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...but first, a word from the host.

Sunday the 12th of October, 2008

Still Remembering…

Tribute to Matthew Shepard (Flash File)

My son Matthew did not look like a winner. After all, he was small for his age—weighing, at the most, 110 pounds, and standing only 5’2” tall. He was rather uncoordinated and wore braces from the age of 13 until the day he died. However, in his all too brief life, he proved that he was a winner. My son—a gentle, caring soul—proved that he was as tough as, if not tougher than, anyone I have ever heard of or known. On October 6, 1998, my son tried to show the world that he could win again. On October 12, 1998, my first-born son—and my hero—lost. On October 12, my first-born son—and my hero— died 50 days before his 22nd birthday. He died quietly, surrounded by family and friends, with his mother and brother holding his hand. All that I have left
now are the memories....

Matt officially died at 12:53 a.m. on Monday, October 12, 1998, in a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. He actually died on the outskirts of Laramie tied to a fence that Wednesday before, when you beat him. You, Mr. McKinney, with your friend Mr. Henderson, killed my son....

By the end of the beating, his body was just trying to survive. You left him out there by himself, but he wasn’t alone. There were his lifelong friends with him—friends that he had grown up with. You’re probably wondering who these friends were. First, he had the beautiful night sky with the same stars and moon that we used to look at through a telescope. Then, he had the daylight and the sun to shine on him one more time—one more cool, wonderful autumn day in Wyoming. His last day alive in Wyoming. His last day alive in the state that he always proudly called home. And through it all he was breathing in for the last time the smell of Wyoming sagebrush and the scent of pine trees from the snowy range. He heard the wind—the ever-present Wyoming wind—for the last time. He had one more friend with him. One he grew to know through his time in Sunday school and as an acolyte at St. Mark’s in Casper as well as through his visits to St. Matthew’s in Laramie. He had God....

I feel better knowing he wasn’t alone....

Mr. McKinney, one final comment before I sit, and this is the reason that I stand before you now. At no time since Matt was found at the fence and taken to the hospital have Judy and I made any statements about our beliefs concerning the death penalty. We felt that that would be an undue influence on any prospective juror. Judy has been quoted by some right-wing groups as being against the death penalty. It has been stated that Matt was against the death penalty. Both of these statements are wrong. We have held family discussions and talked about the death penalty. Matt believed that there were incidents and crimes that justified the death penalty. For example, he and I discussed the horrible death of James Byrd, Jr. in Jasper, Texas. It was his opinion that the death penalty should be sought and that no expense should be spared to bring those responsible for this murder to justice. Little did we know that the same response would come about involving Matt. I, too, believe in the death penalty. I would like nothing better than to see you die, Mr. McKinney. However, this is the time to begin the healing process. To show mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy. To use this as the first step in my own closure about losing Matt. Mr. McKinney, I am not doing this because of your family. I am definitely not doing this because of the crass and unwarranted pressures put on by the religious community. If anything, that hardens my resolve to see you die. Mr. McKinney, I’m going to grant you life, as hard as that is for me to do, because of Matthew. Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, or the Fourth of July, remember that Matt isn’t. Every time that you wake up in that prison cell, remember that you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. Every time that you see your cell mate, remember that you had a choice, and now you are living that choice. You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew every day for it.

Full Excerpt after the Break.

Scarecrow via Melissa Etheridge

Showers of your crimson blood
Seep into a nation calling up a flood
Of narrow minds who legislate
Thinly veiled intolerance
Bigotry and hate

But they tortured and burned you
They beat you and they tied you
They left you cold and breathing
For love they crucified you

I can’t forget hard as I try
This silhouette against the sky

Scarecrow crying
Waiting to die wondering why
Scarecrow trying
Angels will hold carry your soul away

This was our brother
This was our son
This shepherd young and mild
This unassuming one
We all gasp this can’t happen here
We’re all much too civilized
Where can these monsters hide

But they are knocking on our front door
They’re rocking in our cradles
They’re preaching in our churches
And eating at our tables

I search my soul
My heart and in my mind
To try and find forgiveness
This is someone child
With pain unreconciled
Filled up with father’s hate
Mother’s neglect
I can forgive But I will not forget

Scarecrow crying
Waiting to die wondering why
Scarecrow trying
Rising above all in the name of love

The rest of the story...

Wednesday the 19th of March, 2008

Change the Message!

Monday the 10th of March, 2008

Are you listening?

Monday the 11th of September, 2006

The 2996 Project - Remembering 9/11

The rest of the story...

Tuesday the 25th of July, 2006

Washington Supreme Court Announces Decision in Andersen v. King County Expected Tomorrow

Olympia, July 25, 2006-- The Washington Supreme Court has announced that a decision in Andersen v. King County, a consolidated case regarding Washington’s Defense of Marriage Act, is expected tomorrow, July 26, 2006. 

The Court’s opinion including any concurrences and dissents will be available online via the Washington Courts web site at www.courts.wa.gov in an Adobe Acrobat “PDF” format.

Friday the 14th of July, 2006

Discrimination in Action - Don’t Shop Edgar’s Bakery!

Today (Thursday, July 13, 2006) a friend of mine, Charlie Mollica, was fired from an executive management position with Edgar’s Bakeries because he is gay. The official reason Edgar’s gave was job performance but I ask you to consider this sequence of events.

