Out with the old, and, in with the.....old?

Hot news on the "gay" front; Cheryl Jacques has been canned by the HRC Board effective immediately. They also voted to replace her with Hilary Rosen, who is Elizabeth Birch's partner. Elizabeth Birch is the former executive director, who was replaced by Jacques.

You get the picture?

This is coming full circle.

The board made it a point to state that this "had nothing to do with the elections".

My fuckin' ass it didn't.

This means the decision to fire her had everything to do with the elections.

I've heard of the HRC; heck, I even donated to them. When Birch was in charge.

Jacques has aided in the polarization of the post-election gay community. She, like every other "gay rights" organization, ran under the Kerry banner and held it high, knowing that it would fail.

To fire her only means that others are looking for scapegoats, and, that our "movement" is finally dealing with the fact that it has truly lost touch with the community it claims to serve.

The HRC and others served the Democratic Party these past four years. Eventually, they will be paying the price.

HRC's most visible price; it's loss in it's membership core. I know of ten people, gay and straight, who have left the HRC and stopped donating money to them as a result. That's just me folks. Lord knows how many others there are.

Yeah.......

Read all about it here.

Have a good night. It'll be a long day for me tomorrow.

Some fun stuff;

My Japanese last name is Watanabe (near a crossing) ; first name is Miharu (beautiful clear sky).

Miharu Watanabe.

I can used to that.

Get your Japanese name here.

Here's my two cents.....

This is a copy of the letter I sent to 20/20 earlier today;


I watched the 20/20 "special" on Matthew Shepard.

Vargas took a hate crime, an anti-gay fueled killing and turned it into fodder for the religious right. What's even better is that there is no "new" information in this special, just merely an regurgitation of a Harper's 1999 2 page article with extra crap.

She interviewed the two killers, and, recorded their "story" about how they killed Matthew Shepard for drugs and money, not because he was gay. She interviewed one of the killer's girlfriends, and, six years later, she changes her story saying that she lied to keep her man out of prison.

Two prisoners and a girlfriend lying about a crime? How unique!

I will give her this; she did interview individuals on both sides of the story. She interviewed both Sean Maloney and Dave O'Malley, as well as Matthew's mother, Judy.

Maloney's interview was deleted all together, and, O'Malley's interview was butchered down a few sentences where he clearly states that this was a hate crime. The editing plays him off as a weirdo with a far-fetched theory that only he believes. Way to go on respecting officers of the law, Vargas!

With the manipulation of interviews and the ignorance of facts, this is bold and front faced gay bashing. This is the equivalent of Vargas walking up to a gay person and slapping them in the face, then saying it's not a crime, but, an expression of free speech.

Why do I say this?

When you ignore the very facts that substantiate the crime, you in essence, ignore the crime itself. Vargas consciously and willingly manipulated this story into a meth fueled rage, despite the fact that evidence speaks to something different.

She had interviews that would have discounted her "theory" of the crime butchered or even deleted completely from this "special". Instead of being an objective reporter, she brought her obvious bias into this story and ignored journalistic standards. I honestly don't think she has any.

So much for the "liberal" media in this country.

Now, why do I say that this is fodder for the religious right? It's simple, really.

The religious right can now say that gay rights activists blew this crime out of proportion, and, can say that it never was a gay-bashing. They can discredit Shepard by saying that he was a drug addict and brought this on himself. They can say that Shepard was aggressive and didn't want to take "no" for an answer.

In essence, Elizabeth Vargas has given full and unrestricted license to the religious right to slander a victim of hate. She has given them license to point at Matthew Shepard and say that his "devious" lifestyle is what killed him, not hatred and bigotry.

As a gay rights activist, I just want to thank you for playing Shepard off as a drug addict/dealer who couldn't keep his hands off the straight boys.

Thanks, bitch. I mean that from the heart of my bottom.

The most important reason I am writing this?

She's a Latina.
Just like me.

That's where our similarities end.

I go out, I protest and rally because I feel that as a gay Hispanic who has the opportunity to be out, I have an obligation to be louder and more visible for the sake of those who are gay and are of all Hispanic origins who cannot be out. The repercussions of being a homosexual are far more violent and invisible in minority races than in the Caucasian race.

Not only did Vargas relegate Matthew Shepard to nothing more than a meth fiend and party boy whose wild ways got him infected with HIV, but, in doing so, she reinforced negative stereotypes about gays in general. This bothers me because she is most likely considered to be a role model in the Hispanic community, especially in Latina circles.

In reinforcing a negative stereotype as a leader in the Hispanic community, she is and will be contributing to any backlash that gay Latinos receive or that straight Latinos inflict as a result of this.

Let's face it, she pretty much told the world that Matthew Shepard was killed because he was a drug addict, not because he was gay. This could very well open the door to say that gays really haven't been bashed because they're gay, but, because they do things that are illegal. In turn, this could translate into gay bashings in the Latino community because Latinos will assume that gays are doing "bad" things.

Something else to face is the reality that without education, the only place someone learns from is the word on the street. As we all know, word on the street is about as reliable as old wives' tales; 90% of the time, they are wrong. Without being able to speak the "native" tongue of their new country, Latinos here in the U.S. barely, if ever, get any type of education.

