TBF: Gay Marriage

Somewhat Damaged (The Fragile)

So impressed with all you do,
Tried so hard to be like you.
Flew too high and burnt the wing,
Lost my faith in everything

Lick around divine debris,
Taste the wealth of hate in me.
Shedding skin, succumb defeat,
This machine is obsolete

Made the choice to go away,
Drink the fountain of decay.
Tear a hole exquisite red,
Fuck the rest and stab it dead

Broken, bruised, forgotten, sore,
Too fucked up to care anymore.
Poisoned to my rotten core,
Too fucked up to care anymore

Since the civil rights movement back in the 60's, the fight raged from coast to coast, all for the simplest rights: equality, compromise, peace, and the end of discrimination, greed, deceit, war, privae agendas and.....well........ Some battles take longer than others. But now we've slowly but surely made headway, but the fight for equality still rages on with the focus now shifted. In the last three years homosexuals and transgenders have been protesting discrimination from everything to where they can live and work, child adoption, and most recently the hot button issue that is the basis for this week's column. So I ask you: Is it a crime for love to become official? We'll find out, as today on The Brian Factor we tackle: Gay Marriage.

The Story:

In the last ten years the ongoing fight for gay rights (often focused from topic to topic, i.e. the right to adopt children, the right to claim health benefits for their partners, and so on...) but the one subject that always returns to the center stage is gay marriage. Within the last two years the government has been discussing back and forth on why and why not same-sex marriage can not be recognized, with many of the nay-sayers (many of whom are from moral, religious and conservative organizations who often push for a nation under their God and oppose anything that would violate those strict beliefs) stating that a marriage between two of the same sex would be a violation of God's law, and with many claiming that by refusing to recognize marriage is a violation of human rights. And so the ever growing war of the Conservatives and the Liberals rages on with no sign of ever being resolved anytime soon.......

The Reasoning:

With the current laws in the country, same-sex marriage will only be recognized in certain states; yet across the globe many countries such as Canada and England and others have legalized same sex marriage, yet we can't because it's [against] "God's Law." Simply put, we can't because the Bible forbids it, and of course any debate to support [the theory] that some people are predisposed to be gay from birth is tossed aside and all that can be said is that it's a perversion of our society, and marking the beginning of the 21st century's Sodom and Gomorrah, where sins shall be everywhere, and where [it] is nothing more than the breeding ground of Satan's temptation's that will damn your souls.

My Two Cents:

First off, to the moral and religous zealots: Shut the fuck up!!!! It ain't about the Bible and you know it, you just don't like gay people; you don't like the idea of two guys kissing and you don't want them to be happy. Secondly, who the fuck are you to judge what's right and wrong!!! You are not God!! And you sure as hell ain't speaking for Him, and let's really go into God's truth: in the Bible it says that "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner..........." Something tells me He'll let this whole thing slide, and, honestly, to everyone who judges people... remember: however you measure another person, God shall measure you the same. And to those who still claim that A.I.D.S. was God's vengeance on all homosexuality, then why does it affect millions around the world? Little children who've never even heard the concept of homosexuality are dying everyday, countries have famine, we are at war and people both US and Iraqi are figthing and dying, pollution, corruption, crime, unemployment, etc. and all we can focus on is two guys who want to get married to each other!!!! Truly, you guys need to get your priorities straight, not the people who love each other and want to get married.

Love is love, and when you love someone and want to spend the rest of your lives together, then you want to get married, and you should. Our world isn't perfect, and it's run by imperfect, ignorant, close-minded people. I believe a comedian once said: "Gay people have the right to be miserable like us too!!"

Recently a very close friend of mine came out and her mother disowned her for being in love with another woman. Today it's hard to be a woman, a minority, and gay, and she all three to deal with...... One day I know she'll find a woman who'll give her the love, courage and support that, sadly, her mother will never give her and when that day comes, i do hope she'll be able to cement her love..............

Perhaps in time, those who are blind will see. 'Til then, let those who are fighting for the right to love, to find love, and to those who want to be miserable, let them be miserable.... after all, we're all human.......... Finally, to those who can't see beyond their close mindedness.............FUCK YOU!!

