Roger O Green

The Gay Marriage Issue: STILL Don’t Get It

Here’s a story I found here that was excerpted here, which I came via The Voices of Byzantium: Master Blogroll:

Many progressives have never quite understood why the most vehement religious opponents of homosexuality view it as such a threat. [I would count myself in that number.] I myself have always assumed that it is because religious opponents are devoted to the preservation of traditional gender roles, which sustain a male/female hierarchy. But the Ted Haggard story suggests a different reason– at least for that segment of religious opponents who, like a significant proportion of the population generally, share same-sex or bisexual orientations and desires. Viewed from Ted Haggard’s perspective– a man who, despite his shame and guilt, is attracted to other men– gay marriage and the gay lifestyle really are a threat to heterosexual relationships and heterosexual marriage. That is because they are a threat to his heterosexual identity and his heterosexual marriage. He knows the Devil is always tracking him, waiting for him to slip up. That is because he conceptualizes his sexual desires as sin and as alienation from God, and not as the expressions of something that might actually become valuable to him if accepted them as part of himself.

That can’t be it, can it? I mean, some people can be tempted to stray regardless of sexual orientation. But it would seem to naive ol’ me that someone in a committed gay relationship, or straight relationship, might be just a tad less tempting than someone not in such a relationship. What am I missing here?

I am not saying that people don’t stray, even when married; that’s why the 10 Commandments have been around for SO long. I’m saying that I’d think that gay marriage, an equal legal commitment in the society, would theoretically STRENGTHEN marriage of straight couples, not threaten them. Here’s a Brief History of Marriage Meddling in the United States.

I was at a party just this past Sunday when this topic came up. What was humorous about it for me is that I was all proud of my church congregation’s position as a More Light congregation, and the woman I was talking with, if anything, thought that being More Light did not go far ENOUGH in the process of including gays, lesbians and transgendered people. She, who’s been a Presbyterian far longer and more actively than I, believe the church’s position on ordination, for instance, is equivalent to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Since 1978 it has been the policy of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) not to ordain “self-affirming, practicing homosexuals.” The key here is “self-affirming”.

I was very nervous that the New Jersey Court decision about gay marriage just before the last election would “mobilize the conservative base,” and maybe it did, since 7 of 8 states voted for restrictions on gay marriage this month. Since the election, NJ conservatives are pushing proposal that would grant the rights of marriage – but not the title – to gays, siblings (!) and others involved in domestic partnerships. So, it it the TITLE of marriage that’s so scary?

But maybe Anna Quindlen is right. Writing in the November 27 Newsweek, and comparing it with the popular view of “full participation of women” 30 or 50 years ago, she states: “The reason anti-gay-marriage amendments in seven states were approved may have less to do with passionate homophobia than with a profound sense of cultural whiplash: too much, too soon. Which will someday, I’m certain, seem quaint to our children. What a difference a couple of decades can make in terms of what’s considered fair and normative!”
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Bummer. My candidate, Russ Feingold, is pulling out of the race for President. Yes, he would been a long shot, but that wouldn’t be the first time I supported someone unlikely to win the nomination.

That John Burdett of the Royal Guardsmen Turns Out to be a Pretty Nice Guy

(This is a follow-up to this post.)

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:25 PM

Hi Roger,

I have responded to your Blog that refers to Snoopy vs. Osama.

I am the academic computing administrator and web analyst for Lake Superior State University. I help the students. What’s in a title? My department is under the dean of the library. How ironic.

I just wanted to thank you for making conversation about The Royal Guardsmen. I enjoyed it.

Thanks again,
John Burdett (Drums)
***
I wrote back:

Hey, John-

Could I use this letter you sent for my blog? I think it shows a different side of you than the response you posted, a tad less intense.

Also, is the name of the song Wednesday or Any Wednesday? I’ve seen it listed both ways. I know I mentioned that I REALLY liked that song.
***
Tue, 21 Nov 2006 1:02 PM

Hi Roger,

Absolutely, you can use my e-mail on your Blog.

