Some of the students in the PS where I work think VP Biden is gay.

[Smarmie Doofus]

Why?

He kissed his sons after taking the oath. Their teacher ( not me) nervously explained that the young men were his *sons*...and it was ok to kiss *sons*. ( Implying, of course, that it was not ok to kiss anyone else of the same gender... and that it was not ok to be gay.)

This was less than 10 minutes after Rev. Warren had completed his ... ahem... invocation. Barrack, Michelle, Hillary, Bill, et al., et al., et al. sat thru that spectacle with their eyes closed and heads bowed. Had they only put their fingers in their ears, well... you get the picture.

What a great opportunity to educate the public about an important and poorly understood issue.... SQUANDERED. What an unfortunate and uncomfortable position to place VP Biden and his family in. What a crime to let these HS aged kids remain uninformed and misinformed about something that they quite obviously spend a lot of time thinking about and worrying about.

Inaccurately.

Maybe the Rev. Warren fiasco is a bigger deal than some of us thought after all .

[MadMaddie]

1. Maybe the childrens parents should be kissing their kids more

and loving them.....goes back to parenting.

[Smarmie Doofus]

16. I'm sure that's part of it. But there's more wrong here than just that. nt

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. It is my sad experience...

That your average high school kid thinks everyone and everything is gay. Except him or herself and even then, they are confused by the twinges they feel in the locker room.

[Smarmie Doofus]

17. Agreed. But should we amplify their confusion or help them resolve it?

And which does mainstreaming Warren accomplish?

[2Design]

3. he would make a great dad, granddad etc - wish my father was as

thoughtful and tender as he is

[Smarmie Doofus]

18. I think he's neat. nt

[sam sarrha]

4. tell'm Bu$h was the Chear Leader

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. I was hugely offended by his

recitation of the Lord's Prayer. It closed out every non-christian in the world, and that was hardly the "unity" theme our Barack Obama promised. I trust our President was just as disgusted as I was by that little caper.

Rick Warren was entirely in over his head, out of his league, and an embarrassment. The others, the musicians, the poet, Aretha, oh, man, ARETHA!, and Rev. Lowery showed him how the professionals do it. Warren came off a slice of an amateur, not equipped to play with the big kids.

I'm glad he was invited. It showed him up for the second-rate bad actor he is, and he and his followers have now been neutered by Obama having invited them. Now, Obama's got cred with them, and they can all crawl back into their holes from whence they slithered.

Other than Warren, who, ultimately, will have also served a purpose, as a bad example, the inaugural program was, I think, a really first-rate show. I've never seen anything quite like it.

I mean, we had ARETHA!!!!!!!!! singing at the Inauguration! Can you imagine?????

[Ian David]

9. Obama should have picked Pastor Deacon Fred of Landover Baptist Church

VIDEO: Landover Baptist Pastor Preaches to Atheists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-jk3VvjGoE

[Tangerine LaBamba]

10. Oh, GOD!!!!!!!

That broke me up.

Well done...................

[bertman]

13. THANK YOU, Tangerine LaBamba, for that perfect assessment of Warren's inept sermonizing.

[LeftyMom]

19. And Catholics. It excluded them too.

Catholics say the doxology* elsewhere in the Mass and not at the end of the Our Father, which would be the Catholic term for what Protestants refer to as the Lord's Prayer.

Some Protestants also phrase it differently, referring to sins or debts rather than trespasses. So any one phrasing even excludes a significant percentage of mainline Protestants.

* "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever."

[Radical Activist]

27. And some other Christians as well.

Some denominations don't recite the lord's prayer at all and wouldn't have found it appropriate. So it was a prayer for a select slice of Christianity and a big FU to a majority of Americans.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

28. Christians were included -

Catholics are Christians. That he didn't recite the prayer exactly as Catholics would have done it doesn't negate the fact that they were, as Christians, included. Non-Christians weren't.

That was my point, not specific ritual differences. Under the "Christian" umbrella, there are all the Catholics.

[LeftyMom]

30. No.

It may seem like a minor thing if you weren't raised Catholic, but trust me, even as somebody who hasn't been to mass in nearly two decades, the difference is noticeable and definitely not welcoming. Certain Protestant groups, especially believers in the Baptist Succession who deny the Catholic roots of their belief system, tend to use language that highlights their differences with Catholicism specifically because they do not believe that Catholicism is a form of Christianity.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

32. I was raised Catholic,

and got my legal education from the Jesuits, for which I am eternally grateful.