That concludes this week's edition of The Brian Factor. As always feedback, questions, your two cents are always welcome, so send them in.

As always take care of each other, this was The Brian Factor, I'm Brian and I am done and until next time... PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!

No BS, just a guy who needed to open his heart

I do this for everyone. I could want a million things in this world, but I'd gladly give them away if I could, to see a smile on someone's face when I know I brighten their day is to me a greater high that any drug. Many will disagree, many will say what I do is pointless... but fuck 'em.

It's easy to go through life hiding in the shadows and watching the world from a distance. I've done it for years. When I was younger and more confused I was told that I should end my life and make the world easier to deal with... and, honestly, for a time I actually considered it, but unfortunately I have this constant problem with always doing the opposite of what many want.

There is not a day that goes by where I wonder "Why me? What's so special about me?" I would give anything to know, but I'm not going to learn the answer in books or sitting on my ass; I'm only going to know by getting up and walking out the door and seeing where the winds take me. In my life I would like to fall in love with someone who actually loves me back; learn to deal with the mistakes of my father; actually give some people the greatest days of their lives; I want to say that I love who I am and I won't always have everything how I want but God knows I'll try.

I love my friends, for always being true to me, for never giving up on me even when they wanted to give up as well. I can honestly say that I love them just for loving me, and that's all I ever wanted.

I can want a million things, but everyone knows I'd give them away. All I can ever ask for is just the strength to keep making me who I am: an honest man, a true man, a honorable man and a man who will always hurt a little on the inside but will never lay down and die. I never could. And as for the future... maybe everything I want is right there waiting, maybe it's not, but I'll keep walking. Just 'cause....

Echoes: Censorship

Responses posted on January 19, 2006:

Comment submitted by Marie:

It irks me that this country is in another Falwellian conservative Christian phase. The "Moral Majority"- don't make me laugh. Just another WASP attempt to maintain control and accumulate power.

One of the few things I can't stand is dogmatism. Of course, the other end of that spectrum is blanket relativism which is also stupid. I prefer people who stay in the middle, between blind obedience to an ideology and an uber-hippie endorsement for people to just do "whatever rocks their boat." I mean, c'mon people, you can't say that the infanticide of baby girls is okay because it's part of their culture; there have to be some universal morals, or we wouldn't be civilized human beings.

Here's where the - quoting Todd Snider- "Conservative Christian right-wing Republican straight white American males" come in. They're dogmatists, but what's worse is that they actually have the power and means to Christianize our government- executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Don't get me wrong, Christianity can be a good thing and encourage virtues including charity, acceptance, education and just plain ol' neighborliness (though the "acceptance" bit seems to be faltering in the issue of homosexuality). But Christians have a looong history of enforcing their ideology on the unwilling: the Crusades, Junipero Serra, Born-Again Christians. (Speaking of which, our current president falls into that category. One of my college history profs told us that Daddy Bush had Billy Graham personally convert Junior while he was in jail for a DUI.)

But these WASPs running the government (all three houses) are of the category colloquially referred to as "close-minded fuddy-duddies." Abortion is wrong, sex is wrong (except for the purpose of procreation within a hetero marriage), drugs are wrong (hypocrisy); exploitative free trade is to be encouraged, as is the death penalty, de facto segregation (I wouldn't be too surprised if the Repubs attempt to resurrect de jure segregation in a few years), de-gayification (because homos are just perverts that can be "helped"), privatized health care (to allow the lowest classes to die of simple neglect), and other stupid shit.

We've only had one Catholic president (who was assassinated) because nobody likes the idea that the President of the United States could be a puppet of the Pope. But the ideas of conservative Christianity, in my humble opinion, coincide with those of the Catholic Church- the only difference is that in Protestantism anyone can interpret the writings in the Bible and preach his message without getting beaten with the gilded staffs of the Papal hierarchy. Our government is on the path of becoming a theocracy, and the only difference I see between the Pope and Pat Robertson is that the Pope (at least the late John Paul II) is more educated and in favor of peace.

