Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
More Photos Of My Cancerous Bump
These photos were taken on Dec 14, 2012... I had a CT scan earlier that day and when I took off my bra I must of scraped it open. Mom decided to mark the border of it to show the growth... wish we thought of that as soon as we discovered it.
Posted by Michelle at 12/16/2012 04:25:00 AM 2 comments
Labels: Health, Lymphoma/Cancer, Me Stuff, Pics
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Cancer Update: 12/12/12
Back in October, actually October 2nd, I went for my last chemo session for this round on Brentuximab... after this session we would do some scans and determine if I appeared in remission or if we should continue with the chemo. The neuropathy in my fingers and toes were pretty bad; so my doctor talked me into not having the chemo that day, we would do a PET scan to determine if the cancer was still active and then decide if I could stop the chemo altogether or if we needed to just delay it, giving more time between sessions and giving my nerves a chance to recuperate.
She said she never had to talk a patient OUT of doing chemo before… I was concerned about the cancer coming back again. When I finished the round of CHOP last year and was “declared” as “appears to be in remission”, it was two weeks and the cancer on my arm had reappeared, then a few weeks after that it appeared in the lymph node under my right arm again… also spreading into my chest area and into my bone marrow in the pelvic area. So I had reason to be wary.
We were preparing for the PET scan when we were notified that Medicaid denied the request! I received a letter from the panel of their decision by certified mail… we had to sign for it! Unbelievable!! This NEVER happened before… I had been on Medicaid for six months and had just been renewed on Sept 11th. Evidently part of the change was the beginning implementations of Obamacare, such as the setting up of the “panels”. So I guess Republicans were not wrong…
Posted by Michelle at 12/12/2012 07:31:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: Fears, Health, Lymphoma/Cancer, Me Stuff, Pics
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Pravda Article: Obama re-elected by American illiterate society
19.11.2012
By Xavier Lerma
His popular articles can be seen at http://xlerma.wordpress.com/
Hyperlink to Pravda is mandatory if you republish this article.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Michelle at 11/22/2012 02:23:00 PM 3 comments
Labels: American History, Family/Friends, History, Me Stuff, Pics, Spiritual/Religious
Sunday, October 14, 2012
When I Say, "I Am A Christian"
When I Say, "I Am A Christian"
by Carol Wimmer
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting, “I’ve been saved!”
I’m whispering, “I get lost!
That’s why I chose this way”
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I don’t speak with human pride
I’m confessing that I stumble -
needing God to be my guide
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong
I’m professing that I’m weak
and pray for strength to carry on
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success
I’m admitting that I’ve failed
and cannot ever pay the debt
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I don’t think I know it all
I submit to my confusion
asking humbly to be taught
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible
but God believes I’m worth it
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache
which is why I seek His name
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I do not wish to judge
I have no authority
I only know I’m loved
Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Chemo Update
They canceled my chemo last Tuesday... neuropathy is more severe than they are comfortable with. They are going to set up a scan for next week, to see if any active cancer cells are still showing, then we'll go from there. The delay, hopefully, will give my nerves a chance to heal a little.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Apple's Shame II
By Cyril Chang, posted Sep 11, 2012 at 8:27 PM, 214,474 views
The Undercover Report on How the New iPhone 5 is Made Inside Foxconn Factory
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/front.jpg)
A Chinese news agency, Shanghai Evening Post, has sent an experienced journalist to slip into the Foxconn Tai Yuan factory and pretended as a new worker, his mission is to find out how the new iPhone 5 is produced. The Chinese journalist precisely recorded his 10 days of working experience in the factory and published a dairy to disclose the inside story of manufacturing the iPhone 5. The Tai Yuan Foxconn factory is recently well-known for it’s large-scale workers strike which took place during March. Back then the factory urgently needs 20,000 more workers because Foxconn has received orders for the production of iPhone 5. The plants needs to produce 57 million iPhone 5 for each year. Apparently, the journalist only stayed inside the Foxconn factory for 10 days due to the undesirable working conditions. He has undergone mean training during the first 7 days and finally got the chance to take part the producing of iPhone 5 on the 8th day …
UPDATE SEPT 24 – Part 1: Taiyuan Foxconn has gone strike !
UPDATE SEPT 24 – Part 2: We have got in touch with the undercover journalist.
