Go East, Young Man!

Well folks, I've returned to my blog to start documenting my impending departure for China. I will be gone for at least six months, possibly longer if I choose to stay.

I've been taking Chinese lessons for several weeks now through the Chinese Culture Center in Columbia, SC, and they are helping to place me in a school in Hunan Province, which is in southern China. I don't know exactly where I will be yet.

Today after class I signed my contract and it's now official.

I am terribly nervous and excited at the same time. Change is always at least a little frightening, but it's much-needed change. Life has been pretty stagnant lately. Not being able to find work in my field, I tried my hand at real estate. Columbia was pretty fortunate for most of the current economic downturn, and its real estate market had been pretty well insulated from the worst of the recession and its aftermath. That is, until I became a Realtor. Talk about bad timing.

In this year I have known the indescribable joy of falling in love for the first time and also the inhuman pain of having your heart broken for the first time. I guess this hit me a little later than most people, but it happens to us all eventually. I don't bear any ill-will, however. He's an amazing, talented, funny and totally gorgeous guy who I still think the world of... it just didn't work out. Perhaps another time or another place... but not now. That said, it has also nearly killed me. I never knew such pain was possible, and  I never thought I could miss someone so much. I've cried over this more than I have anything else before. There will probably always be a part of me that loves him. I think that's true with a lot of first loves. But I'm slowly getting better, and this is just another challenge to overcome.

Most of my old college friends have left Columbia and moved to other parts of the state and country. My best friend Erin is getting ready to leave for graduate school. With her departure, I will truly be alone in Columbia as far as having close friends nearby.

So as you can see, as much as I will miss Columbia, I think the universe is telling me that I have accomplished all I can do here. Career, Love, and Friendships have all reached an end point for me here. It's time to move on.

And that's where China comes in. In this blog, I hope to document the excitement, the fear, the happiness, the sadness, and the anxiety that come from picking up and leaving the place you have lived your entire life. Now that I'm setting out on a new path and seeking to reshape my destiny, charting a new course on one of the new frontiers of human development, I welcome you all along for the ride with me.

A note about the new name of my blog. "Go West, young man" was newspaperman and politician Horace Greeley's advice to young men during the nineteenth century. Well, there's no more frontier in the United States, and there is so much growth and development going on in Asia that now I think the phrase should be "Go East, young man!" So I shall. 

Great Tune of the Day: Sinnerman by Nina Simone

This is a signature song by one of my favorite singers of all-time, Miss Nina Simone. You might recognize it from the film "The Thomas Crowne Affair" or a recent HTC cell phone commercial.

Must See Video: Icelandic Volcano Erupting

This is amazing footage of a volcano that is currently erupting on Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull glacier.

Cool Picture of the Day: A Young Martha Washington

We tend to think of Martha Washington as a dowdy, proper white haired old lady in a big lace cap. But at one time she was a beautiful, wealthy, young aristocratic lady who was the best catch in Virginia, as this portrait attests!

Great Tune of the Day: Don't Look Back in Anger by Oasis

This is totally the song of the moment for me, for multiple reasons. Life is great and finally moving again! :D

Great Tune of the Day: Winter by Vivaldi

In honor of South Carolina's first major snow in YEARS, here's Vivaldi's "Winter" from his series "The Four Seasons."

Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season. For example, "Winter" is peppered with silvery staccato notes from the high strings, calling to mind icy rain, whereas "Summer" evokes a thunderstorm in its final movement, which is why said movement is often dubbed 'Storm'.

Cool Picture of the Day: Vaccination

Dr. Schreiber of San Augustine giving a typhoid innoculation at a rural school, San Augustine County, Texas. Medium: transparency : color. Transfer from U.S. Office of War Information, 1944.

This picture, interesting in itself, is nearly 70 years old, but look at how clear it is and how vibrant the colors are!

Source: Wikipedia

Forgotten Realms: The Empire of Manchukuo

Manchukuo was a short-lived Japanese-sponsored state established in the 1930's. Created from China's heavily industrialized northeastern region of Manchuria, Manchukuo was under the nominal rule of Emperor Henry Pu Yi, whose reign as the last Qing Dynasty Emperor of China had been brought to an end with the Revolution of 1911.

