Civil Rights rights aren't over yet

Epiphany, By Richard R. Blackston

Epiphany:
Morality. Where has it gotten me? What good has it done for me? I’ve lived my life open and honest out among the throngs, warts and all! Now a sickening epiphany washes over me; I should have lied, deceived, and played the game of the self-righteous Christians.

This is what bigoted Christians deserve from me, and from every gay man!
Honest - foolish - piteous - Me!
I was true to life, and everyone!
The people will learn to love and understand me, I foolishly believed!
BULLSHIT!
If I had played the game like the other closet cases around me; married a woman, and had two point five kids, while sneaking off to make love to men.
Then my job would be undaunted.
No one would know the real me, and there would be no judgment upon my head; my life would not be so ruined!
My life would be good! I shouldn’t have cared for anyone but myself!
I’m but the fool of morality!
Foolish - honest - pathetic - Me!
I should have never been so openly gay at Wal-Mart! I should have lied when I was harassed, and said; I don’t know why these women are picking on me, or on anyone!
I’m not gay!
Then I would have a lawsuit and a huge settlement for having my hours cut illegally! For all their scams and torture that I suffered through for three years now!
Foolish - forthcoming - moral - Me!

I shouldn’t have been honest with the police in South Bend, Indiana when I was gay bashed. I should have lied and said I was drunk. I left the door open; this guy saw my expensive jewelry, so he must have followed me home, jumped me, and stole my jewelry and the money in my wallet!
Then there would have been an investigation, and the criminal wouldn’t be scot-free!
Foolish – honest - forthcoming - Me.

I had to tell the truth! To police men in a state and city such as South Bend Indiana, that says no rights for gay people; ‘they are sin’! No protection, no marriage, no work rights! We can’t protect these people - No!
Dumb - honest - big mouthed - Me!
Too late now, because here I am - warts and all - naked before the throngs!
No rights; no compensation; and no way out!!

I am writing this letter to share a few things about my life. I was beaten and left for dead in Indiana and the police did nothing because it was considered a hate crime. I was also harassed at work, while I was a jewelry associate at Wal-Mart stores, which resulted in the loss of my job. I believe these things happened to me because of my sexual orientation. There are insurmountable bills left unpaid, and I've lost everything I own, due to these horrific events. In Indiana an employer can fire an employee simply because the employer knows or suspects the employee is gay! South Bend, Indiana drops LGBT protection rights!

Derek Deter, Erv Kuspa, Karen White, David Varner, Timothy Rose, support LGBT having no rights what so ever!

Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Subject
In regards to: Your letter to President Bush. . .
Discussion Thread
Response (Charles Schwindt) 11/18/2008 03:04 PM
Mr. Blackston,

Thank you for contacting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Under the laws enforced by the EEOC, it is illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of that person’s race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), age (40 or older), religion, or disability.

In your email, you stated you believe you were terminated from your job due to your sexual orientation.

The EEOC does not enforce laws pertaining to sexual orientation, however certain states and local government agencies do. Unfortunately, based on your location, your local state agency does not enforce sexual orientation discrimination laws.

Do you believe you have been treated differently in a job situation because of your race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), age (40 or older), religion, or disability?

The EEOC only handles complaints related to these types of discrimination. If you believe you were treated differently for some other reason, it appears that you are not covered by EEOC.

You may call the First Government, federal information line. They provide information to those in need of assistance from a federal agency but don't know where to start. You may reach them at 1-800-333-4636 (1-800-FED-INFO). Also their web site address is www.usagov.gov. You may also contact your local bar association and/or legal aid.

If you do believe you have been treated differently under the laws listed above, which are enforced by the EEOC, and you would like to file a charge, our laws give you a limited amount of time. Depending on where the situation occurred, you may have 180 days or 300 days.

If you have further questions or wish to discuss this with an intake information representative, please call 1-800-669-4000. If you are deaf or hearing impaired, the TTY number is 1-800-669-6820.

This post is ripe with both ignorance and progressiveness. We still have a ways to go, but at the very least people are talking...

It seems everyone wants the believe all their problems relate to other people. Everyone wants to blame someone else instead of simply realizing that we all have our cross to bear. Our new president can only do so much and most of it will be for the people that help get him elected, not the people that voted for him. These same people will be out trying to tell you how much better off you are and want you to vote for him again just as they did with Bush. Face it people money and power run this country and win elelctions ---not votes. So grow up and quit letting everyone tell you to blame someone. Whether you are black, white, Mexican, Oriental, fat, ugly, tall, bald, blonde,Jewish or Muslim we all have been discriminated against. The only thing you can be sure of is your self.

