Buhla

Does God have room for a reformed bully?
I was thinking about high school. You would never have gotten away with the crap that i did in high school, today. I was awful. It was the early 80's. My Senior year I missed 45 days of school. That was a whole nine weeks. I went to Votech in the morning and you were only allowed to miss so many days so i would attend Vo-tech and then when the bus took me back to school, I would just leave. There were four of us that hung around together. We all had the same Votech class, so we would end up at the bowling alley or at my house watching MTV, my mom was rarely home in the day time. I was actually the first one in my family to graduate. My mother made my older brother quit school because he wasn't doing anything in his classes. When an elderly school teacher called my mom crying, because Tony misbehaved again in her class, my mom said, "That's it, your quitting. My older sister had gotten pregnant at 14 and quit school, so i was the scholar of the family. My Junior and Senior year is really a bit of a blur. I know I was stoned every single day. We hung out down at the path and smoked a lot of grass, drank and popped pills. I would take speed (which was actually caffeine pills) and sell them for 50 cents a piece and joints were a dollar. My brother would roll me joints and I would take a bundle about the size of a mason jar every week and sell them for a $1.00 a piece. When I was in school i skipped a lot of classes. The four of us would raid lockers for lunches and money, that was just what we did for kicks. This one time I didn't really like this girl so I had an empty Whitman's candy box. I put a snake that i had caught down the path in it and my friend wrote a note thanking her for being such an inspiration to the class of 83. i then placed it in her locker. Well the next thing I know the principle, with a whole bunch of kids trailing behind him took the box outside and opened it. The snaked popped out, he dropped the box, the snake went flying and everybody laughed. I was always pulling pranks. I was very fond of fire (I actually still am), I once caught a girls coat on fire in her closed locker and I once caught a trash can in the girls restroom on fire. I thought it was funny until a friend caught the trash can on fire in the guys restroom and was charged with arson. That was the end of my pyromaniac days. i would like to take this moment and let you know that I never, never, never served one day of in school or out of school suspension. You see i never got caught and I was nice and loving to all of my teacher right down to the lunch lady. I think they now refer to this as a "brown noser" ! I tended to be a bully, but not to the under dogs, it was all aimed at the better off's, the richer kids that lived up the hill. I lived down by the railroad tracks. I guess I was jealous. I hated the cheer leaders, the preppy girls and the ones that had a pair of Jordash Jeans for everyday of the week. You see i wore Levi's and didn't have much money. I am not bragging about my behavior, actually i feel really bad. I have apologized to many past classmates that I had picked on. In A. A. they calls these amends. I will never forget the time _______ entered the rooms of A.A. and I was able to make amends to her. Back when I was a senior, she was real religious. She would bring Jimmy Swaggert 8 tracks to Votech and play them during lunch time. I stole her 8-track tape and recorded Van Halen, "Running with the Devil" over all four tracks. I would let Jimmy Swaggert singing for like 10 seconds and then it would rip into Van Halen. I wasn't very nice, but I was crafty. Anyways I apologized to her and gave her $10.00 which she ended up putting in the A. A. basket. We had a good laugh and everything was ok. Today I see myself as a reformed bully. i know longer feel the need to pick on people. i hold the door for old ladies, I give stray animals food and water and a place to rest there tired bones. I am not proud of any of this stuff, but those experiences make me who I am today. I am kinder to people then most, I go out of my way to talk to people and try not to look down on anyone. I just hope God has a place in heaven for a reformed bully,and a Sharpsville Blue Devil! Class of "83"

I found a new friend one day,
A friend to take my fears away.
a sign from gawd, a diet from death
not really caring if it was my last breath
spewing these pills one by one
Gutt wrenching pains , it use to be fun
acting 16 resembling sixty
his, hers, yours, i never been picky.
a pill for this a pill for that
acting like an egotistical, sarcastic little bratt.

