Know a Liberal: Gay Marriage

(This post is another in my personal 'Know a Liberal' series. Note that the category is Know a Liberal, not Know all Liberals)

If two adults love each other and wish to declare that love publicly and commit to each other, they should be able to do so.

I absolutely do not understand the fear or hatred or whatever the heck is the motivation behind the Defense of Marriage Act that Clinton signed. Even more ridiculous is Bush's proposal for a Constitutional Amendment "protecting marriage". Protecting marriage from what? With the most recent available numbers putting the divorce rate in the USA at 43% it would appear that we heterosexuals don't have such a good track record when it comes to respecting the sanctity of marriage.

As far as marriage needing to be between two individuals of the opposite sex, just why is that? It seems to me that this 'requirement' is based on individual prejudice. That prejudice may well come from one's religious affiliation, but that should have no bearing whatsoever on public law. Many religions have rules or teachings to which others do not adhere. Some Jews wear a yarmulke (skullcap); muslimas might wear a khimar (headscarf); Hindus might refrain from eating meat. Religious practices differ widely, and as long as these practices do not restrict the rights of non-believers, that is fine. Preventing two people from marrying on the basis of one's own religious beliefs is wrong.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Continuing our selfless quest to refine and perfect recipes for tropical libations, we experimented a bit this weekend with Strawberry Daiquiris. I typically am more a fan of drinks on the rocks, rather than blended. But this turned out pretty nice :)

After a few modifications last night and this afternoon, here's our recipe for a frozen Strawberry Daiquiri:

• 1 1/2 shots rum (or round it up to 2 ;-) ...we've tried dark and light rum and like them both
• 8 big strawberries
• 1/2 shot sugar syrup (to make sugar syrup, just heat equal parts sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved ...we always keep a couple of cups of sugar syrup in the fridge)
• juice of 1/4 lime (or 1/2 lime if it's a little one)
• 6 ice cubes

Toss it all in a blender and let 'er rip. When it's turned to slush (or the blender can't spin anymore), then it's time to pour / spoon the strawberry rummy goodness into a glass, add a fat straw or two, maybe a mint sprig for garnish, and enjoy.

Know a Liberal: Gun ownership / gun control

I am a liberal. To many (especially those who unfortunately rely on the likes of Fox "News" for their information), that immediately defines everything about me, and there is no need to even bother with an attempt at further definition. Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and the other prophets of the Right have already spoken.

Well, just as there are all manner of individuals who regard themselves as "conservative", there are many different views among self-declared liberals. Time for some clarification to hopefully dispel (or confirm :) some of the stereotypes.

So I'm starting a little series to talk about how THIS self-proclaimed liberal feels about various issues. Today's topic in the 'Know a Liberal' series: guns.

I don't own a gun. But I've been considering it for 20 or 30 years, and may buy one this year (or next ...or never). I enjoy shooting -- shotguns, rifles, pistols, whatever. Though I certainly don't go shooting very often (sometimes years go by between outings at a range). I'm not a great shot (especially with revolvers), but not horrible either. There is absolutely no reason for any civilian in the USA to own an assault weapon. Period. There is a Constitutional right to own a rifle, shotgun, handgun, etc ... firearms that are legitimate for hunting and protection. Concealed weapons permits are fine by me; gun safety education should be required before being granted a concealed weapons permit.

The reason for starting with a topic of Guns? Well several of us at a recent Drinking Liberally meeting were talking about how we like to shoot and were talking about getting together at a local range to do just that. And we were also chatting about how it seems that the stereotype of liberals is that we are all for registering all guns, or flat-out prohibiting ownership or something. Nope.

Seafood feast with Chef Karl

Sat Aug 12 our friends Karl and Chris Ann came over. Karl is a remarkable chef and prepared a feast of oysters, crab legs, mussels, veggies, shrimp ....Mmmmmm, I'm getting hungry just writing this and looking at the pics (click the link to see pics of the magic). This is Florida living at its finest. Good friends, incredible food, grilling outside, enjoying conversation and food and beer sitting on the lanai by the pool. We are so fortunate. Thank you Karl!

Florida friendly planting

When we put up our back yard fence, we were required to install it 3 feet from the retaining wall that runs along the property line. Since it is such an incredible waste of water to grow lawns -- not to mention the harm to the water table with all the runoff of fertilizers and other lawn chemicals -- we've been slowly converting our back yard to a Florida-friendly landscape. That means plants that are drought tolerant, among other things. In this little strip of land we have now planted 60 golden peanut plants (the lighter colored ones with the little yellow flowers) and 110 dwarf jasmine. Despite the names, the peanuts do not really produce peanuts, nor does this variety of jasmine produce a fragrant bloom. But they DO fill in well and should serve well to hold the soil during heavy tropical rains. And I will no longer be mowing back there! We'll most likely install a little drip irrigation system in a few months when the dry season hits. So the bottom line was 170 plants at US$4 each (yee-ouch!) and a bunch of sore muscles from all that digging. But it looks nice, will not be wasting water the way St Augustine grass would, and it will be very easy to maintain :)