Ignorance begets ignorance, and, let's face it, Vargas was pretty ignorant Friday night.

It's the jist of my post with a few "edits" to tone down vulgarity, as well as get my point across.

I had to send it to 2020@abc.com because the email page on the ABC site is "out of order". Hmmmm, think that's intentional.......

Too boot, posts are being deleted on the message boards about the story. Rumor has it that one of the posts belonged to Judy Shepard herself.

Ouch. Way to go on dodging the atomic bomb, guys.

A new hate crime?

I just watched the 20/20 "special" on Matthew Shepard. Elizabeth Vargas is a fucking sellout. But more importantly, her "integrity", or lack thereof, is symbolic of the cowardice of the "liberal" media.

Vargas took a crime and turned into a bitch-n-whine fest. She took a hate crime, an anti-gay fueled killing and turned it into fodder for the religious right.

She interviewed two killers, and, recorded their "story" about how they killed Matthew Shepard for drugs and money, not because he was gay. She interviewed one of the killer's girlfriends, and, six years later, she changes her story saying that she lied to keep her man out of prison.

Oh, how sweet.

She interviewed a limo driver that apparently was good friends with both Shepard and the killers, and, this guy claimed to have had sex with one of the killers. This is the same killer that clearly stated during his interview tonight that he started hitting Shepard only after Shepard placed his hand on the killer's thigh.

Why didn't he start pounding Shepard before? If he was in some sort of meth induced haze, don't you think that he would have been set off long before the thigh grab?

If there are any addict experts out there, please feel free to correct me and/or educate me.

I will give her this; she did interview individuals on both sides of the story. She interviewed both Sean Maloney and Dave O'Malley, as well as Matthew's mother, Judy. Sean Maloney is the legal counsel for the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and, Dave O'Malley was the lead investigator for the Shepard lynching.

Maloney's interview was deleted all together, and, O'Malley's interview was butchered down a few sentences where he clearly states that this was a hate crime. The editing plays him off as a weirdo with a far-fetched theory that only he believes.

With the manipulation of interviews and the ignorance of facts, this is bold and front faced gay bashing. This is the equivalent of Vargas walking up to a gay person and slapping them in the face, then saying it's not a crime, but, an expression of free speech.

Why do I say this?

When you ignore the very facts that substantiate the crime, you in essence, ignore the crime itself. Vargas consciously and willingly turned this into a meth fueled rage that resulted in some guy's death, despite the fact that the evidence speaks to something different.

She had interviews that would have discounted her "theory" of the crime butchered or even deleted completely from this "special". Instead of being an objective reporter, she brought her obvious bias into this story and ignored journalistic standards. I honestly don't think she has any.

Now, why do I say that this is fodder for the religious right? It's simple, really.

The religious right can now say that gay rights activists blew this crime out of proportion, and, can say that it never was a gay-bashing. They can discredit Shepard by saying that he was a drug addict and brought this on himself. They can say that Shepard was aggressive and didn't want to take "no" for an answer.

In essence, Elizabeth Vargas has given license to the religious right to slander a victim of murder. She has given them license to point at Matthew Shepard and say that his "devious" lifestyle is what killed him, not hate or God.

Thanks, bitch.

As a gay rights activist, I just want to thank you for playing Shepard off as a drug addict/dealer who couldn't keep his hands off the straight boys.

Thanks, bitch. I mean that from the heart of my bottom.

What disgusts me over more?

She's a Latina.

Just like me.

She works to defy stereotypes.

Just like me.

The difference.

I go out, I protest and rally because I feel that as a gay Hispanic who has the opportunity to be out, I have an obligation to be louder and more visible for the sake of those who are gay and are of all Hispanic origins who cannot be out. The repercussions of being a homosexual are far more violent and visible in minority races than in the Caucasian race.

Vargas killed two birds with one stone, so to speak. Not only did she relegate Matthew Shepard to nothing more than a meth fiend and party boy whose wild ways got him infected with HIV, but, in doing so, she reinforced negative stereotypes about gays in general. This bothers me because she is probably considered to be a role model in the Hispanic community, especially in the Latina circles.

In reinforcing a negative stereotype as a leader in the Hispanic community, she is and will be contributing to any cutdown or backlash that gay Latinos receive as a result of this.

Let's face it, she pretty much told the Hispanic community that Matthew Shepard was killed because he was a drug addict, not because he was gay. This will open the door to say that gays really haven't been bashed because they're gay, but, because they do things that are illegal. This will translate into gay bashings in the Latino community because Latinos will assume that gays are doing bad things.

Something else to face is the reality that without education, the only place someone learns from is the word on the street. As we all know, word on the street is about as reliable as old wives' tales; most of the time, they're just not true. Without being able to speak the "native" tongue of their new country, Latinos here in the U.S. barely, if ever, get any type of education.

Ignorance begets ignorance, and, let's face it, Vargas was pretty fucking ignorant tonight.

I'm done now.

Where will you be Dec. 11th, 2004?

