06.18.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:18 am by Josh
We should first consider that one of the founding principles of the United States of America was a church and state separation. With such a principle applied in practice, we may then say that the government should have no say whatsoever in how a church chooses to recognize marriage, and the church should have nothing whatsoever to do with whether the government chooses to recognize same-sex unions. As marriage recognized by American law can take place outside of a church just as well as inside, we cannot bring religion into the discussion, as we are not a religiously affiliated country. Thus for the purposes of government we do not need to consider if the church recognizes same-sex unions or not.
We next must consider what effect the government’s recognition of marriage has on the people so to decide whether or not it would benefit same-sex couples to be recognized in a similar union. To be brief, the governmental benefits are, for the most part, only tax-related. There are no laws currently in place which mandate an employer to recognize a spouse in terms of health care, dental insurance, etc. However, it may be generalized that were the government to recognize same-sex unions, insurance companies and employers would have very little wiggle room to avoid the same recognition and equalizing of benefits across the board. With this in mind, the government should recognize same-sex unions to encourage equal benefits for everyone.
This, however, brings in the question of equality for all people, not just all couples. For if the argument is one that all people should have equal governmental benefits, then we cannot use marriage or unions as a basis for recognition, for there are some who are neither married, nor engaged in a same-sex partnership, and shall never be. Thus if we are to argue that all people must have an equal opportunity for one thing or for another, then the criteria must be a milestone reasonably and forseeably achievable by all people, regardless of marital status or living situation. Though many people find a life partner, it cannot be deduced that all people will, while it can be deduced that all people will reach the age of fifty, or that if they do not, they should not have a care one way or the other whether they’ve received a tax benefit, health care coverage, etc. So we cannot say that people are treated equally unless the legislation is based on something like age rather than domestic living situation.
We may therefore say that by providing benefits for married couples, it is implied that such a government prefers or encourages co-habitation over a solitary dwelling. If this is the case, then the government, as we’ve seen, has already chosen to treat people differently based on domestic status, and if such a distinction can be made as to what sort of domestic arrangement is held by a person or persons, then it follows logically that said government may also set up rules which dictate what they will recognize as an acceptable domestic arrangement, for they’ve already been given the power to say that one way of living is preferable to another. Thus, the government should be able to define what it recognizes as acceptable co-habitation.
At last, we must consider if the government remains within the doctrine of a separate church and state. Currently, the American government explicitly states that marriage is between a man and a woman. Some will argue that this mixes church and state, but this is false because the Defense of Marriage Act does not state that marriage is between a man and a woman because the Bible instructs us so. One may infer that America’s Christian roots have led to laws which reflect Christianity, but it cannot be stated as fact and if it is not a fact, then there is nothing to debate because a government must make laws based on something, and unless that something is explicitly stated to be associated with the rules of a religion, then we must conclude that the rules are only what those officials whom we have elected into office believe to be the best rules to govern the people. Thus we may also conclude that the government has every right to define marriage as between a man and a woman, and co-habitation as a man and a woman living together and that this does not mix the offices of church and state.
Finally, it must be noted that the institution of marriage is one that was designed to symbolize one person’s commitment to another. Because a government does or does not recognize that commitment does not mean that the commitment cannot be made. If the argument for government recognition of same-sex unions is for benefits alone, then we’ve already seen that the argument must extend outside the boundaries of any unions for the argument to hold weight in a secular, non-religious community. If the argument is the desire to have a symbolic representation of one person’s commitment to another, then you may gather with friends and family, exchange vows, exchange rings, or do whatever seems best to you, and you shall still have that symbolic representation, for marriage existed long before governments became involved with excessive paperwork and regulations. It is not necessary for a government to recognize commitment unless you expect to receive some benefit or another in return.
