pitts2112
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Posts posted by pitts2112
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Standing up for what you believe is right and not sanctioning unnatural behavior is not bigotry. It's called standing for your principles. Nor am I ignorant on the issue.
You had what sounds like was a very emotional experience with a gay dude. That's very sweet. Does that mean you had to accept his sexuality as normal behavior?
Absolutely. Because it is. It's as normal as being left handed which, while not common, is normal.
You're not ignorant on the issue. Glad to hear it. Is that lack of ignorance based on first-hand experience with gay people? How many times have you had a beer with someone who's gay and talked about it (and I don't mean the sex)?
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Neither convenient
No, I gathered your point. Mine remains valid. You, and others, are arguing that 'this' is the end of the matter. Now that homosexuals can legally marry, the issue is settled.
I don't think it is. I see many legal challenges arguing for legal equality and recognition of these different combinations using this same logic.
And they'd be correct.
As noted above, you (and those supporting the same including the Supreme Court) have substituted your opinion/values/judgement for what has been.
So you state that your opinion and judgement is the end of the matter? No other combinations can be or should be considered valid?
Convenient, if illogical.
Neither convenient nor logical.
The world evolves. Some of it, anyway. There was a time when stealing bread was a hanging offense. Should we go back to that because it is "what has been"? There was a time when the Irish weren't employable in this country. Let's go back to that.
On what basis do you believe your opinion is more valid than any other? - and don't quote the bible because that's just not a valid source.
And your logic is still false. This is one issue. It's not related to bestiality or bigamy or even cannabilism, for crying out loud. Each will have to be raised and dealt with in it's own time. Simply because inequality for sexual preference was rightly found unconstitutional, that doesn't lead to an assumption anything else will.
But let's take this out of the realm of mythology and personal opinion. it's not my values/opinion/judgement that has carried the day. It's against the very Constitution that you're defending to deny civil rights to people for what science is now telling us is a genetic condition.
I'll tell you where I'm coming from on this. When I was 22, I was as bigoted and ignorant on this score as you and some of the other guys here are. I had no respect for fags and didn't think they had any rights to anything, much less being in the military. I even worked for one who was as flaming as you could get and I barely tolerated his presence. Then on day my girlfriend dumped me. I was in bits when I went to work that night. My boss noticed and asked me what was up. I told him I'd just been dumped and we ended up in an hour long conversation about relationships - love, emotions, getting dumped, the lot. We both knew he was talking about guys and I was talking about girls, but the words, the feelings, the affect on our lives was exactly the same. That day at work I realized he had the same emotions that I did, in every single way. That's what convinced me that we're actually the same, and that homosexuality was about as valid a reason to hate someone as their liking the wrong breakfast cereal.
Be honest. Opposition to the Supreme Court's ruling is actually about personal prejudice. It's about righteous judgement, ignorance, and a wilfull decision to not have one's prejudices questioned or challenged, because that might end up leading to a different conclusion.
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Err, is this the exact argument used to pass and support gay marriage?
"Equality of marriage" either is a valid concept or it is not. That you don't like the examples given or the potentials for further combinations is ironic indeed.
You missed my point. I didn't argue that any of those are arguments used to pass and support marriage equality, but I did say they're completely invalid reasons for withholding it.
I also didn't mention anything about any other combinations. But, if I had, that would be a logical fallacy on your part. Simply because I support gay marriage does not automatically mean I support all further "combinations".
edited to cover grammar failure.
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To the contrary, I'm thinking that all the rules are out the window to include restrictions against polygamy and other combinations. "Equality of marriage" either is or it isn't.
I also look forward to reading about how future leaders here will deal with this brave new world you are celebrating.
No doubt the counter will be "just fine, thank you very much." And that maybe, but my enjoyment of my "told you so" bourbon will be that much sweeter thinking about the puzzles that will have to be sorted out now:
- transgender in the military - why not? And what to do about quarters/hygiene for such?
- polygamist marriages - why not? And how to deal with custody rulings following inevitable divorces? Will married quarters have to be larger to reasonably accomodate such? Why not?
