Riley's apple farm: phobic bigots

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I love cider. I was hoping to get some to serve with homemade donuts this weekend, or perhaps apples to stuff and bake. Tom did a little research and came up with Riley's apple farm, which EH and I visited a few years ago. It was fun - I miss farms, and I especially miss apple season in Michigan.

Looking through the website, though, I was a little stunned to see that their "farm blog" is not so much a blog about farming as it is a political blog. I'm going to quote some of it here because I was just so stunned.

I don't believe I had ever heard of a vomitophor until I was about nine years old, and then only in very hushed tones. I sensed that there was something forbidden about the topic because when I asked about it, my dad turned on the radio right away and said, "let's see if we can get the Dodger game."

And then one day, we held a birthday party for a neighborhood kid around our backyard pool, and Chad Coombs threw up in the shallow end. None of the mothers wanted us to swim after that, and Freddy Marchand--a big kid who had been looking forward to swimming all day--just let go with a vomitophor scolding. "Friggin' up-chuck head," he yelled, "Barf brain. Vo-MIT-ophor!"

My mother, who always believed in a direct approach, sat all the kids down and said, "Freddy. I want you to apologize to Chad. He just has an upset stomach. He is NOT a disgusting vomitophor."

"What IS a vomitophor?" Susie Dahlquist asked.

Mother's voice became very quiet. "It's someone who..who has a psychological condition, a sickness."

"What KIND of sickness?" I asked.

Mother bit her lip and then said. "It's someone who shows their sick, twisted love for someone else by, by, throwing up on them."

"Grooooossss," went the chorus of children, on cue, after a pause to consider the enormity of the depravity being considered.

"Freddy," Mother said, "apologize to Chad. He is NOT a vomitophor. That's a horrible thing to say about someone."

"Yeah," Chad said, a little urgently, "I was just throwing up in the pool. Not ON someone."

"Groooooossss."

Well, as time went by, that natural revulsion we all felt was re-visited when, as a teenager, I asked mom if there was something a little strange about Mr. Kibley, a bachelor in his fifties, who sometimes visited the house.

"He's just never found the right girl," Mom said.
"Dad says he's a vomito--"
"I don't think that's the case. And if it is, just, just pray for him. The poor soul keeps it to himself."

When I compare the sort of revulsion we all felt for this condition years ago to the almost sacrosanct position, as a lifestyle, it now enjoys, I have come to believe that cultural standards, in a democracy, are really just subject to the whim of whichever group can yell and scream the loudest. Think about it. At one time, vomitophoria was classified as a mental illness, and now you have to teach your children it's merely a different kind of love. They call it radiant now. (I used to like that word.) Major corporations need to show they have vomit-friendly hiring policies. You can't turn on a network sitcom without seeing a barf smooch. Churches have had to change their wedding vows. Instead of kissing the bride, you now have to be prepared for someone...well..you know. There are poor little orphan kids who have to wade through this nonsense, literally, because vomitophors have demanded the right to adopt children.

And if you don't go along with this, if you have the audacity to say, "heah, people, get a sink, will you?" you're accused of being a hate monger.

I don't think "accused" is the right word. I think "correctly labeled" is. And I think I'll find my fresh cider elsewhere this year.

[blueerica]

Wow... bizzar-O!

[BDBopper]

Where is a sick smiley when you need one? I want to go hurl.

[3894]

May they shove an apple in their mouths.

http://www.dargate.com/255_auction/255_images/144.jpg

[Betty]

WTF? Is that for real or supposed to be a metaphor for something?

[Gemini Cricket]

It is vomit-inducing, I'll give it that.

[lashbear]

WTF? Is that for real or supposed to be a metaphor for something?

Well, they could say what they really mean.... [conversion below]
When I compare the sort of revulsion we all felt for this condition years ago to the almost sacrosanct position, as a lifestyle, it now enjoys, I have come to believe that cultural standards, in a democracy, are really just subject to the whim of whichever group can yell and scream the loudest. Think about it. At one time, Homosexuality was classified as a mental illness, and now you have to teach your children it's merely a different kind of love. They call it Gay now. (I used to like that word.) Major corporations need to show they have Gay-friendly hiring policies. You can't turn on a network sitcom without seeing a Gay smooch. Churches have had to change their wedding vows. Instead of kissing the bride, you now have to be prepared for someone...well..you know. There are poor little orphan kids who have to wade through this nonsense, literally, because Gays have demanded the right to adopt children.

Homophobia isn't any nicer even when thinly disguised.

[innerSpaceman]

Whoa ... the apple shouldn't be shoved in their collective mouth ... I have somewhere more appropriate in mind.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I like farms too. I think I'll stay away from this one though.

