I Saw A Mimosa Tree Today

I saw a Mimosa tree on the road from Oklahoma City today. It was similar to the one I enjoyed playing in as a boy. It was outside my window in the front yard of the house I grew up in. It was the only tree of its kind anywhere near our neighborhood. To this day, it is rare for me to see one.

My Mimosa tree had a short and stout trunk, with several large branches spreading up and away from the trunk. It was a perfect tree for young boys (and the occasional girl) to climb and play in. Sometimes we would just sit in the branches and talk about the things that were important to youngsters at the time: the latest comic book, this week's episode of Batman, or, in our more mature moments, the big brother who was called off to a war thousands of miles away that we didn't really understand.

In the spring and summer my tree bloomed the most beautiful flower. A fluffy red and white plumage that one could see from blocks away. But I wasn't interested in that. I was more interested in the pods. They were long and thin, rounded on one end and pointed at the other. To my mind, they perfectly resembled what a starship would look like. I would gather these pods and have pretend space battles, crashing them into each other just like I'd seen in the movies.

As I grew older, I lost interest in my Mimosa tree. It became nothing more than decorative, a biological ornament for the yard. An obstacle to be mowed around in the summer.

Shortly after I left for college, my Mimosa tree died. It was cut down, and for years the only reminder was a stump, flush against the ground. Eventually the stump was covered over by grass, and there were no physical reminders of my tree.

When I think of that tree, I wonder if it died from loneliness. For years it had enjoyed the limelight of being front and center in many childhood hours. Then we went away. Did my tree wait around for more children to come? Did it give up when they didn't?

One of the sadder aspects of being human is that we never realize what we have until it's gone. Our house, which I believed would always be there for me, is now owned by a stranger. My tree is gone. That was a beautiful tree. I wish I had appreciated it more while I had it.

Even Mexico Is Ahead Of US

I couldn't help but notice an item on gay.com from the Associated Press. Mexican jails are beginning to allow same-sex conjugal visits for gay inmates.

Mexico? Conservative, backward, heavily-Catholic Mexico? How many nations have to pass the United States by on issues like this before we wake up and realize that we Americans are living in the social dark ages?

The complete story follows:

Mexican jails OK gay conjugal visits

published Monday, July 30, 2007

The Mexican jail system has begun to allow conjugal visits to gay inmates, in response to a recommendation by the National Commission on Human Rights, which said that restricting gay visitation rights was discriminatory, the Associated Press reported.

The Mexican government has been pressured recently to liberalize its policies on such issues as abortion, gay marriage and prostitution.

"Mexico City authorities offered the first intimate visit to a non-heterosexual inmate of a Mexico City prison, in this case, the Saint Martha Acatitla Men's Rehabilitation Center," the commission said Sunday in a written statement, describing the measure as "an important step toward nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, for incarcerated people in particular."

In many Mexican jails, criminals are allowed to receive conjugal visits, and in many cases it is not required that the visitor be legally married to the prisoner. Special rooms are designated for such encounters, giving the inmates privacy, in keeping with the principle that the Mexican penal system should not be inhumane.

The decision was made in response to a complaint made by a person identified only as "Augustin N.," who said he wished to visit with his partner, "Ricardo N.," in Saint Martha Acatitla prison, in the eastern part of the city.

Augustin N. made a complaint to the commission, which is authorized only to make nonbinding recommendations to the authorities, bringing attention to the fact that the prison system had rejected an inmate's request due only to the fact that his partner was gay.

On Feb. 8, the Commission ruled that an act of discrimination had been committed and the authorities decided to permit the visit.

The commission indicated that it wished to bring the same changes to jails throughout Mexico City. The office charged with making the changes could not be reached for comment about when the changes might be made.

The left-leaning party that governs Mexico City has legalized gay unions and abortion in the capital of this majority Catholic nation, in addition to proposing legalization of prostitution, an infraction that is now punished by 12- to 24-hour jail sentences and small fines. (The Advocate)

Dick Will Make You Slap Somebody

This has to be one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen........


Dick Will Make You Slap Somebody

MCA

I was in Oklahoma City for MCA, which is a chub event. I've always avoided chub events because of certain prejudices I have. I've always figured that the chasers are only interested in the really big guys. But, my friend Kip talked me into going. He said I would have a good time.

I wasn't going to go unless I could get a room at the Habana Inn, where the event was held. All the rooms were booked, but I called every day last week to see if there were any cancellations. They finally had a couple of rooms open up on Thursday, so I decided to go.

