Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage.

Today was a monumental day for the LGBTQ community. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Same-Sex Marriage, thereby making it legal in all fifty states. Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the majority ruling, stating that...

"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."

The majority decision in favor of Same-Sex marriage was backed chiefly by the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution, which was originally enacted in 1868 to provide equal rights to former slaves.

I honestly have little to say on this matter. The truth is simple, pure and straightforward. I'm pleased with the ruling and fully support equal rights for all citizens. For years, I've reiterated what the Supreme Court has now confirmed -- the Fourteenth Amendment is a powerful tool against bigotry and hatred. Though I may not be a homosexual, I can readily identify discrimination when I see it. If I were a homosexual, I would hope for my fellow citizens to recognize the struggle.

Today, the Supreme Court has done just that. For now, I choose to let actions speak louder than words.

Oklahoma: Atheists and Gays Not Welcome.

There's some outrageous bigotry going on in Oklahoma, but that's no surprise.

A stone monument depicting the Ten Commandments

sits outside the Oklahoma State Capitol Building.

House Bill 1125, which essentially bans atheists from being married, recently passed the Oklahoma State House of Representatives. It is now headed to the Senate, where it will most likely be approved.

How does it work? Well, it's like this. For any new marriage to be recognized, a member of the clergy must approve any and all marriage licenses. Judges and magistrates would have ZERO say in the matter. That means that the power of the legally binding contract of marriage would be solely under the discretion of priests and other respective church leaders. Of course, conservatives, Republicans and religious organizations are jumping for joy over this bill. If approved, it would mean that any clergy member whom did not see fit to wed a couple (meaning homosexuals and atheists) would not have to.

This is a crafty work of legalese meant to circumvent the potential for homosexuals to receive the same marriage benefits as heterosexual couples. They're essentially tacking it onto the backs of atheists as a way around any forthcoming federal legislation. In essence, they get to kill two birds with one stone.

One of the chief supporters of the bill, Republican Dennis Johnson, has been quoted as saying...

"Marriage was not instituted by government. It was instituted by God. There is no reason for Oklahoma or any state to be involved in marriage."

I find it ironic that Mr. Johnson wants to prohibit the bounds of marriage via legislation, but finds that government has no place in the matter. I wonder if he can see the total hypocrisy in that? Have the supporters of this bill even considered that, without a legally binding marriage license, many couples (gay or straight, religious or atheist) would lose health benefits, death benefits, access to community property and child custody? Obviously not.

Perhaps more troubling is the immense power that would be granted to non-elected religious officials whom would act as de facto magistrates of the state government. By officiating the state law in a method that's clearly filtered through religious doctrine, they'd be blatantly violating the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Should House Bill 1125 be passed by the Oklahoma legislature, it will surely make its way to the Supreme Court.

Oklahoma -- a great place to live... unless you're not a heterosexual Christian.

Your Diamond is Worthless.

If you're a married lady, or are engaged, odds are that a diamond ring is on your hand. For countless decades, diamonds have been considered the go-to gift when a man proposes to a woman.

And it's completely and utterly ridiculous.

Why, you are surely asking?

Because diamonds are a crafty marketing ploy to separate you from your money. I'll explain.

Up until 1870, diamonds were indeed rare and precious. Only the wealthiest sultans and kings owned them. Suddenly, a series of massive diamond mines were found in South Africa. This discovery made diamonds extremely plentiful, thereby sending the price of diamonds down to almost nothing. To counter this massive financial loss, a man named Cecil Rhodes purchased all of the diamond mines in South Africa. He had conquered the market by 1888. By monopolizing the diamond mine market, Rhodes was able to artificially control the output of diamonds, thereby sending their value back up. One of the biggest mining companies Rhodes purchased was owned by the DeBeers Brothers. As the conglomerate of diamond mining companies grew, Rhodes' organization took on the DeBeers name. DeBeers continued to grow larger and larger as more diamond mines were uncovered around the world. The company absorbed these new mines as they popped up. Because they could control the number of virtually all the diamonds mined in the world, DeBeers could set the price of diamonds at any level.

Throughout the Twentieth Century and into the Twenty-First, DeBeers has operated the Central Selling Organization. This is the "marketplace" where diamonds are sold at wholesale to purchasers for jewelry production.

