The Unclad Soul

The Supreme Court decision last week to prevent any state in America from denying the issuing of a marriage license to a gay couple remains controversial. The ruling is being misunderstood by many and twisted into something it isn’t by others. In spite of the fact some politicians, religious people, and conservative media pundits keep alarming everyone that the world is ending there is nothing in this ruling that in any way threatens religious liberty.  Heterosexuals will not be forced to marry a gay person. Heterosexuals will not be forced to attend a gay wedding. Heterosexual ministers will not be forced to perform a gay wedding in their church or anywhere else. Heterosexual marriages will not be invalidated. Life will go on as usual only now no state in this country can deny a gay couple from obtaining a marriage license. And county clerks cannot deny them because they say it goes against their religious beliefs. That does not matter. It is the law and they will follow ...

In the musical movie, “Oliver,” a crowd of orphaned boys march into the workhouse mess hall of the grimy orphanage they live in, singing: “ Is it worth the waiting for? If we live 'til eighty four All we ever get is gruel! Every day we say our prayer -- Will they change the bill of fare? Still we get the same old gruel! There's not a crust, not a crumb can we find, Can we beg, can we borrow, or cadge, But there's nothing to stop us from getting a thrill When we all close our eyes and imagine Food, glorious food! The boys march in line one by one and are each given a bowl of grey mush. They orderly seat themselves at a heavy wooden table. A grim-faced burly man dressed smartly in a colorful Napoleon outfit steps forward and prays, “May what you receive make you truly thankful!” After Oliver gulps the gruel he’s still starving. He dares to walk to the front to ask for more food. The burly man screams and Oliver is chased about the room by old skinny grey h...

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. ~ From J.R.R. Tolkien’s, “The Lord of the Rings” That is a great line, “Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” It speaks of allegiance, courage, self-determination. The people who really love this country will not be defeated by the cynicism of our current politics. Love of country can survive those who seek to belittle our Constitution with their obsessive greed and ruthless corruption. The Citizens United legislation that our right wing Supreme Court allowed, a Court completely sold out to their corporate cronies, is destroying our political system and the entire premise of the right to vote. By making it legal for corporations to dump billions of dollars into specific political campaigns with little or no accountability, we are then left with political outcomes that serve only the wealthy. They are the ones who ca...