I see that my explanation of what we were trying to accomplish, was taken as though we were tying to change the old Snoopy character to a new one. I suppose I should have gone to greater parameters.

Where the change takes place is in the new song. The new tune is about that character being growing up and taking on responsibilities that an older Snoopy would, as if he had matured. Of course, we know the real Snoopy can’t get old and I wouldn’t go there outside of the song. However the song is what it is. Some may like it and some may not, but it is controversial. We aren’t hijacking Snoopy. It’s just this song with today’s military agenda.

I think if you re-read my response to the Blog, you will find I agree with what was said, it is nasty. War is nasty. The only thing I disagreed with was the point of controversy, but I respect everyone’s opinion.

Regarding your response; yes, we have a lot of time on our hands. We don’t hold a candle to the artists that you mentioned. So I agree with you totally. [Actually, that was someone else’s response, but I tended to agree with the sentiment.]

This is about the new song. If it were about how I think and feel, well, we just don’t have time…lol, butI enjoyed every bit of the rhetoric we put forward. It was a lot of fun and if ever you want to mince again, it would be an honor to do so with you.

Your new friend,
John Burdett

PS. Any Wednesday
Merry Snoopy’s Christmas! (The original Snoopy)
***
Tue, 21 Nov 2006 5:36 PM
Hi Roger,

I forgot to ask. Would like me to mail you a promo copy of Snoopy vs. Osama?

John B.
***
I replied in the grateful affirmative.

The next week, I received it. I played it several times, after reading the copious notes John included:

Hi, Roger,

FYI

The song is mastered for radio, so for the best listening experience, use headphones moderately loud and flat on the EQ.
This is the dissection of our efforts put into this song. Some of the things we put in the song are obvious and some more more subtle.

Some people don’t see the shadow of the Bradley behind the dog house. [Count me as one of them.] The tassels on the scarves have been removed to give it a more modern feel [ditto] and Snoopy is in charge while we are hanging out in the past with our old uniforms. The Snoopy vs. Osama title is surrounded by the blood red of war [noted] and the states represented by the stars are not in focus, as the states are not in focus about policies [I missed that]. However, the red and white stripes take to the foreground representing the clarity of the wounded and dead. [I did see that, but didn’t realize its significance.]

The call to prayer was selected by our Islamic students at LSSU. It says, “Let there be hope through prayer and what comes to be the will.” [It’s very affecting, actually.] As the eastern singer hits his last note, it is a fifth to the root chord, which would makie it Gregorian. Just a little twist! [Way too subtle for me!]

The marching has a wounded cadence to it. The tempo of the bridge was given the feel of dragging its heel, a kind of stuck in the sand, thud tempo, portraying the respolitics poltics affecting the effort. [I noted that it had a deeper “feel” than the original, but never could have deconstructed it so precisely.] The bass drum rhythm beating heart of war that contrasts the thud tempo.

The verse and chorus pick up the tempo with determination as in representing ther individual soldier’s attitude and ability not to falter in the face of adversity. [I heard the change of tempo, but didn’t recognize its intentionality.]

We used close mike techniques to get the warm vocal and the John Lennon spit in the microphone sound…lol.

Using a bugle rather than a trumpet at the end gave it a patriotic but haunting sound. [Haunting indeed.]

There is absence of a lead guitar, in reverence to our departed Tom Richards in 1979. [Oh, THAT’S why it sounds different.]

The overall sound we were trying for is that warmth of a vinyl recording and to portray many aspects of the war through the feel and sound as well the lyrics.

Listeners may not hear or care about any of this; I just thought you might find how we built interesting. Hope you enjoy the song.

JB
***
WHEW! Yes, it is interesting and, as I’ve noted, not that obvious to me.

So, what do I think of the song?

I like the song for what it is. It isn’t as “chirpy” as the songs of the ’60s, it has a more somber tone, starting with the eastern chant, and as noted, the bugle is haunting. It is a well-crafted song, and obviously made with a lot of care, a lot of love.