Wow.

[Alex]

If you're going to avoid farms run by homophobic farmers, you're going to probably end up establishing the next fad diet it would be so effective for weight loss.

[Strangler Lewis]

On the other hand, I remember hearing it said in the pre-internet days that most gay porn subscriptions were mailed to farms.

[Morrigoon]

Whoa ... the apple shouldn't be shoved in their collective mouth ... I have somewhere more appropriate in mind.
Yes, but if they liked it, you'd cause their whole world view to come crashing down around them :evil:

[Gn2Dlnd]

I took a look at their website, and the place looks utterly charming. It's sad that it seems to be run by hate-mongers. How does he get away with making sure his new employees "get a little religion?" I also wonder, if, as Skippy's tirade implies, he feels legally compelled to host vomitophile gay weddings? Churches have had to change their wedding vows.If I lived closer, I'd make a special project of insinuating myself into the place, and forcing them to deal with their homophobia in a public way. On the other hand, they seem to live a somewhat insular lifestyle, which makes intolerance to difference that much easier.

Poor things.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I know plenty of gay-friendly farmers. Or at least farm representatives. I shop at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Ivar every Sunday and there are gay people who sell produce there, and people who are very friendly and kind to the gay people who shop there. I can't guarantee that everyone is or is not homophobic, but if I've heard or read their words and they're vile, I'm not funding their family business.

[Gemini Cricket]

Maybe it's just my general mood today, but despite all this talk of homophobia and an anti-gay cider mill, the fantasy of having a tryst with a hot farmer in a hayloft dominates my thinking at the moment.

[Alex]

Oh sure, I don't mean to suggest otherwise. That's a decision we all have to make. And yes, if you're a localvore in a coastal urban area you can probably get a pretty diverse diet from proper thinking farmers.

But that's not true for most people. Personally, so long as they aren't causing direct physical harm to others, I don't care what views are held by people I do business with. But everybody has their lines.

[Disneyphile]

I like Dickens' cider. It's good cold, but there is nothing like a hot Dickens cider. ;)

[Gemini Cricket]

Maybe it's just my general mood today, but despite all this talk of homophobia and an anti-gay cider mill, the fantasy of having a tryst with a hot farmer in a hayloft dominates my thinking at the moment.
Oh sure, I don't mean to suggest otherwise. That's a decision we all have to make. And yes, if you're a localvore in a coastal urban area you can probably get a pretty diverse diet from proper thinking farmers.

But that's not true for most people.
Reading these two posts one after the other is pretty hysterical.
:D

[innerSpaceman]

Yep, I was amused at that too. But damn if I'm not daydreaming about a roll in the hay with Farmer Johnboy.

[3894]

Trust me: ew.

[CoasterMatt]

The hay gets everywhere you don't want it to get.

[Gemini Cricket]

Yeah, I see your point 3894. Hay often has bugs, too.

[Not Afraid]

While I'm sure I buy all sorts of things from people who I fundamentally disagree with, I feel better about buying from them if I'm in the dark about their abhorrent beliefs.

Of course, I love me some bible-versing In-n-Out.

[innerSpaceman]

The hay gets everywhere you don't want it to get.

Eh, they said that about sex on the beach, too. But only nimrods took that to mean you can't use a blanket. It's never about the textile sensation of the sand grinding against your nether regions, but about the wonder of the outdoors enhancing one's natural enthusiasms, and the waves crashing ashore timed to your own cresendo.


Ok, I'm willing to admit that a roll in the hay, when not used metaphorically, means a roll in the hay. If hay wasn't really comfortable to roll in, why would hay rides be popular? Either way, hay gone haywire or bugs in the mix, I'm willing to chance it for the imaginary tryst with the studly farmer boy.

[JWBear]

Yeah, I see your point 3894. Hay often has bugs, too.

So do some of the farmers...

If hay wasn't really comfortable to roll in, why would hay rides be popular?

Most hayrides are done clothed, methinks.

[Not Afraid]

OMG! Don't tell me you have sex naked?

[JWBear]

Is that what you've been doing wrong?

[Not Afraid]

Well, at least I haven't gotten pregnant.

[bewitched]

Well, at least I haven't gotten pregnant.



That's where Sarah Palin went wrong raising Bristol...she thought the repeated hay rides sounded so fun and innocent that she forgot to remind Bristol to wear clothes.

[bewitched]

If hay wasn't really comfortable to roll in...

