this great nation and religion is trumping democracy and the Constitution. Once again Gays are to be invisible, dismissed, ignored. Once again The Gay is the culprit for loving Jesus less, loving your spouse less, and your own inability to maintain a good marriage.

I watched as a group of Baptist preachers spoke to a crowd outside one of their churches explaining to the news correspondent that, they (the Baptist preachers) knew exactly what the fore-fathers had in their Christian hearts and minds when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They were all God fearing men, and they respected their Lord and Savior, and even though you can’t find the words same-sex marriage in any documents, the fore fathers STILL did not want that evil activity to become law. And then one smarmy preacher more full of vile and brimstone said that perhaps the reporter asking these inane questions needed to face his God to set him right.

Once again, the failures of Christians in this country is not due to their own inability to make decisions and pay the consequences, to own up to their responsibilities, but to blame the Devil in disguise, the GAY for having more power and preying upon the innocent God loving man and women. 

I watch as once again a ballot measure making the Gay the villain, the instigator of everything wrong, the destructor of every Christian, INVISIBLE is being voted upon. I watch as a majority is ready to demean, void, invalidate anything Gay and hopefully keep us INVISIBLE. I watch as religion takes precedent, religion based on fear, loathing and lies, equality is shunned as Un-American, and innuendo is held to be true, to keep the Gay INVISIBLE.

I am here, I am an American and I am Gay; and I want the same rights as every other hypocrite, blasphemous, ignorant, bigoted white Christian receives. I want to live in a country that embraces religious freedom but does not tolerate religious fear. I am not INVISIBLE.

And for those in North Carolina, who didn’t vote NO on Amendment ONE, for those who stayed home because it is only a Gay issue, for those who place the faulty interpretation of their Bible over the simple stated facts of equal and free of the Constitution, I will not go away. And for those who are Gay, or love someone who is Gay, or know someone who is Gay get off your asses if you haven’t and say you also are not INVISIBLE. 

And if this passes you  who are female, or poor, or a minority, do you think the crusaders for Christ will not come after you? ENOUGH!

terribly trite

It seems so easy in the past few years to never seek the truth for the concerns of the voting public. It seems much easier to avoid finding an answer and replacing that with creating fault. Nothing is ever serious but always feels so trite and meaningless...

“The baby with the bath water”....

The newest state to punish women is Arizona where Governor Jan Brewer signed into law abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving money through the state.  So cancer screenings, health check ups, family planning become unimportant and those who think their shit don’t smell feel powerful and righteous in telling others how they should live and lead their lives.

The joke is that supposedly it is all about less government intrusion in our lives, but more government involvement when based on bogus religious hatred. If you are a poor woman, a frightened female, a person in need of sound education and choice making the governor in Arizona has little need for you. She and her Republican/Tea Party legislators, are the only people you need to have to act as your moral and values conscience. 

“As American as apple pie”...

It has suddenly become more American to provide large oil corporations with tax subsidies then to even consider a fair wage or benefits for teachers. The red, white and blue glow bolder and bigger when American tax payers support the uber successful oil companies, and the flag is somehow tarnished when those commie, low life teachers try to earn a decent living.

Capitalism somehow succeeds when the wealthy become more wealthy, but diminishes in stature and purpose when those who educate our children want a bit of the American dream. Capitalism is vulnerable if we don’t drill baby drill, but when we want better schools, a relevant curriculum, to improve educational standards, Capitalism is on the chopping block ready to turn into Socialism.

“Take my ball and go home”...

John Boehner never one to say what he means or mean what he said, now wants to renege on the budget deal he and the Republican/Tea Party agreed upon to keep the government from closing down last year. If the budget was not going to be balanced then cuts for the safety net programs as well as Defense would automatically be made. But that was then and this is now, and after all John Boehner had his fingers crossed when he made that agreement.

Now Mr. Boehner wants more money taken from programs to aid those living in poverty, while not decreasing any budget items from the Defense Department. The poor are a drain on the good citizens of this nation, plus the poor don’t have the same kind of money that Lobbyists for the Defense Conglomerate do to bribe politicians like Boehner. Remember America must rule the waves, the air and be the conquerers to keep democracy thriving...at least for the wealthy.

“I am but what are you”...