Join us to celebrate International Human Rights Day! Saturday, December 11, 2004 12 noon. Water Tower Plaza at Chicago and Michigan Avenue. This is an open invitation for all groups and individuals to creatively express what Human Rights means to them by bringing signs, sandwich boards, banners and flags to Water Tower on Saturday, December11. We will create a visible presence at Water Tower Plaza to remind holiday shoppers of the importance of International Human Rights Day. We hope you will join with us.

This note isn't of my own writing; in my vanity I dare say that I have an infinitely better grasp of the English language.

Folks, you know where I'm going to be. Care to join in the fun?

Turkey: nice and juicy. Stuffing: crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. Bread: Hawaiian rolls always rock. Pop: Coke, as always. Dessert: sweet potato pie (store bought). Caloric intake: astronomical. Cholesterol level: off the marker. Contentment level: high.

Brothers: both M.I.A.

Assholes.

I'm done now.

Happy Turkey Day, Bitches!

Eat well and plenty today, my friends.

I just got up about an hour ago myself. The turkey's in the oven, and, the stuffing will be next. We're keeping it small, since it's probably going to be just me and my mom today after all. My married brother has to close his store today, and, my single brother doesn't want to show up until later. Instead of simply saying that however, he handed my mom some shit about having to do "inventory" at his store today, since it's closed. He is so his father's son.

Anyway, I need to hop off this thing. Still have a shower to take, and, some more clothes to go through, figuring out what to donate and what to keep.

Happy Thanksgiving! And, if you're a vegan, have a Boca Burger!

What the?!?!?!?

Where did all this fucking snow come from?
Thank God it was only snow.

The party was all good. Good brownies, good cake, hot coffee, great company. Good to go along with wet coat, soaked shoes and socks and wet gloves.

Great thing it was only snow.

I have to go finish watching Spirited Away, and, then hit the sack.

Syndication, baby!

It was a rerun, folks. There I was in the warehouse again, tossing totes, stuffing totes, labeling totes. Stacking totes, sealing totes, moving totes.

Fucking totes. I am so done with totes.

Will I be? Nooooooooo. I have to deal with these totes one more fucking time, the day after Thanksgiving.

Curse you, you totes!!!!

Well, anyways, I'm typing this and trying to pay attention to the news as well. I just heard that some travel times around here are upwards of three hours. The I-50 and I-88 had the longest times. I-94, which my mom takes to get home is running at about an hour and a half. Ouch.

I do intend to go to K's party. There is a parking garage nearby so that I don't have to worry about street parking. I'll be close to the lakefront, so, it looks like the snow will have a hard time sticking. It will make for an easier drive.

My whole body aches now, but, not as much as it did yesterday. It should only take several Alleves to take care of this pain.

I should get going. I have to shower, I've got stuff to shave, clothes to iron and food to have ready when my mom walks through the door. Lord knows she'll need it.

I'm sure I'll have another entry when I get back. I have this feeling.........

Oiy! Seriously.....

My entire body is aching. Not from a good, long, hard fuck mind you, but, from working an overnight last night. My left arm is especially in pain. Go, Alleve, go!!!

I would have put something here last night, but, I was working and didn't get a lunch until 1:30am. I was too tired/focused to remember to get to a pc with internet access.

They want me to work another overnight tonight as well. I have to call a certain manager to see if it's okay. And it's not my manager. That's just stupid.

I only have a few moments to write here, then I'm off to take a shower and then some grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, then off to work another night (I'm sure).

I'm sure I'll have more for you guys tomorrow, especially with K's birthday party and all. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather doesn't turn out bad at all.

A little something on the back burner......

So, yeah.

The rally at City Hall went very well. We got the usual press, along with the presentation of the card to Bill Greaves, the GLBT liaison to the Mayor.

Fun stuff.

Something did change, though. This time, we weren't allowed into the basement. We were corralled into a roped off area near the entrance to the basement. Kinda like a back of the bus thing. Ah, nothing better than seeing discrimination alive and well in our government.

Anyway, there's been something that I have been thinking about. All of those idiots in those red states who re-elected King Dumbass the 2nd were concerned about "moral values". I'd like to find a way to see how much their moral values cost.

It's a project that will take a year or so to do, but, I will work on it. Something for my math "brain" to work on, since I feel it's getting rusty.

I'm a sucker for the tangible, for what can be perceived by the senses. It's the scientist in me. What can I say?

My apologies for the lack of frequency in my posts, but, I feel as if some sort of fire was snuffed out inside of me. I'm tired and I need to rest. Regain and recharge, so to speak. I've exhausted my emotion, so, the logic side of me needs to take over for a bit.

I could walk past someone who is absolutely in love with me, and, I wouldn't notice; I'm drained. I've been resting up, and, so far, I've gained four pounds back. Ick.

Not that eating Lou Malnati's pizza helps either.

I will say that I thought I looked pretty damn good last night, with my little outfit I bought. I got the top at Old navy, on sale; the jeans at Kohl's, on sale; the shoes I got from Payless, they weren't on sale, but, they were only $17! All told, my outfit cost about $60. Not bad.

I also got my hair trimmed and both the trans and coolant fluids flushed out of my mom's car. Lord knows she isn't going to do it herself; her hair and eyebrows are far too important.

