Random thoughts on a cloudy morning

This is really going to be random.

Balloon boy. I'm sure you've heard about the giant Jiffy Pop balloon and the boy spilling the beans last night on the Larry King show, and spilling his breakfast (or something) on cue on two different morning shows this morning. Yesterday afternoon I was driving when the boy was located in the cardboard box, and had the radio on the Lee Davis show. Davis is a certified right wingnut whacko, but he said that finding the boy in his attic was a "miraculous" ending to the story.

Huh? A miracle would have been if the boy fell from the balloon and landed on an albatross that glided him to safety or something like that. Saying that finding him at home is a miraculous ending is like saying it's a miracle I wasn't hit by a train on a morning that I didn't cross any railroad tracks.

Emails. Let me just say that I feel I have a moral obligation to respond to and correct the lies about our president and health care and other issues that I receive through emails. And if you have included my email address in a mass emailing with such lies, I will "respond to all" so that everyone you spread the lie to gets my response. If that angers your friends, then either quit sending me those hateful lies and don't include my email address in your mass mailings.

Defeating the right wing. How it's going to be done and who will do it. Here, on Examiner.


Support. Is it normal for a newspaper or magazine that one writes for to continue week after week printing letters that demeans the columnist? While I don't mind seeing letters that offer opposing views, four weeks of letters by the same author attacking my character just seems a little much. Especially when the letter writer is nuts. Would you continue to write for a paper that offered no support? Am I egging it on by responding to the ludicrous assertions? For those of you who haven't read the letters, I will soon post them on Facebook along with the columns that they are in response to.



Helen Keller. I will be posting some info about her and the National Cathedral within a few days. Did you know she was a big supporter of the ACLU, in fact helping to found the organization?

America the Beautiful. The words to this song were written by a lesbian, Katharine Lee Bates. After her partner Katharine Coman died, Bates wrote, "So much of me died with Katharine Coman that I'm sometimes not quite sure whether I'm alive or not." That is not the only evidence of their committed relationship.

Honeymoon in Vegas

No, we didn't.

But we were in Las Vegas the week of the election. California is close by, and it would have been easy enough to take a day trip and get married.

It would not have been recognized in Alabama, but possibly one day it would.

Anyway, in the Houston airport on the way out there I noticed in the Sunday, November 2, New York Times, that 6 of the 30 wedding announcements were for same sex couples (that's 20 %), including a feature article on Max Mutchnick, the creator and executive producer of Will and Grace, and Erik Hyman, an entertainment attorney.

Photo Credit New York Times

In September the two became fathers to daughters Rose and Evan, and decided to get married in California before the vote on Proposition 8. On October 25 the couple vowed their love to each other in a ceremony officiated by Rabbi Lisa Edwards. For a couple living in California, that made perfect sense, as there is a good chance that even with the right to marry being taken away, those already married will get to remain married.

Even though over 22,000 lesbians and gay men have married in California, many have waited to see what the vote on Prop 8 would bring, wanting to make sure their marriage would be permanent before taking the vows.

Some where in that mix my partner and I fall. I mean, there is chance we would have come back married. I won't reveal what our plans were. But for argument's sake, let's say we were planning a West Hollywood wedding and a Vegas Honeymoon, and for whatever reason, we had decided to wait until after the vote to do it.

Tuesday's vote took that option off the table.

A lot of people feel that this is California's problem, but it does not stop there. People from every state have travelled to California to marry, and many in the U. S. looked at the right to marry in that state as the second chapter in a fifty chapter book on marriage equality.

I know that not everyone who reads this agrees that gays and lesbians should have the right to marry. But most would agree that same sex couples should be treated with dignity and afforded the same rights as other couples.

The passage of Prop 8 is not a done deal. The vote itself may have been illegal, as California law requires that measures used to take civil rights away from a group would have to first be passed by the legislature. In other words, you can't vote away people's rights, if that were so, would blacks have achieved equality?

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday on CNN he hopes the State Supreme Court overturns the ban. Of course that would create all kinds of chaos as supporters of Prop 8 would cry foul, but let them cry.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as Palm Springs and Long Beach over the weekend, and the Mormon Church is taking a lot of heat. They provided half or more of the millions of dollars used to support the ban, and hopefully they will lose their tax exempt status because of it.

It is so odd to me that proponents of same sex marriage are being accused of "changing the definition of marriage" with the argument that you can't change the definition, and the funding to prevent the "change" comes from the group whose definition of marriage has included polygamy and child marriage. WTF?

There is also the issue of strong support for the ban from the African American community in California. Again, how odd, since California led the way in allowing recognition of marriage between the races.

Well, even though the equalization of marriage in California was a huge deal, this is not so huge, because progress marches on. Massachusetts still believes in equality. Connecticut will take up where California left off. New York may soon follow.

Maybe a trip up east will be planned for the not too distant future.

Joe the Dud

So Joe the plumber turns out not to be the winner of last nights debate. Not unless you consider it a win to let the world know that:

1. You are not a licensed plumber,

2. you cheat on your taxes,

3. you are not trying to buy a business that makes $250,0000 a year,

4. you belonged to the Natural Law Party, before joining the Republican party (some confusion over this as his name was misspelled on the voter lists).

The Natural Law Party was founded in 1992 in the United States by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers in Fairfield, Iowa who practiced Transcendental Meditation. The Natural Law Party was a transnational political party with national branches in over 80 countries.
The party based its platform on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's view that natural law is the supreme organizing principle that governs the universe, and that the problems of humanity are caused by people acting against this natural law. The Natural Law Party claimed that it could realign humanity with this organizing principle through techniques such as the practice of Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, and problems would be alleviated.
The various Natural Law Parties disbanded over a period of years from 2001-2006.

