Ramblings
In this portion of the site, I will tend to ramble a lot. I will update this as frequently as I can, so check back often.
I now have quit putting ramblings on this site. I have an online diary located at http://www.teenopendiary.com/entrylist.asp?authorcode=B263764 (or just click the link picture at the bottom of the page) so go there for a wicked time.



Ramblings for Tuesday, May eighth, 2001.
I recently received this message from a leader in my troop:
"Not sure if all of you receive the Friends of Scouting emails. It is noteworthy that in the last newsletter the Minneapolis Star & Tribune, Levi Straus (jean company) and Wells Fargo Bank have all cut off funding to the Boy Scouts because we do not allow homosexuals to lead and teach our children."

In all honesty, this whole issue has sickened me from the start. I still find it hard to accept the fact that an organization which has shaped most of the very core of my being, morally, ethically, socially, and physically, has now started to tell us who is good and who is bad, solely based upon sexual orientation.
When the Boy Scouts of America was started back in 1910, Baden Powell didn't have teaching sexual ethics to boys in mind. Rather, he taught them to be open-minded, strong, intelligent and mature young men.
As the organization grew, so did it's popularity. It became a household word, and even little kids recognized the ethics of scouting with the popular "scout's honor." Corporations started donating large amounts of money to the cause, and it continued to grow.
In World War Two, the scouts organized food drives, sold war bonds, and collected metal and rubber to donate to the men fighting the Nazi's (who ironically also happen to be one of the only other organizations in history who taught kids to publicly discriminate against others) across the globe.
The Boy Scouts continued to grow.
The Eagle Scout began to be nationally recognized by the 1950's as a symbol of integrity, determination, hard work, and high standards.
After 40 years, the organization still was growing.
At the turn of the century, a young Eagle scout in the Montana area was in a gay rights demonstration, and had his picture taken and put in a newspaper. You can imagine his surprise when he received a notice in the mail that he had been stripped of his Eagle scout award, and of his leadership position in the troop he belonged to. He of course protested, but he was told that it wasn't "morally straight" to be gay (in the scout oath, a scout declares that he will be "physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight) and that because of this he was being kicked out.
He sued, lost, appealed, and lost again. He made it to the supreme court finally, and the court upheld the right for private organizations to choose who can belong and who can't.
Now, the issue here is not the right to choose who can and can't lead. I'm all for that. However, the issue of deciding that being different (ie., gay, atheist, etc...) is bad. When I recite that oath every week, when I say morally straight, the words "I will not be gay" do NOT run across my mind. When I think of being morally straight, I think of upholding my morals, but also being open-minded about the morals of others. I don't force my morals or beliefs on others, and I won't stand for people forcing theirs upon me. Personally, I am not gay, but I'm not homophobic. I respect people who think it's okay to have a relationship with the same sex, and they respect the fact that I think it's okay to have relationships with people of the opposite sex.
If we had a leader in our troop who was teaching sexual ethics to us, be they gay or straight,
I wouldn't stand for it. I'm not there to learn how to act around people I love, and nobody else is, either.
Being gay doesn't make men perverts, either. Some radical anti-gays are saying that they don't want "queers molesting their little boys" when they forget to realize that there are plenty of straight men (and women, for that matter) who have molested kids. They bend reality to their favor, and disregard the truth.
The Boy scouts have now lost all of my respect. The rank of Eagle scout, once shining and golden in my mind, has now become tarnished and dull. No longer do I look forward to achieving the rank of Eagle. I now see it as almost a symbol of shame. To me, it says to the world "Hey, look at me! I support an anti-gay organization! Yay!"
I realize that all scouts do not agree with this decision. My council is going out of it's way to try and reverse this decision, but to no avail as of yet. I applaud the individuals and the higher-ups who have gone out of their way and stepped out of their jurisdictions to voice their opinions on this matter.
With their help, and with more people voicing their opinions, we can change this stupid mentality that gays are bad.

© 2001 Chris Ferguson.