Yet I still wonder about the use of the iconic Snoopy character, who, as John noted, doesn’t grow up as we do, but is frozen in time, to kill bin Ladin. I suppose I could go on and note that I don’t think killing bin Ladin at this point would solve many of our problems in the region, or the world, but that’s another issue.

Regardless, I appreciate John Burdett’s conversation about a four-minute pop song. Thanks, John. And thanks for the extra copy, which will find a home with somebody soon.
***
Oh, and while I’m on the Royal Guardsmen track: I’ve just gotten a copy of The Best of the Royal Guardsmen. I’m wondering why 7 of the 20 songs have no writing credits.

Monday Meme: Music and Lust, which are, after all, pretty much the same thing…

…aren’t they?

Your Taste in Music:

Classic Rock: Highest Influence
80’s Alternative: High Influence
80’s R&B: High Influence
90’s Pop: High Influence
Progressive Rock: High Influence

How’s Your Taste in Music?

So, no, I’m not surprised that Classic Rock is my largest influence.

But there’s no mention of classical music. And speaking of which: someone on a listserv I monitor wanted to find a list of all the symphonies in the country and beyond. The two I’m citing do that, but there’s more.

At Meet the Music, there is a narrative and sonic section called “Meet the Composer”, where one can get a sense of the music of a variety of contemporary as well as old-line composers.

The American Symphony Orchestra League offers research, including a 260-page PDF about the 2005-2006 season.

The most frequently performed work: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony – 89 times
(Contemporary: Joan Tower, Made in America (2004) – 58)
Most frequent composer performed: Mozart – 1453 times
(American: Aaron Copland – 201)
(Living American: Joan Tower 81)
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It’s funny, not necessarily in the ha-ha sense, that it almost always feels about a week before our Advent and Good Friday VESPERS service that we’re going to crash and burn, yet it generally comes out all right. See if luck holds:
The Chancel choir and orchestra of First Presbyterian Church, 362 State Street, Albany, under the direction of Victor Klimash, will perform Mozart’s Vesperae de Dominica as part of an Advent Vespers service on Sunday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m.
The program is free. Parking available on the street or in Washington Park.
***

Your Lust Quotient: 45%

You are definitely a lustful person, but you do a good job of hiding it.
Your friends would be surprised to know that you’re secretly very wild!

How Much Lust Do You Have?

OK, I admit it; I changed the word your to you’re in the latter meme.

The Adenoidectomy?

I know you’re tired of hearing what a wonderful child I have – well, tough. But it is true that Lydia seems very suspectible to runny noses, which develop into coughing jags, especially while sleeping.

At first, we thought they were colds. On her first visit after Lydia was born, my mother said that she was “sickly”. But we’ve since determined that it is a sinus infection that she gets with frustrating regularity. Indeed, many of the symptoms noted here under rhinosinusitis are applicable. We took her to a specialist recently, and he recommended the removal of her adenoids.

SURGERY?

Well, here’s the breakdown:

PRO: Carol’s talked to people whose children have had the surgery and they claim the very positive results in terms of not only no more runny noses and better breathing generally, but improved speech, fewer ear infections, and more.

We can probably get rid of all of her nose sprays, her quarterly doses of antibiotics, etc.

It is a minimally invasive surgery that can be done in about 7 minutes.

CON: It’s surgery.

Using general anesthesia.

On my child.

So, we’re thinking on it, praying on it, getting second opinions about it. Other feedback is appreciated.