However, Pu Yi's reign as Emperor of Manchukuo was mostly for show, and the real power rested with the Japanese political and military officials who oversaw the occupation and colonization of Manchuria by Japanese colonists.

Following Germany's defeat in 1945, the Soviet Union joined the Pacific War and declared war on the Empire of Japan. Soviet forces rolled into Manchuria and took Pu Yi prisoner. With the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese were forced into an unconditional surrender, and Manchuria was restored to Chinese sovereignty.

The 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci film The Last Emperor, depicting the life of Pu Yi including his time as Emperor of Manchukuo, won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

滿洲國 Mǎnzhōuguó / Manshū-koku Manchu State (1932–1934) 大滿洲帝國 Dà Mǎnzhōu Dìguó / Dai Manshū Teikoku Great Manchu Empire (1934–1945)
Puppet state of Japan
← 1932–1945 →
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem National Anthem of Manchukuo
Location of Manchukuo
Capital	Hsinking
Government	Constitutional monarchy
Chief Executive / Emperor
- 1932 - 1934 (Datong)	Aisingioro Puyi (Chief Executive)
- 1934 - 1945 (Kangde)	Aisingioro Puyi (Emperor)
Prime Minister
- 1932 - 1935	Zheng Xiaoxu
- 1935 - 1945	Zhang Jinghui
Historical era	World War II
- Established	1932
- Disestablished	1945
Currency	Manchukuo yuan

Diva du Jour: Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an American actress in film, television and theatre. Starting as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway, Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford began a campaign of self-publicity and became nationally known as a flapper by the end of the 1920s. In the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well-received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, but her films began losing money and by the end of the 1930s she was labeled "box office poison".

After an absence of nearly two years from the screen, Crawford staged a comeback by starring in Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1955, she became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company, through her marriage to company president Alfred Steele. After his death in 1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors but was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting in film and television regularly through the 1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the British horror film Trog in 1970, Crawford retired from the screen. Following a public appearance in 1974, after which unflattering photographs were published, Crawford withdrew from public life and became more and more reclusive until her death in 1977.

Crawford married four times. Her first three marriages ended in divorce; the last ended with the death of husband Al Steele. She adopted five children, one of whom was reclaimed by his birth mother. Crawford's relationships with her two older children, Christina and Christopher, were acrimonious. Crawford disinherited the two and, after Crawford's death, Christina wrote a "tell-all" memoir, Mommie Dearest, in which she alleged a lifelong pattern of physical and emotional abuse perpetrated by Crawford.

Great Tune of the Day: La Folia, The Oldest Remembered European Melody

La Folía (also spelled "Follia") is one of the oldest remembered European musical themes on record. It originated in the Iberian Peninsula.

Over the course of three centuries, more than 150 composers have used it in their works. The first publications of this theme date from the middle of the 17th century, but it is probably much older. Plays of the renaissance theatre in Portugal, including works by Gil Vicente, mention the folia as a dance performed by shepherds or peasants. The Portuguese origin is recorded in the 1577 treatise De musica libri septem by Francisco de Salinas.

Examples of early folias include works by Juan del Encina in 1520, Diego Ortiz in 1553, and Antonio de Cabezón in 1557.

Jean-Baptiste Lully, in collaboration with Philidor in 1672, Arcangelo Corelli in 1700, Alessandro Scarlatti in 1710, Antonio Vivaldi in his Opus 1 No 12 of 1705 and Johann Sebastian Bach in his Peasants' Cantata of 1742 are considered to highlight this 'later' folia repeating theme in a brilliant way.

In the 19th century the theme's popularity decreased, but it regained composers' interest during the 1930s with Sergei Rachmaninov in his Variations on a theme by Corelli in 1931 and Manuel María Ponce and his Variations on "Spanish Folia" and Fugue for guitar.

The folia melody has also influenced Scandinavian folk music. It is said that around half of the old Swedish tunes are based on la folia. It is possible to recognize a common structure in many Swedish folk tunes, and it is similar to the folia structure. Old folk tunes (19th century or older) which do not have this structure often come from parts of Sweden with little influences from upper classes or other countries.

