Goodbye Ozzie and Harriet

 

 

"What in the world ever happened to us? It has only taken us fifty or sixty years to really screw things up. And what pray tell, is our future?"

Many years ago, I had a very good working relationship with a man who represented my company's Navy customer. I also had a very good working relationship with a man who represented my company's teammate. The three of us got along great at work as well as outside of work. We really did become very good friends. So much so, some called us "the three amigos".

My friend from the other company had not yet been to our house to visit. However, my friend from the Navy customer had been here. Shortly after my Navy customer's first visit to the house for dinner and socializing, my other friend called him to inquire about his visit. My customer's response - "I have now seen how Ozzie and Harriet live."

When this story was repeated to me, I was not insulted - I was honored. You see, when the three of us were growing up in the 50's, Ozzie and Harriet was a popular show on the TV. It was about a typical American family, a traditional American family. And that family was truly as American as apple pie on the Fourth of July.

Today, families that resemble Ozzie and Harriet are few and far between. In fact, so are many of the "traditional families'. We now have a new term - "non-traditional" families. And their numbers are growing.

Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling put a new marker in the ground for "non-traditional" families. A family may now have two mommies or two daddies. And that does not bode well for the type of family that I, along with many of you, grew up in.

But my purpose this morning is not to bash the Supreme Court verdict. That does not mean I agree with it. I do not. My purpose is to talk about families in general. How they are changing. How the "traditional family" is disappearing. I fear we are on a slippery slope that after yesterday is only going to get slipperier.

A bigger problem than yesterday's court ruling is this. With 40% of our nation's babies being born out of wedlock (much higher in the African-American community), the new family structure has changed. For the vast majority of young unwed mothers, the new daddy is the government. What many of these young mothers are finding out is what all of us found out after having that first child - kids are expensive. Consequently, many unwed mothers immediately go on some kind of public assistance. Who needs a man when you have the government? Besides, the man already did his job. He was the sperm donor.

Now back to yesterday's court ruling. Earlier this year there was an article in the press about three men who wanted to marry each other. A new type of relationship.What the what? Stand by for more of these. Then what comes next? Man-boy love? Incest love? Bestiality love? Open relationship love? The sky could be the limit. The courts have shown wide leeway in allowing "whatever". And I worry the next battle ground for this left leaning court is going to be the churches. How churches will be forced to marry more and more "non-traditional" types.

As our "traditional families" continue to wane, "non-traditional" families continue to grow. Not in every country however. Yesterday, ISIL celebrated "Gay Day" by throwing four gays off a rooftop. It seems Sharia Law does not abide with our new SCOTUS decision. And that was not the first time gays in ISIL held territory have suffered such a fate.

For those who celebrate this day, have a happy "Gay Day". You got what you wished for. For those who do not, who mourn the loss of the "traditional family", I feel you. For those who mourn the loss of having a household with both a mother and father, I feel you.

So together let us wish a fond fare thee well to Ozzie and Harriet. And let us thank them so much for the memories. And finally, we can tell them we are sorry, very sorry, we did not follow in their footsteps. Lord, have we ever screwed things up...