Politics and Human Rights and FaceBook (tm)

Among the many pledges I broke this year was getting involved in political discussions on FB. Posters are typically set in their ways, are not going to change their minds, and get offended when you challenge them. So I decided to swear off, and instead post only the random song lyrics that pop into my head, or humorous news articles, or pictures of the Ds and Wifey and me. Well, I got swept up in the recent Supreme Court gay marriage thing, and read my friend the strict Catholic's posts. This fellow, who I'll call Arnold, since that's his name, is our former neighbor and relative of the Ds grade school teachers -- a good family friend. He raised his three girls well, and is by my definition a true man -- he takes care of his family well, is a community leader, and very charitable. A few Christmases ago (we always used to get invites to their great holiday parties -- the invites stopped, I think, because of Wifey's wildly Liberal posts on FB (Wifey thinks Obama is the greatest president of all time). Anyway, Arnald told us about recruiting homeless guys, who he paid, to travel to the inner city school where his wife is a principal, to spruce the place up, after the bureucrats on the School Board couldn't get it done. So I like him and his acts. But he's also an idiot when it comes to gays. I know from prior discussions that he thinks homosexuality is an evil choice, that can be "prayed away." So his take on the Supreme Court ruling was predictable -- it discriminated against Christians, and was another mark about the end of a decent society. I challenged his Fox News style post -- about how poor Christians were once again the victims of the Liberal, gay agenda, and how the decision discriminated against them. (I love how the Right forgets that the Court is largely GOP appointed, by the way). Anyhow, most of Arnald's friends agreed with me, but he had a few church people who went on an on about how "scripture is above US law" and that since Jesus is against gay marriage, well, then we should be, too. Arnald truly believes the US is a Christian nation. Since one of his son in laws is Jewish, I wonder how that sits with his eldest daughter. It also cracks me up that Arnald is Cuban, and thinks most of his fellow political comrades (ha) would accept him. As if. They'd see him as a wetback who needed to be deported ASAP. I've only "defriended" one FB friend -- my cousin Arlene. Arlene never went to college, but married a successful computer guy who has moved the family around the country. Each time they land in a city, according to FB, they become fans of the local sports teams and colleges. I know that's their right, but a few years ago, my beloved Canes football team reached an embarrasing nadir --they lost to Duke! Arlene, who was living in the Triangle, commented "Go Duke." I immediately de friended her. A true Duke fan would have had that right -- to gloat. My Rockland County raised cousin who lived in NC for a year or two -- no way. I may have to de friend Arnald, the way he defriended Wifey. I invite debate -- some of my closest friends are Republicans. But they're intelligent -- not simply of the "Jesus says it so that's the way it must be" variety. Jesus used to be important to my life, too. Jesus Sanchez was the best mechanic I ever had, and I miss him ever since he moved to New Jersey in 1990. But I don't think he gets to decide American politics.