- related to the hot topic currently - what to do about sexual harassement/assualt/rape and will the inevitable spike in homosexual (inevitable because larger numbers will be allowed in/will be married to such, not because there is a proclivity for such behavior) assualts on same gender victims receive adequate attention?
- y'all have fun with it; dealing with these and many more 'fairness' issues will further take your time away from developing warriors, honing combat skills, and devoting resources to military purposes and not social equality issues.
Your argument is completely invalid. That's like saying that we never should have passed any civil rights legislation because we wouldn't know what to do with all the extra drinking fountains and "coloreds only" signs.
Just because something is difficult, or new, doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.
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What some factions of our society are unwilling to acknowledge is that there are clearly defined areas of right and wrong. Just because something feels good, is the path of least resistance or is just what someone wants to do no matter what doesn’t make it right. They can still do it if they want, but we as a society don’t have to support them.
If you are a Christian (which I am), you know the bible says same-sex unions are wrong. If you’re not, then just look at nature. Same sex stuff isn’t happening with animals. Our reproductive process doesn’t support same sex. It's an unnatural aberration. We feel disgusted when we see two guys kiss because it’s unnatural and our normal instincts to be attracted to a woman are in control.
So, there’s obviously some genetic or mental issue going on with a gay person to give them this same-sex attraction. They don’t just decide to deviate from the natural norm on a whim. For whatever reason, God made them that way and it’s a cross they have to bear. I see them as no different than someone with an alcohol or drug addiction.
The main difference is that some people can justify accepting gays and all that comes with it because it’s about something socially acceptable like love instead of addiction. There’s no one standing up fighting for addicts rights because most of society has acknowledged that their behavior is destructive and they have a problem they need help with. A larger portion of our society has acknowledged the same thing about same sex unions but you wouldn’t know it thanks to political correctness and the media. The mere suggestion that there might actually be something physically, genetically or mentally wrong to cause same sex attraction makes those on the other side of the argument lose their minds. Forget suggesting that someone in that situation might be helped to move past it or that they may just have to deal with a life of abstinence (like recovering addicts). Oh no! Everyone deserves love, right?
If two men or two women want to be a couple, live together, etc. I could care less. Just like I really don’t care if someone wants to drink themselves to death or stick a needle in their arm every day. It’s their right to choose to do that.
However, they shouldn’t expect society to pat them on the back and tell them we all think what they’re doing is just fine by allowing official marriages, adoptions, tax filing status, etc. No innocent child should be thrown into a situation via adoption where they are denied a father or mother because of the selfish desires of two misguided people. I don’t care if they serve in our military but, I will have a problem with some guy being a “dependent” of another male service member because they think they’re married. Do we give addicts tax breaks because they can’t work or encourage their destructive, unnatural behavior? No. We offer them help to stop and support and encourage them to turn their lives around.
There’s no way this situation can be compared to racial integration. There’s nothing unnatural or deviant about someone’s heritage or race. Just because the gay movement, Hollywood and a bunch of feel-good liberal politicians are trying to force this issue into the mainstream and make everyone believe it’s the “new normal” doesn’t mean it has to be so.
Do you have any legitimate arguments against homosexuality that aren't based on a literal interpretation of a work of mythology?
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Yeah, there's just not that much good stuff to read out there these days...
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I check this forum every day, just to see if Greasy's thread has bumped to the top with another stellar story. The novels or memoirs you could write after a career as a fighter pilot. I'll wait impatiently while you finish your 20.
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He wouldn't be the first politician who's desire for political renown potentially cost troops their lives. In 1943 Congressman Andrew May was said to be trying to score some political points and reassure the home front public that our submarines were quite safe in the Pacific because the Japanese set their depth charges to explode at too shallow a depth. The inevitable allegedly happened. Admiral Lockwood later stated that he thought May was responsible for the loss of 10 subs and 800 men.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_May_Incident#The_May_Incident
However, there seems to be some doubt whether this actually happened (conflicting accounts).