Baseball Hall of Fame QUESTIONS

BBWAA Releases 2007 Hall of Fame Ballot
Harold Baines 1st year. PRO: Six-time All-Star, 2,866 hits. CON: 1644 games played at DH (of 2830)
Albert Belle 2nd year. PRO: Named to five All-Star teams (1993-97). One season with 50-plus home runs, three seasons with 40-plus home runs, eight seasons with 30-plus home runs. Nine consecutive seasons with 100-plus runs batted in and nine seasons with 30-plus doubles. And a lot more. CON: Prickly, unlikable character.
Dante Bichette 1st year. PRO: Six seasons batting .300 or better, with a career average of .299. Named to four All-Star teams (1994-96, 1998). CON: His most productive years were in mile-high Denver.
Bert Blyleven 10th year. PRO: Ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts, 9th in starts, 9th in shutouts, 25th in wins, and 7th in innings pitched. CON: Wasn’t a dominant pitcher.
Bobby Bonilla 1st year. PRO: Named to six All-Star teams (1988-91, ’93, ’95). CON: Didn’t live up to the potential he had when he came up with Barry Bonds in Pittsburgh.
Scott Brosius 1st year. PRO: Was in four World Series, winning three. CON: Not much else to distinguish him.
Jay Buhner 1st year. PRO: Three consecutive seasons of 40-plus home runs. CON: Such potential not realized.
Ken Caminiti 1st year. PRO: Named to three All-Star teams (1994, ’96-97), Won the 1996 NL MVP. CON: A One great year, a couple very good years, but admitted to steroid use, had a drug problem, and died of a heart attack in November 2004.
Jose Canseco 1st year. PRO: Named to six All-Star teams (1986, ’88-90, ’92, ’99). Three seasons with 40-plus home runs, eight with 30-plus home runs. Became first member of baseball’s “40-40” club when he hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases in 1988 – and I saw him steal his 40th base that year. CON: The steroids; his book about the steroids.
Dave Concepcion 14th year. PRO: Won five Gold Gloves (1974-’77, ’79). Named to nine All-Star teams (1973, ’75-’82), Four World Series (1970, ’72, ’75, ’76), member of two WS championship teams, 1975-’76. CON: Should he get in because other members of the Big Red Machine did?
Eric Davis 1st year. Lots of solid numbers early: His “20-80” season (27 home runs, 80 stolen bases; 1986) was only matched by Rickey Henderson. Won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1987-’89) Named to two All-Star teams (1987, ’89). CON: Middling stats after that.
Andre Dawson 6th year. PRO: Won eight Gold Glove awards (1980-’85, ’87-’88. all time: 45th in hits, 24th in total bases, 42nd in doubles, 35th in HR, 25th in RBI, 22nd in extra-base hits, and 9th in sacrifice flies. CON: Not the dominant player in his position.
Tony Fernandez 1st year. PRO: Five time All-Star (1986-87, ’89, ’92, ’99). Won four consecutive Gold Gloves at shortstop (1986-89). Four times batted better than .300. Two seasons of 40-plus doubles. CON: Only once finished as high as 8th in MVP voting, so he wasn’t a dominant player, and doesn’t hold career records either.
Steve Garvey 15th (and final) year. PRO: Ranks second all-time in fielding among first basemen (.9959). Ten All-Star teams, including eight consecutively (1974-’81, ’84-’85). Won four NL Gold Gloves, consecutively (1974-’77). Eight seasons with .300-plus batting average. Good hitter, GREAT fielder. CON: His fall from grace (two women each having a child by him at the same time) wrecked his moralist posturing.
Rich Gossage 8th year. PRO: Named to nine All-Star teams (1975-’78, ’80-’82, ’84-’85). Ranks 17th all-time in saves in an era the closer wasn’t as specialized as it’s become. CON: But only 17th?
Tony Gwynn 1st year. PRO: Eight-time National League batting champion, matching Honus Wagner for the most in NL history. Fifteen All-Star selections. Finished in Top 10 of MVP voting seven times, finishing as high as 3rd in 1984. Ranks 17th all-time with 3,141 hits, leading NL seven times in hits. Ranked among Top 10 in NL batting average during every season in which he had enough at-bats, ranking outside the top 5 only twice. Never hit lower than .309 in a full season. Five seasons with 200+ hits. A career .987 fielder. CON: (Really?) OK, not a power hitter.
Orel Hershiser 2nd year. PRO: Finished among top 5 in ERA five times (1984-’85, ’87-’89). And had one great 1988. CON: And his later years paled to his great ones.
Tommy John 13th year. Pitched 26 seasons. Three 20-win seasons. Ranks 24th on the all-time win list, 6th in games started, 18th in innings pitched, and tied for 26th in shutouts. Four All-Star teams (1968, ’78-’80). And he has a surgery named for him! CON: Seldom the dominant pitcher, even on his own teams.
Wally Joyner 1st year. PRO: All-Star selection in 1986 as a starter, the first rookie to do so since fan balloting resumed in 1970. Runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year in 1986. Six seasons of 150 hits or more. Four seasons with .300 or better average. CON: Wally World started off with such promise, but except for a mild resurgence in 1997, never lived up to his exciting start.
