tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108669852024-03-14T02:35:47.242-05:00BLOGARIFICAAll too often we forget that life is for the living! Experience what you came here to experience and grow from it! Pathetic people live a shell of a life and hypocrisy is unforgivable (people on the right take note)!Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1141117148050952572006-02-28T02:56:00.000-06:002006-02-28T02:59:08.076-06:00Front Page Coming Out in Texas<span style="font-family:verdana;">Do you remember when you actually exited the closet? Have you?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Well, let’s just say that my exit (if I was ever actually in the closet) was front page news. I had almost forgotten the details of this incident and was browsing Google when I came across the article.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">You can read it here: </span><a href="http://www.ClintThomson.com/ClintArticle.pdf"><span style="font-family:verdana;">http://www.ClintThomson.com/ClintArticle.pdf</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I will give you a brief outline of my coming out so that you can understand what is happening here.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><ul><li>4th Grade - Realize I'm gay and hook up for the first time.</li><li>8-10th Grade - Running several "Boy-Friends" simultaneously.</li><li>10th Grade - Move to the States. (Arlington, Texas to be exact.)</li><li>10th Grade - Attend Lamar High for one year.</li><li>11th Grade - Transfer to Martin High.</li><li>11th Grade - Confirm close friends suspicions about my orientation. Deny to everyone else.</li><li>11th Grade - Participate in the above mentioned article.</li><li>11th Grade - Everyone reads the Metro section (Who Knew?!)</li><li>11-12th Grade - Endure absolute hell at school and actually skip most of the problem classes in favor of the mall (Dallas Galleria - 1hr drive)</li><li>12th Grade - Attend night school to make up missed classes in order to graduate.<br />And finally leave Martin High (Spelled H.E.L.L.)</li></ul><p>Hope those bitches are working in Food Service now!!<br /> </span></p>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1138986858874611152006-02-03T11:13:00.000-06:002006-02-03T11:15:05.413-06:00Dallas Traffic Court - Eeew<span style="font-family:verdana;">Ok, so I have just had my first experience with traffic court in Dallas. JT and I showed up, filed in through metal detectors and proceeded to a poorly decorated, florescent lit room with church pews. The room reminded me of the waiting room at a greyhound bus station. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />The pews were hard as rock and there was a curious urine and alcohol blended stench which appeared to be reeking from one of several individuals that were in our immediate vicinity. The man in front of us appeared to be incubating a flesh eating plague and a woman near the front appeared to be hiding some fresh facial bruises with more make-up than a rose-room drag queen.<br /><br />Ruddy, disheveled and flustered traffic attorneys spoke with those defendants that had actually acquired representation. They looked like car salesman at a Ford dealership and I suspected that this would be the beginning of a very long day for them.<br /><br />Our attorney was taking the case as a favor to me. She usually handles criminal cases including murder; however her partner is a good friend and insisted that we have the absolute best representation, even for a simple speeding violation.<br /><br />She was perfectly attired and manicured with a charcoal dress suit and black heals. Her hair was short and styled in a neat yet sophisticated manner. She carried herself with confidence and grace to the front of the court room and placed her black briefcase on the defendant's desk.<br /><br />The Judge was a seemly jovial character who enjoyed his work and was appeared quite content to sit behind the bench and hand out relatively insignificant judgments against motorists.<br /><br />Today was our lucky day. The rain and imminent arrival of President Bush to Dallas kept all of the traffic officers from appearing before the court and the Judge dismissed every case for lack of witness. We waved to our lawyer and skipped merrily away from the wretched place and back to our comfortable middle income lives.</span><br /></span>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1134502927747942432005-12-13T13:42:00.000-06:002005-12-13T13:42:07.746-06:00New Pictures Posted - Attitude After Dark<a href="http://www.clintthomson.com/2005PhotoArchive/AfterDark/default.asp">New Pictures Posted - Attitude After Dark</a>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1134502823588328562005-12-13T13:40:00.000-06:002005-12-13T13:40:23.623-06:00New Pictures Posted - Sailing in Bariloche - Patagonia<a href="http://www.clintthomson.com/Flashalbum/Sailing%20in%20Beriloche/index.asp">New Pictures Posted - Sailing in Bariloche - Patagonia</a>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1128024696693361892005-09-29T15:07:00.000-05:002005-09-29T15:11:36.700-05:00It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want To!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20006.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20010.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20005.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20007.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20008.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%20008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%200111.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Birthday%20Flowers%2005%200111.jpg" border="0" /></a>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1127943856712164992005-09-28T16:34:00.000-05:002005-09-28T16:44:16.723-05:00Dallas 2005 Pride Parade<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20067.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20067.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20065.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20065.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20057.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20057.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20055.