Defending Matthew

I’m pissed,

So what’s new, you ask? This time I’m not angry at a politician, I’m angry at 20/20. They are planning to air a story on Matt Shepard, where they paint his death as something other than a hate crime. Now if you haven’t seen the Laramie Project, go rent it…right now! For those of you who know the story, yes as awful as it seems, 20/20 reporter Elizabeth Vargas is going to agrue that Aaron McKinny and Russel Henderson were not motivated by homophobia when they tied Matt to a fence beat him into a coma and left him to die in the sub-zero temperatures.

I do not know her evidence (the show will air on Nov. 26th), but I do know her main sources are the killers themselves. McKinny and Henderson have been in prison for the past six years after they both admitted openly to killing Matt. The police have both of them on tape saying they wanted to “roll a faggot.” The constantly used the word faggot to describe Matt and admitted to laughing at how “faggoty” he was when he cried for mercy. However, now it seems they are changing their story so that it looks like Matt was part of an underground methamphetamine ring.

Hopefully you all see how insane this is by now, but I’m going to keep going because I’m livid. These men are killers! They openly admitted to brutally beating a young man to death in what their trial lawyers labeled as a “gay panic” because they were afraid Matt was hitting on them. Matt is dead because he was gay, and now his killers get a chance to rewrite the story. They are alive and well and talking to a journalist about how awful the man they murdered was, but Matt is gone. Because of them, he cannot defend his name. I’m cannot believe we live in a society that allows killers to override the memory of the people they killed.

Since Matt was killed 6 years ago, numerous hate crime laws have been passed that protect all of us from such acts of violence and send a clear message to others like McKinny and Henderson that we will not tolerate gay bashing. This story has the potential to cast doubt on all those protections. Please join me in writing to 20/20 and letting them know that we will not stand by and let them give Matt’s killers the voice to undermine all we have worked for.



Elizabeth Vargas is the reporter on this story. John Stossel (JohnStossel@abcnews.com) is the anchor, and David Sloan is the executive producer. Also, ABC Media Relation’s Alyssa Ziegler’s phone number is (212) 456-162.

Moving On

Hey folks,

Last week was hell. I hope you have all taken the time to grieve, because you need to do that before we can move on. We didn’t just lose an election; we lost the hopes and dreams that we had pinned on it. We lost a candidate that would have tried to make life better for all, and got left with a President that cares only about his own kind. Don’t let anyone make light of this; you have a right to be sad and scared and angry.

However, we have work to do, and it is now more important than ever to stand up to George Bush. So when you get past the stages of being sad and scared, hold on to angry! Anger is going to be just what we need to keep fighting for the next four years. Bush has a majority in the House and Senate, but he doesn’t have a super majority. We have the power to stop his judicial appointments, and we have an obligation to the next generations to do so. As many as 3 seats on the Supreme Court could open up in the next few years, and we need to make sure they are filled with level-headed individuals. These people will make the court decision that will shape this country for at least the next forty years. We can and will stop them from taking away the rights we have worked so hard for.

Next, we may not be able to change the outcome of the day-to-day debates that only need a simple majority to pass, but we can certainly slow the bleeding. We gave George Bush a run for his money. More people voted against Bush than any other candidate in history; let’s never let him forget that. Every wrong decision he makes should get him bombarded with letters and phone calls. While Bush may not have to face re-election, your Senators and Congresspeople do (some of them in just two years). Make sure they know how we feel about them, and let them know you vote in midterm elections.

Finally, if we have to, be willing to take to the streets. Talk politics with your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers. Get signs, picket, start petitions, and by God make trips to Washington for the rallies that will no doubt be taking place in the next few years. We may not be able to stop Bush, but if we can slow him down then we can limit the damage he can do.

Finally, and don’t let this get you down, but be prepared for the worst. Have a passport! They are only about $50 and they offer you a lot of security. Bush wants to make it harder to cross the border to Canada and Mexico. Take the extra steps to keep your options open (even if it’s just for a fishing trip or a Cancun vacation). Also, put some money aside. It is just common sense that you should have enough to live on for six months stashed away in a savings account. With the economy the way it is, no one is guaranteed a job (not to mention insurance). You will be better able to help others in the next four years if you have first taken care of your own needs. Hey, and if nothing happens we can all throw a major party when we get Democrats back in the White house in 2008.

Until then Keep on Keepin on,

Rachild

18 Points To Consider

I still get too choked up to wirte, but I wanted to pass this along to all of you. This is from Michael Moore and he makes some good points (and some fun ones), so listen to them and keep on keeping on.