Don Mattingly 7th year. PRO: Won AL Gold Glove Award nine times (1985-’89, ’91-’94). Named AL Player of the Year by The Sporting News three times, consecutively (1984-’86). Named ML Player of the Year by The Sporting News (1985). Six All-Star teams, consecutively (1984-’89). Seven seasons with .300-plus batting average. Led AL in batting (.343, 1984), RBI (145, 1985), doubles three times (1984-’86), hits twice (1984, ’86), and slugging percentage (.573, 1986). Led AL in total bases twice (1985-Â86). Ranks 5th all-time in fielding percentage among first basemen (.9958). Led AL 1B in fielding percentage seven times (1984-’87, ’92-’94), in putouts and total chances (1986) and in double plays (1985, ’91). CON: I think Donnie Baseball suffers from the fact that he was a Yankee who never took his team to the World Series.
Mark McGwire 1st year. PRO: Twelve-time All-Star selection. Unanimous AL Rookie of the Year in 1987. Ranks 7th on the all-time home run list with 583. All-time leader in at-bats per home runs (10.6). Led league in home runs four times (1987, 1996, 1998, 1999), including then-major league record 70 HR in 1998, a season in which he, along with Sammy Sosa, practically saved baseball after the 1994 strike. Ranks 10th all-time with a .588 slugging percentage. Four times led league in slugging percentage. Also led league in on base percentage in 1996 and 1998. Led NL in RBI in 1999. Led league in walks twice (1990, 1998). Three times among Top 5 in total bases (1987, 1998, 1999). A career .993 fielder. Success in two leagues. Has the support, FWIW, from his former teammate, Canseco, and his former manager, Tony LaRussa. CON: Should have been a mortal lock except for this from March 17, 2005 in front of a Congressional committee regarding his use of steroids: “I’m not going to go into the past or talk about my past. I’m here to make a positive influence on this.”
Jack Morris 8th year. Three 20-win seasons, 11 seasons with 200-plus innings and three 200-strikeout campaigns. Received Cy Young Award votes seven times. Member the 1991e WS championship teams in 1984, ’91 and ’92; the 1991 10-inning 1-0 victory in Game Seven was one of the greatest pitched WS games ever. CON: None really. Maybe not a dominating enough pitcher.
Dale Murphy 9th year. Won back-to-back NL MVP awards in 1982-83. Seven All-Star teams (1980, ’82-’87); CON: Probably played too long, for he was a mediocre player in his last half dozen years.
Paul O’Neill 1st year. PRO: Five-time All-Star selection. Won AL batting title in 1994 (.359). Fourteen consecutive seasons of 100+ hits. Collected 100 or more RBI four times, consecutively, 1997-2000. Three times among league Top-10 in on-base percentage, including 2nd in 1994 (.460). Hit .300 or better six times, consecutively, 1993-’98. CON: Solid numbers, but HoF? And what a hothead.
Dave Parker 11th year. PRO: Won three Gold Gloves, consecutively (1977-’79). Elected to seven All-Star teams (1977, ’79-’81, ’85, ’86, ’90). Four 100-RBI seasons (led NL in 1985 with 125), three 100-run seasons (consecutively from 1977-’79), three seasons of 40-plus doubles (led NL in 1977 and ’85). Led the NL in slugging percentage in 1975 (.541) and ’78 (.585). Topped NL in total bases in 1978 (340), ’85 (350) and ’86 (304). Led NL in intentional walks in 1978 (23) and tied for intentional walks in ’85 (24). Led AL in sacrifice flies in 1990 (14) and tied for NL lead in 1979 (9). Plus Three World Series (1979, ’88, ’89, winning the first and last ones. CON: Definitely a player on the bubble.
Jim Rice 13th year. PRO: Eight All-Star teams (1977-’80, ’83-’86). Seven .300 seasons, four 200-plus hit seasons, three 100-plus run season (consecutively from 1977-’79),30-plus HR four times, 40-plus HR once, and 100-plus RBI eight times. ed AL in total bases four times in 1977 (382), ’78 (406), ’79 (369) and 1983 (344). One of 31 players with 350+ home runs and a .290+ career batting average. Only player in history with three straight seasons of 35+ home runs and 200+ hits. CON: Prickly relationship with the press, who would note that the one time his Red Sox got to the World Series (1986), they didn’t win.
Cal Ripken Jr. 1st year. PRO: One of eight players in ML history to amass at least 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. Two-time AL MVP (1983, 1991); Named to 19 consecutive All-Star teams (1983-2001).Four seasons of 100-plus RBI and batted better than .300 four full seasons. CON: Yeah, he played in 2,632 consecutive games, 2,216 at shortstop. But should he have?
Bret Saberhagen 1st year. Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner (1985, 1989); Three-time All-Star (1987, 1990, 1994). CON: Had some good years, but not enough.
Lee Smith 5th year. Ranks second in ML history for saves (478). Seven All-Star teams (1983, ’87, ’91-’95); Led NL in saves three times (1983, ’91, ’92) and AL in saves once (1994) Holds NL career record for most consecutive errorless games by a pitcher (546). CON: None, really, if the closer is a real position that merits HoF consideration.
Alan Trammell 6th year Seven .300 batting average seasons.Won four AL Gold Glove awards (1980, ’81, ’83, ’84). CON: Solid player with a 1984 WS ring, but is that enough?
Devon White 1st year PRO:Seven-time Gold Glove Award winner. Three-time All-Star selection. CON: Not nearly enough.
Bobby Witt 1st year. Won a World Series. CON: When “Twice ranked among AL top-10 in wins (1990, 1996)” is the most salient fact in one’s career stats…

