Sunday, May 17, 2026

Thomas Paine quotes

  1. The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.
  2. Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
  3. We have it in our power to begin the world over again.
  4. These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. 

On Being Gay

I wrote a piece called On Being Trans and posted it on July 23, 2023, not quite three years ago.  I’m writing this now because the politics of sexual identity has exploded out of control.

My first response is simple: the political issue of sexual identity is a Republican wedge issue, and wedge issues by definition are meant to distract from serious issues, like war and peace, the size of our National Debt, wealth inequality, etc.  Another reason this issue is not so important is the number of folks it affects.

Before I go on, let me be crystal clear how I feel/think about the wedge issue of trans rights.