My experience is that men generally aren't all that picky. ;)

[lashbear]

Oh, and the final proof of what they are really referring to - the last paragraph (missing in the first quote):


People make fun of the ancient texts, but the more I read them, the more I think they speak to the eternal condition of mankind. Remember that story about the vomitophors who weren't satisfied barfing all over themselves? They had to yell and scream for the house-guests to be sent out, so that they could gang-barf them?
Misery loves company. Sometimes it even demands it.

[Betty]

You realize that there's a lot of elementary school children that go there for field trips? Both of my kids have been through school sponsored events. I wonder if the school has any inkling of their spiel...

[Morrigoon]

I don't suppose they're going again soon, are they? You could have your kids wear "No on Prop 8" t-shirts :evil:

[Kevy Baby]

My experience is that men generally aren't all that picky. ;)Just because it might be uncomfortable doesn't mean we won't do the deed.

I had to learn by personal experience that sex on the beach without a towel is not a good thing - it didn't matter how many people told me otherwise. The dumb-stick always makes the decisions.

[bewitched]

Just because it might be uncomfortable doesn't mean we won't do the deed.

I had to learn by personal experience that sex on the beach without a towel is not a good thing - it didn't matter how many people told me otherwise. The dumb-stick always makes the decisions.


LOL!

And the chances you'd do it again, sans towel, if the opportunity...ahem...AROSE (knowing what you now know)? :p ;)

[Betty]

He'd do it again I'm sure. He's a man.

[Betty]

I don't suppose they're going again soon, are they? You could have your kids wear "No on Prop 8" t-shirts :evil:

No... too old now. Still - we've been thinking of doing a little day trip over there and that sort of wrecks it for me. I did send them an email asking what that meant. (yeah- I know what it meant.) I'm curious to see if they'll risk alienating a customer for their values.

edited to add- I guess they will considering they posted it to begin with. That's not the only blog post in there either.

[bewitched]

He'd do it again I'm sure. He's a man.

Agreed. ;)

[Gn2Dlnd]

This has really gotten under my skin and I feel like they need to be called out in a big way. I keep thinking of the lunch counter protests in the South. What if a bunch of us went down there, enjoyed the farm, enjoyed the food - and then all took a swig of ipecac and let loose?

Would they fire a Gay employee? Would they block advancement in the workplace? I'm quite sure they would make life for an openly Gay employee unpleasant. What about openly Gay guests? Disneyland found out about guest discrimination years ago.

When Skippy complains in his blog about Obama, and his statement about people clinging to guns and religion-

(Here's the real quote from the real Barack Obama)
"Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives," he said. "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not.

"And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." he sort of proves the point, by being a gun-clinging, homophobic religionist. My take on the whole fascination with Revolutionary and Civil War reenactors is that they get to exercise a fantasy of taking back their country through the use of guns. All the costumes, balls, dinners, etc, are just bonus. The real appeal is pretending to be a freedom-fighter. If Skippy's mindset is any indication of how these folks think, I believe our actual freedom-fighting forefathers would be ashamed.

At the risk of Godwining my argument, I was listening to a friend last night talking about Hitler's use of gossip and innuendo towards laying his case against the Jews. I know this despicable behavior long preceded Hitler, but he made expert use of it. I'm not comparing an apple farmer in Yucaipa to the worst mass murderer in history, but the whisper campaign is the same. When hatred is voiced, it demands a response. What is just under the surface runs the risk of bubbling into the sunlight if it is not promptly and forcefully confronted.

Apple pie and ipecac, anyone? http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-9529.gif

[Gemini Cricket]

Write him an email.
Talk to a GLBT organization that is near him.
Contact the BBB.
Consult the ACLU.
Find out who is competitor is and buy their cider.
There's lots that can be done.
:)

[Betty]

I showed the page to my semi-conservative friend who loves going there. She is convinced that someone hacked into their site and put it there or that it's a joke. She also doesn't think it's a metaphor for anything.

I did email them about the page - asking what it meant - if it was a metaphor for something - and they haven't responded.

[Gemini Cricket]

Actually everyone participating in this thread is doing something already. When Riley's Apple Farm is Googled, this thread is the sixth search result.

[JWBear]

We need to make it #1. :evil:

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Oh, GC, AWESOME! I'm glad I started it instead of just keeping my gall to myself.

[Gn2Dlnd]

It's not a joke or a hack. Just read some of his other blog entries.

Those are good suggestions, GC. In L.A. However, Yucaipa probably doesn't have anything in the way of GLBT services, the BBB really can't do anything about his homophobia, which the ACLU, as do I, acknowledge is his right to have, and I don't want any cider. My buying from a competitor doesn't hurt him one bit, bad publicity does.

Huell Howser type publicity. Westways Magazine type publicity. These are his customers. I'd like to see his blog entries forwarded to every publication that's ever given him a positive write-up.