So the questions:

1. Who should get in?

2. Who will get in?

3. Who will fail to get the requisite 5% and never be on the ballot again?

I decided to look at last year’s voting:

Name/Votes/Percentage
ELECTED
Bruce Sutter 400 76.9
STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION
Jim Rice 337 64.8
Rich Gossage 336 64.6
Andre Dawson 317 61.0
Bert Blyleven 277 53.3
Lee Smith 234 45.0
Jack Morris 214 41.2
Tommy John 154 29.6
Steve Garvey 135 26.0
Alan Trammell 92 17.7
Dave Parker 75 14.4
Dave Concepcion 65 12.5
Don Mattingly 64 12.3
Orel Hershiser 58 11.2
Dale Murphy 56 10.8
Albert Belle 40 7.7
ELIMINATED FROM CONSIDERATION
Will Clark 23 4.4
Dwight Gooden 17 3.3
Willie McGee 12 2.3
Hal Morris 5 1.0
Ozzie Guillen 5 1.0
Gary Gaetti 4 0.8
John Wetteland 4 0.8
Rick Aguilera 3 0.6
Doug Jones 2 0.4
Greg Jefferies 2 0.4
Walt Weiss 1 0.2
Gary DiSarcina 0 0.0
Alex Fernandez 0 0.0

1. Belle, Blyleven, Dawson, Gwynn, John, Morris, Parker, Rice, Ripkin, Smith – yeah, that’s liberal, picking 10 (the max), but I think the writers have been overly stingy in the past.
2. Dawson, Gossage, Gwynn, Rice, Ripkin (the first two are probably, “I hope so”)
3. FOR SURE: Brosius, Joyner, White, Witt. PROBABLY: Bonilla, Caminiti, Davis, Fernandez.
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The least deserving to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’d agree with Percy Sledge, not with the Lovin’ Spoonful.