Yet the Republicans are still touting the guy as a hero. They can have him, after he made a "Sammy Davis" comment regarding Obama. Just another bigoted Republican hack. That's getting to be so commonplace, it's boring.

To get your mind off of politics for a bit, watch this. And be appreciative of "The Gays" for all they have brought to the world: Handbags, nice abs, women's basketball, gentrification, blogging, cargo shorts...and more! Thanks Mandy, and thanks Ty for the tip.



Back to being Joe the Stripper. That's wallpaper, of course.

What I am Doing to Celebrate

I probably won't post anything (but I will respond to comments) for the next couple of days, as we are making a quick trip to Palm Springs to tie the...

Oh, just kidding, but it would be nice. Actually though, the trip is to Montgomery. We are having a statewide disaster drill Tuesday in the Department of Agriculture and I will be preparing and taking part.

But isn't it a grand day as equality comes to California. Anybody, from anywhere, reading this and getting married to your same sex partner? Let me know, we will celebrate. Equality for All

for updates from California...365 Gay or L A Times

While reading the LA Times yesterday I came across this, an article about science trying to determine the origins of being gay or lesbian:

Science asks what gay looks like Well, we knew that part about size, didn't we?

Our project this week might not arouse as much curiosity, but is certainly interesting:

From the June 6, 2008 press release about what we are doing this week:


A Foreign Animal Disease is defined as an important transmissible disease of livestock or poultry believed to be absent from the United States. Foreign animal diseases are considered a threat to the United States when they significantly affect human health, or when there is appreciable cost associated with control or eradication of disease in livestock. In addition to disease control costs, the most immediate consequence of an FAD in the United States is the loss of export markets.
This particular exercise will focus on the state’s response to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

FMD is a severe, highly contagious disease of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and deer. Humans are not affected by FMD but can carry the disease on their clothing and infect other animals. The 2001 FMD outbreak in the United Kingdom is estimated to have cost the U.K. $20 billion and their cattle market is 10 times smaller than that of the United States. The economic impact of FMD as well as the fact that it is a highly contagious disease makes the preparations to respond to FMD a main concern for the State of Alabama and the United States.

When Jesus Met a Gay Man

I put this on my myspace page a few years ago and probably would not have thought to post it here but then Darryl came along. Darryl has been posting comments on a previous post ( Vote Today... ) about my views on religion and sexuality and he wrote, "There is nothing in the Bible that supports the gay lifestyle. Not a single verse..."

Now Darryl, unlike some of the people placing comments in the past, is cordial, seems intelligent, and is able to carry on a conversation in writing without resorting to screaming and name calling. However, he is wrong. And what he wrote sounded like a challenge.

I could have paraphrased this, but the authors do such a good job and I didn't want to mess up their logical progression of their case.

When Jesus met a Gay Man

An excerpt from The Children Are Free by Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley. Emphasis is mine.

From our days in Sunday School, many of us are familiar with the Gospel story where Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion. The story is recorded in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. In Matthew, we are told that the centurion came to Jesus to plead for the healing of his servant. Jesus said he was willing to come to the centurion's house, but the centurion said there was no need for Jesus to do so. He believed that if Jesus simply spoke the word, his servant would be healed. Marveling at the man's faith, Jesus pronounced the servant healed. Luke tells a similar story.

Just another miracle story, right? Not on your life!

In the original language, the importance of this story for gay, lesbian and bisexual Christians is much clearer. The Greek word used in Matthews account to refer to the servant of the centurion is pais. In the language of the time, pais had three possible meanings depending upon the context in which it was used. It could mean son or boy; it could mean servant, or it could mean a particular type of servant one who was his masters male lover. (footnote18) Often these lovers were younger than their masters, even teenagers.

To our modern minds, the idea of buying a teen lover seems repugnant. But we have to place this in the context of ancient cultural norms. In ancient times, commercial transactions were the predominant means of forming relationships. Under the law, the wife was viewed as the property of the husband, with a status just above that of a slave. Moreover, in Jesus' day, a boy or girl was considered of marriageable age upon reaching his or her early teens. It was not uncommon for boys and girls to marry at age 14 or 15. (footnote19) Nor was it uncommon for an older man to marry a young girl. Fortunately civilization has advanced, but these were the norms in the culture of Jesus day.

In that culture, if you were a gay man who wanted a male spouse, you achieved this, like your heterosexual counterparts, through a commercial transaction purchasing someone to serve that purpose. A servant purchased to serve this purpose was often called a pais.

The word boy in English offers a rough comparison. Like pais, the word boy can be used to refer to a male child. But in the slave South in the nineteenth century, boy was also often used to refer to male slaves. The term boy can also be used as a term of endearment. For example, Jeff's father often refers to his mother as his girl. He doesn't mean that she is a child, but rather that she is his special one. The term boy can be used in the same way, as in my boy or my beau. In ancient Greek, pais had a similar range of meanings.

Thus, when this term was used, the listener had to consider the context of the statement to determine which meaning was intended. Some modern Christians may be tempted to simply declare by fiat that the Gospels could not possibly have used the term pais in the sense of male lover, end of discussion. But that would be yielding to prejudice. We must let the word of God speak for itself, even if it leads us to an uncomfortable destination.

Is it possible the pais referred to in Matthew 8 and Luke 7 was the roman centurion's male lover? Lets look at the biblical evidence.