With the these Christian Republicans having the majority of power in the government, does censorship of American media really come as a shock? These are all rich guys who own substantial shares of international corporations and media conglomerates. They are the owners of the forces of production and they'll pacify the Liberals with Will & Grace as long as they'll sell more deodorant and vacuum cleaners. They are going to make decisions that benefit their stock portfolios. (e.g. Halliburton (and Cheney) benefiting from the U.S. occupation of Iraq.)

Reply from Brian:

"Heores don't accept the world for the way it is, that's why we fight...... to change it for the better."

For the boys in washington, just remember every time someone comes foward and speaks about morality and the evils that plague our country.... the night before they were with hookers doing drugs and probably arranged for the hooker to be killed afterwards.....

As for religion i give this example: one of my favorite films all time is the movie Dogma, and in the film they give what i feel was the perfect understanding of religion: that it shouldn't be a belief, it should be an idea. see a belief is something that you would fight and die for without a full understanding of what you're fighting and dying for, but an idea is flexible, it's something that can change as we grow and it's something that in turn helps to create our character.

Finally as for our president, Robin WIlliams said it best: "Some men are born great, Others achieve greatness.... and some just get it as a graduation present from daddy."

Question submitted by The Crazy One:

I challenge you with this problem, solve it if you dare!!!!!!

Train A leaves the station traveling at 30 miles per hour. Two hours later Train B leaves the same station travelling in the same direction at 40 miles per hour. how long does it take for Train B to catch up to Train A? (show all work)

Response from Brian:

It will take six hours for Train B to catch up to Train A......

Work shown:

Where t= number of hours the trains were traveling:
30 miles/hour * t hours= 30t miles
40 miles/hour * (t-2) hours= 40(t-2) miles
30t = 40(t-2)
30t = 40(-2 t)
30t = (-2 * 40 t * 40)
30t = (-80 40t)
30t = -80 40t
30t -40t = -80 40t -40t
30t -40t = -10t
-10t = -80 40t -40t
40t -40t = 0
-10t = -80 0
-10t = -80
t = 8
8 - 2 = 6

Didn't expect that now did you..... Bitch!!

Comment submitted by Harlean:

an echo...

what I find most interesting is that in all this talk about censorship, everyone seems to want to overlook one very crucial point; no one has ever said "you can't do that." they have only said "you can't do that HERE, in this particular forum." no, Ms. Jackson, you can't bare your breasts on public television, however you are more than welcome to bare them on cable or in magazines, if baring your breasts to the American public ranks high on your list of priorities, then the means are available for you to do so and I for one say more power to you. no, Mr. Stern, you can't say that on public radio, but you are more than welcome to say it on satellite radio, the means are available to you to say whatever you'd like and again, I say more power to you. but what Ms. Jackson and Mr. Stern seem bound and determined to not acknowledge is this; there are numerous places in this world where if they were to try to conduct their business in the way they conduct it here, they would not be fined, they would not be censored, chances are they would be imprisoned and quite possibly executed.

all of which is my very long-winded way of saying that I'm tired of hearing that the greatest thing about America is that we're all free to talk all the shit we want about how terrible America is. yes, anyone who wants to say that has the right to say it, and I will defend with my dying breath their right to say it. but anyone who does say it might want to take a moment to consider the inherent flaw in the logic of that statement.

which brings to mind a statement once made by one of the great men who made this whole country possible, Mr. Thomas Jefferson. his words were this:

"Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things."

so to Ms. Jackson, Mr. Stern, and anyone else who wishes to listen, I would like to say this; don't go out of your way to be deliberately offensive in public and then act surprised when people are offended and someone tries to limit the area over which your offense can be spread. no one is saying "you can't do that." they are merely saying "you can do it, but I don't want to see or hear it, so do it somewhere other than in my front yard."

or, to put it more succinctly, I'll throw in another quote: "your right to swing your fist ends where the other man's nose begins."

Reply from Brian:

WOW....An incredible reply that speaks volumes of Harlean's character where she speaks her mind to the fullest and isn't afraid of the truth or the consequences........ I think I'm turned on......... yep I'm turned on.