Source: Wikipedia

Cool Pictures of the Day: Darth Vader Gargoyle

The Darth Vader gargoyle on the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

The Cathedral boasts what is probably the world's only sculpture of Darth Vader on a religious building. During construction of the west towers of the Cathedral, developers decided to hold a competition for children to design decorative sculptures for the Cathedral. The image of the villainous Vader, sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter and carved by Patrick J. Plunkett, was placed high upon the northwest tower of the Cathedral, fulfilling the role of a traditional grotesque. There are many gargoyles on the cathedral. The gargoyle designs are varying, but they are usually located on a roof or tower.

Notable National Anthem: Hail, Columbia, The First American Anthem

"Hail, Columbia" was the unofficial national anthem of the United States until its replacement in 1931 by the officially mandated "Star-Spangled Banner". Columbia is a poetic name for the United States in use during the 18th century. The anthem was originally composed by Philip Phile in 1789 for the inauguration of George Washington, titled "The President's March", arranged with lyrics by Joseph Hopkinson in 1798. It was used in the United States as a national anthem for most of the 19th century, but lost popularity after World War I. It is now the entrance march, or the official song, for the Vice President in a similar fashion as "Hail to the Chief" is for the President. When played in honor of the Vice-President, the song is always preceded by four ruffles and flourishes. In addition, the song has been used as a slow march during military ceremonies, often while the band counter-marches. This song is not to be confused with Columbia, Gem of the Ocean.

Lyrics

Hail Columbia, happy land!

Hail, ye heroes, heav'n-born band,

Who fought and bled in freedom's cause,

Who fought and bled in freedom's cause,

And when the storm of war was gone

Enjoy'd the peace your valor won.

Let independence be our boast,

Ever mindful what it cost;

Ever grateful for the prize,

Let its altar reach the skies.

Chorus

Firm, united let us be,

Rallying round our liberty,

As a band of brothers joined,

Peace and safety we shall find.

Immortal patriots, rise once more,

Defend your rights, defend your shore!

Let no rude foe, with impious hand,

Let no rude foe, with impious hand,

Invade the shrine where sacred lies

Of toil and blood, the well-earned prize,

While off'ring peace, sincere and just,

In Heaven's we place a manly trust,

That truth and justice will prevail,

And every scheme of bondage fail.

Chorus

Firm, united let us be,

Rallying round our liberty,

As a band of brothers joined,

Peace and safety we shall find.

Behold the chief who now commands,

Once more to serve his country stands.

The rock on which the storm will break,

The rock on which the storm will break,

But armed in virtue, firm, and true,

His hopes are fixed on Heav'n and you.

When hope was sinking in dismay,

When glooms obscured Columbia's day,

His steady mind, from changes free,

Resolved on death or liberty.

Chorus

Firm, united let us be,

Rallying round our liberty,

As a band of brothers joined,

Peace and safety we shall find.

Sound, sound the trump of fame,

Let Washington's great fame

Ring through the world with loud applause,

Ring through the world with loud applause,

Let ev'ry clime to freedom dear,

Listen with a joyful ear,

With equal skill, with God-like pow'r

He governs in the fearful hour

Of horrid war, or guides with ease

The happier time of honest peace.

Chorus

Firm, united let us be,

Rallying round our liberty,

As a band of brothers joined,

Peace and safety we shall find.

Source: Wikipedia

Cool Pictures of the Day: Moraine Lake, Alberta

Moraine Lake is a glacially-fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 6,183 feet (1,885 m). The lake has a surface area of .5 square kilometres (0.19 sq mi).

The lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late June. When it is full, it reflects a distinct shade of blue. The color is due to the refraction of light off the rock flour deposited in the lake on a continual basis.

Interesting Video: German Army Band Parading In Moscow's Red Square

A very interesting video to watch. This is the band of the German Bundeswehr parading in Red Square as part of an international military band competition. They play some of the best of the old Prussian and German marching tunes. It's a marvelous sign of just how far we have come in international relations (at least in Europe) in the last seventy years.

However, I can't help but smile a little at the thought of old Stalin rolling over in his grave in the Kremlin at the sound of a German military band in his front yard, considering how hard the Soviets fought to keep the Germans out of Moscow back in 1941-1942.

