Thursday, January 01, 2009

More Waltz Music


If you'd like to hear a little more waltz music click on the link to the left of the House Party page. There are 8 fine examples to enjoy.

Johann Strauss "Kaiserwalzer"



One of my favorite things is the tradition of listening to Der Kaiserwalzer (The Emperor Waltz) on New Years Day. Here is Andre Rieu playing and conducting at Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Same-sex marriage is going to hurt families?!? I don't think so...


The favorite meme of the "right" is that same-sex marriage will hurt families and cause the breakdown of civilization as we know it. I saw an article in Esquire Magazine that sheds a little light on the facts:

The enemies of gay marriage can't really say that they're following the Bible, because the instructions in the Bible are pretty clear: "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Outside of the more extreme Islamic fundamentalists, nobody wants this. So the enemies of gay marriage argue that it's bad for the family. They say that acceptance of gays could even lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race, as the Pope himself recently argued. But once again the actual evidence goes against the assumption. Not only have gay rights had no effect on constantly expanding population rates, but they've had no effect on traditional marriage in those European countries where they have the most extensive legal protections. Similarly, the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts hasn't changed a relevant fact: Massachusetts has one of the lowest divorce rates in the United States. This is relevant because divorce is the real threat to American families, having broken up more than fifty percent of all marriages since it achieved widespread acceptance. Also, unlike gay sex, divorce is forbidden by Jesus himself: "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." As we have seen with abortion and guns, the focus on gay marriage is turning out to be a dangerous distraction from the real problem.

"When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." -Sinclair Lewis