Two polls (that don't have anything to do with politics)

The Election

If you are like many Americans and many in Alabama and even in Bessemer, in spite of all the hype and crazy people running for office you don't know much about this (here) election they are putting on today.

All you know is what you see on the political ads that run during the news, during the World Series (congrats to San Francisco!!! and (hot) bearded Brian Wilson), and during every television show it seems.



So you may or may not vote. I mean, OFA and other groups are doing all they can to Get Out The Vote. Democrats are trying to remind voters who first voted in 2008 that it is still important to vote. Republicans are screaming, "Fire!," in an effort to motivate their voters.

Some of you might even respond to this: here is your voter guide... or here.

And still, only 55% of voters are expected to turn out in Alabama, according to Beth Chapman, Alabama's Secretary of State.

Almost half of the people in this state don't care. So if somebody wins, say, the governorship, with just a little over half the vote, what it really means is that only a quarter of the people (or a little more) in the state want that person to be governor.

One person who doesn't want Robert Bentley to be governor is Jimmy Blake, who says he will contest the election if Bentley wins the election today, based on Bentley's reporting of campaign fund raising.

Polls

We've seen polls and polls and polls and polls and surveys. We even had a poller call at 7:10 yesterday evening. What good is that going to do?

Poll 1

Here are some of the results of the reader's survey I posted on Bessemer Opinions a few weeks ago.

23% of the respondents are straight and 19% are LGBT. That means that 52% of you are either unsure of your sexuality or so deep in the closet and so paranoid about being discovered that you were afraid to answer even on an anonymous poll.

61% of you are white, and only 6% are black. That leaves a lot of people of other colors. Or not.

See that's the problems with surveys where you can choose multiple answers. Some people didn't know that, so they didn't answer the race or sexual orientation questions. Or they are paranoid and they probably didn't complete their census form either.

The highest number of you, 31%, like the mix of subjects and the unexpected that you find on Bessemer Opinions. 16% want more Bessemer news and less gay news, 7% wanted more gay news and less Bessemer. You are still going to get the mix.

What this tells me is that Bessemer Opinions is popular among a wide variety of people with a variety of interests, and that I should keep reporting as I do on a number of subjects.

Poll 2

Yesterday I wrote this column for Daily Kos that compares the two Georgia megachurch pastors and the churches that have been in the news recently regarding gay issues. At the end of that column there was a poll asking "Which church offers the truer message of Christianity regarding gay issues?" The choices are New Birth Missionary Baptist Church led by Pastor Eddie Long or Church in the Now led by Pastor Jim Swilley, or neither.

Of the 42 people who have responded, 78% think Church in the Now, with the pastor who has been inclusive and accepting and recently came out as gay, is offering the truer message, and only 2% believe New Birth led by the pastor who was accused of having sexual relations with some of his male followers while preaching an anti-gay message is offering the truer Christian message. 19% say neither, and I assume those are people without faith, or people who have been driven away from the church.

Swilley and his supporters are hoping they can change the world. I think all, or most, Christian churches believe that, but let's hope he is right.

The Challenger

Some of you know that there is now a blog that has been created to stand up against my militancy.

From their "Welcome" page:

This blog exists to spend a little time answering the radical homosexual propaganda of Joe Openshaw, a gay organizer in Bessemer, Alabama. It is also a place for conservative Christians to have their say regarding the militant homosexual agenda in Bessemer.

Radical? One of my straight friends responded to that saying she thinks I am pretty moderate.

Militant? Militant? I can't even respond to that. Militant?

Anyway, for those of you who are keeping score.

1. There was a newspaper editor in town that threatened to file a lawsuit against me to force me to quit revealing the truth. He's gone. Fired.

2. There was another blogger, the "Bessemer conservative" I called him in a newspaper column. He's pretty much given up, but was real good at copying and pasting from those anti-Obama emails that used to circulate with so much mis-information.

3. And then there was Snuffy, who in a letter to the newspaper called me a communist and worse, and compared my loving relationship with my partner to screwing a horse. Anyone heard from him lately?

So I don't feel threatened by this newcomer, who so far has chosen not to reveal his whole identity. I know this is just a tease, but I am not going to post a link to his blog, yet, because he has already posted some statements which could be damaging to young gay kids. Here I am trying to prevent kids from killing themselves and this "conservative Christian" is destroying their self esteem and possibly contributing to their harmful actions.

If you want a link to the page, email me.

Bessemer - Day 1

This morning the new school board, city council and mayor were sworn in.

I sat with Judge Helen Shores Lee who is on the ballot tomorrow (one of my recommendations) and we had a good conversation about tomorrow's election in Jefferson County and the country, and about the supposed lack of enthusiasm among Democratic voters. She's not sure that lack of enthusiasm is real.