You did not read with any understanding what I wrote.

Let me rephrase:

It is simply that Warren included - that is the operative word - Christians in his prayer, no matter what iteration. Perhaps it was not what the Baptist Succession would have liked, perhaps it was not word-for-word what you might hear in a Roman Catholic church, but it was a Christian prayer.

That was my point. You are trying to find a point within my statement that does not exist.

Let me restate: his prayer excluded Jews and Muslims and Janes and all other organized religions, none of whom recognize any version of The Lord's Prayer as part of their worship and belief.

I really can't say it any plainer than that. If you don't understand, then I regret it, but I'm done now.

[LeftyMom]

33. I don't deny that it excluded non-Christians. My point is that it was not inclusive within

Christianity as a whole, either. The points are not in any way mutually exclusive.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

35. I never made any statement

regarding "inclusive within Christianity."

Consider a book. Within the book are chapters.

I referred to the book, not to any chapters.

Got it now?

Gee, this sure made a big nothing out of a simple comment.

[TahitiNut]

36. I think the point to be made is that Warren is devoid of any kind of "ecumenicalism"

Warren is a devotee of the politics AND religion of EXCLUSION ... and he, in no way whatsoever, MODELS any kind of love for all mankind.

[silverojo]

6. That's got nothing to do with Warren

It's all about a society that prohibits men from showing affection of this nature, to other male members of their families. Not to mention the harshness of the high school environment.

I remember when I was in high school, and I saw (on TV) Michael Palin kissing his sons before leaving for a long journey. I was shocked, thinking about how those kids would've gotten beaten to a pulp the next day at school. Mom had to explain to me that there was nothing wrong with this, particularly in Europe.

It was an eye-opening day for me...and I hope one day there will be true equality, which will allow men to show affection without being branded as weird, and allow women to show affection without being considered weaker and less capable.

[Smarmie Doofus]

20. Warren promotes inaccurate ideas about homosexuality.

And common misconceptions. Hard to see how "it's( the cluelessness of these young adults) got *nothing* to do with Warren."

"nothing"?! Are you sure?

[Chovexani]

37. Wow you really take missing the point into an artform

Bravo.

Hint: they're interconnected.

[ColbertWatcher]

7. Shameful.

I can't understand how a father can't kiss his sons, grandsons.

[TheDebbieDee]

8. Did any of the kids mention the fact that Mrs. Biden

dresses like a whoooooooore?

Because she does. Dress like, you know, a whoooooore.

[Libertyfirst]

11. Come off it teacher. You just needed a hook to post your anger at Warren.

No high school student in Delaware thinks Biden is gay. Hope your lessons are more accurate than your posts.

Warren was a wipe out and everyone knows it. Dustbin of history here he comes.

[Smarmie Doofus]

21. I saw what I saw and heard what I heard. Maybe I should just close my...

...eyes , bow my head and cover my ears?

If we all ignore it... there is no problem. NOW I get it!

[October]

45. Interesting...that's what you thought Barack, Michelle, et al should do

You thought they should cover their ears... according to your post.

[Harry Monroe]

12. Gay here and guilty as charged

I've been married to the same woman for 18 years and I still kiss (on the cheek) and hug my 15 year old son (though he recoils on occasion). Yep, I'm gay!!!

Jesus Christ, this person should NOT be allowed to teach our young!!!

[Smarmie Doofus]

24. Me too. But I don't think it matters.

The 'kids are NOT alright' where it comes to this stuff. Promoting Warrenism , as Obama and Co. are doing, seems unlikely to help, and very likely to hurt.

Re. teacher: she's actually pretty good. Blew this one to hell , though.

[TexasObserver]

14. People who think kissing one's children on the lips is weird ARE weird.

[Smarmie Doofus]

23. There are a lot of variables there. i.e. cultural, etc

This particular group is largely urban, latino-caribean.... and a lot of single-parent families.

It's a big taboo... at least stateside. Esp among males.

Point: Obama and Co. could have used the occassion to shed some light; by embracing Warren, however they exacerbated the cultural and psychological confusion.

[TexasObserver]

38. Doesn't matter. They need to grow up and lose their 3rd world views.

The whole phony muy macho themes are complete bullshit. Kissing one's kids doesn't make them or you gay, but acting as if it does certainly makes one an ignorant bigot.