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20055.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20042.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20042.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20021.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20020.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20020.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20010.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20004.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"></div>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1127944027822671362005-09-28T13:45:00.000-05:002005-09-28T16:47:07.823-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%200691.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%200691.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%200721.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%200721.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20076.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20076.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/1600/Pride05%20086.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/400/Pride05%20086.jpg" border="0" /></a>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1120596064373484422005-07-05T15:41:00.000-05:002005-07-12T11:52:42.623-05:00Goodbye P-Town<p class="mobile-photo"><img width="320" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/unnamed-image-1-764373.jpg"/></p>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1120571328138184032005-07-05T08:48:00.006-05:002005-07-22T15:16:31.743-05:00P-Town Fireworks<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20030.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20030.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20033.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20033.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20235.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20235.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20111.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20111.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20123.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20123.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20129.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20129.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20162.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20162.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20176.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20176.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20199.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20199.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-Town%20Fireworks%20233.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-Town%20Fireworks%20233.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br />Last day in P-town. We catch the ferry at 3PM and arrive in Dallas at 10:50, if all goes well.<br /><br />It’s sunny this morning and a bit warmer than last night. About 7 last evening the breeze picked up and it cooled down considerably. At about 9, we stood on the back porch of one of the rooms here at the B&B that faces the water and waited for the fireworks to begin. The wind was actually chilly. We sipped wine and drank Cape Cods, appropriate, huh? The fireworks were surprisingly good and had to have cost a fortune.<br /><br />They shot the fireworks from a barge just off the pier. The harbor, where most of the sail boats are anchored, was between us and the barge. When the rockets exploded, the harbor lit up with whatever colors the firework produced. Most had several colors in succession, and the water, the boats and masts, and the pier itself glowed in the same sequence of colors, before fading again into darkness. Many of the rockets produced no real spray of color, but just a startling flash that lit the whole harbor followed a few anxious seconds later by a deafening retort, exploding across the water and echoing through the town behind us.<br /><br />Our stay has been relaxing, refreshing, and fun. All in all a great break from Dallas.Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1120506602674486192005-07-04T14:50:00.000-05:002005-07-04T14:57:46.640-05:00Independence in Provincetown<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%200451.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%200451.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%200081.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%200081.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%200101.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%200101.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%200161.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%200161.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%200181.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%200181.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%20022.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%20022.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%20027.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%20027.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%20028.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%20028.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownG%20041.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownG%20041.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I am feeling particularly patriotic today, not in that tugging at the heart strings nostalgic way like when I was a kid, but in that deep-rooted conviction sort of way like I used to feel for my religion. It is not confidence in an act or action or even a result, it’s not about prevailing or dominating. It is confidence in an ideal. <br /><br />If I look at the action of my government over the past three years, I am disappointed and disheartened. In a time when we needed men of conviction and moral strength, we got selfish opportunists. At a time when we needed to reinforce our core beliefs, we jettisoned them in favor of reactionary responses.<br /><br />But I still believe in the values that have made our country great, and will make it great again: equality, freedom; that we have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that government is instituted among men primarily to promote those goals, and not to promote corporate greed or religious dogma; that our forefathers established a nation not a church.