Prior to coming to work for Edgar’s Bakeries, Charlie worked in management at the Bruno’s HQ for 26 years. One of Edgar’s co-owners, Terry Smith, actively recruited Charlie for 9 years before Charlie consented to come to work for Edgar’s. A couple of weeks ago Terry and his wife Dottie (the other co-owner) called Charlie in for a conference to discuss a rumor they had heard about him. You guessed it, they heard he was gay. Charlie did not deny the accusation. Terry and Dottie Smith responded with outrage and indignation and told Charlie he had deceived and tricked them and further, that his “chosen lifestyle” violated their Christian principles. To add insult to injury, they had a church elder come into the office to pray over him and ask God to heal him from his affliction. Also, Dottie Smith has been openly hostile toward Charlie since finding out that he way gay where she had been very congenial prior.

Then today, they (Terry and Dottie) called Charlie into the office when he is off on vacation to inform him he is being let go due to performance issues. Never mind that Charlie had not prior to today been informed that there were any performance issues and that no specifics were offered as to what those performance issues were. He was given no severance either. They simply asked him to clean out his desk and get out.

Charlie has, at the insistence of many friends, sought legal advice and his attorney assures him he has a very strong case. In the meantime, Charlie is out of a job and needs your thoughts, prayers, positive energy (whatever your mantra may be) and especially job leads! Charlie is updating his resume and will be forwarding a copy to me as soon as possible so if you have any leads, connections, thoughts, ideas, etc., please let me know and I’ll forward his resume along to you.

But, further, if you shop at Edgar’s Bakery I implore you to:

1. Stop shopping at Edgar’s!

2. Let Edgar’s know why. A company’s bad behavior cannot be changed solely by hitting them in the pocket book; they have to know why they are being hit in the pocket book. They also have to know that their customers are outraged by their behavior and will not tolerate it. This kind of discrimination does not just hurt Charlie, it hurts us all. The contact information for Edgar’s Bakery is:

Terry & Dottie Smith
499 Southgate Drive
Pelham, AL 35124

Phone: 205.987.0790
Fax: 205.987.8226
E-mail: dottiesmith@edgarsbakery.com

Additionally, whether you shop at Edgar’s Bakery or not I ask you to forward this e-mail to everyone in your address book.

Regards,

Barrie L. Limerick
mail@barrielimerick.com

Thursday the 10th of November, 2005

Senate panel OKs gay marriage ban

A proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage is expected to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week and a likely vote in the Senate next year after a Senate panel approved it Wednesday.

The Marriage Protection Amendment reads: “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any state, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”

The amendment would also rescind the Massachusetts precedent that made same-sex marriage legal in that state.

The rest of the story...

Wednesday the 2nd of November, 2005

A Letter from the ACLU

The ACLU participates in more cases before the Supreme Court than anyone besides the U.S. government itself.

Every time we step into that courtroom, fundamental freedoms are on the line. That will certainly be true later this month when ACLU attorney Jennifer Dalven, Deputy Director of our Reproductive Freedom Project, will step before the Justices of the Supreme Court to argue Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

With a decision in the Ayotte case, the Supreme Court could revoke the long-established principle that abortion restrictions must include exceptions to protect a woman’s health. This is the first abortion-related case to reach the Court in five years—and it will probably be the last time the ACLU argues a case before Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Justice O’Connor has provided more than a swing vote on the Court. She has been a moderating voice on critical civil liberties issues ranging from race to religion to reproductive freedom. We cannot know for certain how Judge Alito would vote in Ayotte or any other case, but there is no question that this nomination calls into question the delicate balance that Justice O’Connor has helped to shape and preserve.

For example, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Judge Alito voted to uphold a state law provision that required women to notify their husbands before having an abortion. Justice O’Connor joined with a majority of the court in rejecting his position. In addition, Judge Alito has been more willing to support state-sponsored religious displays than Justice O’Connor. And he has written several dissenting opinions on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that, if accepted, would have not only made it more difficult for victims of discrimination to prevail in bringing a suit, but would have made it more difficult for them to even get their case to a jury.

Other troubling positions in Judge Alito’s record includes:
Upholding the strip search of a mother and her ten-year old daughter, even though the warrant allowing the search did not name either of them.
Holding that Congress does not have the power under the Commerce Clause to restrict the transfer and possession of machine guns at gun shows.
Holding that Congress did not have authority to require state employers to comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Make no mistake about it. As the Senate considers the Alito nomination, we are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. The Bush Administration is claiming unprecedented national security powers, reproductive rights are in jeopardy, the teaching of evolution is under attack, and we continue to struggle with a legacy of discrimination.

The Supreme Court’s role as the ultimate safeguard of our constitutional liberties has never been more critical. With that stark reality in mind, the ACLU will, in the weeks ahead, compile a complete report on Judge Alito’s civil liberties record, including the good and the bad. And, with your help, we will make sure each and every Senator understands that record and acts on his or her obligation to protect the Supreme Court’s vital position in our constitutional democracy.

We’ll be counting on your support every step of the way.

Sincerely,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union

Wednesday the 28th of September, 2005

Just a matter of time…

Senator says storms are punishment from God
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
THOMAS SPENCER
News staff writer

Hurricane Katrina and other storms that battered the Gulf Coast were God’s judgment of sin, according to state Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo.

“New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have always been known for gambling, sin and wickedness,” Erwin wrote this week in a column he distributes to news outlets. “It is the kind of behavior that ultimately brings the judgment of God.”

After touring Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss., and Bayou La Batre, Erwin said he was awed and humbled by the power of the storm. But he wasn’t surprised.

The rest of the story...

Wednesday the 26th of January, 2005

Audio of the Idiot from ‘Bama

Thanks to AmericaBLOG.com for the audio.  (I’m hosting it off my server to save them bandwidth.)

Sheriff Mac Holcomb’s interview with Michangelo Signorile

Transcripts behind the link.

The rest of the story...

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