My ten cents

Here's my ten cents on current affairs. You don't have to like it. You don't have to read it. You don't have to agree. It's MY current thoughts on current events that I am posting on MY blog. Read it if you want. Pass over it if you want. It's your choice.

If you don't know by now that I am a Mormon I'll assume you are new to my blog. Welcome! The LDS church is taking heat right now because they told the bishops and leaders specifically how to deal with the new politics of the world...homosexual marriage. This wasn't legal a few years ago. It wasn't an issue. Now it is and it needs to be addressed. There is also the issue of children of homosexual marriages and relationships. Do you let an 8 year old join a church when that church teaches that his parents are openly sinning? That the child's goal in life is to NOT do what his parents are doing?

Personally, I don't know why a parent would let their child be baptized into a religion that is teaching exactly opposite what I was teaching at home. I don't like it when schools do that and school is mandatory. Religion is not. Specifically, the LDS church is not mandatory. If you don't agree with the Church's teaching...don't join. There are plenty others out there. Even Christian churches that will agree with your choice of lifestyle. Go join them! Or not, it's up to you. The LDS church is very upfront about its stance...homosexual relationships are not condoned. Homosexual feelings are an entirely different issue. Heterosexual relationships outside of marriage are not condoned. Heterosexual feelings are an entirely different issue. Do you get the difference?

Telling a child they have to wait to join a church is different than telling a child they can NEVER join a church. Do you get the difference? There are many things our government tells children they can not do until they reach a certain age (smoking, drinking, driving, etc), things many children think they should be able to do when they feel they are ready. Sorry, kids. You have to wait. That doesn't mean you are bad kids, it doesn't mean you are immature, it doesn't mean anything against you as a child of God. It means you need to wait until you are a legal adult because that's just the way it is. Don't like it? Too bad.

Adults...God has said that all sexual relationships should be done in the bounds of marriage. That is what the LDS church teaches. If you don't agree, if you aren't willing to wait, or whatever...don't join this church! If you are already a member and won't/can't keep this commandment, you are sinning and need to fix the situation. If you don't/won't, you will no longer be able to be a member. Again, if this sounds harsh and unfair, too bad. See, everyone sins. All Mormons sin, all Christians sin, all Muslims sin, all atheists sin, EVERYONE sins. But it's like breaking man's laws, there are misdemeanors and felonies. Since we believe the family is the most important relationship in this life (other than your relationship with God) and you sin against it, you are committing a felony. Since there is no Mormon jail (remember, you don't HAVE to be here), you loose membership and the blessings that go with it if you keep doing this behavior. Some laws are NOT okay to repeatedly and openly break. This is one.

Guess what? If this religion is so important to you that you would do anything to stay a member, fix your sin and rejoin. It's totally voluntary. But we aren't going to change our principles because you have a hard time living one of them. Does this make sense? Some people may call this harsh. Why? Don't like it...leave. Can't live it...leave. You don't have to be here. Will I be sad to see you go? Of course! Do I love you any less? No. Does God love you any less? No. Am I going to kill you and shun you because you believe differently than me? Of course not! You might feel like I am acting this way but that's your take on it. Get over yourself. I choose to be happy my way, you choose your own happiness. Agree to disagree and move on with life. This is my take on this current event.

It leads into another current event...terrorism. See, this is tough for me because I do feel compassion for the people in war torn countries. I don't like to see them suffer. I don't like to see them killed because of power hungry people. But see, I don't like homosexuals being thrown off of buildings, either. I don't like women not being able to drive, being told rape is their fault, not being equal partners with their husbands, etc. I definitely don't want it being taught in my home, thus I'm not joining the Muslim religion. I don't believe in jihad and all these other terms I don't really know what they mean. I don't think all Muslim people feel this way but I don't really know.

See, I get the feeling that many Muslim principles are exclusive. They are more "join my way of thinking, do my way of things but if you don't/can't, you have to die." Does anyone else get that feeling? Of course there are radicals everywhere but there just seem to be a WHOLE LOT more Muslim radicals willing to blow themselves and everyone else up to get their point across. Mormon leaders don't teach this. Ever! We can agree to disagree.

