Is penalty for theft a discrimination?

Alert! Alert!

[British] Foreign Office instructs embassies to push LGBT rights - The British government has adopted an official programme to support the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people in other countries.

Do [habitual] thieves have human rights? Yes, they do. Does that mean there shouldn't be penalty for stealing? No. Then, aren't they being discriminated? ... No.

I agree with an argument that I have read. We talk about discriminant against certain race because people don't choose to be of their race. We may talk about discrimination against people of certain religions, because usually, in these religions, the believers didn't or can't choose their religions, e.g. they are borned into it.

However, nobody is borned a thief, and even if it was so in some very rare cases, the person can still choose not to be a thief. Similarly, nobody is born a LGBT, and similarly, the person can still choose what type of life they prefer. Thus, it isn't valid to talk about discrimination against thieves and LGBT.

Criminalizing the act of stealing does not go against the rights of a person who steals, or likes to steal. It discourages such acts which is bad for the larger community. Those who find it difficult conforming to any society's expectations are naturally find it difficult living in that society. However, this itself is not discrimination against them.

Now, who are being discriminated?

The word "homophobia" has been used in most articles about homosexuality in the media. I have always felt this word is inappropriate and unfair to many people like me, who have homonegativity. Thus, I did a search and found some material at Wikipedia.

I hope journalists and writers can start to use more appropriate terms than homophobia ... , which does not describe most heterosexual people. Here I quote from the section "Similar terms" (emphasis mine):

Similar terms such as heterosexism have been proposed as alternatives that are more morphologically parallel, and which do not have the association with phobia. Heterosexism refers to the privileging of heterosexuality over homosexuality.

Some recent psychological literature suggested the term homonegativity, reflecting the perspective that behaviors and thoughts that are frequently considered homophobic are not fear-based but instead reflect a disapproval of homosexuality.[15][16]

Seeking to avoid both the focus on individual psychology of "homophobia" and the focus on collective cultural factors of "heterosexism," psychologist Gregory M. Herek has proposed the term "sexual prejudice" as referring to "all negative attitudes based on sexual orientation, whether the target is homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual."[17]

The term homophobia is often used collectively with other terms denoting bigotry and discrimination. In a 1998 address, Coretta Scott King asserted that, "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood." Likewise, George Yancey, writing in Christian Ethics Today associates "sexism, racism, class distinctions, or homophobia" with one another and views them all as "varieties of discrimination," although he argues that they are not identical.[18]

As if their tails (as if they have) is being stepped on

Would not showing homosexuality publicly hurt those who choose to be of this "minority¹" group? I don't know. Err, actually, I think it doesn't hurt them.

Would showing such hurt those who ...
- are naturally heterosexual? Yes, it does.
- have conservative, or I prefer long accepted moral standards? Yes, it does.
- have faiths, such as Islam, Unificationism, etc. that condemn such stuffs? Yes, it does.

I support and encourage the Singapore's Media Development Authority for being firm on such issues. There are always pros and cons. Here, the cons is some self-defined homosexual people would be offended, while many many others would applau us. Thus, the net results is we would be attracting more people to Singapore, as this is a unique and rare place that uphold such moral standards.

¹ Quoted not because of their numbers, but because of the difference from the use of the word in "minority races."

Out of the mainstream

Out of the mainstream doesn't necessary suggest wrongness. However, it also doesn't suggest not so.

More importantly, it suggests that the majority do not consider it normal, or correct. Thus, relatively speaking, it is not correct. So, using the phrase "out of the mainstream" may sounds not accusing, but it is ... , relatively speaking.

Absolutely speaking, wrongness or correctness of something is regardless of if it is out of the mainstream or not. E.g. the Sun was once thought to be revolving around the Earth.

Yet, statistically and evidently speaking, most out of the mainstream stuffs are wrong. This also implies that some of them are right.

Basically, being out of the mainstream, or not, doesn't imply wrongness nor correctness.

LGBT is out of the mainstream, and I say it is also wrong.

