Adam Sunny Flanders

I just launched Seashore Design today! It is my startup business offering web and graphic design, print media, and even LED signs. I will likely be creating iPhone Apps within a couple months as well. You will also see a preview of my upcoming paleogenetics website. I wanted to finish Seashore Design before school starts on Monday.

I’m excited for the semester to start – my new apartment is awesome and I moved most of my stuff today. I’ll be getting my BS in Biology this coming Spring, and then it’s off to either Florida or California, who knows? I was accepted into Florida Atlantic University and I may pursue my Masters there, but I’m just playing things by ear right now. Anyway, check out my work on seashoredesign.com

I just got my Organic Chemistry textbook (international edition) in the mail today – Essential Organic Chemistry, 2nd Edition, by Paula Yurkanis Bruice. Anyone taking BMB 221 at UMaine will have to have it. UMaine only has new editions, selling at $160. I paid a total of $44, which includes S&H, and my book is identical to the American edition and brand new. The only difference is the front cover has a different illustration and it’s softcover, though I don’t think a hardcover is worth paying FOUR TIMES as much for the book. There is a “warning” on the back of the book that I thought was comical:

“This is a special edition of an established title widely used by colleges and universities throughout the world. Pearson published this exclusive edition for the benefit of students outside the United States and Canada. If you purchased this book within the United States or Canada you should be aware that it has been wrongfully imported without the approval of the Publisher or the Author.”

I had to laugh when I read this disclaimer – nothing but American greed. As far as I’m concerned, international editions are the secret to saving lots of money on textbooks. I have compared the book to the American edition and the content is identical, printed in color on glossy sheets. If you’re fed up with high textbook prices, international editions are the way to go! You can many titles on eBay and lots of other sites, and despite several lawsuits from American textbook companies and the scary-looking warnings on these books, the Supreme Court already ruled that it’s perfectly legal to buy and sell international editions in the United States. See Quality King Distributors Inc., v. L’anza Research International Inc. (1998).

Just watching a movie that came out last year – Make the Yuletide Gay. It’s about two college boys, Gunn and Nathan, who are dating and also roommates. The best part is that Nathan is played by hottie Adamo Ruggiero – I don’t think there’s any cuter boy in the world, hehe – and he’s gay in real life! Some of you will remember Adamo from Degrassi: The Next Generation in which he played the gay teen Marco Del Rossi. Yuletide is really cute so far. The character development is really good, especially when Gunn’s friend Abby finds out Gunn and Nathan are a couple (Gunn is still in the closet to his parents).

When Nathan makes a surprise visit during the holidays, the expected laughs start coming. Just about every gay “insider” joke pops up when you’re least expecting it – Dunn’s mom asking if Nathan minds being on bottom…of the bunk bed, that is, LOL. The parents are totally oblivious to the relationship between their son and Nathan. My parents have always been 100% supportive of me, often coming to Pride, though I hope someday I can find someone just like Nathan and have what he and Dunn have. My love life has been more like Lost & Delirious, or maybe Loving Annabelle. Dont get me started, hehe.

I’m not even half-way through and there’s already been some pretty hot scenes between Adamo and Keith Jordan (Gunn). OMG, Adamo is sooo cute. But anyway, definitely a cute movie so far, and it presents an important message about true love as well, whether between family members or lovers. I stopped to pause the movie ’cause I needed to make sure kitty was inside the house – it’s late and a pack of coyotes just went by our house, howling and whistling like they do. I grabbed the kitty and went out on the porch to listen to them. Sometimes I howl back ^-^

Think the coyotes would let me into their pack if I donned my Max outfit? Speaking of which, it’s nearly time for Halloween again! Ash wants to be Princess Yue from The Last Airbender. I haven’t decided yet – last year I spent a month, in my apartment, sewing together my Max outfit. Then I went to Styxx in Portland with some friends and there was a girl there that was Max, too! Her girlfriend was Carol. They were cute together. I will have to come up with something even more creative this year…

Come this November, let us not forget the words of those who would lead us into the next Holocaust, and the political party that supports them:

“Building a mosque so close to where terrorists killed thousands of Americans would be like putting a Nazi sign next to the Holocaust Memorial Museum.”
~Sarah Palin

“This is an insensitive move on the part of those Muslims who want to build that mosque in this location. It feels like a stab in the heart to, collectively, Americans who still have that lingering pain from 9/11.”
~Newt Gingrich

“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.”…

I can’t believe we’re still living in such an ignorant culture. If you have paid any attention to the news, you will know the hot topic right now, even bigger than gay marriage, is the issue of the building of a mosque in NYC. Too many of us are willing to defend the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or countless other Constitutional rights, until someone comes along we strongly disagree with. I have personally been the victim of extensive homophobia almost exclusively by those claiming to be Christian, yet I can easily draw the distinction between a bigoted fundie and a good Christian. Even further, I believe in the rights of religious individuals to believe and speak their beliefs, even if those statements include the belief that homosexuality is sin and that I’m going to burn in Hell for being gay.

