Yes!!!!

[Minstrel]

I was surprised, but he seemed very tolerant. I think we often lump groups together based on their most vocal components. So the huckabees of the nation end up defining what religious people believe when that's just a vocal sliver. Even of those who don't think gays should be able to marry, most of them don't care that much, and aren't going to protest or scream about the change. But calm doesn't make news.

I'm definitely not saying all Christians are like that. There are churches in downtown that perform marriages for gay couples. I just can't stand these vocal people who make it sound like the world is going to end because a couple dudes got married.

Yeah, this is a decent Christian take on the recent Supreme Court decisions. Essentially an appeal that Christians follow Christ's example.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I went to Jesuit HS. Most of the school was pretty friendly to alternative lifestyles overall.

 

[Further]

I see crazy ranting people on TV, but in my actual life, at work, school and in daily routines, I just don't see these nasty asses. I'm sure they exist, but not in my circles.

 

[stampedehero]

My best friend (besides my wife) had an off center daughter. There was something about her that touched the Oddity realm. You just knew she was Totally different. Then....It happened! Her gay llifestyle appeared. My wife and I attended the wedding in the beautiful mountains of NY State. It was bizzare and I could not understand the event, but nontheless was happy for her and her lesbian bride/groom whatever. . In NY ...It is what it is. Forget about it.

 

[stampedehero]

Back in 71 I played in a band at a coffee house. Little did we know but the keyboardist booked us for a Lesbian coffee house. Now ...That was different!

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I see crazy ranting people on TV, but in my actual life, at work, school and in daily routines, I just don't see these nasty asses. I'm sure they exist, but not in my circles.

I was in Vegas and there were some people from Vancouver WA near us in line at one of the night clubs, a little older. Some pretty obviously gay dude walked by and one of them made a kind of offensive remark. I think its mostly these suburban/midwestern types that think like this since they're so isolated from interacting with people.

 

[MARIS61]

Apple prides (no pun intended) themselves on having the biggest Pride contingent - it was a parade in itself! I was watching from Genentech suite, and got handed a card for one free song in iTunes. Have to figure out which one to get. Shot 5 rolls of film (yes, still use it).

Congrats to 5/9ths of SCOTUS for taking the rare right stand on the side of personal liberty. The reasoning behind their ruling will also have a domino effect which will reaffirm some other rights and personal liberties that have been under attack in the last 50 years. Most importantly all gun ownership/carry restrictions enacted at a local or state level are pretty much in the dumper. TSA is also going to get pushed around a bit on the ways they restrict travel. This also opens up new ground to plow against Obamacare's mandated participation, and the government's intrusion and wiretapping into our personal lives.

But fuck Apple pride. Apple is a shameful organization owned by shameful people. Many large corporations like Apple deliberately discriminate against heterosexuals in their hiring to avoid costly perks such as maternity and family leave, higher insurance costs..., that gays don't take advantage of nearly as much. And then they get great PR for NOT discriminating? They've dodged enough taxes to house ALL the homeless in America. This is just one more of their accountant's tricks.

Corporations are not people, they are not nice to people, they do not have a heart and a conscience.

They are slavery incarnate.

 

[MARIS61]

This is pretty funny.

http://gawker.com/cnn-mistakes-isis-style-dildo-flag-at-pride-parade-for-1714409153

CNN Mistakes Dildo-Covered Flag at Pride Parade for ISIS Flag

In this clip, a CNN anchor and editor fail to recognize that what they have identified as an “ISIS flag” is actually a flag of dildos and butt plugs, rendered in the style of ISIS.
“If you look at the flag closely, it’s clearly not Arabic,” CNN’s Lucy Pawle admits. “In fact, it looks like it could be gobbledegook. But it’s very distinctively the ISIS flag.” Heh.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

The concept of marriage shouldn't be a government institution at all. There should be zero financial advantages of getting married, heterosexual, homosexual, whatever. At least there will be more loopholes to exploit. I'm talking about pension benefits for single persons that have no life partner or people to give it to.

