Americans, and Subordinate Americans

~
1sub•or•di•nate \s€-"bÕr-d€n-€t, -"bÕrd-n€t\ adjective [ME subordinat, fr. ML subordinatus, pp. of subordinare to subordinate, fr. L sub- + ordinare to order — more at ordain]

~

1 : placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or position : INFERIOR

2 : submissive to or controlled by authority

©1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

All rights reserved.

YEP.

~

THEY are not WE and

WE are not THEY

Legally-Speaking.

Voluntary & Involuntary Simplicity

David M. Gross at The Picket Line describes how he reduced his income to the point where he no longer owes Federal Income Tax. Go here if you want to learn more about it.

~

Since my disability in 2006 I've been forced to learn how to live on approximately $650 a month TOPS from my experience on welfare and S.S.I. On better days when my cup feels half full, I relish how my own Involuntary Simplicity now gives me ABSOLUTE FREEDOM from:

• Car, insurance, gas, maintenance, repairs, etc.
• Cell phone bills
• Mortgage payments, property taxes, etc.
• Cable bills
• Credit card bills
• Insurance payments of any kind

Simply put - I never buy anything except food, since my rent and food payments eat up the majority of the money. But what more do we need in life?

Thoreau is smiling. There are spiritual benefits to walking, busing, using food co-ops and public libraries, and being mindful of whom your money supports. The sheer number of people choosing to be available 24/7 via a cell phone mystifies me.

~

Thoreau admonished:

"...Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes..." *

* 21st Century Addendum - "or a credit card".

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dear Reader: I know you MUST have some of the expenses listed above; this ain't a soap-box chiding. But don't fewer hours at work sound dandy? Trust me, there is tranquility in simplicity. One benefit to owning nothing is nothing owns you. Bartering is wonderful; luckily cash still exists. When I was able to work I still preferred using cash and having the physical transaction with small business owners; it felt impersonal to hand them something to swipe.

~

In a time when we have an incredible amount of "communication" but no real "intimacy", and when the stress of living is out-of-control and staying afloat financially feels like drowning, I gotta think that some folks may want to seriously ponder WHAT IS ESSENTIAL in life.

~

If I may suggest, do it BEFORE you are in a situation where you have NO OTHER CHOICE. Try voluntary simplicity; it is a helluva lot easier to adapt on your own terms than involuntary simplicity, but either way, you'll be spending more time reading actual books, looking into actual human eyes, eating simple, whole foods and having more time for those you love.

~

Oh, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

- from John,

who so obviously cannot stop blogging here and there

even though he keeps saying he needs a break.

For David Alex Nahmod

These are some posts from David Alex Nahmod, who shares his story on his blog "David's Open Forum".

~

I am simply re-posting them due to the insane person who is commenting on his blog with threatens "Take this shit down, I will have your god damned Internet cut down!" and "Don't think I can't have this blog shut down and your ass put in jail!"

~

What A Delusional Mess.

==================================

The Sweetest Facebook Friend of All
Over the past 1 1/2 years, I've blogged quite a bit about my ex, Beecher. He continues to live in Arizona with Kathryn & Stephen Polich, the conservative anti-gay Christian couple who have literally hijacked and control his life. Beecher is on SSI.Two years ago, most likely while in a manic state, Beecher calld me, screaming that I should leave him & his two sons alone ~~ never mind that I wasn't trying to contact any of them at that time. I was told that the boys hated me. I now have proof that he heard this not from his boys but from his housemates Kathryn & Stephen, who lie to him constantly. Two days ago, one of Beecher's sons added me as a Facebook friend. In a Facebook message, he said he was glad to be in touch with me and thanked me for my kindness over the years. I set up my Facebook page a few months ago, but until earlier this week, I didn't maintain it. I had gotten busy with some work related projects, so I didnt post a profile, didn't invite friends, or respond to friend invitations. But I began working on my page a few days ago and it's been a blast! I've connected with people I lost touch with, including my long lost close friend Hudi, who was my next door neighbor in Tel Aviv Israel nearly 20 years ago. I hope to take a trip to Israel in 2010 to see him and other friends. But being added by Beecher's son Scott was sweet. Beecher's anti-gay housemates have put me through a lot ~~ tampering with his mail, taking out phony restraining orders against me, taunting me behind his back. Sometimes I dealt with this well, sometimes not so well ~~ there were times when I let my anger get the better of me and ranted, to say the least. Though I know that I could never get back together with Beecher, I always knew that he didn't "hate" me, that he still cares, as do I. Nothing proves this more that the warm reaction I got from his son. Thank you, Facebook, for helping Scott & I find each other. It's my hope that I can get Scott to tell his Dad the truth about what Kathryn & Stephen have done. Nothing would make me happier than to get Beecher away from those evil people and back to Connecticut, where his boys miss andlove him.

~

~

Coming Soon: The Voice of Stephen Polich
A few months ago, I got an email from "someone in Surprise AZ who agrees with you".I magine my "surprise" when that person turned out to be Kerri Gaffield Polich, ex wife to Stephen Polich. About six months before my ex Beecher & I split up, Stephen married Beecher's "best friend" Kathryn Rock. At that time I was told that Kerri had died of cancer five years prior. But this was no ghost who contacted me. Kerri is alive and well, living wth her two daughters by Stephen in Arizona. After a few emails, Kerri & I spoke on the phone. Kerri spoke eloquently and openly about the mind control games going in Stephen's household. She verifies my claims that Beecher is being controlled by his housemates. Kerri has her own horror stories to share ~~ both she and her elder daughter endured beatings from Stephen. So those in the gay community who ignored and/or laughed at my cries for help weren't just enabling the creeps who destroyed my relationship with Beecher, they were enabling a creep who thinks its OK to beat women. My very next post will contain quotes I got from Kerri Gaffield Polich as to what goes on in that household ~~ I post them with her permision. That post will also include links to MP3 audio files of the two court hearings between myselfand members of that household. Those audios prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that Kathryn & Stephen Polich resorted to mail tampering, fraud & perjury to get Beecher to live with them and to isolate him not only from me but from all his true friends. The audios further prove that Beecher's housemates have repeatedly used his disabilities as a control device, and that they "rescued" him from problems they deliberately provoked behind his back.A few days ago, I got another unexpected email: Niki D'andrea, the out lesbian reporter for the Phoenix New Times who misreported my story last year (deliberately ignoring documentation when she did so) wants to "bury the hatchett." Her email was heartfelt and poignant ~~ but as I told her privately, in order for us to make peace, she must retract her original story and report the truth. Niki, as a gay man speaking to a lesbian, I hope you'll listen to those audio files carefully. Then look deep in your heart.P eople like Kathryn & Stephen want to hurt us. The legal system in red states like Arizona are behind them, because in Arizona, LGBT people don't count. I hope you'll do the right thing, Niki.