I'll start with Huell, he comes by my farmer's market stand on Sundays.

One person is a crank with an agenda, several people are unhappy potential customers.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Maybe we can change the title of the thread to - "Riley's apple farm: phobic bigots" or something, so it can be obvious by the link title that we're not recommending their caramel apples.

For some reason, I'm thinking of Triumph, the Comic Insult Dog. "Nice apples. FOR ME TO POOP ON!"

[blueerica]

I can do that.

[blueerica]

I did that.

[Stan4dSteph]

Come to NY; we have lots of apples.

[Strangler Lewis]

Amusingly, the Google result preceding ours is a blog entitled "Menlove Memories." It does not appear, however, that this is a gay family with adopted children, simply a poor ba$tard named Menlove.

[Morrigoon]

Am I the only person that can't find their blog on their site?

[blueerica]

Amusingly, the Google result preceding ours is a blog entitled "Menlove Memories." It does not appear, however, that this is a gay family with adopted children, simply a poor ba$tard named Menlove.

Menlove is the name of a car dealership out here. Best of all, the sign looks like red and silver sequins.

[Betty]

I'll start with Huell, he comes by my farmer's market stand on Sundays.




OMG-Really? You have no idea of our family's love for Huell. We can talk like him - watch all his shows - and love to love him/make fun of him a bit.

Does he always come by or is it an every once in a while thing?

(My husband's Mii is named Huell and looks like him. We have off road videos of us out in the middle of nowhere talking like him. HUELL!)

[Morrigoon]

Nevermind, found the right site.

[Betty]

Am I the only person that can't find their blog on their site?

It's called the Farm Journal and is a link in the upper left area of the page. You'll have to go back day by day to view it.


And I have no doubt that the site wasn't hacked and that it's not a joke. I was just commenting that someone would prefer to believe that over a somewhat beloved place they like to go spouting such ilk.

[The Lovely Mrs. tod]

I must be going blind, I've been looking for it for five minutes at least.

AH...it's at rileysfarm.com, not rileysapplefarm.com. NOW I get it!

[Morrigoon]

Oooh, this guy burns me up...

(from a recent entry)
Well, speaking for myself, I believe in liberty. If you believe theft is bad, preach it. If you believe theft is good, preach it. But the minute you start telling me the conversation is ended in your favor, without argument, just because you can shout the loudest, then you have a fight on your hands.
First of all, gay marriage... not addressed in the 10 commandments.
Secondly, no one's asking this whack job to enter into a same-sex marriage, just not to prevent others from doing it.

[Gemini Cricket]

I must be going blind, I've been looking for it for five minutes at least.
Farm Journal
Sept 21, 08 entry.

[Morrigoon]

TLMT: search the other sites you find on Google... I was looking at the wrong link.

[Gemini Cricket]

Oooh, this guy burns me up...

First of all, gay marriage... not addressed in the 10 commandments.
Secondly, no one's asking this whack job to enter into a same-sex marriage, just not to prevent others from doing it.
What one should be asking is what apple cider has to do with gay marriage? Why is a Farm Journal talking about politics and religion?
Yes, it's Freedom of Speech, but shouldn't he be talking about how his business is going? Or improvements to the mill? etc.

It boggles the mind that people still think that if Prop 8 gets defeated that churches will be forced to perform same-sex marriages. They will not be forced to do that. Freedom of Religion forbids it. So what stake does the religious right have condemning marriage equality? No one has ever given me a legitimate answer on how me getting married to someone of the same sex is harmful to anyone else's marriage. Massachusetts has not fallen into the sea. California won't either.

Besides, if 8 passes, a lawsuit will be filed against it the day after. The fight will continue.

[Morrigoon]

The short answer: None.

The truth is, this person is icked out, and is "punishing" you by denying your right to create a stable household unit. What's so sinful about a spouse inheriting the community property w/out having to pay a bunch of taxes on it when they've just lost their loved one, I'll never know. Maybe there's something in Leviticus about how sinful it is to inherit your own home without paying taxes... *snark*

[The Lovely Mrs. tod]

Found it. I think I was happier before I knew it existed. I went back a couple of weeks until I got to the rant about thinking liberals voting for Prop. 8.

Except for Hollywood types (I think that includes me, Bugs Bunny signs my paycheck) who are trying to upend all those good moral folks all over the state with our casual view of marriage.

I'm going to check out the Julian apple farms before I haul it down there though, I'd hate to think this is an apple grower thing...

[blueerica]

If anything, I find that anti-Prop 8ers don't have a particularly casual view of marriage. In fact, in my experience 'we' probably think of it more than those supporting the proposition.

