My wonderful friend Lori posted this on her FB last Thursday night.
Lori L wants equality for all. And she wants it now. Eleven years ago today when Matthew Shepard was found tied to a fence near Laramie, WY after being tortured. He died on Oct. 12, never regaining consciousness. Why? Because he was gay. http://en.wikipedi...a.org/wiki/Matthew_Shepard#The_murder
Simple and heartfelt.
I remember the morning I found out about the murder, and how horrible it felt. How shocking, confusing, and even bewildered I felt about the whole thing. It is unfathomable to be that anyone could see a crime so brutal, so evil, as anything but a hate crime. But here we are, in 2009, where town hall shouters and other cretins think circular arguments, yellow journalism and posthumous character assassination are the route to getting what they want. I'm not even going to try to define what they want, simply post the exchanges as they stand. For all of my former teachers and others with an interest in good writing, I beg your indulgence for any spelling and grammatical errors. I was a bit heated, and I don't think it's fair to edit my posts, since Mr Mitch can't edit his, and I have no desire to do it for him. I am only posting his responses, and my replies. Please feel free to comment on whether or not I am out of line in my approach, and contribute your own thoughts.
We begin with a reply by Mr. Mitch Mc,
Mitch Mc
I don't get how Shepard's murder has anything to do with equal rights. It seems to me it has more to do with acceptance, something that cannot be legislated against with a hate crime law. While the law may be a deterrent, in this case, murder is murder, and new laws don't bring back the dead, or teach compassion and acceptance to stupid rednecks.
I replied, with reasonable civility, I thought.
Rousselle M
It allows the feds to move in and make sure that when stupid rednecks are running local courts it won't get swept under the rug, for one thing. Perhaps you should do some reading about the history of lynching in this country, or gay bashing, and the lack of prosecutions without hate crimes laws. See also, Twinkie defence, the Jenny Jones murder, or just follow all the links at the wiki listed above to familiarize yourself with the topic a bit better.
Mr Mitch then proceeds to repeat himself, and implies the the Matthew Shepard case is not a "real case"
Mitch Mc
Again, I don't get how the Shepard case has anything to do with equal rights or justify new legislation. The Wyoming courts convicted the murderer to consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole, that's not what I would call a light sentence by rednecks running local courts. You assertion that the Shepard case was "swept under the rug" is bullshit.
How about you cite a real case and do the footwork to support your argument?
Now I 'm irritated.
Rousselle M
Clearly you did not read what I said. I was not referring to the Shepard case, that was shocking enough to get media attention which prevented that. I was referring to the concept of hate crimes which go beyond sexual orientation or not having the privilege of NOT having to deal with redneck assholes in a variety of forms. Clearly you think that the Shepard case was isolated, or the beginning of the problem. which is in fact part of the problem. Do you know anyone who has been queerbashed, or lived in fear because of their sexuality? I do. I have worked with organizations which address a variety of civil rights topics, not just gay rights. I have little time or patience for people who find civil rights an abstract for debating, it is offensive. Footwork? How about YOU volunteer some time at a Human Rights Organization, preferably a community center where you might actually meet somebody in the group you are so quick to minimize. Get some real life experience with the topic, and then tell me what's bullshit. It's not my responsibility to educate you or make you more sensitive. You don't get it because you don't give a damn, obviously you did not click on one single link on the Wikipedia page Lori listed, if you read the page at all. You just want to argue. The sad part is you don't even have a clue about just how ignorant of the reality of the situation you are.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_LGBT_people
Mr. Mitch loves to use words like correlation to make it sound like he's using reason. I love the phrase "pointless emotional response from gays" neatly putting LBGT people in a distinct and separate category. It also implies that he is, again using reason, and his critics are unreasonable, emotionally driven hysterics who don't get his point.
Mitch Mc
This is the same pointless emotional response I got from gays when trying to find out about prop 8. Not one could come up with anything but a baseless argument for " Equal rights" and not one person I tried to get answers from had a clue that prop 8 was about 5 federal tax exemptions for medical expenses and medical insurance expenses that were ... allowed for domestic partners in california but not on the federal tax return.
Here you go with the same bullshit.
You want to talk about an event, post a link. I see no correlation between the Shepard case and any civil rights violation.
You got a history of being gay bashed, take it out on someone else. You're right, I don't give a shit enough to engage in a fucking pissing contest with you.
And I have had enough.
Rousselle M
Oh, you're one of those. Fuck you. Sorry, you know what drama queens we "gays" are. Asshole.