Didn't M.C. Hammer say,

"Can't Touch This"?

me/we - a birthright suggestion

Does the Queer Community

~

KNOW what a Birthright is?

Birthright - a right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth.

~

So how come everyone else BUT me/we gets to

~

Marry the person he or she or quee loves?

- Dearest Queerest -
ME always means WE.

~

I am he as you are she as you are me and we are all together.

B...1...SOUL

I'm So Spooky-Ookie on KIRO TV!

Re-post from August 11, 2009

How interesting to see myself on KIRO TV (CBS) tonight, esp. since my hubby and I usually watch NBC at 6 p.m. Gee, I was a little spooked...I sounded so scary and mean!

~

Uneducated people seem to ALWAYS get confused when they see images and select words - they rarely delve further beyond the surface and often mis-read and mis-understand.

~

Take the pictures and links to PINK PISTOLS here. I advovate that gays who feel the need to arm themselves to do so, BUT with training...you know - BE RESPONSIBLE. And given that we are brutally-beaten and killed (for existing), anally-raped by police (with and without tasers), and worse....well....I guess YOU wouldn't understand the need to DEFEND YOURSELF, would you, unless you lived a life where both police and society target you as a victim to attack, brutalize, or kill....and then fail to recognize the crime.

~

Naw, KIRO TV chose to show a picture of a gun with my face next to it. It was as flattering as having my face on the front page of The National Enquirer.

~

Nuff said.

~

Unfortunately, I cannot petition the state to bring a ballot initiative against stupidity, so some viewers will think whatever they want after seeing KIRO's "news".

~

IF YOU ARE NEW HERE, please realize:

• I have a disability specifically due to marriage inequality (legal segregation and exclusion). The passing of PROP 8 seriously worsened my disability.
• My blog was originally used to vent the RAGE I felt as I watched a nation unconstitutionally-abuse our families and children at the ballot box.
• Soon I searched out other stories and learned about the SUFFERING of other LGBTQ Americans, whose experiences were FAR worse than my own.
• Now I want America to CONNECT-THE-DOTS:

Your vote makes us suffer horribly.

We do you NO harm.

What are we to do in order to

defend our beloved family and children?

What would YOU do?

We Didn't Start The Fire

This is a billboard from the far right, found at Joe.My.God.

~

Now why can't the LGBTQ community embrace #1-2 above? After all, it is WE that are lacking the most basic rights, protections, and due process that other American Taxpayers enjoy and expect. And as I've said many times here, if the I.R.S. tries to penalize any of us, I'm all for #3.

~

Totally unrelated, I thought I might dig out some old posts that were either never finished or posted and then re-saved as a draft when I trimmed some fat from my blog. This post came shortly after my KIRO TV experience, when I found a comment online denouncing my "crazy" idea of protecting my family's security and safety, as well as fighting against this trend of ballot box terrorism that seriously CROSSES THE LINE.

======================================

September 23, 2009

I always like a good "review"...except when the writer is clueless.

"PUDGE", his real name (lol), must not read with comprehension well, since he seems to have scanned 1/2 a post or 3 here before writing this RAVE review about me during the KIRO/media frenzy on August 11th. This is typical thinking from many who lack the whole story. My thoughts are inserted [dark].

"He is obviously a disturbed person who should probably be locked up for the safety of himself and others. [No threat to myself or others, dude. I am disturbed that my government allows religious groups to HURT our families. I'm writing about discrimination, gay rage, and how to defend ones' family here. Boo!] He is suicidal [Nope; was once April 12, 2006] and claims "severe P.T.S.D." [YES!...1 point so far, Pudge] and he blames all of his problems on people who oppose gay marriage [i.e. - THE LAW] (because his former partner, he believes, screwed him over in a way a married spouse would not have been able to). [Pudge is clueless to details, 'natch; but he's the mental case if he actually thinks LGBT relationships suffer no more than those WITH marriage rights & protections.] Never mind the illogic [sic] of his view (he could have gotten a non-marriage contract with his partner; blaming people other than his partner is incorrect and unproductive), [This dude needs the whole story if he actually gave a shit but he doesn't; my ex did things that would have been crimes if we had been married, which all led directly to my development of P.T.S.D. - documented by doctors BTW, starting with Harborview. I do blame our GOVERNMENT, since it denies all LGBT taxpayers equal protections based on the natural characteristics we are BORN WITH, such as our sexual love-orientation, protections that PREVENT traumas like the one I experienced and the many other stories out there] he is clearly unstable and threatening violence against the people he believe made him that way, and he should probably be committed. [just try] I am a bit surprised the gay marriage proponents aren't trying to get him this help, and instead are basically ignoring him and hoping he'll go away. [Yeah, 2 points now, but God forbid anyone mention how HATE ballots are harming an entire community. I am getting the best help I get on disability - S.S.I.]

Regardless, we can't let an unstable nut [oh, you flirt!] who should be locked up take away the right of the PUBLIC to have access to public records. [3 points!] A temporary restraint while he is tracked down is one thing, but the public has a right to not only know who stood up and put this on the ballot, but also to examine the records themselves for anything fishy. Larry Stickney is a good friend of mine, [You just lost all 3 points] and I would sacrifice myself to keep him safe. But we can't allow fear -- even when that fear is based on reality -- to close down our society. Instead, we should take strong action against Bisceglia and other people who are making threats. [I'm not the one trying to TAKE AWAY an equal protection, dude; I did not start this fight] Lock 'em up, and do it immediately upon verification that the individual in question actually made the threat." [Again, just try]

~

My main point at QUEER EQUALITY REVOLUTION is that the LGBT community does NOT have to take this constant abuse anymore. ENOUGH!

