Why Is It ...

… that when people ask me why I don’t have any self-control I remind them that I have cooked for people I should have poisoned so, yes, I do have self-control

… that I’ve just come to realize that I swing both ways … but violently, and with a bat; come at me motherfuckers

… that I learned that I have reached the age where I don’t make eye contact with people because they look like a “talker”

… that I always tell people, “It doesn’t matter if you’re ugly or beautiful because at the end of the day it’s evening.”

… that when a  co-worker asked why I used F-bombs so much I replied, “What the fuck is an F-bomb?” Seriously, these kids and their lingo.

… that some really attractive people are called “eye candy” but most of y’all are just “eye okra.”

… that people need to learn that canceling plans is okay, and making coffee just for yourself is okay, and  plotting revenge on your enemies is okay and drinking coffee out of the skulls of your enemies is okay. It’s called self-care.

… that while I naturally look mad people don’t understand that it’s just my default face settings.

… that people need to know that I only accept cash apologies because it’s called accountability and it needs to go in to my account.

… that if I had the chance to meet many people again, I’d block them from day one.

Racist Karen, AKA Kathy Jenkins, Tries To Take Us For A Spin

Earlier today I posted about a Missouri woman who went to a Black Lives Matter protest outside a Dixie Outfitters, whose owner is ALLEGEDLY affiliated with the KKK. While there, and cradling a Confederate flag she shouted to the BLM group:

“I will teach my grandkids to hate you all! I will teach them to hate all you people. KKK belief.”

Well, that woman is Karen Jenkins who became a viral sensation when a video of her hatred stormed the internet. And it took a nanosecond for someone to identify her and then perhaps another second for that storm to rain down on her.

Kathy says she’s been locked out of Facebook—shoot, how will she know when the next Klan Wives meeting is—and fired from her job—poor racist doesn’t work for a KKK company?—and says she’s been the target of a few threats and even her friends are being threatened. Now, that’s not cool; threats are not cool. But, as for the rest, I’m so sorry, but I’m not sorry. You got what you deserved Kathy.

Sadly, though, Kathy Jenkins is not finished, and is saying the whole thing was a mistake, and taken wrong and she didn’t mean what she said and … and … and … racist needs an excuse.

In that video, Kathy Jenkins is in the bed of a pickup truck holding, and dancing with, a Confederate flag, but Kathy says the video doesn’t show the whole thing. No sir, she says before someone started recording her, she was … wait for it … it’s rich … racist thinks we’re all stupid … she says she was “chanting Black Lives Matter.”

While waving a Confederate flag? Bitch, please.

Kathy Jenkins says she was only at the Dixie Outfitters to watch the BLM protest because she’d never been to one and just wanted to see it. But, then again, the Confederate flag, Kathy? Have you never seen one of those before, so you just wanted to hug it and dance with it?

It gets better; Kathy Jenkins says she was standing in the back of a truck that belonged to someone she did not know, and that someone she did not know handed her a Confederate flag, and that she doesn’t fully know what it represents but thought it was a symbol of … wait for it … it’s rich … racist thinks we’re all stupid … a symbol of unity.

Bitch. Please!

And she says she only spewed her Hate Speech when BLM people from the other side of the street approached her, and she lost her temper:

“I hadn’t said anything until they came into my face … it’s like I blacked out. I don’t even remember saying half the stuff that I said.”

Hate, Kathy, it was hate.

“I wasn’t saying I’m KKK or for the KKK. I was mocking them because I don’t like being called a racist.”

Now, why would anyone think a woman standing in the back of a truck in front of a business owned by a KKK supporter and holding the Confederate flag was racist?

