The Straw That Broke The Camels Back

This symbol used to be about Music, now it stands for "Gay Marriage" who knew?

Ever since I was a little girl I have been getting lost in music. I love music, I started singing pretty much around the time I started talking. If you've read my blog for any length of time though, you already know that. What you might not know is that I do not play any instruments, I use my voice as my instrument.

When I was little I started to hear melodies in my head so I started writing them down the only way I knew how, which was the words in notebooks. I would later sing them to whomever I was working with and they heard the chords I was singing and would then play along with me either on a piano or guitar. I have a very accurate sense of pitch and hear the music in my head. So why the "Greek Girl history of singing" lesson you might be wondering?

Because part of developing my musical recipe and or chops per say was listening to and looking up to successful music artists. I would look forward to all the award shows and seeing a live performance of a song I had grown to love. It was such a thrill to my little Greek noggin to watch someone like Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Journey, Mariah Carey, or whomever was set to perform stand there and sing a song. Nothing more nothing less, just sing. Sing it from their heart, without any antics. Just live musicians, no auto-tuned back track, no parade of half naked dancers, and especially no agenda themed awards shows.

Well here we are in 2014 and it's no secret that I've been at this a long time and have not yet "made it". Not for lack of trying or lack of talent either. As a person who has had one dream and one goal for over two decades I have watched as the music industry has changed from something special to something sad. Anyone even half paying attention can see it has been less and less about talent and music and more and more about shock & awe, TV talent shows showcasing sad sappy backstories, celebrity train wrecks, and anything and everything that is well... pretty much about everything "except" the music.

The gatekeepers focus on and engage in so many things that people in any other walk of life could and would be fired for doing. Like what? Hmmm let me see discriminating against things they are not supposed to... like age, religion, oh and lets not forget political affiliation. Besides Susan Boyle ask yourself when is the last time you saw a "new artist" presented from a record label over the age of 40, a man or woman? Really as much as I love her you can't even really count Susan Boyle because she came from a TV Talent show and had she not been so exceptionally talented she would have been just another ratings joke like they had intended in the first place.

The music industry jumped the shark a long time ago not only by lining up like a lap dog to sign and promote the talent show winners and flunkies in order to capitalize on semi notoriety vs. doing their job which is finding and promoting music artists. That would entail actual work though, and that might be too hard. Probably the most annoying thing to me is that people who have any idea what singing "on key" is are so few and far between anymore. I saw a clip on yahoo of Harry Connick Jr. from American Idol giving his critique of one contestant and I was doing a standing ovation. Yeah, people can have sad stories and sad things happen to them and be eighteen and all, but that does not make them an "artist" or worthy of a record deal because they stood in line and went on a TV talent show for a few weeks.

Knowing all this and growing numb to the antics of the music industry for some time, was I shocked to see the Grammies turn into a full blown ad campaign for Gay Marriage? Yes, I was. I guess maybe because somewhere deep down inside of me is that little kid who is still so in love with music and what it can do for ones soul that I really believed that somewhere in there underneath all the Katy Perry, Beyonce, Jay-Z, and the rest of the muck that the powers that be at the Grammies still valued the craft as much as I do. So yes, I was surprised and I was actually quite shocked. In fact I was so shocked I almost dumped my hot cup of happiness a la Dunkin's when I learned of it.

Normally it's a half naked Beyonce dressed in some stripper getup looking straight out of the 1920's slithering on stage that makes me almost dump my Dunkin's... not this time. Was I surprised that she did it again, no. What did surprise me was that she did it at 8pm where millions of little eyes would see it, tasteless. 

How could they? How could they allow a show about Music to be used as a pawn for the Gay Agenda? It is a dishonor to every musician who has ever won that award. It used to mean something and now it has been belittled. They turned an awards show to recogize exceptional achievement in the craft of making music to be used as a pawn for the left and the Gay Agenda.

When is this going to end? We have the IRS asking a Hollywood Conservative group to name names of it's members? Really?! Does anyone besides me see the hypocrisy in any of this? People follow pop culture. So not only has it been embracing and promoting left leaning politics and mediocrity, we now have world recognized organizations like the Grammies doing awards shows not about "music" but about the left's social political agenda? They want "not to be discriminated" against for their beliefs, yet anyone who does not believe what they believe or think what they think or choose to live how they live or God forbid have the audacity to speak out about it will be silenced. Now they are demanding the names? Can anyone say "McCarthyism" ?

Believe what you want to believe we are free to do so. But to say you don't want to be punished for what you believe then punish those who don't agree with you is total hypocrisy. Why does everything have to be about sex anymore? Seriously, want to sell a car, sex. Want to sell toothpaste sex, want to sell clothes, sex...

There is a whole lot more to life then that and why do people think being so stinking shallow that they feel this absurd urge to scream from the rooftops who and what they want to have sex with is cool and normal is totally beyond me.

I'm beyond disgusted. Be gay already if you want to but for crying out loud do I have to see it everywhere every minute of every stinking day? And do not tell me I'm a hate monger because I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman! I've had enough. Like so many other things happening these days I can not and will not participate in any of it. I have to live by my moral compass. I'm a Christian, the bible (which I and millions if not billions of other Christians believe to be the living word of God) clearly states that Marriage is between One Man and One Woman, period. I'm not going to change what I believe or compromise my faith because pop culture is telling me it is cool to do so. 

I'm taking my ball and going home. Yes of course I will still make music and won't ever stop pursuing my dream. However a part of that dream has died, the part that involved one day winning a Grammy. The Grammies used to mean that you had achieved a exceptional accomplishment in the craft of making music. Now it just means you approve of Gay Marriage. The Grammies are dead to me.

