Verbal Diarleah (The Diary of Leah)

I saw this article on CNN about a soldier who is suing the US Army for harassment because he is an atheist. He claims he has been passed over for promotion and generally treated as an outsider within his group of soldiers. It seems reminiscent of problems a gay man or woman goes through in the military.

“I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist,” Hall said. It eventually came out in Iraq in 2007, when he was in a firefight.

I feel for this soldier. I feel like he probably has had to go through some very tough times being an atheist in the US Army. With our current commander-in-chief seeming to shove Christianity down not only the throats of the general American public but also of the world, I can see how it would be very hard to know how to behave in such circumstances. It’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ for a new generation.

The thing is this story got me thinking a lot about my faith and that of others. I find it funny sometimes how I’ve changed over the years. Ten years ago I openly called myself a Christian, would’ve probably argued with a stump on why I was in favour of the death penalty and – shock, horror – would’ve voted Republican. Now, I feel like I’m older, wiser and more open-minded and progressive. My parents used to say I only saw black and white, no grey areas. It seems now either what was once black has switched to white and vice versa or I see a lot more grey.

I still call myself a Christian but I don’t do it as openly as I used to. In fact, I think I often look down on the more open Christians in society. There are several possible reasons for this.

1. Perhaps I’ve lost just a little bit of the faith I used to have.
2. I live in a dramatically different, very secular society now and do not have the same religious influences in my life.
3. It seems to me that Christians have gotten such a ‘bad name’ over the past eight years. With the aforementioned commander-in-chief and his faith-based initiatives and wars, it’s very hard to call oneself a Christian without being lumped in to all that is wrong with the religion. The same thing goes for your average Muslim walking down a street in Britain. He/she isn’t a terrorist but I guarantee any non-Muslim on that same street will question this even for a split second. I know I have.

So many pastors and religious speakers that I have listened to over the years have used the saying “it’s harder to pull someone up onto a chair than it is to pull someone off of one.” What this means is when you follow Christ’s teachings as sin-free as possible it is easier to have a friend who is a bad influence pull you down than it is to pull him/her up to follow the same path as you. I definitely think I’ve been pulled off the chair but I don’t know that I want to climb back up any time soon. You can call it a crisis of faith if you want but I just call it my life. I still believe that Christ died for my sins, and by my reading of the New Testament that’s all that really matters.

As for this young soldier, I hope he wins his lawsuit. The one thing I think I’ve learned over the years is tolerance of other religions. What was once ‘my way or the highway’ has now become ‘you go your way, I’ll go mine.’ (Within reason, of course; i.e. persecution of women in some middle-eastern countries) I think everyone should be welcome to fight for his/her country. You certainly should not have to profess belief in one God or another just to fight in the army. Any man/woman willing to die for his/her country is fine by me, no matter what he/she believes in…or doesn’t believe in, as the case may be.

I suck at writing at the moment. Part of it is sheer boredom with all things election 2008 in the US and part of it is actual busy-ness at work at the moment. For those unaware there’s a massive election next Thursday 1 May to decide who’ll be the Mayor of London and the 25 London Assembly members for the next four years. And for those also unaware I’ve been working on organising this election.

I can’t say much because of the whole secrecy thing but suffice to say it’s been very, very interesting. I am looking forward to next Thursday and the count on Friday 2 May. That’s really the big thing: the count. Obviously that’s when we find out who won and that’s the most exciting bit. I’ll be in the thick of it at City Hall watching results come in throughout the day from the 14 constituencies and seeing them calculated at the end to get a winner. I, along with the other London Elects staff, will know who the winner is before anyone else. That’s quite cool. It’s a very tight race between the Labour and Conservative candidates so it will be a very exciting day.

So, that’s my life at the moment: election fever. From seeing ballot papers delivered to answering queries on when a postal vote will arrive I live and breathe the election right now. Hopefully once it’s over I’ll find more time and energy to write about fun things. Until then…

Today is my blog’s first birthday! Awww, remember the days when there were as many as three posts in one day? And when I posted EVERY day? Boy, those were the days. Here’s to many happy return…ing visitors and all the posts you can digest!

If the international community is so unhappy with China having the Olympics this summer, why did the IOC give it to them in the first place?

Several human rights organizations spoke out against the deplorable human rights condition of China, in conflict with the Olympic Charter of the IOC. (Wikipedia)

If they had such a problem with China hosting them, they should’ve voiced concerns then. Go ahead and boycott the opening cermony now but it won’t do any good.