But since that story didn’t go over to well, and she’s probably desperate to get back on Facebook, she’s apologizing and vowing to never hold another Confederate flag again, as God is her witness:

“As many of you know I am Kathy. I just wanted to start with saying that I am truly deeply sorry for what I said. This isn’t who I am as a person. I obviously cannot take back what I said. I can only learn from this. I want to make it clear. I am not teaching my children or grandchildren to hate anyone. No one. Ever. I’ve always taught them to respect and love anyone no matter the race. I’ve always taught them to treat people with the same respect as they would want to be treated. My words and actions have been a learning experience. Not only did I learn from this, but I hope this message helps others that they cannot take back what they have said. Again I am so so sorry because that is not who I am.  I would never ever want to see anyone hurt and I don’t care who they are.”

Sorry Kathy, I’m not buying it. You didn’t know what a BLM protest was about, but you stood with Klan members and Confederate flag waving haters?

You thought the Confederate flag was a symbol of unity, but unless you had you hood on backwards and couldn’t see, then you’re just another racist who got caught and is trying to lie your way out of it. But, please note, Kathy is also wearing a Make America Great Again cap; just sayin’.You know, cuz some of them are very nice people, as _____ says.

You say you spewed hate because you didn’t know what you were saying, but, Kathy, if you didn’t feel that hatred in your heart, you never would have let those words leave your mouth.

You’re a racist Kathy. Own it.

A Bully Apologizes

Lucas Bane and David Devora--Happily engaged!

We’ve all been bullied at one time or another in our lives; for being LGBT, or even assumed to be LGBT; for being tall or fat or thin or short, or freckled or red-haired or Black or Latino or a geek, nerd, or whatever. Been there.

And earlier today I posted about Ryan Eichenauer and how his coming out on Facebook resulted in death threats. I imagined that the writer of the Hate Note might be a closeted gay person who still feels ashamed at being gay so they lash out at those LGBTQ youth that have come to terms with their orientation. I kinda hoped that Anonymous letter writer might one day find that same kind of acceptance or tolerance.

Then I heard this story and it gave me a glimmer of hope ….

Lucas Bane and David Devora are a gay couple, and their videotaped marriage proposal, street party went viral….

Lucas and David from LUCAS and DAVID on Vimeo.

… and spawned all kinds of reactions.

Lucas received a message from a former classmate who bullied him in school and it was not at all what he expected:

B____

I’m sure you have no idea who I am. I went to high school with you. If you do remember me it’s probably not positive as I was a bit of an asshole back then. I saw your video today on Facebook and I wanted to say Congratulations! No need to respond I just wanted you to know that I think what you have is awesome and wish you the best.

Lucas:

B___ I do remember who you are. You’re right, my memories are not very positive. I have to tell you all my life I’ve dreamed of doing something  spectacular so that people who weren’t all that nice to me would someday realize that deep down I’m a pretty cool guy. I’m not gonna lie, just the fact that you wrote me at all had me in tears but your words are really touching. All is forgiven, and it’s clear that whoever you were back then, you’ve grown and you’re a pretty kickass guy now. I hope you have a life full of blessings. Would you mind if I shared this message on facebook? I would post anonymously, without using your name or picture. Thanks B____. I’m so touched that you reached out, and if our paths ever cross, let’s have some beers.

B____

First, I feel terrible that u do remember me because I know it is unfortunately not a pleasant memory, but I do thank you for your forgiveness the 30yr old B____ is a lot different than the 18yr old. You can use my message, name, picture or anything else u want on Facebook. I hope someday our paths do cross, and the first ones on me.

Lucas:

Wow, you’re f**king awesome. It’s so important for people to see that people can change You’ve made me feel so validated and hopeful about where the world is headed. You’ve really given me a lift. Thank you!

And so the world can change, even in one mind at a time, which is why I say that coming out is for the best. Lucas did it, and his life is better for it, and he learned that even though someone felt one way a decade or so ago, people can, and do change.

It’s good, right?

source

Your Same Sex Marriage Hasn’t Affected The Sanctity Of Mine: An Apology To The LGBT Community

Perhaps Mike Turner — see post below — should have read this piece by Benjamin Corey for Formerly Fundie before he opened his yap and stuck his stilettos into it:

Prior to my paradigm shift circa 2009, I was a major opponent of marriage equality. One of my go-to lines when asked why, was always the catch-all phrase “because it will hurt the sanctity of marriage”.