• It is abuse; psychological terrorism.


• It is pure harassment.


• It is very damaging to society.


• It is very UN-American.

So right now things like a tax revolt and civil disobedience are the least of what we should be doing to get our message across - "STOP HURTING US NOW!"

We ARE equal, there is NO RATIONAL REASON to deny us these equal protections, and there are many reasons for INCLUDING our families, starting with The Bill of Rights and our beloved Constitution.

No church should have the power to deny my family equal protections in America, yet it is SPECIFICALLY churches who are targeting us and attacking us at the ballot box. How can we have a "fair fight" as we go up against these powerful, wealthy religious institutions? And WHY is government allowing votes on MY family's safety, security, and well-being?!?!

I'll scream it again, as I did with PROP 8. Children, cover your ears:

"WHY THE FUCK DO

PEOPLE LIKE YOU

GET TO VOTE TO

TAKE AWAY RIGHTS FROM

PEOPLE LIKE ME?"

This Referendum 71 thing could be a quiet annoyance as it passes easily. And perhaps there will just be more whining if it is rejected. But as the SICKENING PROCESS of voting on family rights takes us into the future, I cannot imagine more and more Queers hitting that wall, either through horrible traumas of their own or just from this national madness, but Queers WILL fight back hard one day. Maybe my suspicions are just 10 years too early.

It is inevitable.

Also - the facts are in, folks. The LGBT community is seeking out professional help MORE than heterosexuals, and we are experiencing more and more distress, anxiety, depression, and yes - P.T.S.D. - due to the BULLSHIT that you are doing to us. You are persecuting our families, yet you wonder why some of us get VERY defensive.

Uh, FAMILY.

Say it again.

Say it again.

Say it again.

~

P.S. - Now that we "won" our due rights (am I supposed to be happy?), I guess we can all feel good about the ridiculous amount of money spent on both sides, and the social sickness this referendum nurtured.

~

P.S.S. - Suck on your wounds, Gary Randall and Larry Stickney. You are a dying breed.

I'm So Tired

~

"I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink.

I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink."

- Lennon/McCartney

~

I'm tired.

~

I'm tired of being un-equal, and I'm tired of spending a lifetime trying to convince others that I deserve equality.

~

I'm also tired of waiting for the LGBTQ community to unite in purpose and have the balls to demand our due legal rights and protections from the government, a government we support with our tax dollars. I will personally resist taxation and imprisonment (if attempted) until I die, because that is the only way I can live with dignity after what I've experienced living under America's Heterosexual Dictatorship and an almost constant Ballot Box Terrorism. Right now I'm on S.S.I. for disability (so no tax is being withheld currently), but my hope is to be ABLE TO work again and resume the tax protest I started in 2005. Either way I will never comply with the I.R.S. again in my lifetime. And YES, I am fully prepared to fight this one to the death.

~

Despite my passion for teaching children music, it was not enough to comfort me when PROP 8 passed. I needed to feel SAFE in order to be able to teach, and experiencing society voting to HARM my family was enough to send me completely over the edge, esp. since I had recently experienced the devastating nightmare that can result when leaving a long term relationship without legal protection.

~

Why this "tired" post? I need to take care of myself, and that may include withdrawing from "internet life"....untill something REALLY pisses me off (LOL). I need to turn off the computer more and re-connect with the life I used to know. Before PROP 8 passed, music was my entire life - I lived and breathed it 24/7. Losing my grand piano, and having to sell off one by one my bass guitars, amps, keyboards, and extensive music library, etc., left me so beaten down that my own relationship with music and my instruments was severely harmed. More succinctly, things which used to bring me nothing but peace, love, joy, and happiness suddenly became sources of extreme trauma.

~

So now I am trying to re-connect with music and my instruments and other musicians, and deal with the agoraphobia which has all but left me imprisoned in my home 24/7. What I need now is REAL human contact (the opposite of "Cyber-land") and I need to reduce my exposure to gay-rights news. One could argue that my own intense interest with PROP 8 and REF-71 was what caused more mental illness and problems. But would you blame a victim of armed robbery for being intensely interested in laws concerning armed robbery?

~

Anyhooz, the post below was originally called PLEASE DO NOT WAIT, and I wrote it on November 7, 2008, a day after I knew PROP 8 passed. I was still very much in a state of shock, experiencing past and present traumas simultaneously, and when I stood inches outside my door it smelled like a concentration camp outside. FOR REAL. Society as a whole became unsafe, since it was painfully apparent that society COULD INDEED vote to harm us - again and again. I could not even trust my own clients anymore - the parents of the children I taught. "Would they vote to hurt my family"?

~

November 7, 2008

Speaking as a survivor of childhood abuse & extreme neglect

who has battled Complex-P.T.S.D. my entire life,

and as a victim of Marriage Inequality and its

REAL-LIFE DEVASTATING HARM

when no law acknowledges nor protects your marriage:

~

"When PROP 8 passed it was like being a

Stabbing victim, and then having to

Experience a state voting on other people's right to

Stab (attack) you...AGAIN.

~

America suddenly became much less safe."

(in my case Complex-P.T.S.D., agoraphobia, severe depression and anxiety were all

horribly re-triggered after PROP 8 passed)

~

To My Fellow

Lesbian

Gay

Bisexual

Trangender

Intersex

and ALL Queer Americans

~

If you are paying taxes, you are saying,

"Even though other U.S. citizens pay taxes and have FULL rights, it is OK for me to continue paying FULL taxes for UN-EQUAL rights."

~

Who is the fool?

Don't you really BELIEVE you ARE equal?

~

And seriously, how effective is:

Marching

Chanting

Petitioning

Donating MILLIONS

[Millions!!!]

~

Is that working for us?

~

R-e-a-l-l-y?

~

"YOUR LOVE/SOUL IS"

Perverted.

Disgusting.

IM-Moral

Sickening.

UN-Natural.

An Abomination.

NOT Equal.

Something To Hide From Children.

Wrong.

Very Wrong.

~

~

"YOU ARE"

NOT worthy of adopting children.

NOT worthy of serving in the military equally.

NOT worthy of EXISTING openly.

NOT worthy of spousal pensions after death.