Rachild

Dear Friends,
Ok, it sucks. Really sucks. But before you go and cash it all in, let's, in the words of Monty Python, 'always look on the bright side of life!' There IS some good news from Tuesday's election.

Here are 17 reasons not to slit your wrists:

1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.

2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults (Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always wrong (unless they are democrats) and you should never listen to them.

4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don't approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)

5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.

6. Illinois voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water,all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show tunes!

7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut. May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.

8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.

9. Unfortunately, Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married
in 11 new states. But thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't
have to buy now.

10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress, including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates can't.

11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!

12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.

13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3 chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the 2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53
chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47 chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber (Montana House) is still undecided. 14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than
the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out --and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the
ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.

15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from
office.

16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go
home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are coming!!!

17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time
since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November
2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.

Michael Moore

P.S. I'd like to add one of my own.

18. Rachild has another four years of fodder for her Blog!

Let's Talk about Tax, baby

So I keep hearing Republicans talk about how electing John Kerry President is a sure fire way to get our taxes raised. I guess that my first response is that John Kerry’s tax plan will not raise taxes on any individual that makes under 200,000 dollars a year. Now, I know who reads this blog, and that 99% of you do not fall into that category. I myself am currently sitting below the poverty level so the chances of John Kerry raising my taxes are . . . well let’s just say people in hell are more likely to get some ice water.

But let’s just pretend for a minute that taxes are going to get raised, who would you rather have spending you tax dollars? I for one would welcome the chance to have our taxes being handled by a democratic president. I think paying taxes under the Kerry administration would not only make our country a better place, I think it would end up saving me money in the long run.

O.K. honestly, I’m a bit of a socialist, meaning I believe that as a Chrisitian I am called to help take care of my fellow man, but even those of you who think with your wallet, stick with me here.

Take education for example, yes right now I don’t like paying taxes to George Bush’s education plan which ends up leaving over 9 million children behind (Look as what his budget cuts did to small town schools) but if John Kerry asked me to give some money to education I’d gladly give it. If our schools got more money maybe they would get better, any maybe they could even compete with private schools, saving Americans the millions of dollars they spend sending kids to non-public schools just so they have a fair shot at a real education. Not to mention that educated students get better jobs and stimulate the economy much more that the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy ever would. A highly educated generation would also help America compete in a global market with countries in Europe and Asia whose education systems are consistently ranked well above us in global tests. Those workers would then be able to pay more into social security making it cheaper for the generations above them to retire. Finally a solid education system prevents crime by keeping kids off the street, and providing them with a future too valuable to screw up by resorting to petty crime (this is a fact that has been confirmed constantly over the past 50 years by any number of studies done here in the U.S.A.). Get it?

Let’s do one more. Right now I wouldn’t want to pay taxes to the Bush camp because I know he is using that money to give breaks to pharmaceutical companies but under John Kerry I would be paying money to save money.

I may loose 300 dollars a year to the Bush Tax cuts but I really think I could make that up in what I pay for my allergy medicines alone. I spend $35 a month all year long for Zyrtec, $28 dollars a month for Flonase (September through January), and $25 twice a year for amoxicillin (sinus infections), which come to $610 year just for allergies (no major surgeries or injuries). If I were able to buy these same drugs from Canada I’d be able to knock that down to 285 a year saving me a whopping $325 per year which more than make up for the lousy $300 Bush gave me with his tax cut.

However this hasn’t even taken into account the human side of the problem, and that is that if John Kerry were in charge of our Tax Dollars we would finally be able to see that every child would have the medical attention they need. We are the most powerful country in the world and a woman is more likely to die during child birth here than in any other country in the western world. On top of that we are 27th in infant mortality rates. We are tied with Cuba when it comes to the rate at which babies die during infancy. George Bush talks and talks about abortion (even though he hasn’t done a thing to stop it) and at the same time he refuses to do anything about saving the lives of the children that are born in America. If my 300 tax dollars could save to the life of just one child, then some one please tell me where I can send the check.

So there you have it, I love paying taxes as long as they are being used correctly. If John Kerry can take my money and turn it around to save lives rather that throwing it into military budgets that destroy lives, then bring it on. We are richest nation in the world, let give some of that money to a democratic government that will put it to use, saving the lives of our children, securing a valid education for our youth, and providing affordable healthcare for our entire population.

The choice is yours,

Vote Democrat!