02 August 2012

Family Fued

This blog is about freedom.  Not about being for or against a certain ideology or belief.  It is not a theological discussion concerning homosexuality.  Those who know me know where I come from and know what I believe.I have dedicated my adult life to defending the freedoms of this country.  I have family and friends who have done the same.

I have sat back and half observed the rhetoric being thrown from both sides and yet no one is listening.  No one is hearing.  What should they be hearing?  They should be hearing the fore fathers as they write the constitution.  The men and women who over the last 237 years shed blood, sweat and tears building the greatest country on earth.  I have held friends as they breathed their last and sacrificed all so that we can have the freedoms to believe in or not to believe in the god of our choice.  To express their beliefs and though their beliefs are not accepted by all to be respected for holding to what they believe.

I may need to back up a bit.  Let you know where I come from.  I am a devote Christian and a minister.  I have several good friends and family who are homosexual.  They all know where I stand and yet more importantly they know that I love them with all my heart especially my beautiful daughter.

For those who are not aware it seems Mr. Cathy who owns Chick-fil-A has stated and backed with financial support his belief concerning marriage and family values.  Mr. Cathy considers himself a Christian and has attempted to maintain those beliefs and values as he created his fast food chain.  In fact he holds so strongly to his beliefs that he is willing to sacrifice income by ensuring his fast food restaurants are closed on Sundays.  This has caused an uproar across the country as lines are drawn and people go to their corners to come out fighting.

Politicians have chosen to voice their opinion and threatened to regulate Chick-fil-A because Mr. Cathy has a different opinion then they do.  This offends them yet at the same time those on the other side of the fence are not to be offended by what they say.  Here is the problem, when we start regulating individuals and companies freedoms in this country we only whittle away at some of our own freedoms.

You see what I and many others both gay and straight do everyday is put our lives in jeopardy in order for there to be a great country free to believe and express those beliefs.

I have to chuckle at some who call out for tolerance and acceptance and yet do not give it themselves.  Do you know what true freedom is?  True freedom of expression, religion, of speech is when two people can sit in a public place and express themselves and be accepted by each other.

So lets celebrate freedom.  Let's celebrate the diversity that makes this country so great.  Instead of tearing our family down in this family feud we are having lets renew our focus like we did after 9 / 11.  We do not have to worry about an outside enemy destroying our country we are slowly destroying it from within.  We are to be the example of what freedom is for the world instead all we do is destroy each other.

So today let us celebrate freedom.  Let us celebrate 237 years of men and women laying down their lives so that we can do exactly what we have done the last few days express our opinion, yet let us do it better.  For those on both sides who want to toss out that Jesus says to love one another then let us do just that, love one another instead of saying it and continuing to swing the club.