<br /><br />The United States is nothing except its ideals and the people that hold them. It is a living, evolving entity that was not created in 1776 and set in stone thereafter. It is continually recreated with every generation, every congressional session, by every court decision and every presidential election. Given time, what has been done, can be undone and what is left undone until now can still be accomplished.<br /><br />The US is potential and hope, nothing more but certainly nothing less. We can reach our potential and keep hope alive, or we can horde and conserve and let greed and selfish ambition ruin hope for all future generations. <br /><br />Progressives have hope, and optimism in the future. Conservatives have fear and distrust the future. Conservatives think now is as good as it is likely to get so they horde all they can for themselves. Progressive think now is just the beginning of a bright shining future worth investing in for all our citizens. <br /><br />A man without optimism and hope is nothing but an animated corpse. He is dead, he just doesn’t know it yet. Eventually, the grave will call, and he will go down. The trick is to keep him from pulling you in with him.<br /><br />So I have hope today, hope that we can once again be the great nation we have been in the past, hope that we will, once more, return to our core beliefs and ideas. Our future is in expanding the hope of all our citizens for today and for the future. Our obligation is not let a shortsighted, self-centered powerful kill hope for our future.</span>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1120433995375565082005-07-03T18:39:00.004-05:002005-07-03T18:50:00.086-05:00All The Colours of The Rainbow<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownC%20001.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownC%20001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownC%20009.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownC%20009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownC%20010.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownC%20010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownC%20017.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownC%20017.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownC%20019.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownC%20019.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownC%20026.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownC%20026.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownC%20041.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownC%20041.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownD%20006.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownD%20006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownD%20010.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownD%20010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownE%20005.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownE%20005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownE%20013.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownE%20013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownE%20017.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownE%20017.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownF%20003.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownF%20003.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1120407137746757812005-07-03T11:07:00.000-05:002005-07-03T11:14:22.106-05:00Around Provencetown<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8892.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8892.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8829.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8829.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8833.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8833.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8843.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8843.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8862.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8862.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8866.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8866.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8868.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8868.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8875.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8875.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8879.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8879.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8883.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8883.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1120335547525935512005-07-02T15:15:00.000-05:002005-07-02T15:28:05.053-05:00P-Town Playground<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200121.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200121.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200181.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200181.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200251.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200251.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200161.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200161.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200111.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200111.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200101.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200101.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200361.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200361.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200231.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200231.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200321.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200321.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/P-TownA%200171.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/P-TownA%200171.