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You've got a real talent for writing. I'm not a USAF pilot and even I was able to figure out enough context to follow the story.
Someone should put "publish book" as a requirement for your next PRF. Getting passed over might just be the kick needed to get that book out of you! :)
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This is the first Onion article I ever read and is still one of my favorites. So hilarious.
The short bus Herc is inspired!
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I had to laugh at the irony of blues Monday when I first heard about it (14 year break in service, you see). It was a real reversal of previous policy for a somewhat related idea - that the uniform shapes the thinking of the wearer.
I remember in the early 90s when BDUs had become the defacto uniform of the day for most base level people. Gen Fogleman, then TRANSCOM/CC, decreed that the uniform of the day for TRANSCOM and AMC HQ would be BDUs. His reasoning, as I remember it, was that most of the people that worked for them were down range in the desert and wearing utility uniforms, so they should, too, as a kind of equalizing move.
Being stationed at Scott at the time, this made perfect sense. The HQ staffers did stand out as being pretty much the only people on base wearing blues while most of the base-level people were wearing BDUs. This created a feeling on base that the HQ staffers thought of themselves as above the rest of the base population and could do with being brought down a peg or two. Whether they actually felt that way themselves could be another matter, but there was an us vs them attitude on the base at the time.
Already a popular leader, this increased the respect people had for Gen Fogleman even more. What goes around comes around.
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All because people can't accept responsibility for their own adult actions. I despair sometimes.
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I asked an Army Guard NCO, who works at billeting on my base, why he was wearing his helmet if he was just working in the office for the day. He said he was on his way out the door and had to drive the HMMV. What, you have to wear a combat helmet to drive a friggin' HMMV on a stateside base? Seriously? "Yup. Any time you drive a military vehicle, you've got to wear a helmet."
I guess that makes the ride-on lawnmower a military vehicle. Why haven't they painted it desert tan yet?
So glad I didn't join the Army.
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To address the question posted, the problem is that American and many other majors are outsourcing their heavy maintenance. (B, C, and Depot level checks). This was started about five or so years ago when the majors started hurting financially. They are performed in Mexico, Indonesia, China, and many other places. If they are lucky they will have a few US IA's overseeing the masses, that are unlicensed, no ticket what so ever, performing heavy FAA regulated annual and semi annual inspections. Answer is I do not know how they will fix this if they ever will. However, the outcome is to grow I am sure. Long gone are the days of the superior American style airline industry.
I'd be interested to see your references or credentials that back up this claim of unlicensed work being carried out on US registered aircraft. I highly doubt that is the case, but I am always willing to be educated. The quality of the work can always be questioned, but I believe the FAA has a rather mature inspection and qualification system that vets overseas MROs.
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There is no learning from it and moving on in the airshow business.
That's an ill-informed statement.
Significant investigation and learning takes place after EVERY aviation accident, and airshows are no different. The European airshow regulations are very specific and (without knowing the details seem much more restrictive than US airshow regulations), not only as regards pilot and team qualifications but also the requirements of the performing environment and control of surrounding territory. Many of the current regulations came from recommendations out of the investigation report on the 1988 crash at Ramstein. That report led directly to significant lessons learned in not only the air operations but also ground operations, crowd area and control, emergency preparations, response, command and control structure, communications, hospital mass casualty response, and on-site triage. You can argue that some of the crowd-line distance restrictions are over the top, but that accident resulted in 67 fatalities and approximately 1,000 injured on the ground.
It is also true that, at least in the UK, part of the process for getting a display authorization involves the DA inspector evaluating the candidate's judgement and motivations for pursing a DA. If he comes across as a hot shot who just thinks showing off at an airshow is a cool way to get chicks, chances are he's not going to get his DA until that attitude changes demonstrably. Is it perfect? No. But it's much more involved than the average punter thinks.
To say that NO lessons are learned after accidents is simply untrue and underestimates the caliber of the people in the community.