The Habana Inn is interesting. I've certainly stayed at nicer hotels. This place is like a Holiday Inn circa 1972. But, it was clean. And it was really neat having all the bars and activities all in one place.

I actually had a really good time at MCA. The best weekend I've had in months. It was true that the chasers were into the really big guys, but that didn't matter. I just had a good time hanging out by the pool. I ran into a couple of friends and we spent most of the weekend together.

The crowd was so friendly, not the usual snobs you get at the bear events. I really felt welcome here.

Most of the big guys here were into other big guys. And they were looking at me like a plate of biscuits and gravy. But I had a good time flirting with them. I have to admit this weekend was a big ego boost. I was practically svelte compared to most of the guys.

I got completely wasted Friday night. Passed out in my room about 9. But not before I ordered a $20 steak in the restaurant and couldn't eat it.

Saturday was "hang around the pool" day. We went to Outback for dinner, and the waiter was flirting with me. That was kind of fun. We went to the bars around the Habana Saturday night, but they sucked. The bear/leather bar was pathetic. No need to go back there.

Sunday was a relaxing day. I slept a lot. I watched Underworld on tv, and then took a nap. And I dreamed the whole movie again, except I was a character in the movie, and it was kind of a comedy.

Went back to Outback alone Sunday night, but my boyfriend wasn't working :(

I hooked up with this hot German chaser Sunday night. It was great except for someone who kept knocking on his door while we were doing the deed. I swear I know this guy. I met him in Germany. He kept telling me I looked familiar too.
Small world.

Well it's back to Houston today. Hopefully it will be an uneventful trip.

Oklahoma City

Went to Oklahoma City this weekend. I left Houston Thursday night. Spent the night in Dallas, and then headed to Oklahoma City on Friday. I went to the Eagle for Bear Night. Got rear-ended at Empire Central and Stemmons the next morning. No damage to the car, but I was shaken up a little. It was some grungy guy who called me dude. I suffered no permanent damage I guess. Just a little dizzy for awhile after the accident.

The drive to Oklahoma City was interesting. As soon as I entered Oklahoma, I started seeing a bunch of anti-abortion billboards. I learned that Wichita is the abortion capital of the world. You might want to file that away for future reference.

I also saw the Oklahoma School of Horseshoeing - South Campus. I was surprised that there even was a school for horseshoeing, not to mention one that would have multiple campuses.

I always like to stop in Norman for gas, because there's a lot of hot college guys there. When I have extra time, I like to stop into the Best Buy just off I-35 and browse, but there was no time this trip.

The most interesting exit sign was for Wayne and Payne. And of course you turn left for Wayne and right for Payne. Surely, there is a story there.

Tammy Faye Bakker Messner was an inspiration to drag queens everywhere. But she was much more than that. She reached out to gay people with love. Not the "love the sinner, hate the sin" crap, or worse, that you get from most evangelicals.
She was non-judgemental. You felt a vibe off her that said she truly loved all people, including gays.

Tammy Faye spoke publicly about AIDS at a time when everyone else was afraid to touch the subject. She spoke of AIDS publicly years before Ronald Reagan even mentioned the word.

I dislike evangelicals because they've forgotten what it means to be a follower of Christ. They spew hatred for those they don't approve of. If Jesus were walking among us today, he would be in the prisons and the crack houses. He would be comforting and healing the sick, including those with AIDS. And he would be expressing love for all people, not just those who follow a particular sect of Christianity. Tammy Faye was the anti-thesis of the modern evangelical. The spirit of Jesus' love for all people surely lived inside her.

Gay people were originally drawn to Tammy Faye because of her fabulousness. What self-respecting gay boy wouldn't? The hair, the makeup, and the personal hardships and tragedies are all ingredients in the Gay Icon recipe. But we came to love her because she loved us first. Unconditionally. Unashamedly. Unabashedly.

US Citizens No Longer Tallest In The World

Since the days of the founding of our Republic, Americans have always enjoyed being the tallest people in the world. Until now. Over the last 50 years, other countries have been catching up with us. Today, Americans are only the 4th tallest in the world at an average male height on 5'10". We have been passed by the Germans, the Norwegians, and the Dutch. In the Netherlands, the average male stands at a whopping 6'2". They have become so tall that the Dutch government is instituting new construction rules for heights of doorways, etc.