I was convinced that in some direct way, same sex marriage would harm mine. If, for no other reason, than Fox New said it, I believed it, and that settled it.

Seriously, I believed that – and said it often – even though I was previously divorced, and let’s admit: there’s no sanctity in divorce.

This year as I approach seven years of marriage and look back on all that we’ve experienced, I realized that we’ve spent our entire marriage living in states that have legally passed marriage equality. Same sex marriages have been happening around us the entire time, and it made me realize:

Your same sex marriage hasn’t affected the sanctity of mine.

Not even a little. The fact that I’ve lived in states where my LGBT friends and neighbors are treated equal in the eyes of the law has not in the smallest way, done anything to harm the “sanctity” of my marriage.

But, you know who has?

Me.

Yeah, I’m the biggest threat to the sanctity of my marriage.

When I’m selfish, self-centered, put my needs ahead of my wife’s, and don’t treat her the way she deserves to be treated?

Yeah, that’s what affects the sanctity of my marriage. When my marriage has been at rocky points, and during the times it lost its sense of beauty, it can usually be traced back to yours truly.

It’s all me… and if I want to actually be concerned about the “sanctity” of marriage, the whole of my finger pointing ought be in the mirror and no where else.

Least of all, to the LGBT community.

However, if there is an external, cultural force that is affecting the sanctity of my marriage (and marriage in general) I know what it is:

The Christian culture of divorce.

Previous and recent studies have shown the truth to be that we Christians (especially the conservative type), are actually the biggest threat to the sanctity of marriage… a fact that should grieve us deeply. More than a decade ago, Christian researchers at the Barna Group discovered that born-again Christians are more likely to divorce than other population groups. As stated by George Barna himself:

“While it may be alarming to discover that born again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time. Even more disturbing, perhaps, is that when those individuals experience a divorce many of them feel their community of faith provides rejection rather than support and healing. But the research also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of how churches minister to families. The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife, but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages.“

Furthermore, the recent study that is currently making the rounds, “Red States, Blue States, and Divorce: Understanding the Impact of Conservative Protestantism on Regional Variation in Divorce Rates” in the American Journal of Sociology, shows that the truth goes one step further. Conservative Christian culture isn’t simply destroying the sanctity of their own marriages, but the marriages of their neighbors as well. As reported by Sarah Pulliam Bailey with RNS:

“Researchers found that simply living in an area with a large concentration of conservative Protestants increases the chances of divorce, even for those who are not themselves conservative Protestants… Conservative Protestant community norms and the institutions they create seem to increase divorce risk…”

All those years I spent accusing the LGBT community as posing a risk to the “sanctity” of marriage? Turns out, I was accusing the wrong people – it was my tribe who I should have been calling to repent and change their ways. (Well, it’s not exactly my tribe anymore – there was this one night a while back when Jeff Probst called me and said: “Ben, the tribe has spoken… I need you to bring me your torch.”)

So yes, there are two things that do threaten the sanctity of my marriage: my selfish self and Conservative Christian culture.

The LGBT community, doesn’t make the list.

So, if you’re a member of the LGBT community, I just want to take a moment to apologize.

I’m sorry.

I spent years of my life not only opposing you, but outright slandering you, and for that, I most sincerely apologize. I pray you will forgive me.

And, if you’re someone like me, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to apologize to the LGBT community as well.

Because, truth be told, we might actually be the biggest threat to the sanctity of marriage. Call me a heretic (you’ll have to go to the back of the line), but I think we might want to pluck the beam out of our own eye before we accuse our neighbors of having a speck in their own.

Ben Carson Apologizes AGAIN For Comparing Same-Sex Marriage To Bestiality & Pedophilia

At work one day last week, a co-worker was really working … my last nerve. So much so, that I finally snapped and said to her:

“You are the dumbest fuck on the planet.”

