Genetics or Choice Does Not Change a Thing

Homosexuals have always walked a fine line between choice and genetics. If it is a choice then there is nothing “wrong” with them that medicine can fix but if it is genetics then they should be protected like any other class that has no choice (Race, gender, handicapped and age). There have always been studies and now there is the latest that tries to get it both ways.

Julio and Mauricio Cabrera are gay brothers who are convinced their sexual orientation is as deeply rooted as their Mexican ancestry. They are among 1,000
pairs of gay brothers taking part in the largest study to date seeking genes that may influence whether people are gay.

The Cabreras hope the findings will help silence critics who say homosexuality is an immoral choice.

If fresh evidence is found suggesting genes are involved, perhaps homosexuality will be viewed as no different than other genetic traits like height and hair color, said Julio, a student at DePaul University in Chicago.

Or maybe it is more akin to alcoholism, Down Syndrome, or infertility.

Julio Cabrera tries to link homosexuality to common genetic traits in order to get the best of both worlds. He tries to make homosexuality a common trait like the color of one’s hair. It would allow the movement to pursue an agenda to be protected as race, age and gender is protected but it might also put it under the umbrella of the Disabilities Act. That is where the fine line is too being walked, because if homosexuality is a genetic disability then there should be a push for a cure.

My personal view of homosexuality is that it is similar to alcoholism, sometimes genetic and sometimes choice. When it is pursued as a choice then there is some underlying psychological reason that pushes a person to an alternate life style, as with alcohol it is a form of escape. When it is genetic there is a “hard wire” that makes an individual pursue that path when exposed. As with alcohol there is only two directions a person can take, give in or a constant struggle against giving in. That is why they both need support if they take the path of resisting the urges. It is a situation that requires tough love not enabling or condemnation.

Eye Catching New

Just a few items that caught my eye as I looked around the different news sources.

Iraq Casualties Continue Decline in First Half of October
The U.S. casualty count in Iraq continued to decline in the first half of October, according to Department of Defense reports. Through the afternoon of October 15, the Defense Department reported that 15 U.S. military personal had been killed in Iraq since October 1. Thirteen of these were combat-related, while the other two were not. The most recent Defense-Department-reported death occurred on Oct. 12.

Problems remain ahead of EU treaty summit
15.10.2007 - 17:44 CET By Renata GoldirovaEUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – With only three days until EU leaders meet in Lisbon to adopt a new EU treaty, a number of issues are continuing to cloud the horizon.
EU foreign ministers at their final pre-summit talks in Luxembourg on Monday (15 October) left the contentious issues to the 27 heads of states and governments to work out a deal at the end of this week (18-19 October).

US Builds Bunker of an Embassy in Iraq
The United States is building a fortress in Baghdad's Green Zone to serve as its embassy. But the giant project may turn into a disaster as questions are raised about how the construction is being run -- and whether a self-contained bunker is the best approach to diplomacy.

OPEC raises forecast for oil demand
FRANKFURT: The price of a barrel of oil crashed through $85 on Monday for the first time as leading oil exporters said it was increasingly likely that the United States would dodge a recession - ensuring that U.S. demand would help keep the cost of crude high.

California to be the target of gun smugglers.

When I first read through this I wonder how it would actually dry up firearm sales but as I re-read is see that is exactly what it is designed to do.

The new law, AB 1471, requires information about a gun's make, model and identification number to be laser engraved onto the gun's firing pin.
Theoretically, the information would transfer itself onto the bullet cartridge when the pistol is fired, allowing police to match bullet casings found at crime scenes with the gun that fired the bullet.

If manufactures are unwilling to make the changes in production, then new semiautomatic pistols would not be sold in CA. That brings up the question about firearms purchased in other state and then brought into CA. Back to the original idea though, this will only really affect those who will follow the law in the first place, since it is relatively easy to circumvent this law. One could change out compatible firing pins or just as easy file down the pin to remove the laser engraved image.

Criminals will be able to remove the laser engraving in moments, using common household tools, the group said. And it would be easy for criminals to scatter microstamped cartridges from other guns at crime scenes to confuse police, critics say.

Criminals do not follow the law, hence they are criminals, so there would be a gun smuggling industry into CA that will spring up over night. Of course this is only currently aimed at semiautomatic pistols, so shotguns (truly the best home defense weapon) are untouched.

One idea is that only criminals use these types of weapons or at least are the predominate users but what about law enforcement? If manufactures are unwilling to take the steps to actually make these laser engraved firing pins, what will police do?

Middle East Marshall Plan

I posted over at WatchBlog in the Republican & Conservative forum about the need for a modern day Marshall Plan (MP) for the ME. What the MP boiled down to was an exclusive economical contract between the US and the European countries that took part (Russia was offered but declined). There was of course some requirements of the participants.

The United States offered up to $20 billion for relief, but only if the European nations could get together and draw up a rational plan on how they would use the aid. For the first time, they would have to act as a single economic unit; they would have to cooperate with each other.

The situation is not exactly the same of course. Europe was destitute and broken in so many ways. The US gave them around 13 billion dollars up to 1953 on the requirement they bought their good from the US.