The Bible provides three key pieces of textual and circumstantial evidence. First, in the Luke passage, several additional Greek words are used to describe the one who is sick. Luke says this pais was the centurion's entimos duolos. The word duolos is a generic term for slave, and was never used in ancient Greek to describe a son/boy. Thus, Luke's account rules out the possibility the sick person was the centurion's son; his use of duolos makes clear this was a slave. However, Luke also takes care for indicate this was no ordinary slave. The word entimos means honored. This was an honored slave (entimos duolos) who was his master's pais. Taken together, the three Greek words preclude the possibility the sick person was either the centurion's son or an ordinary slave, leaving only one viable option: he was his master's male lover. (footnote20)

A second piece of evidence is found in verse 9 of Mathew's account. In the course of expressing his faith in Jesus' power to heal by simply speaking, the centurion says, "When I tell my slave to do something, he does it." By extension, the centurion concludes that Jesus is also able to issue a remote verbal command that must be carried out. When speaking of his slaves, the centurion uses the word duolos. But when speaking of the one he is asking Jesus to heal, he uses only pais. In other words, when he is quoted in Matthew, the centurion uses pais only when referring to the sick person. He uses a different word, doulos, when speaking of his other slaves, as if to offer a distinction. (In Luke, it is others, not the centurion, who call the sick one an entimos duolos.) Again, the clear implication is that the sick man was no ordinary slave. And when pais was used to describe a servant who was not an ordinary slave, it meant only one thing: a slave who was the master's male lover.

The third piece of evidence is circumstantial. In the Gospels, we have many examples of people seeking healing for themselves or for family members. But this story is the only example of someone seeking healing for a slave. The actions described are made even more remarkable by the fact that this was a proud Roman centurion (the conqueror/oppressor) who was humbling himself and pleading with a Jewish rabbi (the conquered/oppressed) to heal his slave. The extraordinary lengths to which this man went to seek healing for his slave is much more understandable, from a psychological perspective, if the slave was his beloved companion.

Thus, all the textual and circumstantial evidence in the Gospels points in one direction. For objective observers, the conclusion is inescapable: in this story Jesus healed a man's male lover. When understood this way, the story takes on a whole new dimension.

Imagine how it may have happened. While stationed in Palestine, the centurion's pais becomes ill experiencing some type of life threatening paralysis. The centurion will stop at nothing to save him. Perhaps a friend tells him of rumors of Jesus' healing powers. Perhaps this friend also tells him Jesus is unusually open to foreigners, teaching his followers that they should love their enemies, even Roman soldiers. So the centurion decides to take a chance. Jesus was his only hope.

As he made his way to Jesus, he probably worried about the possibility that Jesus, like other Jewish rabbis, would take a dim view of his homosexual relationship. Perhaps he even considered lying. He could simply use the word duolos. That would have been accurate, as far as it went. But the centurion probably figured if Jesus was powerful enough to heal his lover, he was also powerful enough to see through any half-truths.

So the centurion approaches Jesus and bows before him. "Rabbi", my the word gets caught in his throat. This is it the moment of truth. Either Jesus will turn away in disgust, or something wonderful will happen. So, the centurion clears his throat and speaks again. "Rabbi, my pais, yes, my pais, lies at home sick unto death." Then he pauses and waits for a second that must have seemed like an eternity. The crowd of good, God fearing people surrounding Jesus probably became tense. This was like a gay man asking a televangelist to heal his lover. What would Jesus do?

Without hesitation, Jesus says, "Then I will come and heal him."

Its that simple! Jesus didn't say, "Are you kidding? I'm not going to heal your pais so you can go on living in sin!" Nor did he say, "Well, it shouldn't surprise you that your pais is sick; this is God's judgment on your relationship".

Instead, Jesus' words are simple, clear and liberating for all who have worried about what God thinks of gay relationships. "I will come and heal him."

At this point, the centurion says there is no need for Jesus to travel to his home. He has faith that Jesus' word is sufficient. Jesus then turns to the good people standing around him those who were already dumbfounded that he was willing to heal this man's male lover. To them, Jesus says in verse 10 of Matthews account, "I have not found faith this great anywhere in Israel." In other words, Jesus holds up this gay centurion as an example of the type of faith others should aspire to.

Jesus didn't just tolerate this gay centurion. He said he was an example of faith someone we all should strive to be like.

Then, just so the good, God-fearing people wouldn't miss the point, Jesus speaks again in verse 11: "I tell you, many will come from the east and the west (i.e., beyond the borders of Israel) to find a seat in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs (i.e., those considered likely to inherit heaven) will be thrown into outer darkness." By this statement Jesus affirmed that many others like this gay centurion, those who come from beyond the assumed boundaries of God's grace are going to be admitted to the kingdom of heaven. And he also warned that many who think themselves the most likely to be admitted will be left out.

With this story, we rest our case. Who could ask for more? In this story, Jesus restores a gay relationship by a miracle of healing and then holds up a gay man as an example of faith for all to follow. What more do our fundamentalist friends want? Who is Lord? Jesus or cultural prejudice?

Footnotes:

18. K. J. Dover, Greek Homosexuality (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1978), page 16; Bernard Sergent, Homosexuality in Greek Myth (Beacon Press, Boston, 1986), page 10.

19. Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (Mercer University Press, Macon, 1994), page 554.

20. For an excellent and thorough discussion of the terms pais and entimos duolos in these two gospel accounts, see Donald Mader's article The Entimos Pais of Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10, (Source: Homosexuality and Religion and Philosophy, Harland Publishing, Inc, New York, 1998).

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If you have made it this far, you may want to read more. The book is The Children are Free, by Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley, published by Jesus Metropolitan Community Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. Jesus MCC. Or just ask. I will loan you the book.

Bringing Bigotry Back Into Fashion

Larry Langford is becoming more bigoted as time goes by. On Friday he will host his "sackcloth-and-ashes prayer service to save the city's soul," according to John Archibald in his column today.

Less than a year after Birmingham passed a gay inclusive resolution embracing diversity, Langford is having Bishop Eddie Long from Atlanta as a guest. Southern Poverty Law Center describes Long as "one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the relgiously based anti-gay movement."

Long's church, New Birth Missionary Baptist near Atlanta, tries to convert gays away from their natural orientation and damns them to hell if they don't (he's the judge, you know).

