However, most days are more like…
Then you can think about the Wizard of Oz and everything will be better.
I found all of these on yummyoftheday.blogspot.com.
Time Management
First of all, the photo above has nothing really to do with the post, but I loved it and wanted to use it. That being said, I saw a tweet yesterday by my friend and fellow teacher Robert (@seminole94) that said, “At some point this school year I’m going to feel like I’m ahead of the game. I’m guessing that’ll be around June.” I feel the same way. The Rolling Stones may have sang “Time is on my side, yes it is,” but I don’t often feel that way. Time is not on my side, no it is not. I was in the midst of writing a post for last night, and I realized that it was going to be a fairly long one with a lot of editing and it had already grown late, so I decided that I’d postpone it for another day, either Friday or Monday.
Anyway, there’s a lot going on and I’m just trying to keep my head above water without wearing myself out in the meantime.
Michael Sam and the NFL’s Homophobia
Michael Sam was cut by the St. Louis Rams over the weekend. Over the following 24 hours, no other team had decided to claim the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL. Then came the news that the Rams didn’t choose him for its practice squad. Though NFL watchers believed his options are dim, it appears Sam could be picked for a practice squad for another team this week. Sam flew into Dallas last night to take a physical for the Cowboys today, a source has told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. If Sam passes his physical, the Cowboys intend to sign him to their practice squad, the source said.
There have already been lots of arguments on social media, and it will continue this week, over whether or not Sam being cut from the Rams represented homophobia in the NFL. The Rams spent a seventh-round draft pick, No. 249 overall, on Sam in May’s draft. He put together a solid preseason performance, coming up with 11 tackles and three sacks. In Thursday night’s preseason finale against Miami, Sam finished his preseason work with a team-high six tackles.
Frankly, I’m astounded that anyone can even debate whether he was cut because of homophobia or not. Only one SEC Defensive Player of the Year was not drafted in the first (or at least early) rounds of the draft, that player was Michael Sam. You don’t become the Defensive Player of the Year in the toughest conference in NCAA football without being a player worthy of the NFL. However, the NFL has a record of giving slaps on the wrist for ugly homophobic incidents and hiring known haters. The media, particularly ESPN, is pitiful and insensitive in reporting on LGBT sports issues.
We witnessed players tweeting hateful comments after Sam came out, and saw stories in the sports media quoting unnamed officials saying open gays would mess with the locker room “chemistry” and that the NFL just wasn’t ready. Even if we accepted that Sam’s performance wasn’t up to par and that that was the sole reason for his fate, there is nothing beyond the hollow words of NFL officials to suggest that if he were “good enough” he’d be playing — and much to suggest otherwise. The most convincing argument in my book is hat the NFL wants to shy away from controversy and media attention over LGBT issues. They don’t want bigoted NFL fans screaming at their TV about “faggot” teams because they have gay players. Racism played a similar role just a few decades ago in professional sports. However, they are less equipped at dealing with homophobia then with racism.
Ross Tucker of the NBC Sports Network and many others wondered on Twitter why Sam hasn’t been signed to a practice squad despite his solid performance in the preseason (11 tackles and three sacks). Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood pointed to ESPN, and I thought the same thing when I heard the news. Earlier last week, ESPN reporter Josina Anderson discussed Sam’s showering habits when asked on “SportsCenter” about how he was fitting in with his teammates. In that segment, Anderson speculated as to why Sam was showering alone. ESPN later apologized for the report, saying in a statement that “we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports.”
Despite the apology, Rams coach Jeff Fisher ripped ESPN and called Anderson’s piece “very, very unprofessional.” After releasing Sam — who spoke publicly about his sexuality for the first time in interview with ESPN and The New York Times back in February — Fisher told reporters that the 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year was not a distraction throughout the team’s training camp.
There are many who are saying Sam was more than good enough to play in the NFL. The Rams gave Sam a fair shake, drafting him late when many sports commentators thought he’d be drafted earlier, based on his college performance. Already it seemed like general managers were fearing him. Whether he was cut because he was not what the Rams needed doesn’t explain why he was not chosen for their practice squad or by another NFL team. I personally don’t understand he reasoning behind this other than homophobia. Even the experts on the NFL (something I’m certainly not) agree that this doesn’t make sense.
Adam Scheftler of ESPN tweeted:
12 players had 2.5 or more sacks this preseason. 10 are on 53-man rosters. One on practice squad. And last, Michael Sam, hasn’t found work.
