What an Ass!

Maybe that is too weak. I can't stand the man. I hate the fact that he said the following things:

Bush wants marriage reserved for heterosexuals
'We ought to codify that'
Wednesday, July 30, 2003 Posted: 3:03 PM EDT (1903 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush indicated Wednesday he opposes extending marriage rights to homosexuals, saying he believes marriage "is between a man and a woman."

Bush said it is "important for society to welcome each individual," but administration lawyers are looking for some way to legally limit marriage to heterosexuals.

"I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think we ought to codify that one way or another," Bush told reporters at a White House news conference. "And we've got lawyers looking at the best way to do that."

Earlier this month, Bush said a constitutional amendment to block gay marriages might not be necessary, although the proposal has the support of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee.

The question of gay marriage has moved to the foreground of American politics after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that struck down state laws banning sodomy. Canada courts also have recently recognized gay marriages. In addition, the Massachusetts high court is expected to issue a ruling soon on whether the state can allow gay marriages.

The prospect has outraged religious conservatives, an important voting bloc in the Republican Party. And a recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll suggest the Supreme Court ruling has prompted a backlash: The number of people who have endorsed the idea that homosexual relations should be legal has dropped from 60 percent to 48 percent since the ruling, and only 40 percent of Americans say they now would support civil unions for homosexuals.

Even as he made it clear that he did not support the idea of gay marriage, Bush appeared to issue a call for tolerance.

"Yes, I am mindful that we're all sinners," the president said Wednesday when asked for his views on homosexuality. "And I caution those who may try to take the speck out of the neighbor's eye when they've got a log in their own."

"I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country," Bush added. "On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage."

A number of states have passed laws forbidding gays from marrying or barring the recognition of a same-sex marriage performed in another state. The federal government's 1996 Defense of Marriage Act affirms that states are not required to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another state.

The act also defines marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife."

Gay Marriage

Future of gay marriage lies in Mass.
Tue Jul 29, 6:51 AM ET
Richard Willing USA TODAY

Supporters and opponents of gay marriage are bracing for a Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that could open the door to same-sex marriages nationwide -- or slam it firmly shut.

The decision, in a case brought by seven gay and lesbian couples seeking marriage licenses, could come any day. It will be the first case asserting a right to gay marriage to reach a state high court decision.

Two court decisions in June have pushed the issue of gay marriage to the forefront. The U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) invalidated state laws that banned consensual gay sex, and a court in Ontario, Canada, ruled that gay couples could not be barred from marrying there.

The Massachusetts ruling will apply only to that state. Even so, if the court rules in favor of same-sex couples, the decision likely will be used to attack ''defense of marriage'' laws that 37 states and the federal government have enacted since 1995. Those laws define marriage as a union of a woman and a man. A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would define marriage that way has been introduced in the House of Representatives but has not been voted on.

Legal observers on both sides of the issue say they suspect that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, generally liberal, will permit the licenses to be granted.

''It wouldn't happen right away, but over 10 years or so, (such a decision) has the real potential to change the nature of marriage,'' says Bill Duncan, who is counsel to the Marriage Law Project, a group in Washington, D.C., that supports preserving the traditional definition of marriage.

In the Massachusetts case, seven couples denied marriage licenses in 2001 are making two basic claims: that they are being discriminated against based on their sex, and that the state's constitution protects their right to marry, just as it does for heterosexuals.

Citing the long history of traditional marriage, Massachusetts disputes the claim that same-sex couples have a legal right to marriage. Preserving the traditional definition of marriage is good social policy, the state argues, because it promotes family life.

Courts in at least three states have refused to honor ''civil unions,'' ceremonies that gained legal status in Vermont in 2000. Civil unions confer many rights on gay and lesbian couples without granting them licenses to marry.

In April, a judge in New York became the first jurist to recognize the Vermont unions by allowing the partner of a deceased gay man to bring a survivor's lawsuit against a hospital in New York City.

Advocates of same-sex marriage say Vermont-style unions don't meet the legal and emotional needs of many gay and lesbian couples.

''Marriage is a gateway to over 1,000 federal protections, (such as) Social Security (news - web sites) survivors benefits, health care and pension benefits,'' says Josh Friedes, advocacy director for the Freedom to Marry Coalition of Massachusetts. ''And the word 'marriage' is deeply meaningful. Without it, you are stamping gays and lesbians as 'separate,' and . . . separate isn't equal.''