Cool Pictures of the Day: Terraforming Mars

Ever since I wrote a report on the idea in high school, I've been fascinated by the idea of terraforming the planet Mars to make it available for human settlement. I think given the fragility of our planet and the (thus far undiscovered) absence of other intelligent life, it is essential that mankind expand into the cosmos, and Mars is the logical starting point. The process would not be easy, taking hundreds if not thousands of years, but I believe it could and must eventually be done in order to provide humanity with a second home and a stepping stone to further colonization. Here I have included some pictures I found of various interpretations of what an earth-like Mars would look like.

Great Tune of the Day: Birds of Paradise

This is a very pretty little song by a group called Peter, Sue and Marc I just discovered today. Yes, the video is incredibly cheesy, but just ignore that! It was 1980!

This song became a reprise hit in Slovakia in 2006 when it was played at a memorial service for 42 military personnel who had been killed in an crash. Seen in that context, I think it was very appropriate.

Interesting Video: Free Namibia

This is an old documentary (1970s?) that I ran across on YouTube discussing the situation in South West Africa (Now Namibia), a former German colony that was under South African administration until its independence in 1990. I've always found Namibia a fascinating country, and it's one of my top destinations that I want to visit.

Under-Appreciated Cinema: Wes Craven's "Chiller"

Anyone that knows me knows that as a rule, I hate horror movies. However, one of the few exceptions to that rule is a little-known Wes Craven film from 1985 called "Chiller."

The synopsis of the film is as follows:

Corporate exec Miles Creighton dies, and is cryogenically frozen in the hopes that he can be revived. 10 years later, the procedure is a success, and Miles returns--without his soul.

Sound creepy? You bet it is. I remember watching this movie as a kid by myself one night. I'm pretty sure I'm still suffering from PTSD as a result. But it's not the kind of movie that scarred me for life like "Pet Sematery" or "Arachnophobia." It's interesting scary... not "I need to change my pants" scary.

Right now you can watch the entire film on YouTube. But just watch this clip (preferably with the lights on) and I guarantee you will be hooked.

Diva du Jour: Bette Davis

What can I say? Bette Davis is probably the greatest actress ever to grace the silver screen. Her reputation is legendary. Her much-talked about rivalry with Joan Crawford is the thing myths are made of. The sheer weight of her brilliant talent is written on every role that I have ever seen her play. Over the course of her career, Davis played a Southern belle, a spinster sister, a has-been child actor eclipsed by her sister's career, an ugly duckling-turned beautiful swan, and performed the role of England's Queen Elizabeth I twice, just to name a few of her more prominent roles.

Additionally, she won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, was the first person ever to get ten nominations for the same, and was the first female President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Through it all, she maintained a thoroughly professional demeanor, putting her entire self into her roles. So dedicated was Davis to her career that she often said that it resulted in the failure of all of her marriages. But overall, it is doubtful Bette Davis would have changed a thing. She showed us what true grace, talent, drive, and hard work, not to mention those eyes, could achieve.

Forgotten Realms: The Duchy of Burgundy

The Duchy of Burgundy (in French Bourgogne) was a semi-independent fief of the French crown that sat astride the much-disputed territory between France and the states of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages it managed to acquire power and territory that ranked it with the great states of Europe at the time. Several attempts were made at consolidating the territories into a unitary kingdom, but they never quite worked out. Burgundy was incredibly influential in the art and fashion of the age, including being the source of the hennin, the conical hat that fairy tale princesses are stereotypically depicted in.

During the Hundred Years War, the Burgundians were allied with England against France, and were responsible for the capture of the great female warrior Joan of Arc in 1430. This time period marked the apogee of Burgundian power, however. Later in the century, however, a succession crisis in the ducal family led to a lack of heirs, and the territories of the once-mighty duchy were subsumed into the surrounding French and German lands. Disputes over the disposition of the Burgundian lands continued until the 20th century, leading to countless wars directly and as an underlying cause of others.

Cool Picture of the Day: Geisha Girl

Geisha (芸者?), Geiko (芸子?) or Geigi (芸妓?) are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.

