From Eisenhower's farewell address, January 21, 1961:
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. ....
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
A Republican president, a former general, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during WWII, spoke the words. Sadly, and to our detriment, we have not heeded Eisenhower's advice.
While walking down the street one day a corrupt Senator was tragically hit by a car and died. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator..
"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really? I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.
"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell.
The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.
Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.
They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go.
Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven..."
So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."
The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell...
Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.
He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.
The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.
"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"
1. The Trevor Project runs the Trevor Lifeline, a 24-hour, national crisis and suicide prevention lifeline for gay and questioning teens. The number is 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386).
You can learn more about The Trevor Project and the other great programs they have at their website.
2. Another great organization is The National Center for Bullying Prevention, helping to promote awareness and teach effective ways to respond to bullying. You can learn more about them at Pacer.
3. GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) is a great organization that works to ensure safe schools for ALL children. GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to accept and respect all people. In addition to resources for parents, teachers and students, GLSEN facilitates several programs including The National Day of Silence, and No Name Calling Week.
More often than not, conservatives represent the internal Christian debate over the ethics of homosexuality as if it were between those who hold firm to traditional Christian values and those who have sold out to secular culture. But this way of framing the debate ignores the real motivations of progressive Christians like myself—motivations that spring from real human tragedies.
The other day a young gay man in Oklahoma took his own life. This is not a new or even an unusual occurrence, although it comes in the wake of a string of highly publicized suicides by young gay men, suicides blamed on bullying. But Zach Harrington’s suicide last week highlights the fact that for sexual minorities in America, the problem runs much deeper than overt bullying, at least as that term is ordinarily understood.
Zach attended a city council meeting in Norman, Oklahoma, during which three hours were given to the public to express their views as to whether GLTB History Month should be recognized. In the end, the proclamation was approved, but the debate:
...became an occasion for those with the most hateful views to be handed a microphone and afforded the chance to tell the community just how sick, sinful, perverted, and disgusting their gay and lesbian neighbors are. According to the Tulsa World report, Harrington’s father “said he feels his son may have glimpsed a hard reality at the Sept. 28 council meeting, a place where the same sentiments that quietly tormented him in high school were being shouted out and applauded by adults the same age as his own parents.”
There you are. The bigotry and hatefulness goes beyond the school years, which is no surprise. Why would we be surprised that some LGTB persons:
...internalize this condemnation. They accept the message that their deepest impulse towards love and intimacy is an affront to God. And since that impulse is an ineradicable feature of who they are, some come to see their very existence as a blight on the world. ....
Sometimes this sense of isolation and rejection can be almost too much to bear, and all it takes is a final gesture of denunciation or scorn to spark an act of self-obliteration. ....
Jesus said that we should distinguish true and false teachings by their fruits. And the teaching that homosexuality is a sin—that, in the words of the Southern Baptist Convention, even the desire for homosexual sex is “always sinful, impure, degrading, shameful, unnatural, indecent and perverted”—this is a teaching that time and again has born poisonous fruits. The shattered promise of Zach Harrington’s life is just one more example in a painful litany. ....
Any theory of the Bible that requires me to ignore my neighbors in favor of teasing out the correct meaning of Romans 1:24-27 seems to do an injustice to the Bible’s heart. If there’s a core message to the Christian Scriptures, it’s that Jesus—a person, not a book—is the fundamental revelation of God. It’s Jesus that John’s Gospel calls the “Word of God,” not the Bible. And in the Gospels, not only does Jesus say nothing about homosexuality, but He is recorded as saying that He comes to us in the form of the neighbor in need—“even the least of these” (Matthew 25:37-40).
I'm going far beyond fair use of another's words, but the essay says so much that is right and true that it's difficult to stop quoting Eric Reitan's words. I urge you to read the entire essay.
But can you really have the right theory about a book if the book teaches you to love your neighbors as yourselves, but your theory about it demands that you stifle the character traits most intimately associated with love? If your theory about the Bible leads you to ignore or refuse to hear the suffering cries of your gay and lesbian neighbors, wouldn’t that be a reason to rethink your theory? Put more forcefully, how many gays and lesbians, crushed by the weight of anti-gay teachings, have to kill themselves before we decide that, just maybe, our theory about the Bible isn’t the best fit with the idea that God is love—and hence isn’t the best fit with the content of the Bible itself?