You heard that right -- not only does DeBeers control nearly all global diamond mining activity, but they also operate the supply chain which puts diamonds in the hands of jewelers. This still holds true to this day, even though DeBeers was forced to settle an anti-trust lawsuit with the US Government in 2000. Why? Because of their successful world-wide marketing strategy.

And this, my friends, is where the plot thickens...

By the time of the Great Depression, demand for diamonds had fallen dramatically in the United States. The reason why is obvious -- people were broke. Most Europeans hadn't caught on to the idea of owning a diamond, either (because most citizens there were wise to the DeBeers scam). To increase their profits once more in the commercial sector, DeBeers turned to the marketing firm of N.W. Ayer and Son. They're famous for creating the Morton Salt Girl and the catchy "Be All You Can Be" Army slogan, amongst a slew of others. In the 1930's, the marketing firm's president was Gerold M. Lauck. Once hired, Lauck completed an extensive research study about diamond engagement rings. His results weren't surprising -- to sell diamond rings, you have to attract men. Lauck keenly realized that to increase profits for DeBeers, he needed to craft diamonds as the ultimate symbol of love. Accordingly, Lauck also determined that women needed to desire diamond rings, in so much as to expect them when being asked for their hand in marriage.

Immediately, Lauck implemented a dastardly marketing campaign that encompassed nearly all aspects of public and social life. He paid for diamond rings to appear in movies and in magazines. Fashion designers were "encouraged" to feature diamonds on their models. Radio and television programs had placement advertising, which reinforced how owning a diamond ring was a lofty status symbol. Men were told that giving your fiancee the biggest diamond you could afford was the proper thing to do. Women were told that they deserved a large diamond ring because they were special. Lauck was a pure genius. With DeBeers' money, he created one of the most successful marketing campaigns this world has ever known. It was during this campaign that the famous slogan "A Diamond is Forever" was born. Within only a few months, Lauck's campaign strategy increased American diamond sales over fifty percent! To this day, the Lauck campaign is still in full effect. And to think... a commercial-grade diamond has nearly ZERO intrinsic value.

One of the most common DeBeers advertisements.

Consider a report published by The Atlantic magazine in 1982. They studied the history of diamonds, as well as how much a diamond is really worth. Within this widely lauded report, it revealed that the Ayer marketing firm constantly stayed on top of their marketing strategy and made adjustments when and where necessary. Because so many diamonds were in the hands of the public by the 1950's, they were forced to address the massive diamond supply that could potentially be resold, thereby sending prices down. To do this, Ayer created new marketing tactics which encouraged women to value their diamonds more than anything else in their possession. Concurrently, they promoted the notion that diamonds should never be resold. Their marketing strategy again worked -- to this day, it is nearly impossible to find a person that will resell a diamond (either gifted or inherited).

Here's the damning part, though. That same Atlantic report also proved that diamonds depreciate dramatically the moment they leave a jewelry store. The markup on a diamond can be upwards of 200%! As such, a jeweler will not typically buy a diamond back from a customer. Why? Because they have little incentive to do so, even though they could flip the diamond for a small profit. Even if the jeweler did want to repurchase the "used" diamond, their offer would be extremely low. As such, they'll avoid the situation altogether because making a low offer would illustrate how invaluable a diamond really is. If the public truly knew diamonds were not valuable, then they'd stop paying such high prices for them. Essentially, refusing to repurchase the diamond keeps the myth going.

Remember that slick Ayer marketing strategy I mentioned before? One such tactic was to present diamonds in movies as objects which thieves often wanted to steal. In reality, high-level thieves and burglars will rarely, if ever, steal diamonds. They know that it's next to impossible to resell them. Why risk being apprehended for little to no profit? Yet, to this day, heist movies will still show crooks swiping diamonds.

And there you have it my friends. Diamonds are absolutely worthless. Over ninety percent of all profit made from diamonds goes to the DeBeers Cartel. They control the supply. They control the demand. They control your thoughts, even.

Ladies... take a look at that shiny rock on your hand. Understand this -- it is not really valuable. The man (or woman) whom gave that diamond to you was fooled into thinking it was a prized possession. What you have is a very common, mildly lustrous stone. Many generations of Americans before you were tricked into thinking diamonds were important. Their children were taught the same thing, and so on and so forth. You now continue to prop up the diamond myth. You're just the latest victim in a long string of parlor tricks and misinformation, all thanks to greedy tycoons and one of the most brilliant marketing tactics ever devised.