My hope and prayer is that more people who share my beliefs would do the same. For too long Christians have been turning the other cheek. The world is upside down and it is going to take more us us to stand up and speak out in order to turn it right side up again.

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Tolerance

Nothing like a little side of "Tolerance" with those waffle fries....

What was that?  That loud clanking sound?... oh that was nothing, it was just my filter it fell off and hit the floor.  Seriously, does the above photo look like "Tolerance" to you?

No one really wants to talk about it, but enough is enough.  The gloves are off and the Greek Girl has had it.  Has anyone else noticed that there is an all out assault on Christianity in the United States?  It's OK for everyone else to be whatever he or she desires to be: Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, Wiccan, gay, bi-sexual, LGBT, or anything else I forgot to mention - and we must not ever offend or make any of those people uncomfortable ever.  Because that would be just plain wrong, wound't it?  But those Christians, now they really have a lot of nerve don't they to expect the "exact same" freedom and respect to express their beliefs and to worship and among other things run their lives and businesses as they chose.

We have a word for this in the Greek language people it is called, Hypocrisy.

We have this amazing thing in the United States, it is called "The Constitution".  You know, it's a document that is over two hundred years old.  It was laid out for us as a guide by our Founding Father's.  Let's examine the First Amendment shall we?

AMENDMENT I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

In case anyone needs a refresher course about the Pilgrims and why they risked life and limb to travel to the "New World", it was not to escape Religion.  It was Freedom OF Religion, not Freedom "From" Religion.  Many people have this misunderstanding that it was Freedom "From" Religion.  It was in fact, for the Freedom to practice their Religion the way they chose to.  The Freedom to be Protestant, Methodist, etc.  The Freedom to practice something other than the "State Run" Religion that was the law of the land in England.  The idea was to not have a "Government Run Religion".  That was the whole point of separation of Church and State...  Not to have a country without God, as many would like to have it nowadays.

Yet here we are hundreds of years later after good men and women fought and died for our Liberty and Freedom and now we have a Government telling us we can not offend anyone by being Christian.  They took God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and want to strip God from every public building.  That everyone needs to be free to be whatever they want, as long as that is not "Christian".  Because we Christians are offending people.  I find it ironic that we have Muslims coming here using our own laws against us, they are free to worship, establish mosques, get onto our social programs, and yet we "Christians" can not even live according to our faith because it might offend them or someone else.

Last time I checked, if any person enters a Muslim country with so much as a cross or a bible in their possession they will be tossed into jail, beaten, stoned, and or much worse things I don't care to list here but you get where I'm going.  But gee willikers if we Christians "offend" any Muslims here in our own country.  That would be so wrong...

I'm pretty sure the Founding Father's goal of Freedom of Religion was not meant to give people the right to practice a religion that tortures women, children, and animals among other things.  Peaceful Religion my behind.  A religion that offers a reward of being able to have 72 Virgins in heaven (which by the way having relations with a virgin can be a harsh act in and of its self, yet it's not just one, but 72 virgins no less), a religion that stones people, cuts off limbs for stealing, allows and encourages arranged marriages of children as young as 1 year old and those marriages to be consummated by the age of 9, and gasp... even condemns homosexuality to the point of even killing them.

So where is the outrage from the LGBT community towards Muslims?  Why aren't they up in arms demanding that Muslim owned businesses be boycotted?  Why aren't they accusing them of hate, and hate speech?  Just because there are no interview's dominating the news with a quote from a Muslim owned business owner does not change their position on homosexuality.

Tolerance - it's a simple enough idea.  I mean really who could argue with the whole "say la vie" mentality?  Live and let live in peace, and respect the beliefs of others.  Yet somewhere along the way in our society the whole idea has become really kajumpled.

Who could miss all the controversy that's been swirling around the word lately?  Unless of course you're one of the millions of people who keep track of just the "important stuff", you know like everything about The Kardashian's, and yet have no idea who their local Senator is...  (inside voice: the thought that these people are voting is frightening, really... but thats a rant for another day).  There's been lots of talk about Freedom of Speech, and tolerance.  Well in order to get some perspective about this whole fiasco lets take it back to the classroom shall we?  Tolerance according to the Merriam Webster dictionary means:

Tol·er·ance [tol-er-uhns] noun

1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.

2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.

3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc.,foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.

So I just have one question, where's the tolerance?  A man stated his personal beliefs in an interview.  He stated his own personal views about the whole Gay Marriage issue.  No where in his statement did he say that he hated gays, that he didn't want gay people to eat there, or anything else that could be considered hateful.  What he stated was his personal belief and according to his faith that "Marriage" is between one man and one woman.  He went onto further express that when we as a society start to think we know better than God it is a slippery slope.  Marriage by the way is a "biblical" term.  Why gay people demand that a religion that clearly states what they are doing and how they are living is against it's practices, why they demand that religions "term" be used to describe their lifestyle makes no sense in my noggin.

How is it tolerant to start a great big fat muckery sandwich in the media over a company that is free to run it's business however it choses, and to express their faith?  Because according to The Constitution Chick-fil-a is free to do just that.

If we all have to be tolerant of everyone else's beliefs, then you know what, everyone else better get used to Christian's being able to express their own beliefs as well.  Because it goes both ways people, it goes both ways.  All right, Greek Girl is coming down off of my soapbox, and going to attempt to re-insert my filter....  Signing off until next time.

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :) xox
www.avaaston.com