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="left"><br />P-Town is one big party that spills out into the street, and I do mean “the” street, Commercial Street, the main street in town. When we exited the ferry, we walked along Commercial, me wheeling our luggage behind me and Clint carrying both backpacks. We were told the hotel was five minutes from the dock. They lied. We walked for at least 10 minutes hauling our overstuffed bags, intermittently asking our friends, breathlessly, “How much further?” I know, for you people who live in a walking city, 10 minutes is nothing. But we live in Dallas, a 10 minute walk seems as daunting to us a trek across the Sahara. The difference in this instance being the animals you cross along the way. Instead of cobras and camels, we saw ripped roid-boys and costumed drag queens walking shoulder to shoulder with straight families (whose kids, by the way, did not even seem to notice the extravaganza playing out before them).<br /><br />Commercial is a narrow street lined with typical Eastern seaboard, faded wood-framed houses, most of which were converted long ago to restaurants and t-shirt shops. But even with the commercialism apropos of it name, Provincetown’s main street still holds its old charm, from the clock tower of the Townhall to the long, narrow architecture of its waterside structures, it doesn’t take much imagination to place yourself back 200 years ago in this town at the end of the Cape.<br /><br />On the Townhall grounds, there is an arched granite wall about 20 feet long and 4 feet tall. It is a memorial to the war dead of Provincetown. The wall has four square panels about 3 feet by 3 feet. The first two are dedicated to WWII the third to the Koean War and the fourth has “Vietnam” at its top center, but then to the right, along the edge, they’ve squeezed in a heading that reads, “Pnanma-Greneda-Haiti-Gulf-Bosnia-Somalia-Lebanon.” At first, when I saw that all the panels were full, I thought, “How niave and sad. They never dreamed we’d have so many battles in so few years.” Then I thought how sad that they don’t even have room for the latest war—Iraq. I guess they’ll build another, and another.” Will we ever learn?<br /><br />Jeff and Ed walked to the top of the Pilgrim Tower this morning. It is a granite cut block structure built in 1907 to commemorate the landing of the Pilgrims. The tower rises thin and tall fom its 30 foot by 30 foot square base 150 feet into the air. Climbing the ramps on the inside turn corner by corner by corner, the only distractions are the few rectangular windows cut in the 3 foot thick walls give glimpses of the scenes belw, and intermitant placards or corner stones giving the names of various Massachusetts towns and when they were incorporated. Each placard was approximately 2 feet by 2 feet most with just the name of the town and a date like Boston 1648. But several had the original name of the city and a date, followed by “named changed to ______” and another date. One marker read, “Falls River 1640, name changed to _________, 1800, name changed back to Falls River 1832.” It made me wonder what was going on back then that led so many town to change their names, and in particular, what was happening in Falls river that made it change its name, then change it back, all in the span of 30 years. It all semed like such a waist.<br /><br />As they made our way back down the tower ramps, which seems to take longer than going up, we came across a place that read, Swampscott, 1630. I turned to Jeff and said, “Swampscott? What kind of a name is Swampscott? Of all that towns that should have changed its name, that was the one.” </div>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1118600764013519702005-06-12T13:26:00.004-05:002005-06-12T14:15:14.976-05:00Montreal Reflection<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8365.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8365.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8372.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8372.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8390.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8390.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8400.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8400.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8403.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8403.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8409.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8409.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8419.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8419.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8424.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8424.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8435.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8435.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8437.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8437.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="left">When I was six, my father took a business trip to Canada. He was gone only a few days, but knowing he was away bothered me, even at that young age. It also thrilled me thinking he was in a foreign country, a place far, far away. When he returned, I remember him showing me Canadian coins, one with an elk or caribou and one with a loon. Holding them made Canada real, and brought home to me that there was something more out there, another world waiting for me when I grew up and could travel on my own.<br /><br />Canada has held a fascination for me ever since. For a while it was the rugged beauty of its mountain regions, then the allure of its largest city, Toronto, described for years as a “clean New York.” I visited Toronto 15 years ago and it exceeded my expectations, energetic, modern, and yes, clean, it had welcoming warmth even though it was mid-December and snowing.<br /><br />But it wasn’t until last year that Canada took on a significance I never thought possible. For my entire life I bought the line that the United States was the home of the free. Prior to coming out and self-identifying as gay, I was able to delude myself that, that was, in fact, the case. But I know what other minorities have known for years, if not decades, that in the US you are only free is you are mainstream—white and Christian. Two years ago, Canada started allowing gay marriage. No matter how you react to the idea of two men or two women loving each other, you cannot deny that gays and lesbians are not free to marry and are not given equality in the US. When Bush talks about spreading freedom in the world, I laugh. He barely knows what real freedom is. He needs to spend more time spreading freedom in our own country.