Okay, folks. It's time for me to wrap this burrito up. I'm off to finish folding laundry then filling up two more wallets with minidiscs. Extra fun stuff.

See you tomorrow.

Oh, by the way, if you get the Tribune's Red Eye, you'll see a piece on the rally at City Hall. I'm not sure if I'm in there, but, at least we got some press on it.

So, here is the nation's map, redrawn. You may think it's funny, but, it's kinda sad too. To boot, there is a movement in the southern states to actually force us "yankees" to cecede from the U.S. They want us out. Fine, fuckers, just don't forget, we'll be taking our money too. Payback, bitches.  

It's a different colored day.....

I was sitting on the bus and had noticed the weird orange-ish brownish color the sky had taken. Well, more like the sunlight. We've had nothing but rain for the past several days. It's getting old.

So, we had our first official "non-EMN!" meeting last night.

It's safe to say we're part of CABN now. I don't want to outright say it until CABN renames itself, which is going to happen. Probably at the December 1st meeting.

This is going to be short, since I have a project that I have to finish tonight. Fun stuff.

It's my prop for our rally tomorrow. 48 pages filled with the 1,138 rights that gays and lesbians are denied everyday when they are denied the civil institution of marriage. I have to tape all those pages together to make a scroll. The scroll is about 20 yards long. It will be very dramatic when unfurled. Very dramatic indeed.

I also bought some t-shirt transfer sheets for tomorrow. I will be making my own shirt with my own little ditty on the front, although I haven't decided what I'll put on the back, if anything.

I'll have to run like a bat out of hell, though. I have to work on getting both the trans and cooling fluids flushed sometime between the rally and going to get my mom. Fun stuff.

Even better still, my bestest friend in the whole friend is coming to see me and the rest of her friends tomorrow. She'll be here most of tomorrow and part of Thursday. That's why I'm going to get my mom; she'll get out of work early so that I can have the car to meet up with my bestest buddy. I'll have to stop off and get a giftcard for her before I go have dinner with her tomorrow night. Bed, Bath and Beyond sounds good. What do you think?

Last but not least, I'll have to remember to tape the news tomorrow night to see which channels have the best coverage of our rally. Lord knows the gay press isn't going to cover it, or, if they do, it will be with a great level of disdain. Like the rest of the Democratic Party, the gay community as a whole is playing the blame game for Kerry losing, instead of admitting the simple fact that Kerry was a piss poor choice to begin with.

Kerry was given every chance to give the verbal equivalent of a bitch slap to Bush multiple times, and, never took to the task once.

Now, every gay person is blaming every other gay person. Barney Frank is blaming Gavin Newsome and Jason West. The Chicagoland area gay press is blaming the activists. Editorials are being published that are scathing of us as a whole. The whole Daley signature debacle has fanned those flames.

Who would have ever thought that we would be fighting bigots within our own party as well as outside of it?

It's bullshit, but, not unexpected. Bullshit it remains, nonetheless.

I'm done now.

I'm sure I'll have a full length report either early Thursday morning, or, late Thursday morning. It depends on how sober I am when I get in.

Fun stuff.

It's something new, I'm not just sure what though.....

U-Haul syndrome.
For her, marriage was a revelation.
For me, it was always a reality.
The urge to merge.
Potential abuse (veiled as intimidation).
Liars.
Where's the money we made, bitches?
A plan to act, and, an act to plan.
I'm a romantic.
She's a romantic.
The ISO is a cult. And they're assholes.
The fracture that became the gorge.
Potential for good and evil.
There is a right field, and, shit can come from there, too.
Her "snowball" incident.
My therapist.
The ties that can bind, and, could strangle.
She's a Christian.
I'm spiritual.
She would run.
I would stand my ground.


These are things that we talked about during our time at Kopi's.

Our common ground is the cause.

Right now, that's good enough for me.

No, it's perfect. For now.

The first step: she barely let me get a word in edgewise.

Why?

Is it something that I'm looking for, or something I don't want to see?

I have to focus on our common ground, because it's all we have in common.

Well, ya know.....

My breakfast date, went, well.....great I guess.

I had to think about it.

We met up at Kopi's for what should have been an hour long chat and several cups of coffee.

Three and a half hours later, after one big cup of hot chocolate (hers), and, an iced Thai espresso with a barely eaten vegetarian burrito (me), we realized how long we had been chatting, and, realized we both needed to get our asses going.

So, yeah, given the fact that we talked for over three hours, yeah, I guess that you could say it was a good "date" of sorts. I'm still wondering if it should be called that.

Anyhoo, we'll be seeing each other again, since I asked her if she wanted to join me at G's place Monday night for a little pow wow before our Wednesday action. She said that she would make an "appearance".

It would be good for all of us to assess our assets. Say that five times fast. GO!

Just kidding.

I hope to have my "visual aide" ready to display. I was chatting with G on my cell during my lunch break, and, he questioned why I would go through the trouble of laminating "it". I told him that I think that I'll be using that prop for a long time.