Ramblings for wednesday, September 27th, Something I wrote in English Class. I take no responsibility for the language. I won't change it for anything. If it offends you, then don't read it.

I hate my school.
The people here are idiots. They tell me I think too much, and that pisses me off, and it pisses me off even more when I think about how wrong they don't even know they are. I hate the lack of observation and accomodation for the "Smart Kids." I'm not gloating, I'm not saying that I'm a genius, but I am saying that I know how to read, and that I feel somewhat gypped when my English teacher looks at my class and says, "I know that reading 25 pages every night is lots and lots of work, but if you give yourself two hours a night, you should be able to keep up with us."
I don't even bother participating in "Large group discussions" anymore, because all it is is a chance for all the no-minds to show their friends how witty they are. I actually give my input on the subject, and people turn and look at me and tell me I'm "Not supposed to think that hard about this. You think too much." Morons. You wanna know what I really think? I think that you're all idiots. Half of you are going to overdose on drugs and die before you turn 21, and those that are left will probably end up in jail. You've got money now, but what happens when mommy and daddy can't be there to bail you out when you can't pay you're rent? Oh, wait, it doesn't matter if you have no place to live, because people will still think that you're cool cause
I hate not being able to express my opinion. I hate the fact that what this world is run by is sadistic preppies who have come to the conclusion that we can be happy if we all do what everybody else does. I hate the fact that when I try to excersize my rights as an American, I'm told "School is no place to make a statement." Then why the hell is it funded by the same government that gave me these rights? Pure bullshit. Educating students to reach their full poential? Yeah right. I almst laughed last time I read that. What's done is whatever is easiest for the teacher to do, and whatever falls into the budget. The teachers don't care about potential, they just care about getting out of here and going home.
I've learned more from books and computers than I have from school. School isn't about learning, school is about oppression, and about being one with the crowd. School is, was, and forever will be about suppressing free thought, and telling kids that authority is supreme. "Never question authority kids, even if it goes against your beliefs." Fuck that.

Ramblings for thursday, May 18th, 2000
"Think." This was said by a man who I know simply as Kevin. Think. In todays society, the word doesnt mean much. Sure, we all think about our clothes, about who thinks what about us, and who likes who, but do we REALLY think? Society has told us that being smart isnt cool, and being able to think our way out of a wet paper sack is even stupider. Society has formed America to the mentality that ignorance is bliss. Well, Ive got news for you. Its not. There are few people today who dont believe everything that they hear. Those people are few and far between, and when found, they’re pretty much feared and looked down upon. Theyre punished, shunned, and rejected. As a man known only as The Mentor once said, "We explore... and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge... and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias... and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals. Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for…. This is my manifesto. You may stop me, but you can't stop us all..."
These people crave knowledge. To them, knowledge is power. Theyre not sadists, delighting in destroying what others have worked so hard to make. All that they do is figure out new ways to do something. To them, the world is more than having a T-shirt that cost them 40 dollars, or having the right friends, or making sure their hair looks just right in the morning. The world is real to them, not some superficial place where they hide their true selves, it’s real. No masks, no makeup, nothing.
People shouldn’t have to be afraid to be themselves. If you want to wear a lime green double breasted suit, you shouldn’t have to be afraid of what your friends think, or anybody else, for that manner. If your friends laugh at you because they don’t like what youre wearing, theyre not really your friends. Stand up to them. Tell them to shut up, tell them theyre wrong. Step out of your comfort zone.
Be your own person!
That’s the main point Im trying to get across here. Just be yourself. Who cares what that snobby girl in math class thinks?
Who cares what your English teacher thinks?
Just do what fits you!
If "everybody" else is listening to that new band, and you dont like it, then dont listen to it. Conformity is like a drug, only it doesnt kill you, but it kills YOU. It just makes you look stupid.
Colleges dont care about the 100.00 pair of pants youre wearing, or the football game you just won, or anything like that. They dont care how high you can skateboard, or how many tricks you can do