So what then do we do? We take note and honor those who have died by trying to save GLTB young people and adults from being driven to such desperation that they decide to end their lives. We publicize such organizations as The Trevor Project, which offer help to those who feel there is no hope for productive, happy, and fulfilling lives.
Chris Colfer shares a very personal message for LGBTQ youth in response to the recent suicides that have occurred: "I know what it's like to be bullied and teased every single day and I know that it may seem like there is no chance of happiness left. But I promise you, there is a world full of acceptance and love just waiting for you to find it. So please before you take a drastic action that could be your last, call The Trevor Project."
Just this morning, I told one of my readers, Jerry, that I couldn't write any more about gay suicides, that after Matthew Shepherd's anniversary yesterday, I was empty, that I had no more words for the heartbreaking stories, and here I am a couple of hours later writing again. I want not to write any more of these stories. I want the numbers on the "How Many Deaths Will It Take...?" series of posts to stop increasing, because the deaths stop. That's what I want.
Maddie will be euthanized this morning at 10:30. She is going downhill fast - and the tumors are spreading. Her purr has now become a squeak. Please pray for her gentle passing.
Frank
Frank is my brother-in law. I posted previously about Maddie here.
UPDATE: From Frank:
Well, it's over. Gretchen (Frank's daughter) went with me - that helped. Previously, I never had trouble getting Maddie in her carrier. I believe she was really hurting this morning as she kicked and screamed - scratching and biting me. She had really gone downhill even more overnight. Once in she calmed down and rode quietly to the vet. She stayed quiet until the end. The vet was great. Of course, I cried - and am still doing so now and then. She will be sorely missed. I am confident she is in a better place. BTW, I think the picture I sent you was quite ironic - notice how she is looking away - kinda like Gayle's walking away in London.
P.S. - sincere thanks for all the prayers from you and your readers.
Frank
Frank's poignant comment about the similarities in the pictures of my sister Gayle, walking away, and Maddie the Cat, facing away, moved me greatly.
Eternal Spirit, we bring you our grief in the loss of Maddie and ask for courage to bear it. We bring you our thanks for Maddie who lived among us and gave us freely of her love. We commit our friend and companion Maddie into your loving hands. Give us eyes to see how your love embraces all creatures and every living thing speaks to us of your love. Amen.
I owe credit to someone for the prayer, but I don't know to whom. Sorry.
Matthew Wayne Shepard - December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998
Matthew Shepard was a member of the LGBTA (now SPECTRUM) in 1998. On October 6th of that year, he was beaten by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. He died 5 days later from his injuries. While his death is something that his friends at SPECTRUM will never forget, we also hope to remember his life as well. Matthew was more than a gay person who died; he was also a gay person who lived.
Twelve years and many more tears later, we remember Matthew, who was tortured and murdered because he was gay. We remember all the precious lives cut off too soon by suicide, because the youngsters, who were gay, were no longer able to bear the beatings, bullying, and/or harassment.
Let us pray:
A Litany for children who have died from bullying
--by Kirkepiscatoid
O God of justice and mercy, we pray that no more daughters and sons in this world die as the result of bullying simply because of who they are; be it race, religion, sexual orientation, or social awkwardness. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
That our schools become places of nurturing and hope rather than shame and derision. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
That our teachers instill values of charity and acceptance in all children so there is no need for one child to feel superior over another. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
That parents can put aside what they were sometimes taught, in order to promote tolerance and diversity at home. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
That our communities support children who feel “different from the others” and show them lives that are theirs to claim, lives they cannot begin to imagine to see at home. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
That all children can grow up feeling self-empowered and truly loved simply as themselves, and not suffer beatings and psychological abuse at home or school. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, you understand this above all others, for your only Son hung among thieves on a rough wooden cross on a barren hill, just as Matthew Shepard hung from a rail fence on a lonely road. Be our light in the darkness, Lord; protect our children and fill them with the love of your Holy Spirit; hold them in your Son’s loving arms in their most fearful hours, and be with them always. Amen.