Sad to say folks, but, I fear that this battle may get worse before it gets better. Even G is talking about the leaving the country, as did my crush during our chat this morning/afternoon. I've made it very clear to the both of them that I could not leave. As I stated in one of my previous posts, I cannot. I would be disrespecting too much in doing so. I would feel as a coward, unless my parents felt that my safety was truly in danger; then they would support me in any way they could. It would still suck.

Anyway, I'm jumping way ahead of myself, and, (hopefully) being presumptuous in a bad way.

We shall see.

Gotta go now, since I have to be back at work at 6am. Ugh. I miss the 6am start times, then again, I don't......

IE is freaking me out, so, I'll make this quick.

I am having coffee tomorrow at 10am with my crush.

Fucking sweet!!!!!

Murphy's Law: not the best friend of an activist

Yeah people, I know. It's been damn near a week. Eat me, bitches.

First and most important;

Daley to Get a Big "Thanks"from Gays and Lesbians

CHICAGO - Having Mayor Richard M. Daley's signature as their "gold ring," Chicago gay activists will assemble at 11:30 am, Wednesday, November 17 outside the Mayor's office on the fifth floor of City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle Street, to present a giant "thank you" card to him. November 17th marks the six month anniversary of the implementation of equal marriage rights in the state of Massachusetts.

"With Daley's signature on the petition which insists that the marriage office immediately begin issuing licenses to Lesbians and Gays, Mayor Daley is supporting the same civil rights that heterosexual couples take for granted," said Glenn Amoroso. "Mayor Daley must appreciate the joy that his endorsement brings to so many people in our community, giving our loving relationships the respect and full legal recognition that they deserve."

Various community leaders will speak about the significance of having a big city mayor endorse gay marriage rights and an end to second-class citizenship for the Lesbian and Gay community. For more information, contact Equal Marriage NOW! at 773-243-2576 or info@equalmarriagenow.org

This is the official hoity-toity press release. What the press release doesn't tell you is the fact that there will be a rally afterwards, with the rally then taking a visit to the Cook County Marriage License Bureau for presentation of the important signatures on our petition. I will also have a visual aid to present to whatever press is there to hit home the point that marriage denied to us as gays is a slew of rights and protections denied to us as Americans.

Fun stuff.

Now for the daily grind.

Monday

Went to work. whoopie. Came home, squeezed in a nap and went to the EMN! meeting. It was a disaster. Everything that could have gone wrong did. People were name calling, back stabbing and jumping sides. The ISO contingency along with the Halsted Street Fags ganged up against us in an attempt to kill the Nov. 17th action that is stated in the above press release. The press release is a compromise, but, we know that the Halsted Street Fag and ISO contingency have no intention of being there, and, I sure as hell will make it a point to make sure that the ensuing rally does not have the support of EMN!, and, credit will go to CABN, where it deserves to go.

Went out to dinner with the CABN contingency after the meeting. We came to the conclusion that the HSFs and the ISOs had at least one meeting before the Monday meeting to agree to stage their attack against us. This conclusion was reinforced when, looking back, one of the HSFs "shushed" one of his friends while they were gathered outside the library after the meeting.

Yeah, folks, they are that predictable.

Tuesday.

I was off, so, I slept like uber late, until about 1pm. Anything beyond 10am is uber late to me. I woke up in enough time to be able to exercise some of my stock options. I should be getting a transfer into my account for about $2k by close of business Monday. Fucking sweet. I'll be able to give my mom two months of my half of the rent, along with buying myself some clothes that fit! I got some advice to hit the main Salvation Army store at Grand & Chicago. I was told that they have some good stuff there, cheap.

I will have to go to Lerner NY and buy myself some nice tops and maybe several pairs of pants that don't have bottoms so wide that I could use them as parachutes if I ever fall off of the top of Sears Tower. I've never understood the resurgence of bell bottoms under the guise of "boot cut". That's one part of 70's I don't want relive.

Wednesday.

Work. Spoke to my friend G on the phone for a bit and some shit off of my chest. Not much else.

Thursday.

Work. Highlight of my evening was when my crush called me on my cell, and, we got to talking. Some serious hardcore talking. Not about sex, but, about all of shit that has been going down in the group. We both found out, I think much to both of our surprises', that we agreed on many things about what was going on and who was really causing the problem. She did make a good point, though. It seems like this crack had already started by the time that we both joined the group.

I know I'm taking this personally because I feel that I have grown close to the activist side of this group, i.e., G and the CABN contingency.

Although our talk resulted in me coming back from my break late, I told her that I was glad that I was able to get this stuff off of my chest and talk to someone who agrees with me. Granted, I would have preferred that the only things gotten off of my chest were my shirt and bra, but, that's for another time.

Besides, I'm assuming she's single. She may very well not be. She's that hot. Well, at least to me.

Today.

Not a fucking thing besides playing catch-up on this thing and doing laundry, all the while hoping that she will call me back tonight to talk some more. Keeping my fingers crossed. Turns out I will have the car tomorrow, so, I can offer to meet up for coffee somewhere tomorrow. Sweet!!!!

No, they don't have the steel mills or access to Naval Commerce, but, they have their oil and, most of all, they have JESUS!!!! 

