It is really interesting to read opinions of persons whom communicate easily using the Twenty-first century internet and remain locked into a version of beliefs reportedly more than two thousand years old. The King James edition of this remains book remained after some had already been determined to be apocryphal around the mid seventeenth century. It has had a few adjustments by various brands of Christianity. Some thinkers still refer to Darwinism as an unsupported theory even in the presence of work of more recent persons like Watson, Crick and the twenty-first century definition of the human genome. The term “theory” does suggest that there is significant support.

Mammalian sexuality is a spectrum. That humans of the same designated sex can relate intimately should no longer be a question to anyone. Such couples, much like those designated as heterosexual are capable of a range of activities, some of which may be unacceptable in the eyes of the law, religions and others who may consider themselves normal.

Homosexuality, like other human variants has been with us for very many years. Other variations and behaviours were once criminalized, persecuted and punished, often by death. Some of these now acknowledgedly extreme reactions were also supported by laws, religions and people considered to be of the mainstream. Let us bear these historical facts in mind as we damn those who declare sexual preferences that are consensual and free of pedophilia, rape and and other predatory display.

This from today’s Los Angeles Times, for those who try to use religious arguments. Ring any bells?

“Polygamist leader convicted of child sexual assault

Warren Jeffs, representing himself at the trial, remains silent for most of his closing argument. ‘I am at peace,’ he mumbled.

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Polygamist Warren Jeffs was convicted Thursday of sexually assaulting two child brides after a whirlwind trial in which he insisted on representing himself, only to remain silent through much of the proceedings and present just one witness — a member of his sect who gave an extended Sunday school lesson on its beliefs.

The head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stood stone-faced as a verdict of guilty on two counts of sexual assault of underage girls was read. The jury of 10 women and two men deliberated for 3½ hours.

Earlier in the day, Jeffs stood mute during his closing argument, staring at the floor for all but a few seconds of the half-hour he was allotted. At one point he mumbled, “I am at peace,” and said no more.

Throughout the trial, Jeffs, 55, contended that his religious rights were being violated and that God would seek revenge if the proceedings continued.

The sentencing phase began after the verdict was announced, and Texas’ attorney general said it could take three days. Jeffs could face up to life in prison.

Prosecutors used DNA evidence to show Jeffs fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl. Prosecutors also played an audio recording of what they said was Jeffs sexually assaulting a 12-year-old, and they played tapes in which Jeffs was heard instructing young women on how to please him sexually — and thus, he told them, please God.

The FLDS, which has at least 10,000 members, is a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism and believes polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. They see Jeffs as God’s spokesman on Earth.

Police raided the group’s remote west Texas ranch in April 2008, finding women wearing frontier-style dresses and hairdos from the 19th century. At the Yearning for Zion compound, police also saw underage girls who were clearly pregnant. The call to an abuse hotline that spurred the raid turned out to be a hoax, and more than 400 children who had been placed in protective custody were eventually returned to their families.

But authorities brought sexual assault and bigamy charges against a dozen men from the sect, with Jeffs the highest-profile defendant. All seven who came to trial before him were convicted, receiving prison sentences of between six and 75 years.

Jeffs represented himself after firing seven high-powered attorneys in the six months leading up to his trial. He refused to give an opening statement as the case began, only to launch into a 55-minute sermon defending polygamy while objecting to a witness. He refused to cross-examine the state’s witnesses.

After the prosecution rested, Jeffs rose for a surprising opening statement in which he compared his plight to that of Mormon leader Joseph Smith Jr. and America’s civil rights movement of the 1960s.

This country boy would like to add his two cents to the debate. I am in favour of Civil Unions for same sex couples but if they are unhappy with that term and want to call it marriage then as Kinky Friedman said “I support Gay marriage, they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us”

Now someone referred to procreation presumably they are worried that same sex couples won’t produce offspring, well I have news for them many gays are or have been married and have children some remain “closeted” but others choose to leave their marriage. Someone also mentioned that the divorce statistics are lower for same sex couples than for traditional marriages well I know that I am mathematically challenged but where did those statistics come from? Has “same sex marriage been in existence long enough to have any meaningful statistics?

Now to Rosemary P who declared “ I am looking for a gay man as a husband they respect women, love cooking, are very artistic and intelligent with a lot of common sense, enjoy beauty, have a great sense of humour, love to dance and enjoy life, keep their bodies absolutely in shape, know how to make a woman happy”. Seems to me that you left out an essential ingredient unless you have a pool boy or gardener to fulfill that need or perhaps you have thrown in the towel and gone Ann Landers (preferring cuddling instead of sex).