Would I hate Hooters as much as I do? Apparently they’re trying to make inroads over here and already have a branch in Nottingham. As somewhat of a feminist I certainly have problems with Hooters and all it represents. Often, though, I wonder whether my hatred for the restaurant and the women who are employed there is because I truly think they’re all vapid morons essentially selling their bodies for money or whether I’m just jealous that I don’t look like them? The same pondering goes for strippers/lap-dancers.

In analysing myself, I think my theory holds water. I think, secretly, I envy these women for their ‘hot bodies’ and wish I could look like them. At the same time, though, I tell myself that if I looked like them I would not dress like them. I would not work at Hooters. My mind would still be the most important thing about me. It would not be my ‘hot body.’

This quasi-oxymoron was put to the test in university several years ago. I had a friend who I had political science classes with and seemed rather intelligent, if a little dappy. I discovered later that she had worked at Hooters during her U of A tenure. I suppose, in some cases, anything to pay the bills but I tend to think I could never debase myself enough to be ogled at by gross old men and even young attractive men just for the sake of paying said bills. This girl was also far from destitute. I gathered that she came from some money and, therefore, again questioned why she felt the need to work in such a place. She ended up graduating a year early with her BA and went on to get an MA and, I believe, graduated a year early there as well. She was by no means stupid and has, as far as I know, gone on to success in her chosen career (not Hooters).

I suppose I may never know the answer to my question. I will probably never be as thin as these women and, therefore, technically able to gain employment at Hooters. Even if I do get to that stage, I highly doubt I would go work at Hooters just to see whether or not I liked it. I tend to think that despite my size my mind will always be the same and I will always feel Hooters is a horrible place that perpetuates female stereotypes and devalues women. Such is life. As long as there are women willing to be ogled by men while serving them chicken wings there will be men willing to pay for the privilege and businessmen ready to take their money.

I think I’ll give Cat dung coffee up for £50 a cup a miss, thanks. Ok, so it’s not made from actual cat droppings, just the beans they eat and then poo back out. Still, nonetheless, I think I’ll pass. I prefer my latte to smell of coffee, not poo.

NZ man ‘used hedgehog as weapon’

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Oooooookkkkkk, whatever!

Not exactly what you expect to wake up to on 6 April.

Temperature on Friday: 17 Celsius (62 Fahrenheit)

Temperature today: 0 Celsius (32 Fahrenheit)

Weather this week: miserable.

What a load of rubbish. I want spring back!!!

I know it’s been around for about a week but it’s just now really sunk in that a man is pregnant in Oregon. WARNING prepare for tirade…WARNING prepare for tirade.

Right, I try to be open-minded about most things. I’m fairly open to the idea of gay marriage or civil unions and I don’t necessarily mind gay men or women adopting children. As long as they provide a loving home, that’s what is most important. Now, having said that, I can in no way, shape or form tolerate or abide by this ‘pregnant man.’ I mean, seriously, how f***ed up is that child going to be if they ever tell him/her who actually gave birth and that the ‘father’ isn’t really a man at all?!

I certainly don’t think there is anything normal or right with having a sex change in the first place. You were born a man or a woman; deal with it. However, I don’t care too much about it. I have my opinion, but if you want to go lopping off your hoo-ha or adding a hoo-ha, that’s your business. It is when you bring a child into the picture and, in this case, the wholly un-natural (that’s right I said UN-NATURAL) idea of a man giving birth. From where is the child going to come out? I presume they’re going to have to do a Caesarean.

I could go on but I won’t. Suffice to say there is nothing normal about this birth, though I doubt anyone would argue with that. I just don’t like it, ok?! It is not natural, it is not right (in my mind); and, while I certainly can’t say it shouldn’t be happening because that would call for a termination (I’m pro-choice and all, but there’s just no need in this case) I can’t really say it should be happening. The ‘man’ in question should never have been allowed to do this in the first place. If this couple wanted a child they should have artificially inseminated his wife, not him.

New Kids on the Block reuniting 

I’ll admit I loved (aka was obsessed with) them when I was about nine or ten but IT’S OVER!! Give it up, please!!! Just because Take That and the Spice Girls reunited everyone thinks they can do it. Oh Lord. I, for one, will NOT be queuing up to get tickets despite my pre-adolescent infatuation with them. I have grown up now, thank you very much.