Question submitted by the music man:

What are you listening to right as you're doing these emails???

Reply from Brian:

Currently playing: Aphex Twin: Omgyiya Switch 7 off the Drukqs album.
A great album that displays Richard James' true genius, it's an album i highly recommend, but it's one that you must learn to listen for it's serene beauty liying within the intensity........ try Vordhosbn as an example....

Comment subimtted by Tessa:

Wow you were right that was a great topic to start with. I love Howard and feel the same about censorship in america if you don't like it, look the other way, change the station. People are so crazy.

Reply from Brian:

I'm a huge Howard fan too and wish him all the best with Sirius, hopefully soon i'll get a satillite radio and continue to enjoy their show without censorship, plus I heard George Takei on the first week was hilarious....

And yes some people do need to lighten up........................... hopefully one day they will. and also a Baba-booey to you all !!!

Question submitted by Jaime:

So what's the progress on "A Beautiful Tragedy"???

Reply from Brian:

I'm sorry to say that "A Beautiful Tragedy" will not be playing anywhere, anytime soon.........

"A.B.T." was a collabrative effort for a band started by my brother Draven and I back in our teens, we modeled the outline of the band after Korn, NIN, Tool, Slipknot. so it showed great promise. I was going to be the front man and in my senior year of high school i had begun writing and within two and a half years i had already written close to four full albums worth of material...... Draven was slated to do all drum work but before we took it seriously he moved to Phoenix and everything was on hold.

so now the only actual member is .....Myself, but with no leads on any other members and a major case of writer's block since '04, there was nothing more that could be done.............

but this story still isn't over........ lately i have had a recent surge of creativity so i'm slowly wrtiing again and Draven is working on moving back to Cali for good..... so who knows maybe someday we can share this dream with you all............

To finish each installment of "Echos" i'm reviving the beloved:"Brian's Top Ten", a list of all the ten songs that influenced me for this week or just great songs i believe are worth listening to at least once..... and now in no particular order...... "Brian's Top Ten":

1. "Money"- Velvet Revolver: a cover of the legendary Pink Floyd classic, VR does the song justice, not sinking or rasing the bar, they just meet it. and that is all i ask when doing a cover.

2. "Eulogy"- Tool: Upon hearing the news that Tool will finally release a new album by this spring, i decieded to go back and re-examine their entire catalog and came across this as one of my absolute favorite songs...

3. "You're All I've Got Tonight"- Smashing Pumpkins: The Pumpkins released an album called "Rarities And B-Sides" which is just loaded to the top with enough rare gems and alternate versions of classic tunes to last any fan for a lifetime, inside this was one of the songs that truly spoke to me, it's simple, it's short and it's good. i often hit the replay button over and over again just to make that overall rockin moment last for at least five minutes....

4. "Fanatica"- Eisbrecher: Is it so wrong that i like german music ???, I think not. While Eisbrecher at first reminds anyone who hears it of Rammstein, it slowly heads in a different direction, since it's not just German Industrial but instead German Industrial/ Techno. truly.... some good shit.

5. "Red And Violet"- Kidney Thieves: I will forever say that the Kidney Thieves were one of the most underrated Indusrtial bands ever!!!! this, their final track before parting ways shows the undeniable singing ability of lead singer Free Dominguez. was only available by mail order on two CD'S one a greatest hits collection and the other a live album, both i acquired without question and i haven't been disapointed yet... as for lead singer Free Dominguez i wish her all the best with her new solo album.

6. " Outsider (Apocalyspe Remix)"- A Perfect Circle: On a Whim i decieded to buy this Remix album of APC and i found this one track that gave me an idea of what would happen if you fuse both of Maynard's bands APC AND Tool in a mash up. And i must say that i enjoyed the results....

7. "Vorhosbn"- Aphex Twin: As i mentioned earlier, Richard James is a genius. as the song begins, it displays true intensity and gradually it slows but i often find myself getting lost in the moment, British Ambient music can be many things: peaceful, violent, about life, about death. so beyond comprehension and yet sometimes so simple......... that's why i enjoy it.