Illuminating as the exchange has been, I don't like the fact that this cretin got to me, and I address Lori and the other readers.
Rousselle M
Lori, thank you for posting the link about Matthew Shepard, and for your compassion, though some may find it a "pointless emotional response". You have also provided a forum for someone who thinks that when he "tries to get answers" they should confirm his own prejudices, or it's "Bullshit". Smell the fear anyone?
For the record, I have never been officially "queer-bashed" although I have been intimidated by people who felt that gays should be tolerated only as long as they know their place, and that place is somewhat below White European male. I believe the traditional phrase, when applied to a certain minority group striving for equality, is uppity. Remember Lynn Westmoreland's comments about Obama last year? I guess there are a lot of things threatening those who still think Father Knows Best is the blueprint for American life.
The reality is, the lines are not that clear, especially where gender, sexual orientation, and identity are concerned. We all make judgments, sometimes based far too hastily on past experience and bad information. Sometimes this simply results in the annoying ramblings of some jackass who did it with his best friend one night when he was drunk in high school and never resolved it, or maybe ran away from the circle jerk because he was afraid the other boys would see how small his dick was and still wishes he had satisfied his curiosity. Sometimes it results in an Aaron McKinney or a Russell Henderson. With over 30 years of research into the reality of hate crimes against GLBT people, Elizabeth Vargas, Virginia Foxx and their ilk choose to consider Matthew Shepard's murderers and McKinneys inarticulate "girlfriend" Kristen Price as reliable sources of info and for creating a debate. More credible investigators have placed McKinney in particular into the "conflicted" category at best, and the seriously dissociated at worst.
The social forces which create these complicated dynamics are exactly why we need hate crimes legislation. And the insecure rationalizations of morons who debate the need for such protections only serve to highlight how essential the need is.
Thank you again Lori, for being one of the most uppity people I know and never knowing "your place". I am proud to be uppity too.
"They just wanted to beat him bad enough to teach him a lesson, not to come on to straight people, and don’t be aggressive about it anymore.” Kristen Price, Aaron McKinneys "girlfriend" 1998 to ABC News
"I do not think it was a hate crime at all. I never did." Kristen Price, to Elizabeth Vargas on ABC's 20/20, 2004
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy. Dr. Lawrence Britt
Oh, you're one of the sodomites. You should get AIDS and die, you pig! Why don't you see if you can sue me, you piece of garbage? Go eat a sausage and choke on it. Get trichinosis. Michael Savage
Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood. Coretta Scott King
Many of those people involved with Adolph Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals -- the two things seem to go together. Pat Robertson
The roots of homophobia are fear. Fear and more fear.
George Weinberg
Suddenly, Mr. Mitch has a change of heart and decides to piss one more time on Friday morning.
Mitch Mc
So what's your point? The sentences for Shepard's murderers were too lenient? Wyoming state courts failed to discharge fair and equal justice in the Shepard case?
Round, and round and round he goes, and where he stops, nobody knows. I decide to address him one more time.
Rousselle M
Yes, Mitchell, you found us out, the vast gay left-wing conspiracy. Matthew Shepard is the only gay man in history to ever have been mistreated, and we must hurry to use his senseless death to further our agenda to file medical exemptions on our state taxes as we move towards our goal of Single Payer Option for liberals and mandatory all-vegan school lunches. If I were you, I would go dig a hole in the ground and hide, because the Moonnenites are very very pissed that we bombed the moon this morning and they will be landing in their unicorn drawn moon buggies within hours. Since they are all hermaphrodites, you'd better be careful, long green beards or not, they may be checking you out as a possible incubator for the next generation of moon babies. Jump in that hole, it's your only chance.
And Lori responds
Lori L
The point is that as long as state and federal governments fail to recognize that a healthy segment of our population is treated differently based on something that was biologically predetermined then none of us are really safe.
And, unfortunately, in our society, this type of behavior is too often given a pass because the mindset says it okay to treat someone, anyone, who is perceived as the "other" different and disrespectfully.
Personally I find it extraordinarily heinous that Shephard was targeted because of who he was. And I firmly believe that one of the reasons he was targeted is because there are places, far too many of them, where gay-bashing is just fine. Finally, because gay-bashing is culturally accepted in some places (far too many places) it probably won't be changed until there is either a grassroots acceptance or one is that is mandate by the controlling authorities.
