Thursday, October 18, 2007
Stoffa Speaks Up For Gay Rights
Blue Coyote, in a thoughtful post, reports that Northampton County Executive John Stoffa, in his "State of the County Financial Address" last week, strayed from the formal address reported at the county web site. In an ad lib, he addresses an important issue - gay rights. I am reliably informed Stoffa believes same sex marriages and adoptions should be legally sanctioned. And I agree. It's all about equality.
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14 comments:
BOH, are you getting married again? Sounds like it.
Why is it when someone has a sense of self and comfort in their own sexuality that the old strategy of the trolls is accusing, in a vial manner, someone of being Gay because they believe in Equality for all. A tactic, I know, used by Larry Craig types. The foes of equality have used that tactic to and it is still used (example here) to isolate the allies of equality. Stoffa isn't stupid in realizing that Gay People participate in keeping this troubled Culture civilized, pay taxes, mow their lawns, rehab neighborhoods. Years ago, I had Jane Ervin's ear and she told me that in ALL the conferences she had attended in attracting business to the region, the first question is "how are Gay people treated"- sort of a canary in a coal mine test, because gay people are everywhere, we are everybody and everyone, we teach you kids, nurse your wounds, comfort your souls (Clergy). 95% of fortune 500 companies extend benefits to same sex couple (a point to mention- domestic partnership benefits are TAXED as income, just another form of discrimination). The reality that Stoffa's remarks being off the cuff and not included in the text of his recorded speech is still discrimination-please look at the bigger ppicture. It appears like his feelings are after thought. But then again. I guess I should count my blessing that he doesn't want to run me over with his car. From my perspective, his comments appear gratuitous and an after thought, however patience the Heterosexual majority believes I should be, Civil Rights is not a Popularity contests, it is a given. Writing Laws is one thing ,enforcing them is a whole other matter.
I have mentioned in private e-mail's to Bernie aspects of my partner and I experienced in the glorious Valley. We have been victims of fraud, extortion, had a loaded gun pointed at us, have had fire arms used to harass and intimidate us, had our mail box taken down, who the local police aided to harass us, had an attempt at entrapment with the Police involved. We believe that we were railroad by John Morganelli's office into dropping the "stalking" charges against our closet case neighbor who used his Dead wife to Extort money from us (I believe there is evidence to support my belief that Morganelli is for sale. We dealt with "gay feindly' attorneys that were TOO friendly and with lawyers who conspired to keep our neighbor's law suite from even going in front of a judge.
Sorry, however gracious I should be appearing, I see Stoffa's statement as lip service. I welcome him to stand by me and see that those who have robbed me of my Peaceful quiet enjoyment, be held accountable to the fullest extend of the law. Maybe he can get the requested police reports the my local police have refuse to furnish us with, especially the one where they have aided and abetted an act of Hate. Maybe he can get Morganelli to answer in writing, the questions he ignored.
So he can talk the talk, maybe he can walk the walk.
I'm all for equality and I care not what consenting adults do with/to/for each other so long as nobody is harmed (a la NAMBLA's effort to have ages of consent lowered to legalize sexual activity with young boys).
I despise the co-opting of the word "gay", however, as suicide and death rates among homosexuals betray a lifestyle that seems anything but "gay". I think the term is a slander to homosexuals who choose to be miserable - just like everybody else. And divorce statistics indicate a push toward marriage is a push toward misery more than 50% of the time.
And while we're at it, "straight" should go as well. Language corrupts perceptions. I feel gay when people give it to me straight.
At one point or another Stoffa has paid lip service to just about every cause and or issue. Just part of his nature.
You can play semantics shell games. You can attempt to twist the dialogue to Sexual abuse, however there isn't a week that goes by that an adult (the latest being the Rape of a 3 year old that was FILMED by a man name Stiles) Heterosexual Male abuses a female child. Do I believe that every Heterosexual male is a sexual abuser of young girls? Do I believe that every Heterosexual male has the potential to sexually abuse a female child? No, is my answer. But the strategy of taking a forum down that path seems to part of the play book. Those people usually find out that they have a Homosexual relative who ends up proving them wrong.