Naturally, she was very upset and began to cry, so, being an adult, I apologized:

“I sorry … if I offended you.’

Okay, so that didn’t happen, but if it had, I would have known better than to qualify my apology with an ‘if’ or a ‘but’; I would say I was sorry, and leave it at that. Trouble is, some folks, like conservative-Teabagging-brain-surgeon—and how’s that for an oxymoron—Dr. Ben Carson don’t know how to apologize.

We all know that a few weeks back, in an appearance on FauxNews’ Sean Hannity’s, um, ‘show,’ Carson compared comparing advocates of marriage equality to people advocating for bestiality and pedophilia. Almost instantly he was asked to apologize, and he gave the ‘I’m sorry if I offended you’ as opposed to the ‘I’m sorry I offended you’ non-apology-apology.

And he tried to leave it at that because, you know, The Gays, and our allies, we don’t matter and who cares that he denigrated an entire group of people who simply would like to have the right to get married, legally, in this country.

But, Carson’s non-apology didn’t land him in good stead with his fellow doctors and teachers and soon many began to question his tact, and his intellect. But then came word that he may be disinvited to be a commencement speaker at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, so he had to, perhaps, apologize again, and hopefully get it right; he didn’t.

Last week, while a guest on a radio show, Carson tried to downplay the outrage that some Johns Hopkins students felt about his original remarks, and his less than apologetic apology. He said his appearance was "still up in the air" and then dismissed the whole mess about the students’ concerns by saying it was just "eight students who signed a petition":

“You know, there were eight students who signed a petition. And that was not from the graduating class, that was from all the classes. That was what they could come up with. There are others who feel very strongly in the other direction.”

Oh, ‘doctor’, not so fast. In fact, it was upwards of 700 students, the majority from the graduating class, who asked that Carson not be allowed to speak, so Carson not only has trouble taking responsibility for his ignorant, and somewhat hate-filled, remarks, he also has a bit of an issue with the truth. Now, though, Carson has finally realized that when you put your foot in your mouth, you should instantly apologize, correctly, because Carson is apologizing again:

“As you know, I have been in the national news quite a bit recently and my 36 year association with Johns Hopkins has unfortunately dragged our institution into the spotlight as well. I am sorry for any embarrassment this has caused. But what really saddens me is that my poorly chosen words caused pain for some members of our community and for that I offer a most sincere and heartfelt apology. Hurting others is diametrically opposed to who I am and what I believe. …. There are many lessons to be learned when venturing into the political world and this is one I will not forget. Although I do believe marriage is between a man and a woman, there are much less offensive ways to make that point. I hope all will look at a lifetime of service over some poorly chosen words.”

Maybe we will, Dr. Carson, but I doubt very many people in the Marriage Equality Movement will ever take you. or your opinions, seriously again.

source

On Ben Carson's Non-Apology Apology For Equating Being Gay To Bestiality and Pedophilia

Dr. Ben Carson is a Tea Party darlin’, so you know he’s not a favorite of mine. And while he is a brain surgeon—let’s not discuss that particular oxy-moron—he’s also quite the pundit that FoxNews likes to trot out when they want to bash Obamacare, Obama, the liberal media and, of course, The Gays.

Carson, if you don’t know, was really a nobody until a couple of months ago, when he gave a speech in front of President Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast and called for a regressive tax system that would punish the poorest Americans.

Yeah, so brain surgeon? Not so much. But this week he made an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Witch-hunt, or whatever that show is called and decided that the world needed to know his feelings on same-sex marriage:

“My thoughts are that marriage is between a man and a woman, it’s a well-established uh, fundamental pillar of society. No group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA [the North American Man/Boy Love Association], be they people who believe in bestiality, it doesn’t matter what they are, they don’t get to change the definition. So it’s not something that’s against gays, it’s against anybody who wants to come along and change the fundamental definitions of pillars of society. It has signifcant ramifications.”

