:::: REPOST :::
Melissa Etheridge
The Choice Is Ours Now
This is a message for my brothers and sisters who have fought so long and so hard for gay rights and liberty. We have spent a long time climbing up this mountain, looking at the impossible, changing a thousand year-old paradigm. We have asked for the right to love the human of our choice, and to be protected equally under the laws of this great country. The road at times has been so bloody, and so horrible, and so disheartening. From being blamed for 9/11 and Katrina, to hateful crimes committed against us, we are battle weary. We watched as our nation took a step in the right direction, against all odds and elected Barack Obama as our next leader. Then we wer e jerk ed back into the last century as we watched o ur rights taken away by prop 8 in California. Still sore and angry we felt another slap in the face as the man we helped get elected seemingly invited a gay-hater to address the world at his inauguration.
I hadn't heard of Pastor Rick Warren before all of this. When I heard the news, in its neat little sound bite form that we are so accustomed to, it painted the picture for me. This Pastor Rick must surely be one hate spouting, money grabbing, bad hair televangelist like all the others. He probably has his own gay little secret bathroom stall somewhere, you know. One more hater working up his congregation to hate the gays, comparing us to pedophiles and those who commit incest, blah blah blah. Same 'ole thing. Would I be boycotting the inauguration? Would we be marching again?
Well, I have to tell you my friends, the universe has a sense of humor and indeed works in mysterious ways. As I was winding down the promotion for my Christmas album I had one more stop last night. I'd agreed to play a song I'd written with my friend Salman Ahmed, a Sufi Muslim from Pakistan. The song is called "Ring The Bells," and it's a call for peace and unity in our world. We were going to perform our song for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a group of Muslim Americans that tries to raise awareness in this country, and the world, about the majority of go od, loving, Muslims. I was honored, considering some in the Muslim religion consider singing to be against God, while other Muslim countries have hars h penalties, even death for homosexuals. I felt it was a very brave gesture for them to make. I received a call the day before to inform me of the keynote speaker that nigh t... Pastor Rick Warren. I was stunned. My fight or flight instinct took over , should I cancel? Then a calm voice inside me said, "Are you really about peace or not?"
I told my manager to reach out to Pastor Warren and say "In the spirit of unity I would like to talk to him." They gave him my phone number. On the day of the conference I received a call from Pastor Rick, and before I could say anything, he told me what a fan he was. He had most of my albums from the very first one. What? This didn't sound like a gay hater, much less a preacher. He explained in very thoughtful words that as a Christian he believed in equal rights for everyone. He believed every loving relationship should have equal protection. He struggled with proposition 8 because he didn't want to see marriage redefined as anything other than between a man and a woman. He said he regretted his choice of wo rds in his video message to his congregation about proposition 8 when he mentioned pedophiles and those who commit incest. He said that in no way, is that how he thought about gays. He invited me to his church, I invited him to my home to meet my wife a nd kids. He told me of his wife's struggle with breast cancer just a year before mine.
When we met later that night, he entered the room with open arms and an open heart. We agreed to build bridges to the future.
Brothers and sisters the choice is ours now. We have the world's attention. We have the capability to create change, awesome change in this world, but before we change minds we must change hearts. Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise that are beginning to listen. They don't hate us, they fear change. Maybe in our anger, as we consider marches and boycotts, perhaps we can consider stretching out our hands. Maybe instead of marching on his church, we can show up en mass and volunteer for one of the many organizations affiliated with his church that work for HIV/AIDS causes a ll aro und the world.
Maybe if they get to know us, they wont fear us.
I know, call me a dreamer, but I feel a new era is upon us.
I will be attending the inauguration with my family, and with hope in my heart. I know we are headed in the direction of marriage equality and equal protection for all families.
Happy Holidays my friends and a Happy New Year to you.
Peace on earth, goodwill toward all men and women... and everyone in-between.
The media does not talk about such things....
Let's make this clear: The media is the voice for the powerful in government and corporations. Having lost its rudder... it does NOT speak for people on country roads or city streets. Suits sign their checks. Suits run the assignments. Suits define "what is news." That is the road to irrelevance to which the media... whether print or broadcast... can not get off... even though that light it sees at the end is oblivion.