[bertman]

15. My, how things change! When I was growing up in my southern conservative home town

our family showed almost nothing in the way of physical affection despite the fact that there was a lot of love there. After I was four or five the only physical contact my dad and I (and my brothers) had was a handshake or a hand on the shoulder (very occasionally).

It wasn't anything related to sexuality or homosexuality that I could detect. It was simply a cultural norm that existed and thrived in the conservative environment we lived in.

it wasn't until I was in my early thirties when I made friends with some VERY huggie folks who hugged and kissed everyone--friends, kids, cousins, uncles, aunts, new acquaintances even. That was the first time I had ever hugged another man. It was great--a warm display of affection that changed the way I interacted with my friends and family from then on. This newfound human contact started spilling over into my once reticent family; although, only in the last two or three years have my brothers felt comfortable hugging (after almost 30 years of me hugging them LOL). Now, most of the men in our family hug each other and the women all share hearty hugs with everyone including sons and daughters, nieces, nephews, cousins, et al. If I had sons I'm sure I'd greet them with hugs and kisses just as I greet my stepdaughters.

I know this probably sounds strange to those of you from families like my Italian friends (who are some of the warmest, huggiest, kissiest folks I have ever met), but it's the reality and fortunately it is changing for the better.

Showing affection for people you love of either sex should always be seen as a genuine expression of our deepest feelings and never something we should be ashamed of. Nor should it be something we are reluctant to explain to others who may not understand it.

It's just a cultural difference.

[Smarmie Doofus]

26. I don't disagree.

Clearly, though, lots of kids have displays of affection conflated with sexual issues.

I don't see that Warren's further obscuring of homosexuality helps to un-conflate the two. Real sex education might help... but most districts won't touch that with a ten foot pole.

[JVS]

22. Don't these kids have fathers?

[Smarmie Doofus]

25. Some of them, yes.

A lot of them, no. Urban immigrant, single parent households are quite common and maybe even the norm.

[hedgehog]

29. He's not gay , he's Irish! Not to say that there aren't a lot of Irish Gays,

but we Irish can be really expressive with our kin.

[undeterred]

31. Yeah, they wish.

He loves his family.

[theboss]

34. Who know who I called "gay" when I was in elementary school?

Everyone and everything.

I would also "spray" myself if someone I didn't like touched me.

Here is what no one wants to acknowledge: children are awful people. Cruel and petty. Hopefully they grow out of it.

Like me.

I now only think people who like soccer are gay.

[southernyankeebelle]

39. Hmm I wonder if this was a southern state?

These people would go nuts if they lived in europe. My male cousins kiss each other on the cheeks to say hello and good bye. We don't think so narrowed minded. Americans have such hang ups. My sister-in-laws Grandmother who was from Tn scolded my brother for kissing his son. My brother told her to mind her own business. In Italy we greet each other that way. Its normal. They even have a custom where if you are a 2 cousin and there is a big age difference the child calls the older cousin Aunt or Uncle. It is a sign of respect.

[Smarmie Doofus]

43. New York, sorry.

Europeans? They're screwy. When they get sick they go to the doctor.We can't afford to so we buy sugar pills at the health food store.

Normal, smormal.

[sohndrsmith]

40. couple of questions:

1. Whether they think this or not, why do they think it's relevant or even interesting. The only person that might consider it both would be Jill, I would think.

2. Obama kissed his daughters, is that proof that he's heterosexual, or proof that he's a lesbian?

3. Why are they thinking about this? Does it bother them or are they inspired by the idea? Either way, it's really sort of... odd.

Just curious...

[Smarmie Doofus]

42. 1. I don't know. 2. I don't know 3. I don't know.

All legit questions, but I don't know ( though I doubt that Obama is a Lesbian).

Here's what I DO know: neither they, nor preacher Warren, have any idea what they are talking about when they use the word "gay". Solution: teach sex ed... including homosexuality .... *effectively* in public schools.

No religion, no agenda, no politics. Just *science*.

[cynatnite]

41. My husband's father kisses his grown sons the same way...

It's very common. In fact, I was glad to see it. Shows a lot of love. :)

[Smarmie Doofus]

44. Without a doubt. nt

>>>Shows a lot of love. :)>>>