8. "Release Me"- Infected Mushroom: We're going Global this week not only are we covering German Industrial/ Techno, and British Ambience, but now we can include Israelian Goa Trance.
I know my brother would agree with me in saying that IM is truly a great standout duo, we came across them last month through one of our best friends Dreamer, and instantly we went head over heels for IM, soon i ventured out and acquired the entire catalog within a week. and this track really stuck out for me and it also features dialoge from the film "Independence Day" so if you can check this shit out!!!!!!!

9. "Love Is Not Enough (Live At Rehearsal)"- Nine Inch Nails: I had the privilege of seeing NIN in concert back in Nov. and they started out the show with this song which i admit at first didn't wow me, but hearing it live really surprised me then when i came across this live version on CD i knew that this was truly a great song, and everytime i hear it i'm reminded of that live show.... and the kicks i recieved on the back of my head.......

10. "Clone Your Lover"- Zeromancer: And we conclude our global tour with Iceland's very own Zeromancer, another group i was introduced by my brother which i really liked right away, it was an intresting fusion of Rock and Electronica that really stands out on it's own, but then sometimes the best surprises are just a hop across the pond.......

And that concludes this week's edition of "Echos of the Factor", of course any questions, comments, Etc. please send them in and we'll see you soon............

Censorship

TITLE: Censorship

DATE: 1/13/06

An introduction from the great Harlean Carpenter:

"we are adrift dead manâ
€™s float in a sea of our own making waves breaking
in the shape of question marks curling over and around us

but beneath the dots we seek to connect
and form a path to the dry land that is
nothing less or more than the catacombs
of human experience and here
we will walk..."

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the season premiere of "The Brian Factor." I am, of course, Brian.

I want to thank Ms. Harlean Carpenter for writing such a moving and powerful introduction. She's always been a great friend, an incredible writer, and a true fan of this column, so again I say thank you so very much.

Now what makes this so special is the fact that my audience has increased exponentially as I'm now not only posting this on Yahoo but I'm also now available on MySpace and now we've reached a new level where we shall learn together and transform the world we know into if anything a better one. Here we discuss what's really going on and we won't hold anything back. I'll ask the who's and why's that many are afraid to ask. I plan to set this revolution machine foward and tell those who disrespect our world of freedoms and truths that the people who don't follow the leader and those who believe in the freedoms our forefathers fought and died for that we're still standing and if you don't like it then Fuck You!!!!

So let's begin.

There was of course the big debate on where to start this season: Gay marriage, the War, Pro-Life or Pro-Choice??? Eventually over this season I'll tackle those and other issues but I decided to tackle one topic that I know deserves true exploration and of course a little touch of me....

Today's topic on The Brain Factor: Censorship!!!

The Story:
For as long as we have had books, radio, television, and, most recently, the Internet, there have been those who would prefer that certain topics be left out. And, of course, those who wanted censorship were satisfied with the bare minimum of what they wanted. And we were happy because we could see what we wanted, so by the beginning of this century, everyone got what they wanted... until the Superbowl incident. Shortly thereafter public outcry for controlling indecent content became an issue that engulfed the nation, and soon numerous groups began appearing before congress requesting stricter control of what appears on our books, TV, radio, and the internet.

The Reasoning:

It's understandable that many were pissed at what happened. Soon the FCC began their pursuit of anyone and anything that was deemed offensive and indecent. With everyone's voice finally being heard, no one was safe.

One of the greater targets were the dramas that used "colorful words" and suggestive dialogue and situations. Movies on TV were edited even further to the point that they became unwatchable, and in radio one target said it all: Howard Stern. For years he was Number One on their hit list, but all they could do was fine a couple hundred, maybe a thousand, dollars. But when the crackdown commenced, the FCC started playing hardball by first going after the man who was number one; and if there was any proof that it was about Howard and not content, then look at his opposites. Oprah and Dr. Phil both had shows where the subject of oral sex and graphic descriptions of other forms of sex were discussed and these are shows that are on when children are home and in primetime-- and yet, not one fine. while the FCC claimed they recieved complaints but were never specific about the complaints or even had proof of them. But if Howard said the word "ass", not in any from of a sentence just the word, there would be a $200,000 fine right there. Which could lead some to believe that the religous right were using the subject of decency to push foward private agendas and create a more moral country- claiming that everything we're doing is for the children- and create family-oriented programming and, in general, a good ol' fashioned God fearing society....