Lori let me know she was de-friending this assclown, so he can't attack like this anymore. In a way, it's a shame. The title of my blog at least implies that there is always something we can learn in what we see reflected in the world around us. And I in NO way intended to accuse Lori of providing a forum for nutjobs. The diversity of Lori's friends is amazing and makes her one of my regular reads. Sometimes I like the wackos and the insight I get into the world around me. And sometimes I only see the wacko on the surfaces, and not the person underneath. It's not that I think you can alway see or reach the person below the surface of the personality, but I hate it when it doesn't even occur to me to try. Because sometimes I miss things. By Friday night I felt like the most loved person in the world. Not simply because of those who reached out to me with kind words who shared my position, politically and ideologically but for those who didn't. I heard from conservative friends with gay loved ones and friends, at odds with their own communities. All too often being pressured into silence or ostracized for providing support. for those loved ones. It's relatively easy to be out in a big city, and not so easy in a small midwestern town. I knew that in 1980, when I came out in a small midwestern town. It is an essential part of the journey which has made me the person I am today. I wish things had changed more than they have. When a person I might have lumped into the category "conservative" reveals that they are questioning, that they don't feel like they are allowed to use reason and their heart to determine what is right I see a familiar reflection. When they tell me they feel lonely, isolated and like they are the only one that feels that way, I see that familiar reflection again. And I realize not only how much I have, and how far I have come, but how far others are capable of coming as well. And when I hear their concern for their children now and in the future and I see my feelings as a foster parent, godparent, and uncle reflected in them. And it was these feelings that fueled my ire at Mr. Mitch's heartless ramblings. I have no fear at all of what his attitude does I discover some solace in being reminded that I am not alone. I deplore people like Mr. Mitch, and I really doubt he'll change. And part of me knows that to shut out his feelings and reason the way he does isolates him. It's his choice. But such deliberate, self imposed isolation is it's own special hell, whether he realizes it or not. It's always a risk to reveal yourself for who you are, and to share how you feel with the world, but it's worth it. Matthew Shepard revealed himself honestly for who he was. It does not matter that a robbery may have been a small part of this crime. It doesn't matter if (as some have suggested) he revealed himself to the wrong people. In fact, that could get me started on another rant. If being friendly to his murderers was a mistake, the mistake was in the failure of our society, a society which still breeds too many Aaron McKinneys and Russell Hendersons. Hate Crimes legislation moves us in the direction of correcting the social injustice Lori so articulately outlined above. The actual change comes from people talking, feeling and sharing together, and I saw hope for that the last few days on the anniversary of Matthew Shepards violent and senseless death. All we can do is do everything in our power to make sure this never happens again None of us are alone in this, except by choice. So for those who feel alone out there, you may be closer than you think. You are not alone, not by a long shot. And within that lies the power to change the world.
This song helped me survive adolescence. Not as angry, not as bitter as I once was. Thanks for the catharsis, Jim Skafish. I still love this song
Even though these days, I am making the family name.......
Music is an essential part of my life, and I have a few cd's which are the soundtrack for my current move. I'm really enjoying one of my all time favorites Faust IV by Faust - the album that gave us the song Krautrock, naming the genre which includes Can, Kraftwerk, NEU! and Tangerine Dream...check out TonTon Mahood in the links for more on this genre, until then, here is a vid to give you a taste of this brilliant group.
I've been looking for an apt, and it looks like I am going to be busy the next 2 weeks. So I may not have time to publish the posts I have started, but Fear Not! The Duke will return by early August, and if I get a Sunday afternoon free I'll try to polish something and get it up...Thanks for your patience and loyalty...
Till then send my gal Phyllis some love and light... I here she is recovering from a broken hip!
The Pruits of Southhampton Opening...
Did you know Phyllis is a gifted classical pianist?
And from her farewell performance, if you haven't seen Goodnight, We love you - CHECK IT OUT!
I first became aware of the young man known to the world as Snicks a few years ago, when I subscribed to my first ever blog (see link section for Snicks!) after meeting him at a secret lodge (the Concilium Campus Foculus) where we are both initiates. Truly a modern renaissance man, his stellar example of blog Godhood led me to abandon MySpace and xanga for Blogspot in the first place. His take on pop culture, his tastes in 80's New Wave and other music, and his wit are legendary. Although I miss his Snick's Lost 80's, Snicks (a High Priest of WhiteWingedDovism) has been spreading his white wings a bit further these days stimulating brain cells and humor at the same time.
