Minor inconvenience. If you read this blog often, you may know that I operate on the principle that life is made up of minor inconveniences or major tragedies. If you live near the fire and have to evacuate, that's a major tragedy. If you live where I live and are confinded indoors for a few days, it's a minor inconvenience. And so it goes...

Today's topics are: breastfeeding and marriage.

Is everyone over the cover of TIME, yet? In my opinion, the mother shown there with her child of nearly four years, breastfeeding, was purposely looking for a fight. Was she talked into posing that way by the editors of TIME magazine? Not likely. She knew what would happen. She looked into the camera and did everything but flip the bird to the readers. It certainly wasn't about being "Mom enough". 

Is it okay to breastfeed a toddler? Not my call. I breastfed my kids till they were about 6 months old. They were far too busy doing other things by that time - they did not want to cuddle and nurse. My daughter is, to my knowledge, still breastfeeding my granddaughter, seen here, who is 18 months old. I'm totally okay with that - she's not me, why should she do what I did?

It's up to each mother to choose how long she breastfeeds, or if she breastfeeds. When she takes it to the media and poses provocatively, hoping to induce a backlash of criticism in order to be shown standing strong for a cause... well, I just have to sigh, move on, and hope women will someday stop attacking each other in the name of what's right.

To the actual act of breastfeeding a child the size and age of the young boy in the picture - not my call. I do wonder how he'll feel when he's older and his Mom shows him that picture. Or, when one of his friends waves it in his face. Will he laugh or cry? Guess his Mom didn't consider that, did she?

Ok... on to marriage. Civil marriage. Between two people who love each other. Why are we fighting about this? Do gay people not pay taxes the same as everyone else? Do gay people not put their pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else? Do gay people not fall in love?

Is America not the 'land of the free'? Did we not separate church and state, way back? Is there a really good reason, other than deciding for yourself that the rest of the world should live the way you live because the way you live is best, for denying a whole section of the population their constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?  Isn't the opening to the whole life, liberty and pursuit of happiness..."We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,"? 

Not sure I get it, folks. I don't allow religion to dictate my life. Maybe that's it. I'm not religious enough. But, wait... isn't "God" in charge of judging us? And, doesn't that come after the fact (when we're dead)? Aren't we supposed to love one another? 

It's so sad that we continue to argue about and segment and demonize a whole group of people because we don't understand them.