Pursuing Happiness in Charlottesville

I have posted a number of times about visiting Charlottesville, Virginia, and indicated some of the nice aspects of the 40,000 population city which is home of my Alma mater, the University of Virginia. Recently, I had noticed that Out Traveler cited Charlottesville as a blue island in a red state in a brief article. Now 365gay.com has an online article (http://www.365gay.com/lifestylechannel/travel/111307travel.htm) on the city. Here are some highlights:

Charlottesville is a small blue city tucked into a mostly red state. Gay bumper stickers are on cars parked near the Downtown Mall, the pedestrian-only part of Main Street lined with antique stores, music venues, bookstores and restaurants—and the office of the Charlottesville Democrats. Unlike Richmond, an hour to the east, or the Shenandoah Valley, an hour west, no Civil War battles were fought here. No Revolutionary War battles either, though in 1781 Hessian soldiers did come knocking on the door of Monticello, Jefferson’s plantation, only to find that he had been warned away by the South’s version of Paul Revere and had fled the Redcoats just an hour before.

But this is the area where the main thinkers behind the Monroe Doctrine, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence wiled away their hours, mulling over the startling ideas that would lead to the founding of our country (ideas they didn’t always practice themselves, as they were slaveholders). That independent spirit lives on. The Charlottesville City Council consistently supports gay rights, and Charlottesville voters tend to support gay issues overwhelmingly, even though most Virginians don’t.

It is likely that this has a lot to do with the progressive University of Virginia, designed by Jefferson, whose grounds (insiders know the school’s buildings and property is never called a “campus”; it’s a fussy local tradition) reins over the city’s heart and center. The charming neoclassical buildings (and the cuties playing Frisbee or studying on the Lawn) make the university a fun place to tour on a bright afternoon.

But the crowning glory of presidential houses is Monticello, which is Jefferson’s mind in brick and glass. A compass spins in the porch ceiling; a calendar propelled by weights tells the day in the entrance hall; books in six languages line the library; windows are triple-hung and slide up to let the mountain breezes in. Tour guides encourage you to try a few of the native, heirloom fruits and vegetables in the garden – some figs to sustain you on your walk, or a crisp, crescent-shaped pepper.

While you walk the grounds, you can meditate on the Jeffersonian idea that we are all entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – in this corner of Virginia, it all seems possible.

War Veterans' Suicide Rate "Stunning"

I have previously posted on the fact that Chimperator Bush's regime has alarmingly failed to properly look out for the needs of returning Iraq War veterans, including in the area of mental health care. Disingenuously saying that one supports the troops - as does the Chimperator constantly - while in fact doing nothing is despicable. As the following story suggests, it appears that the Department of Veteran's Affairs may be understating the true size of the problem, apparently on purpose (Bush bureaucrats lie? What a surprise!). This CBS story (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/13/earlyshow/main3494261.shtml) indicates just how serious the problem actually is in fact:

(CBS) Some of America's 25 million veterans face their biggest fight when they return home from the battlefield -- when they take on mental illness. And, a CBS News analysis reveals they lose that battle, and take their own lives, at a clip described by various experts as "stunning" and "alarming," according to Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian. One called it a "hidden epidemic." He says no one had ever counted just how many suicides there are nationwide among those who had served in the military -- until now. The five-month CBS News probe, based upon a detailed analysis of data obtained from death records from 2004 and 2005, found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 as non-vets.

A recent Veteran Affairs Department estimate says some 5,000 ex-servicemen and women will commit suicide this year, largely as a result of mental health issues, and Keteyian says, "Our numbers are much higher than that, overall." He says the numbers in the CBS News study shocked everyone from Sen. Patty Murray (D, Wash.) to veterans' rights advocate Paul Sullivan.

Staff Sgt. Justin Reyes spent a violent year serving in Iraq. "The war didn't end foe him when he came home," says his mother, Jean Willis. "I think he was being tormented and tortured by his experiences." Medical records show Reyes suffered severe psychological trauma after witnessing "multiple dead" and having to "sort through badly mutilated bodies," Keteyian reports. Earlier this year, a month after separating from the Army, Reyes hanged himself with a cord in his apartment. He was 26.