And here’s Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report:
It can’t be stressed enough how Sam not being signed despite a productive preseason is almost unprecedented. In my two decades of covering the NFL, it isn’t just rare; it’s basically unheard of for a player to not make the league after playing well in the preseason. A player who produces like Sam did almost always makes it on some roster in the league, either on a practice squad or a 53-man roster… In interviews with a number of team officials, I can’t find one who will actually say to me, “He can’t play.” They all point to the media and say he’s too big a distraction.One general manager told me, “Teams want to sign Michael Sam but fear the media attention.”
The NFL is a league that tolerates homophobia, the lofty words of its officials notwithstanding. San Francisco 49er Chris Culliver saw no suspension for saying gays shouldn’t even think about coming out — sent to sensitivity training, the feeble penalty we’ve seen in similar instances with players. Special team coordinator Mike Priefer of the Vikings said all gays should be put on an island and “nuked,” and got a three-game suspension — two if he goes to sensitivity training. Just imagine if he’d said that about Jews or any other group. Would he still be on that team?
And the New York Giants got away with hiring former giant David Tyree as director of player development, a man who campaigned against gay marriage as “tyranny,” supported an “ex-gay” therapist on Twitter just a few weeks ago and has a “spiritual mother” (and co-author and business partner) who is a leader in the extreme New Apostolic Reformation, which believes homosexuality is an abomination and that Christianity needs to take over government, media, Hollywood and sports.
The lack of sensitivity in the NFL got proof last week when the Minnesota Vikings and former punter Chris Kluwe said they had reached a settlement averting a lawsuit over Kluwe’s claim that the team wrongfully released him last year because of his outspoken support for same-sex marriage rights. Under the deal, the Vikings will donate an undisclosed sum of money to five gay rights-related charities over the next five years. Kluwe said he won’t receive any money as part of the settlement. Most people settle if they think there is a chance they may lose the lawsuit. For me this settlement is an admission of guilt.
Worse still, there’s no real pushback on homophobia in the NFL. GLAAD has sadly become a joke when it comes to taking on defamation, particularly within sports. The LGBT group defers to the gay ally groups working with the teams, like You Can Play, co-founded by Patrick Burke, a straight man who has a foot in the door of professional sports, working for the NHL. These groups do not see it as their role to hit hard against the teams and the leagues, working to educate from inside.
The Human Rights Campaign, though a Washington lobbying group, clearly saw a void in GLAAD’s negligence and rightly sent out a blistering press release about the Tyree hire a few weeks ago, only to be slammed by Burke, the straight guy lecturing the gays on how they should criticize homophobia.
So, there’s no real pressure from the outside, certainly not like the sustained pressure we’ve seen on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding domestic violence, which at least forced him to finally change course last week, even if it will require continued pressure. Or like the corporate and political pressure, even from U.S. senators who signed a letter, to get the Washington Redskins to change its racist name. Until we see that kind of shaming from the outside regarding homophobia in the NFL — a non-profit, by the way, which gets all kinds of tax breaks — until LGBT groups and politicians stand up and take it on rather than cowering, homophobia will continue to get a pass.
Michael Sam and his boyfriend, 23-year-old Vito Cammisano from Kansas City, Mo. Both were athletes at the University of Missouri, where Cammisano was on the swim team.
A Gift
A Gift
By Amy Lowell
See! I give myself to you, Beloved!
My words are little jars
For you to take and put upon a shelf.
Their shapes are quaint and beautiful,
And they have many pleasant colours and lusters
To recommend them.
Also the scent from them fills the room
With sweetness of flowers and crushed grasses.
When I shall have given you the last one,
You will have the whole of me,
But I shall be dead.
About This Poem
“A Gift” was originally published in Lowell’s second collection of poems, Sword Blades and Poppy Seeds (The Macmillan Company, 1914).
About This Poet
Amy Lowell was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1874. Among her honors is the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Lowell died in Brookline in May of 1925.
The Unofficial End of Summer
Though summer isn’t quite over, and if the heat wave Alabama is currently having is any indication, we have quite a ways to go. But for many people, Labor Day marks the end of the summer season. Schools used to wait until after Labor Day to start back, but I don’t know any schools that do anymore. For educators and students, our summer has been over for nearly a month, if not more. I had a busy but wonderful summer and I hope all of you did as well. Here’s to looking forward to the cooler temperatures this fall. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend, maybe some of you even went to Southern Decadence in New Orleans. One day I’m going to make it down there for that.