Muslims creating a place of worship, even if it is at ground zero, is within their rights, and if we deny their rights, you’d better not complain if we start denying the rights of Christians or anyone else to practice their religion. The 9/11 attacks represent Muslims just as much as Fred Phelps represents Christians. Or to be more precise, neither one represents the larger community, and I would argue that Al Qaeda isn’t even truly Muslim anymore than Phelps is a good Christian, what with his constant “God Hates Fags” protests. That is me expressing my freedom to believe what I wish, and to speak my beliefs.

There are extremes that pop up among any group, even liberal ones. Us gays have the “Bash Back” organization that actively promotes violence against homophobic individuals and groups. PETA members have been known to bomb scientific labs, resulting in the deaths of people working toward medicine. And how many self-proclaimed Christians have killed abortion doctors in the name of their Lord? No community is immune – every one has its fringe extremists, and it’s extremely unfair to judge an entire community and deny that community’s rights based on the actions of its fringe “members.” It’s not just unfair, it’s unconstitutional.

If you value your own rights and freedoms, protect those of others, even if you don’t agree with them. At the very least, don’t actively project discrimination and interfere with the rights of others! And please get educated about these issues – stop following the crowd and show you actually have critical thinking skills! Maybe consider reading some of the Qur’an and see that it’s just as peaceful and just as violent as the Bible. Or take the opportunity to speak to someone who is Muslim to gain insight about their beliefs. I think it’s absolutely preposterous to believe that the Muslims constructing the mosque in NYC have anything to do with terrorism or the 9/11 attacks. I have educated myself about Christianity, I know the Bible well, and many of my friends are Christians – to some degree I even consider myself Christian. Despite the homophobia I’ve faced, I don’t look at every Christian and assume they’re homophobic. And even if they are, they have a right to be homophobic and speak their beliefs as long as it doesn’t turn into active harassment, which is not protected speech (i.e.; stalking, attacking an individual, etc.).

If we take away another person’s rights, we will all lose them. Even more profound, we each become less free. I know if I lived in NYC, I’d love to visit the mosque – it sounds like it’s going to turn out to be a really beautiful community center that will benefit everyone. We should be grateful for the opportunity to support the foundation of our country, and more than anyone else, New Yorkers should understand the value of liberty – after all, they’ve got a giant statue in their backyard, reminding them of it every day, though I bet few Americans have taken the time to understand her deep symbolism – the 7 spires on her crown, the book in her hand, and the burning torch. We will never forget September 11th, but I fear we have already forgotten September 17th. If this mosque has no right to stand in New York, then neither does Lady Liberty.

Tonight was the second night of the Perseid Meteor Shower, AKA Mother Nature’s PMS, lol. Yep, made that one up myself, hehe. Anyway, my best friend June and I grabbed some towels and my camera and went out into the woods/field behind my house to watch the show. It was really quite spectacular – we saw at least 30-50 meteors and one of them was super bright and looked like a firework! Reminded me of why I love the night sky. I brought my camera and tripod and made a time-lapse video. You really can’t see any meteors in the video, but the rotation of the Earth beneath the stars is nonetheless impressive. If you check my Flickr account, you can see the one image that captured an actual meteor. Not the best images in the world, but hey, it’s my first time photographing the night sky. Below is the time-lapse, which is about 2 hours compressed into 9 seconds.

Judge Walker denied the stay and now gay marriage will continue in California! Hooray! A victory for us. I’m sure it won’t be long before this federal decision reaches Maine! You can read the story here. I’m ecstatic!

This just came in – the stay will be lifted on August 18th at 5pm. That’s when marriages can officially resume.

I thought the date was cute today – 8, 9, 10 ^-^

I finished my Summer courses tonight – I’m pretty sure I aced them both! Now I’ve got the rest of the Summer off. Definitely looking for friends to go camping with and playing tennis, rollerblading, etc. before I move back into my apt in Orono. Hit me up if you wanna do something!