NOT worthy of EXACTLY what we have.

~

"AND HOW DARE YOU COMPLAIN!"

Oh, you're PATIENT and willing to wait 10-20 years (like good submissives), and do not want to look bad or anger anyone who GOD-FORBID may be offended. Yeah, we've never been offended.

~

My ANGER is because I've been seriously harmed by the denial of a fundamental family right.

~

My ANGER is because I have had debilitating P.T.S.D. since 2004 - a direct result from my divorce WITHOUT ANY legal protection - and now horrific re-triggerings of my P.T.S.D. since the PROP 8 Debacle.

~

My ANGER (and let's be real here, anger is an expression of a deeper PAIN) is because I faced a judge at my Social Security Disability hearing December 4, 2008, and now I am waiting for him to decide how much damage has been done to my life-heart-body-soul-property [March 2009 - 1st Attempt = DENIED. I'm told 3-4 is the norm.] That's akin to being assaulted and robbed, and then having the criminal not only be the judge who decides whether it was an robbery and assault or not but also gets to decide on the damages awarded. Anyone want to trade places with me this month? I'm not sure I can do this.

~

It is demoralizing and dehumanizing,

and has already taking a very serious toll on my

daily functioning.

~

If you saw my little thingie on the side that reads, "WHY I MUST BLOG TO AVOID GOING BAT-SHIT CRAZY" - I'm serious.

~

I cannot MAKE SENSE of my life right now without having

every fiber of my being screaming out

"STOP THIS INJUSTICE NOW!"

~

Blogging has alleviate some of the other stress from the panic attacks, body twitches, night terrors, and other triggers related to my own relationship with pianos and children (P.T.S.D. is very user-specific). Blogging is often ALL I can do when I am home. Right now I cannot even face the 24 children I used to teach every day. I am terrified of losing them all over again [11.22.08 UPDATE - too late], not because they quit or move on, but because I have trouble functioning in a world where an entire state voted "YES" on the PAIN and DEVASTATION that myself and many, many, many other LGBTI Americans experience daily due to

Tax-exempt HATE Groups and their

Theocratic Control of Legislation.

~

Simply put - If you are heterosexual and support us and have NOT made an effort to directly contact your representatives and DEMAND that your LGBTI friend-son-mother-grandfather-uncle-teacher-grandson have the same CIVIL MARRIAGE RIGHTS you have RIGHT NOW, then

~

YOU

~

are part of the problem.

~

Too harsh?

~

I apologize.

!~

I'd hate to make you or your family's life

~

difficult.

~

But enough about me! My own story is just ONE of MANY, MANY, MANY horrible scenarios that DO occur without marriage protection, and most are far worse than my own; remember - some of us raise children. Q's - please DO NOT wait until your life is destroyed, your assets are lost, your lifetime of work is lost, you are bankrupt, and you develop P.T.S.D. or some other issue that affects your daily life and functioning. All I have now are my words; I have lost everything else, including all hope, so all I can and will do is SCREAM,

EQUALITY

FAMILY & CHILDREN

NO TAXATION UNTIL EQUAL

Until My Last Breathe.

~
PLEASE - DO - NOT - WAIT.

~

Please note - I realize that not everyone can do a tax protest.

I understand the risks for families with children or

other situations where others depend on one individual.

Let's All Play "Hide The Weenie"! ~ The Catholic Priest Edition

~
~

It is about time we start going after those who demonize our families with the same aggressive tactics that the opponents of "liberty and justice for all" use when they try to limit our due rights. I hope this becomes a national movement to expose the staggering hypocrisy behind so many religious hate groups.

~

And yes, I put in my time at a Catholic school and church from 1st-8th grade, from being an altar boy to being the church's organist. Bleh.

Catholic Church Threatens To Stop Feeding Homeless Over Gay Marriage

~

Yes, they really ARE that misguided and spiritually-arrogant....

~

Catholic Church Threatens To Stop Feeding Homeless Over Gay Marriage

by Allison Kilkenny
[over at Huffington Post]

~

~

Maybe a paraphrase is warranted:

~

"Catholic Church

Threatens To Hurt

These People So It Can

Continue Hurting

Those People"

~

- or -

~

"Catholic Church May

Starve Homeless Over

Gay Marriage"

You Still Hate Us

"Why do straights hate gays?" is an article Larry Kramer wrote for the LA Times on March 20, 2007. I could not agree more with his final lines below, but do read the entire article!

"You may say you don't hate us, but the people you vote for do, so what's the difference?

Our own country's democratic process declares us to be UN-Equal.

Non-Equal

Which means, in a democracy, that our enemy is you.

You treat us like crumbs.

You HATE us.

And sadly, we let you."

----------------------------------------------------------

Why do straights hate gays?

An 72-year-old gay activist isn't hopeful about the future.

~

DEAR STRAIGHT PEOPLE,

Why do you hate gay people so much?

~

Gays are hated. Prove me wrong. Your top general just called us immoral. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is in charge of an estimated 65,000 gay and lesbian troops, some fighting for our country in Iraq. A right-wing political commentator, Ann Coulter, gets away with calling a straight presidential candidate a faggot. Even Garrison Keillor, of all people, is making really tacky jokes about gay parents in his column. This, I guess, does not qualify as hate except that it is so distasteful and dumb, often a first step on the way to hate. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama tried to duck the questions that Pace's bigotry raised, confirming what gay people know: that there is not one candidate running for public office anywhere who dares to come right out, unequivocally, and say decent, supportive things about us.

~

Gays should not vote for any of them. There is not a candidate or major public figure who would not sell gays down the river. We have seen this time after time, even from supposedly progressive politicians such as President Clinton with his "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military and his support of the hideous Defense of Marriage Act. Of course, it's possible that being shunned by gays will make politicians more popular, but at least we will have our self-respect. To vote for them is to collude with them in their utter disdain for us.

~

Don't any of you wonder why heterosexuals treat gays so brutally year after year after year, as your people take away our manhood, our womanhood, our person hood? Why, even as we die you don't leave us alone. What we can leave our surviving lovers is taxed far more punitively than what you leave your (legal) surviving spouses. Why do you do this? My lover will be unable to afford to live in the house we have made for each other over our lifetime together. This does not happen to you. Taxation without representation is what led to the Revolutionary War. Gay people have paid all the taxes you have. But you have equality, and we don't.