Oh did he really pull out that old chestnut where he compared being gay to being a pedophile or an animal fornicator? And, one would wonder, if Carson, a Black man, might have uttered the same foolishness back in 1967 regarding the Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia, a decision that redefined the same “fundamental pillar of society”, i.e. marriage, as something that could not be inhibited by race.

Now, Ben Carson does know that his antiquated, outdated, and disgusting views put him at odds with every major medical association in the country, but he remains resolute that marriage not be redefined because it has never been redefined ever and is the exact same institution it was thousands of years ago when men could have hundreds of wives.

But, Carson found himself in the middle of a firestorm over his Gays = Bestiality/Pedophilia stance. And then he decided that, being a brain surgeon who apparently missed that trip to Oz to actually get a brain, he ought to apologize for his remarks because, as most people understand, just because you are gay doesn’t mean you want to have sex with children or dogs, and just because you want to have sex with children or dogs doesn’t mean you’re gay.

So Carson apologized; sort of:

“As a Christian, I have a duty to love all people—and that includes people who have other sexual orientations—and I certainly do, and never had any intention of offending anyone. What I was basically saying—and if anyone was offended I apologize to you—but what I was basically saying is there is no group…I wasn’t equating those things, I don’t think they are equal. If you asked me for an apple and I gave you an orange, you would say ‘well that’s not an orange.’ And then I’d say well there’s a banana…’that’s not an apple either.’ And there’s a peach…’that’s not an apple either.’ But it doesn’t mean that I’m equating the banana and the orange and the peach. In the same way, I’m not equating those things.”

Huh? First off, let’s deal with that whole “I’m a Christian and I love everybody” bull. See, I don’t get how saying someone who has a different sexual orientation is also some who would be a child- or animal-f**ker. I don’t see the ‘love’ in that statement; I see bigotry, ignorance, and hate.

Secondly, this whole “I’m sorry if…” nonsense. There is no ‘if’ in what you said; you offended people, and unless and until you offer a sincere apology, which should sound something like “I’m sorry I said the wrong thing. I’m sorry I offend anyone. I’m sorry I don’t have two active brain cells to rub together before I speak” you ought to keep quiet. That’s an apology. What Carson did was say ‘If I bothered you, well, I don’t care.’

But some folks do care, and some folks aren’t going to sit by and let Carson’s brand of Ignorant Speech go unchallenged: a group of medical students from the graduating Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine, class of 2013, are circulating a petition urging the university to withdraw its invitation from Carson, who is scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the ceremony this spring. To his credit, however, probably realizing his speech would be a disruptive event, Carson has said he would step down from his speaking engagement: “Absolutely, I would say that this is their day, and the last thing I would want to do is rain on their parade.”

And his colleagues at Johns Hopkins are equally disgusted by his remarks. Professor Todd Shepard, co-director of the university’s Program for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, said “I don’t think most people at Hopkins think what he says on this subject matter. They make him look nasty, petty, and ill-informed. It doesn’t tell us anything about his amazing abilities as a surgeon. It does remind us, however, that those abilities do not mean we should listen to what he says in any other domain.”

Here’s the deal: you can be against same-sex marriage because this is a free country where you have the right to your opinion, but, for the love of whatever it is you believe, please base your opinions on fact and not conjecture. And don’t demean the LGBT community with insults and degradations. Find a voice, right or wrong, and find a fact that will boost your opinion.

But, please remember, Dr. Carson and all those who think like he does, marriage has changed and changed and changed over the last thousand years or so, and it changed again as recently as the late 60s. So quit playing that tired card, and quit insulting our community and our intelligence.

Robin Tomlin Finally Gets An Apology For A Forty-Two Year Old Slur

Robin Tomlin, of British Columbia, has received a letter of apology from the North Vancouver School District for a homophobic slur that was printed in his high school yearbook.

Forty-two years ago,

The letter, signed by the district’s superintendent of schools, says, “I am writing to formally provide you with a sincere apology on behalf of the entire North Vancouver School District.”

