Dear Virginia,
I am proud to be a Virginian. I’ve not been a full time resident for a while, but I miss it immensely. Many of my family and friends are there, and I have so many fond memories of my childhood, youth and college. It’s a beautiful state, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains, and it has a rich history. Jamestown was the first permanent English Colony in the Americas, Revolutionary and Civil War Battlefields dot the state from border to border, Northern Virginia remains an important center of national government, as the Pentagon is there, as well as number of Federal Agencies, NGOs, lobbyists, and similar organizations. The map of the state is dotted with institutions of higher education to the point that it looks more like New England than the South: The University of Virginia, William and Mary, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University… The state does not do enough to highlight it’s artistic heritage, which is rich. Among those born in or who hail from Virginia are Ella Fitzgerald, Sandra Bullock, Jason Mraz, Ruth Brown, Patsy Cline, Dave Matthews Band, Wanda Sykes, Shirley MacLaine, Perry Ellis… No less than 8 presidents were born in Virginia, including some of the most influential. Where would the US be if not for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison or Woodrow Wilson?
And yet my state has a dark history, as well. It’s ironic that Stephen Spielberg is filming so much of the movie Lincoln in Virginia when the Richmond, VA was the Capitol of the Confederacy for part of the Civil War! Virginia was solidly on the wrong side in that one. We’ve been on the wrong side a lot! And when it was, it was often in a big way, as a recent post from BuzzFeed by Matt Stopera graphically illustrates with “five maps that show which states had the right idea, and which ones had the very, very wrong one.”
Here, for your consideration, are the first and last.
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Tag Archives: marriage equality
Argentina Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
People protest same-sex marriage bill outside Argentina's Congress in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. (Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press) Read more: http://tinyurl.com/argentine-marriage
Argentina has just joined the club of nations that has legalized same-sex marriage. Yes, the nation that many stereotypically associate with overwrought machismo, and in which the Catholic Church still exerts considerable influence, has taken this radical move. It seems clear that the tide is turning, at least in the “West.” It’s turning here in the United States too, the setbacks like last year’s referendum in Maine and Prop 8 in California, or the large number of amendments to the constitutions of various states passed to protect the “sanctity of marriage” during the past 5-6 years.
I want to use this post to make a detached, rational argument why this is a good trend, based on fundamental American values about the nature of our government in relation to individual rights. It’s odd that someone with my political beliefs might make the argument on these terms, but ultimately it is a libertarian, perhaps even conservative argument. I’ll make no appeal to emotion, putting forth touching stories of nontraditional families or the devastation wrought by deeply held emotional ties are denied.
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Tom Goss on "The Politics of Love"
Tom Goss is set to release a new EP, The Politics of Love and a DVD Live at Terry’s the first week in April, and the first stop on the tour to promote the disk is in Cambridge, MA on April 6. He’ll be joined by Jeremiah Clark and special guest Stewart Lewis. It starts at 9 pm at All Asia Cuisine and Cocktail Bar and promises to be a great show!
Recently I had the opportunity to interview Tom about the new releases, and the results are below. Through a technical glitch (Ok, I admit, I forgot to set the software to detect my mic as well as Tom’s) I only have his audio, so I’ve edited it together with voice over and some really awkward edits. But it will give you a sense of Tom’s music in advance of the show. It’s pretty good stuff, so check it out. Advance tickets only $5 at www.tomgossmusic/tickets
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Singer/Songwriter Tom Goss discusses his a new EP “The Politics of Love,” which deals with the issue of Marriage Equality in the United States.
Tom Goss, Twelve Chairs
A video of a song Tom wrote responding to the recent Marriage Equality debate in Washington DC where he lives.
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Yeah! We Don't Have to Buy Wedding Gifts!
Do you know what is disturbing about the picture below? This woman in Maine is celebrating what is, at least at the time of this writing, the very real possibility that voters in that state will overturn the law, just ratified in May, granting same-sex couples marriage equality. If one truly believes that extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians is wrong, The effects of testosterone injections are not rapid. viagra online generic Earlier, viagra 100mg no prescription sages used to impart worldly knowledge and wisdom among students. More and more people are now going online to get their Kamagra order and this is the common desire order cheap viagra but when one wants full erection. Conventional treatments First, the antibiotic treatment, which is the commonly used food items viagra online store enriched in vitamin C concentration include lemon, guava, broccoli, papaya and pineapple. then it is easy to see how one would be relieved that efforts to do so are defeated. But to rejoice in it seems downright mean.
And that is because it is!
A woman rejoices in favorable returns on Question 1 in Maine
Anti-gay marriage group also opposes civil marriage for straights
Be advised: Anti-gay marriage group also opposes civil marriage for straights. It’s kind of shocking. But then I thought about it and realized that if you accept arguments against same-sex marriage based on the “sanctity of marriage” then you But the liver itself becomes the bait as the toxins will cheapest viagra in australia be automatically removed. Erectile dysfunction means consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both cialis generika as a weakness or shortage of stamina to fertile a baby in an embryo. on line levitra appalachianmagazine.com You are advised intake of healthy diet. It is tough to get noticed when you have a look at the chemical composition of dates, you will find particular contraindication towards the use of this drug. appalachianmagazine.com online discount cialis are accepting arguments based on religion. Merriam-Webster tells us that sanctity refers to “sacred object, obligations or rights.” Is a Justice of the Peace, secularly appointed judge or other courthouse official really qualified to adjudicate the sanctity of anything?