~

And there's no sign that this situation will change anytime soon. President Bush will leave a legacy of hate for us that will take many decades to cleanse. He has packed virtually every court and every civil service position in the land with people who don't like us. So, even with the most tolerant of new presidents, gays will be unable to break free from this yoke of hate. Courts rule against gays with hateful regularity. And of course the Supreme Court is not going to give us our equality, and in the end, it is from the Supreme Court that such equality must come. If all of this is not hate, I do not know what hate is.

~

Our feeble gay movement confines most of its demands to marriage. But political candidates are not talking about — and we are not demanding that they talk about — equality. My lover and I don't want to get married just yet, but we sure want to be equal.

~

You must know that gays get beaten up all the time, all over the world. If someone beats you up because of who you are — your race or ethnic origin — that is considered a hate crime. But in most states, gays are not included in hate crime measures, and Congress has refused to include us in a federal act.

~

Homosexuality is a punishable crime in a zillion countries, as is any activism on behalf of it. Punishable means prison. Punishable means death. The U.S. government refused our requests that it protest after gay teenagers were hanged in Iran, but it protests many other foreign cruelties. Who cares if a faggot dies? Parts of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. are joining with the Nigerian archbishop, who believes gays should be put in prison. Episcopalians! Whoever thought we'd have to worry about Episcopalians? Well, whoever thought we'd have to worry about Florida? A young gay man was just killed in Florida because of his sexual orientation. I get reports of gays slain in our country every week. Few of them make news. Fewer are prosecuted. Do you consider it acceptable that 20,000 Christian youths make an annual pilgrimage to San Francisco to pray for gay souls? This is not free speech. This is another version of hate. It is all one world of gay-hate. It always was.

~

Gays do not realize that the more we become visible, the more we come out of the closet, the more we are hated. Don't those of you straights who claim not to hate us have a responsibility to denounce the hate? Why is it socially acceptable to joke about "girlie men" or to discriminate against us legally with "constitutional" amendments banning gay marriage? Because we cannot marry, we can pass on only a fraction of our estates, we do not have equal parenting rights and we cannot live with a foreigner we love who does not have government permission to stay in this country. These are the equal protections that the Bill of Rights proclaims for all?

~

Why do you hate us so much that you will not permit us to legally love? I am almost 72, and I have been hated all my life, and I don't see much change coming.

~

I think your hate is evil.

~

What do we do to you that is so awful? Why do you feel compelled to come after us with such frightful energy? Does this somehow make you feel safer and legitimate? What possible harm comes to you if we marry, or are taxed just like you, or are protected from assault by laws that say it is morally wrong to assault people out of hatred? The reasons always offered are religious ones, but certainly they are not based on the love all religions proclaim.

~

And even if your objections to gays are religious, why do you have to legislate them so hatefully? Make no mistake: Forbidding gay people to love or marry is based on hate, pure and simple.

~

You may say you don't hate us, but the people you vote for do, so what's the difference? Our own country's democratic process declares us to be unequal. Which means, in a democracy, that our enemy is you. You treat us like crumbs. You hate us. And sadly, we let you.

~

LARRY KRAMER is the founder of the protest group ACT UP and the author of "The Tragedy of Today's Gays."
March 20, 2007

~

I say,

~

"WHAT THE #*@!! ARE WE

~

WAITING FOR?"

~

My response to the comment below is found below

Interesting Comment #2

~

Not Really a Family; Not Really Human

Tribune Photo/GENE KAISER
story found at TOWLEROAD:

Please read the entire article:

Niles couple banned from Wal-Mart after dispute over BIC lighters
By LOU MUMFORD
Tribune Staff Writer

~

~
~

"Thomas Hitchcock, standing at left, and partner Joe Paolucci aren't happy they've been banned from Wal-Marts after an Aug. 16 incident at the Niles Wal-Mart in which Paolucci was accused of shoplifting. The Chicago attorneys said the special-needs twin boys they adopted from Romania, Harry, left, and Joey, also are paying a price. The dog on Joey's lap is Simon, the family's pet bulldog." - by LOU MUMFORD

~

Angry?

Good.

You're human.

~

I know there are many in our LGBTQ umbrella who are against focusing on marriage rights, and I think I "get" the many different reasons and agree with most of them.

~

Job security as an out LGBTQ person is important, and marriage ain't for everyone - BUT - children are involved in many of our marriages. You know....those smaller human beings who are vulnerable and 100% dependent on their parent's rights - or lack thereof.

~

I realize B.S. anti-gay discrimination will continue regardless of equal human rights - BUT - when the federal definition of a "family" starts to INCLUDE our spouse and children instead of EXCLUDING all of us, it may be more difficult for these kinds of hate-driven actions to occur in public.

~

- At a F*CKING WAL-MART for Christ's sake! -

THIS WAS LEGAL CHILD ABUSE.

~

Also, public shaming has weight in a society, and I hope more of us get out, stay out, and watch each other's backs when we ARE out - whether it's at a TARGET store, the DMV, or walking home at 2 p.m.

~

Until then, bigots like the Wal-Mart employees will continue to see us AND our innocent children and think they can treat us (legally) as

~

"Not Really a Family"

~

"Not Really Human".

The Limit$ of Love

First Post - August 15, 2008 (revised)

~

Social Change Starts With Individuals

~

Is Charles Merrill the ONLY U.S. citizen of ANY (any) any Love-Orientation who is FED UP ENOUGH to take a PUBLIC STAND against the multiple Immoral, Unjust, Legal Discriminations our Federal Government POUNDS like a hammer on our heads daily ?

~

The FEDS insist on inventing new words....words whose sole purpose is to either hurt us directly [D.O.M.A., D.A.D.T.], or hurt someone else's children [N.O.A.D.O.P.T.].

~

F*cking UTAH doesn't want our loved ones to BE ABLE TO visit us in the HOSPITAL....in our time of need; in our children's time of need. THAT IS EVIL.

~

[comment self-moderated....let's just say I will go ape-shit crazy on anyone who tries to prevent me from seeing my husband in the hospital]

~

~

How could we NOT draw a line in the sand?