The court decision in Massachusetts could help make same-sex marriage a nationwide phenomenon. If Massachusetts sanctions such marriages, out-of-state couples could marry there and demand that their home states recognize the union.

Even if their state has a defense-of-marriage act, the couples could argue that the Constitution requires their state to recognize another state's official acts.

You're evil! Cold hearted! Very cruel! You were
the one who made the rings just so you could
trick nine stupid men into becoming your blind
slaves! You're a bad bad person, does that
make you feel better?


If You Received The One Ring, How Would It Affect You?
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Barbie...


You're Soroity Slut Barbie! You're easy and you're
really cheesy! Have fun with the entire
football team.


If You Were A Barbie, Which Messed Up Version Would You Be?
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"Bob Hope, ski jump-nosed master of the one-liner and favorite comedian of servicemen and presidents alike, has died, just two months after turning 100. Hope died late Sunday of pneumonia at his home in Toluca Lake, with his family at his bedside, longtime publicist Ward Grant said Monday."

HIEROPHANT
"the teacher, counselor,
consultant"
You are gifted in imparting information or
inspiring others. Committed to the concepts of
community, family, and cooperation, you want to
make things tangible. You have a deep desire
to share your creativity and have it seen as
well as to experience being stretched by new
experiences.


which major arcana of the thoth tarot deck are you? short, with pictures and detailed results
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Home

So, I called today to schedule furniture cleaning and ductwork cleaning. Furniture, because my brother and sister-in-law have cats, and the furniture they gave us is causing reactions in both Patrick and I. The ductwork, because whether a house is old or new, it gets lots of stuff in the ducts, and that needs to be cleaned out to avoid allergy/asthma effects.

We are almost done unpacking. Just part of the Den and living room to go. We should be done unapcking by this weekend. Done with decorating in the next month. The deck should begin soon, and the landscaping (lawn and sprinkler system) in mid-August.

You are Buffy! Or, Type Eight of the Enneagram's
personality structure: THE LEADER. You are
self-confident, forceful, dominating and
combative.


Which Buffy & Enneagram's 9 Personalities Are You?
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Moving

So, we spent Saturday moving, and then Sunday unpacking and moving things around. Thanks to everyonbe who helped. I am afraid to try and type up all the names, as I might miss someone... So, you know who you are...Thank you. Things are going well with the unpacking. The kitchen is settled, and the living room is getting there. The den and the bedroom need work though. Tonight we are working on the closet organizers, and possibly the den depending on how far we get in the closets. I met with the buyers of the new home on Sunday, and turned over our keys to them. We signed the paperwork to disburse the escrow account. We can use the leftover money and the buyers want their share. We will be sending out our new address and phone number soon. If you need it, email us.

The House

So, if you have been reading Patrick's Blog, you know what a fiasco our financing has been on this house. You are probably wondering if we have a house. The short simple answer is that we do. We closed on the house yesterday! It took 2 hours longer than planned, because the mortgage company was 1 hour and 20 minutes late in arriving. Then the title company had to fix the spelling of my name on all of the paperwork. So, we have begun to celebrate. We also moved some boxes yesterday and unpacked some stuff. We have boxes and packing material (paper to wrap dishes in and bubble wrap) available to our friends who are moving soon too. Let us know if you want it, and then just stop by and grab what is available.

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

You're not bisexual at all. In fact, you're
completely straight. So straight that we all
wonder if you're not in denial or something. I
mean, is anyone really _that_ straight? :p


How Bisexual are You?
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Laugh

http://www.bordergatewayprotocol.net/~jon/humor/web_animations/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf

Worth it. Trust me. It has sound, but is not obscene or anything. I played it for my boss.

House Fatigue

I am sick....sick to death of the friggin' house. Both of them. The new owners are calling to bother us about when we will be moving out of their house. The new house had a slight price change for landscaping allotment, and now the bank is giving us grief for it. I called to change the water bill to a new name and get a final reading. YCUA will only provide a final reading from inside the house. They won't use the electrnic hookup on the outside of the house. That would be too frickin' easy. So, we will need to be home Friday afternoon, waiting. I called to disconnect the long distance on the house, and I waited in a call cue (spelling?) for over 10 minutes, while I heard a recording about their exceptional customer service. *ARGH* I think I am gonna have a cow in the office.