I spoke with Senator Priscilla Dunn who confirmed that she received an envelope full of letters regarding anti-bullying policy. Our efforts paid off.

I spoke with Judge Annetta Verin, and wished her well tomorrow. She administered the oath to all of the School board member (and twice to one of them) as well as to one of the council members.

School Board member Renna Scott neglected to say the word "solemnly" during the part of the oath where you "swear" or "affirm." Judge Verin was not going to let a simple omission turn into a future problem, and remembering the inauguration of President Obama, she suggested a re-do.

Here is Councilman David Vance being sworn in.



Here is Councilwoman Sherrina Rice being sworn in.



Here is Councilwoman Sarah Belcher being sworn in.



Here is Councilwoman Donna Thigpen being sworn in.



Here is Councilman Ron Marshall being sworn in.



Here is Councilman Jesse Matthews being sworn in.



Here is Councilman Cleo King being sworn in.



Here is Mayor Ken Gulley being sworn in. That is his mother and his wife Yvonne standing with him as Judge Eric Fancher administers the oath of office.



Mayor Gulley gave a positive and inspiring address.



In his address he said, "I pledge to do all that I can" to move the city forward and asked the citizens of Bessemer to partner with him.

"A government that works," is one of his objectives, and he wants to "tear down walls that divide us and build bridges to unite us."

The crowd stood and applauded several times during the ceremony, but the biggest applause was when it was official.

No one was happier, it seemed, than Cleo King, council member from my district.



Well, other than a throng of city workers, who were the first to stand and applaud when the new mayor was sworn in.

And business owners.

And developers.

And ordinary citizens.

Over the last few weeks it seems that former mayor Ed May (that feels good...to write that) has tried to solidify his imprint on the city with some appointments and such. We will see how those things hold out.

But for now, Gulley has said (after his election) that getting the city finances in order are a priority. Let's hope the council agrees. And let's watch for some early signs of new Bessemer businesses.

Hold on, folks. Bessemer is on the move.

Recommendations

I have recommended that you vote a straight Democratic ticket on Tuesday. Many of you won’t do that, for one reason or another, so I want to list several candidates where your vote is essential, and might make a difference, or that for one reason or another I support. These are candidates on my ballot in Bessemer, you may or may not have these candidates on your ballot.

United States Representative District 7 – Terri Sewell. Terri will be the first African American woman elected to represent Alabama in congress. A historic election and a well qualified candidate with a vision and drive to make a difference for the Black Belt region and the rest of the state.

Governor – Ron Sparks. Robert Bentley scares me, both because it is Halloween, but also because who knows what he is thinking?

Lieutenant Governor – Jim Folsom, Jr. Kay Ivey scares me too. And there’s something she’s not being quite open and honest about…but my lips are sealed.

Attorney General – James H. Anderson. Funny how Luther Strange talks about fighting special interests (lobbyists) and that’s all he’s ever been. Fighting with yourself…there’s a diagnosis for that.

Supreme Court Justice, Place 1 – Rhonda Chambers. She is more qualified and has experience that will serve her well on the high court.

Supreme Court Justice, Place 3 – Mac Parsons. Tom Parker was named Man of the year by a group that wants to take the right to vote away from women. We do not need him on the bench.

Court of Civil Appeals – Deborah Bell Paseur. She has a great name. She has served as district judge for 27 years and this would be a good fit for her.

State Treasurer – Charley Grimsley. Don’t let Boozer bankrupt the state. You’ve seen the commercial, haven’t you?

State Auditor – Miranda Karrine Joseph. I met Miranda at the Bessemer Farmer’s market one Saturday and we talked about the state and the people and moving forward.

Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries - Glen Zorn. We need an Ag Commish with experience and he’s got it. Plus, he’s been on a farm.

Public Service Commission, Place 2 – Susan Parker. She’s done a great job and keeps the people informed on issues. Keep her in there.

State Board of Education, District 4 – Yvette M. Richardson. Hang down your head, Tom Dooley, hang down your head and cry...

Circuit court Judge 10th circuit, Place 3 – David Carpenter. I’ve met David and he’s got good ideas about this court and is a great guy too.

Circuit court Judge 10th circuit, Place 4 – Helen Shores Lee. Doing a good job, needs to stay there.

Circuit court Judge 10th circuit, Place 12 – Anetta H. Verin. Hate to lose her in Bessemer but she’ll do a great job.

Circuit court Judge 10th circuit, Place 20 – Agnes Chappell. Lot’s of experience as a judge. She will do well.

Circuit court Judge 10th circuit, Place 24 – Stephen Wallace. Stephen is fending off hateful, misleading attack ads. Desperation on the part of his opponent.

District Court Judge, 10th Judicial Circuit, Place 10 – Lynneice Washington. Lynneice has served as assistant DA for eight years and is very familiar with the court.