I’d originally planned a longer post for today but I’m having Internet issues here on the lake, so this will have to do.
Children of God
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
1 John 2:28-3:3
We come first to a section on the privileges of the children of God. Quite simply, those who are children of God have confidence with God, a theme that is repeated often in the First Epistle of John. Such repetition suggests that the readers may well have lacked this confidence, and John wishes to instill in them a vibrant conviction of their salvation. At the least, the return again and again to the theme of assurance points to the beliefs and experience of the author himself. He affirms that in Christ we can indeed have confidence with God, and he has experienced this in his own life.
If God’s blessings are sure and secure, why must believers be commanded to “remain” and to continue in their faith? Do these commands suggest that these readers can lose their status as God’s children? Are they in danger of facing God’s judgment? These various commands, which urge continued steadfastness, are not intended to frighten the readers or to suggest their inadequacies or failures to abide in Christ. Quite the contrary, these words encourage them to continue faithfully in the direction that they have been heading all along. The command admonishes them, but it does so by affirming them in their present course. They have abided; they must continue to do so. Encouragement and exhortation are joined together.
When we continue faithfully in relationship with God, we can be confident and unashamed before God when Christ comes. These two adjectives suggest opposing positions: one will either come into God’s presence confident or one will come in shame. The shame of which the elder speaks is not the shame that believers sometimes imagine that they will or ought to feel in the presence of one who is righteous and pure. It is not embarrassment for those things which we have done wrong. In fact, it is not something that believers are expected to experience at all. Rather, the “shame” that is spoken of here is the disgrace or rejection that unbelievers will experience when they come into judgment. And, in context, those who come into such “disgrace” are those who do not “abide.”
The command (“abide in Christ”) functions in two ways. On the one hand, it exhorts readers to continued faithfulness to God as God is made known in Christ. Yet, on the other hand, it is a promise. For it promises to those who continue in their commitment to God that nothing will bring them to shame at the judgment. In this light, the statement you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of God seems both out of place and possibly even at odds with the promise of confidence before God. For who truly “does right” just as Christ is righteous?
Two points must be noted. First, the statement serves to remind readers that righteousness is not simply an intention or feeling, but is manifested in deed and truth, in the moral quality of one’s life. Righteousness is the responsibility of those privileged to be God’s children. Second, righteous behavior provides confirmation of our relationship with God. Righteous conduct does not make us God’s children. Rather, such conduct is the consequence or expression of a relationship that already exists. Privilege carries with it responsibility. This leads directly to reflections on the designation children of God.
Three important ideas are inherent in the assertion that we are God’s children: First, it is by God’s initiative and power that we are born as the children of God. We do not bring about this relationship any more than a newborn baby caused its own birth and gave itself life. Second, that God calls us children of God inaugurates a reality that will be brought to its fruition at a future time. Again, as a newborn baby lies in its parents’ arms, they see it with eyes of hope, possibility and promise. A newborn’s birth is not the goal of its existence; its growth and maturity are. Third, that we are God’s children is evidence of God’s active and creative love for us.
The world’s failure to recognize Christians as God’s children could refer to a general lack of understanding on the part of unbelievers as to what Christian life and claims are all about. In the historical context it may also refer specifically to the failure of the dissidents to accept the claims of the early Christians. But John reminds his readers that such lack of recognition should not surprise them, for the world did not recognize Jesus’ relationship to God either. But even as there will come a time of public manifestation and recognition of Jesus, so there will be a full revelation of what the children of God will be. If we are God’s children now, even though the world does not recognize us, what we shall be someday is not known even to us. But since God’s children are to reflect God, and since we are promised that when we see God we shall be like God, we can assume that what we shall be someday brings to fullness and completion the identity that we now cherish as God’s own children.
As GLBT Christians, we are often not recognized as Children of God by many who call themselves Christians, but that does not lessen our faith. We must continue to follow God’s word and strengthen our relationship with God. God gives us the promise of eternal life in exchange for eternal faith. These promises give us hope. My most fervent hope is that one day all Christians will recognize the faith of GLBT Christians. Christianity will be a true rainbow faith that encompasses all who believe, and we will cease judging others, since only God may judge. I know it is not something that will happen quickly, but we must become more accepting of everyone for Christianity to be what Jesus established.
