I think my parents did a terrible job raising me

I am beginning to think my parents and grandparents did a terrible job raising me.

Taught me the wrong values.

My dad, Douglas Thomas, died when I was 12 years old. A few months before his death, I remember driving with him up Burnside and I was staring at the homeless men and women lining the streets.

"You are no better than they are," he told me. "Just because you have a nice house, a nice car and clothes doesn't make you a better person than someone who is homeless just as someone who has more than you is no better or no less than you are."

My parents taught me to respect other people, treat them the same way I would like to be treated and not to judge people. They taught me to give what I could every day to make a difference, to be kind to everyone I meet and to be respectful of other's views.

Just because I chose to live my life one way doesn't mean everyone else has to make exactly the same choices, believe the same things, read the same books, worship the same way...

I can't understand why so many people are upset with President Obama choice to support same sex marriage. I don't agree with arguments that two people who love each other and want to make a commitment to one another is a slap in the face to me and my marriage. I don't see this as a war on marriage. I see this as saying enough is enough on discrimination.

As my daughter wrote on her post, "Proud to be an American today. Our President inched us closer toward the ideal of "liberty and justice for all" by coming out in favor of gay marriage. I'm mostly thankful that I live in a pluralistic democracy where people can believe and speak freely. Thank God we don't make laws based on religion, otherwise we'd be like Iran where women are stoned to death for violating religious tenets."

Rush Limbaugh said on his program "We've arrived at a point where the president of the United States is going to lead a war on traditional marriage." This from a man on his fourth wife and let's not even get started on how he left each of them - but he's a fine example of marriage.

As one of my friends on Facebook said, "Love is love." And when two people are truly in love, it's a joy to see, to be around, to celebrate.

Another Facebook friend wrote, "God does not judge, and neither should we. If you truly followed His word your heart would be open to all people, whether they bear white skin or black skin or red skin or yellow skin; whether they love men or women or both. Let's not forget that we are judging when we judge a way of life."

Look, I am tired of the sex talks - what people do in their bedrooms is none of my damn business - as long as it is legal and not causing harm to anyone mentally or physically or emotionally it's no one's damn business.

It's time this country start talking about the important issues like education and funding it or creating new jobs.

Who is sleeping with whom? Don't care. The value of my house declining due to a poor housing market - that's what keeps me up at night.

So America - wake up. Focus on the real issues facing our country - not just the sexy ones.