Growing up we were poor and rarely had money for any kind of extravegant Christmas. I was maybe ten yerars old and all I wanted was a new seat for my old bicycle. The one I had was ripped and when you sat on it your butt would get all wet from the damp foam and being left in the rain. Well i kept hinting and hinting, but I knew my family probably could not afford a new seat. Well Christmas morning arrived and when I looked under the tree I saw this beautiful package in the shape of a brand new banana seat. Well I quickly woke my parents and we all gathered in the living room.  I causiously and carefully opened the package, just then my Aunt entered the house. She was watching as I showed off my new bicycle seat, it was just what I wanted. Well when I turned around, to my surprise my Aunt Peg was wheeling in a brand new Schwinn neon lime green bicycle without a seat. Oh my God, this was the best Christmas ever. I loved that bike and road it every where. It had a basket on the front and I would put my little dog (Ringo) in it and ride her around town. I took good care of this bike (The only new bicycle I ever received in my entire life). I had it for a long time. Ironically, I can still remember the serial number on it, HR9952320. Today I have a hard time remembering my phone number?..woodsy

You know it is real easy to oppose gay marriage when you are a heterosexual and do not know what it feels like to be denied the right to marry the person you love! I have never heard of a homosexual opposing Gay Marriages. A lot of heterosexual believe marriage must consist of a man and a woman because all through history marriage has consisted of a man and a woman - a tautology. The idea that sexuality is alright only if it ends in reproduction is obscured, I know many couples who choose not to have children or who are physically unable to have children. As a matter of fact my boss has been trying to get pregnant for 6 years should her marriage be annulled? Should we require a fertiltiy test before marriage? It kills me when people say that homosexuality is a choice? Come on, how many people could possibly go through all the shit that gays have to deal with just to be "different"? I can not even walk hand in hand with the person that I love and cherish because it may be dangerous due to prejudice and racial bigoted people. If I had to pick a minority to be, I'd rather be black than gay because when you're black you don't have to tell your mother she already knows.

I am a person–not a homosexual or a hetersexual. I can have things in common with other heterosexual couples becasue I know what love is. Heterosexual divorce rate is at 50%. Let us gays have a poke at it! Tell me if I am wrong , isn't the 14th ammendment suppose to protect ALL of us? Same sex couple should have the same rights as heterosexuals in all of the USA. Maybe the Supreme Court should be forced to make the states recognize equality to all of mankind. In closing Marriage is simply a statement of LOVE between two people, everyone should be aloud to make that statement regardless of their sexual orientation. How dare my government to deny me the same rights everyone else gets. When The Sun Rises It Rises For Everyone....Socrates, That is my opinion and views on same sex marriage...Woodsy

Not surprisingly, the most religious Americans are the least likely to favor gay marriage. Nearly half of Americans with relatively low religious commitment approve of allowing homosexual couples the right to marry, compared with just 17% of those who are more religious. This gap along religious lines exists across all age groups.

These are supposedly the main reasons that Heterosexuals opposing gay marraige?

A) 28% Morally wrong / a sin / the Bible says

The Lord is my Shepherd and he knows I am gay. Keeping in mind homosexuality is not mentioned in any of the Ten Commandments, maybe we should focus on them. Remember the on Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Hope no one has a Sunday job and has to go to work because For six days you shall labour and do all your work for the seventh day is a sabbath, also "You shall not covet your friend's house; or his wife, servant, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your friend." Or in simple English, don't desire his beautiful home, stunning wife, dream job, nifty sports car or anything else that is his. Though shall not commit adultry, include lustful thoughts and lustful words. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Don't think about it, get rid of all those dirty magazines. ...woodsy

B) 17% Against my religious beliefs,

Is the ten commandments included in your religion? The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals....woodsy

C) 16% Definition of marriage is a man & a woman.

Since 2006 Merriam-Webster's definition of marriage is as follows: "a (1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage> b : the mutual relation of married persons : WEDLOCK c : the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage]
There is nothing wrong with going to bed with someone of your own sex....woodsy

D) 12% It’s just wrong / I just don’t agree with it.

My own belief is that there is hardly anyone whose sexual life, if it were broadcast, would not fill the world at large with surprise, horror and embarrassment.....woodsy

E) 9% Homosexuality is not natural/normal

OK define normal? Normal is a setting on my dryer.There's this illusion that homosexuals have sex and heterosexuals fall in love. That's completely untrue. My theory is that the hardest work anyone does in life is to appear normal, I won't work for that!.....woodsy

F) 4% Purpose of marriage is to have children

So if you are infertile, or don't want children you should not be allowed to marry, right? .....woodsy

G) 2% Bad for children

Bad for children? a lot of children grow up to be homosexual adults and grew up never even coming into contact with another homosexual. I didn't know it was contagious anyways.]