He's been writing for AfterElton, has assembled a playground with his family, (an eerie yet sublime dreamscape, certain to inspire the kiddies of today with a view of the world through a funhouse looking glass, darkly), monitored truly heinous plastic surgery disasters and political candidates, exemplifies the perfect role-model for uncles and pet-lovers, Tilda Swinton promotion, and male-enhancement expose's, yet still manages to keep us apprised of the most interesting reflections of the world around us, supplying the most interesting pop-culture apocrypha available on the web.
One might ask, then, who is Snicks...and how does he do it?
Some say it is his devotion to WhiteWingedDovism, a modern offshoot of the ancient Keltic Traditions following Rhiannon, Goddess of Horses in the Welsh Mabinogian. Growing up, young Snicks led a somewhat sheltered life. Although young Snicks dreamed of a career in wrestling, and simply being in the lockerroom caused his red american blood to throb in his veins, he was dismissed as too "bookish" by many of the young men he dreamed of challenging "on the mat".
One night, alone in his room, Snicks was dancing in his underwear with the lights off. The light of the full moon cast his dancing shadow on the wall as a haunting sound reached his ears... whoo, baby, whoo, baby, whoo... Grabbing his robe, Snicks ran to the hall "Me, baby, me, baby, me?" he cried aloud, thrown back by a blast of salty welsh air and a fluttering of white wings.
Snicks, his robe in tatters, slowly turned, and a vision of the Goddess Rhiannon loomed above him.
" Well I see you doing... What I try to do for me With the words from a poet... And a voice from a choir And a melody... nothing else mattered"
"Believe in your dreams", she cooed. "Carpe Diem, joke' em if they can't take a fuck, and get out there and have fun!"
"It's like I always say...just like the white winged dove... Sings a song... Sounds like shes singing... Ooo baby... ooo... said ooo Just like the white winged dove... Sings a song... Sounds like shes singing... Ooo baby... ooo... said ooo.
and, umm, take this gift and spread the word, Snicks, my favorite child..... 
"Ummmm, What?" Snicks said, grabbing a handful of Funyuns. Then, suddenly, the light faded and Snicks stood standing in the hall, his tattered blue robe draped artfully from his desklamp, and a faint scent of Gypsy Rose perfume and onion powder lingering in the air. Snicks looked everywhere, but the only lamp left on in the house was his desk lamp, a blue lamp.
And indeed, Snicks has carried the message of the white winged dove in his heart, demonstrating it in his actions each and every day. The guys in the locker room notice the twinkle in his eye, the spring in his step. And though he masquerades as a mild mannered library consultant by day, he entertains the world by night and weekend at blogspot and AfterElton, keeping the world safe for free expression, small animals, children and snack products everywhere. If you read only one other blog today, read Snicks. And Then check out his awesomely kick-ass articles at AfterElton. Trust me, you'll never look at South Park, Urban Myths, or snack foods the same way again.
see the links for Snicks amazing Blogspot blog and his AfterElton Blog Go! Now!
Music, when soft voices die
Vibrates in the memory -
~Percy Bysshe Shelley
For what it's worth, it's more than a footnote to me. I was living in a small Kansas town when the New Wave was at it's height, though I was fortunate (and resourceful) enough to find the music I discovered through Saturday Night Live, HBO's Video Jukebox, Rolling Stone magazine and the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature ( yes there were information resources before the Internet) through mail order, and trips to Lawrence and KC (and God love my Mother for helping me find it. She didn't understand the music, but she understood how important it was to me). And so I had New Wave, I had the Sinceros, and Pet Rock inspired me to hang in there and be true to myself and I felt free, and hopeful.
Mark Kjeldsen was a beautiful man, and he made beautiful music. The spark his music nurtured in me, and in others, lives on. New Wave for me was the promise of new beginnings in a world which felt isolated and far from the world I wanted , and the lesson that life is full of new beginnings, if we have the eyes to see it. Power Pop, indeed.
Check out the link to the outstanding blog Vinyl Goldmine for both Sinceros albums and Mark Kjeldsens solo single. 
Here's Memory Lane, and Falling In and Out of Love, from Pet Rock, may it inspire something wonderful in you as well.
Memory Lane
Falling In and Out of Love
Vinyl Goldmine's Sinceros post w/ links to the complete albums and Mark's single.