The newest answer to the questions about the divide/gap of wealth in this nation, which as grown wider and wider is now being marketed as a bit of jealousy from the poor to the rich. No one wants to answer the why’s and wherefore’s of how the rich get richer and the poor languish, they would rather just blame it on the selfish need of some to want to eat, work and live at more then a mere existence. Mitt Romney has made it very clear form statements like borrow money from your parents, not everyone should go to college, to you envy me because I am rich that the have nots deserve to have nothing while he and his clan of have a lots deserve to have more.

Poor people, disabled individuals, seniors, are just a bunch of whiny folk who never give but always want to take. They don’t how lucky they are to have people like the Romney’s to set standards, to provide the menial jobs and menial safety net. It is simple if you don’t want to be poor then don’t. Ann Romney said if she and Mitt could have lived off of their stock investments when times were tough ANYONE else who is not lazy can do the same.

In this election year the trite rules. The Republican/Tea Party folk talk about the sanctity of family but when it comes to a healthy Mom, a family that plans those are no real family issues. When the Republican/Tea Party insist that what makes this nation free are less to no rules or regulations on Corporations but more punitive measure for people like teachers, one has to wonder about our future. When the Republican/Tea Party insist America must be the strongest nation on the globe and have disregard for those living in this country, you have to wonder why be so strong when many of the population becomes weak. When the Republican/Tea Party showcase wealth and limit the access to success for anyone else and it plays to those who nothing to begin with it blows your mind.

When did nonsense become the guide post and the criteria by which we even consider electing people into office to run this country of ours? Oy!

loved by whom

Jesus loves me when I'm good.
When I do the things I should.
Jesus loves me when I'm bad,
but it makes him oh so sad.(“Jesus Loves Me This I Know”)

Forever and ever those who believe they are direct soldiers of God, seem to think as long as they insist God has spoken to them that all the harm they do to anyone deemed unGodlike is hunky/dory-peachy keen. If the soldiers for God stand upon the mount, recite God’s name a few dozen times, clutch their Bible firmly in their right hand and victimize the pronounced sinner, only good can come from this bad. Hate is okay if it has God’s approval, bigotry fine if the Lord provided permission, and lies can be recited as long as they are followed by an AMEN.

AND as long as all that venom and vile is not shared with anyone who might find offense in using the Lord’s name in vein, or question this poison as not being made from a God like elixir, then the soldier can proceed on the battlefield and claim victory...of course in God’s name.

Needing yet one more scapegoat, one more enemy, one more excuse for his own bias and bigotry, Pastor Sean Hiller provided his flock of lemming like parishioners with the following sermon:

A North Carolina pastor appeared to use a recent sermon to encourage parents in his flock to hit the gay out of their kids if they thought the young ones were displaying homosexual tendencies.

Sean Hiller  senior pastor of the Berean Baptist Church in Fayetteville, greenlit parents to punch their kids to "squash like a cockroach" any stereotypically gay behavior.

"Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch. OK?" Harris preached in the audio. "And when your daughter starts acting too Butch you rein her in."(Daily News.com)

Jesus loves me! this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
they are weak but He is strong.(“Jesus Loves Me This I Know”)

Most bully’s feed on the fear of others. Many a religious bully feels empowered by his/her own interpretation of the Good Book, and often times has little difficulty in keeping a lot good out of the Good Book and replacing it with a whole bunch of Bad. Bully’s are brave when they believe no one feels strong enough to question their play for power. Bully’s are braver when they think the entire crowd is cowering. And bully’s are bravest when they are sure NO ONE will ever question their will or way.

But then Pastor Sean Harris was caught:

A Fayetteville pastor says he was joking when he told parents in a sermon Sunday to hit children who show signs of being gay.

Sean Harris, pastor of Berean Baptist Church on Glensford Drive, said he does not advocate hitting children and wishes he could take back a remark encouraging fathers to punch boys who act effeminately.

But he defended his belief in the need to reinforce traditional gender roles in children.

"If I had to say it again, I would say it differently, no doubt," Harris said Tuesday. "Those weren't planned words, but what I do stand by is that the word of God makes it clear that effeminate behavior is ungodly. I'm not going to compromise on that." (fayobserver.com)

Pastor Sean Harris was found out and called out regarding his disdain for children, proper parenting, and abuse. Thinking he could scream and shout fire in a theater from a safe distance as those in the theater run for their lives in a mad dash, he was proud of himself and his hate filled speech. UNTIL, those with sense, moral values, and a real understanding of God confronted him and his sermon. And like any bully when they are caught in the act, with tears streaming down a check or two, they insist the words were misconstrued. I didn’t mean what I said, at least, well I meant them but now that I am caught, awwww shucks, that’s not at all what I was saying.