From one of his sermons, regarding women using marital aids..."God says you deserve death!"

I have read the Bible, and I can't recall that passage anywhere.

But I am very confused about this. Yesterday we recieved a piece of mail about The American Family Outing sponsored by Soulforce, The National Black Justice Coalition, COLAGE and Universal Fellowship of Metrocpolitan Community Chuuches, all gay friendly or gay advocacy organizations. They are hosting "meaningful dialogue" at 6 mega churches across the country. One of the hosts is Bishop Eddie Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

The brochure says "We believe these churches have the potential to be a positive force in ending the physical and spiritual violence perpetuated by some religious voices against LGBT people and their families."

The group will be in Atlanta May 30-June 1, 2008. Read about it here at Soulforce.

Other pastors hosting events are Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes, Rick Warren, Harry Jackson and Bill Hybels.

OK I get it now. Soulforce is sponsoring dialogue with influential pastors who are either homophobic or homosilent because of their huge influence over spiritual people.

They will seek to change the beliefs and values of people at those churches, I guess. A worthy endevour. Too bad they are not coming to Birmingham.

Might be interesting.

Trendy Gays

It's no secret gays are trendsetters*, and are often the first to embrace new technology. Take Leonardo da Vinci, who drew up plans for flying machines, or Michelangelo, who started that whole "laying on your back for years painting ceilings" thing.

So when it comes to blogging, it's no surprise that 51% of gays who use the internet read blogs regularly, compared to only 36% of heteros, according to a Harris Interactive poll. 27% of gays and 13% of straights have posted comments, and here is one I really like, 21% of gays have written their own blog in the last month, while only 7% of straight people have. Story is here.

*I do not consider myself a trendsetter. I don't have blu-ray, bluetooth, single serving coffee maker, or even an iphone. No Dyson DC-24 vacuum cleaner here. I just don't have time to be trendy...other than finding "relevant and timely information" and posting such here. And there is barely time for that.

Disregard of the Law in Bessemer, and The Out 50

At the risk of being accused of trying to make everything gay on this blog and in Bessemer (not that it would be a bad thing) by a certain news editor, I offer the following.

Out Magazine has named their 50 most influential Gay Men and Women in America. Guess who is number 1? Barney Frank, the highest ranking elected official (Representative from Mass)? Nope. It's Ellen DeGeneres. Well, she is certainly a fave around here. And while Barney might have some power in congress, he has to fight against a president that vetoes anything substantially progressive, while Ellen reaches millions every day. Barney is number 2.

Strange but true, number three is Anderson Cooper. He was number 2 last year...and he won't even acknowledge he's gay. Nothing wrong with that, but to consistently be ranked so high, you might think there would be a denial if he wasn't. "America's boyfriend," that's what they called him recently when he had the skin cancer removed. As such, and remaining neutral, he can be seen as the "boyfriend" of all of America, male and female. Uh, huh.

Others you may not expect. Jodie Foster, at number 13, is another entertainer who is not comfortably out. That's OK, because everybody...I mean everybody, knows.

Nate Berkus, of Oprah fame, at number 21. Suze Orman number 24. See the rest of the list right here.

In Bessemer, especially on the Southside, there has been an increase in disregard for the law. Speeders, running stop signs, especially along Dartmouth Raceway...uh, Avenue. One neighbor almost had his kids and himself killed yesterday by someone flying down the wrong side of the street.

In addition, stereos are blaring as if there has never been mention of a noise ordinance. And smoking has occured at The Stadium Grill on occasion since the ordinance against smoking passed.

So what is the deal. We are supposed to get increased police patrols but what they really need to do is hide on 19th street and 16th or 17th street and watch. Maybe someone from the police department will be at the upcoming Bessemer Neighborhood Association meeting, which is Monday night (7:00) at New Grace Covenant Assembly of God Church on Briarwood Drive in Bessemer. They could address all of these issues.

And speaking of Dartmouth Avenue, I posed this question last year, and here it is again.

Why can’t the city designate a “truck route” coming from Lipscomb on Dartmouth Avenue, at Carolina Terrace, to Carolina Avenue, all the way to 14th Street or Highway 150?

On this map, where the star is, is the intersection of Carolina Terrace and Dartmouth. (Don’t follow the “brown” line…that was on there when I copied the map. Coming from the Libscomb direction, turn right at the star, continue on to Carolina Avenue, turn left, and go about 4 or 5 blocks to 14th Street (Highway 150).





Doing this would keep those noisy and dangerous trucks off of the residential street Dartmouth Avenue, and send them down the mainly commercial street Carolina. Bus routes would not have to change, and of course emergency vehicles and fire trucks would still use Dartmouth. Earl, are you listening? This is your street. And it is OK to inconvenience truck drivers just a little to increase the quality of life of residents.

Early in the morning, before the buses start running, big trucks come rumbling down Dartmouth. Some day I am going to get out there to identify them, but it's not like you have a lot of time. I mean it's not as if they stop for the red light or anything.

Who lives on Dartmouth? Who thinks this would be a good idea. In my spare time, I might circulate a petition along the street for this.

More on Sally Kern

It seems that Ellen Degeneres has learned about Oklahoma Representative Sally Kern's homophobic tirade (from this blog, no doubt)...and she made a phone call.





And...get this...Kern has a son who is gay ...and she and her Baptist preacher hubby have dis-owned him. And removed him from her web page. How is that for practicing Christian love?

Now various blogs and papers in Oklahoma have stories about this, some of which quote Jesse as denying to be sexual in anyway, and choosing to be celibate (can you not be celibate and still be gay?), instead being metaphysical (? OK, you got me there). Anyway, gay or not, he does have a record of being busted years ago in a way that makes me think of Larry Craig. Like a comment I read elsewhere said, I am sure his mother has made his life miserable, and she didn't help him one bit by spreading her hatred around. Jesse, you can be whatever you are and it doesn't bother me, just be careful spreading that metaphysicality around, especially indoctrinating the two year olds. And please, avoid your mother. You need better karma.

