Happy Friday to "He Whose Name Dare Not Be Mentioned"

My buddy likes it when I shuffle things up a bit here at the ol' blog. Therefore... enjoy, my friend!

This post actually comes out of two "nudges;" first from a song I heard last night...

(Yeah, folks... click the above link! Listen to the song! The video runs the lyrics!)

...with the second "nudge" having come this morning from a FaceBook posting by my beloved sister-in-law Eileen dealing with the whole "Gay Boy Scouts" controversy.

First let me deal with the song...

Appealing, huh? Catchy! (I got a kick out of the male background singers with their "hey!" and "yeah!" refrains!)

Initially the song really appealed to me... the anti-hypocrisy message. Yep... yours truly detests hypocrisy!

The libertarian message also appeals to me... to an extent. The "Rules Were Made to Be Broken" message... obviously this Kacey Musgrave chick is a soulmate!

(*GRIN*)

But, damn it... then she has to go on with the "roll up a joint - I would" closer...

(*PURSED LIP FROWN*)

Funny... I was having this discussion - the pot discussion - with "He Whose Name Dare Not Be Mentioned" just last week! He believes in legalization and commercialization and I don't.

(By the way... no... in case you're wondering... he's not a pot guy... not a drug guy... doesn't even smoke cigarettes any more!)

Me...? I equate pot with hippies... with libs... with slackers and losers. 

Yes, yes... I understand... I recognize... that there are plenty of successful potheads out there and millions and millions of "regular folks" who enjoy the occasional joint. It just doesn't appeal to me. Never did - even when I was a kid. I'm a drinker! Cocktails, beer, whiskey and wine, folks! 

(Some folks have their moral compass set on "WWJD" - "What would Jesus do?"  Me...? My everyday default is "WWJWD" - "What would John Wayne do?"

Should I "celebrate" drinking the way I do? I'll leave that one to you. I do and that's all there is to it! It's part of who I am... part of my self-image... part of my "heritage" in the sense of how I was brought up and what was considered normal and "fun."

Would I want my kid or my nieces and nephews or my friends' kids to try some of the stunts - alcohol fueled stunts - I did as a kid... as a early/mid-20-something? Nope! 

Am I well aware that alcohol has very real downsides? Yep. So... does adding pot to alcohol... would creating a totally non-judgmental social and legal reality for all drugs just as we do for all alcohol make America a better or worse country? I tend towards believing it would make America a worse country.

"He Whose Name Dare Not Be Mentioned" believes that those disinclined to abuse drugs now, when drugs are illegal, would be equally disinclined to abuse them were drugs (everything from pot to heroin) legalized for "recreational" purposes. Me? I disagree. I believe it would be a game-changer over the long run with kids growing up in such a culture and I believe even if my worst fears weren't realized that on the whole such a policy change would lead to more bad than good.

(*SHRUG*)

The other part of the song which caught my attention was of course the "acceptance" of homosexuality.

I believe homosexuality is genetic. You're born gay. Now here's the question for those of a traditional religious bent: Does God make mistakes? Are gay people "mistakes?" How'bout people with CP... Downs... other genetic abnormalities? If God made us all... wants all babies to be born... and God doesn't make mistakes... and homosexuality is genetic...

(*SHRUG*)

See what I'm getting at here, folks?

At the same time, is homosexuality "normal?" To homosexuals it is... but in a statistical sense... obviously it's not. Does "not normal" equate to "bad?" That's where the trouble comes in! Certainly to a true Catholic... and I'd say a true Christian... a true Jew... a true Muslim... acting upon one's homosexuality is a sin.

(*SHRUG*)

Now I can accept and understand the logic and intellectual consistency of this position... of believing that the Bible... the Torah... the Koran... was written by God (either directly or via man... men... the Prophets), but then I'm brought back to the points previously made about God "making" homosexuals homosexual.

(Surely God's not a sadist?! If each homosexual is simply being "tested" than I fear I have a problem with God's logic and methods. Yes... perhaps I'm not meant to understand... but bottom line... I don't understand!)

Step away from religion for a moment... from religious dogma, at least. Let's look at these issues from a "cultural" standpoint. To put it on a bumper sticker: "There's a Time and Place!"

Do I wanna take away anyone's rights? No. Do I accept that not everyone shares my views? Y... ye... yea... YEAH... I guess so...

(*TAKING A DEEP BREATH AFTER GETTING THAT ONE OUT*)

I do strongly sympathize - and yes... share - my sister-in-law's disgust with the pushing of the "gay agenda," the "drug culture," etc. There's such a thing as too much... too much "in your face!"

I'm not a prude, but TV - and movies - are out of control nowadays. Do I watch "bad" shows and often laugh my ass off as I'm watching? Yep. Sure do! But that doesn't mean that in a sense I'm not "ashamed."

I'm against censorship... and yes, the technology makes distinctions between "family hours" and "late night" mainly moot. But, geez... as I'm watching "Family Guy" or "Two and a Half Men" or whatever, I often find myself shaking my head and saying to myself, "This is some sick shit; no wonder "traditional people" across the globe often view us not as a beacon to the world... Reagan's Shining City on a Hill... but as Sodom and Gomorrah!

Call 'em what you may... "The Culture Wars"... "The Battle Between Right and Wrong"... but if I have to pick a side... well... "I Like Ike!" Give me the 1950's American Ideal! 

We can watch porn by ourselves... or with our spouses or significant others... or with total strangers who are all "into it." The thing is... today's "porn culture" isn't limited to "consenting adults," to "those wanting to partake," but rather it has oozed out of the "private zone" into the wider culture. 

And when I write "porn" I'm not just speaking of sex... I'm using the word in the larger context... I'm talking "Bum Fights" on YouTube - and worse! I'm talking crassness as well as perversity. I'm talking "The New Norm" which to me is a lesser norm... a harmful norm... a norm slowly but surely destroying our culture from within... a norm that will I fear doom our children... and certainly doom our grandchildren.

Is "Do as I say, not as I do" hypocrisy? Maybe. But that doesn't mean it's not damn good advice at times!

Anyway... I know I'm rambling a bit... but I'm hoping the people whom I want to get my point are indeed getting my point.

I hope I get some feedback!