Back to the subject if many same sex couples get married perhaps the misery index will rise and they will no longer be called “gay”. Finally we will be able to reclaim a word that has been lost to a whole generation. Many people of a certain age don’t know the original meaning of the word “gay” and the word makes some of us a bit uncomfortable. I want to belt out “don we now our gay apparel” in Deck the Halls instead of singing sotto voce.

Hi hamilton hill:
I know that you do not know much about animals. Unlike humans they do not just have sex all the time; it is mostly for procreation. A fluid is normally present to attack the male; from you two dogs scenario, imagine a secretion coming from a dogs anus, disgusting I know.

As a child growing up in another country, I heard Barbadians frequently being ridiculed by other Caribbean people as being the “gay capital” of the Caribbean. This will always be a hot topic simply because it speaks to one’s moral condition. We are not all perfect, not even the church, but just because the church is not right doesn’t mean it can’t see something that is clearly immoral and liable to degrade human society. You don’t have to be gay or have gay friends, or be a gay sympathiser to see that. We only have to look at UK or USA to see how the gay agenda has slowly but surely dismantled stable societies with people cowering in fear and being afraid to speak their minds until, now, only the ‘gay’ voice is on par with the voice of the terrorist. Stupid politically correct policies have lumped gays in with blacks (that’s a whole other story) and caused nothing but confusion and disintegration. I dare you! You!

Live and let live.

The late Canadian PM Pierre Trudeau said “The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.”

Canada however is not Barbados.

I would be surprised if same sex marriages are legislated in Barbados but the common law unions will continue.

“The main problem is that we have too many “gay” people in positions of influence who exert considerable pressure. They are very vocal and those who have differing opinions refuse to express them out of fear of being ostracized. Every right thinking person knows that same sex relations are unnatural.”
Caswell I can’t believe that you have just uttered those words! Tell me, do you have any Union members that live an alternate lifestyle? Is membership only allocated to straight people? How do you know if all members are straight?
” They are very vocal and those who have differing opinions refuse to express them out of fear of being ostracized.”
Who exactly are you speaking about? The gays being afraid of being ostracized? Or the straight who have differing opinions are the ones who are afraid?
I am truly very disappointed with what you have stated.

As Hants said the common law unions will continue even if they aren’t legalized.

Another thing Caswell you are advocating that a persons who are homosexual are not capable of holding down influential jobs? Or they should not be given these jobs? Should they people be punished and hunted down? Tell what does a person’s private life has to do with their professional life? Don’t they employ heterosexuals? And it is ok for a heterosexual to be promiscuous, have women and children all over the country and still hold down an influential position. Their private life has nothing to do with their professional life. Such hypocrisy makes me want to puke!

@islandgal

It would move a national conversation on the matter which is where we need to be.

“To answer your questions, I do not care if any of my members are gay or straight: I don’t want to know. I do not deal with them on a sexual basis. ”

.” The main problem is that we have too many “gay” people in positions of influence who exert considerable pressure. They are very vocal and those who have differing opinions refuse to express them out of fear of being ostracized.”

Are these people in influential positions being dealt with on a sexual basis?

“I asked, “How did you get that job”. He replied that he went for an interview and the man said that if the gay youngster gave him piece that he would get the job. So I ask what did you do, and his reply was, “Well I got the job”.”

And some heterosexuals don’t get jobs and promotions this way too? And some Secretaries doan sleep wid dem bosses fuh promotion?

@jack spratt

Trust you to ‘muddy’ the discussion.

Murder has been with us from time in memorial so do we accept it?

With murder one person takes the life of another without the other’s consent.

What 2 consenting men or 2 consenting women (or more that 2 if that gives them their groove back) do together in the privacy of their bedrooms is none of your bloody business (nor yours)

Lovs ya David!!.

So are we going to post the COP and his men (and women ) in the bedrooms of all the fornicators and adulterers too?

And if we do who is going to be available to catch the real, real criminals?

But David the right of adult humans to sexualy satisfy themselves with another consenting human adult is a human right. Just like the right to breathe God’s good air. And it is none of the legislator’s bloody business, nor your’s neither (nor mine)

If the legislator’s want work to do let them put legislation in place to punish Bajan men for fooping severelly mentally retarded girls (and then abandoning the resulting children) who can neither consent nor testify.