Editor note: If you have no patience to read his orientation experience over at Foxconn, please skip to day 8 section for the detail on iPhone 5 manufacturing, that is the best part of the whole undercovered story. But we still highly recommend you to read from day one as there are many interesting inside stories about Foxconn working condition that we never heard before.
We have summarized and translated his entire diary as below:
DAY 1: Recruitment – “Good health with Citizen Identity Card”
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in002ap.jpg)
Recruit of new workers. (Photo Credit: AP)
I have contacted the person in charge of the Human Resource who’s handling the recruitment and I was told that I can work in Foxonn as long as I’m healthy and own a citizenship identity card. When I reached the entrance of Foxconn factory, I was approached by a so-called Foxconn security guard who asked for 100-200 yuan (USD$15-28) to provide me a faster way to start working in Foxconn, but I ignored him. I was asked to fill in a form to test my current state of mentality. There are about 30 mentality questions for me to answer “Yes” or “No” of how do I feel for the past 30 days. For example one of the questions they asked: “Have you got into a state of mental trance recently?” Finally after answering all the questions, other workers and I took a bus ride to the Taiyuan Foxconn factory.
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in001.jpg)
Foxconn factory in Tai Yuan, Shanxi province in North China.
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in003mail.jpg)
Foxconn provides basic dormitory for the workers. (Photo Credit: Daily Mail)
The first night sleeping at Foxconn dormitory is a nightmare. The whole dormitory smells like garbage when I walked in. It’s a mixed of overnight garbage smell plus dirty sweat and foam smell. Outside every room was fully piled up with uncleared trash. When I opened my wardrobe, lots of cockroaches crawl out from inside and the bedsheets that are being distributed to every new workers are full of dirts and ashes.
DAY 2: Signing Contract – “No environmental harm ?”
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in005.jpg)
Briefing on new workers during the orientation.
I was having my first breakfast in Foxconn canteen on the 2nd day morning when I heard a loud scream: “Fxxk! The food sux ! Don’t expect me to work overtime !” After the shouting, the same guy whispered that he will damage the bed at the dormitory before he quits. This might explained why there’s a large hole on my wooden bed plank. We were asked to sign the employment contract right in the canteen after the breakfast. The contract has highly emphasized on 4 confidential areas that need to be kept strictly confidential, 1: All technical information, 2: Sales figures, 3: Human resource, 4: Production statistics. The contract didn’t mention much on the overtime works. Under the section of “Possible harmful effects that may cause to worker during production”, the management has asked us to tick “No” for all of them. This includes “Noise pollution” and “Toxic Pollution”, I was wondering if the production floor will caused any harmful effects while working.
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in004.jpg)
The crowded canteen in Foxconn factory.
DAYS 3 to 6: Training Session – “All you need to do is OBEY”
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in006mail.jpg)
Worker’s dormitories have been framed behind safety wire that looks like bars.
(Photo Credit: Daily Mail)
The day after signing of the contract, we are being gathered in a hall and briefed with the history of Foxconn company, policies and safety measures. During the whole conference, we are being highly emphasized on one point: “When you leave the lab, there’s no advanced technology, you only need to obey instructions.” We are being distributed with a checklist with only 13 rewards policies but over 70 penalties policies. The instructor said: “You might feel uncomfortable of how we treat you, but this is all for your own good.” After that we are asked to watch an orientation video on the Foxconn factory. When someone has asked about the suicide issues, the management staff didn’t avoid the topic but not willing to discuss too much on it. During the suicide topic discussion, someone has voiced out that the bad living environment will sure lead to more suicides. Also I have noticed that all the windows in the dormitory has been framed behind bars.
Day 7: Break Time – “Release of Stress”
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in007.jpg)
Working in Foxconn might face heavy stress.
After the training session we are being arranged to start work very swiftly but it’s already night. We are only allowed to rest during the day time. After all the intensive trainings and briefings, I had a fever and terrible headache before I can even start work. I requested to visit the hospital in the factory, but there’s only one doctor on shift handling 4-5 patients at the same time. When I asked one of the nurse about how can I claim the medical checkup fees, the nurse rudely reply me: “Go and ask your boss ! “For the past several days, I have been to many Foxconn facilities such as dormitory, canteen, bathing room, playground, gym, hospital, postal office, library and shopping street etc. Although most of them are free of charge but the facilities seriously needs improvements. For example, inside the entertainment center there are 2/3 of the arcades games are malfunction. The so-called theater room only shows a screen shot picture of a meeting room. The most interesting part is out of the whole Foxconn factory, I can’t find a single place selling beer, sitting stool and poles for hanging laundry clothes.Over the weekends, outside at the playground, there’s a social gathering where all Foxconn workers gather and dance. The host of the party speaks through the mic: “We are all over stressed everyday and we are not allowed to shout on the production floor. Over here you can shout as loud as you want to release your stress.” One of my room mate has told me that he likes this weekly dancing party very much and he has found a girlfriend during the dance.