My Two Cents:

You know, as I sit here with my ripped jeans and biker boots on, I think very carefully about this and I come to the conclusion that this will get uglier before it gets better. So let's really get into it...

Censorship

You know, I can honestly say that I don't care about the Superbowl incident. Mainly since I didn't see it. While we may appear to have indecent material here in America, across the pond they're showing stuff that would easily make a porn star blush. In reality if you compare us to the world in terms of indecency we're nuns. But really take a look at the people who are fighting for a "moral America": half of the senators did the stuff that they're trying to outlaw on TV--sex, drugs, violence (and that was all last Tuesday night)--and the other half come from a generation where the Whites and Colored had separate fountains and restrooms. Yet these are the experts on what's right and wrong. Think about that one for a moment.

Wait. I hear a word in the distance....

...Hypocrite.

Obviously, we all want a better world for our children. But at the same time, wasn't it the bad experiences that helped show you what was right and wrong in the first place??? Everyone thinks that cutting something off will solve problems but in reality it'll make you want it more.

A quick lesson in philosophy: "The forbidden fruit is always more tempting than what's in front of you."

Growing up as a child if I was told "No" guess what I did.... I did it anyway. When I was told "Don't ever get a tattoo," I did. When I was told "Don't get an earring," I did. Are we beginning to see a pattern here, people?

But when I was told "Don't ever do drugs," I didn't, and what made the outcome different here was the fact that I was actually explained in detail why I shouldn't. My point is simply this: if you actually sit down and explain why some content isn't appropriate instead of cutting it off then you'll actually make some headway.

But what about Washington and the FCC? Let me ask you this: do you want people telling you what you can see, read, or listen to? No, because the reason that there is no consensus on what's okay is because we all have different levels of tolerance. And that's the key: tolerance. No two people are offended by the same thing. Seriously are you that offended or are you just going with the crowd? Well let's find out. Are you offended by the word "asshole"? I'm not. Are you offended by the concept of sex? I'm not. Hell, even the Discovery Channel has more offensive material when you're watching two lions mate or explaining the reproductive cycle than hearing someone saying "asshole!" So if this offends you, then deal and move on. Or, better yet, just switch channels or exit the room. You can't expect to hand off the responsiblilty of your children to someone else when it's not all that complcated to begin with. Even now there are more than enough measures to prevent what you don't want in your home. The majority of the channels on tv that aim at a mature audience are separate from the basic cable package and have to be purchased separately. There are now parental locks on televison, the Internet, cable, and satellite boxes and recievers- even satellite radio, which dosen't operate under the rules of the FCC and has the legal right to swear and discuss any topic without fear of indecency fines have parental locks; so you are now responsible for what comes in, not the government. So please use the locks if you're someone who wants to protect your family. They're not complicated.

So please let's move on from what's right and wrong before we inadvertantly cry out for so much morality that we return to 1955... and I'm not using a seperate bathroom from white people... not again!!!!

So this concludes this week's topic. And again to clarify, this is a biweekly column, so I will post new columns on the second and fourth Friday of each month. But if you have any questions, comments, kudos, death threats, marriage proposals, then send them in; in fact, now on the first and third Friday I'll pick the best of the emails and I'll post them in my brand new segment "Echos of the Factor" where I'll display your emails and answer any questions and reply to your comments. Also, I'm reviving the infamous "Brian's Top Ten," so tune in. And, of course, thanks again to Harlean Carpenter for that wonderful introduction and I shall return for another installment of "The Brian Factor."

So until next time enjoy your weekend, take care everyone, and send in those emails. I'm Brian and this was "The Brian Factor" I'm outta here!!! Peace!!!!!!