THE media has fed us nothing but conflict for years.
Man vs Woman
Thief vs Convenience store clerk
Muslim vs Christian
Black vs White
Gay vs Straight
Rich vs Poor
healthy vs the chronically ill
GOP vs Democrat
etc. ad infinitum
Like the politicians and corporate executives for whom they speak.... they generate profits from the heated friction that is a product of the polarizaton they create. Their cash registers rang by pumping conflict... wrongly believing we will be satisfied and compliant if they show us pain that is not felt in our house. But now, that the economy is trashed and wars suck most of our resources... and no family is untouched by the misery of the conflict media promotes... their anesthesia no longer works. Like an abusing spouse unable to change his ways, the media and its relationship to us is doomed. Just let it fade away, lead by the masters of the hate and fear mongering like Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reily, Beck and their less significant apostles of mistrust and discord like Cunningham and Schnitt and Levine.
Let them all fade away. And when they are all gone... we can start over with a new business model - the one that was used to start spreading what was really news a couple centuries ago. John Peter Zenger went to court to clear the way for freedom of the press in 1735 and it still took 40-more years for the writings of Jefferson and Franklin, Patrick Henry, and Abigail Adams and their protests over an unjust government (and all the social ills it caused) lead to the birth of our nation. With the technological advances they lacked... the 2009 revolution has already started. Bid the old media farewell, as we created a new way to spread the news.... one based on what the people want, instead of what the powerful dictate.
It's coming... sooner than expected. The old media is moving quickly toward its own mass suicide.
Jon Duffey
T¢was the Night Before Inauguration
From: Linda J. Drigant
Subject: [HarlemforObama] Twas the Night Before Inauguration
To: "Harlem for Obama" <HarlemforObama@groups.barackobama.com>
Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 10:07 PM
T¢was the Night Before Inauguration
T'was the night before inauguration and what to my dismay
The market was tanking, I lost my 401K!
The stocks were hung, in downfall they stuck
While Bush did nothing, a truly lame duck
The republicans were nestled, their heads in the sand
With visions of defeat of the republican brand.
And Cheney with his gun, his heart a pace
Looking for someone, to shoot in the face.
When out on the house floor, there came such a clatter
I sprang to the internets to find what's the matter.
Away to my screen I ran with a flash
Hoping the market, didn't crash.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
Showed me someone I needed to know.
When what to my eyes, I paused, with a comma
But a vision of hope, It was Barack Obama!
With excitement and conviction in each of his steps
I wondered what he and his elves, w ould do next.
More rapid than eagles his appointments they came
And he whistled and shouted, and called them by name.
Now Emanuel! Now, Dashle! Now Richardson and Biden!
On, Clinton , On Napolitano, and Gates, no sense in hiding!
To fix the economy, our reputation and more.
And to stop the killing of this unnecessary war.
As Obama stood still, the republicans they trembled
Remembering 8 years of a disaster they had assembled.
They've broken our banks, and doubled our debt.
They scared us to death with weapons of threats.
They squandered a surplus, They started a war.
They shredded our constitution, littered on the floor.
They attack our unions, our immigrants and those who are gay.
They claim to be Christians, yet on the sick they prey.
We may never recover from this hole they dug..
But we will climb to the top with a American tug.
The republican party have destroyed all that matters
They deserve nothing more but to hold the damn ladder.
But his voice did change, along with a smile.
Thinking of the bills that soon would be filed.
Protect those who are old and young alike
Restore our honor and our military might.
Protect our planet, and clean our air.
While creating a surplus we can leave to our heirs
Fix our economy, and health care for all.
And honor those who fought, and those who fall.
Obama sprang to his feet, to his team he gave a shout.
The challenges seem impossible, hard work needed no doubt
But I heard him exclaim ere he talked and ran.
Hey! It's not just a slogan, YES WE CAN!
--------
Have a great Holiday everyone.
There is hope in the White House!
YES WE DID!!!!
Linda
Linda J. Drigant
Inwood/Ft. Tryon for Barack Obama