Evangelicals Changing Their Stripes

I made a statement a couple of days ago: Now if only they will recognize the truth about poverty, gays and lesbians, war and such. For this I am not holding my breath.

Well, even if I were holding my breath, I might take in a fresh breath of air. I read this today: New Evangelical Leaders Said Less Interested In Battling Gay Rights.

James Dobson is wondering "Who will defend the unborn child in the years to come? Who will plead for the Terri Schiavos of the world? Who's going to fight for the institution of marriage, which is on the ropes today."

Hey Dobson...Why don't you fight for the born children who are living in poverty and without healthcare and education? You should have stayed out of Terry Shiavo's business. And gays are the ones fighting for the institution of marriage, which you are trying to horde for the heteros.

People like Dobson and Sally Kern of Oklahoma are quickly learning that they are mis-representing the bible, and mis-stating the truth, mis-interpreting the will of the American people.

"Christian activists and other observers of the movement say that the next generation of leaders isn't as interested in polarizing debates and wants to broaden the evangelical agenda beyond divisive issues like abortion and gay marriage." Those aren't Dobson's words, those are out of this article.

Oh, and you can email Sally Kern about this at sallykern@okhouse.gov.

This is not Gay Bashing

That is what she says.

This is Representative Sally Kern of Oklahoma.

This Oklahoma state legislator says gays are for early childhood education so "we" can indoctrinate children.

She says we are infiltrating city councils to promote our agenda.

She says we are a greater threat "than terrorism or Islam" (apparently she thinks all of Islam is a threat, but that is another story).

She says she is not gay bashing. I'm about to throw up. Seriously.

She compares having gays in the community is like having cancer in your big toe, and will spread and destroy our nation. Listen






And I thought Alabama republicans were bad. Good Lord.

We Need to Change the Message

Ellen Degeneres discussed the murder of a fifteen year old boy named Larry in California because he was gay.



The 15 year old boy who killed him did so because Larry asked him to be his Valentine.

Please America, stop the hatred, stop the abuse, stop the killing.

Thanks Ellen

Artur Davis Ignores History, Insults Gays

This post and the one below address the Over the Mountain Democrat forum about healthcare last night, where the question came up about insuring domestic partners of same sex employees. Terry Kellogg from Blue Cross Blue Shield (see post below) replied that only 20 or so of his employer customers have inquired about that, and the thousands of other customers do not want such benefits provided because they don’t want to pay for it. OK, money is more important than doing what is right, but you expect to hear that from a corporate view.

Artur Davis chimed in, completely ignoring history, and told us that LGBT people should not be looking to Montgomery or Washington for answers, because (paraphrased quote) “It is not the role of government to tell people how to think.”

I almost fell out of my chair as I heard an African American who is the Alabama campaign manager for Barack Obama, who at the same moment is involved in a controversy about the role of MLK and Lyndon Johnson in the civil rights movement, say those words.

Has he forgotten that telling people how to think and act is precisely what the government did when Johnson signed the civil rights act? Does he not realize that had the government not told people how to think he might not be sitting on that stage tonight, and Barack Obama surely would not be where he is right now?

I am not ignoring Martin Luther King’s role (and neither was Hillary Clinton, by the way) in changing the attitudes of many Americans, but without the role of government telling Americans how to think there would be no voting rights and we could still be living in a segregated society.

But it sure seems that Davis is ignoring that.

Besides, Americans are already on the side of equality for gays and lesbians. Let’s consider four popular issues.

Hate Crimes. From The Christian Post, a Gallup poll from May 2007 reveals that 68% of Americans favor expanding the hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation.

Civil Unions. An ABC Poll from November 2007 shows us that 55% of Americans favor civil unions, with 42 % opposing.

Employment non-discrimination. A May 2007 Gallup Poll showed that 89% favored employment protection for gays and lesbians, and for the particular legislation that Davis voted against, 58% of whites, 61% of blacks, 56% of latinos, 70% of democrats, 55% of independents and even 52% of republican women favored it.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. A 2007 Harris Poll shows that 55% of Americans believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces.

So, Mr. Davis, it appears that Americans already know how to think. But we need laws and regulations passed by the government to assure that those who thrive on bigotry and prejudice do not undermine the fairness and equality that most Americans realize is part of our constitutional rights. And we need congressmen who will recognize that equality goes beyond the color of one’s skin.

Artur Davis Plays to a Packed House

But first...for this week at least, Bessemer Opinions was recognized as the 11th most influential blog in the state. See the list here. It changes each Sunday. Keep coming back and Bessemer Opinions will move up in the rankings. Bessemer Opinion's ranking will appear over to the left (Blogging Communities) on weeks that we are ranked.

Also, Bessemer Opinions now has a link on the Alabama Democratic Party's page. See the list of links on their page here.

Yes Artur Davis showed up last night, accompanied by his good friend, earliest supporter, and the "first person to give me a $1000 check," (a paraphrased quote), the Mayor of Bessemer, Ed May. The congressman's assistant said there were 122 people present, an SRO crowd.

I was somewhat surprised that not one question was raised during the hour and a half question and answer period about the War in Iraq or about the patriot act. People are more concerned about the economy, gas prices, education, health care and infrastructure. The was one "big issue" question and that was about immigration.

Davis supports tight border security, and a guest worker program. He would allow undocumented aliens that have been in the country working for 7 years to have guest worker status and a path to citizenship that puts them at the end of the line and requires them to pay a fine. For those who have been here 2 - 7 years, he supports guest worker status, but no path to citizenship. For those here less than two years...sorry Charlie, you are out of here. He also favors continuing to allow children of illegals to receive food stamps (the ony benefit they qualify for...and who wants to see kids starve) and attend schools (better to educate them than keep them on the streets from 8 to 3 every day).

