The issue of the day: Gay marriage.

On the one side, we've got those who want a Constitutional amendment on the matter. The Federal Marriage Amendment. I'm personally quite glad it failed. Marriage has almost always been and should remain a matter of state law. I've got a long list of state and local issues that should never have entered the federal arena, and I don't care to make it any longer. The fact that it was even brought up in Congress was nothing but political showboating and p

Finally, I've received an answer to The Letter!

This from Georgia's governor Sonny Perdue:

Dear Mr. Dolan:
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me about the role of government in our lives. The freedom of which you speak is a precious gift, and it is the duty of those in public office to protect the freedoms of all citizens.

1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

3. Africans drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

4. Italians drink large amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

Words are fascinating, aren't they?

Take Fascism, for example. Most folks associate this word with Hitler and Nazis, and these days, it's all too often used as an emotional attack against the President by hyperventalating leftists who wouldn't know real Fascism if it bit 'em.

From my page-a-day calendar for yesterday:

In 1975, the head of the Federal Energy Administration flew around the country speaking to business and civic groups about the need to conserve energy. He spent $25,000 of the taxpayers' money on 19,000 gallons of fuel to spread the word not to waste so much money by using so much fuel.

Went into Publix tonight, and what did I see? Santa Claus waiting at the door. Green and red all over. Dessert samples and eggnog.

Especially your phone bills. At least, read the detail pages when you pay them.

See, my roommates and I don't have long distance service on our phone line, or any other services that cost varying amounts from month to month. So our phone bill is always the same, just over $32. I know this because I use Quicken.

Got a phone bill last night for $118. My eyes nearly popped.

What a fine night.

Went down to the semi-monthly Coffee House. Jazz and Blues was the theme this weekend. Ray Chesna gave the opening act, with some sweet guitar-picking and fine singing. Loved his Computer Blues. (That thing you're holdin', there in you're right hand.... It can't help you baby, it's just a mouse, it ain't a man.) Titled this journal after another great song of

Property and Order
by Butler Shaffer

Excerpt:

Here's my first ever contribution for the Slashdot Cookbook, desserts section. It's pure sweet-tooth satisfaction! I'll be baking a batch for the Coffee House this weekend.

Just a quick flash animation that I found to be rather well done....

And since I don't want this journal entry to be just one link, I'll just pass on some additional miscellaneous news I heard today. Seems there's this bar up in Edmonton, Alberta which has a problem. It's a sober bar, catering to recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. No alcohol sold.

What it is: The Stars on the Southern Crescent Coffee House

The Theme: Bluegrass Festival

The Nights: Friday, Sept. 26th and Saturday, Sept. 27th. Doors open at 7:45pm, show begins at 8:15.

The Place: The Fayette Family YMCA, 215 Huiet Road, Fayetteville. (Just off of GA-54, halfway between Fayetteville and Peachtree City).

The Performers: Just Us and Stranger 2 on Friday. Red Line Express and Counterpoint on Saturday.

Florida seems determined to get its title of "Most Mockable State" back from California.

It was bad enough when the state decided to remove high school diploma requirement for entering state universities, following a year with a dismal graduation rate. Bad statistics? Lower the standards!

A good friend recently posed a challenging question in e-mail and IM discussion. The topic: The tension between faith that our Heavenly Father looks out for us and the truth that bad things happen. I've heard that particular challenge before, and the best answer I've got is, sometimes a good parent has to let his/her child learn from painful experience.

The really tough question he asked was: What if God isn't as logical as we like to think?

The 74th General Convention is over, Rev. Robinson has been confirmed as a bishop, and moment-to-moment attention of the national 24-hour news networks has shifted away from the Episcopal Church to cover the circus in California. (On a tangent: Just saw Chicago this weekend. Great movie. The news media really is as portrayed. Razzle dazzle.)