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05.21.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 15:59 pm by Josh
“Cheney argued that the Bush administration “didn’t invent” the authority exercised in the war against al Qaeda and others. He said it was clearly granted by the Constitution and legislation passed by Congress after the September 11 attacks.” ~Dick Chaney
Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions here, but didn’t the Bush administration propose the legislation that Congress passed after September 11, thus inventing the authority Mr. Chaney is (not surprisingly) washing his hands of? And I may not be much in the criminal justice field anymore, but I really don’t recall any part of the Constitution that says, “Waterboarding prisoners? Sure, what the hell.” Indeed, it seems a little odd that the same document which is cited as providing enough human rights for inmates that they have the luxuries of cable television and playgrounds larger than most New York City schools can also make a provision for mild human torture. Perhaps Mr. Chaney needs to take a Constitution and Ethics class as a little refresher for his increasingly declining memory. Or a morality class where he’ll learn the negative implications of lying to thousands of people.
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04.23.08
Posted in Uncategorized, Life at 22:53 pm by Josh
I’ve had my crawfish.
I’ve had my alligator.
I’ve had my Abita in amber, red, and Topdog.
I’ve had my red beans and rice.
I’ve had a fight with two sinks, a toilet, and a bathtub.
(I won. A video may appear on YouTube.)
Now the washer is broken.
I love Louisiana.
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06.04.07
Posted in Uncategorized, Books, Funnies at 18:50 pm by Josh
When I get hardcover books, I like to take the sleeve off so that it doesn’t get all crumpled and annoying on the subway. The book I’m starting tomorrow has a really cool sleeve cover. I removed it and found this:
Stop laughing. It’s not funny.
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05.22.07
Posted in Uncategorized, News, New York City at 10:56 am by Josh
New taxis by 2012! I vote for the Honda Civic but then again, I’m a little biased 
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03.21.07
Posted in Uncategorized, Music, Books, Announcements, News, Writing, Funnies, Work, Life at 08:56 am by Josh
I’ve been looking for new work recently which hasn’t been going all too well. This doesn’t surprise me; I read a recent report stating that payroll jobs have decreased by nearly 50% from last year, dropping from 187,000/month to just 100,000. With so few jobs and so many people looking for work, employers can really do whatever the heck they feel like. I wouldn’t be so cranky about it if I had health insurance. But I don’t. And that really only bothers me right now because I finally decided that it’s time I start exercising but I’m terrified to go running in this city for fear that I’ll hurt myself (since I have a track record of being clumsy) and I can’t afford to join a gym.
I gave a guitar lesson to my friend Cat last night which was fun because she is one of those people who gets really serious about completing a task she starts, no matter how long term. That and I can’t help but get a kick out of bending people’s fingers for them and then watching the really confused, slightly uncomfortable look on their faces. On a side note, someone pointed out yesterday the irony in that Cat’s name is “Cat” while her cat’s name is “Wendy Diana”. It makes me smile.
And lastly, the publication of Dark Island is on hold because I have no money. None. At all. Ever. Any leads on financing or jobs paying more than crap wages would be muy appreciated.
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03.13.07
Posted in Uncategorized, Weather, New York City, Life at 11:57 am by Josh
It’s warm in New York and it’s making me feel all springy. The best part, to me, about the warm weather is that I don’t have to pile on lots of heavy/fluffy layers to go outside. You wouldn’t think what a difference it makes when you are constantly climbing up and down subway stairs and walking all over the place. Shedding those five pounds and layers of fluff make an amazing difference. I even walked to the grocery store last night. Of course, I did take the subway back but that’s because I was carrying eggs, light bulbs, and beer (fragile, more fragile, and heavy).
Miss Kitty, the feline companion of my neighbor, is an adventurous little thing, accustomed to the great Georgia outdoors. So it’s not surprising that when my neighbor left the window open, Miss Kitty took a daring stroll across the third floor ledge. What is surprising is that Miss Kitty also took a flying leap off of the ledge, landing on the fire escape of the adjacent building. I’ve briefly surveyed the territory and have determined the flight distance to have been a minimum of ten feet from window ledge to fire escape. Assuming that Miss Kitty actually dropped a floor in the process, I’d say she’s lucky not to be hurt.