The best piece of advice I ever got when pursuing a DA was from an experienced demonstration pilot. In an attempt to put performance pressure and pilot peer-pressure into context, he summed up the average airshow goer as just being an average joe, with little or no aviation knowledge, wanting a good day out. He said "The only thing you're competing with out there is an ice cream cone."
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The Belgians haven't forgotten, either:
Last Post played every night at the Menin Gate at Ypres.
http://www.greatwar.co.uk/events/menin-gate-last-post-ceremony.htm
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Either that, or just join the ANG/AFRES. You have to be a complete retard to NOT get promoted to Captain, and that's a bit of a stretch.
Pretty much the same on active duty, I'd have thought. Only the simplest of tools can't make a 95th percentile.
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So there's a dude in my class who was passed over on IPZ board to Captain. Any idea what the promotion rate is for APZ to Captain? If he's about to be kicked out of the AF maybe he could get some advance warning...
Seriously? You really need to even ask that question? Tell him to sharpen up his resume.
When I was in, I'd never even heard of an APZ for Capt. Being passed over for Capt was an automatic out, if not by official policy, certainly by reality.
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I haven't read all the replies here yet and my military info is a bit out of date, but I was stationed at Mildenhall 95-98, got out and stayed in the UK for the next 12 years so can offer a couple of points.
First piece of advice - put that American iron monster back on the market and pick up a used car when you get to the UK. Sure, it's fine on most of the roads, put try parking that beast in the middle of Bury or Cambridge and you'll wish you'd left in on your side of the oggin. ALL parking spaces in the UK are the width of a compact car +6 inches. If you even take a 2-door coupe, you'll struggle to get the door open far enough to get out. Practice going through the window. Used cars aren't cheap, but they can be found in great condition and, like everything else, you'll find there's a thriving market of those things between inbound and outbound mil folks.
Appliances - refridgerator. Leave yours behind. Unless you want to put it outside and be the redneck family in the village (Trans Am on blocks optional - see point above about American cars). It won't fit in 98% of British kitchens. Get used to a fridge/freezer about 2/3 the size of an American one. Same for washer and dryer. The UK units fit under the countertop in the kitchen and you can get a good used one for about £100. Dryers aren't quite so common due to space, but again, pick up a used one when you get there. Check all of your electronics - most are dual voltage these days and, if they are, will work just fine with a plug adapter. For most of the other stuff you can keep a transformer or two in the kitchen and bedrooms for things you can't live without but, again, most of the usual domestic stuff you can get used from outbound people or just on ebay.
TV - check that it is PAL capable. Many of them are multi-system these days, but if yours isn't, box it up or sell it (it'll be obsolete by the time you rotate back stateside, anyway).
Living on base - don't be so bloody daft! What's the point of going to a first-world overseas location if you're going to live in Little America? The other thing is that time will disappear around you over there so hit the ground running. Your first year will be up before you know it and you'll wonder what you were ever thinking about living onbase.
Live off base - no question. Especially go for some of the smaller villages where you may trade convenience for character and community, but it is a trade well worth making. They may not have the walking-access to shops (but they will ALL have a pub and, really, what more do you want?). I lived in Dalham for 2+ years and was the only American there at the time. After a few months, I was pulling pints behind the bar at The Affleck Arms and knew most everyone in the village. And they all treated me like gold. The housing stock is hugely varied from wicked cool and interesting (friends rented the old Mildenhall train station) to horrible little boxes on a postage stamp. On this issue, get some really, really good advice from someone in the area about buying versus renting. When I was there in the late 90s, finding rentals was a problem due short supply. Buying may well be a good idea now with the housing market tanked, but the prices will still make your eyes water once you convert to dollars. Think carefully and talk to a lot of people about it even before you leave. Don't waste time with a year on base to get used to it. Seriously?
School - not an issue until high school. Send your little one to the local school. It'll be a great way to meet local people and you'll all get a lot out of the experience. And don't be surprised if your tiny Yank develops a cute little English accent while you're there.
Dogs and renting? The Brits themselves love pointing out the irony that it is the "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children" but it is the "ROYAL Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals". But that also means some snooty locals may stick their nose into how you handle your dogs, so be prepared for a little unwanted supervision on occassion just on the off chance you run into said snooty local.