Regardless of what my own views on what marriage and love is or isn't, I can't imagine why I would ever discourage love and stability in life for everyone - all Prop 8 encourages is hate and more hate. I hate it.

[Kevy Baby]

Oooh, this guy burns me up...

(from a recent entry)
Well, speaking for myself, I believe in liberty. If you believe theft is bad, preach it. If you believe theft is good, preach it. But the minute you start telling me the conversation is ended in your favor, without argument, just because you can shout the loudest, then you have a fight on your hands.
First of all, gay marriage... not addressed in the 10 commandments.
Secondly, no one's asking this whack job to enter into a same-sex marriage, just not to prevent others from doing it.Okay, so maybe this is a little OT, but what about this quote A) is bad (I can find no fault in the part you quoted), and B) has anything to do with Prop 8/Gay Marriage/etc.?

[Morrigoon]

Kevy: you might have to have read the post. It was another one of those "metaphor" posts, only this time it's theft instead of vomitophores.

[Kevy Baby]

Kevy: you might have to have read the post. It was another one of those "metaphor" posts, only this time it's theft instead of vomitophores.Then you need to provide better quotes. Without context which would completely change the meaning of the words posted, the quote provided is not a problem for me.

[Morrigoon]

Point taken, read Sept 30th's post, the lower half, titled The Perspective Police

Here's more of the story: (although it makes the most idiotic sense when read in its entirety)

Well, this is beginning to change--and it isn't pretty. A friend of mine was in church the other day, and the pastor was giving a sermon on the 8th commandment--"Thou Shalt Not Steal."

All of a sudden a group of protestors stood up in the back and started yelling, "Theft is beautiful. Theft is gorgeous. Theft is beautiful. Theft is gorgeous."

The pastor was taken aback, but then he squinted at the loud knot of protestors in the back row.

"Are those our choir robes?" he asked.

[Alex]

So that people can stop hunting around for it, here is a link to the journal:

http://www.rileysfarm.com/index.html?http://www.rileysfarm.com/fj20080930.htm

[Morrigoon]

You know... there's a Google ad on the page... :D

I wonder how many "No on 8" sites we could visit from there?

[Not Afraid]

I think I found the root of the problem.....

Applebee's is different. They are tip-driven. You get your order fast, with a smile, and if you aren't happy, they aren't happy.
Now, if Congress could operate a little more like Applebee's.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I sent my email.

Here's the direct link to the vomitophor post. http://www.rileysfarm.com/index.html?http://www.rileysfarm.com/fj20080921.htm

I'm posting it on Facebook, and I suggest we all do, so it passes along.

[Disneyphile]

May they reap a bountiful harvest this season...

Like a harvest of crop-destroying locusts. After all, it's in the Bible, so I can't think of a more appropriate scenario... ;)

[Not Afraid]

SO, I read through the icky blog then went about my business doing stuff. I realized about an hour later I was singing a Bee Gees song - earworm suggested by blogman in a music post. Now I dislike him even more.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Dammit! I don't generally conduct business based on principle. Because, as far as I can tell, if I have principles they are all over the map. If you are a bastard with 'X' and you are the only person with 'X' and I need 'X', I'll probably do business with you to obtain 'X'. I'm selfish and indulgent like that.

But one can't always ignore a light when it's turned on. And there are other places to purchase pumpkins and cider, though those places may not be as pretty and serene. I can get 'X' elsewhere, even if certain things must be sacrificed.

So, **** you Riley's Apple Farm. I can buy my pumpkins and my apples and my cider and take country walks and make candles elsewhere. I don't need you and your stupid ****ing blog.

Intolerance to their intolerance, aside, it's people like the Rileys who are making it possible for a woman who thinks The Flinstones is a documentary to become Vice-President of the United States. God damn it.

[Betty]

Thanks to all those folks (hundreds!) who have thanked us for supporting Proposition 8. (http://www.rileysfarm.com/fj20081003.htm)

What I find really humorous, though, are the nameless email correspondents who claim they "were about to buy a lot from us," and now won't, because of our "hateful" and "disgusting" stand on protecting marriage. A few of these correspondents actually give out free business advice, telling us that no thinking small business ever expresses a political opinion, as it might alienate customers. George Soros, are you listening? Warren Buffett?



If only something like Fark could get behind a campaign against them. Although I suspect they would just dig their heels in further. How is it our public schools can give a place like this their business?

[Betty]

Perhaps you'd like to give them a review on trip advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32803-d276466-Reviews-Riley_s_Farm-Oak_Glen_California.html

[Betty]

Oh look at this - another place to leave a review for them.

http://local.yahoo.com/info-20963951-riley-s-farm-oak-glen

Imagine that.

