Our Resposibility

I think to start this conversation, we have to go back to 1998.  In a quiet rural town in Wyoming, the horrific beating, torture, & subsequent death of Matthew Shepard brought to light the need of Hate Crimes legislation.  Matthew was targeted, humiliated, tortured, beaten, and left to die.  What was his transgression?  He was gay.  That's all it took.  An enraged nation rallied together, from coast to coast, from urban to rural, to combat this particularly atrocious type of crime.  The discussion about the treatment & attitudes toward LGBT people was reignited.  The push for local, state, & federal hate crimes legislation began.  National Gay Rights organizations began their work in earnest to ensure this wouldn't happen again.  Matthew Shepard became the newest unfortunate martyr of the cause.

Now, almost 15 years later, we have made great strides in the fight for equality.  Gay Marriage is legal in 6 states, with more to come.  The Matthew Shepard Act added protections to the Federal Hate Crimes Act that included actual or perceived gender identity & sexual orientation.  Localities have added sexual orientation to the languages of their Human Rights ordinances.  The momentum seemed to have finally been on the side of progress.  We had made a big dent in homophobic behavior, until we realized an old & most insidious plague had gone forgotten & unmentioned. 

Bullying has been in the world since time immemorial.  Everyone tasted the bitter sting of a school yard bully, or the ignorant colleague that hadn't grown up. It was long considered that taking a little bullying was part of the 'growing up' process. It helps to grow a thick skin for that hard & unforgiving world that we were being sent into.  When it became to much, there was escape at home, or in the simple company of friends.  However, the world has gotten smaller with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, & smartphones.  Finding a reprieve from the school yard bully wasn't as simple as it used to be.  The anonymous nature of the Internet had multiplied the bully population like a gremlin who broke into Wal-Mart at midnight.  They can be faceless, nameless entities calling you things that people would have never considered saying in person.  They belittle from a distance, without the risk of reproach or culpability.  This simple coming-of-age torment has grown into a life & death struggle.

Young people who show the slightest bit of deviation from perceived norms are walking, talking targets for the neo-bully.  Those that are bullied, bully others, and down the line it goes until it meets a fateful & tragic end.  We are empowered to lead by example.  The next generation looks to the one before it for the guidelines of acceptable behavior.  Sadly, the next generation has been lead down the primrose path regarding the treatment of their fellow human.

What do they see when they look for guidance in what they are supposed to perceive as acceptable?  It's certainly not what I was sold as 'acceptable' when I grew up.  Everyone from parents and teachers to our politicians and leaders have let down an entire generation of Americans.  The next generation is modeling their behavior on bigotry, hate speech, marginalization of those that are different from them, and indoctrinating intolerance.  

We see on a weekly basis, young gay kids killing themselves because they are being humiliated, torn down, & thrown to the side.  Our schools fail to respond to this epidemic.  The adults that are supposed to protect them, turn their backs.  The politicians that seek high elected office, tell them in no uncertain terms, they are less than, unequal, immoral, and unwanted.  Where are they supposed to turn?

Our current political climate has raised the stakes even further.  I thought that openly spreading hate & bigotry was a thing of the all too recent past.  We find Rick Perry staging gay people as the primary weapon in the destruction of religion.  Michelle Bachman and her husband openly run a clinic that attempts to 'cure' homosexuality. Rick Santorum seriously believes that waging war against the homosexuals is more important than the economy!

 What has happened in this society, that these people raise to the level of 'Presidential Candidate?'  The majority of Republican candidates, and the party as a whole, railed against the repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell.'  They spouted far and wide, well within our children's influential ears, that gay people would destabilize our national security.  The LGBT community is one of the biggest targets of the so-called 'Religious Right' and 'Conservative Ideology.'  All to often, I hear parents regurgitating this garbage as if it was handed down to them in a gospel.  How are the young people that look to 'respected adults' for guidance supposed to act?