The government also should not restrict marriage to only two persons if they are regulating it. Who are they to say if three people can love each other.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I can't wait for the polygamy debate to begin.

 

[Denny Crane]

I can't wait for the polygamy debate to begin.

What's the compelling reason for the government to outlaw it?

 

[oldmangrouch]

What's the compelling reason for the government to outlaw it?

Exactly. You know that "social conservatives" will raise hell over the issue...but they are going to have to come up with a whole new set of arguments.

 

[Minstrel]

Yes, if it's between consenting adults, I don't see any particular reason why polygamy is wrong or harmful.

 

[Further]

I see no problem with polygamy from a state standpoint. From a practical standpoint I don't see it succeeding often. But it's not my business (or the governments) to decide which marriages are going to succeed. Hell, over 50% of marriages currently fail.

 

[santeesioux]

I think its mostly these suburban/midwestern types that think like this since they're so isolated from interacting with people.

You see a lot of people like that down here too, I think it is indeed because we're isolated and don't see a lot of different kinds of people. Funny story, in high school we had a 6 foot 5 black guy from the Ivory Coast as a substitute teacher, you should have seen all of the white kids that had never seen a tall black man before, they couldn't stop staring at the poor guy.

Actually they don't like Mexicans and Indians either, and there's plenty of those around here too.

 

[Denny Crane]

Exactly. You know that "social conservatives" will raise hell over the issue...but they are going to have to come up with a whole new set of arguments.

Odd thing is, Mormons are social conservatives.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

No, polygamy should never be legal. Too many legal problems. When married your spouse has the ability to make medical decisions for you if you're incapacitated. What happens if one spouse wants to pull the cord and the other spouse doesn't? What happens during divorce? Do 2 spouses play alimony to the divorced spouse? What if 2 spouses want a divorce? Does 1 spouse pay alimony to the 2 ex's? What about children? Should the 2 remaining spouses get more visitation than the one who is leaving the marriage?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Marriage should not be a financial or government institution or really what it is, a tax shelter.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

No, polygamy should never be legal. Too many legal problems. When married your spouse has the ability to make medical decisions for you if you're incapacitated. What happens if one spouse wants to pull the cord and the other spouse doesn't? What happens during divorce? Do 2 spouses play alimony to the divorced spouse? What if 2 spouses want a divorce? Does 1 spouse pay alimony to the 2 ex's? What about children? Should the 2 remaining spouses get more visitation than the one who is leaving the marriage?

who does this all if you're not married?

there should be no such thing as alimony or "visitation rights"

 

[SlyPokerDog]

who does this all if you're not married?

Your mommy and daddy have the right to pull the cord if your incapacitated. If they're not around that pleasure goes to a brother or sister. If you don't have any brothers or sisters then I will gladly tell doctors to terminate you.

 

[Natebishop3]

Sly has clearly put a lot of thought into the pitfalls of legalized polygamy. Very interesting....

 

[crandc]

I saw that CNN blunder. I am absolutely certain some tea party or conspiracy buff site will now claim proof that gays are actually terrorists based on flying the ISIS flag. Because we know ISIS (like Hitler! like the Dred Scott decision!) is all about gay people getting married and health insurance.

Since they can't come up with one single way in which same sex couples getting married (and two women are both referred to as brides, and wedding is not bizarre) hurts them or hurts the country, or hurts children, or hurts straight married couples, they have to somehow compare it to ISIS, Hitler, slavery or some other evil. What they really mean is what the Westboro Baptist Church says in so many words. They hate gay people and want us all dead, preferably by slow torture, so they can feel superior. Because Jesus.

Apple does a lot of despicable things - exploit labor in developing countries, recently barred people with felony convictions from working a contractors, resulting in firing of a construction worker, etc. but discrimination against heterosexuals is not among them.

Also saw NBA trophy at the parade. It sure is pretty! Would look good in Portland...