A local pastor asked a question about hate crimes, and showed that he has been influenced by the misrepresentations of the legislation spread by the religious right. He said he had heard that preachers would be restricted from preaching about homosexuality and if they did they would be charged with a hate crime. Not so, said Davis, who helped draft the bill that passed the house. Nothing in the bill restricts our first amendment right to free speech. The bill only provides for harsher penalties for physically attacking a person because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.

I raised my hand at every opportunity and was finally recognized for the last question, and I asked about recent vote against ENDA, the Employment Non Discrimination Act, adding that a no vote gives the appearance that everyone should not be given the same rights and protections. He said he agreed that the government should not be making employment decisions based on sexual orientation, but that he doesn't think the government has the right to tell individuals who they can hire and who they can't. He mentioned that churches were exempt, but countered that religious individuals were not, and he thinks they should be.

Of course he didn't mention that it is the churches and the religious individuals who are at fault here for not recognizing that gay people came about just like everyone else and that the church should accept gay people for who they are. Actually, he did sort of allude to that, saying the churches should be more open and not restrict themselves to people who are just like they are...if they do they are missing the point.




I visited with Davis after the event and reminded him that I serve on a committee for which he is the chair (the Health Committee of the Black Belt Action Commission)Commission). He remembered.



I give him credit for the work he has done in helping the Black Belt, but he pointed out that while improvements are being made there (such as unemployment rates in all the Black Belt Counties being in single digits...a change from just a few years back) we are slipping in urban areas when it comes to poverty. The poverty rate in Jefferson County is over 19%. He tied this in with the unemployment rate in Jefferson County, at 2.7% and drew the conclusion that there are a lot of poor people out there who are working.

He might have read my blog yesterday because he mentioned the Army Corp of Engineers as being the most dysfunctional and least efficient government agency known. He was speaking about flood plains and water but levees tie right in there with that.

ENDA passed the house without Davis's vote. He admits that attitudes are still evolving on gay issues and that in a few years as young people grow up and vote that more and more rights and protections will be afforded. It's a shame that he is not on the forefront of that effort, but maybe, as he said, his own attitude toward the LGBT community will evolve and he will see that most gays, like most blacks or most poor or most women, are hard working spiritual people who just want to move forward with their own lives and see our country do the same.

Artur Davis, Don't Ask Don't Tell, and New Orleans Levees

The Birmingham News mistakenly reported that Congressman Artur Davis would hold his town hall meeting at Bessemer's City Council Chambers tonight. The meeting will actually be at the Bessemer Civic Center...from 6 to 8 PM. I spoke to someone in the congressman's office this morning and confirmed that the meeting would indeed be at the civic center. This is a good chance to hear our congressman speak and ask questions and maybe get answers regarding some of his questionable votes. (or maybe you support all of his votes...still a good chance to go and see him).

From The Human Rights Campaign:

Translators fluent in 5 languages. Doctors trained in trauma medicine. Pilots prepared to save lives.

We all know "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is wrong. But do you know just how wrong? In the 14 years since it was introduced, the U.S. military has discharged no fewer than 12,000 American troops under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

This includes hundreds of specialists whose skills are badly needed in our current military conflicts. Their commitment and expertise have gone to waste.

Starting Friday, we're honoring these men and women by placing 12,000 flags on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

See HRC's ad about this event here: One Minute ad

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In New Orleans we would hope that recovery is continuing, and with the opening of the St. Charles street car line and tourism rebounding you would think so. But will they be protected from the next storm? The Army Corp of Engineers would lead us to believe they would, but are they the ones we should be listening to?

Dr. Ray Seed, one of the chairs of the Univeristy of California Berkeley committee that is investigating the failure of the levees in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina, has filed an ethics complaint which documents how the Corp of Engineers systematicaly and intentionally hid their mistakes and intimidated anyone who attempted to intervene.

His complaint alleges that this was done with the help and complicity of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). This is the same group the Army Corp chose to review the Corp-sponsored levee investigation. Interesting.

If the Corp was at fault for the condition and/or the design of the levees which failed, why should we believe what they tell us about the levees now?

Concerned goups are calling for an "8/29 Investigation," a truly independent and truly complete analysis of the flood protection failures in metro New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Visit
Levees.org to find out how you can support this effort.

See you tonight at the Bessemer Civic Center!

More Violence...and Good News for Gays

More Americans than ever are supportive of civil unions for gays and lesbians, while the majority are still against full marriage rights. 55% believe rights equal to those afforded to opposite sex married couples should be given to same sex couples, accoding to an ABC News/ Washington Post Poll.
Article . Artur, take note.

A 16 year old Bessemer kid has been charged in the most recent shooting in Brighton. Related to the other recent shootings in Brighton? Probably. Tied to Bessemer violence? Probably.

I had a column in The Western Tribune about youth violence, that I don't think I posted on here. In the column, I offer to lend out a DVD about Youth Violence produced by June Mack about the roots of youth violence and solutions. No one has contacted me...does that mean that youth violence is not considered a problem? (No comments about no one reading my column, please).

Here is the column:


I spent a day last week at UAB attending a seminar on Understanding Youth Violence. Several members of the Bessemer Neighborhood Association were able to attend thanks to cooperation between the organization and councilman Earl Cochran.

Several well qualified speakers presented results of studies and research involving students from Birmingham, Bessemer, Shelby County and other school districts. They also presented programs that can be delivered through schools and in counseling along with evidence that these programs work to lower rates of violence in families, schools and communities.