The bullies are taking their queues from us.  We give them the ammunition they need to continue this war on each other.  We are on the precipice of unraveling 40 years of social progress because we are failing to keep the most ignorant and hate-filled among us in check.  I don't propose that they shouldn't be allowed to say whatever indignant, venomous, vicious, & antiquated slop they choose to.  I would fight for their right to free speech as much as for my own.  

I say, it is our responsibility in this society to raise up our voices to drown out the spewing of acidic hate.  It is our responsibility to exercise our right to free speech, and take to task each and every bigoted, racist, homophobic, misogynistic  hate monger that stands up.  We have an entire generation of children under attack.  

It is our responsibility to protect them.

It is our responsibility to teach them.

It is our responsibility to keep them alive.  

It is OUR responsibility.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

The rivers haven’t turned to blood.  The locusts haven’t consumed the harvest.  Dogs still chase cats.  The world hasn’t stopped spinning around the sun.

**BREAKING NEWS**

GAY MARRIAGE DIDN’T END THE WORLD!

Almost two years have passed since the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that barring gay couples from the right to marry is unconstitutional.  In that time, the prognostications of the religious right have fallen flat.  The ridiculous fears and bigoted rhetoric that encompassed the Court’s decision have been proven just that, bigoted rhetoric.  A survey conducted 18 months after the ban was lifted, showed that 92% of Iowans felt that their lives were ‘unaffected’ by the ruling.

All of that being said, we find ourselves once again being bombarded by hate speech.  A public hearing was held tonight in Des Moines where people were given the opportunity to speak their mind on this issue.  The divisive nature of this gathering was made eerily clear by the wearing of colors.  Blue vs. Red.  Sounds familiar right?  Who wore the colors shouldn’t surprise you either!  The pro-equality crowd donned as much blue as their frames could support, while the pro-discrimination crowd wore all red their hate could muster.  Now that the Iowa Governor’s Mansion is occupied by Terry Branstad, and half of the Statehouse is under the control of Republicans, the shadow of hate and bigotry has once again befallen Iowa.

Iowans have been historically proud of their progressive roots.  The first amendment of Article One in the Iowa State Constitution reads,

“All men and women are, by nature, free and equal, and have certain inalienable rights--among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness.”

As Iowans, we have had a history of progressive policies & equality for all.  The first decision ever handed down from the newly minted Iowa Supreme Court, was to abolish slavery.  They did this 20 years before the US Supreme Court ever heard the issue.  Iowa was the first to end “Separate but Equal,” 80 years in advance of the US Supreme Court.  Iowa was the first to grant equal access to education, interracial marriage, and the list goes on.  So why now, when Iowa has broken down yet another barrier of discrimination, are our leaders & some of our citizenry, trying to turn back the clock?  

The history of our great nation is one of escaping the tyrannical boot heel of religious and political oppression.  “He who does not learn from history, is condemned to repeat it!”  This turn of phrase has such relevance now.  Our nation was besmirched with the lasting stains of slavery & Jim Crow.  Women’s Suffrage was a long and hard fought battle to grant their right to vote.  Does our history not give us lessons?  Does it not teach us the consequences of blatant hatred & ignorance?  The fight for civil rights in this country have gone on long enough!  This is the 21st century.  We have long reflected on the painful mistakes of our past.  The lifting of obvious infringements on civil rights shouldn’t require debate or moral equivocation.  

I am at a loss to understand the so-called ‘conservative’ ideology.  When did it become acceptable to advocate bigotry on such a pervasive level.  Who walked up to the metaphorical clock, and spun it like the wheel on the Price is Right?  It frightens me that the message we’re sending to our future generations is so filled with ignorance.  What will they say when they look back and see their fore-bearers were advocates of creating a second-class of citizens.  