 

[Minstrel]

No, polygamy should never be legal. Too many legal problems. When married your spouse has the ability to make medical decisions for you if you're incapacitated. What happens if one spouse wants to pull the cord and the other spouse doesn't? What happens during divorce? Do 2 spouses play alimony to the divorced spouse? What if 2 spouses want a divorce? Does 1 spouse pay alimony to the 2 ex's? What about children? Should the 2 remaining spouses get more visitation than the one who is leaving the marriage?

I'm not particularly passionate about the right to polygamous marriage, but I think you're conceptualizing such a marriage under the current laws and make-up of society. If polygamy actually became so popular as to become a national movement, society would adapt, rules and laws could evolve, etc. I don't think such procedural issues such as how to decide if a cord gets pulled or how to divide visitation rights would be worth standing between a love arrangement that wouldn't be harming anyone.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Your mommy and daddy have the right to pull the cord if your incapacitated. If they're not around that pleasure goes to a brother or sister. If you don't have any brothers or sisters then I will gladly tell doctors to terminate you.

you wouldn't have the bollocks

 

[Further]

No, polygamy should never be legal. Too many legal problems. When married your spouse has the ability to make medical decisions for you if you're incapacitated. What happens if one spouse wants to pull the cord and the other spouse doesn't? What happens during divorce? Do 2 spouses play alimony to the divorced spouse? What if 2 spouses want a divorce? Does 1 spouse pay alimony to the 2 ex's? What about children? Should the 2 remaining spouses get more visitation than the one who is leaving the marriage?

Very interesting, I haven't thought of those issues before. However, the question becomes 'do the legal pitfalls pose a big enough hurdle to hinder personal freedoms'. Some might say yes, but at first glance I say No. These are all issues that can be managed with proper guidelines and procedures.

 

[Further]

...(and two women are both referred to as brides, and wedding is not bizarre)

This bit of semantics is left up to the couple in my experience. I know two married women with one having been a groom, and she now considers herself the husband. Although two brides are more common.

 

[Denny Crane]

I think SPD was trying to be funny.

Two things.

First, you are guilty of polygamy (and violate the laws) if you are married and then live with another person as if married. Like if your marriage is on the rocks and you move out and find another significant other and don't bother to get divorced. I know a few people whose marriages are basically long over, who live separate and date other people for past decades, and don't get divorced for legal/benefits reasons.

Second:
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/fe...-law-against-polygamy-or-at-least-part-of-it/

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I think SPD was trying to be funny.

No I wasn't.

Polygamy wouldn't work.

There would be two options on how one would create a polygamous marriage.

1. All three people would get married to each other at the same time.

or

2. Two people are married and decide to add a third to their marriage.

Either way it would require 3 marriages to have a true polygamous marriage. A marries B, A marries C and C marries B.

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

It's a great day to be Homer Sexual!

 

[MARIS61]

Well, it's more that the Fair Housing Act isn't limited to preventing just overt racism, but also doesn't allow "disparate impact"--policies that hurt minorities more than white folk, even if the policy isn't directly aimed at harming the brown fellas. Statistical analyses can be valid evidence that a policy is damaging, it's not necessary to prove racist intent. It's a pretty big deal, since after the Fair Housing Act was put in place to block purposeful discrimination, indirect policies have been employed since then to create segregated neighborhoods in many cities.

This is not racism, it is more accurately class discrimination against the middle class.

The problem here is nobody is taking into account the undeniably devastating impact that government-subsidized housing has on land and home values, no matter where you build it. Whatever variety of neighborhoods you have in a community, the ones with government-subsidized housing will eventually be the lowest in value, and it has very little to do with race and far more to do with crime and ugly, shoddily-built houses that receive no upkeep. All government-subsidized housing brings crime, community separation, and decay. Property values instantly drop to a fraction of their current value. It is the easiest way to wipe out an entire middle-class neighborhood's life savings in one quick sweep.

In Bend affordable housing means $250,000 homes for people who can't afford a $100,000 home on their own. Meanwhile, Bend has roughly 5,000 homeless people camping and in shelters.