While some of their results were expected, some were surprising, such as fifth grade students in Shelby County being more likely (28%) to be a victim of violence than fifth grade students in Birmingham (20%). But what was not surprising is that violence among children spreads across all demographics, and Bessemer is no exception. The perception, and the reality, is that violence among youth in Bessemer is too common, and several shootings over the last few months provide evidence of this. In fact, the Bessemer Neighborhood Association initially formed after one such shooting in order to bring attention to violence and to seek solutions to the problem.

The program included a presentation by filmmaker June Mack whose two films The Voices of Youth Violence and Youth Violence: Inside the Skin explore violence through both a documentary approach and a dramatic subjective approach.

For the documentary Mack and her students interviewed gang members, incarcerated youth, innocent students, police, parents, teachers and psychologists. They used these “voices” as the basis for the dramatic story of the other film.

The makers of the film are part of a Birmingham organization called The Youth Violence Project, and are planning to use the films in workshops in various communities.

Bessemer should be one of these communities, and the Bessemer Neighborhood Association will be inviting June Mack and her group to visit our city for one of their two day workshops.

In the meantime, we will have a copy of the DVD, and will share it with other community groups, schools or churches that want to view it. To reserve the movie contact me through the web site listed below or by calling this newspaper.

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So, don't you think June and her group, and this movie, could be beneficial toward reducing violence in our community?

Near Death Experiences

On Sunday The Rev. John McKee Sloan was elected the new bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. Here is the news from The Episcopal Church online . Good fortune to "Kee" as he is known, and to the Church in general.

I read something about a person's "near death experience" recently and it got me to thinking. You always hear about such experiences from a Christian perspective, but what about those of other religions or no religion who almost die. What do they see. CECW (conventional evangelical Christian wisdom) would tell us that they would not see the same bright light of God and feel welcomed and at peace and all the different things you hear about.

Since the Muslim religion is the "suspect religion" de jour, I thought I would start there. Seems when they have a near death experience, it is much the same as Christians.

Here is the experience of a Muslim woman and also the story of "Muhammad's Journey to Heaven."

Let's see, now who else do the evangelicals say is condemned...oh yeah, gay and lesbian folk, even if they profess to be Christian. So here are some gay and lesbian near death experiences to ponder.

Both of these links come from one source, near-death.com, where you can find a wealth of information about near death experiences of Hindus, Buddhists, Native Americans, Jews, athiests, celebrities, children and more.

My conclusion is that we all experience nearly the same thing when we die or almost die, part of which is based on memory and the experiences we have had, part of which is based on physiology and what is going on in the body with neurotransmitters and other chemicals responding to changes in oxygen levels and temperature and such, and part of which is coming from the not fully understood realm of our common source, which, if you really think about it, would have no reason to treat any of us any differently, or put one group above any other group, and would "welcome each person back" whether it is through a spiritual embracing of a "spirit" or/and a physical re-joining with the chemicals that make up the earth.

In other words, we all return to that from which we come. And that should be enough to make anyone look at death, not with fear, but with a yawn, realizing that it's just another step in the journey.

Dems Debate Gay issues and Off to Jamaica

All the presidential candidates, democratic and republican, were invited by Logo TV to a Presidential forum focusing on issues related to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities. Not one of the republicans chose to participate, and all of the democrats except for Joe Biden and Chris Dodd were there. Those two had scheduling conflicts.

For those of us who do not get Logo TV, which includes all of us who have Brighthouse, you can view the candidates and their responses at Visible vote 08 where you will find links to various segments of the forum.

My vote is not going to hinge on what was said at that forum. Gay issues are important, but so is getting us out of Iraq, addressing immigration issues and accepting and doing something about climate change. So is accepting and promoting scientific research, some thing the Bush administration tinkers with to make science not really scientific...if that makes sense. And what about restoring our constitutional rights that have been trampled on during the last few years. If a candidate will address all these things, and it will have to be a democrat that does it, then I will be happy, because they are all gay friendly enough that they believe in workplace protections, civil unions, hate crimes, repealing dont ask dont tell and other GLBT issues.

I'm still not saying who I am supporting becuase I haven't decided yet. I've seen a couple of the candidates and one of the candidate's husbands (guess who that is) in person in recent months, and they all breaths of fresh air as opposed to the unfair and imbalanced reporting we often hear on tv.

Enough already. I leave for Jamaica in 21 hours. The trip is part of a course I am taking, and we are to keep a journal as part of the assignment. I am pretty sure I will be able to post some of my journal online, and if I can, that is what you will be reading next week.

The UAB students are teaming with students from San Diego State University and The University of the West Indies and Mona, Jamaica, and the trip is sponsored by the Sparkman Center for Global Health at UAB (and by a hefty fee paid by the students). The Jamaican Ministry of Health is also contributing.

We are focusing on community based approaches to public health, and will have three primary areas of study...mosquito surveillance, STD/HIV care and prevention, and water and sanitation.

We are staying in dorms on the University campus, but I am not sure what to expect, because on the "I wish I had packed..." list in our materials are "extra toilet paper, a small desk fan (I was told the rooms do not have air conditioning), and an 'electric water pot' if you want coffee in your room." The Hilton this is not. But hey...it's Jamaica!!!

If you are at all interested in health issues in Jamaica, here is their Ministry of Health web site.

Time to pack.

Intolerance v. Acceptance

A few days ago a reader posted a comment at the end of this post about flag burning in which he left the “L” out of “flag” and then typed ‘Oops” and went on typing, rather than erasing the offending word and typing his opinion without conjuring up images of violence against gays. Knowing the person who wrote it, I believe his intention was either to make a cruel joke or even to incite others to violence. But violence against gays is no joking matter.

Does this guy know that a local gay man was beaten and burned to death just a few years ago? And more recently a man in South Alabama suffered the same fate. These horrible murders are still fresh in the minds of gays and lesbians because of constant threat of violence and the hateful rhetoric of people like this writer.