DAYS 8 to 10: iPhone 5 Assembling- “Do what you are told to do !”
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in009.jpg)
The production line in Foxconn.
We have reached the entrance of the production floor with a warning sign that says: “TOP SECURITY AREA”. We are told that if anyone enter or exit the metal detector door and found carrying any metallic stuff on your body such as belt buckle, ear rings, cameras, handset, mp3 players, the alarm will sound and you will be fired on the spot. One of my room mate told me that his friend has been fired because he carried an USB charging cable. When I walked into the production floor after passing through the metal detector door, I heard loud sounds of machinery engines and a very dense of plastic smell. Our supervisor warned us: “Once you sit down, you only do what you are told”. The supervisor finally present us the back of the iPhone 5 and shows it to all of us and said: “This is the new unleashed iPhone 5 back plate, you should be honored having the chance to produce it”
Our line is being assigned to use masking tapes and plastic stoppers to cover up the earphone jack and the connector ports of the back plate in order to prevent the paint from being sprayed onto it on the next process. Our supervisor asked us to put on our mask and gloves and see how the seniors work on it. At 11 p.m, we went for a supper and after midnight, we started work again. I’m being assigned to mark placement points on the iPhone 5 back-plate using an oil-based paint pen. I’m being scolded many times for spilling too much oil on the markings. My roommate has being assigned to paste the masking tapes of not more than 5mm wide on the right spots that I have marked. And he has being scolded many times for pasting them too slow. Our supervisor said that these works were actually being assigned to females workers with nimber fingers, but due to too many workers have resigned lately they have no choice but to assign these jobs to male workers.
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in008.jpg)
Most new employed male workers do not have nimber fingers.
An iPhone 5 back-plate run through in front of me almost every 3 seconds. I have to pickup the back-plate and marked 4 position points using the oil-based paint pen and put it back on the running belt swiftly within 3 seconds with no errors. After such repeat action for several hours, I have terrible neckache and muscle pain on my arm. A new worker who sat opposite of me gone exhausted and laid down for a short while. The supervisor has noticed him and punished him by asking him to stand at one corner for 10 minutes like the old school days. We worked non-stop from midnight to the next morning 6 a.m but were still asked to keep on working as the production line is based on running belt and no one is allowed to stop. I’m so starving and fully exhausted.By my own calculations, I have to mark five iPhone plates every minute, at least. For every 10 hours, I have to accomplish 3,000 iPhone 5 back plates. There are total 4 production lines in charge of this process, 12 workers in every line. Each line can produce 36,000 iPhone 5 back plates in half a day, this is scary … I finally stopped working at 7 a.m. We were asked to gather again after work. The supervisor shout out loud in front of us: “Who wants to rest early at 5 a.m !? We are all here to earn money ! Let’s work harder !” I was thinking who on earth wants to work two extra hours overtime for only mere 27 yuan (USD$4) !?
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in010abc.jpg)
Workers rushing their work flow.(Photo Credit: ABC)
On the next following day, we were all being treated the same way by our supervisors and all of us were very pissed. Every time we picked up the iPhone 5 components, we put it back on the running belt real hard and scold “fxxk” just to release our stress. One of the senior advised us to stop work on time at 5 a.m even if the supervisor ask you to over time, as this is not against the regulations. Among our batch of 36 new workers, only two workers were lucky enough to arrange work under the quality control inspection department, where they get to rest 10 minutes for every 2 hours work, unlike the rest of us who have to work non-stop for 7 straight hours. — (End of Diary)
Our Thought …We are confounded on the diary on how bad the living condition of the Foxconn workers at the dormitory and the kind of treatment they have received. Though it’s still interesting to know the workflow of manufacturing the iPhone 5 back-plate. Although there is no guarantee of the report’s authenticity, but we still feel that all Apple fanboys should appreciate the hard work from the Chinese workers, as they have worked overtime which is certainly underpaid, just to rush out the iPhone 5 hoping to meet the scheduled of the launching date. Now we are getting even more excited after roughly knowing the factory’s production workflow of the latest iPhone 5. So what is Apple going to show us after 20 hours time ?
