In the meantime...

Whilst I wait for Caitlin to review the latest manuscript, and thus (hopefully) sending it off to the publishers for the massive bidding war (it is OPTIMISM abounds, right?) I thought I'd just wax philosophic here before I start the second book.

Topic:  Equality

Given that today Congress has repealed the Don't Ask Don't Tell law, I thought this an appropriate topic.  And a great day it is for equality.  We seem to be in the midst of a civil rights movement not unlike the sixties, when so much progress was made for our African American brothers and sisters.  Now we just have to make the same progress with those of different sexual persuasion.

But really, this is a blow to those who sought to oppress others whose views and lifestyles didn't match theirs - those whose lifestyles they didn't and could never understand.

Look, I'm married with three kids.  I could never in my life imagine myself kissing another fuzzy faced bristly guy on the lips.  Just ain't gonna happen.  But that's me.  And ya know what?  There are six billion other people on the planet who are all different from me.  If some of them are physically attracted to members of the same sex, I have no business even caring.  Personally, I look at the underlying benefit of such a relationship:  love.  And that, my friends, is something the world could DEFINITELY use a lot more of.

Now I understand some concerns from folks about sharing the shower stalls and sleeping quarters with men or women who might be attracted to you.  It's an uncomfortable feeling; ask any woman who's been oogled by men.  BUT, they have sexual harassment laws for that, and they apply regardless of the sexual preferences of the perpetrator.  The rare instances of that happening haven't prevented us from enlisting women, nor should it prevent us from allowing homosexuals to enlist.

The bottom line is this:  we are all equal because the one consistent aspect to every single human being is that we're all different.  Our unique characteristics define us as humans, and thus no one person more or less deserving of our honor and respect than another.  If a thousand men act a certain way, you can't say for sure the 1,001 man will act the same way.  So it is true with every person you meet.   Their characteristics, their mannerisms, their beliefs and their core spirit is not evident upon the first glance.  People can and will surprise you, if given the opportunity to do so.

We now have the ability to have gay men and women serve in the military proudly and without discrimination.  They bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and pride to the American military.  This is a great day for the advancement of the human race.  A great day for us all.

Write on!