General stuff:
Space in the house. There isn't any. Get used to it. To practice, buy a camping trailer and live in that for a few months. After that, a British house will seem cavernous. As an example, the NCO housing at Mildenhall, before we did some major renovations in the late 90s, had galley kitchens that were so narrow that you couldn't open the oven and the fridge at the same time. True.
Yards (gardens). Will be smaller than your current living room. Only useful for planting a few flowers in, really. British homes generally are really tightly packed. They would put a whole village, including pub, shop, and church, in the space of a normal American single family plot. But, the plus side of that is that there is still a lot of green space, especially in Suffolk around the bases, so you lose in your living space but you gain in your surroundings, if you know what I mean.
Britain does a lot of things differently than we do. That doesn't make it right or wrong, just different. Some of their bureauracracy will leave you stunned but you will have no choice but to succumb to it. The locals all do, they just know about it beforehand. They over-engineer the hell out of everything they touch but it usually works (except the electrics on a British car. 100 years of practice and they still can't get that right).
Money/commerce. Don't convert everything in your head or you will go mad off base. Cost of living in the UK is bloody high and getting higher. Shop on base as much as you can for the stuff you need, but do go out to the market towns and spend a few quid out there. Just accept that a dollar doesn't get you what a quid (slang for the pound) used to.
Pubs. Not just for alcoholics. Pubs do not have a direct translation in the US. Especially in villages and urban neighborhoods, they have a social standing and community role that no place in the US equals. They are where drinks are drunk, rounds are bought, friendships are made, stories told, life happens. Do not underestimate the importance of the pub to your experience of the UK. Find a local you like and become regulars. It will enrich your time there immeasurably.
Eating out, especially at pubs, is pretty reasonable. The beer is wonderful. All of it. Some is maybe less wonderful than the other, but it's still all wonderful. Make a habit of hitting village pubs as often as you can. Many will welcome dogs.
Well, that's about all the pontificating I can think of right now. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any more help. As I say, my USAF knowledge is going to be a bit out of date, but I just left the UK last year and can fill you in on life in general a bit. In any case, enjoy the place. I envy you going over for your first time.
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Tank,
Dual citizenship is allowed, has been since the 80s. I hold both US and UK and didn't have to do anything with my US citizenship.
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Having been in CE, I might be able to shed some light on why they're renovating rather than building a new BX. It's about the funding regulations mandated by Congress.
I'm pretty sure AAFES and DECA have to follow standard government construction rules, as dicked up as they are. What you're seeing is actually all driven by Congress, not AFFES, not DECA, and not Big Blue.
There're two pots of money - MILOCON (Military Construction) and O&M (Ops and Maintenance). With O&M, base and Majcom spending authority is pretty high, into the $ millions, IIRC, the timelines for funding are much shorter, and the amount of discretion in how the budget is spent is much greater at base and Majcom level.
For MILCON, the funding limit at SECAF level used to be $300K back in the 90s, but is likely to be about $500K now. In either case, it's about enough to build a small garden shed and not much else. Any "new" construction costing more than that and the project has to go into the DOD's budget to Congress as an individual line item with full cost estimates, project justification, and environmental assessment. Typically it takes 3-5 years from concept to funding approval to go the MILCON route.
What that means is that CE gets pretty creative in how they classify work. I can't remember all the specific rules, but they're something like, if you can keep 51% of a structure, you can do nearly anything you like under the O&M rules because, the logic goes, you're merely maintaining an existing facility. So, you keep the shell and foundation of the BX, rip out and replace everything else. You could even put on a small addition to the building if you wanted but that addition would have to be costed out separately and can't cost more than $500K or it has to go into the Congressional budget and takes years.
There was the case of the Ramstein O'Club back in the late 80s where everything of the old club was demolished except one wall and from that was built an entirely new club under O&M rules, all as a way to circumvent the MILCON rules. That was taking the piss and some wrists got slapped over that one.
