Comments on IM Training: Triathlon and Me: The Four Pillars of Hatred

I feel bad jumping in again, but... As a Utah Mor...

2008-11-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

I feel bad jumping in again, but... As a Utah Mormon (I'm also a little gray, but my hair's so short you can't tell).. If I could put a plug in for Utah. We're not all right wing biggotted freaks. Some of us like to think we're pretty close to normal, and think Mormon Church support of Prop 8 was a HUGE MISTAKE - sadly, we're also in the minority here.

There is a belief in Mormon theology that at some point, all Mormons will get told to go and meet up in Missouri. When that happens, I intend to stay and I would encourage you to visit. This place is as good as Boulder for altitude training, the scenery is magnificant, and the skiing and snowboarding are second to none.

Hell, I'd even offer to take you guys out for a drink with a couple of my wives!

[Just in case there is any confusion... I'm kidding about the wives, but not the drink!!]

OK, I'll be quiet now!

Very well written. WoW! I don't understand what's ...

2008-11-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

Very well written. WoW! I don't understand what's going on here in Cali either. Well Conneticut just legalized gay marriage so all gays who want to get married can go to conneticut or massachussets. Maybe the east coast will become the new gay mecca and california will become like Utah. Old. Grey. And Mormon.

If I may disagree with that last comment, with hat...

2008-11-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

If I may disagree with that last comment, with hate being the furthest thing in my mind :-)

Speaking as someone who experienced white hot hatred from someone who disagreed with me on one of the issues this weekend, I would have to say there are differing degree's of disagreement. I also had a very productive and respectful chat with someone who disagreed, but was prepared to see my point of view and I, theirs.

It's all in how they go about disagreeing with you, and how respectful you are of their point of view as well.

Just because someone disagrees with your point of ...

2008-11-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

Just because someone disagrees with your point of view does not mean they hate you.

Well said! I think that in addition to hatred, th...

2008-11-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

Well said! I think that in addition to hatred, this result is an indication of the power of fear and how easy it can be used to manipulate the ignorant.

You're right that the election reflected one step ...

2008-11-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

You're right that the election reflected one step forward for racial equality, and one step back for gay rights. I was just reading that the countries that allow same-sex marriage include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada. But if any U.S. state was to permit it, you would think it would be California.

Thanks, J.Tallen, it's not just about the marriage...

2008-11-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks, J.

Tallen, it's not just about the marriage thing. If some people's version of a loving God demands that I be alone for a lifetime because of predisposition outside of my control, fine. Those people are entitled to their opinion. I think the state should get its grubby mitts off marriage altogether. I have no problem with the idea of civil union.

But I can't stand this bullshit about "protecting" marriage. If protecting marriage was the driving force behind this legislation, we would already have more stringent divorce laws. This isn't about protecting an institution.

This is, like J said, about hate and fear. I'm not bothered by the fact that I can't marry; I don't know that I'd ever even want to. What bothers me is that the majority of Americans still bear so much hate and fear towards me. Towards us. In their eyes, I can never truly love. It can't happen. Any relationship I am in will always be (in their eyes) twisted, deformed, broken, inadequate.

It's heartbreaking, married or not.

You ought to understand it quite well. You love C...

2008-11-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

You ought to understand it quite well. You love Catherine and don't need a state license to say that. Marriage is a religious sacrament that somehow got tied to the State for no good reason and frankly shouldn't be. Marriage is a Judeo-Christian tradition and no matter how many times two people of the same sex say their vows they can never be wed in God's eyes. Thus they turn to the government to force churches to give them marital recognition. If the churches do not comply, the government takes away their tax-exempt status. If that's not an abuse of power I don't know what is.

Beautifully written. A sad topic, most of it, but ...

2008-11-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Beautifully written. A sad topic, most of it, but still, beautifully recognized and written.