<br /><br />So when I came to Canada this time, I didn’t really think much about how I’d feel being here, in a country that truly treats me and my people as free and equal. But after being here, I can tell you the feeling is powerful and refreshing.<br /><br />As grateful as I am to Canada for recognizing that GLBT people have the right to freedom and equality, I am just as disappointed with the US for its bigoted, backwards adherence to prejudice and discrimination. I never thought I’d have to visit another country do fee true freedom.</div>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1118526406100994642005-06-11T16:46:00.000-05:002005-06-11T23:20:48.293-05:00Melting Like the Ice Caps in Montreal<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8358.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8358.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8351.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8351.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8344.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8344.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8341.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8341.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8324.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8324.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8321.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8321.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8311.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8311.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><br /></div>So Montreal is hot! No, I mean it’s hot, as in really, really humid and about 98 degrees. So much for that theory of coming to Montreal to escape the Texas heat. It has to be cooler in Dallas and at least in Dallas we have air conditioning. I know, it would have been better for the environment if air-conditioning had never been invented. It destroys the ozone layer which even wrecks more havoc on the environment. Generally, I am very environmentally friendly, but right now I’m just hot and all I can think of is how wonderful air conditioning is. We went to dinner last night at 9 PM. The restaurant seated about 20, so intimate, and when we approached the front door, we noticed a floor-stand oscillating fan twisting left, then right, then left again. My heart sank. We’d walked only a block and a half to the restaurant from our B&B in The Village, and were already drenched with sweat. At that point I wasn’t even that concerned about how great, or even adequate, the food would be, only that it be cool and refreshing and relaxing. Instead, we arrive only to find that their one and only air-conditioning unit, a long, narrow slit of a contraption high on the all near the ceiling, was broken. Since the only place to stand was just inside the door, we stood there awaiting our table. Unfortunately, we also happened to be standing between the fan and the patrons, many of whom looked up from there plates or away from their companions long enough to glare at us. We shuffled a bit to one side, pressing ourselves against the wall and tried not to block the flow.<br /><br />The restaurant is BYOB. We chose a Chateaux Nuef that turned out to need breathing, lots of it, and since the stifling heat made it hard for us to catch our breaths, I could relate. The food, however, was fantastic. I’d highly recommend it. I had the veal chop and Clint the duck.<br /><br />Today we visited Olympic Park. Again the heat was wilting, the Metro stifling. We saw the Biodome and road the funicular to the top of the Tower. The view of Montreal was hazy through the humid air.<br /><br />Tonight we are off to Old Montreal to a French restaurant there. The Grand Prix is in town this weekend and finding a reservation is difficult, but we are told the restaurant is superb and they definitely have AC. We called and made sure.<br /><br />As we were walking along Sainte Catherine’s Street this afternoon a scary thought hit me, “If it’s this hot here, a thousand miles North of Texas, this much closer to the North Pole, surely the ice caps must be melting at an alarming rate.” Clint nodded, wiped his brow with the back of his hand, and we slogged on.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8308.jpg"></a>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1118506183294677052005-06-11T11:09:00.000-05:002005-06-11T17:40:02.090-05:00Realizing Relief in Montreal<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8266.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8266.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8265.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8265.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8258.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8258.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8277.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8277.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8247.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8247.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8239.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8239.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8237.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8237.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8235.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8235.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8230.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8230.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_8285.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_8285.