Remembrance: King Louis XVI of France

His Most Christian Majesty Louis XVI of France was executed 217 years ago today by guillotine at the hands of the fanatical revolutionary government. Louis was a good, decent, and pious man. However he had an incredible lack of confidence and had not been prepared to rule as he had been a younger son. The death of his father and older brother thrust him into the direct line of succession. France under his grandfather, Louis XV had been bankrupted by excessive spending and the loss of the Seven Years' War to Great Britian.

It is difficult to see how anyone could have effectively and peacefully led France out of its economic and social troubles. For all his goodness, Louis XVI was not the man for his time. The intense unpopularity of his misunderstood wife, Marie Antoinette of Austria, contributed to a decline in popularity of the monarchy. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, Louis lacked the backbone to take control of the situation and restore order and put his kingdom's affairs in order.

Brought to Paris as a virtual prisoner, Louis was forced to accede to a British-style constitutional monarchy in 1791. However the revolution only became more violent, and following a disastrous escape attempt, Louis and his family were placed under arrest. The revolutionary leaders stripped him of his title and declared France to be a republic. Louis was placed on trial for his alleged "crimes" and was unsurprisingly found guilty. Louis was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793. His last words were:

I die innocent of all the crimes laid to my charge; I Pardon those who have occasioned my death; and I pray to God that the blood you are going to shed may never be visited on France.

The spiritual power attributed to anointed kings was still very much in evidence, however, as the crowd surged towards the scaffold to attempt to bathe their handkerchiefs in the consecrated blood of their dead monarch.

Tomb of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette at Saint Denis Cathedral in Paris.

Death and Funeral Music for Louis XVI by Paul Wranitzky

Portrait of Power: Pope Saint Fabian

FABIANUS

Pope (236-250), the extraordinary circumstances of whose election is related by Eusebius (Church History VI.29). After the death of Anterus he had come to Rome, with some others, from his farm and was in the city when the new election began. While the names of several illustrious and noble persons were being considered, a dove suddenly descended upon the head of Fabian, of whom no one had even thought. To the assembled brethren the sight recalled the Gospel scene of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Saviour of mankind, and so, divinely inspired, as it were, they chose Fabian with joyous unanimity and placed him in the Chair of Peter. During his reign of fourteen years there was a lull in the storm of persecution. Little is known of his pontificate. The "Liber Pontificalis" says that he divided Rome into seven districts, each supervised by a deacon, and appointed seven subdeacons, to collect, in conjunction with other notaries, the "acta" of the martyrs, i.e. the reports of the court-proceedings on the occasion of their trials (cf. Eus., VI, 43). There is a tradition that he instituted the four minor orders. Under him considerable work was done in the catacombs. He caused the body of Pope St. Pontianus to be exhumed, in Sardinia, and transferred to the catacomb of St. Callistus at Rome. Later accounts, more or less trustworthy, attribute to him the consecration (245) of seven bishops as missionaries to Gaul, among them St. Denys of Paris (Greg. of Tours, Hist. Francor., I, 28, 31). St. Cyprian mentions (Ep., 59) the condemnation by Fabian for heresy of a certain Privatus (Bishop of Lambaesa) in Africa. The famous Origen did not hesitate to defend, before Fabian, the orthodoxy of his teaching (Eusebius, Church History VI.34). Fabian died a martyr (20 Jan., 250) at the beginning of the Decian persecution, and was buried in the Crypt of the Popes in the catacomb of St. Callistus, where in recent times (1850) De Rossi discovered his Greek epitaph (Roma Sotterranea II, 59): "Fabian, bishop and martyr." The decretals ascribed to him in Pseudo-Isidore are apocryphal.

Source: Catholic Encyclopedia

Banners of Yesterday: Federation of South Arabia

The Federation of South Arabia (Arabic: اتحاد الجنوب العربي Ittihad al-Janūb al-‘arabī) was an organization of states under British protection in what would become South Yemen. It was formed on 4 April 1962 from the 15 protected states of the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South. On 18 January 1963 it was merged with the crown colony of Aden. In June 1964, the Upper Aulaqi Sultanate was added for a total of 17 states. A team was sent to the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica. The Federation was abolished when it gained independence along with the Protectorate of South Arabia as the People's Republic of South Yemen on 30 November 1967.