Tomlin says he's been haunted for years after his high school yearbook committee printed the word "fag" next to his picture in the 1970 Argyle Secondary School yearbook. That would be disgusting, in any case, but Tomlin isn’t gay, and yet, after that slur, he was subjected to near constant bullying in school. He didn’t even attend his school prom out of fear of being beaten up, and he eventually moved out of the area to start a new life.

Tomlin he tried to put the incident behind him, and was successful; in fact, he tried for several years to have the school district print a replacement page for the copies in its library, but his request fell on deaf ears until he hired an attorney. That was when the school sent him an email saying they regretted the incident.

Forty-two years later.

Today, Robin Tomlin is dying of terminal liver disease and he wants what he calls a sincere apology: "I want a face-to-face apology. They could write anything they want in an email and send it to me. It doesn't mean as much."

And he may get that last wish. Superintendent Lewis has offered to arrange a private meeting “to provide an apology in person” but before that happens, some details still need to be worked out.

Tomlin had asked the school district to pay his travel expenses, but a district spokesperson says the district can't afford to do that. So, Robin Tomlin will pay his own way back home to finally get that long-overdue apology.

Forty-two years later.

source

Good News Friday ... Or, a Story To Make You Sob

You know, if I had a nickel for every stupid thing I've done, I'd literally have a boatload of nickels. And, many of those coins would come from the dumb things I did, and said, when I was younger. Which is why this story appeals to me.

See, there once was a twelve-year-old boy named Larry Israelson, who did something he only later realized probably hurt his seventh-grade teacher. It wasn't a big deal, I guess, I mean, he was twelve, what did he know? 

James Atteberry

But now he's older, and, as happens, or as one hopes would happen, he's also wiser. And Larry decided it was time to find that teacher, James Atteberry, and apologize. But Atteberry had vanished and Larry couldn't help but wonder where he'd gone and how he might track him down. 

He Googled and had no luck; he tried every search engine to no avail. But then, just a few months back, thirty-nine years since he was a twelve-year-old boy, Larry got a hit from a two-year-old article in The Oregonian. There was a picture of his teacher. 

Larry instantly sent an email to the paper and a clerk forwarded to the author of the piece. The subject line read  "Customer Feedback" and the reporter, Tom Hallman, for some reason, decided to read it: 

You published an item involving retired teacher James Atteberry and the CASA program. Mr. Atteberry was a teacher of mine in the early '70s, and I wish to apologize to him for a regrettable incident that occurred when I was his student. Can you provide any contact information for him, or would you be willing to serve as an intermediary and deliver a message on my behalf? Thank you for your time, and I await your reply. 

Hallman reread his old story and found a number for James Atteberry. He called, and left a message, but he also emailed Larry Israelson and asked why he wanted to contact Atteberry, and Larry said he just wanted to apologize.

Weeks later, Atteberry returned Tom Hallman 's call and when he learned of his former student's desire to apologize, he told Hallman to contact Larry and see what happened. Hallman soon received a sealed envelope that he instantly forwarded to James Atteberry.

James Atteberry got the letter and read it. He was immediately transported back to 1973 when he was a middle-school teacher in Huntington Beach. He was 37 back then, and quite a popular teacher, among both students and faculty. He was also gay, and at a time when politicians were working to root out gay teachers:

"If a teacher was found to be gay, his contract would not be renewed. Gay teachers kept their mouths shut. People of this era might not understand it. But it was intense time. An art teacher in the school made a stupid mistake, and that was the end of his career. I never talked about my life."

But somehow Larry Israelson knew, and said in his letter:

"I am truly sorry for asking to be transferred out of your seventh grade social studies class at Sowers Middle School during the 1972-73 school year .... I don't have many specific memories from my two years at Sowers, but at the top of one of my assignments you wrote 'You will go far in life. Your command of the English language is exceptional.' Looking back on my younger self, I am certain that I reveled in being one of the 'teacher's pets.' As comfortable as I was in a classroom, however, the boy's locker room was something else entirely."