Vinyl Goldmine's Sincero's Post
"Religion used to be the opiate of the masses, now it's the crack cocaine of assassins"
- Lydia Lunch
The eighties were an interesting time for the man from Minneapolis known at various times as Prince, Prince Rogers Nelson, that ostentatious and ultimately annoying symbol, and eventually, back to just Prince. He started the decade with the brilliant troika of Dirty Mind, Controversy and the double LP 1999, which launched him to superstardom. Hot on the heels of 1999, the movie and album Purple Rain cemented his stature as a musical genius. He reveled in creating controversy and a baffling whirl of uncertainy about how much was his work, and who did what. Was he or wasn't he really Jamie Starr, engineer on Dirty Mind, producer of The Time and Vanity Six, derided by Prince himself on 1999's dancefloor classic D.M.S.R?
As Alexander Nevermind he wrote the delightfully risque Sugar Walls for Sheena Easton. There's no doubt the man is a bona fide musical genius, though he had the advantage of having excellent musicians to work with as well. Some of the projects which burst from the Prince scene were clearly Prince projects with guest vocals, (most notably Vanity Six), others such as the Time had first rate musicians behind the helm (in this case Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis) who generally didn't last long in the world of his Royal Purpleness. Jam and Lewis went on to success producing R&B hits for S.O.S Band, Cherelle, and Alexander O'Neal, ousted from the Time early on to be replaced by Prince pal Morris Day. Other people ousted from the early Prince phalanx included the very talented Andre Cymone (out after Controversy), Dez Dickerson, even Vanity, (replaced by Patricia " Apollonia" Kotero for Purple Rain). Many just passed through, seemingly without controversy, to careers of their own. Two of my favorites, Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman (recording as Wendy & Lisa, their Revolution monikers), simply left on their own (after Parade), releasing a number of under appreciated albums yet working steadily and successfully through the nineties, later recording as the Girl Bros. They have also established themselves as composers in film and TV Dangerous Minds, Soul Food, and TV's Crossing Jordan, and the brilliant soundtrack to Heroes. An essential part of the chemistry that drove The Revolution, they have remained friend's with Prince, performing with him from time to time, reuniting with him on last year's Planet Earth, one of his best releases in ages.
It was around the time of Around the World in a Day and Parade that Prince founded Paisley Park Records. Serving as a launch point for protege's like Jill Jones, Ingrid Chavez and Mazerati, as well as established artists as diverse as Mavis Staples, George Clinton, the Three O'Clock, and Dale Bozzio (from Missing Persons) Paisley Park also released Carmen Electra's only cd to date (sample lyrics- "I'm like a spider in heat in this web of love you've spun", "Oh, Speak American, NO! Speak Carmenese" "You stepped left, so I left your butt", and of course "Funk is in my round buns, baby") proving that with nothing to work with, the Purple One does not have the Midas Touch.
One of the most overlooked, and sadly, difficult to find projects. was the second release from Paisley Park, The Family. Although apparently they only performed one concert, and the self-titled first release was all there is, it's a great album. It has a couple of uptempo funk songs (the spirited High Fashion, and Mutiny) Beautiful ballads(Nothing compares 2 U, and my favorite, the beautiful Desire) and New Wave influenced tracks like River Runs Dry and the single Screams of Passion). Nothing Compares 2 U was a smash for Sinead O'Connor but for the most part this album went nowhere. The Family was formed from the ashes of the Time, and suffered from poor promotion. The single got little airplay and the video got very little exposure, which is a shame, since it's one of the most cohesive things (in and of itself ) Paisley Park put out. Around the World in a Day and Parade had some great tracks (Raspberry Beret, Pop Life, Kiss) that kept him in the charts but was uneven as a whole, and ended the golden age of critical and commercial acclaim he'd been riding. The Family was well crafted, with a lush orchestral feel, and a noir-ish look that Prince would later explore in Under the Cherry Moon.
Formed in the wake of The Time's disintegration,The Family featured Paul "St. Paul" Peterson (who joined the group as keyboardist for Purple Rain and the the accompanying Time release Ice Cream Castles) as lead singer, and adding Susannah Melvoin, (Wendy Melvoin's sister) as vocalist. Paul Peterson left the group to seek more creative freedom, and Prince simply absorbed the remaining members into the expanded Revolution.
According to St. Paul's website, the Family is reuniting with most of it's original line-up, and there is a clip on YouTube of a member of the band the Roots introducing the band at a recent reunion performance. It would be nice if this prompted a CD reissue of the original album (there are two copies , remastered and content-copy protected at Amazon.com, in the 90-100 dollar range). Till then, here's the original video for "Screams of Passion"