I want to protect my family. I want to protect my country. I don't mind sharing but I do mind people wanting to come to my "home" and change my laws. My lifestyle. People who want me to give them stuff and aren't thankful for it. Instead they complain that they don't like the food, they want a TV, they want Internet, etc. Sorry, folks. When you have nothing be thankful for the generosity of those willing to share. Don't rape their women. Don't blow them up. If you really believe that is what your God wants/allows you to do, then we have fundamental differences. If you really believe that aide is your right, that bringing your way of living into my home and demanding that I bow down to it, you've got another thing coming. My house my rules. My country my rules.

Women are equal partners here in America. You don't rape them and then the woman gets in trouble for it. Women can drive. They can wear jeans. They can say what they want when they want and you don't have to like it or agree with it. Most American men have accepted this fact. Many Muslim men will never accept it because they are taught the opposite. It's just like joining a church. You don't HAVE to join. If you can't/won't live the principles being taught here in America...don't come.

And America, why do you want to invite people like this over? You've just fought to give equal rights to so many people with so many varying lifestyles. Do you really think Muslims would ever vote Caitlyn Jenner as Woman of the Year? (I think that's crap btw.) I think Muslims would tie his/her hands and throw her/him off a roof! Am I making sense here? Why invite trouble into your homes?

I'm no terrorist. I will tell you about my beliefs and why I feel the way I do but if you don't agree that is fine. You don't have to like me. You don't have to be my friend. (I can be friends because I'm pretty good at "do what makes you happy and I'll do what makes me happy." BHiBTBS) I'll say what I feel because I'm allowed. I'll fight to keep that right btw. I'll fight if you threaten me or mine. I won't threaten to blow you up if you don't join my church. I won't threaten to blow you up if you don't like me. I won't threaten to blow you up unless you start threatening my home. Then watch out. You REALLY don't want to come to my home and start threatening me. That goes for my country, too.

I just wish more American politicians loved my country and wanted to keep my freedoms safe. I'm  no longer sure they do. I think they are too worried about hurting peoples feelings. About being politically correct. Why? Why invite trouble into our country? Be it Muslim radicals, illegal immigrants, etc. Why would you hand over the freedoms we fight so hard to keep? It makes no sense to me. I really don't think I'm being selfish by saying this. I feel like I'm being a realist.

And that, friends, is my ten cents. I choose to be happy and make the best of my situation. I wish more people would live this way.

HOAs

I've got an HOA in my neighborhood. I probably take it for granted. I'm sure it does good things. It has to, right? So many neighborhoods have them. They keep the place maintained, decorate at holidays, tell people what they can and can not do to keep the value of your neighborhood high. Right? That's what they tell you. That's what you hope they are doing since you have to pay them fees every year.

But see, I think HOAs are also made up of board members with too much time on their hands. Or people who are power hungry and like telling other people what to do. Or people who delight in conflict and getting involved in business that isn't theirs. Because I'm dealing with an HOA right now that is driving me crazy!

They don't think people with disabilities should be able to rent a house in their neighborhood. Some in the community think it is a half way house and that scares them. They don't like it that a business is being run in their neighborhood. What they won't consider is that people with lower IQs need around the clock help even when they are adults and want some independence.

In my case, I am renting a home to a company that finds housing for people with lower IQs. The neighborhood HOA says a business can't be run out of the home. OK. The business isn't being run out of that home. The business is run somewhere else, this is just where the two fellas live. But the HOA doesn't like that.

So they say it is a single family neighborhood. Yeah? The bylaws say that two non familial people can live in the same house. It even says they can have a caretaker visit them. These two men have a caretaker coming in throughout the day to help them. The caretaker doesn't live at the house. So what's the problem?

I then get thrown back the "you can't run a business out of your home." I'd bet you there are plenty of Ebay businesses being run out of homes in that neighborhood. I'd bet there are plenty of hairdressers cutting hair out of their home. I'd even bet there are people who work from home in that neighborhood. But the HOA doesn't try to give them the boot from the neighborhood.