Instead of making jokes about killing gay men and lesbians, why not promote tolerance and acceptance like Abby does. From today’s “Dear Abby”

MOTHER LEARNS LATE IN LIFE TO ACCEPT GAY SON AS HE IS

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I raised our two sons and two daughters. One son and both daughters married well. Our other son, "Neil," is gay. He and his partner, "Ron," have been together 15 years, but Neil's father and I never wanted to know Ron because we disapproved of their lifestyle.
When I was 74, my husband died, leaving me in ill health and nearly penniless. No longer able to live alone, I asked my married son and two daughters if I could "visit" each of them for four months a year. (I didn't want to burden any one family, and thought living out of a suitcase would be best for everyone.) All three turned me down. Feeling unwanted, I wanted to die.
When Neil and Ron heard what had happened, they invited me to move across country and live with them. They welcomed me into their home, and even removed a wall between two rooms so I'd have a bedroom with a private bath and sitting room -- although we spend most of our time together.
They also include me in many of their plans. Since I moved in with them, I have traveled more than I have my whole life and seen places I only read about in books. They never mention the fact that they are supporting me, or that I ignored them in the past.
When old friends ask how it feels living with my gay son, I tell them I hope they're lucky enough to have one who will take them in one day. Please continue urging your readers to accept their children as they are. My only regret is that I wasted 15 years. -- GRATEFUL MOM

DEAR GRATEFUL MOM: You are indeed fortunate to have such a loving, generous and forgiving son. Sexual orientation is not a measure of anyone's humanity or worth. Thank you for pointing out how important it is that people respect each other for who they are, not for what we would like them to be.
You could have learned that lesson long ago, had you and your husband contacted Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) when you first learned that Neil was gay. Among other things, the organization offers support groups and education for parents who need to learn more about gender issues. PFLAG

It is because of people like this writer that we need hate crimes legislation. The U. S. Senate was poised to vote on it this week, but are bogged down in other stuff. Maybe they will get to it soon, it wouldn't hurt for you to call your senator's office at 202/224-3121 and urge them to vote in favor of the Matthew Shepard Act, S. 1105. And contrary to what this same writer has said before, this bill does not muzzle Christians, in fact, over 1300 clergy have issued a letter in support of the bill.

Bessemer Happenings and Roses, Roses, Roses

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 21, 2007), is the second workday at Jonesboro Community Garden. We have a few more trees to plant, and mulch to spread and more. Please bring gardening gloves, sunscreen, snacks, water, and tools. 8 to 12.





This rose is Mutabilis, first recognized in 1894. Our small shrubs will grow to about 6 feet and be covered with blooms that change colors from a peachy yellow to a cameo pink and finally a crimson on the third day. This change is caused by sunlight acting on pigments in the petals. The fragrance changes also, and the rebloom is continuous.







In the next few weeks look for some major announcements and a few meetings here in Bessemer that you might be interested in. I will make one announcement now. Most of you already know this, but we will have a new newspaper called The Western Tribune, or “Trib.” Publication will begin in May, and yes, my voice will be heard. To subscribe, or to place an ad, or just to get information, call 425-7171. Subscribe to be sure to receive the premier issue May 16, 2007.








I was told this is The Black Prince Rose but I have my doubts. Anybody know?















On June 4 there will be a meeting at 7th Street Baptist Church with the police department and our city council person Earl Cochran. This meeting will focus on safety and security, and some new ideas will be introduced. Old ideas like noise will be discussed also. I will confirm the date and time closer to the event.

Soon after that will be a Town Hall meeting, more for the whole city, at Broken Vessel Full Gospel Church, at which several new ideas for the city will be introduced. When the date is confirmed I will let you know, and you really should attend, plus you will get to see the inside of the restored church.
















These two roses are rugosas, an ancient class of rose known for their tolerance of poor conditions and many, many thorns. I am impressed with their fragrance.


Look for the building on 19th Street to come down real soon. This, according to Earl. I was pleased that Earl agreed with me on some things. One is that to be progressive in today’s world concern’s for the environment is a must. The U. S. Pipe expansion has not been announced, but whether it is located in Bessemer or Birmingham, the new plant will be environmentally friendly and upgrades to the old plant will bring it up to standards (of some level) also, according to U. S. Pipe officials.





The blooms of Cl. Clotilde Soupert are so full and so heavy that the stems of this young plant can not hold them up. It was introduced in 1902, and is another old rose with outstanding fragrance. I'm hoping as the climber matures the blooms will be better supported.










Here is something of note. Northport, AL resident, and Alabama School of Fine Arts Student (in Birmingham) Elizabeth Esser-Stuart received a $4000 scholarship from the American Civil Liberties Union for her role in protecting civil liberties for young people.

Elizabeth took action when the principal of her school forbade students from wearing t-shirts with the slogan, “Gay? Fine by me.” Elizabeth, only a sophomore at the time, did copious legal research on students’ constitutional right to free expression and worked to educate her fellow students on the importance of free speech. On several occasions, she presented research to the principal that made it clear that the ban was unconstitutional, urging him to reverse his policy. He refused.

Subsequently, Elizabeth contacted the ACLU of Alabama. Working together, they challenged the principal’s action. Elizabeth’s extraordinary efforts to protect her fellow students’ constitutional rights paid off when the principal agreed to let the students resume wearing the shirts.

“In a time when our rights are being threatened and core values undermined, it is inspiring to see young people stand up and defend our freedoms,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero. “This scholarship is one way the ACLU can recognize the bravery and determination of these young men and women who could be tomorrow’s leaders.”

Want a T shirt? http://www.finebyme.org/




This might be Jeanne D'Arc, a noisette from 1848. There are three of these vigorous climbers in our yard and they also produce a good fragrance. In a few days they will be covered with blooms.