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Abstinence-Only Sex-Ed Funds Cut Off by Virginia Governor Kaine

It is about time that someone stops throwing more money down the abstinence-only sex education rat hole. I am happy to see that Virginia's Governor is joining those in the in the forefront of rejecting this non-productive, charity handout of tax dollars to Christianist organizations. No doubt the Christianist wingnuts at The Family Foundation (Daddy Dobson's Virginia affiliate) and within the leadership of the Republican Party of Virginia will be having vapors. (NOTE: the above photo is dedicated to Victoria Cobb at the Family Foundation) Here are highlights from the Washington Post ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201716.html?hpid=sec-education):

RICHMOND, Nov. 12 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has cut off state funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, citing recent studies finding that teenagers should also be taught about birth control and condoms to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Kaine (D) submitted plans last month to close a budget shortfall in part by eliminating a $275,000 matching grant for a federal program that provided funds for 14 nonprofit groups that taught abstinence only.

Delacey Skinner, Kaine's communications director, said the governor believes that effective sex education programs must include information about contraceptives as well as abstinence. "The governor supports abstinence-based education, but the governor wants to see us funding programs that are evidenced-based," said Skinner, who added that Virginia will now offer "more comprehensive" sex education.

With the move, Virginia becomes the 14th state to refuse to support abstinence-only education. Several social conservatives reacted angrily, accusing Kaine and Planned Parenthood of hiding his decision until after the Nov. 6 election. Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax) said he will try to get the General Assembly to reverse Kaine's decision when it convenes in January. "The longer you delay the commencement of sexual activity, you have healthier and happier kids and more successful kids," said Cuccinelli, a conservative who beat his Democratic challenger this year by 92 votes, pending a possible recount.

Reid said last week's election, in which Democrats took control of the state Senate and made gains in the House, confirms that voters support Kaine's approach. "People are tired of ideology. We want common-sense approaches to issues," Reid said. "Governor Kaine took a common-sense approach. We have a budget shortfall. This program has not shown to be effective in any way."

Reid and Skinner cited a study released in April that was commissioned by Congress. In the study, Mathematica Policy Research Inc. concluded that students in abstinence-only programs had similar numbers of sexual partners and first had sex at the same age as those who did not participate in the programs.

Middle-Class Dream Eludes African American Families

I would argue that if things continue in the direction they are currently headed, African-Americans will not be the only ones losing their grasps on the American Dream. The increasing turbulence in the housing market and the increased wave of foreclosures will annihilate the American Dream for many, The highlights from this Washington Post story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201711.html?nav=hcmodule) demonstrates what is happening:

Nearly half of African Americans born to middle-income parents in the late 1960s plunged into poverty or near-poverty as adults, according to a new study -- a perplexing finding that analysts say highlights the fragile nature of middle-class life for many African Americans. Overall, family incomes have risen for both blacks and whites over the past three decades. But in a society where the privileges of class and income most often perpetuate themselves from generation to generation, black Americans have had more difficulty than whites in transmitting those benefits to their children.

Forty-five percent of black children whose parents were solidly middle class in 1968 -- a stratum with a median income of $55,600 in inflation-adjusted dollars -- grew up to be among the lowest fifth of the nation's earners, with a median family income of $23,100. Only 16 percent of whites experienced similar downward mobility. At the same time, 48 percent of black children whose parents were in an economic bracket with a median family income of $41,700 sank into the lowest income group.

This troubling picture of black economic evolution is contained in a package of three reports being released today by the Pew Charitable Trusts that test the vitality of the American dream. Using a nationally representative data source that for nearly four decades has tracked people who were children in 1968, researchers attempted to answer two questions: Do Americans generally advance beyond their parents in terms of income? How much is that affected by race and gender?

Julia B. Isaacs, a researcher at the Brookings Institution who authored the three reports, noted that between 1974 and 2004, the median income for men in their 30s actually dropped 12 percent. But because more women entered the workforce, and earned much more than their mothers, median income for women more than tripled during the period, to $20,000. "The growth we've seen in family incomes is because of the increase in women's income," Isaacs said. "Without that, we would not have seen an increase, because men's earnings have been flat and even declined."