My ode to my country

I found this in my comments tonight;

Can I just tell you that I am very sad for your country at this time. And welcome you to come and live in mine in Canada. Canada supports all of the people in your country who are angry about dubya being in power. Its horrible for the world. Truly it is.

Despite the fact that I have to be back at work at 6am tomorrow morning, I feel compelled to respond to this. So, here I go.

I thank you for your sincerity, dear stranger, and, most humbly thank you for your invitation to live in your country. Despite the chides and ridicule we arrogant Americans often dish out to you, your citizens have always reached out your hands to us and offered the safety and security of your nation's progressive and more just, dare I say even more American, government.

We as an arrogant nation call ourselves the "Land of the Free" and "Home of the Brave".

Are we as such?

Far from it.

We are not free so long as bigotry, hatred and fear guide the will of our President. We are not free as long as a nation that was borne as an escape of religious persecution continues to persecute it's citizens with religious zeal. We are not free so long as conservative capitalists control our country's wealth, media, social institutions and secondary institutions of education.

We are not free.

We are not brave because of our capitalist and consumer society. People of the press fear losing their jobs if they tell the truth, despite the fact that the truth will set our nation free. Ordinary citizens fear speaking out against our government because they fear being labeled a "terrorist" or "Anti-American". We live with a greater fear of outsiders and people who are foreign to us because our bigoted, hateful President has warped the American psyche into one that fears instead of one that respects and embraces.

We are not brave.

I thank you for your invitation, dearest stranger, but, I must decline.

There are others like me who will run to the Canadian border, and, quickly embrace your nation.

I will not.

Why?

That is exactly what the self-righteous religious bigots want me to do.

Let's get all those nasty evil gays out of our country. Then all of our problems will be solved.

You and I, along with many others as well, are intelligent enough to know that this statement couldn't be further from the truth. If I leave, the truly evil ones will win.

With every gay person who walks over the border, who flies out of this country, who is driven over to "safety", the true evil in our society wins.

The festering of ignorance and the disease of hatred has found it's way into the blood of the American vein. These infections can only be fought with one thing: with the power of right and good and just.

This fight can only be fought with people who are here in this country, not ones who have run to others.

My will cannot be bent, my will cannot be broken. It will not be shattered by hatred or ignorance.

Why can I say this? Why do I believe this? Why do I hold my conviction?

To answer this, you must know where it all started.

My father was not born here in America. He was born in Mexico, one of eight children, whose parents owned several ranches outside of Mexico City. At age 17, my father made a choice; he did not want to condemn himself to the life of a ranch hand. He put all the clothes he owned into a duffel bag, and, came to America.

My father left everything that he knew and was to come to America. He came here to make a better life for himself. He has. He has a college education, his eldest child (me) was one of the first grandchildren in the family to receive a college education, and, he has six happy and healthy children, despite all times his three oldest (myself and my twin brothers) fucked up.

My grandmother (on my mom's side) was in Germany during World War II. Having been forced to serve in the German Army (it was serve or die), she was imprisoned in a Russian prison camp for four months towards the end of the war. She endured physical and mental abuse unlike anything I would ever know. She ended up losing all of her teeth, her hair, her dignity and eventually some of her sanity.

After being freed and burying both of her parents, she and my uncle, who was only three, left Germany to come to America for a chance at a better life. Anything compared to what she had endured would be better. Still, she left everything she had ever loved and known, and, came here to America for something better.

Before she died of a massive stroke (due to her alcoholism), she had two children who loved her, and, three grandchildren who adored her until the day she died. She had a daughter and son-in-law who still respected her and when she died, buried her in accordinance with her wishes. She was buried here in America, the land she grew to love.

So, you see, knowing the sacrifices that my father and grandmother made to come here to America, I would be nothing short of a coward to simply pick up and leave. I would be dishonoring their sacrifices and memories if I were to do that.

They gave up the most precious things to come to this land; their homes, their families, their lives (however good or bad they were).

The least that I can do is do to everything in my power to make sure that I can stay here and live a full life as an American, and, the least that I can do is fight for what I deserve as such.

Bigots like George Bush and the religious fanatics who follow him have long since forgotten what it is like to sacrifice for your country. They have forgotten about the sacrifices that their forebearers made to create our nation, our people and the law under which we abide (for the most part). They have forgotten that the very cruel punishment of religion they use today is the very whip from which our founding fathers escaped.

In doing so, they have forgotten what it is like to be American. They disrespect the freedoms that our founding fathers fought and died for. They wield a stinging slap to the face of everything that is American. They disrespect our nation's greatest patriots. They disrespect the dead.

You'll have to forgive me, because I'm about to go religious on these bigots.

In their vanity, their arrogance of assuming that God is on "their" side, they sin a great sin, one that I never want to be guilty of. Bush is running out of soldiers, and, the pools of minority children in the big cities are being drained. Where will Bush turn for his soldiers?

He will have to turn to the states that voted for him, the states of red. I fear that these bigots will pay for their ignorant support of Bush with the lives of their children. They already are. You can already read in papers about how parents and children went together and voted for Bush, supporting the "war" in Iraq. Now that those same children are being called up for war, and all of a sudden, those children don't seem so "supportive". It's always easy to support a war when you're not the one fighting.