Singapore, winner of Youth Olympics 2010

In the report FACTBOX-Facts about Singapore, winner of Youth Olympics, there is this point mentioned:

"* Singapore is famous for its tight social controls and restrictions on the sale of chewing gum. Homosexuality is illegal and pornography is banned. Demonstrations are illegal, while public speaking and gatherings of more than four people require a permit. Reporters Without Borders' 2007 press freedom index ranked Singapore 141st out of 169 countries ... So what?, after Azerbajian and Sudan, reflecting restrictions on the media and arts."

These are what I would like Singapore to retain, which is something rightfully described by the slogan Uniquely Singapore! Majority of the media and arts is not doing service to the world. Restricting them is actually not enough. More need to be done to channel them in the better direction.

I find FACTBOX does not have a neutral stand about Singapore. Doesn't matter, since the fact is, Singapore has won the competition to host the first Youth Olympic in 2010! Congratulations! Also read about it in these reports, Olympics-IOC awards 2010 Youth Games to Singapore, and Singapore ecstatic at winning Youth Olympics bid.

Even the devil can cite Scripture

Shakespeare said it this way: "Even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose."

I think it happens in this research: A function for "gay genes" after all?

Just because gay men do not have their own family to take care of, and therefore ... are available to offer more time and care for their nieces/nephews, the researchers suggested this as an evolutionary support for gay way of life.

Rather than suggesting an obvious common sense that children with more adults who, regardless of sexuality, are available to take care of them are better than those with only their own parents, the researchers seem to have preset what their conclusion should be and designed a limited research for their purpose.

Furthermore, this is done with the knowledge of many other similar failed research attempts to make such conclusion in modern societies. Instead, they argue, or rather blame and accuse that, it is due to "an­ti-gay bi­ases", gay men couldn't do the same as in the selected "relatively un-westernized land", Samoa. By the same logic, I say it is because the modern societies lack "tra­di­tion­al, tribally-based cul­tures, that of­ten have tighter-knit fam­i­lies," such that little support for adults, regardless of sexuality, to take care of their nieces/nephews.

It is not "anti-gay biases," but "family and marriage unfriendliness" in modern societies that we should focus on!

Generations of Virtue

It is nice to know that there are people proactively tackle the undesirable influence from the society and media, such as the Generations of Virtue. I have mentioned the similar in this post. Avoiding is not the way, and it can't work in this information era. Thus, it is important to prepared ourselves and the young ones in dealing with many potential undesirable influence.

Is your family fashionable?

I think family values has nothing to do with being old-fashioned, which was how PM Lee described it, "old-fashioned family values," as reported in Today when responding to 377A issues.

Being old-fashioned sound bad, but it doesn't really mean bad.

Being out-of-fashioned might sound and mean "bad".

However, we look at the suitability of family values, not whether they are new or old. Family values are values that promote, encourage and support healthy, happy and good families to be built and sustained. Indeed, the society changes, so do the ways one practises family values. However, the family values do not change because the practises change. The family values might change for the better, because in so doing it provides better and stronger promotion/encouragement/support for healthy, happy and good families.

Clearly, any form of increase acceptance of homosexual lifestyles is against the family, and family values shall not be changed for it.

Keep 377A

Read the news yet? Usually only people, typically the minority, who are concern about their wellbeing do such things to make themselves heard. This is unusual! The media is so powerful that "the silent majority" can become the minority.

I encourage you to visit here and give them your support.

http://keep377a.com/

Posted for the G, the L, or the H people to read

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In his WorldNetDaily column, "How a Gay Rights Leader Became Straight," Glatze writes:

Part of the homosexual agenda is getting people to stop considering that conversion is even a viable question to be asked, let alone whether or not it works.

In my experience, "coming out" from under the influence of the homosexual mindset was the most liberating, beautiful and astonishing thing I've ever experienced in my entire life….

I believe that all people, intrinsically, know the truth. I believe that is why Christianity scares people so much. It reminds them of their conscience, which we all possess….

As a leader in the "gay rights" movement, I was given the opportunity to address the public many times. If I could take back some of the things I said, I would. Now I know that homosexuality is lust and pornography wrapped into one. I'll never let anybody try to convince me otherwise, no matter how slick their tongues or how sad their story. I have seen it. I know the truth.
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I am not saying people with such [G/L/H] tendencies are wrong. However, I do feel that it is wrong to suggest that such tendencies as within the natural tendencies.