Sunday, September 25, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Before DADT Repeal, Gay Soldier Comes Out on YouTube...
ABC News’ Elizabeth Kreutz reports:
Just hours before the official end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy prohibiting gays from serving openly in the military, a U.S. solider decided to come out in perhaps one of the most open ways imaginable: YouTube.
In the video he posted Monday, 21-year old, Randy Phillips, under his handle “AreYouSurprised,” calls his father to tell him — as the video description says — “the hardest thing that gay guys will ever have to say.”
“You promise you’ll always love me? Period?” he asks his father, his voice shaking.
He takes a beat, and then says it: “Dad, I’m gay. I always have been. I’ve known for … forever.”
But this video is not his first. The “faceless soldier,” currently serving in the Air Force in Germany, has been garnering Internet fame since April, when he first began chronicling his experiences coming out, while serving abroad.
Six months ago he wouldn’t even reveal his face. But with last night’s midnight appeal of DADT, he’s slowly revealing much more. And using the power of the Internet as his guiding tool.
If there’s one thing he hasn’t been secretive about though, it’s his mission online, openly describing himself on Twitter as a “military member in the closet, using social media to build up the courage to come out to family, girlfriend, friends, and coworkers.”
“I am tired of hiding this,” he says.
And while he no longer has to, his story — and courage — has already touched thousands along the way. And as of 2 p.m. today, his video already had more than 3,000 likes and 30,000 views. And counting.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Cosmic Love…
A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes
I screamed aloud, as it tore through them, and now it’s left me blind
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart
And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat
I tried to find the sound
But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness,
So darkness I became
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart
I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart
Florence and the Machine_ Cosmic Love…
LANDSLIDE...
Took my love and I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes bolder, children get older
I’m getting older too, well
Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes bolder, children get older
I’m getting older too, well, I’m getting older too
So take this love and take it down
Yeah, and if you climb a mountain and you turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide brought down
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe, well maybe, well maybe
The landslide will bring you down
FREEDOM...
"Once you stop clinging and let things be, you’ll be free, even of birth and death. You’ll transform everything…And you’ll be at peace wherever you are.”
~Bodhidharma
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
End of DADT Repeal Scheduled for September 20, 2011...
WASHINGTON -- The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy will become history on Sept. 20, but for active-duty gays and lesbians planning to celebrate its demise, there are still plenty of do's and don'ts to keep in mind.
In a blog post Monday, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) released guidelines on the types of parties gays in uniform may attend under Pentagon policy. SLDN and other gay rights and political groups plan to hold celebrations in locations across the country to signal the end of the 17-year-old policy that bans open service in the military by gays and lesbians.
"Service members must remember that it is important to continue to obey the other rules and regulations that govern their conduct," wrote David McKean, SLDN's legal director. "Many service members want to attend these celebrations, and some might want to speak at them. The extent and type of participation will depend on the nature of the event as defined under military rules."
McKean spelled out the varying kinds of celebrations and whether they adhered to Defense Department rules on political activity:
We expect that most of the DADT repeal celebrations will be just that -- celebrations of the repeal of a bad law. No special rules apply to attendance at or participation in such events.
Service members, including those on active duty, should be able to attend these events as a spectator-celebrant and also to participate in them. They may wear their uniforms and speak as individuals about the importance of repeal to them personally and to the services generally. They may say that they are happy and proud that they now do not have to hide their sexual orientation, etc. They should not, of course, criticize their commanders (or past commanders) or elected officials or urge the election or defeat of candidates for office.
Because of their programs, however, other events might be considered non-partisan political events -- events relating to issues not identified with a political party. Such an event could be one that included, for example, speeches advocating LGBT equality and solicitation of contributions to LGBT rights groups.
A service member, including one on active duty, may attend such an event as a spectator and may participate in it, but may not wear the uniform and may not do anything to suggest official sponsorship or endorsement.
A third type of event is the partisan political event -- one relating to candidates representing political parties. We would not expect any of the DADT repeal celebrations to fall into this category. A service member on active duty may attend such an event as a spectator if not in uniform, but may not speak at or otherwise participate in it. A member not on active duty may participate, but only in a way that does not give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship or endorsement.
Finally, an active duty service member may not engage in fundraising for an LGBT equality cause or any other political cause at the DADT celebration if it is held on a military base or reservation.
In a blog post Monday, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) released guidelines on the types of parties gays in uniform may attend under Pentagon policy. SLDN and other gay rights and political groups plan to hold celebrations in locations across the country to signal the end of the 17-year-old policy that bans open service in the military by gays and lesbians.
"Service members must remember that it is important to continue to obey the other rules and regulations that govern their conduct," wrote David McKean, SLDN's legal director. "Many service members want to attend these celebrations, and some might want to speak at them. The extent and type of participation will depend on the nature of the event as defined under military rules."
McKean spelled out the varying kinds of celebrations and whether they adhered to Defense Department rules on political activity:
We expect that most of the DADT repeal celebrations will be just that -- celebrations of the repeal of a bad law. No special rules apply to attendance at or participation in such events.
Service members, including those on active duty, should be able to attend these events as a spectator-celebrant and also to participate in them. They may wear their uniforms and speak as individuals about the importance of repeal to them personally and to the services generally. They may say that they are happy and proud that they now do not have to hide their sexual orientation, etc. They should not, of course, criticize their commanders (or past commanders) or elected officials or urge the election or defeat of candidates for office.
Because of their programs, however, other events might be considered non-partisan political events -- events relating to issues not identified with a political party. Such an event could be one that included, for example, speeches advocating LGBT equality and solicitation of contributions to LGBT rights groups.
A service member, including one on active duty, may attend such an event as a spectator and may participate in it, but may not wear the uniform and may not do anything to suggest official sponsorship or endorsement.
A third type of event is the partisan political event -- one relating to candidates representing political parties. We would not expect any of the DADT repeal celebrations to fall into this category. A service member on active duty may attend such an event as a spectator if not in uniform, but may not speak at or otherwise participate in it. A member not on active duty may participate, but only in a way that does not give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship or endorsement.
Finally, an active duty service member may not engage in fundraising for an LGBT equality cause or any other political cause at the DADT celebration if it is held on a military base or reservation.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Tribal Tattoo History & Symbolism Part 1 of 5...
It all started with the Sun...the Sun God...every culture.
Since the dawn of humanity , Tattoos have been made onto both sexes to decorate, enhance, and modify the skin we inherit at birth. Some Tattoos are self-motivated expressions of personal freedom and uniqueness. Most, however, have to do with traditions that mark a person as a member or nonmember of the local group, or express religious, magical, or spiritual beliefs and personal convictions. We all have a undeniable need to belong, this is the most basic Tribal need, and the reason for the Tribal Tattoos renewed power. Tribal Tattoos have a simple appeal : we like the way they look on us, It reinforces a positive feeling about ourselves and connects us some how to an element of mystery and ancient activity.
Since the dawn of humanity , Tattoos have been made onto both sexes to decorate, enhance, and modify the skin we inherit at birth. Some Tattoos are self-motivated expressions of personal freedom and uniqueness. Most, however, have to do with traditions that mark a person as a member or nonmember of the local group, or express religious, magical, or spiritual beliefs and personal convictions. We all have a undeniable need to belong, this is the most basic Tribal need, and the reason for the Tribal Tattoos renewed power. Tribal Tattoos have a simple appeal : we like the way they look on us, It reinforces a positive feeling about ourselves and connects us some how to an element of mystery and ancient activity.
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