[Not Afraid]

So, when is Warren Buffet "small business"?

[JWBear]

Perhaps you'd like to give them a review on trip advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32803-d276466-Reviews-Riley_s_Farm-Oak_Glen_California.html

Just FYI: Tripadvisor will delete any review that isn't based on a firsthand visit to the place being reviewed.

[Kevy Baby]

So, when is Warren Buffet "small business"?One might qualify for an SBA loan to acquire one share of Berkshire Hathaway stock (last trading at $138,500 per share).

[lashbear]

How is it our public schools can give a place like this their business?
Maybe the folks with the kids attending the public schools agree with the whole Proposition h8te thing? After all, there are precious few GLBT couples sending kids to school. They're outweighed by the "normal" [society's view, not mine] families. and if a trip to the Apple farm gives their kid a healthy dose of homophobia, so what? It'll probably save them from a fate worse than death when they're older. God forbid little johnny becomes one of those "flamboyant" types.

I guess the best we can hope for is that enlightened parents hear of this and don't sign the form to allow their child to attend. But as the Bigot points out, he'll still get trade from plenty more folks. Is it worth turning your kid into a political statement? I guess it depends on how old they are and how much they're willing to put up with stick from their school-mates: "Johnny didn't go to the apple farm because his parents are Homo Lovers" etc. etc.

Things like this make me so angry because I get the whole "down-about-being-Gay" thing happening, and wishing I was Het like the Majority, and how much easier life would be, but then I stop and think, well, Things would have been a lot different, and I wouldn't have had a lot of the wonderful parts of my life so far, and I wouldn't be with my fabulous Stoat of 9 years (Longer than a lot of Het marriages), whom I love more than anything in the world, and I realise that being Gay isn't so bad, it's just that the 'Majority' needs to see that, too.

Phew. I haven't made a post like this for a long time. Thanks for listening.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Maybe I don't spend a lot of time around LA families with kids, but I haven't witnessed a great deal of homophobia in the city. I would imagine there would be a lot of parents who were outraged at the blogger's statements. Hell, there would be a lot of people in Michigan similarly outraged, and Michigan was a pretty conservative state compared to California.

LB, I'm always interested in what you have to say. It makes me angry too, and sad when things make my gay friends feel less than "normal" - but I'm glad you're able to see that you are beautiful and deserve respect.

I wonder what else we can do to spread the word about Riley?

[~MS~]

Maybe the folks with the kids attending the public schools agree with the whole Proposition h8te thing? After all, there are precious few GLBT couples sending kids to school. They're outweighed by the "normal" [society's view, not mine] families. and if a trip to the Apple farm gives their kid a healthy dose of homophobia, so what? It'll probably save them from a fate worse than death when they're older. God forbid little johnny becomes one of those "flamboyant" types.

I guess the best we can hope for is that enlightened parents hear of this and don't sign the form to allow their child to attend. But as the Bigot points out, he'll still get trade from plenty more folks. Is it worth turning your kid into a political statement? I guess it depends on how old they are and how much they're willing to put up with stick from their school-mates: "Johnny didn't go to the apple farm because his parents are Homo Lovers" etc. etc.

Things like this make me so angry because I get the whole "down-about-being-Gay" thing happening, and wishing I was Het like the Majority, and how much easier life would be, but then I stop and think, well, Things would have been a lot different, and I wouldn't have had a lot of the wonderful parts of my life so far, and I wouldn't be with my fabulous Stoat of 9 years (Longer than a lot of Het marriages), whom I love more than anything in the world, and I realise that being Gay isn't so bad, it's just that the 'Majority' needs to see that, too.

Phew. I haven't made a post like this for a long time. Thanks for listening.


Ok I'll take this a bite at a time, unfortunately little Johnny and Janies parents get a note home, Class field trip to an apple farm sign here...the majority don't look any further than that. It's not that they support that foul excuse for a christian human but they just don't research it because they assume the school has. The teachers aren't looking political they're looking at something the school board might approve and craptastic people like this get away with slipping thru by putting their politics on blogs and crap that the average person might never see. Doesn't make it a bit more 'correct' or right or whatever and I agree with slamming their blogs with counter measures.

I had someone come to the door about 8 recently and I just laughed and said you walk your walk I'll walk mine and we'll see how things end up at the end of the day...I'll laugh and love my friends and be a happier person for having them in it and you'll spend your days villifiing people you've never met....I think I'm the winner here.