Too often the negative message is said, spreads like a virus, as was the intent, and is glued to the psyches of those who need validation for their own hate. Too often the evil is spread upon the land and once set free able to destroy the intended victims. And too often it is disguised as words from a God.

If you actually knew shame Pastor Sean Harris that would be a start.

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song.
Telling me in words so clear,
"Have no fear, for I am near." (“Jesus Loves Me This I Know”)

you looking at me

I am a personal trainer in LA. LA is a city where the visual is the first thing noticed and sometimes if the visuals don’t pass some kind of quality test, the last thing noticed. What you see often times in LA is what you think you want. For many in LA there is no greater depth then the visual, if it looks good then it must be good. If you don’t look good next to it then never find yourself standing next to it in the first place.

A year ago one of the personal training gyms in which I train my clients decided to create a web page highlighting the trainers who work there. The owner sent out an email asking us to come on down for a photo shoot. Hmmm, free advertisement I supposed and free head shots, not a bad deal.

I am not one for photo shoots but realized that I could make an exception knowing that this PR might be good for my business. I dressed in my GB Trainer T-Shirt, designed by my partner Joe, did a few push ups and sit ups prior to leaving for the gym and said to myself the entire way to the gym, its only 5 minutes of trying to look good for perhaps a lot more payoff time.  At this gym and basically the other gyms in which I train, I am about a dozen years older then the oldest of the other trainers. The age thing was a big deal for me when I started this profession but with time I forgot that there was an age difference because I was a great trainer. I had to keep on believing that it is not what you look like, it IS how you do the job!

When I arrived at the gym, there was a plethora of trainers, some I knew and a whole flurry of others I had never seen in this gym. If I hadn’t known where I was standing I would have thought this was a call for models for either Men’s Health or GQ. The faces, the physiques were amazing. For the visuals this was a sight to be seen. Straight or Gay anyone viewing this would be in awe and perhaps a little intimidated. Where did all of these 10’s come from? 

I was number 6 in the line for the photo’s and was able to stand near the stage where the pictures would be taken. I was also close enough to the director of the photo shoot and could hear him whisper to the photographer as to what he wanted for the shoot. And I could hear the comments being said between the director and his assistant. “Hot, beefy, young, handsome, we must have them take their shirts off have them pose.” And each trainer had a mandatory four pose shot...shirt on, shirt off, flex your body, show off your abs... One by one each trainer followed the directions, and then it was my turn.

I was a bit nervous about the flexing and posing but knew I had what it took to pull this off, I may be 61 but damn it my body was as much in shape as the others. BUT right before it was my turn to step upon the stage, the director placed his hand over the ear of his assistant, and said “...really, grandpa, lets do it quick just a few token shots..” (I might add that the director was quite a bit overweight actually obese, and his assistant so skinny that an anorexic looked healthier) Grandpa, really, what you assholes saw is not what your would have gotten.

I stepped upon the stage, not letting these ignorant LA losers know I was a bit crestfallen, and took the mandatory pictures. My visuals did not pass the quality test, and because of the stupidity of two people the real deal was never seen. 

At first I was angry, then disappointed. I was insulted, but with the help of Joe and listening to all the positives I knew but forgot in the moment of that trial and tribulation, I was okay. I may not have been cover-boy material but then who cares I am a fierce, talented, skilled personal trainer. HUUUUUUYAH!

What you see ain’t always what you get, or what you think you want.

In this year of hate filled vile and venomous politics we see a lot that at first sight seems to make sense but give it a few minutes of inquiry, intuition, and intelligence the visuals make little to no sense. We have self identified Christians proclaiming Gods hates any one they deem different than themselves.  We had and now have a Republican presidential candidate who says he wants to be president, but not if you are Gay, Muslim, a Woman wanting the rights to her own body, Poor or Unemployed. We have people calling themselves fair minded Americans identifying as Independents who think that a healthy economy trumps bias, bigotry and bogus. At first glance it seems that God, Apple Pie and Patriotism is the winning ticket, the way to go. But all of that is just a visual an assumption. Shouldn’t we see what lies beneath?

None of my clients ask me to flex or pose they ask me about exercise, nutrition and wellness. They know what I look like but they are after the skill and ability I can provide for them. They want quality not fluff.

Don’t we as a collective want quality in the leaders of this nation and just talking point fluff? What you see can lead you to a whole lot of hand ringing if it is not what you thought you would get!