Source: Wikipedia

I'm really not sure why, but this is one of my favorite flags.

Must See Video: Earth and its Moon.

View of Earth's Moon passing in front of the planet as seen from the Deep Impact Probe in May 2008.

Cool Picture of the Day: The South Pole

Flags of the signatories of the Antarctic Treaty around the ceremonial South Pole in Antarctica.

Cool Picture of the Day: Solar Eclipse from Orbit

Shadow of the moon above Turkey and Cyprus, seen from the ISS during a 2006 total solar eclipse.

Source: Wikipedia

Great Tune of The Day: The White Cliffs of Dover

A great World War II song by Dame Vera Lynn.

MLK Day Special

This is a re-posting of my column on Politics is Power.

Today as the nation commemorates Martin Luther King Day, we can look back with pride at how far we have come in the quest for that "more perfect union" the Constitution calls for. At the same time, we can see just how far we have left to go. While racial equality continues to make strides, if unevenly at times, we must not forget that other forms of discrimination continue to exist.

I make no secret of my very strong opinion that President Obama has abandoned the support pledged in his presidential campaign to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) voters. Whether this is due to political expediency, cowardice, or simple ignorance of the problems GLBT people face, I am not in a position to know. I do know however that gay people continue to be treated as second-class citizens in the eyes of the law and for much of society.

Across our great republic, many of the gains that GLBT people have made in recent years are being rolled back. While federal hate crimes protection was passed last year, it had to be ensconced in a defense appropriations bill in order for it to receive enough votes to pass in Congress. The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy, which the President pledged to overturn, remains in force a year into his presidency. DADT stipulates that if a member of the armed forces is discovered to be gay, they are automatically discharged. Instead of a repeal, there is now serious consideration of implementing a "separate but equal" system in which GLBT service members would be forced to use separate facilities from straight soldiers. Does this sound familiar? Elsewhere, Legally enacted marriage rights in California, Maine, and elsewhere have been withdrawn at the hands of vicious and hateful campaigns. The travesty of having a majority of people vote to withdraw the rights of a minority has become a reality in this nation. I cannot think of another time in American history that such a thing has been so calculatingly directed at a group of people.

I cannot help but wonder how history would have turned out had civil rights for black people been left up to a vote of the people of Mississippi or Arkansas or Alabama in, say, 1955. What would race relations look like today if Martin Luther King had accepted the argument that GLBT people face so frequently: "Now is not the time"? Somehow I doubt our society would have been able to make as much progress as it has (though I agree there are still many miles to go).

Straight people need to understand that sexual orientation, like race, is largely an inborn trait, as the vast majority of scientists and psychologists agree today. Trying to suppress it or change it leads to untold psychological suffering and heartbreak, often leading people who undergo "change" programs to attempt suicide. If discrimination because of one's race is supposed to be unacceptable in our society today, why should a group of people (generally estimated to be around 10% of men and 5% of women) who happen to be attracted to someone of their own gender be treated differently?

Gay people don't want to overturn society or destroy the family. They don't want to corrupt and recruit your children. They don't want to destroy religion. They don't want to force unwilling religious groups to marry them or change their faith. Most simply just want to be left alone like everyone else and able to live their lives free from fear; fear of discrimination, fear of gay bashing, fear of losing their jobs, fear of being denied the right to be with their partners or their children because their relationship has no legal recognition.

Today, over forty years after King's assassination, his dream of racial equality is still in the process of being achieved. But people are still being prejudged and discriminated against for traits that they were born with and have no real control over. Such legalistic double standards are SO last millennium.

Postscript:
MLK never really addressed GLBT rights, since they only first became a true national issue the year after his death with the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which is seen as the founding of the modern gay rights movement. However, his widow the late Coretta Scott King became a strong advocate for GLBT equality. I leave you today with some quotes by Mrs. King on the subject.

"Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood... This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group."

"I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people. ... But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people."

"Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union. A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages is a form of gay bashing and it would do nothing at all to protect traditional marriage."