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Mid-way through a banking turn over Montreal last night as we made our final approach--the bright lights of the city stretching out beneath us, the Olympic stadium reaching up from the city like the raised command deck of a futuristic starship--I grew tearful, and I didn't know why. I've always wanted to visit Montreal, a French-speaking slice of the old world within three and a half hours of Dallas. I'd heard it was beautiful, energetic, and gay friendly with great restaurants, and night life. Just minutes earlier I was excited to be landing. Why the sadness? What changed? My mind sifted data trying to find the answer. Then it hit me. I wasn't sad so much as relieved or maybe a bit of both, but for different even if related reasons. For the first time in my life, I was about to land in a country where I was truly free and truly equal. I had not realized how tired I was from fighting, how stressed I was from the constant struggle. It's not like I think about it every day, but living in the US, perhaps especially in a Red State, is like existing in a constant low-grade state of siege, and it wears on us. One of the psychiatric associations recently called for recognition of our right to marry precisely because of the added stress our relationships are under due to the social stigma and lack of support structures. It takes a lot out of us, whether we realize it our not. I didn't realize it until my heart and mind gave an autonomic sigh of relief. I was sad for my country and the state it is in, how it has lost it's way and perhaps even it's soul. And I was relieved to know that we would soon be touching down in allied territory.Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1117479924972507012005-05-30T14:05:00.000-05:002005-05-30T14:05:24.976-05:00<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_0609.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #AAAAAA; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_0609.jpg'></a><br />War Protest In AtlantaClint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1117479863715442102005-05-30T14:04:00.000-05:002005-05-30T14:07:47.446-05:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/IMG_1324.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/IMG_1324.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />War Protest in DallasClint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1117148515987457642005-05-26T18:01:00.000-05:002005-05-26T18:04:37.933-05:00Bring Your Gays - Beheadings at 5:00<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/1024/churchsign.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/78/5996/400/churchsign.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Bring Your Gays - Beheadings at 5:00</div>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1116188876682133042005-05-15T15:27:00.000-05:002005-05-15T15:27:56.686-05:00Follow-up : My Letter to Microsoft regarding HB1515 and Microsoft's Stance on GLBT Policy<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Below is the response from Microsoft regarding my letter which is also listed below.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </span></font></div> <p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Microsoft <br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Sunday, May 15, 2005 6:00 AM<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Clint Thomson<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> CST191225xxxxD - RE:Microsoft.Com ContactUS</span></font><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Hello Clint, <br> <br> This is Farrah of Microsoft.com Customer Support. I apologize for the delayed response. <br> <br> Thank you for sharing your views with us. After considering views from all sides, Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, has articulated a clear policy that we will use to decide which issues will be the focus of our public policy activities. The company has thought carefully in developing these principles and has concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda. The company therefore will continue to support federal legislation that would extend existing law to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and will support legislation similar to HB 1515 should it come up in a future <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Washington</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> legislative session. <br> <br> Steve’s mail can be found on Microsoft PressPass at: <br> http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/misc/05-06-05StevebPublicPolicy.asp . <br> <br> Should you have other concerns, please feel free to write back. <br> <br> Sincerely, <br> <br> Farrah <br> Microsoft.com Customer Support <br> <br> <br> <br> --- Original Message --- <br> From: <font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>Clint Thomson</span></font> <br> To: <font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>Microsoft Partner Services</span></font> <br> Sent: Thu Apr 21 14:02:56 PDT 2005 <br> <br> To whom it may concern: <br> <br> I was very surprised by the change of direction from Microsoft on GLBT civil rights. Microsoft has removed support for House bill 1515, the anti-gay-discrimination bill currently under consideration by the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Washington</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> legislature. <br> <br> In response, our company will begin stocking and promoting competing server and productivity based software (Linux, Novel, Word Perfect, etc.) to all of our clients. <br> <br> I do hope that you will change your stance on this and other issues. We are a loyal reseller and have been so for many years. We are also a Gay owned and operated company that provides services to GLBT and straight clients and businesses. <br> <br> It is time to stand up against bigotry and hate. You have the power. <br> <br> I am very ashamed of Microsoft and I hope that you are equally ashamed of yourselves. <br> <br> Sincerely, <br> Clint Thomson <br> Celeratec Managed Services <br> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Dallas</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">TX</st1:State></st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1115881283367586552005-05-13T10:27:00.000-05:002005-05-13T10:30:54.473-05:00You Know You are a Fundamentalist Christian When ...10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.<br /><br />9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.<br /><br />8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.<br /><br />7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!