The logic behind these backward and twisted arguments is one that, frankly, shouldn’t be in the debate.  The freedom of religion, is also freedom FROM religion.  Marriage is a civil contract.  There haven’t been any attempts to tell churches they have to marry same-sex couples.  When the first amendment says, “Congress shall pass no law regarding the establishment of Religion,” it is also meant to protect us from Religion establishing law.  The basis of this entire issue boils down to one response uttered tonight at a public hearing in Des Moines,

“The only proof I need to define marriage between one man and one woman the Bible, God’s word.  God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.”

I often wonder if these people have ever really read the bible?  Do they think that we should kill people for eating shrimp and lobster?  Do they believe we should still have slaves?  Do they believe that stoning someone to death in the town square is an ‘ok’ punishment for missing Sunday Service?  All of these things are in the Bible too.

America, Iowa especially, isn’t supposed to be a place of exclusion & bigotry.  We are a land of freedom and equality.  I think it’s time people start to remember that!

All Politics Are Local

This is a letter I sent to the Editor of the Telegraph Herald here in Dubuque.  So, I decided that I should post it here too.  

Letter to the Editor

Telegraph Herald

Dubuque, Iowa

1.13.11

The recent tragedies in Tucson, AZ have forced our national community to examine many facets of our public discourse. We must examine everything from political rhetoric to gun control laws. This devastating horror may have occurred thousands of miles for our Dubuque neighborhoods, yet, the message has a very local tenor. Our local community has been fortunate not to have to endure the indescribable sorrow brought by the indefensible actions of a crazed gunman. However, our own local issues and the means by which we engage them has to be examined. 

One of the most divisive & tumultuous issues our Midwestern hamlet has had to debate recently, is one the nation has been debating for decades. The existence of a local Planned Parenthood clinic in Dubuque has brought out the passion and the fervor of our local denizens. While passionate and engaging discourse is critical to our democracy, the means by which we carry out this conversation is critical. In his speech at the Tucson Memorial, President Obama implored our national conscience to respond the better angels of our nature.  There is a great deal of intensity on both sides of this issue. One of the most important privileges living in this great nation is the right to engage is fervent debate. However, while exercising this right, we must call upon all sides to do so in a civilized manner. 

The first amendment to our grand Constitution bestows upon us the many rights that have created the greatest democracy the world has known. Sadly, some have chosen to pervert this freedom. Protesting serves a purpose. It gives the broader community a chance to see, and take in your opinions. It does not give anyone the right to harass. The Planned Parenthood clinic in Dubuque provides a multitude of medical services to their patients. A very small part of that service regimen is abortions. The dedicated protesters who have planted their roots outside the clinic since it’s inception, do not seem to understand this. They also do not seem to understand limits. Harassing patients as they enter and depart, following them down the street, taking photos of cars and their license plates. These are not the means by which we should engage. This is a tactic of fear, persecution, & intimidation. Using information gathered from their privacy-violating tactics, they send graphic & tasteless images of stillborn children on postcards. Is this really what was intended by our founders? I think not. 

The recent horrors our nation has witnessed has brought to the forefront the manner in which we engage each other. We are purported to be a civilized nation, able to engage in civilized debate to discuss the issues of our time. These tactics used by Dubuque Right To Life and other organizations must be condemned. The supporters of these organizations must be told that should these tactics continue, they will withdraw support. Our national interests are not served by fear and intimidation. There must be an outcry. There must be a civilized nature to our discourse. I call upon the Dubuque community to let these organization know we do not support these tactics. It’s time we regain a semblance of civility. This isn’t the manner a civilized community behaves.

Second Amendment Remedies

The recent events in Tucson, AZ have sent waves of horror and shock throughout the nation.  A perfectly calm Saturday morning in a calm and humble Southwestern suburb…   Isn’t that the way these scenarios always play out?  The serene nature of our society rocked by bedlam.  

Once again, an all too familiar play acted itself out in an American city.  A crazed gunman, bent on death, dealt a hand of devastation.  This time around, even more attention and hand ringing comes to bear because one of the victims is a member of Congress.  Headlines screaming, “6 DEAD, 14 WOUNDED” flair the worries and fears of a nation.  A moment of silence, a somber statement from the White House, political finger pointing, and the thoughts and prayers of a nation are all too common.  It would seem that there is a playbook that doesn’t even require dusting.  