~

Treating us as 3rd-class Social-Lepers is a cruel, legal prejudice whose repercussions profoundly harm our lives and our loved ones.

~

These laws affect our:

• Family
• Children
• Home
• Career
• Property
• Security
• Beloved.....in other words, our...

~
"Life, Liberty, and the

~

Pursuit of Happiness".

~

I've personally met and heard from 100's of Q folks over the past 20 years who are SILENTLY protesting this TAXATION WITHOUT EQUALITY by refusing to pay any tax and living exclusively in the "underground" (cash) economy, but far too many fear the I.R.S. and refrain from making a public stand. Luckily, the ARTS do allow some personal freedom; other W-2 type jobs are more difficult.

~

BUT SERIOUSLY, FOLKS:

• Would YOU go to a restaurant if YOU had to pay MORE money for the SAME entree other patrons purchased for LESS?
• Would YOU go to a restaurant if YOU had to pay the SAME amount for LESS food?
• Would you "tolerate" government-imposed SEPARATE BUT "EQUAL" restaurants?

I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y

~

I do not blame Q's one bit for refusing to pay a government that legally treats our families as if they were worthless, disposable, and SUB-human adults and children.

~

Perhaps not enough people within the Q community have experienced the personal and financial devastation that DOES HAPPEN without marriage rights.

~

Trauma, cruelty, and emotional pain will get one's attention very quickly!

~

I've come to learn that those making over $8,000-a-year are clueless.

~

Call me impatient, but I already KNOW I'm equal, America. YOU are the ones lagging behind the world. Again.

~

I also know that:

~

Some things (like one's family)

are worth fighting for,

even if one's life and freedom are at stake!

~

If only our loves ones could

Truly Love Us WITHOUT Shame.

~

If they did, we would have our mothers and sisters* standing in solidarity with us, valuing their family more than their property and possessions, and exercising civil disobedience for the sake of TRUTH, JUSTICE, and MORALITY.

~

Can you imagine if every mother told her government,

"Until my son has Marriage Equality,

I will refuse to file my income taxes."

Then every son would not feel so alone.

~

~

Can you imagine if every daughter told her government,

"Until my father has Marriage Equality,

I will refuse to file my income taxes."

Then every father would not feel so alone.

~

~

Then every Q child [they exist] or parent would know...in their hearts...that their lives are as valuable as the lives of other family members who enjoy the legal benefits, protections, and security of marriage. For I seriously doubt any mother would be silent if her heterosexual sons or daughters were being denied civil marriage based on whom they love. I seriously doubt our mothers and fathers would miss out on seeing their children experience "one of the most important days of their lives"....or at least I hear it is one of the most important days....

I wouldn't know

--------------------------------------------------------------------

~

* Fathers and brothers need to speak out also, but since many hetero-men have problems with the "ick factor", I'm putting my faith in the strength of women to begin this tax revolt against our government's criminally-insane laws against our FAMILY.

~

- a la Yentl -

"Suze Orman can you hear me?"

~

It Can Really Suck

~

GOT EQUALITY?

~

In a split-second you can go from

NOT needing a right to

DESPERATELY needing that same right,

and when that second passes I hope you have it.

~

~

'Cause it can R E A L L Y suck when you don't.

Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing!

Are we seriously ready for this?

• DECADES of emotional abuse
• DECADES of donating hard-earned money (after taxes)
• DECADES of psychological abuse
• DECADES of being ignored
• DECADES of being dismissed
• DECADES of being appeased
• DECADES of asking for what we deserve constitutionally
• DECADES of knowing our family and children are LESS THAN all others in America

For Our Children,

For Ourselves,

For Our Dignity,

REVOLT!

Anonymous said...

~

Here is an anonymous comment to my Referendum 71 post; for fun, I'm paraphrasing for readers who prefer to skim.

~

I located your website through research on the subject to Gay/ Lesbian Equality. I have a very dear friend who is gay. I love him dearly, and I have known him since he was a young boy in grade school. I am a heterosexual female. I have seen him attempt to live within the "confines" of society where minds are set that people "choose" to be homosexual. It broke my heart. It changed the way I felt about homosexuality. That being said...

"I love gays, but..."

~

I am a Christian woman, and I believe in the sanctity of marriage the way God wanted it based on the Bible. So I become conflicted. As a parent, I discussed both sides of this issue with my children. Each of my children base their thoughts on this issue a little differently, I cannot agree or disagree, because, even I am not FIRM one way or the other. If you believe Gods (sic) word as it is written you are forced into one belief.... If you interpret Gods (sic) word as something else, you are basing your opinion on your own interpretation. It's all interpretation, so who really knows what Gods plan was?

"I'm Christian, and it's all interpretation."

~

So, that being said.... we deal with opinions in all forms. The silent one... who has an opinion, votes at the polls as they see fit.... and the more outspoken one, who believes what the Bible says is what God wants. Hence, we have protests. Why do we have protests? Because people feel so strongly about their opinion, they want to show others they are willing to stand up for it. Ok... they have that right. Just as you have the right to create a website and post your opinion, which is a form of protest in itself. I understand your pain, and frustration at the current state of affairs for your beliefs vs law.

"Everyone has an opinion."

~

US History shows us, that nothing comes to those who wish for equality until they fight for it... ie; slavery, womens rights....But... one does not get there... by creating HATE lists... on their websites.... or using words such as THREATS... etc... If you truly want to be taken seriously, and not as a gay radical.... you must refrain from making threats, creating HATE lists..... this only takes away from your mission.

"You must fight,

but not too hard or too radically."

~

Not to mention, posting these types of things... and having some "other" radical person go out and perform hate crimes against these individuals only points to your website and places blame on you. Posting names of people who oppose your point of view.... simple citizens that are not even politicians with any clout to change things. They are not threatening you. They are voicing their opinion just as you are, but they are not putting YOUR name on a hate list. They are not listing individual gay peoples names on websites..... they are not haters... they just don't have your opinion.

"Voting to hurt your family doesn't

really hurt your family

(she is in total denial)

and my religious opinion should be

codified in CIVIL LAW."