Note, that without the income of working women, earnings have NOT increased. Sadly, this is just more of the same when it comes to what is happening to US society, particularly under the reins of the current regime which is utterly and completely out of touch with who typical families live, whether they are gay or straight.

Tuesday Male Beauty

Religious Based Hatred and Bigotry is Not Unique to Iran

Closer to home, a similar mindset can be found in Southport, New York, where a local insurance agency is making its religion based anti-gay mentality painfully obvious. As this story indicates, the inability to separate religion from the civil laws is not unique to the murderous mullahs in Iran (http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071113/NEWS01/711130320/1001/NEWS):

With conviction as firm as his handshake, a Southport business owner has put up a sign at his insurance agency to take a stand against same-sex marriages in New York state.But some people say they are appalled by the sign and call it discriminatory.

Rick Piper, 56, owner of Auto Home and Family Insurance Center on Broadway, put a sign in the window of the business about a month ago that says "Save the kids -- Say no to gay marriage in NY." He is very clear about his reason for doing it."It's sin, that's all," he said, alluding to passages in the Bible against homosexuality. "It's not so much about how I feel about it. It's not an issue with me. It's an issue with God."

It must be nice to have such a direct link with God that one can know with total assurance - or is it delusion - who is worthy of condemnation. Obviously, Mr. Piper's company would not get my business and if I lived in Elmira, I probably would also complain to the companies for which his company writes policies. Having done a quick check on Mr. Piper's agency, he writes for the following insurance carriers: AIG Specialty Insurance, The Hartford, Drive Insurance from Progressive, Security Mutual, NY Mutual,The Hartford and Bankers Life. Piper's contact information is as follows: Auto Home and Family Insurance, 723B Broadway, Elmira, NY 14904, Phone: (607) 773-9677, Fax: (607) 734-5002, Email: piper-rick@stny.rr.com Apparently, none of the insurance companies were aware of Piper's plans:

Progressive Insurance, among the companies that Piper represents, also had nothing to do with the sign. "These are clearly the beliefs of the agency and are not shared by us," said Leslie Kolleda, a spokeswoman for the company, based in Mayfield Village, Ohio (440) 461-5000." Independent agents are not employees of any company. They represent multiple companies," she said. "Progressive happens to be the largest distributor of car insurance through independent agents."

Gays should be hanged, says Iranian minister

Why the international community does not stand firmer on human rights violations in Iran and other nations truly disturbs me. Sadly, in the case of Iran, it is probably explained with one word: Oil. Too many nations - like the USA - are hostage to their oil dependence and, therefore, will not force the issue. Meanwhile, people continue to die needless and gruesome deaths. Here are highlights from a London Times story (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2859606.ece) concerning the mentality currently governing in Iran:

Homosexuals deserve to be executed or tortured and possibly both, an Iranian leader told British MPs during a private meeting at a peace conference, The Times has learnt. Mohsen Yahyavi is the highest-ranked politician to admit that Iran believes in the death penalty for homosexuality after a spate of reports that gay youths were being hanged.

Britain regularly challenges Iran about its gay hangings, stonings and executions of adulterers and perceived moral criminals, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) papers show. The latest row involves a woman hanged this June in the town of Gorgan after becoming pregnant by her brother. He was absolved after expressing his remorse. Britain said that this demonstrated the unequal treatment of men and women in law and breached Iran’s pledge to restrict the death penalty to the most serious crimes.

A series of reported executions of gays, including two underage boys whose public hanging was posted on the internet, has alarmed human rights campaigners. The Pet Shop Boys dedicated Fundamental, their Grammy-nominated album, to Mahmoud Asqari and Ayad Marhouni, who were hanged in Justice Square in Mashhad in 2005. Graphic photographs of the execution of the youths, who were under 18 when arrested, were released by the Iranian Students News Agency.

When the Britons raised the hangings of Asqari and Marhouni, the leader of the Iranian delegation, Mr Yahyavi, a member of his parliament’s energy committee, was unflinching. He “explained that according to Islam gays and lesbianism were not permitted”, the record states. “He said that if homosexual activity is in private there is no problem, but those in overt activity should be executed [he initially said tortured but changed it to executed]. He argued that homosexuality is against human nature and that humans are here to reproduce. Homosexuals do not reproduce.”

Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Nigeria apply the death penalty for homosexuality, according to the International Lesbian and Gay Association.

Obviously, this horrible situation is yet one more reason for western energy independence. But for the power of their oil wealth, most of these countries would be powerless. It is also one of the reasons that I believe in general that religion is more often than not a force for evil in the world rather than a force for good.

The Perils of Pat Robertson's Endorsement

With Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani, I truly hope some in the media will put Giuliani on the spot concerning Robertson's many hate-filled and utterly whacked out positions. People for the American Way has put together a great summary of what exactly Robertson brings with his endorsement baggage wise (http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2007/11/the_perils_of_w.html?tr=y&auid=3166292). I recommend this page to you and hope it is enlightening and useful. Here are a few of Robertson's documented positions (the man is truly insane):

Abortion - 700 Club, 10-18-89 “First of all, the Supreme Court ruled that unborn babies weren’t human beings under the Constitution, and therefore we started an orgy of slaughter of our young...At that point we have said, our judges are waffling on life, our politicians refuse to act, and our people want to destroy unborn human life. And so God says, `Alright, if you continue the slaughter of the innocent, I’m going to begin to slaughter you.’”

Affirmative Action - 700 Club, 6-14-95 “There are groups in our society who are extremely able. The Chinese, for example, Asian-Americans, they’re extremely able and they always score high and are disproportionately represented in the high levels. Same thing generally with the Jewish people. They are very high achievers. They don’t like quotas because it will discriminate against them. If you say, `Well, you can only have five Chinese and two Jews, and so forth, and you’ve got to have fifteen Hispanics, etcetera.’ then all of sudden those people are denied their opportunities. And they are very intelligent and very vocal in society, and this is one of the reasons you’re seeing these decisions, I think. It’s unfair to these achieving groups, if you will, to deny them opportunities merely because they are of the wrong ethnic group. They consider it un-American.”

AIDS - 700 Club, 2-26-92 “It’s time...to treat this like any other disease and use all the public health standards including isolating the people who have it and knowing who they are and taking precautions about it.”

War on Christians - 700 Club, 9-18-97 “In America, if somebody’s a woman, a female -- protected. If somebody’s Hispanic -- protected. If somebody’s an Asian -- protected. If somebody’s an African American -- protected. If somebody’s Native American -- protected. If somebody’s disabled -- they’re protected. If somebody’s a homosexual -- protected. If somebody’s a Christian -- anathema. I mean no protection whatsoever to this group in America or anyplace else. And the politically correct philosophy being taught in our school does not encompass the rights of Christians.”

Homosexuality - 700 Club, 5-6-82 “You know, one of the great misnomers in our society is the term `gay.’ That somebody who is involved in something that is leading to suicide, where the V.D. rate is 11 times that of others, which are almost driven and ashamed and fearful and confused and psychotic and all the others that we read about plaguing this part of our society. The term gay is the most serious misuse of the English language. They’re not gay, they’re very, very depressed and miserable.” 700 Club, 1-21-93 “When lawlessness is abroad in the land, the same thing will happen here that happened in Nazi Germany. Many of those people involved in Adolph Hitler were Satanists. Many of them were homosexuals. The two things seem to go together.”

Other Religious Beliefs - 700 Club, 9-11-89 “Hinduism and many of the occult activities that come out of the Orient are inspired by demons and demon worship...There’s this concept that all religions are the same and all are good. That is not true. The worship of the Devil is not good.” 700 Club, 1-7-91 “[W]hat is Hinduism but Devil worship, ultimately?” 700 Club, 1-14-91 “You say, ‘You’re supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing.’ Nonsense. I don’t have to be nice to the spirit of the anti-Christ. I can love the people who hold false opinions, but I don’t have to be nice to them.”

Teaching Evolution - 700 Club, 11-10-05 “I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover. If there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city. And don’t wonder why He hasn’t helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I’m not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that’s the case, don’t ask for His help because he might not be there.”

Women - Fundraising Letter, 1992 “The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”

Final Monday Male Beauty