Once again, we try to place the blame.  Was this troubled 22 year old man influenced by overly heated political vitriol?  Did all the right people miss all the signs?  How was this crazed lunatic able to purchase a gun?  All of these questions are viable.  They all need to be answered.  

Our country is touted as the greatest hope for freedom across the globe.  The opportunities run aplenty. The unending chase for the American dream seduces the hopes of the masses.  Yet, in the midst of this great experiment in democracy, we find ourselves amidst inconceivable horror time and time again.  In the shadow of the tragedy in Tucson, I found myself asking the same questions as most in the country were.  What caused this? What failure in our society allowed this to happen?  I firmly understand that the unhinged & tortured minds of people that commit these acts are not always able to be stopped.  So then, is it not incumbent upon us, as a society, to find ways to make it as difficult as possible for the fringed minds to accomplish these tasks.

It leads me to one inescapable conclusion:  GUNS.  That’s right.  I’m going to go down that road.  If this demented soul hadn’t have been able to go down to his local “sportsman’s” depot, and buy a handgun, would this have happened?  The pundits on the side of the NRA and so-called “gun rights” say he slipped through the cracks.  His mental instabilities were noticed by college faculty, friends, and his parents were informed of his “problems.”  Yet, because he was never found to be “mentally ill” by a court, and he had no felonies…  The “instant” background check said he was free and clear to bear arms.  The gunman at Virginia Tech, same scenario.  This has been the situation time and time again.  People slipping through the cracks of a system that is so politicized, it’s practical uses are marginal.

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

When our nation’s forefathers and framers of the US Constitution penned these ubiquitous words, the need was immanent.  We had just rebelled against the largest empire in the world.  The brave and noble founders of our country were compelled to protect our fledgling nation.  We had no real military to speak of.  We were a ragtag group of colonists that demanded our freedom.  We repelled the boot of tyranny and oppression, and began the greatest experiment of government in human history.  Our minimal population, in order to keep and protect the values that compelled our revolution, required a means to maintain it.  The former colonists, now citizens of a new nation, required the protections from any that would impinge our capability to defend, and if necessary, repel. It all made sense.

In the intervening centuries, we have become the most powerful nation in the history of the world.  Our economic, political, and military force can alter the very fabric of the global society.  We have built a defensive force in our armed services that has defeated some of the greatest threats civilization has known.  Do we attribute these great strides to the right of our populous to arm themselves?  No.  We attribute our strength to the resolve and determination of generations of Americans who have fought and died to protect the freedoms that guided our nation’s founding.  We, not even once, have had to repel our borders from foreign threat.

The terms, ‘A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state…’ are now antiquated.  The very fabric of our democracy is based on the right of ‘One Person, One Vote.’ We make changes to our government at the ballot box, not within a box of bullets.  So then, why must we maintain the ability ‘keep and bear arms?’  The purpose of the Second Amendment has faded into the rich history of our country.  We no longer need to maintain a militia. We have local, state, and federal law enforcement.  We have our military.  Only the fringe elements see the need to overthrow our government by force.  Yet, somewhere in our national consciousness, there is a need for this archaic ‘right.’  

I think it not only necessary, but vital, that our leaders act as such.  It’s time for the ‘adults’ to talk.  The flimsy arguments that we are going to stop sportsmen from hunting, or creating a society that cannot protect itself are blatantly false.  Our nation is on the precipice of unthinkable devolution to a time long forgotten.  This is not the Wild West.  There is no need to carry a weapon on your hip, to keep an arsenal in your closet.  It’s time, as a nation, we grow up.  The tragic lessons of Tucson, Virginia Tech, and all the senseless tragedies we have endured must be heeded.  

It’s time to grow up.