So why should I give a rat's ass about how tall Americans are compared to the rest of the world? Height is controlled by genetics. But economists believe that height is also a general indicator of the health of a nation's citizens. Good nutrition, good pre-natal care, and a good health system all combine to increase a population's average height over time. In fact, scientists say the Dutch could grow another 3 inches in the next 50 years.

We are so quick to scorn the liberal democracies of the world, mainly in Europe and Canada, with their "socialized medicine," their better education systems, their lower crime rate, etc. etc.

The truth is these countries are leaving us in the dust on so many levels, from health care, to industry, to crime, to general qualities of life. These are not nations to be scorned. They should be emulated.

A couple of years ago Honda was looking for a location for a new North American factory. The finalists were places like Alabama, which threw tax incentives and "low cost of business" into the pot. But guess who won the new Honda factory. Ontario. Liberal, socialist Ontario. The reasons given for the choice were (1) universal health care (worker health care is one of the biggest expenses for American auto makers) and (2) a well educated workforce.

Now before one gets on one's high horse and accuses me of being a communist or a socialist, consider this. I am a big believer in capitalism. But not unfettered capitalism. There has to be checks and balances. The runaway capitalism that we have in the States will do nothing but bring down our middle class, make the lower classes even worse off, and make the wealthy even more wealthy. All one has to do is look at the statistics that show a widening income gap between the top 5% and the rest of us since Ronald Reagan took office.

Capitalism is a double edged sword. Used properly, it will bring prosperity to a nation's people. Used improperly, it will bring greed and the hoarding of a nation's wealth among a few people.

As Saint Paul said, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." That one simple verse, in a nutshell, describes the American condition today.

There's A Constitutional Crisis Brewing

Members of Congress are laying the groundwork to issue contempt citations against certain Bush Administration officials in the matter of the US Attorney firings scandal. Under federal law, any citations must be given to the District of Columbia US Attorney for enforcement. But, the White House is claiming that executive privilege will prevent the US Attorney from enforcing any contempt citations.

This is a constitutional crisis in the making. Of course, no one knows about it because the media is too interested in covering what Paris Hilton is up to after her horrific time in jail, or Lyndsay Lohan's latest rehab visit.

The Bush administration is as corrupt, if not more so, than the Nixon administration. These thugs are basically claiming that "executive privilege" trumps all. The president is above the law. Nixon tried that argument, and we know what happened. Congressional members of his own party were the first to call for his impeachment.

So let me see if I understand this. Bill Clinton's lie about getting a blow job was a constitutional crisis worth impeachment. But George Bush saying he doesn't answer to Congress isn't. Doesn't make much sense to me.

This Is Why I'm Against Capital Punishment

Troy Anthony Davis. You've probably never heard of him. He is scheduled to be executed in Georgia this week for the 1989 murder of a Savannah police officer. Black suspect. White police officer victim. Georgia. These very elements make the outcome a forgone conclusion.

But there's a twist. His conviction was based solely on eyewitness testimony. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and a murder weapon was never found. Of the nine eyewitnesses, SEVEN have subsequently recanted their testimony, stating they were coerced by the police.

And where does the District Attorney, David T. Lock, stand on this issue? He says that just because a witness recants previous testimony, it doesn't necessarily mean that all of their testimony was a complete fabrication.

Whatever happened to justice in this country? There is certainly more than "reasonable doubt" in this case. One would think it would make the authorities pause before they execute an innocent man. But no, the execution mongers are marching on, determined to do the deed.

Since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, 124 death row inmates have been exonerated for their alleged crime. Last year, the Houston Chronicle did an expose proving that an innocent man was put to death in Texas.

The philosophical debate against capital punishment argues that we are not God, and it is not our place to take a life, no matter how heinous a crime. And that is very true. But on a more practical level, I argue that capital punishment is wrong because the justice system frequently makes mistakes. You can't correct that mistake if someone wrongly convicted of a capital crime is six feet under.

You can voice your support for clemency in this matter by clicking here.

Farewell Lady Bird

While I was on the road back to Houston, I was saddened to hear of the death of Lady Bird Johnson. She was a great woman, extremely articulate, full of grace and class. Many people think of southerners as a bunch of redneck, Nascar loving, gay hating, Republicans. Lady Bird was the antitheses of that. She was the epitome of southern charm and gentleness.

Lady Bird was living history. She was married to the most powerful man in the world during one of our country's most tumultuous times. She stood by LBJ's side as he rose from Representative to Senate Majority Leader, to Vice President, and President. LBJ was said to have a firey temper, and didn't have much sense of self-control. Lady Bird kept him grounded and soothed his temper over those many years.