LB, I wish I could hug you when you get into that 'down' mode because I know your path is the 'harder' one for mainstream living, but like you've already pointed out, you wouldn't be with Stoat whom we all adore, you wouldn't be YOU if you were het, you'd be Rob the straight guy big whoop...we'd all still adore you but every thing about you is the sum total of the man we all adore to include your gayness. If loving you and GC has taught me anything at all it's that in my world and I know I'm not alone on this...you guys are my friends who happen to be gay, NOT Gay men who I happen to know...most of us feel that about our friends who happen to be gay.

[MouseWife]

Aw, LB. I can not even imagine how you feel.

This h8te issue. It is hate, but, fear, too. I received an email from my f-i-l about needing to vote for it because of what it means. This is BS. This deal about it endangering marriage, I am not afraid of anyone else being happily married. Why would I be? How could someone else being happy be something that I don't want?

This issue is second only to my vote for president in the upcoming election.

I don't want anyone telling me or anyone who we can love or that our bodies/minds are subject to anyone elses' opinion or consideration.

[Betty]

I just saw an ad on tv for yes on 8. They're going for the "churches will lose their non profit status... gay marriage will be taught in school..." OH NO OH NO. The sky will fall. fear Fear FEAR!

Bah.

The last time seperate but equal worked out so well - learn from history - etc. psh.

[CoasterMatt]

Has their cider been checked for melamine?

[MouseWife]

I just saw an ad on tv for yes on 8. They're going for the "churches will lose their non profit status...


OMG. I saw that, too. THAT is probably why, more than anything, the church is pushing their congregations to vote yes. $$$$$$ Lose their non profit status? I don't know how but oh boy, that non profit, can't lose that.

When I think too closely about all of that, I see 'Pyramid'.

This judging of people, whatever happened to 'Judgement Day'? That isn't anyone here on earths' job.

[innerSpaceman]

Just FYI: Tripadvisor will delete any review that isn't based on a firsthand visit to the place being reviewed.

Good ... so when are we going?







and who's gonna make out with me in the apple orchard .... ya know, just to make a political point? :cool:

[Alex]

I must admit I'm hoping to run into a Yes on 8 canvasser so that when they tell me about the horror of churches losing non-profit status I can tell them I think that should happen regardless of what the gay people do.

I'm almost tempted to go grocery shopping in the central valley so my chances would increase.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Alex, I agree with you on the churches and their tax-exemption.

Actually, aren't they supposed to lose their status for politicking like this?

[Gemini Cricket]

Nearly a month ago, opponents of Proposition 8 -- which would amend the state Constitution to ban gay marriage -- started a "soft boycott" of Bolthouse Farms, among the largest producers of fresh-cut carrots in the world and the maker of juices and smoothies sold in foodie haunts and upscale markets.

Company patriarch William Bolthouse Jr. had donated $100,000 to help get the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, and Californians Against Hate wanted gay and lesbian shoppers and their friends to know it. The group figured it was truth in labeling.

Demonstrations at the "rock 'n' roll" Ralphs on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and Whole Foods markets in New York City and Washington, D.C., ensued. The gay blogosphere lit up, indignant.

But on Wednesday, the company and the advocacy group made peace, and the prickly pear cactus lemonade can flow again.Source (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-juice9-2008oct09,0,5664979,print.story)

Interesting.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

As said earlier in the thread, if you want to boycott gay-hating farmers, it's going to be a long list...

[Gn2Dlnd]

As said earlier in the thread, if you want to boycott gay-hating farmers, it's going to be a long list...

You're right, we probably shouldn't bother. Hope we didn't hurt anyone's feelings.

[innerSpaceman]

No, we should bother. The list of fag-hating farmers may be long, but the list of those who post about it on their company website is short enough to deal with.

The list of those we know about is so short - consisting of one - that I think it's nearly a moral imperative to deal with it.

[Kevy Baby]

The journey of a 1000 idiots begins with a single web site.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Dude, multiple guests are reading this thread! SUCCESS.

[Betty]

Dude, multiple guests are reading this thread! SUCCESS.

What do you mean? How do you know?

[blueerica]

You can click on "Who's Online" under Quick Links and see who's on where, when, what they're doing, etc...

[Betty]

well that there's a nifty little trick.

[Betty]

Got a permission slip yesterday for my son to go to Riley's Farm.

As much as I hate to have him miss out on a field trip with his class, I just can't stomach letting him go.

I thought he'd already been when all the yes on 8 crap was flying around - Or I would have brought it up to the school then. But I figured both my kids had already gone and it would seem that I was making trouble over something that wasn't even affecting my kids.

But now? Now I need to do a little research on their blog and send links to the teacher/school/district to shed a little light on the bigots that get a TON of business from all these elementary schools going on field trips there.

Anyone want to help go over their blog and come up with some ammo?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

It's not hard to find hate on that site. Last time I was there, there was vitriol in every blog post.