Circiut Court Clerk, Bessemer division – Benny R. Watson. You have to love a candidate named Benny. He’s the current clerk and we need to keep him.

Now wouldn't it just be easier to vote a straight Democratic ticket?

Don't mix your hatred with your free speech

This is a free country and thanks to the First Amendment we have freedom of speech.

We have freedom to hate also.

But when a person mixes their hatred with their speech problems arise.

Take Clint McCance. He's the School Board member for the Midland School District in Arkansas that earlier this week urged gay kids to commit suicide and stated that he would totally disown his own kids if they were gay.

He was responding to Spirit Day on which people wore purple in support of safe schools and in honor of LGBT young people who have committed suicide due to bullying and harassment.

He was publicly shamed and will resign from his position, after apologizing.

Anderson Cooper interviewed McCance, where he announced his resignation.

Anderson asked him about his statement that he would disown his kids if they were gay and that they would not be welcome in his home or in the vicinity. He did not deny that he still has those feelings, saying that he does not know what he would do yet, that "time will tell."



In part 2, Anderson brings and David and Amy Truong, parents of 13 year old Asher Brown, one of the recent bullying related suicides, into the conversation.

Part 2.





Or consider Texas NBC affiliate KETK which aired a segment in which their viewers were asked to weigh in on the question, "Will the acceptance of homosexuality be the fall of this country?" Radio station KTBB host Garth Maier aired the question and it was simulcast on the TV news.

After the rest of the nation heard about it and watched the clip on YouTube the radio station heard from thousands and has apologized. Here is the apology from KTBB Radio president Paul L. Gleiser.

The Talkback question that aired on KTBB Radio and was simulcast on KETK NBC 56 television in Tyler on Wednesday, October 27 was unfortunate in its wording and unfortunate in the perception that it created among a large number of thoughtful individuals. The question, “Will the acceptance of homosexuality lead to the fall of America?” is poorly worded at best and inappropriate altogether at worst. For that, we apologize.

There are many issues surrounding homosexuality that are fair game for discussion in the media and in opinion journalism. The proper role, if any, for openly gay individuals in the military, the legitimacy of same-sex marriages and the public behavior by some individuals at gay and lesbian events held outdoors in public view are among topics about which reasonable people may disagree. These and other topics surrounding homosexuality are topics that talk radio hosts and opinion journalists may legitimately pose to their respective audiences.

With that said, the way our Talkback question was posed might be seen as asking, “Do homosexuals, by their very existence, threaten to bring down America?” We believe that such a question, posed in such a manner, is likely to generate more heat than light.

I understand how those who either heard, or heard about, KTBB’s Talkback question on Wednesday might have been offended. For the offense that was taken, we sincerely apologize.

Paul L. Gleiser, President
KTBB Radio

KETK general manager Dave Tillery has also responded to Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's (GLAAD) concern and will be issuing an on-air statement confirming that such a segment has no place on programming of a reputable news organization. GLAAD has also suggested they ask Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns to do an interview with the station.

My suggestion to people who hold such hatred in their hearts is to keep it there unless you can do something about it, such as educating yourself or getting counseling to deal with whatever issues are causing you to have those feelings.

More reasons not to vote Republican; and ...

Keith Olbermann took up where I left off in his Special Comment last night regarding the upcoming election and the Republican Tea Party candidates. Fortunately none of these candidates are from Alabama, but that doesn't mean the Republican candidates here don't have the same backward moving ideas that these candidates support.





Part 2




I know you might not have time to watch these two videos, so let me summarize.

The Republican Tea Party want to elect candidates who will...well, if you think Jim Crow was bad, just wait and see. They are trying to scare white voters by instilling fear of the different folk. Oh sure, the targets are brown instead of black this time, but it is no different than the racist candidates of the past trying to scare white voters in to voting for the racist candidates. Remember Jesse Helms?



Senator Hank Sanders is concerned. "I ain't going back to the cotton fields and Jim Crow days," he said in a robocall urging people to vote for "Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us."

So here's the deal. When you vote for Republicans, you empower that party and those within the party that do want to return to Jim Crow days, that do want to return to pre-Lawrence v Texas days, that do want to do away with Social Security, that do want to take Alabama children off of the insured list and return them to the uninsured list (Robert Bentley wants to repeal health care reform. He's a doctor, yet would remove children from their insurance).

And what will the Republicans in Washington focus on after the election? Their Senate leader let us know. If you only watch one of these videos today, watch this one.



Ok, that concludes the negative portion of this post. Now for the positive.

The president appeared on The Daily Show last night, where he reminded us of the accomplishments that have been made during the past 2 years, and that the change we were hoping for is ongoing, and that the promise was not that we would see change that we can believe in within 18 months.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Part 2

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Part 3

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 3
www.thedailyshow.com
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1677108722778516534
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

The president also met with progressive bloggers (my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail) yesterday. Read a transcript here of what he said about DADT and gay marriage. Here's a bit of it.