Ask the legislators to fix that one URGENTLY.

@ Caswell
Hol yuh corner boy! Yu right! Don’t mind all those liberal, politically correct foolish people. The homosexual agenda is not just about sex it is about changing society to suit them. I’m not for that. There is an established order and they do not have a right to force their opinions on the likes of those who respect the established order. They are NOT part of it. You have many supporters. When fire comes – de liberals ah go burn!

Dear You! who said “There is an established order”

Alas the established order has too often been wrong.

And who also wrote “When fire comes – de liberals ah go burn!”

And just as soon as fire burns one set of liberals, another set of liberals raised in the homes of “the established order” will grown up

have been reviewing these posts and I am disappointed thta this conversation continues to drift from the main point, Can a shift to the “alternative lifestyle” improve the cureent human condition? Brekers of all the ten commandments have been around form the garden of eden, like the alternative lifestyle, they are still wrong.

Quoting Caswell ” he went for an interview and the man said that if the gay youngster gave him piece that he would get the job. So I ask what did you do, and his reply was, “Well I got the job”…the public service is being populated by lots of people who behave similarly. The reason is simple: people in influential positions are making sure that their gay, I mean bent, friends get the jobs.”

Dear Caswell: I am distressed to hear that a youngster was made to prostitute himself in order to get a job in the public service a job which is funded by MY tax MONEY. This is not what I expect form a civil service which is paid with MY MONEY. The person who did this to the young man should be FIRED.

Since so many people seem to find gay sex abhorrent because gays cannot reproduce, I am asking here on behalf of the post-menopausal sisterhood if we are permitted to have sex, since we cannot reproduce either. Or is it that our post-menopausal sexual practices are so abhorrent that such practices ought to be criminalized.

I am asking also sexual intercourse with contraception ought to be criminalized, since such sex acts are non-reproductive.

I am asking also if Caswell is the Pope? and notifying him that even if he is we are NOT Catholic.

I await your responses.

Str8 Up

This debate is about the legalization of same-sex unions. What does that have to do with Miss Mottley or Mr. Arthur? You can afford to juxtapose: you are anonymous, I am not. Not me and that Pele case!

@Random Thoughts – my response

LOL. You’re a riot! Really you’re too amusing even to a sexually strait laced curmudgeon like myself. By the way, it’s kind of creepy that you ( a post menopausal woman; your description) associate the (not) playing of the national anthem at the Rihanna show with weddings/ no fun in the matrimonial bed / same sex unions!! You dirty ole girl…fantasies about young female rock stars at your age(?) … or is there another sexually strait laced old curmudgeon in your life causing you to rant at 12:30 in the night ?!

Here’s some Rihanna songs for you to play this Sunday (sort of interpreted your mood with some commentary):

“If it’s lovin that you want” – don’t we all? – “You don’t love me (No No No)” – truth hurts but you’re not a kid anymore – ” Now I know” – acceptance is the first step to a solution – “SOS” – a cry for help is good – “Unfaithful” – some people feel this is the only way – ” Hate that I love you” – it’s hard to let go and this can lead to – “Good Girl Gone Bad” – mid life crises can cause some of us to do strange things. You seem to want it – “Hard” – in a – “California King Bed” – maybe with a little bit of – “S and M” – but unfortunately your frustration only seems to result in – “Man Down”.

Enjoy.

P.S. Play the national anthem at the start, it always gets me in the mood, at “attention” and all that….

Islandgal246

unfortunately at my age I seem to be permanently in a period of official mourning – half mast it is! But let me tell yuh not so long ago my neighbour asked why I played the anthem 3 times every night!

“you can never be too patriotic” I replied. Sigh. All a memory now.

@ Caswell

“I hate to get involved in an area where I have no personal experience or knowledge. I cannot speak to the attraction and sexual urges that some people have for their own gender.”

“Every right thinking person knows that same sex relations are unnatural.”

” I am therefore writing from the perspective of someone who has been brought up and culturally conditioned to believe that homosexuality is immoral, sinful and should be condemned.”

“This debate is very interesting and has caused me to to conclude that we have a lot of people who do not think for themselves. Instead, they prefer to piggy-back on other people’s opinions and adopt them as their own.”
__________________________________________________________

Contradictory?