[Chernabog]

An apple a day keeps the faggots away! That's their motto.

[Morrigoon]

Or if you can't stop the school from going, maybe the field trip needs a few *ahem* chaperones? :evil:

[Morrigoon]

FYI, looking under "Riley's Apple Farm" I couldn't find the farm blog, but looking under Riley's Farm, I did: http://www.rileysfarm.com/

And wow, apparently they don't limit their hate to teh gays... they hate Earth too!

I just don't get either the liturgy, or the zeal, or the tide-pool pilgrimages associated with worshiping what is really a whorish nightmare of a mother--the earth. Think about the unrepentant shrew for a minute: she gives us earthquakes, tornadoes, firestorms, tsunamis, draughts, pestilences, sink-holes, avalanches, plagues, locusts, maggots, monsoons, and village-charring, baby-burning volcanoes. Most of you are reading this in an air-conditioned room somewhere, because the earth, quite simply, is too inhospitable a place to allow for any contemplative work--without shielding yourselves from her heat, wind, rain, and dust. She doesn't even have a very good defense against asteroids. She just whirls on through space like a floozy through the ether, without much care for her young ones. If she were a mother, the cosmic authorities would be writing her up.

[Alex]

Interestingly, unless he honestly believe in an entity of "Mother Earth" (and he shouldn't, false gods and all that) then really he's telling us that God made a pretty rotten place.

[Not Afraid]

I think he's stating that he hates God and ll God created.

[Betty]

This is what I've collected so far. I'm hoping to send them overwhelming evidence and really get them to think about giving this place business. I'm going to send it to the teacher, principal, district and PTA.

Originally Posted by Riley's Apple Farm Blog
When I compare the sort of revulsion we all felt for this condition years ago to the almost sacrosanct position, as a lifestyle, it now enjoys, I have come to believe that cultural standards, in a democracy, are really just subject to the whim of whichever group can yell and scream the loudest. Think about it. At one time, Homosexuality was classified as a mental illness, and now you have to teach your children it's merely a different kind of love. They call it Gay now. (I used to like that word.) Major corporations need to show they have Gay-friendly hiring policies. You can't turn on a network sitcom without seeing a Gay smooch. Churches have had to change their wedding vows. Instead of kissing the bride, you now have to be prepared for someone...well..you know. There are poor little orphan kids who have to wade through this nonsense, literally, because Gays have demanded the right to adopt children.


Think of the sheer beauty and simplicity of burning a burglar with a brand-iron "B" on the forehead. March 24, 2009 5:36 AM

The most merciful thing that can be done for criminals of this sort, and for society, is to execute them--publicly, or at the very least, whip them, set them in the pillory, brand them, and cut off their ears--all punishments that were not considered "cruel and unusual" by the very men who wrote the words "cruel and unusual" into our constitution. March 23, 2009 8:54 AM

Don't get me wrong. I like Sarah Palin. She's not afraid to tote a gun, raise a family, gut a deer, haul in lobster traps, keep her husband happy. She's a babe. She's pro-life. She believes in drilling for oil and making fun of leftist freaks. March 19, 2009

The bill should be killed--and anyone who even considers it, sponsors it, or gives it more than 30 seconds worth of thought should be remembered as the treasonous, anti-American scum they have so manifestly proven themselves to be. March 11, 2009 9:49 PM

Can you imagine a legislature saying "we have a population problem; let's execute people with last names beginning 'W' through 'Z'? That is effectively what democracies do when they vote for abortion freedom: they kill the members of the population who don't vote, and then they cover that sophistry by calling it 'choice.' That is also what they do when they vote for confiscatory taxation on 'the wealthy.' They identify a minority and then tyrannize it. September 2, 2008 7:56 AM

[Morrigoon]

You're going to have to go back to last year to find the really homophobic stuff.

[Kevy Baby]

You're going to have to go back to last year to find the really homophobic stuff.Or to the first post in this thread
(http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showthread.php?p=242785#post242785)

[Morrigoon]

So, funny story.

A friend of mine recently started talking about an upcoming trip to an apple farm with her daughter's school. Wanna guess where they're going?

[Alex]

Cupertino?

[lashbear]

Come down here - we have apple farms too !!! Big ones, in the blue mountains !!!

Nobody comes down here. :(

[€uroMeinke]

Nobody comes down here. :(

Well that's a bit of a disincentive

[Snowflake]

Well that's a bit of a disincentive

hahahahaaaaaa, wheeze.....

[Kevy Baby]

Nobody comes down here. :(That's because it's too crowded.

[lashbear]

See, this is why Australian Tourism isn't working. :p