Today, Larry Israelson is a tall, athletic man, over 6 feet 5, but at age twelve he was "a scrawny little kid who wore glasses and was into books. I lived in a beach town, yet I couldn't tan. I was very pale. A lot of the athletic guys loved to tease those of us who were weak." 

And he was about to be bullied.

Some students suspected that Atteberry was gay, and one boy even asked Attberry in class what he thought about that proposed law banning gay teachers. When Atteberry asked why he asked the question, the student said his father had told him to do it. Atteberry responded carefully, so as not to out himself and lose his career.

But it was this open secret that made Larry Israelson a target. 

See, Larry was a good student, very bright, almost a teacher's pet. And, well, if you're the teacher's favorite and the teacher is suspected of being gay, then you must be gay, too.

The boys began picking on Israelson. They started saying 'Larry' and then 'fairy' and rhyming it with 'Atteberry.' Israelson Larry begged them to stop and was challenged to a fight. He took a couple of punches, and then gave up, which certainly did nothing to stem the tide of bullying. The teasing continued, becoming more sexually explicit and graphic. Israelson told no one. One day, when he could no longer stand it, he showed up at the principal's office and said he needed to leave Atteberry's class. The principal couldn't understand why. His grades were good.

"He kept pressing me," Israelson said. "I wouldn't say." 

So the principal signed a transfer slip and handed it to Israelson, who took it into Atteberry's class, interrupting the class, and handed it to his teacher. Then he gathered up his book s and left.

"There was no goodbye, no explanation," Israelson said. "I just disappeared. I never talked to Mr. Atteberry again."

Larry had thought he'd done the right thing, but many years later, he learned the truth of what he'd done. See, Larry Israelson, an Anglo, married into a Mexican-American family and after about ten years--two children--his brother-in-law asked if he could take Israelson out for a beer and a chat. He quickly got to the point.

"He apologized," Larry said. "He said that he hadn't wanted an Anglo in the family. He'd lobbied behind the scenes to try and get his sister to break up with me. He said he'd felt bad about it for all these years. He decided it was finally time to make it right." 

In that instant, Larry Israelson remembered James Atteberry; and began his search.

And, in that sealed envelope that Tom Hallman forwarded to James Atteberry was an essay written by the adult Larry Israelson. He expected nothing in return, he simply wanted to apologize for letting the bullies win, for not standing up, for himself, and for James Attberry.

But, as Attberry read the essay, he remembered his victimization at the hands of bullies, some sixty years earlier. Two athletes had grabbed him when he was walking home, made him pull down his pants and whipped him with a belt. He also told no one. But this letter, this essay, coming from nowhere, forced Atteberry to come to terms with his own past. He was not alone. 

More than 1,000 miles away, a phone rang.  A man answered. 

"Larry," a voice on the other end said, "this is your teacher."

Okay, I've had my cry, now it's your turn.

source OregonLive

It's The Latest Thing.....

Remember back in the day when all the starlet wannabes, and has-been singers, and drug addicted wactresses, would flash their lady bits to the paparazzi?

I mean, it was the way to get yourself in the papers, dontcha know. A little peep of the vah-jay-jay and you were front page news.

Seriously. Once could be considered an accident, but as many times as I was subjected to looking at the girlie parts of Paris and Britney and Lindsay, I almost switched gears and became a gynecologist.

So, how do people get themselves a little free press these days? I mean, flashing your privates is sooooo 2007.

Faggot. That'll do it. Kobe did it. Others, too. And suddenly we were talking about them because they called someone a fag, or a fucking fag, or merely just mouthed the word gay, and then they got all the press. The apology press. the Oh I didn't mean it...I love gay people press.

I'm so over it. And yet here it goes again.

White Sox player Gordon Beckham wanted to send a little message to his BFF, Kansas City Royals' Chris Getz, when their two teams faced off against one another last week. So, what did he do? Send off a Tweet saying, Gonna beat you in the game next week? Maybe fire off an email, We're gonna crush
you guys in that game? Nope. Gordon Beckham decided the way to show his best friend how much he likes him was to scrawl a message in the dirt around the baseball diamond: 

"Getz Is Gay."