Thank you so much Delia for the reminder! For a minute there I thought we could all just be friends.

Could you let us know when it's over too?

Thanks...

I took a sociology class in college, and the discussion of race and civil rights inevitably occurred. One young white student chose to make a comment, after watching a video about the civil rights movement, that started like this:

"I can understand that. If I was alive back in the 40s, you know, when racism was still around..."

I think a lot of whites feel this way, especially now with Obama's election. The irony with this student's statement was that the discussion occurred about a week after the incidents in Jena, Louisiana - where there was a veritable race war going on over which race deserved to sit under a certain tree on school property,

Just look at some of the street interviews and footage showing white voters in rural American commenting on the election. Yes, it may be on the decline, but that doesn't equalize human rights for all. Look at the racial make-up of prisons. Look at the poorest parts of the country and what races live there. Look at school funding in poor districts compared to wealthy ones. The scars of slavery will forever haunt this country.

A primary example is our nation's schools. i recommend everyone read the article "Savage Inequalities", by Jonathan Kozol. I'm sure it can be found online.

Sure, start by removing affirmative action.

All people can go to all public places, that segregation problem is finished. The treatment of people that are foriegn to you still needs work. After the World Trade Center events, didn't all the people from the Middle East get shunned and insulted by others? Aren't hispanics as a whole getting frowned on as a result of some pathetic Hollywood thing? I think the media it at fault for this. Everytime a crime is commited by some ethnic group, the news should also state that those events do not in anyway represent the ethnic group. Heck, there is no such thing as an ethnic group. Everyone is different from each other,regardless of what they do share.

blacks have fought and died bravely since the start,and proud to call them americans!However,racism is still rampant from BOTH blacks & whites.One main reason is hyphanation(?),i.e. afriacan-american,mexican-american,muslum-american,and than just ...white.I'm a european-american ..ha!Let's not forget Obama is HALF WHITE! But nobody mentions that.He was also raised by his white mother after his black dad left them when he was born!!!!

Unknown quote: "Racism is like cancer. At best it is in remission." With apologies to the origins.

Captain B

On this Day of Martin Luther King, may his words of compassion forever resonate refreshment with afflicted that we may collectively renew in strength, liberty and freedom in journey of happiness within our gracious lands of opportunity.

A nice production available at

http://www.feelthedream.org/

Civil Rights= Human Rights...fight oppression wherever it's found.
Freedom without responsibility is anarchy, & most of those who espouse anarchy would find themselves dead or enslaved quickly, were it not for Society's protection thru "Rule of Law"...the trick is ENFORCING "Equal protection under the Law", because without that , the Power Mad Bullying thieves take over.
example: I recently had a Sherriff's Detective tell Me
" The Law has nothing to do with common sense & decency"
Without common sense & decency, the law becomes nothing more than the rationalizations of Political Whores with legal degrees as to WHY they should be able to STEAL what others have worked for.
HENCE, The Civil(HUMAN) Rights Movement.
Use the clowns head for a drum

We've come a long way--instead of 40 acres and a mule after slavery, we got 50 states and the White House (at least for 4 years). BUT--WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.

Indeed, Keith, we can feel the effects of slavery even today though many people want to deny it. Racism is still very present in today's society along with a lot of other discrimination, and I have heard people honestly say things like "Well, black people should be happy now that there is a black president", as if that was the only goal of the black civil rights movement.

Now we have another great movement on our hands, the LGBT movement, which people are comparing to the black civil rights movement for a lot of reasons. Some people agree and some people are offended by the comparison, but I think it is a fair one- interracial marriage used to be illegal and black people were considered "sub human", the same mentality that is being spread today by calling homosexuality "sinful" and "unnatural"...as long as we continue to deny people basic rights under the excuse that they are somehow lesser than the majority, we have failed as a nation.

Thanks Delia,

I'm glad that somebody has the courage and common sense to realize this.

America has not rid her self of ghettos, injustice, illiteracy,police brutality, hatred, homophobia, and White male supremacy, just because the underclass,(those who has never been in power), came out in numbers and elected a Black President.

Everybody's Talkin' About Peace, But No One Is Talkin' About Justice.

mutedmajority,
With freedom, comes responsibility. Responsibility to your neighbors (society).
True freedom comes when people are not responsible for, or to anyone but themselves.
But does that necessarily make for a better society?

The real issue about "freedom" and "liberty" that many fail to understand, is that "freedom" and "liberty" does not exits without responsibility, love, respect and value towards one another.

Because the drum still needs beating.

Why do people insist to keep beating the drum?