~

Honestly, I wish God would just set everyone straight and we'd all get a grip. Keep villigant in your efforts to gain the equality you wish for... but do not stoop so low as to become a hate monger, or a "terrorist". This will only take away from your cause. I implore you to consider taking down your hate lists. Pray, speak but don't threaten those who are marching to their beliefs, as they have the right to do that, just the same as you do.

"Please stop trying to

defend yourself from our

evil hatred and

heterosexual dictatorship,

even though you have

NO ONE protecting your

families and children in America."

~

I notice you point out that you will not take anyone serious that does not post their name on their blog, but I see no where on your website, that you post your own name, nor do you expect your homosexual friends to post theirs. But you will POST hate lists with heterosexuals names on them?

~

Uhhhh.....my name is underneath EVERY post on Blogger, as well as on my profile to the right. But this is boring now, so bye-byeeeeeee!

==============

~

Before I could respond to this "Anonymous", another more succint "Anonymous" said:

~

Bullshit.

Gods word has nothing to do with civil rights.

These people ARE threatening gay families well being.

Quit trying to rationalize it.

And,

Fuck you.

Ballot Box Terrorism & Tax Revolt

~

"How can we have any dignity, honor or pride in ourselves if we validate this continued process of ballot box terrorism?" - David Mixner

Election (Part One): Enough, No More, Enough

Election (Part Two): What Now

~

I recommend reading David Mixner's 2 articles above.

~

I've given up on gay organizations AND any other type of (feigned) "fighting" I've seen out there. If we just lined up the children in America who are hurt by LGBTQ legal discrimination (and reacted more like mothers), we'd be fighting with MUCH more than clever signs and phone calls.

~
I agree 1,000% with Mixner's line - "How can we have any dignity, honor or pride in ourselves if we validate this continued process of ballot box terrorism?" - so I take my fight directly to the FEDS, since THEY allow religious institutions to intrude upon my life in US law.

• No equal protection?
• No taxes paid.

And this fight WILL end in death if they try to imprison me.

~

But don't waste your time criticizing me for being stupid-short-sighted-insane-wasting-my-life-not-helping-the-movement, etc.

~

I really don't care what you think.

~

I just know I will live my life WITHOUT bending over to a government that relentlessly abuses me, especially after what I've experienced since July 2004.

~

You do what YOU need to do. Find YOUR dignity.

The List ~ Washington State

Either the federal government STOPS allowing votes on constitutionally-guaranteed rights, or Queers will need to continue to publicly acknowledge those institutions and individuals who are hurting our families - each and every time.

Shame them publicly.

Let them know that despite the fact that they are ALLOWED TO bring emotional suffering to our families and steal our pensions at the ballot box, that doesn't mean that they SHOULD do it. IT IS EVIL - IT IS WRONG.

What?...you don't think this is

PERSONAL?

Ask these folks how PERSONAL it was to be denied rights;

ask their children.

Here is a list of individuals and groups in Washington State who have expressed online how they plan to hurt our families by REJECTING Referendum 71:

A simple GOOGLE search will lead to the original source

• Bob Struble - Bremerton
• Dave Keller - Vancouver
• Melissa Stoddard - Longview
• Leo Pisarchuk - Longview
• Elena Wilkins - Longview
• Sam Webb- Longview
• Jason Dotcher - Rainier
• Rob Lee - Grapeview
• Gordon Dewey
• Veritas Splendor
• Mike Shannon - Wenatchee
• Pam Dzama
• Joseph Backholm
• Bonnie Kaye ~ profile
• Levi Schmautz - Spokane ~ profile
• Kodie Kultala- (Rainier, Oregon - but s/he begged me)
• Washington Eagle Forum - Cindy Honcoop
• Pastor Ken Hutcherson, Antioch Bible Church
• Washington Values Alliance - Larry Stickney
• Faith and Freedom Network - Gary Randall
• Christian Coalition - Rick Forcier
• YWAM & US Renewal - Ron Boehme
• Family Policy Institute of Washington
• Eastern Washington Advisory Board to the FPIW
• Facts for Freedom - Jim Galbraith
• Washington Opposed to Pro-Homosexual Policies
• Pastor Gary and Annetta Small
• Concerned Citizens of Pierce County - Pat Burgess
• Council 1379 of the Knights of Columbus
• The Reagan Wing - Doug Parris
• Washington Republican Liberty Caucus
• The Constitution Party of Washington
• StateSenator Dan Swecker
• Senator Val Stevens
• Representative Matt Shea
• Representative Jim McCune
• Former State Rep. John Ahern
• Dr. Bruce Craswell
• Dr. Bryant Adams
• Stephen Pidgeon, Esquire, Decalogos International
• Pastor Rick Long, Atonement Free Lutheran Church
• Pastors Roy & Valerie Hartwell, Rivers of Glory Church
• Holy Rosary Parish - West Seattle

WIN / LOSE

WHAT A SICK GAME

The notion of "winning the legal right to HURT families" or not, or the idea of "winning the right to persecute" versus "winning the freedom of not being hurt"....

~

Is beyond unacceptable

~

In America

~

In 2009

~

The only way I can imagine the federal government taking us seriously as U.S. citizens and taxpayers is civil disobedience; otherwise, we sink faster into the quicksand of victimhood with a "win" or "lose" mentality.

No Taxation Without Equality

- FOR MAINE -

First Posted - August 4, 2008.

Our lovely revolutionary lady is none other than award-winning journalist-broadcaster Natalie Davis.

~

"If a thousand men [and women] were not to pay their tax-bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood." - Thoreau

~

-

-

"Let them march all they want,

as long as they continue to

pay their taxes."

~

- Alexander Haig, U.S. Sec. of State, June 12, 1982

~

~

Well, some of us have stopped marching AND paying taxes. The sheer arrogance revealed in the Haig's statement above is a rallying cry for oppressed people everywhere. I've held signs, chanted, and written letters, yet I've been kidding myself to think these tactics create any real change. (Effective) Civil Disobedience and/or Tax Revolt will certainly get our nation's attention.

Imagine if the LGBT community wrote on EVERY piece of paper currency, "Marriage Equality Now" or "Queer Tax Revolt"; suddenly the money we spend is visible. Yes, it's a passive act, but it reminds the Heterosexual Dictatorship that we also contribute to the tax base and to the overall economy.

