|
|
|
|
Please consider this with an open mind and a fair heart. I mean no disrespect to any of you. Nor can I stand what may happen if we continue on this path.
A lot has been made about bombings, killings and requested suicides. A lot has been made about fasicists, wars and poetry. A lot has been made about things getting better and things looking worse.
It all must end.
I know we all feel strongly about this, brothers. These are dire times for all of us, both gay and straight. No one with a strong moral nature, sense of public decency or just plain streak of humanity wants to see children die. Some may be indifferent to a death that does not impact their world personally, but no one who calls himself a MAN wants to see any child, gay or other, kill themselves.
Turning our anger against each other, that's what the radical, extremist, fundamentalist religious right wants. They want us demoralized. They want us reeling from the shock of the outrageous things they say. They want us sniping at each other's throats and further dividing our ability to DO anything.
This is counterproductive and it must end.
You all have good points to make. You all have notions about what is either snide, comical, synical, insightful, preemptory and necessary. And you should all be heard. But let's not turn on each other. It only makes us weaker and them seem to be correct as well as "right."
It is a war. In a war, you must have a plan, a strategy. Let's not turn this into a friendly fire thing. Saben made a point, although without his usual degree of tact, that our kids are dying because of things being done and said by fundamentalist christians and far right-wing politicians. He is right to remind us that we have to strike back. Perhaps not with killing, which only lowers us to their level, but something must be done. To that I believe we all must agree.
Des also made a point worth serious consideration. It's a war, but it wont be won with a single hammer blow. It will be an uphill climb with a lot of battles, some we'll win, some we wont. I don't think measuring our success will come in kids we've saved from bullying or prevented from taking their own lives. I think we need to figure out how to change the way people view us, daily. I think we need to encourage the growing trend of young gay men and women to come out more often, to reach out to their friends for support and understanding. I think we need to encourage our young people to start living each day being more aware of their world and thus better able to cope with it.
Brody, I don't know you very well, so what I hae to say might seem contrary or unthinking. I only ask you hear me out. Outrage often leads to outrage. Extremism often is countered with equally intractable extremism. And as we all know, the internet is a wonderful place for fools like McCance to spout off their hatred as well as for any of us to reply in kind with a certain amount of anonymity and lack of restraint. Saben might be angry, he might even be stressing a point past hyperbole, but he does raise a significant point, despite the loose retorhic. A point I think you mirror. "When will enough be enough to get positive action going?"
I like to think that you feel the same way, Tim. We're two of the older dogs chasing around here, and I know that you could easily put yourself into the role of a parent who might have to face what the families of these poor lost young men must face now. I know that you, like me, believe in civility and doing things right the first time. But, also like you, I can be hot headed and ready to strike back, full force, at any perceived attack at either my person or my beliefs. And, again in similarity, I can see that this is a war. It's a 12 round boxing match with a heavy weight facing down against a lighter fighter. If we're going to win, we need to stick and move, not allow our opponent to measure us and put us down with one hard shot.
That's us, my brothers. We're the ones on the short side of the ledger here. But we can't let the big bully pound us. Stand our ground, by all means. Run if we must. Fight, but not by their rules. For if we do, we shall surely lose. This is a battle of heart and head, not just one or the other. We aren't going to change the minds of those who are dead-set against us. But we can do other things to make the fight more even. We can do things to help the victims thrive and survive. We can let our youngest brothers know that they aren't alone.
But what we cannot do, not not not NOT, is engage in pointless bickering amongst ourselves. I've often called this sight a lighthouse. And it is, but it's only one light. We all have to step up and put our lights against the darkness as well.
And for the record, I live in the "south." There are a lot of our kids here, hiding, afraid because of family or religious reasons to be what they feel they are inside. It's sad, sick and twisted, but I know the pressures and beliefs that sometimes fester in bad ways here. But before we go the radical amputation route, let's try some medicine and healing. After all, if you flatten Buttfuck, America with carpet bombing, you'll wind up killing them and me, too.
Our fight has to be smart, brothers, but let's not forget this is also a rescue mission. We need leaders, heroes, healers, statesmen and organizers here, not just the half drunk rabble rousers who took some unruly colonies away from a far away king and turned it into the mess I live in. The tea party/tea baggers only incite, they don't do anything useful. Let's stop emulating them and band up properly.
Let's turn our lights on, help those we can, and guide those who don't understand to see we're not the boogie man. War is about gaining and keeping ground. Don't waste your rage on pushing each other around. Like the Spartans of antiquity, we have to hold the pass before we can win. Also like those Spartans, we have to hold together and gather support or else we will be undone from behind.
Please, think about it.
[Updated on: Wed, 27 October 2010 20:15]
It's not the wolf you see you should fear, but all the ones he howls with. Don't be afraid of the song, but don't piss off the choir.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Shedding a little light
|
|
 |
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: timmy on Wed, 27 October 2010 21:01 |
|
|
Americans behaving badly.
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: saben on Thu, 28 October 2010 01:09 |
|
 |
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: saben on Thu, 28 October 2010 07:00 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: saben on Thu, 28 October 2010 14:14 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: saben on Thu, 28 October 2010 14:26 |
|
 |
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: saben on Thu, 28 October 2010 14:36 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
 |
Re: Shedding a little light
By: NW on Thu, 28 October 2010 20:08 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: timmy on Fri, 29 October 2010 08:23 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: NW on Fri, 29 October 2010 18:03 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: timmy on Fri, 29 October 2010 19:26 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: timmy on Sat, 30 October 2010 08:52 |
|
|
I agree with Saben
By: acam on Fri, 29 October 2010 08:33 |
|
|
Interesting
By: timmy on Fri, 29 October 2010 08:45 |
|
|
Re: Interesting
|
|
|
Re: I agree with Saben
|
|
|
Re: I agree with Saben
By: acam on Fri, 29 October 2010 15:46 |
|
|
Re: I agree with Saben
|
|
|
Re: I agree with Saben
By: NW on Fri, 29 October 2010 18:18 |
|
|
Re: I agree with Saben
By: timmy on Fri, 29 October 2010 19:09 |
|
|
Re: I agree with Saben
By: timmy on Fri, 29 October 2010 16:50 |
|
|
Re: I agree with Saben
By: NW on Fri, 29 October 2010 18:14 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: timmy on Thu, 28 October 2010 23:07 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: timmy on Thu, 28 October 2010 08:02 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: saben on Thu, 28 October 2010 14:09 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
By: timmy on Thu, 28 October 2010 19:09 |
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Re: Shedding a little light
|
|
|
Thank you D'Artagnon® ...
|
|
|
Re: Thank you D'Artagnon® ...
|
|
|
Re: Thank you D'Artagnon® ...
By: timmy on Sun, 31 October 2010 20:15 |
Goto Forum:
[  ] |
A Place of Safety
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