<br /><br />6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.<br /><br />5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.<br /><br />4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."<br /><br />3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.<br /><br />2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.<br /><br />1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1115918751558757422005-05-12T11:39:00.000-05:002005-05-12T12:25:51.680-05:00My Thoughts on ReligionI was excited to see that someone intelligent actually read my previous post and provided some counter points to my "Top 10 Reasons Conservatives Push Religion". I wanted to clarify some of the points that I made, since it was really late when I wrote the previous post and I think it was a little blunter that it should have been.<br /><br />Before I take on his points, I want to clarify my position on religion, and Christianity specifically.<br /><br />History - I was baptized Catholic, and have attended Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, Catholic, Revivalist, and many other churches. Starting at the age of 8 and proceeding until the age of 16, I attended church every Sunday and was heavily involved in after church activities. I also attended a Christian boy’s year-round boarding school, where we said prayer at every meal, and twice a day at assembly. I have been "born again" three times, repented my sins, given my life to Jesus, and sung in the choir.<br /><br />My views on religion in general - Most religions spring from very lofty and wholesome ideas such as love thy neighbor, treat others as you would be treated, feed the poor, etc. The idea behind them is a good and loving one; however as with everything humans do, most organized religion has become co-opted and corrupted by power hungry, greedy, hateful people.<br /><br />My views on Christianity specifically - Christianity is religion based on the teachings of Jesus (Christ) of Nazareth, yet very few Christian leaders, permitted by Christians to represent them in the media and to the world, are anything like Christ. People like James Dobsen, Jerry Falwell and Fred Phelps draw no visible rebuke from the Christian community when they twist and bend the teaching on Christ to suit their needs and reinforce their points.<br /><br />Finally, Counterpoint to the comment of my previous post.<br /><br />>>2. Faith - I'm sure you have faith in some things or people. Does that make you ignorant? <<<br /><br />I have faith in people because I can see their actions, I have faith in things because they follow a defined set of rules. I have faith in these items because I can see, hear, feel, smell and taste them. Yet faith is not a good description for this, knowledge is better. I have knowledge of a person or item. I know what it will do (or likely do); I know what it is because I have experienced it using one of my senses. If God exists and created us, providing us with these gifts of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, do you not also think that he gave us thought to decide for ourselves about religion, the world and God?<br /><br />>>3. Hate - I know you're probably referring to Christianity when you say religion. Actually, Christianity teaches just the exact opposite. <<<br /><br />What Christianity teaches and what its students do are two very separate things (See Hypocrisy below). Think about the evil and vile things that have happened in our past and you can almost always link the majority of them back to religion and a lot back to Christians. (Iraq, Mathew Shepard, Salem Witch Trials, Crusades, etc.)<br /><br />>>7. The Bible - I guess since you weren't there you kind of have to have faith to believe that it wasn't written by God through these people. Can you prove that it wasn't? <<<br /><br />Can you prove that it was? (See Faith Above)<br /><br />>>8. Hypocrisy - A lot of Christians are hypocritical. They just go with the flow. But, not all Christians. <<<br /><br />Do you consider yourself a hypocrite? Do you adhere strictly to everything in the bible? Do you eat pork? Wear polyester or nylon? Burn offering to God? Masturbate? It seems strange to me that Christians will adhere to the parts of the bible and the teaching of Christ that are convenient for them while condemning non-believers to death or worse for not adhering strictly to every teaching or scripture.<br /><br />>>10. Blind Faith Followers - Again, if you're referring to Christianity you're wrong! Christianity commands just the opposite again. We are told to not blindly follow religious leaders. <<<br /><br />Again what Christianity teaches and what its students do are two very separate things (See Hypocrisy above). Also most American's are to lazy to do anything other than follow blindly, why do you think that Fox News is popular and viewers believe that it is actually real news?<br /><br />>>I don't understand why it's ok for you to hate a group of people (Christians) but then accuse them of the same thing. Weird. <<<br /><br />You misunderstand me, I do not hate anyone (except Tom Delay). I do not hate Christians, I just feel frustrated at their hypocrisy and ignorance. I am also sad that such a beautiful religion has become so corrupt and twisted.<br /><br />>>The problem is not Christians. The problem is people that call themselves Christians so they can try to use it to justify their own hate. Unfortunately, those are the people that you see on TV or read about in the paper. Not the real Christians that are following Christ and don't hate. <<<br /><br />This is an honest statement and I am glad that at least one Christian can see this. The problem is this, where are the Christian protesters, or real Christian leaders that stand up and challenge these charlatans?Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1115881106044926632005-05-12T01:58:00.000-05:002005-05-12T02:02:31.070-05:00Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Push ReligionI was Blog surfing and happened upon the following blog entry of a so called "recovering long-haired hippy freak that became a card-carrying member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy". The blog entry <a href="http://enlightenmentreactionary.blogspot.com/2005/05/top-ten-reasons-liberals-fear-religion.html">"Enlightenment Reactionary: Top Ten Reasons Liberals Fear Religion"</a> was just screaming for a sane response, so here goes.