I went scuba diving today at Sandy Cove in Christmas Cove, Bristol, Maine. There were lots of lobsters wandering around the ocean floor – we went down to about 30 ft. I caught a baby lobster, as you’ll see in my Flickr photos. No worries, I let him go – I don’t want a fine! There were also lots of huge crabs. I didn’t see any fish or sharks. A juvenile (7-foot) great white was caught in Maine a couple weeks ago. I’d rather not run into a great white, but it would be cool to see a catshark or dogfish. Both are really cute and catsharks often have really beautiful skin patterns, though they might give you a little bite if you get too close, lol.

On Sunday my little sister Ashley and my uncle and I went to Mt. Apatite in Auburn, Maine to mine for rocks and minerals. We found lots of mica, black tourmaline, a little garnet, and I chiseled off some huge chunks of quartz, clear as glass. They look like pieces of ice. In my Flickr account, you can see pictures of the rocks and a pic of me and Ash in mining gear, hehe.

Anyway, still a few weeks left in the Summer. I’ve got a giant tent, tennis racket and balls, rollerblades, and lots more if anyone wants to hang out!

Well I celebrated all of last night into this morning and there have been celebrations across the US. Yesterday was a landmark ruling that I am confident will lead to nationwide marriage equality within a couple years. My full confidence has always been with the courts and they did came through once again for equality and justice for all.

Below is Rachel Maddow’s interview with the plaintiff attorneys, Olson and Boies. They discuss Walker’s decision and how his meticulous, 136-page ruling will make it virtually impossible to overturn on appeal (that is, the 9th Circuit and SCOTUS will rule in favor of equal rights as well). They also discuss the other Federal decision coming out of Boston in which a Federal judge recently ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. This case is also expected to go to the SCOTUS and result in another ruling in our favor, for nationwide marriage equality.

I have to say that during our little Question 1 campaign here in Maine, it was awful to see my civil rights being voted on by the public. The commercials were so hurtful, the Catholic Diocese giving millions to TV ads telling Mainers that gay sex would be forced upon elementary school children if marriage equality was legalized. The rights of the minority should never be voted on by the majority. Even FDR said,

“The moment a mere numerical superiority by either states or voters in this country proceeds to ignore the needs and desires of the minority, and for their own selfish purpose or advancement, hamper or oppress that minority, or debar them in any way from equal privileges and equal rights — that moment will mark the failure of our constitutional system.”

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Right now I’m fighting my own battle concerning the State of Maine and my Constitutional rights, among others, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it at this time. Some of you are familiar with it. It’s gone on for far too long now, but time has been my friend, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I strongly believe the truth is coming, and with it, justice – for me and many Mainers in the Mid-Coast region. I wish I could talk more about it, but it will have to wait for now, hopefully not much longer. I’ve had to be extremely patient in the past few years, often spending more time on legal research, court hearings, and attorney meetings than I could devote even to my own schoolwork. The wheels of justice move ever so slowly, but I am on the winning side, the side of truth – and it will be worth it, it is already worth it. Yesterday’s ruling has further inspired my confidence in our justice system, our ability to appeal wrongs and redress grievances, particularly those that involve egregious misconduct and dire acts of discrimination and prejudice in direct violation of our Constitutional rights, including Equal Protection and Due Process.

It is almost uncanny that the tremendous Federal cases concerning marriage equality would come at about now. I feel both sad and humbled, perhaps even grateful, to be alive to see this day, to be a proud gay man in America at a time when my full equality is finally being realized. I wish more individuals in my generation took more time to be well-informed and realize we are a part of history in the making. My heart goes out to individuals like Phyllis Lyon and her departed wife, Del Martin, founders of the Daughters of Bilitis, arguably the beginning of our movement for equal rights in America. I cried when I watched these ancient warriors say their “I do’s” before the State of California. Imagine that – an entire life, witness to an era when you could be arrested and beaten by police just for being gay, to seeing the manifestation of full marriage equality! The first same-sex couple to be wed in the Golden State, in fact. And rightly so – were it not for them, I could be jailed for being gay.

I encourage all of you to celebrate yesterday’s victory for equality and for the value of the US Constitution. Be informed citizens and be grateful for your civil rights – they are not always guaranteed, but it’s up to each of us to ensure our rights are respected by others and the State. We haven’t much longer to wait, in any case.

I have always said the courts are the means of realizing nationwide marriage equality. Prop 8 is unconstitutional and has been overturned!!! The ruling today should stand in the 9th Circuit and Supreme Court because no new arguments can be presented on appeal, and it’s well-known that Prop 8 supporters never had any legitimate arguments to begin with.

Prop 8 Overturned