H) 2% Opens the door to other immoral behavior.

What door? What other immoral behavior? Maybe living in sin, not attending organized religion because of prejudice or maybe drug and alcohol use possibly due to society not accepting them and have to deal with hate, bigotry and paranoia

I) 1% Undermines traditional family

In Human Development Class at Penn State University I was taught that the traditional family is defined as follows: a married couple, each only married once, and their 2.3 children. The male is the bread winner and female stays at home to care for the home and the children. OK how many families do you know that fit this model?

J) 1% Don’t have stable, long-term relationships

Statistic indicate that Gay couples can be as stable as straights

K) 1% Causes economic/legal problems,

Econical problems? This is what I know about economical problems, Everytime I am told that same sex marriages will never exist, I am denied marrying. The main reason I am usually told same sex marriages will never exist is because marriage is for one man and one woman and then I get some bible quote. (religiuos values) I pay $100.00 a month and my partner pays $120.00 a month for medical benefits. That is roughly $2640.00 a year. If I were a man and she were my wife we would be able to get medical insurance together for 159.00 a month.(Yes I am denied medical treatment based on someones religious values) That is $1908.00 a year. We would be saving approximately $720.00 a year. This is something that straight married couples take for granted! My partner of four years and i have pay taxes in the same dollars as heterosexuals, what about the privilege of filing a joint tax return and claiming head of household?
That is something heterosexuals have and gays do not.

L) 3% Other

M) 4% Don’t know/Refused
__________________
Did you know:
Socrates, considered the first philosopher, even described himself as being “experienced in the pursuit of men.” According to the dialogues of Plato – a student of Socrates - pederasty and homosexuality were a part of everyday life, at least for aristocrats.

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When my father died on July 12, 2001, I was devistated. It was so unexpected. He was a healthy vibrant man at the age of 68. He road his bicycle probably atleast 10 miles a day. It was a weekly routine to peddle through town on trash day looking through peoples garbage to see what he could salvage, being the great repair man that he had turned in to being after he was forced in to retirement in 1990 at the ripe old age of 57. He loved tinkering with old televitions, VCR's, sterios and anything else he could get his hands on. He would scout around and then in the evening he would have my niece take him around in the car and pick up those fixable belongings. He did not drive, never possessed a drivers liscense and could not read but was able to fix anything that was slightly fixable. He was probablty the smartest man I ever knew.



Well that morning he apparently got up early like he always did. He ate half of a bologny sandwich and places the other half in his refiridgerator for later. He got on his bicycle and proceeded to peddle through town. When he arrived at the bank he started to ride through the parking lot, clenched his chest and died before he ever hit the pavement.



The next day would have been Saturday and I was suppose to return home with my car and he and I was going to replace the front breaks. Well that never happened.



I sometimes wonder if he knew what was going to happen that day, and I even played this little game in my own head, thinking that he knew he would die that day and maybe left me some clue behind. I went down to his workshop and enter the little room he loved to hide away in. I searched frantically for a clue, something, anything. All I found was that half eaten sandwich and at that very moment I knew that he had no clue what that day would bring him. I went home to get clothes for the funeral. It was a long journey back to my house in Franklin with plenty of time to think. At that time I talked to my father out loud in the car. I said, "dad, I need to know you are ok. I can not handle things if i do not know if you are ok." When I got to my house I trudged up the many stairs leading to my apartment. If felt so alone. On my porch I had maybe ten giant stones that were painted and had funny faces on them. Some where frowns some where looks of terror, shock, and smiles. When I reached the first landing where they weree the stones sat. They were normally all pushed back in a corner where they were on exhibit, but where still back so far as to not trip over them. When I reached the top step, the one biggest stone with a large smile from ear to ear painted on it was sitting on the top step staring at me. Surely no one was up here on the backporch. Then it hit me my dad had placed that rock there to let me know he was ok. Then I too was ok, and Iwas able to return home and make all of the necessary arrangements for that funeral.



Today every now and then when I am home alone. I can sometimes smell the faint smell of Harvana Blossom Chewing Tobacco and Old Spice After shave. It happened just the other day. I was lying on my bed resting and the window was opened.  A small breeze blew across the little room and that smell hit my nose. I felt greatful and full of life. Those times that it happens is when I  know my dad is visiting and telling me everything will be ok....woodsy