TAX REVOLT seems best. If the money withheld was redirected to Marriage Equality organizations, and/or to the many LGBT Families who have suffered financial devastation due to marriage discrimination, all the better.

~

I am constantly amazed at the ambivalence I sense when I discuss equality with others, but when I mention withholding tax everybody FREAKS OUT. I guess Americans only care when it affects their wallet. Well, start freaking out America - the unknown, unseen, silent tax resisters are growing in number every day. Between the Iraq War and Marriage Inequality, countless US citizens are being inspired to find ways to live, earn, and spend without the government's knowledge. Tax-compliance is not just based on fear, it is also based on a RESPECT for the law and for society in general, and America's politicians have lost every ounce of respect they may have had in previous generations, and its voters are lagging behind them.

~

One needs to GIVE respect to EARN respect.

!~

Addendum - June 2, 2009 -

After spending almost a year trying to spread the IDEA that a TAX REVOLT is worth considering - if anything, for our own DIGNITY - I now realize that my "community" is nothing of the sort, and any real civil disobedience is a fantasy. Maybe when others have their lives destroyed they will "get it"; they will understand TRUE, JUSTIFIED RAGE.

~

It's also very much about social class in the LGBTQ community. Rage feels different when you are hungry or cold most of the time.

~

And while gay organizations may criticize me for doing things that "do not reflect the gay community" - I know that THEY never, ever truly represented me.

• I DO NOT BEG for my due civil rights.
• I DO NOT DONATE MONEY to buy my due civil rights.
• I DO NOT NEED SOCIETY'S APPROVAL before being "given" my due civil rights.
• I REFUSE TO MARCH, WRITE, CALL, BEG, BESEECH, PLEAD, or do anything but DEMAND my due civil rights, with my own TAX REVOLT being behind my demand.

"Give Me LIBERTY

(which includes Federal Equality),

~

Or Give Me Death."

!~
Addendum - October 19, 2009 - I seriously don't think ALL of The Seattle Gays and other OUT-OUT Folk will remain peace-loving, polite folk IF Referendum 71 gets rejected.

~

This is pure financial, emotional, psychological abuse - for starters - to an entire segment of society. The physical body surely suffers as well, and for what?

To appease Religious Terrorists?!

You better grow a pair, Uncle Sam, cuz you are losing the time and talents of an entire segment of society and causing more burden to the tax base. Your enabling of sustained Governmental Psychological Warfare through piecemeal-rights state-by-state is hurting the health and well-being of the LGBTQ population AND those who love us. I would suspect that this distress results is less-productivity, more days off, and a general drain on the American economy.

~

My story certainly confirms it.

~

The math of D.A.D.T. confirms it.

~

This confirms it.

~

Every POLITICIAN in America - Local/State/Federal - is turning his or her back to the cruel, unnecessary, additional financial sufferings LGBTQ folks are burdened with ON TOP OF the economic woes that everyone is facing today.

~

And for what?

Referendum 71

~

Can I (Vote To) Harm

~

YOUR Family?

~

4 When no one speaks up,

~
44 When good people are silent,

~
444 When everyone is 21st-century schizoid-cupied,

~

Horrible, dangerous, UN-American shit can happen.

• Like allowing religious tyranny in civil law.
• Like thinking the referendum process is anything close to being a "DEMOCRACY" when you have a majority voting away the constitutional rights of a minority, esp. when that majority has access to millions of laundered "church money" - TAX EXEMPT. Criminal !
• Like forgetting about the children of LGBT parents, who are legally-abused for being in the "wrong" family. These children found out. Again - Criminal !
• Like underestimating the serious harm that anti-gay amendments are doing to the psychological health and well-being of a portion of the country, both gay AND straight! - Proof - Proof - Proof - Proof
• Like an entire country being apathetic for decades until - BOOM! - one day this national gay rage starts to boil over into the streets, and mayors and governors everywhere scratch their heads and wonder "Why this sudden violence and outrage?"
• Like when ANY of these experiences occur; a tragic one from Washington State is here.

No one should have to endure ANY of the experiences above. By the way, if you haven't read 6-7 of the stories above you may remain absolutely clueless about gay rage.

We are taxpaying, law-abiding Americans. But we are being pushed to our absolute limit, and no one, NO ONE, is defending our families.

What are we to do, America?!

I would NEVER think of voting away your family's earned pension, or voting so you would lose your home, or child, or your ability to see a dying spouse, or your ability to keep your family united in this county, or.....

MY GOD, why is NO ONE admitting

WHAT we are fighting for?

MEDIA - Big Fail. If you think one speck of this blog is a "threat", well then you are already blinded by your own heterosexual privilege. You are probably unaware of the extra financial burden, emotional suffering, trauma, and family IN-security that LGBT families face daily. Or pain that you could not even imagine. Suffering caused specifically by ANTI-GAY legislation.

• This is not American Idol.
• This is not a state-by-state "contest".
• This is definitely NOT something to vote on.
• THIS IS OUR FAMILY
• REPEAT - THIS IS OUR FAMILY.

What would you do to protect YOUR family?

When Enough is ENOUGH!

WHERE ARE YOU,

Governor Chris Gregoire?

LGBTQ individuals and families are suffering. We need you to protect us. Now. You KNOW that we have a constitutional right to equal protection. You KNOW this harms straight seniors and gays alike.

You say that some of your priorites are:

• Economic Security
• Healthy Families
• Social Services
• Diversity
• Government Accountability

Do you realize that REFERENDUM 71 goes directly against the priorities above? WE ARE SUFFERING.

Stephen Pidgeon, Larry Stickney, and Gary Randall are NOT suffering due to discrimination. AT ALL.

If you cannot help us, how can we defend ourselves from this abuse?

~

UPDATE - September 23, 2009 - Josh Friedes from the Approve Referendum 71 campaign admits that we need to APPROVE Referendum 71 in order to:

"....insure that families throughout Washington state do not lose the critical protections....."

and goes on to say how:

"If this law is not approved, families all across Washington state will be harmed."

Hmmm...........

So why are people surprised when a man wants to protect his family?

So why are people surprised when a woman wants to protect her family?

Civilly Disobey Uncle Sam

~

From Tully's Page:

The Federal Tax Code...Time for GLBT Civil Disobedience