While in the White House, and for the rest of her life, Lady Bird worked tirelessly to preserve our country's natural beauty. She was an environmentalist before it was politically correct to be one. As a child, I remember riding with my family along highways lined with trash. People just threw their trash out of the car in those days. Lady Bird changed that. She also worked to limit billboards from marring the beauty along many of our highways.

On the trip back to Houston, I detoured off I-10, and took the back country US 290 through the Texas Hill Country she loved so much. Past Fredericksburg, Stonewall, Johnson City, and by the LBJ Ranch. I had been in a great mood, but was saddened as I drove through the area and thought of Lady Bird's passing.

She was a great lady. They don't make them like her anymore. The world is a poorer place without her.

Places I've Visited

I'm really big into travel. I think Americans are far too provincial in our world view because we never travel outside our country. We sit here and thump out chests and claim to be the greatest country in the world, and that's that.

Well, that's not necessarily that. If Americans traveled, they would understand that we are not necessarily the greatest. Militarily we are. But how about quality of life for our people? There are plenty of countries in this world where the citizens live peaceful, prosperous, healthy lives. I'm thinking Canada, Australia, New Zealand, anywhere in Europe. Even Asian countries like South Korea and Japan. The common denominator for all these countries is they tend to be left-leaning politically (socialist by American standards), and they are not militaristic. Imagine what a quality of life we could have if we weren't blowing billions of dollars a year in Iraq and other military adventures.

I think Americans need to travel more. If they did, they would understand how feared we are in the world. How much George Bush is despised by everyone, even our closest friends. My last trip abroad was 2 1/2 years ago. Everywhere I went, all anyone wanted to talk about was Bush and how much he was hated. That was 2 1/2 years ago. Imagine how it would be today.

All of that is a big lead in to the fact that I found this cool website where you can map out all the places you have traveled. Here's my map for the United States:



create your own visited states map

As you can see, I've been pretty much everywhere except Oregon and South Carolina. I need to knock them off my list sometime.

My world travels are not as extensive. Here's the map for that.



create your own visited countries map

One of my goals is to start filling out more countries in red in the next few years. I think travel makes all of us better people.

I've been in kind of a funky, blah mood all weekend. Not sure what derailed my mood. When I left work Friday, I was all set for a great weekend, but bada bing bada boom, my mood went to Hell in short order.

I think one of the things that's weighing on me is all the changes in my life right now. I'm sure they will turn out for the good, but I have no idea what the hell I'll be doing or even where I'll be living in the next few months. There's talk of my taking on more responsibilities in California, which would require that I spend more time here. But I really don't know what's going to happen. Change always seems to generate fear in people. Don't know why. Change is good many times. But we always seem to fall into that "devil you know" mentality. I'm trying to look on it positively. As JFK said, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are sure to miss the future."

The funk lifted today and I decided to go exploring with Buster. We went to a dog park in the Castro with all the queens and their little dogs. There was this queen sitting on a bench not far from me, and he was on the phone, so I got to hear all the details of his life. I had to smile when I heard him say, "well Utah does things behind my back that he thinks I don't know about, but I use that to justify the things I do behind his back." Guys are guys no matter where you go.

We drove up to Twin Peaks, the mountain that overlooks San Francisco, and took some pictures. You can see them here.

Pics of San Francisco

I'll say one thing for San Francisco, I've done a lot of traveling, and it is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and probably the most beautiful city in the United States, at least in my opinion.

Then it was off to Haight Ashbury, birthplace of the counter-culture hippie movement, and ground zero for the summer of love 40 years ago. I was pleased to see it still maintains an eclectic, funky atmosphere. Not a lot of Starbucks and Barnes and Nobles like one sees in anyplace, USA. It has the feel of what college towns used to be, back before commercialization turned every place into blah strip malls.

Well, that's it for now. It's off to the Lone Star to meet some friends, and then a new week starts tomorrow.

This Is Hilarious!

I haven't been good about posting this week. Sorry to keep you waiting. Believe it or not, I've had a few questions as to why I haven't posted. Hard to believe that so many people seem to have an interest in what I have to say. Anyway, I finally posted my pics from San Francisco Pride last weekend. If you would like to see, go here:

San Francisco Gay Pride 2007

The pictures of the Pride parade don't do it justice. I came in at the tail end, after it had already been running several hours.