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in011.jpg)
The original printed newspaper report on the under-covered. The published date is
on August 27th, we believe the under-covered may conducted in July.
SOURCE: Shanghai Evening Post (Chinese translated)
http://micgadget.com/29723/the-undercover-report-on-how-the-new-iphone-5-is-made-inside-foxconn-factory/
Here is the first post I did on Apple's Shame:
http://thecatladychronicles.blogspot.com/2012/02/apples-shame.html
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/front.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in002ap.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in001.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in003mail.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in005.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in004.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in006mail.jpg)
(Photo Credit: Daily Mail)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in007.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in009.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in008.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in010abc.jpg)
![](http://images.micgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/in011.jpg)
on August 27th, we believe the under-covered may conducted in July.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Cancer Update: BMT, Chemo, Neuropathy
Photo by Anne STA ~
Still no news on the bone marrow transplant, they are looking for a match.
On September 11th I had my 15th session of chemo. Was supposed to have one more on October 2nd, but they are considering extending it a little longer. With my neuropathy getting worse little by little, they are also considering either putting more weeks between sessions or maybe stopping for a bit to see if it subsides, then continuing.
I haven't talked with the doctor yet, but after this last session, the neuropathy took a big jump. It is really bad in my fingers, and not just the fingertip area, it has gone down to the second joint. I have a lot of trouble feeling things, the nerves are super sensitive, and I get bad pains zapping through. I don't use the computer much 'cause typing makes my finger pads start to hurt like they are smashed and bloody. My toes sometimes feel like they are hanging off like a loose tooth that needs pulled. The feeling is so real and a bit disconcerting... I have to actually look at them and check to make sure they're not. I'm concerned that most, if not all, of this neuropathy may be permanent.
I have been dealing with the discomfort and pain during the day by trying to keep my mind busy and concentrating on other things. I try to do what I'm able to and I watch alot of movies, news, tv shows. It's the night time that gets you... as you try to settle down to sleep and there isn't anything to busy your mind. Then you really feel the pains. Sometimes you want to cry, sometimes you feel like screaming because of the constant, neverending, relentless buzzing, zapping, shooting pains. My toes are so sensitive the sheets feel like razors or glass shards being dragged across them. My doctor gave me neurontin (gabapentin), but I had bad cramping with it. She then gave me percocet (endocet 5-325), which has been working for me at night. I take one tablet about two hours before bed. Sometimes I want to take two pills, but I know this drug can be addictive and can cause liver damage... so I don't. She has recently gotten me authorized for Lyrica, hoping that I wouldn't have the cramping with this... but I'm too scared to take it... the possible side effects and warnings are awful. Suicidal thoughts, becoming aggressive, swelling of the mouth, tongue, lips, difficulty breathing. **Yeah, not winning me over.**
Maybe I'll buck up and try it tomorrow.
I was also told to take magnesium, so I added that, plus some other vitamins and whatnot. Magnesium, Super B-Complex, Zinc, Align Probiotics, E & C, and a vitamin blend for people who take acid reducer pills such as Prevacid, Prilosec, etc. One of them or a combination of one or two is causing me severe cramping and diarrhea. I've had to stop taking them and tomorrow night I'm going to start adding them one at a time to weed out the culprit(s).
Posted by Michelle at 9/22/2012 03:24:00 AM 2 comments
Labels: Fears, Health, Lymphoma/Cancer, Me Stuff
Friday, August 17, 2012
Neuropathy Woes
The neuropathy in my fingers is getting worse... tonight I picked up a stack of (two) bowls from the cupboard, thought I had a good hold of them, but evidently I couldn't feel that I didn't quite have them or couldn't feel them slipping... not really sure since it happened so fast, and, of course, didn't feel it. It was almost immediate... the bottom one was laying shattered on the counter. :0 It was a little shocking 'cause it happened so fast! *lol* I told mom that maybe we better get some plastic dishes for me. ;)
Also, my hands, arms and legs shake alot... it's like the beginning stages of Parkinson's or something! :) Oh the wonders of chemo!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Article from: The Gospel Coalition - Gay Is Not The New Black
He makes some very good points. He takes the issues of "same-sex marriage" and the comparison of the "homosexual struggle" to the civil rights struggle completely apart and goes through it point by point.
Voddie Baucham is the pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, and a Council member for The Gospel Coalition.