It is my sincerest hope that I am wrong, that somehow this killing will end.

But, enough about that.

I am indebted to you for your concern and sadness, for you have a view that I wish all Americans would have; a global one. You understand that what one nation does affects all, and, you are not vain but proud of your country.

But, I ask you this; what will you do?

Your pity will not change was has happen, but, can change what could happen.

What will you do?

I can type a list here for you to read, but, the will to change and affect, in a positive way, must come from within you.

What will you do?

Brrrr, it's getting cold in here.........

Well, Bush won.

However, somebody forgot to tell King Dumbass that 51% of the popular vote is not a mandate. As one of my coworkers put it, it's a slap in the face, but, certainly not a mandate.

The voting group that would have made the difference: 18 to 29 year olds. 17% of them voted this election, which is the exact same percentage that voted last election. The number of voters increased, but, was reflective of the population increase.

Remember P. Diddy's shirt that said "Vote or Die"; he wasn't kidding. You didn't vote, you get to go die.

There will be a draft come January. You know those "college exemptions" that some kids got back during Vietnam. Ain't gonna happen.

Don't believe me, here's some of the proof.

H.R. 3696. See the details here.
S.R. 89 & H.R. 163. See details here.
H.R. 1258. See the details here.


H.R. 3696 is basically a bill that increases the hard number of military personnel in the armed forces. This could possibly lead up to extensions in times of peace, and, obviously, you have to question where the fuck this money is going to come from to pay all these soldiers. Forced extensions are already happening for soldiers that are on tour now.

And what if they don't have enough soldiers even with the extensions? That's right folks, it's draft time! So, even in times of peace, our youth could be drafted into the armed forces. Mmmm, that's some good bullshit.

S.R. 89 and H.R. 163 simply state that American youth would be required to serve in the armed forces at some point between the ages of 18 to 26. It broadcasts for "Homeland Security" purposes, but, it ends with "and for other purposes". Wow, sounds another reason to draft to me, doesn't it? Wait, there's more! Exemptions "as determined by the President" will be handed out, which explains my previous statement of no college exemptions. Well, at least not for regular kids from the working and middle class. I'm sure that all of the kids of Bush's rich friends will be exempt.

H.R. 1258 simply states that education expectations will be determined by an authority appointed by the President for personnel assigned to Latin American countries. Again, it ends with "and for other purposes". This brings me to my next point.

The education guidelines for our armed forces will be lowered. How do I know about this? Simple, I have several co-workers that have family members in the armed forces, and, this is exactly what they have been saying all along.

So, not only will we have a draft come January, the youth that they compromise of will be the most ignorant in the world. American children have some of the lowest standardized test scores in the world. In several branches of the armed forces, a G.E.D. is acceptable. When my brothers were in the Marine Corp., a high school degree was the minimum requirement. No G.E.D.s.

So, all of you 18-26 year olds, both male and female, prepare to get your asses shipped out come January. No high school education? No problem? You can study while you're on rotation in Fajullah, or, while your dodging the hand grenades that Iraqi kids are throwing at you because their parents know you won't shoot a kid.

It's great to be an American, isn't it?

Thank God I'm 31.

This pretty much sums up what I've been trying to say the whole time. 

Ah, just think. FOUR MORE YEARS. 

Yeah, I'm still here.......

No folks, I didn't go anywhere. I've been drowning my post election sorrows in Coke and Mars chocolate products. To boot, blogger has been hardcore fucked up since Bush won a second term.

This is the first time I've been able to log on and post something.

I've been trying for several days, including most of today since I am off work.

My mom has left to go see a friend in Arizona, so, for five blissful, peaceful days, I am alone.

You'd be happy too if you lived with a bi-polar OCD.

Anyway, here are my thoughts about all of this.

First, the religious right re-elected a man who has violated at least four of the ten commandments;

Thou shall not kill
Thou shall not steal
Thou shall not lie
Thou shalt have no god before Me

That first one bothers me hardcore. 90% of our population doesn't violate that commandment, but, Bush has. 1000 times over in American lives and at least 30,000 times over in Iraqi civilian lives. These self-righteous idiots keep forgetting one little detail; God judges all, not just some.

Thou shall not steal Folks, he's a Republican
Thou shall not lie Again, he's a Republican
Thou shalt have no god before Me More again, he's a Republican

No one should be shocked by this, seriously.

Second, is that the feeling amongst Democrats and Progressives like is this;

"Never in my life have I been ashamed to be called an American."

Never, ever say that you are ashamed to be an American. What you should be ashamed of is what you haven't done to fix the problem in the first place.

Most Americans are foolish enough to think that voting is enough. It's not. Get up off your ass and do something.

No, I haven't always been an activist. In fact, if you told me that I was going to be an activist when I first started this blog, I would have asked you if you were talking to the right person. While I was laughing at you.

Do something.

If you can't give your time to a local activist organization that works towards the same civil liberties that you either want or you feel should be given, donate your money. Donate supplies or materials or services. Give something. Do something.