So..........funny. Only now, Beckham is on the I'm Sorry Tour, saying:

"Chris is one of my best friends. It was a joke. I didn’t know anybody could see [the dirt]. I didn’t mean anything, you know?"

Except to call his best friend gay as a means to deride him, and mock him. But then he goes on, and on, apologizing:

"I just want you to know that that’s not me. I don’t use slurs. I have a lot of gay friends. I didn’t mean it as anything ­— you know, like gay as in ... happy! Or, you know, an alliteration — ‘Getz is gay.'"

Hmmm. I don't use slurs.
But'cha did, Blanche, but'cha did.

Hmmmm, Gay, as in....happy.
Yeah, that makes sense. Why not just say Getz is happy, asshat?

But then he piles on more, using Getz is Gay as a form of an alliterative slur. Maybe Gordon Beckham ought to whip out the Thesaurus before his next dirt writing homophobia mood sets in.

And then we have Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson, who, during an interview on the All Out Show, one of his fans, Troy in Tennessee, who called in to the show, and asked if Jackson "had his dick knocked in the dirt [indecipherable]," before the call ends.

Not so very nice, you know, but apparently, and I'm not up on the sports lingo, "knocking one's dick in the dirt" means knocking someone down or out. Okay, so I guess it makes sense, although I might just ask if you got knocked down, and leave your dick out of the call.

But DeSean wasn't real pleased with the call, and asked Troy:

"What type of question is that? Say 'no homo', gay-ass. Faggot."

Hmmm, you got knocked down, and someone asks about it, so the appropriate response is to call someone a faggot.

Jackson has yet to begin his Apology Tour, and "Rude" Jude from the All Out Show, actually hopes Jackson won't apologize. he says Jackson was just bantering, you know, and that he's a "is a hood dude," and for "hood cats, the worst thing you can call someone is a bitch or a faggot. I don't think he's homophobic. He's joking."

Yeah, it's funny to call someone a faggot. It's funny to use that word to demean someone. And it's funny when someone decides that their sports heroes are right and faggots are just no good, and there is no need to have them around and you go out and maybe bash a couple of faggots.

It's all in a game, right?
I'm so sorry.

Rebecca Kleefisch Non-Apologizes For Being A Moron

Last Friday, right here on ISBL's "I Didn't Say It," I posted a quote from Rebecca Kleefisch, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, and how she feels about marriage equality; she said:


"This is a slippery slope. In addition to that at what point are we going to be okay marrying inanimate objects? Can I marry this table or this, you know, clock? Can we marry dogs? This is ridiculous. And biblically, again, I'm going to go right back to my fundamental Christian beliefs marriage is between one man and one woman."


Yes, she compared same-sex marriage to bestiality--a tried-and-true Republican talking point, as well as the desire of some folks to marry inanimate objects.

Now, it seems that Kleefisch has removed her foot from her mouth and has apologized for telling a Christian radio program earlier this year that extending domestic partner benefits to gay state employees could lead to approving marriage to dogs or furniture.


Rebecca Kleefisch's "apology":
"My comments were meant to relay my concern with redefining marriage. I never intended to sound insensitive, and have the utmost respect for all people. I apologize for my poor choice of words."

Um, Rebecca? Fuck you.

If your comments were meant to relay concern, why bring up bestiality?
If you didn't mean to sound insensitive, why suggest people marry clocks if gay men and women can marry?
If you had a poor choice of words, and the rebound with a non-apology-apology, how can we trust a word that comes out of your mouth?

Let's talk truth here, Rebecca. You said what you wanted to say, but then it got out, and people began to question you as a candidate for office, so you decided to spin a non-apology.

Here's how a real apology might work: I apologize sincerely for what i said. I was wrong and wasn't thinking before I spoke. I'm sorry.

That's an apology, Kleefisch. You should learn it, because I see many more apologies in your political future.

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