Interesting excerpt from the Boy Scout Play Book-
"Even the organization's literature says it's a myth that gay men are more likely to engage in sexual abuse than straight men," Davidson said. "They never have asserted that (potential pedophile) is a reason to exclude gay men from the Scouts. They simply insist that gay men don't make good role models."
As far as jointing the misery club of being another statistic on the marriage bandwagon of looking for Happiness, Gay folks have been spending their lives together for eons, it is just that those couples, with stable lives and relationships, don't make headlines. Civil Marriage is about a contract and not about Happiness. It is about codifying obligations, responsibilities, protecting property that has been accumulated during a relationship. If people marry for the wrong reason, the relationship will not work. BTW, my partner and I have been together for 35 years. It has been 35 years of Monogamy. Not for some pious, chaste reason, simply because if works for us. Do we get a prize for that?
As far as the suicide rate, I believe it is getting lower as people are more honest with themselves, more educated about the only "choice" is about accepting the reality that Homosexuality is an innate trait like left handedness. Society has evolved, families are being educated. However people with your judgmental and biased view do exist. Some are shadow boxing their fears. I would say if I was forced to be around you and your view of homosexualy, I would suspect that taking my life, if the only way to escape, would be a constant thought. Hate does have a price. " Hate is like acid, it eats away that the container that hold it in addition to what it is tossed on " Unknown.
We pick our own Poisons!
Care to translate?
Certainly wasn't lip service on Stoffa's part. Do not presume to think that you can guess at a persons thoughts unless you have taken the time to get to know that person.
Jake, Stoffa knows full well, perhaps even better than you, about the persecution you describe.
Certainly wasn't lip service on Stoffa's part. Do not presume to think that you can guess at a persons thoughts unless you have taken the time to get to know that person.
Jake, Stoffa is acquainted on a personal level, perhaps even better than you, about the persecution you describe.
He's been walking the walk for decades.
Could you elaborate so the bridge to understanding has more of a foundation. He should make public his challenges. He is a politician and and others have to read the lines and between them to get the message
sincerely
Jake
The rights of gay folks often appears to be filler and very easy to give lip service to the circumstances and the challenges of everyday life.
Jake,
I can't speak for Demothug or, for that matter, Stoffa. And I don't know the personal examples to which Demothug refers.
But I have to answer the "lip service" suggestion. You state Stoffa should be public. He was. In a major address concerning the state of the county, he publicly advocated gay rights, and was very specific about same sex marriage and adoptions. I don't know how you can get more public than that.
Now neither paper thought that portion of his address was newsworthy, so you'll have to take that up with them. Stoffa can't tell them what to publish anymore than they can tell him what to say. But his remarks were much more than lip service. They were specific statements about real issues from the top elected official in Northampton County.
My point is that it was mentioned that the Gay context was not "included" on the County's website or where ever the original speech was published. He does have control over that. I don't know any gay person who believes the local papers would publish anything gay positive unless it makes waves or creates devisions. If his extemporaneous comments were on the record from the beginning, that they were in the script, they would have more credibility to me and others and be perceive as more genuine and courageous. I got the impression that they were meant not to leave a trail. Sort of an after thought and not a real genuine voice of authority. The context and the content is confusing to me.
What was the point?
Jake, I understand your point. Stoffa's remark was extemporaneous. But the argument could also be made that what Stoffa said in that fashion is actually closer to his heart.
But he still doesn't win a cigar from my perspective..
I have no idea what his motivation was and maybe the element of words being extemporaneous does give them an element of him speaking with his heart, but the bottom line is, from my perspective, that how does it make my life safer, How does it restore, bring closure to the "Xfile episode of a Life my partner and I have experienced. Where we are made to look like fools for even believing that our constitution protect us.
Maybe I should ask him personally. Maybe he would like to take the time to sit down and review all the evidence we have and see if his words have any authority and if he can show me where his Heart really is. Maybe he can get the reports form our local Police that we requested many times and have documentation of us doing so.
I'd encourage you to talk to John. Also, please check your email.
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