I've lost my temper a couple of times on the phone with both the property management company and the HOA board member. She, the board member, actually hung up on me after saying I'd hear from her lawyer. Nice, huh? Here's the problem, though. They send me letters every 5 days saying I'm breaking the bylaws and after the third letter they will start charging me fines.

Apparently they want me to come to their board meeting and present my case to the board. However, they scheduled it when I will be out of town. Instead of trying to reschedule at a convenient time for me, I get hung up on and told I'll hear from their lawyer. Oops, HOA lady, the manager lady already let it slip that you don't have a lawyer. But hey, let's use those HOA funds that everyone pays for a lawyer. I've advised my tenant to do the same for her business...that she runs out of HER house, not my rental property. The Texas Association of Realtors agrees with me, btw. They've given me a lawyer to suggest to my tenant. Who knows if she'll want to fight it, though.

That saddens me. You want to know what else saddens me but makes me laugh at the same time? This story from today in my very own neighborhood. As I was leaving to run errands I stopped to take a picture of the ugliest lawn ornament I've seen in a long time. Here it is:

That pink flamingo is so large they have to anchor it because it's blown over a time or two. Not my decorating style, to be sure. Also to be sure, people in my own neighborhood are going to be offended by what I say here. Yeah, well, that's nothing new to me. Because as I was peering through the cast iron fence to zoom in and take this picture (my car was across the street at the community mail box) a neighbor out for her morning walk asked if I lived here. I said Yes and she said she didn't have time to stop and talk but that flamingo is causing BIG trouble in this neighborhood. BIG TROUBLE.

I raised my eyes and said, "Really?"

Apparently LOTS of people in the neighborhood don't like it and insisted that the homeowner take it down. It was down for a while but (Gasp!) He. Put. It. Back. Up! And now people are raging mad! BIG TROUBLE she tells me. She keeps on huffing and puffing on her walk and I tell her I just think it's funny. Then I get in my car and drive away.

On my way back I came home that same way so I could drive by and stop and take another picture. Maybe this will explain why this flamingo is such BIG TROUBLE. Because this is the back yard in which it is found:

Folks, I'll never be able to afford a house like this. It's got a pool, a gazebo, and even a pond with a fountain as it sits on the golf course. It's probably worth millions of dollars. You also don't see the swing set and other lawn ornaments they have. And this is the BACK of the house! People come and sit at the pond because it's part of the golf course (though they use grey water so it stinks sometimes) and they like to spend time fishing in it. Turtles swim and sun themselves at the pond, sometimes there are ducks, and I suppose there are fish but I doubt they are any big. It's just a fun spot to take pictures and relax. It's a beautiful background. Until you see the ugly flamingo, I guess.

So this is my beef, Really neighbors? A wealthy family with young kids isn't allowed to have bad taste in lawn ornamentation? It's really none of your business. You don't like it? Too bad. Don't put one up in YOUR back yard. Apparently this homeowner DOES like it. Guess what? It's HIS back yard! He can put up whatever he wants. YOU don't have to like it. There is nothing offensive about it. YOU, neighbors, need to get a sense of humor. YOU, neighbors, are the one making this such a BIG DEAL. I don't want my HOA money going to bother this homeowner. 

Get a life! You must have too much time and not enough real worries in your rich part of the neighborhood over there. This is the same place that recently was on the news for having a wild "herd" of emus running around. I'm not kidding! That was super cute for someone to video tape. Apparently a huge pink flamingo is an eye sore. If it hurts your eyes, turn them somewhere else. Maybe to the dust and crap in your own house that other people don't like. Oh wait, that's their problem because it's YOUR house and you can decorate it however you want!

And that right there, folks, is why you don't want me as your neighbor. I'll tell you I really don't care if you don't like both the interior and/or exterior "decorating" I do. I'll probably just laugh and tell you I think it's funny that my DECORATIONS are causing BIG TROUBLE in the neighborhood. And then, maybe, I'll turn around and ask you if you hear that dog that is forever barking? You know...YOUR dog!?! Hmm, maybe I should call the HOA!   :)