Garlic Allergies

I received an email this morning from a woman whose son has a severe garlic allergy. She found my email from a link she found that Kristen had published. I have inserted our email conversation below.

Mary Beth:

I don't mind the email at all. Unfortunately for you, I have what would be classified as a mild garlic allergy. I get sick to my stomach and have diarrhea whenever I encounter it. I don't have anywhere near the reaction to it your son seems to have. Interestingly enough, I had no reaction to garlic until about 6 years ago (I am 31 now). It has been quite a change in foods for me. I used to love garlic. It was my favorite seasoning. It is still my partner's favorite food seasoning, but he has learned to cook without it for me, and just add it to his food afterwards. I can handle eating many of the products you listed with just a slight upset stomach, but garlic powder, garlic salt, or real garlic all make me very ill.

I have found eating-out to be dicey at best. Some places I tell I have a garlic allergy and they are not helpful at all, others say their food has none, and it turns out to, others will prepare something from scratch for me. This last type is rather rare. Generally, I encounter an annoyed look from the waitperson, who then says they will check for me. I think the best rule of thumb to apply to eating out, would be to say unless you are certain it is garlic-free, don't do it.

As far as cooking for yourself. We do this quite a lot. I have learned that I can often substitute onion for garlic in many recipes. Onion does not bother me at all. It still allows me to enjoy the 'savory' side of cooking, while not making me ill.

My friends, as you have seen, have been incredibly helpful. Among the group of us, we have two vegetarians, one person who is lactose intolerant, and me, with a garlic allergy. So, when we get together for dinner (fairly often), it is fascinating to behold the concoctions my friends can come up with that suit us all!

I wish I could be more helpful to you. I know you were hoping for more information than I can provide, but I do feel for the situation your family is dealing with. Perhaps searching for information on peanut allergies (I think much more common), would yield some insights into garlic allergies? It might more readily put you in touch with folks dealing with some of the same issues (anaphylaxis) compared to what I deal with.

Best,

Jarrod
-----Original Message-----
From: Story, Mary Beth [mailto:marybeth@intel.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 5:15 PM
To: jvankirk@umich.edu
Subject: Garlic Allergy


Hello,
I really hope you don’t mind me writing you (with all the spam these days, email can get annoying).

At any rate, my name is Mary Beth Story. I was searching for recipes on the web and came across one for garlic free bruschetta, posted by Kristen. She wrote that she made it for her friend who was allergic to garlic – you. So…..I followed the link in her recipe to your site and found your email.

I am a mother of two wonderful boys (3.5 and 1.5). An evening out to dinner with family and an ensuing trip to the emergency room resulted in the realization that Kevin, my youngest, has a life-threatening allergy to garlic. That nightmare started after he ingested a silver-dollar size piece of bread that had garlic in it (he was almost a year old and had been eating breads and crackers, ready to move to more flavorful foods). A blood test revealed that he has a class 5 allergy to garlic – anaphylaxis.

The doctors have said that because he has such a high allergy and is highly sensitive to the slightest amount, he will not grow out of it, but have to deal with it for the rest of his life. We now carry Benadryl and Jr. Epi Pens everywhere we go. Whew – what a blow for a parent to get…I have worried about it every day since.

Needless to say, I delayed introducing him to any new foods for as long as I possibly could. Eventually he needed more. That is when the allergy really hit me. I naively thought that by reading labels, I could just avoid the garlic. However, he has reacted to garlic in many foods that are not labeled (very frustrating), even canned mixed vegetables! That is when I decided I will just have to learn to cook from scratch.

I was what you would call an 'average cook', making many meals with the aid of pre-mixed seasoning packets, bullion, tomato sauce, soups, salad dressings, etc. I have since had to start learning how to make all these things from scratch. I have found it easier to make one meal that is garlic-free than to make one for the rest of the family and one for him. That way, I can freeze the leftovers for him to take to day-care for lunch (everything on their menu has some garlic trace in it).

Because I work full-time, I am constantly trying to find ways to make this task a little easier. With things like mayo, mustard, ketchup, soup, tomato sauce, sausage, etc…all containing garlic, it can feel very overwhelming at times. I am slowly gathering a collection of garlic-free recipes for our family (and eventually for him – I plan to teach him how to cook as he will have to cook all his own meals when he gets older).