The Marshall Plan, it should be noted, benefited the American economy as well.
The money would be used to buy goods from the United States, and they had to be shipped across the Atlantic on American merchant vessels.

With Iraq and Afghanistan the situation is not exactly the same. Iraq has the ability to produce and money making product and has already started but hasn’t gotten there yet. Afghanistan’s major export is drugs and that has to change.

So what could a ME Marshall Plan look like? First of all it has to be formal and for the world to see. It has to be enacted through Congress and participation is by choice. A complete renouncing of terrorism is an obvious requirement. Since it is an economic agreement, there has to be a contract for exclusive supplier and purchaser of goods between the countries. I say countries because all participates would essentially be creating a temporary and exclusive micro economy. For example let say that Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan agreed to join the US in a partnership. Iraq would be able to sell oil only to those four countries at market value. At first those countries would be buying a lot of goods from the US, but of course they would also be receiving aid to cover those costs. As their economies grow and become self sufficient, the countries may opt out or become a strong partner in the micro economy.
Unlike the original MP, there would be a military aspect to it also. This would in the spirit of NATO (which isn’t a perfect entity but it has done the job of stopping war in Europe). At first it would be heavily dominated by the US, but as training of other participating countries improved then the US’s role would decrease (Something that didn’t fully happen with NATO). Any military bases in the area would not be owned by the US but would be used as joint effort.

Another requirement would be that this would only be offered to countries that have some form of Democracy. This would be a big stumbling block for several countries but in the long run, having a large block of successful Democratic countries would be a huge influence to others.

One of the side effects would be ME version of the Cold War that would probably be closer to a Luke Warm War.

This just a pondering of single man in front of a computer so I am sure I have understate several thing, over simplified others and gotten many other just plain wrong but I still believe a overall strategy needs to be developed, enacted and put in front of the world.

Can We Believe and Trust

There has been a reaction by the different Christian establishments around the world to the Muslin outreach.

"This is [a] substantial letter which speaks of the unity of God from a Muslim perspective," he said. "It demands a substantial response which approaches the same theme from a Christian perspective."

Unfortunately there is a lot of ground to cover and trust is a big issue.

In their letter, the Islamic scholars acknowledged differences between Muslim and Christian views on Jesus. Citing verse 4:171 of the Koran, they said Muslims recognize Jesus as "a Messenger from God." (They did not quote the entire verse, however, which goes on to say "Allah is only one Allah; far be it from His glory that He should have a son." Also missing was 9:30, which reads in part, "the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah ... may Allah destroy them.")

There is an aspect of Islam that makes trust difficult. (Via The Big Picture)
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), page 79:

When it comes to unbelievers -- particularly those who are at war with Muslims -- Muhammad enunciated quite a different principle: "War is deceit."

Specifically, he taught that lying was permissible in battle

There is suppose to be no lying but only if both parties are Muslim. There is also the concept of a truce only lasting ten years. If this is a truce between Muslims and Christians, then we as Non-Muslims should only expect it to last for 10 years as they re-arm them selves and can attack from a position of greater strength. There is sound reason that Christian leaders are hesitant to embrace the letter. It is a thin line to walk, there desire for peace and guarding oneself against attack.

Followup:

Muslims in general believe that Christians are being mislead with the deity of Christ and that if we finally except that we are mistaken about the idea of the Trinity, then all can be forgiven. When the twelfth Imam returns, Jesus Christ will also be there to enlighten the Christians to there mistake.

Democrat Leader doesn't want to protect ID

Majority Leader Harry Reid supports identify theft or just he doesn’t understand the law.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday he supports a decision by a district court judge that halts new Department of Homeland Security rules designed to make businesses accountable for employing illegal immigrants -- but the senator seemed confused over the court decision itself.

Right or wrong (mainly wrong) SSN is used for proof of ID. I know this because I have moved several time and needed to use it in order to receive a new driver’s licenses, register to vote and get a passport.

Stopping illegal immigrants from gaining employment will do more to deter then any wall because there will be less of a reason for them to come in the first place. America is still the land of opportunity whether the person is here legally or not.

Update:
As one would expect Captain Ed has more.


Every time I start to add to this, I go off on a tangent so I am going back off and regroup on this subject. I will be come back to this so here is a little sample of the direction I am going.
I am totally for legal immigration, I am even for more of it but illegal immigration creates more problems than it solves. Right now the US has an extremely low unemployment rate which normally drives up wages as employers fight for qualified workers but when the cheap work force of illegal immigrants is injected in to the mix, that keeps wages lower for longer. Sooner or later the economy will start to decrease and unemployment will rise again

Inspired by John Cox

John Cox post a deliciously funny banner for a potential blog and made an offer to give it away. If i had seen it first, there would have been a strong possibility of a name change on my part, but I was several hours too late (at least it went to a dog). The poster formally known as Snowdog has launch his very own site called Free Range Honky and is already getting traffic. As I know, building traffic is a difficult thing but hopefully he will receive enough encouragement to keep going. So the best of luck to the poster formally known as Snowdog but now just a Free Range Honky.

Even though I was too late benefit myself, I also want to thank JC for being so generous.