So I get a knock on my door last night from an outrageously tall woman who claims to have rescued a cat from the neighboring fire escape and do I know anything about it. Just so happens, I know Miss Kitty is a trouble-maker and it didn’t take me long to put two and two together. A long-haired tabby with a propensity for impersonating Spiderman combined with the eye-witness of the incense man downstairs (I knew that guy had a greater purpose) and the testimony of the 99 cent store-owner who was sick of hearing pitiful meowing all day, confirmed that the feline was, in fact, Miss Kitty.
To sum this story up, I couldn’t get in touch with the neighbor who I hadn’t seen in two days and the super (with concerning willingness) gave me the keys to her apartment so I could bring Miss Kitty home. I took a trip up to 128th where the cat was resting comfortably and trucked Miss Kitty back to 126th. I finally got in touch with the neighbor who was very upset that the cat had been rescued at all, deciding that the animal should learn the hard way from its mistakes. I just sighed and wondered not only why it was that I got so involved but also how it is that I now have to go back to 128th Street to return The Rescuer’s kitty-carrier. It’s no wonder why most people choose not to be Good Samaritans.
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03.06.07
Posted in Theology, Uncategorized, Restaurants & Bars, Culture, Books, Announcements, New York City, Life at 12:55 pm by Josh
I attended my first “Council of Dangerous Subversives” meeting last night. Muy cool. Todd Currey gave a very insightful, though brief, overview of our biblical call to counsel others and not just brush them off to “professionals” (except in the extreme cases, of course). Paul charges us to speak truth in love to others before just deciding that we are ill-equipped to deal with their problems (Ephesians, 4:11ish). I couldn’t agree more. For all of the years I was going through hard times, and all of the therapy I attended to “fix” it, it turns out that all I needed was a little bit of love. Think how many years of a person’s life can be salvaged if we just extend ourselves to them in truth and love!
On a lighter note, Alissa started reading my book! And she doesn’t hate it! w00t!!
Tonight I will be drilling holes in Cat’s ceiling while we read Ezekiel. You can’t get much more Christ-like…that is, if Christ were alive today, He’d use a drill…of course, carpenters don’t deal with much plaster…and there’s no guarantee He’d be reading Ezekiel as opposed to another OT book…okay, so maybe it’s not that Christ-like afterall but I’ll at least feel slightly masculine for three-and-a-half minutes.
If I’m up for the cold, I’ll also venture to Lafayette and Houston to Puck Fair for Ryan’s Birthday (whose age, his wife was kind enough to conceal). Then I’ll go home and wish that I had another hour in the day.
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03.05.07
Posted in Uncategorized, Restaurants & Bars, Announcements, Weather, New York City at 12:29 pm by Josh
This weekend my uber-neighbor and I managed to squeak through a number of movies, sometimes in strange chunks, sometimes each of us watching sections on our own, and sometimes lazily on the couch with salad or Indian food. The marathon included City of God, Crash, The 39 Steps, 21 Grams, and Labyrinth. They were all good (some I’ve seen before) but I think the best of the bunch was The 39 Steps followed closely by City of God. The first was a 1935 Hitchcock which fit with my theory that Hitchcock’s earlier movies were way better than his later films. The second was a disturbing based-on-a-true-story about gangs in Brazil. City of God is definitely not for the faint of heart or people who regularly suffer from seizures but it was brilliant otherwise.
The Neighbor and I also made our way to Bon Vivant Diner down on Broadway. The reason for going so far for breakfast was because, although we decided to get breakfast at 11:30, we didn’t actually make it until 2:30. But Central Park was beautiful (did you know that it’s like hiking in the woods in the northen part?) and the weather was lovely so props for Saturday.
I have a very busy week ahead. Check my Google calendar if you really want to know. If you don’t have access to my Google calendar than you can’t check it 
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