Not to make light of domestic abuse, but we Viking fans are involved in an abusive relationship with our team. Every season they come to us with great promises of all they will give us and do for us, and by the end of the season we fans stagger home with black eyes, fat lips and bruised ribs. Unlike Twins fans, who are like wives whose hubands actually followed through and took us on that European vacation or bought us the new house twice with World Series wins, the Vikings have left us nothing but headaches and heartburn. We can't even hear mention of the years 1998 and 2009 or fly into Atlanta or New Orleans without having flashbacks of missed field goals and hobbling quarterbacks throwing interceptions. The Vikings have never taken us to Europe or even Iowa. Only to Heartbreak Hotel. But sadly, even sickly, we still love them. We love them so much we screamed and cajoled our lawmakers for 10 years until finally we got them a new stadium to replace the House of Horrors, the Metrodome. If this were a relationship the Vikings would be in jail for spousal abuse but instead they will be moving into a new palace. And we need to lick our wounds, look forward to better things, and home our beloved Vikes finally book us that trip to Europe, or the Carribean, in the form of a Superbowl win.
Of course our injuries at the hands of the Vikings are just make believe, but domestic abuse is a real thing, and on that note, a big thank you to eveyone who contributed to the Safe Avenues fundraiser last month...The Hope For Tomorrow Gala brought in more than $53,000!
The upcoming presidential race is promising to be an ugly one. President Obama has come out openly in favor of gay marriage, which is a risk to him politically but not a surprise that he feels that way. He says he has gay staffers in committed relationships and his children have friends whose parents are gay. Mitt Romney meanwhile has repeated his belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman. And now media reports have come out that when he was in high school, Romney bullied a gay classmate. Romney says he doesn't remember but admitted he was on the rowdy side. It's hard to tell how the public really feels about gay marriage. You can't judge by soundbites you hear on national media...no one wants to openly come out and say they are against gay marriage and end up looking like a bigot. Yet every state that has held referendums that ban gay marriage has passed them...this week it was North Carolina. Only activist judges have succeeded in overturning the will of the people in places like California. Minnesotans will vote on a constitutional amendment this November on defining marriage as between one man and one woman. People who are Christian read in the Old Testament how homosexuality is "an abomination" and is clearly not allowed. But in the New Testament Jesus tells us to "love our neighbors as ourselves" and there's really no reference to same-sex relationships in the New Testament. People who believe homosexuality is wrong come in all colors, including black, and it's possible the southern blacks who are also Christian may turn against Obama this November because of his stand. And how will Romney capitalize on this without sounding like a bigot?
An update on my Habitat for Humanity bike ride this summer...it may not happen. The Habitat 500 filled it's quota of 135 riders before I even had a chance to register, so now I'm on a waiting list. If I can't do that particular ride, I might do one on my own and still raise money for Habitat. I'll let you know.
