In 1993, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” became law.  In a nutshell, homosexuals aren’t allowed to serve in the military but as long as you don’t tell us you’re gay, we’re not gonna talk about it. 

It all started way back with Leviticus 18:22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” 

Then again, the bible also states, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5) 

So, there’s a danger in taking some parts of the bible too literally.  I don’t think a cross dresser is headed for Hell just because he’s wearing a cute skirt.   

People are strong in their beliefs though.  The divide on homosexuality remains.  Check out this January 21 article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090121/us_nm/us_obama_troops_gay_1  

On one side, you’ve got folks like Specialist Joseph Watson who said, “Personally, I don't think being gay is OK” and Specialist Justin Scharan who claimed, "I'm Christian, so I really don't believe (repealing the ’93 law) is a good thing.”

On the other side, you’ve got former President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama. In his first term, Clinton tried to open the door for homosexuals but it was quickly closed again by the military. Now Obama has the law in his crosshairs. Check this January 7 article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090107/ts_alt_afp/usmilitarygays_newsmlmmd

Is the gay ban righteous in the eyes of God or is it another contrivance reinforced by a presumed connection to the bible (Ask any garden-variety racist about Ham) that we’re in the process of overcoming?  Fifty years ago, you would not have seen a black US president.  In fifty years, will gay folks be accepted in the military? 

Racism will never die outright.  There will always be some form of ignorance as there’s always room to learn.  But we all felt that seismic swell of optimism on January 20 when Obama became president. As a country, we have progressed.  Now, are we finally seeing that homosexuality is not synonymous with blasphemy?

The last quote of the January 21 article reads: "Put it this way: if they're willing to fight for their country, to me, it doesn't make a difference. Everybody has a right to defend their country, even if they are gay."

I’d cite who said that but he asked that his name and rank not be identified.  Would there be reprisals if he were?

The debate continues but I think I know who’s winning.

I love the Christmas Tree lot.  Present Day hasn’t caught up to it yet, y’know?  The chain link fence, the thick old Christmas tree lights, snow-sprinkled trees, Christmas music coming from some hidden spot, that weird funnel thing they’re shoving the trees through, the guy in the thin flannel jacket, blowing on his hands – it’s all still in the past somewhere. 

Kelly and I went to the lot in Allston the other night, quoting the Charlie Brown Christmas Special the whole way over.  “It’s not a bad tree.  It’s just needs a little love.”  I love how one Christmas ball disses Charlie Brown’s tree.  “Ugghh!  I killed it!”  Charlie Brown – soo heavy duty.  Kid had so many heavy thoughts and he was like, what?  10? 

So, we get down there and start looking for “the tree.”  There are always a few also-rans but invariably, there’s one tree that stands out.  That’s your tree.  Along the way, there’s the smell of pine and the tunes to put a spring in your step.  We find our tree and I take a page from my dad’s script, offering the guy a few extra bucks to tie the tree to the car.  On the walk across the street, I asked him how business was since the economy tanked.  “Oh,” he said, “it’s fine.  Y’know, nobody talks about how bad things are when they’re picking out a tree.  It’s like they just forget about it.”  He put the tree against the car, rubbed his hands together and said, “The tree is the one thing people will always buy.  They’ll buy less stuff, they won’t shop as much but the tree, y’know?  It’s different.  People buy it to feel better about things.  They’re gonna buy a tree to get that feeling, y’know?”  I did know.  I knew exactly what he was talking about. 

Radio Writes welcomes your holiday stories.  Click on the link below and fire away! 
On behalf of all of us here at Landing Fields, Merry Christmas.            

The dual demise of Lehman Bros. and Merrill Lynch isn’t the easiest stuff to understand.  Hedge funds, derivatives and bridge loans remind me of the explanations you get from I/T people.  I didn’t even want to finish the article I was reading.  It will all work itself out, I thought.  It always does. 

Then it hit me.  Was that the ultimate culprit behind the financial crisis – a lack of interest, here in the States, in the nuts and bolts of our economy?  Did an apathetic stance pave the way for, say, predatory lending?  What if we all knew a little more about our country's financial structure?  Would unemployment be so high?  Would companies be collapsing?  

I finished the article. 

We can all agree that knowledge fuels confidence.  In turn, consumer confidence stimulates the economy.  During an economic downturn such as this, it would then stand to reason that ignorance is a formidable germ.

It is imperative that we all start paying closer attention. The financial crisis is now at a point where we can no longer just let it all work itself out.  What would it mean if every one of us had a working knowledge of our economy?  I think it’s time we find out because we may be losing more daylight than usual in the next few months.    

In the September 16th issue of the NY Times, money management firm president Michael Lewitt wrote, "Regulators knew that if Lehman went down, the world wouldn't end. But Wall Street isn't remotely prepared for the inestimable damage the financial system would suffer if AIG collapsed."

Knowledge is our brightest light in darker times.

There have been a lot of comparisons between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq.  The clearest drawn parallels I’ve seen are in the documentary, The Fog of War.  I got to thinking about the biggest difference though.  Where are all the protests this time around?  The sit-ins?  The locked together intellectuals getting maced and thrown in jail?  The 12-string peace songs about times to rend and sew?  Yeah, there have been protests and some marches but not with the vehemence of our 1960s counterparts.  Have the iPODS, iPHONES and mySpace pages (me, me, me, I, I, I.  No “WePhones” on the market, kids) of the ME Generation lulled them into an ear-budded state of apathy?  I always thought so.  I always thought there’s too much easy-access distraction for kids nowadays to care. 

Then, the other day, my friend Lauren said that the blame doesn’t lie with all of the gadgets and internet shit that’s out there.  It’s the lack of a draft.  I never thought of that.  The LACK of a draft.  Is that why there were so many protests against the Vietnam War?  Is that why there was so much more spirit forty years ago?  Was is just another ME generation; one whose drive wasn’t iPhone but iDon’tWannaGoToWar?  Is that it?   I mean, there’s just as many drugs.  Learning to play an instrument is easier than ever.  There’s just as much hatred for Bush as there was for Nixon, maybe more.  Here we are with another unpopular war.  We still have folks in the armed forces coming home, splintered up.  Lots of parallels.  But where’s the rebellion?  Isn’t it just as justified now as it was in ‘69?  Yeah, like I mentioned, there have been folks out there handing out pamphlets and coordinating rallies.  But that guitar-fueled, fist-in-the-air, I-dare-you wave of resistance?  Nope. 

So, is it due to a lack of a draft?  If there hadn’t been a draft in the 60s, would it have been “The 60s”?  Would the parallel lines be complete if the draft was reinstated?  I ask you, World.  Let 'em know.  Fire away.