From: The Gospel Coalition - Gay Is Not The New Black
It's hard to deny that homosexual marriage appears to be a foregone conclusion in America. This is a frightening prospect not only for those of us who understand marriage to be a testimony of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church, but also for all who value the family and its contribution to the well-being of society and human thriving. And while it's difficult to watch a coordinated, well-funded, well-connected propaganda strategy undermine thousands of years of human history, it's especially disconcerting to witness the use of the civil rights struggle as the vehicle for the strategy.
The idea that same-sex "marriage" is the next leg in the civil rights race is ubiquitous. One of the clearest examples of the conflation of homosexual "marriage" and civil rights is Michael Gross's article in The Advocate, in which he coins the now-popular phrase "Gay is the new black."1 Gross is not alone in his conflation of the two issues, however. At a 2005 banquet, Julian Bond, former head of the NAACP, said, "Sexual disposition parallels race. I was born this way. I have no choice. I wouldn't change it if I could. Sexuality is unchangeable."2
Nor is this kind of thinking exclusive to the political left. When asked by GQ magazine if he thought homosexuality was a choice, Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, replied:
Oh, no. I don't think I've ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there's a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can't simply say, oh, like, "Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being gay." It's like saying, "Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being black."3Even the California Supreme Court bought in to this line of reasoning. In a February 2008 decision they reasoned:
Furthermore, in contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual's sexual orientation---like a person's race or gender---does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.4 (emphasis added)The California Supreme Court, like Gross, would have us believe that the homosexual struggle for a redefinition of marriage puts them in the same category as my ancestors. However, they would rather you didn't take a closer look, lest you see how flimsy the comparison turns out to be.
Unidentifiable Minority
The first problem with the idea of conflating "sexual orientation" and race is the fact that homosexuality is undetectable apart from self-identification. Determining whether or not a person is black, Native American, or female usually involves no more than visual verification. However, should doubt remain, blood tests, genetics, or a quick trip up the family tree would suffice. Not so with homosexuality. There is no evidence that can confirm or deny a person's claims regarding sexual orientation.5
Moreover, the homosexual community itself has made this identification even more complicated in an effort to distance itself from those whose same-sex behavior they find undesirable. The Jerry Sandusky case is a prime example. Sandusky is accused of molesting numerous young boys during and after his tenure at Penn State. However, try placing the label "homosexual" on his activities and the backlash will be swift and unequivocal. "Pedophiles are not homosexuals!" is the consistent refrain coming from the homosexual community, media, academia, and the psychological/medical establishment.6
Hence, it seems same-sex attraction alone isn't enough to identify a person as a homosexual. And what about LUGS7 in college, or same-sex relationships in prison? Are these people homosexual? How about men who are extremely effeminate but prefer women, or those who once were practicing homosexuals but have since come out of the lifestyle (i.e., 1 Cor. 6:9-11)? In short, it's impossible to identify who is or is not a homosexual. As a result, how do we know to whom the civil rights in question should be attributed? Should a man who isn't a homosexual (assuming we could determine such a thing) but tries to enter a same-sex union be treated the same as a woman who isn't Native American but tries to claim it to win sympathy, or casino rights, or votes?
But this isn't the only problem with the civil rights angle.
Unalterable Definition
An additional problem with the "gay is the new black" argument is the complete disconnect between same-sex "marriage" and anti-miscegenation laws. First, there is a categorical disconnect. Miscegenation literally means "the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types." Ironically, the fact that homosexuals cannot "interbreed" shines a spotlight on the problem inherent in their logic. How can forbidding people who actually have the ability to interbreed be the same thing as acknowledging the fact that two people categorically lack that ability?8
Second, there is a definitional disconnect. The very definition of marriage eliminates the possibility of including same-sex couples. The word marriage has a long and well-recorded history; it means "the union of a man and a woman." Even in cultures that practice polygamy, the definition involves a man and several women. Therefore, while anti-miscegenation laws denied people a legitimate right, the same cannot be said concerning the denial of marriage to same-sex couples; one cannot be denied a right to something that doesn't exist.
It should be noted that the right to marry is one of the most frequently denied rights we have. People who are already married, 12-year-olds, and people who are too closely related are just a few categories of people routinely and/or categorically denied the right to marry. Hence, the charge that it is wrong to deny any person a "fundamental right" rings hollow. There has always been, and, by necessity, will always be discrimination in marriage laws.