Bitching is not enough. Voting is not enough. Do something. Give something. Support something. Believe in something. Fight for something.

Rights are not won by popular vote. The American population as a whole is too ignorant and sheltered to be able to give civil liberties that belong to citizens by right and law.

Women won the right to vote when both men and other women were against those "Iron Jawed Angels".

Brown vs. Board of Ed was a judgment handed down by the Supreme Court in a time that desegregation was not popular by any stretch of the imagination.

Roe vs Wade was handed down while Nixon was in office, and, he was a staunchly religious man, what we would now call a bigot.

Lawrence vs Texas was handed down during a time that gay rights were under attack. They still are.

Gay rights will be won, one way or another. Gay Marriages will happen. ENDA will include gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered individuals along with women one day. The courts will decide this.

Americans had no control over these rulings because we as a nation are too backwards and naive.

Too narrowminded and "traditional".

Voting is not enough.

Be a patriot, not just an American.

What do I mean?

A Patriot defends their nations ideals at whatever cost, no matter if the cost is social, political or financial. That is what a true patriot is. They defend their nation.

The religious right honestly believes that they are patriots. The problem with their logic is simple; they defend their ideals , often at the expense of their nation and their nation's ideals.

This is the very same ideal that religious extremists embrace. If they feel that their nation does not embrace their ideals, they embolden themselves with a twisted sense of "patriotism" and attack the state and it's citizens.

Religious fanatics and their followers are not patriots; they are a nation's terrorists.

Be a patriot. Help those who are patriots. Give to an activist organization.

I can't tell you who to donate to. I can tell you who not to donate to.

Do not donate to:

ACLU

Lamda Legal

MoveOn.org

HRC

Your money will be wasted in these organizations. Here's another clue; if any "gay rights" organizations in your state are doing absolutely nothing after the elections other than some stupid "gala ball" or "fundraiser", yeah, you don't want to waste your money or time on those organizations either.

There should have been a nation-wide action committed to by the gay community in this nation.

There wasn't. Why?

Because all of the organizations that I've listed above laid down and did not fight. They sold out the very community that they claim to serve. They all placed their hopes on helping Kerry win, and, abandoned gays and lesbians all over.

Two days ago, 11 states passed anti-gay marriage laws. 8 of those states laws also included provisions against civil unions, and, voided private legal contracts between couples.

Those laws will probably be overturned on appeal, since by precedent a constitutional amendment cannot encompass more than one item either at the state or national level.

My point is this; these organizations were not there to help these states stop this law from ending up on the ballot. They were not there to help these states mobilize against the anti-gay forces. They abandoned these states.

Do something. But, be smart about what you do. Even if it's guerilla advertising and posting, do it.

Voting is not enough. It never has been.

But then, I'm sure the next question out of your head will be "Well, Latin, what the fuck are going to do?" I'm more than happy to answer that. I'll be doing something, alright.

November 17th, I will take a stand. Myself along with several hundred gays and lesbians will be at Federal Plaza in Chicago. We will go to the Mayor's office to thank him for his public support of gay marriage rights. We will then go down to the Cook County Marriage License Bureau and demand our civil right to marry. We will also have several visual aides to get our point across. We will have couples who will apply for marriage licenses. They will be denied, but, we will be heard.

What will you do?

George W. Bush is one vote away from winning a second term in office.

Bin Laden warned us about our safety being in our own hands.

We blew it.

No, the radical religious right blew it.

The electoral college has voted against the popular vote three times in our nation's history. I hope they make it a fourth.

They've given Florida to Bush.

It's all up to Ohio.

Save us.

As of 11:05 pm, Kerry also has Washington, which puts him at 206 electoral votes, while Bush remains at 213.

The gap has closed to 7 votes.

Several media outlets are trying to give Florida to Bush, despite the 1 million+ provisional and absentee ballots that are outstanding. Not everyone is jumping on that bandwagon.

Ohio residents are still voting. We won't know where we stand until tomorrow morning.

I won't be able to fucking sleep.

This is ridiculous.

As of 10:38pm, Kerry has taken California and Oregon.

Kerry now has 199 electoral votes, Bush has 213.

Kerry has closed the 70+ electoral vote gap. It's down to 14.

Ohio must be a Kerry win. Experts are saying that Pennsylvania can be "read" into Ohio.

Ohio has had the same job trends, same population distribution, same industry as Pennsylvania.

Let's hope those experts are right.

As of 9:58 CST, Kerry has 133 electoral votes, Bush has 203.

Add California, Kerry is 188, Bush at 203.

Not so comfortable, is it?

Ohio or Florida must fall to Kerry.

To save our nation. To save our people. To save our sanity.

More later.

As of 9:30pm CST, according to NBC news, Kerry has 112 electoral votes, and, Bush has 182.

California is 55 electoral votes. Those are assumed to be going to Kerry.

That would put Kerry at 167 votes, Bush at 182.

I can only hope that the good people of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania voted for Kerry.

*Keeping fingers crossed*

More to come later on tonight, including my very first "guerilla" campaign; "Operation:Education".

I hope that bitch Susan Jeanine McDunn loses her seat.