I'm not necessarily trying to defend my CE brethren, because CE can still be pretty screwed up, but if you work in CE for very long you become extremely adept at "working the grey zone" of the regulations and CE actually delivers quite a lot given the rules they have to bend every day.
I include this only so you can direct your fully justified anger at the right target - Congress.
Oh, yeah, and I hated AAFES as much as some of you. Self-absorbed thieving bastards, was my view, and hanging was too good for the lot of them. When they tried to have the squadron snack fridges shut down or run by themselves because they saw them as competition was when they really just went way over the line.
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OK... what about a already retired SNCO 4 weeks out from finishing up a Masters Degree? (And no, not on-line either)
Again, another question with no context or info to allow anyone to help you out.
Generally speaking, without turning this into a class war, I'd say all of the above apply to you (pro as well as con) and that you should be looking for jobs commensurate with your previous responsibilities in the USAF. As a senior guy with 20+ years in, I'd have thought $150K ought to be well within your reach, depending on your area of expertise and geography, and jobs in the senior manager/VP range ought to be your goal. But that's without knowing you or anything about your background.
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What Rainman and JS said. Concur with both on virtually all points.
Getting a job IS about NETWORKING!!!! And there is a way to do it. That was what my reference to Parachute was all about. That book got me two jobs in different industry sectors and is going to get me my next one. Talk to everyone you know once you get your pitch together - and I mean the whole thing, not just the "elevator speech".
While there's much more to it than this, I'll put a few points here to cogitate on:
1. Put yourself in a box. Everyone else will do it to you. Help them by telling them the box you're in so they don't have to figure it out. If they can't figure out which box to put you in, they'll drop you because it's too much hard work to understand what you are. So, decide what you are and in what sector. It will feel like you're closing out opportunities but, in reality, you'll be helping potential employers figure out how to help you and how you can help them. Being a "generalist" and having made this mistake, I can't emphasise it enough.
2. Once you've decided the job you do and the sector you want to do it in, make a list of target companies you want to learn more about. The list should be at least 40-50. These aren't companies you necessarily want to work for, because you won't know very much about them; they are companies you want to explore. This also guides your networking and helps people understand you (see point 1 above).
3. Don't ask people for jobs. That becomes a yes/no question, with most answers being "no". You want a conversation with people. You are seeking career advice, nothing more. That changes the tone of the conversation completely! Ask about their industry, their company, and their advice on how your skills and career goals would be applicable to that industry. If they need you, that will come out in the conversation. In each conversation, ask them to help you explore other companies or get more advice with introductions to other people they know. Rattle off your target list - it'll help jog their memories and you'll get far more new connections that way.
4. Follow up on every connection you're given. You'd be amazed at how many people fail to do this.
5. Do you play golf? If so, get out on the links every weekend. Join foursomes with the guys in their 40s and 50s. They're still in work and the right ages to be in/know people in senior positions. Dont' play with retired guys so much because most of them have been out long enough to have lost useful connections. I don't do this because I don't play golf, but I believe it's got to be a good opportunity.
OK, I've just realised this has gone from answering the OP's original question to becoming a primer on how to find a job. Might be slightly off-topic. Back to the original question and, the short answer is: Get a copy of Parachute and think through it long and hard before you decide to give up a steady paycheck and free healthcare to dive out into this shit economy which, despite what the govt will tell you, is still pretty shit.
SCOTUS scraps DOMA
in Squadron Bar
Posted
You were doing fine right up until this point.
Being homosexual is uncommon but part is a part of the human condition. Being an asshole has nothing to do with that. It sounds like the people you ran into were assholes, regardless of their sexual orientation. Ever known a complete hound dog at college or in your squadron who hit on anything with tits and a pulse? Same thing. Straight as an arrow. Still probably an asshole.
Homosexuality isn't a chosen lifestyle. You can let your religion or ignorance tell you that all you want, but it doesn't make it right. And to base your argument on religious grounds is a weak place to stand when you're talking to anyone who doesn't share your mythology.