Third, there is a historical disconnect. As early as the time of Moses, recorded history is replete with interracial marriages. In our own history, the marriage of John Rolfe and Pocahontas in the 17th century,9 along with the fact that anti-miscegenation laws were usually limited only to the intermarrying of certain "races" of people (i.e., black and white), stands as historical evidence of the legal and logical inconsistency of such laws. Thus, unlike same-sex "marriage" advocates, those fighting for the right to intermarry in the civil rights era had history on their side.
Fourth, there is a legal disconnect. One thing that seems to escape most people in this debate is the fact that homosexuals have never been denied the right to marry. They simply haven't had the right to redefine marriage. But don't take my word for it; listen to the Iowa Supreme Court in their decision in favor of same-sex "marriage": "It is true the marriage statute does not expressly prohibit gay and lesbian persons from marrying; it does, however, require that if they marry, it must be to someone of the opposite sex."
There it is: not only in black and white, but in a legal decision. Homosexuals haven't been deprived of any right. How, then, do those on the side of same-sex marriage continue to make the claim that this is a civil rights issue? The key is in the next paragraph:
[The] right of a gay or lesbian person under the marriage statute to enter into a civil marriage only with a person of the opposite sex is no right at all. Under such a law, gay or lesbian individuals cannot simultaneously fulfill their deeply felt need for a committed personal relationship, as influenced by their sexual orientation, and gain the civil status and attendant benefits granted by the statute.I feel the need to remind the reader that this is a legal decision, since phrases like "gay or lesbian individuals cannot simultaneously fulfill their deeply felt need for a committed personal relationship" tend to sound out of place in such a document. Further, this is asinine logic. For example, following this line of reasoning, one could argue, "I have the right to join the military, but I am a pacifist. Therefore, I don't really have the right (since it would be repulsive to me). Therefore, we need to establish a pacifist branch of the military so that I can fulfill both my desire to join, and my desire not to fight."
However, this reasoning is critically important in order to make the next leap in logic. "[A] gay or lesbian person can only gain the same rights under the statute as a heterosexual person by negating the very trait that defines gay and lesbian people as a class---their sexual orientation."
Unsustainable Precedent
Perhaps the most damning aspect of the civil rights argument is logical unsustainability. If sexual orientation/identity is the basis for (1) classification as a minority group, and (2) legal grounds for the redefinition of marriage, then what's to stop the "bisexual" from fighting for the ability to marry a man and a woman simultaneously since his "orientation" is, by definition, directed toward both sexes?10 What about the member of NAMBLA whose orientation is toward young boys?11 Where do we stop, and on what basis?
Homosexual advocates are loath to answer this question. In fact, they are adept at avoiding it (and are rarely pressed on the point). However, the further legal implications of court decisions about same-sex marriage are inevitable. Nowhere is this clearer than in Lawrence v. Texas, a decision that struck down anti-sodomy laws. In the majority decision, Justice Kennedy cited his 1992 opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey:
These matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime, choices central to personal dignity and autonomy, are central to the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State.12I have no legal training, and I recognize the limits of my ability to fully evaluate the implications of such a decision. However, I do take notice when Justice Scalia responds to this assertion by stating:
I have never heard of a law that attempted to restrict one's "right to define" certain concepts; and if the passage calls into question the government's power to regulate actions based on one's self-defined "concept of existence, etc.," it is the passage that ate the rule of law.13 (emphasis added)
Inescapable Confrontation
It is very important for those of us who oppose the idea of same-sex "marriage" to do so not because we wish to preserve our version of the American Dream, but because we view marriage as a living, breathing picture of the relationship between Christ and his church (Eph. 5:22ff), and because we know that God has designed the family in a particular way. While the design of the family promotes human thriving (Gen 1:27-28), the testimony points people to their only hope in this life and the next. As a result, silence on this issue is not an option.Unfortunately (and quite ironically), many Christians have been bullied into silence by the mere threat of censure from the homosexual lobby. "Oppose us and you're no better than Gov. Wallace, Hitler, and those homophobes who killed Matthew Shepard!" is their not-so-subtle refrain. Consequently, we spend so much time trying to prove we're not hate-filled murderers that we fail to recognize that the Emperor has no clothes. There is no legal, logical, moral, biblical, or historical reason to support same-sex "marriage." In fact, there are myriad reasons not to support it. I've only provided a few.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/07/19/gay-is-not-the-new-black/