But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships. I have staff members who are in committed, monogamous relationships, who are raising children, who are wonderful parents.

And I care about them deeply. And so while I’m not prepared to reverse myself here, sitting in the Roosevelt Room at 3:30 in the afternoon, I think it’s fair to say that it’s something that I think a lot about. That’s probably the best you’ll do out of me today.

So...the President's attitude, like the country's as a whole, is changing. "The arc of history," he said.

About Republicans and their beliefs

I posted the following on Facebook yesterday.

Republicans believe our best days are behind us. I'm voting Democrat because they believe our best days are still to come.

And the other day I wrote that I'm voting a straight Democrat ticket.

Here are some reasons I cannot support any Republicans.

Monday night in Kentucky a (Republican candidate) Rand Paul campaign worker stepped on the head of a woman who was trying to get a picture of the candidate with her RepubliCorp sign.



The Republican candidate wrote this off as "passion." And he wants to be a Senator.

Republican candidate Sharron Angle of Nevada has used anti-Hispanic rhetoric and pictures in an ad where she says "waves of illegal aliens streaming across our borders."



First of all, Nevada does not have a border with any other country, let alone Mexico.

Second, crime actually decreases as immigrants come into our cities.

Yet she demonizes Latinos and insults the intelligence of Nevada voters (and the rest of America). She wants to be a Senator.

In 2007 the Republican presidential candidates debated and the question of evolution came up. That such a question even had to be asked of prospective leaders of the country amazes me, but when three candidates raised their hand after being asked who does not believe in evolution I couldn't believe it.



The three were Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo and Mike Huckabee.

Tancredo is now the Republican candidate for governor of Colorado.

Republicans in that state actually want to elect someone who does not believe in science to lead their state.

Republican Christine O'Donnell also does not believe in evolution (or self pleasure).


She says evolution is a myth. Republicans in Delaware (all 7 of them) chose her to represent their party. She wants to be a Senator also.

Oh, one more.

I am making an assumption here, (that this guy is a Republican), but Midland, Arkansas, School Board member Clint McCance has publicly stated (on Facebook) that he would only wear purple "if they (gays) all commit suicide" and that he "enjoy(s) the fact that they often give each other AIDS and die."



This is a school board member, whose duty is to make policy, including providing a safe learning environment for kids. All kids. Except for the ones he wants dead.

He also said he would "disown" his kids if they were gay, and he would "absolutely run them off." I can't wait till one of them comes out...but I feel for them.

These are just a few examples of the uncaring, hateful, uneducated, bigoted, racist, frightening Republicans running for or already in office. How can anyone support a party that believes in these things.?

Got religion?

Remember Antoine Dodson, the Huntsville guy whose interview became an internet sensation?



Well now the hit doggie costume at New York's Halloween Dog Parade is Antoine Dogson.



Photo credit Jim Kiernan

Here is an "It Gets Better" video from three United Methodist pastors. It's good to see the church, any church, getting involved.



Alex Day is a smart young guy. He frequently posts videos that are interesting. Here Alex talks about religion and skepticism and atheism and the history of the universe (what happened at 11:45 PM on December 31?). I like young smart people. They are going to be in charge one day.



So he "doesn't need religion to make the world seem more impressive than it is."

A lot of young people feel that way, it seems. Drew Dyck wrote a book that examined why young people stop going to church. The book is titled Generation Ex-Christian: Why Young Adults Are Leaving the Faith...and How to Bring them Back. (And I thought my book had a long subtitle). The author was interviewed by Greg Richter of the Birmingham News.

Dyck says that there are several categories of church leavers.

1. Post-modern leavers reject Christianity because of its exclusive truth claims and moral absolutes.

2. Recoilers leave because they were hurt by the church.

3. Modernists reject supernatural claims.

4. Neo-pagans leave for earth based religions.

5. Spiritual rebels leave to indulge in behavior that conflicts with their faith.

6. Drifters just drift away as God becomes less important to them.

Wow. There are a lot of reasons for a someone who does not just follow like a sheep to leave a church, it seems.

Did you leave the church? For one of these reasons? Or another? Post a comment on this blog.

Dyck also addresses the question we often hear about American culture causing young people to leave the church. Nope, he says. It's what happens inside the church that pushes young people out, rather than peers and pop culture pulling them.

The fact is that most churches today do not fit into the modern world, for whatever reason. Some will claim that they are supposed to be separate from the world, and don't want to fit in. But they run the risk of becoming a sort of anachronism in the way that many view the Amish today.

The churches should look at that list of reasons and, without changing their doctrines, address them in ways that answers young people's questions. That is, and will continue to be, a challenge.