Hope can’t be hurried. Hope is like a baseball game. Once a runner gets on base, it may take several other hitters before the runner can make it home. The next hitter my strike out or be called out on first. The next may get on base and the first hitter will advance to second. And so it goes. We want a home run every time, but sometimes we must be patient. We want a grand slam every time the bases are loaded, but sometimes we are only able to hit one runner in. Hope can progress slowly. It can take time, but if you’re a fan of baseball, you know to never lose hope. God wants us to be like good baseball fans, no matter how slowly things progress, we must keep hope alive. As Children of God, hope is what abides our faith.
Jason Mraz
I was watching this week’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” and Jason Mraz was the musical guest. I love Jason Mraz. His voice is so sexy and smooth, and he’s so damn cute. I said that to a friend of mine, and he said Jason had to be gay or bisexual. He said, “Jason Mraz has a cock tattoo tramp stamp. What straight man gets a tattoo like that?” I have to agree with him there, even though Mraz identifies as straight.
Mraz is a social activist whose philanthropic efforts span wide-ranging issues, including the environment, human rights and LGBT equality. In 2012, he was featured as the first-ever straight man on the cover of Instinct magazine in recognition of his efforts in support of LGBT rights. The Jason Mraz Foundation was established in 2011, with a mission to support charities in the areas of human equality, environment preservation and education. Organizations supported by the foundation include VH1’s Save The Music Foundation, MusiCares, Surfrider Foundation, Free the Children, Life Rolls On, the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the True Colors Fund, which promotes LGBT equality.
In May 2010, Mraz attended the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, a 1000 person event to acknowledge the late Harvey Milk, and was so moved that he took to his myspace blog to talk about the importance of equality.
When I was in high school, I experienced being bullied. For whatever reason, there were a few students that enjoyed calling me ‘f****t’ as I walked thru the lunchroom. On one occasion, just before graduation, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and picked up a few punches, kicks and scrapes to add to my story. I never knew why the handsome lads called me names or felt the need to bully me, but it happened and I let their actions contribute a great deal to my moving away from that community.
Shortly after the row, my best friend came out, sharing with his friends and family that he was gay. In my small town, this was uncommon and since then I’ve considered my friend to be the bravest man in the world. Aware of the hate within our community, I was afraid my friend might be inviting trouble to his door – but that never stopped him from being fully expressed.
This is why I am actively seeking equality for the whole. When all of us are acknowledged as the human equals that we really are, there will be no space left for bullying. It will no longer be wrong to choose one thing over another. Equality and Separation cannot exist in the same space.
Jason has always been vocal about feeling like part of the GLBT community. He told British gay magazine Attitude back in July 2003 on his first interview that he knew “this gay guy who I became really good friends with. We really enjoyed each other’s company. I mean, I’d do everything with this guy- I’d sleep on his bed, drive his car, share every moment of the day with him. On Valentine’s Day we ended up in this really nice French restaurant and we looked like a couple. All of the sudden it dawned on me that I had been dating him for the last two months!”
When asked if he had a sexual relationship with this gay friend, Mraz added “He was a gentleman, though, he never crossed the line.” When the interviewer asked if he wished the guy had crossed the line, he answered “Mmm, I don’t know, maybe. The thing with me is that I can fall in love with anyone, man or woman, it’s what is their head that counts!”
Mraz is truly phenomenal. I’ve mentioned the book The Return before, and Mraz’s statement remind me of a passage from the book. One of the characters has a theory that sexuality is becoming increasingly fluid and in several generations sexual orientation will no longer exist as people fall in love with people regardless of gender. I don’t know if I agree with that theory, but sexuality is definitely becoming more accepted, and I do believe a day will come when sexuality is not an issue and we can all be as open and free as we want to be.
By the way, if you have been watching “So You Think You Can Dance,” I hope that you are pulling for the amazing dancer Ricky Ubeda. He is incredibly sexy and, of course, talented. I’m really rooting for him to win.
Still Yucky
Though I do feel some better, I had a bad migraine last night and decided to go to bed early. So I’m taking another day off from blogging. Hopefully, I will feel much better by tonight and be able to actually write a decent post for tomorrow.
Feeling Yucky
I think it’s my allergies acting up. I woke up (well wake up is not the right word because without coffee, in not really awake) yesterday just feeling yucky. Just tired and achy all over, but not fever or flu-like, just achy. I went on to school, and it was an okay day at school, in fact some classes went exceptionally well, but I never did shake the yucky feeling. I’m hoping today will be better. I don’t want to be coming down with anything.
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