I am hoping to get some information and/or advice from you on how you have been able to deal with your allergy to garlic. I am still very new to this and feel quite overwhelmed at times. I apologize for the length of this email, I should have gotten to the point a long time ago….I would be eternally grateful to any help you can give in sharing recipes, tips on eating out, or resources you have found useful. I guess even if you are not able to offer much, I though I would let you know that I am comforted to know that my family and I are not the only ones going through something like this.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

Mary Beth Story

Recipe I found:
Garlic-Free Bruschetta
I made up this recipe for my friend Jarrod, who is allergic to garlic. (there's the worst allergy ever!)
Posted by Kristen at May 13, 2002 05:32 PM

Odd Week

It is an odd week at work. We are in the "hurry up and wait" mentality right now. We are in the midst of yearend. Generally a very busy time. Right now, we are waiting for the bank to close out our June business, so that we may tie up the finances of the U. They close tomorrow, so today, we have nothing to do. I am twiddling my thumbs right now, and am planning overtime on the weekend. *sigh*

Catch-Up

Busy Busy Busy Weekend.

Thursday dinner with someone Patrick went to H.S. with, and then to the Matrix reloaded. The first half of which sucked, then it got progressively better.

Friday, we met up with Kristen and Jack, bbq'ed at their place because we couldn't make it to Lisamarie/Kevin/Corey's prior to "Capitol Steps" which started at 5:00. Their BBQ started at 3:00 or so. After the show, we drove by Jack and Kristen's new home. It very much reflects Kristen's desire for something more modern. It looks to have a beautiful back yard, but we really couldn't walk out there to look. Soon, we shall see it all! Jack seems very excited about the yard. Then we drove by our place. Walked through. Then off to eat dinner, and see a movie.

Saturday was gaming at the lake. That was fun. The gaming was good. The chat was good. A good time overall. I did share a small gripe on the way home. Matthew, Patrick and I chatted about it. We shall see how it goes. Mostly, it boils down to the guys in the game seeming to be playing supporting character roles, but we decided that is mostly just the current plot and should work itself out. The comment stemmed from the group of guys going after the Jewel, which was lost in shadow, and we contacted the girls while enroute. They decided to just go get it. They all seem to have the ability to move across all of reality incredibly quickly. It would have taken the guys months. Granted that the girls seem to be integral in the plot about the jewel, crown and sceptre. So, to get rid of my irritation with this, I sent Gareth (my character) off into shadow to pursue something else. He will attempt to locate the coven and remove it's head. That should fix things for my character. Overall though, the day was a lot of fun.

Sunday was shopping, shopping, shopping. Matthew, Patrick and I went to Novi/Northville and shopped at the "Great Indoors", which is essentially an enormous Bed, Bath and Beyond. We went there, a furniture store, and Cost Plus World Market. We chose a table. The Lugano dining table for us. So, that is settled. Thank God. I don't think Patrick and I could take one more day of shopping for tables. We are both burnt out on it. (Though we are checking one more furniture store tonight after work.) *shrug*

This morning, we dropped my car off at the dealership bodyshop to have a small dent and scratch fixed on the passenger side door, where someone hit the car. I won't get the car back until Wednesday. I will miss it. We also had the final walkthrough on the house today, and pointed out the problems. The builder shall fix everything, and we can close on the 16th of July. Patrick is taking the 17th and 18th off to arrange for delivery/installation of things around the house. We decided on Digital Cable with HBO and Showtime. We shall see if it is worth it. We also are having the garage door installed. Saturday the 19th, we move in. YAY!

Chair for Good Home

All:

Patrick and I are getting rid of the blue rocking/swivel chair in the basement. It is free to a good home. Let us know if you want it, otherwise it will be out at the curb this Monday.

Jarrod

The House

So, what's new, you ask? Well, we have carpetting. We have running water. We have working lights. Today, I stopped by the house, and they were cleaning. They have a whole crew in the house scrubbing it down. We are almost done. Yay! We have our final walk-through on Monday, July 7th. That will be good.

Tonight, we pack.

This Weekend

So, Saturday is Jack's AFDS game. We will be meeting at my house at 12:00 p.m. We will then be driving out to the Irish Hills to game at my folk's house while they are away. We will boat on the lake, and have a grand old time.