<br /><br /><strong>Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Push Religion (not any religion, just Christianity because the other religious are all false)</strong><br /><br />1. Fear - Fear motivates better than anything else in life.<br /><br />2. Faith - There is no reasonable argument against it. If something cannot be proven, then you should take it on faith. (Faith is another word for ignorance.)<br /><br />3. Hate - religion gives believers permission to hate others (gays, witches [1692], etc.).<br /><br />4. Funding - Organized religion is big business and they give heavily to conservatives.<br /><br />5. Deflection - Religious issues (gay marriage, Terri Schiavo) draw attention away from embarrassing mistakes. (Tom Delay!!)<br /><br />6. Proselytize - indoctrinated at an early age, most followers of Christianity learn early to indoctrinate others in order to get into heaven.<br /><br />7. The Bible - A book written by fallible humans with as much communication with god then as today provides written instruction on everyday life including government. (incidentally, only specific books of the bible chosen by some people in the church made it into the generally accepted print edition. * see Gnostic entry below)<br /><br />8. hypocrisy - Conservatives like to pick and choose the parts of Christianity and the bible that applies to them while all others are expected to adhere strictly to it. They believe that this gives them the right to tell others how they should live (no gays Leviticus 20:13 NAB) while ignoring parts of the bible that conflict with their habits, lifestyles or things that no sane person would adhere to in these times (Slavery Permitted [I Peter 2:18], Divorce [Mark 10:11-12], Child Abuse Permitted [Proverbs 23:13-14 NAB], Death for Adultery [Leviticus 20:10 NLT], No Sex During Menstruation [Leviticus 20:18NAB], etc, etc, etc). ** See what Jesus thought about hypocrites below.<br /><br />9. Power - Religion commands power and influence through the many people in leadership positions who believe and fear hell unless they comply with the will of the church. Conservatives like to tap into that power and abuse it for their purposes.<br /><br />10. Blind Faith Followers - Religion commands legions of Blind faith followers (see faith above) who vote for the candidate endorsed by religious leaders.<br /><br /><br />* Gnosticism is an ancient form of alternative Christianity which competed with the Catholic Church for the first 350 years of Christian history. You've probably never heard of it, because the Church wiped it out as soon as Roman persecution ended, and the Gnostic scriptures were not included in the "Bible." They were instead buried in a jar in the Egyptian desert, where they remained hidden until 1945. Ironically, many scholars now believe that Jesus himself was probably Gnostic!<br /><br />** There seems to be little Jesus of Nazareth hated as much as hypocrisy; he condemned it more than anything else.<br />Jesus also claims that hypocrites "have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23). Peter advised, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind" (1 Peter 2:1).Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1114117700360494302005-04-21T16:08:00.000-05:002005-04-21T16:10:05.100-05:00Microsoft Gives In to a Bigot and Gives Up On Gays!In response to this article (<a href="http://www.thestranger.com/2005-04-21/feature.html">Microsoft Caves on Gay Rights, Pressured by Evangelical Minister, Microsoft Withdraws Support for Civil Rights Bill, by Sandeep Kaushik (04/21/05)</a>) I wrote the following letter to Microsoft.<br /><br />To Whom it may concern :<br><br /><br />I am very disappointed and ashamed today. <br /><br />I am disappointed in Microsoft for allowing a Bigoted Evangelical Minister (Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond) to successfully pressure Microsoft (The largest and most powerful software company in the World) in to reversing their stance on House bill 1515, the anti-gay-discrimination bill currently under consideration by the Washington State legislature.<br /><br />I am equally ashamed to now tell people that my company is a Microsoft reseller.<br /><br />We have been a loyal partner of Microsoft for many years serving GLBT and straight businesses in our service areas and recommending Microsoft products and services. Oh, and did I mention that we are a gay owned and operated company?<br /><br />As a consequence of your actions today, we will begin more vigorously promoting your competitors products.<br /><br />I hope that you reconsider this decision and allow us the opportunity to resume our prior business relationship.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Clint ThomsonClint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10866985.post-1113918401309560242005-04-19T08:46:00.000-05:002005-07-22T15:25:44.850-05:00A Day in Colonia, Uruguay<p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_7079-701309.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_6976-701679.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_6990-702287.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_7007-702541.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_7025-703105.jpg" width="294" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_6989-703414.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_6996-703727.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_7023-704083.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7452/858/0/IMG_7020-704431.jpg" width="320" /></p><p class="mobile-post">A short ride by high-speed ferry sipping mimosas and peering out of a window onto the river, that is how our morning began yesterday. We were on our way to Colona, a small city located in Uruguay. Arriving after 58 minutes of smooth sailing, we disembarked to a quaint old village. We rented a couple of scooters and spent that day tooling around the village. A short drive up the coast, a small lunch in a side café, and a little "Zoom Zoom" all the way.</p>Clint Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421929180498416741noreply@blogger.com0