America's sin: Silence in the face of injustice
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
1/21/09
In his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed, "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people ..."
While we can take comfort in the fact that the civil rights movement ended this country's most blatant forms of racism, the persistence of injustice in our society should inspire outrage and action.
Are we standing in appalling silence as our immigrant neighbors live in constant fear of workplace raids and racial profiling — all because they were forced to leave their home countries to find work to support their families?
Are we speaking out to demand and end to discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation? Or are we watching silently as others are denied equal rights?
Are we demanding that this exceptionally rich country provide for the basic needs of all? Or are we content to substitute charity for justice as long as our own comforts are secure?
If King were alive today, he would no doubt demand that we end these appalling silences that perpetuate human suffering and indignity.
Jackie Smith
South Bend
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
My apologies
I must apologize for the delay in posting several articles. Sometimes, it gets a bit overwhelming having to deal with the "gay agenda". You know, living a "homosexual lifestyle" can be quite tiring with having to constantly deal immoral activities such as caring for kids, school activities, homework, meals, housework, holidays and family. Things like keeping up with a blog sometimes just have to wait. I'm just grateful that Denise picked up more milk yesterday. Now, if I can just remember to pick the dog u some treats, we'll be back on top of things.
Ordinary
From the South Bend Tribune
Voice of the People
12/31/08
I have always known I was different. I could not put a name on it, but people around me sensed my vulnerability and they used it against me. When I was very young I was sexually abused by a teenage neighbor. I stayed pretty much a loner for a good part of my life since.
It would be years before I could put a name on my feelings. I have taken classes at Indiana University South Bend in psychology, sociology and anthropology. These diversity classes led me into gay organizations where I finally found a home. I can relate to these people and I have found peace of mind among them. So it makes me feel sad when
Christians use the Bible to discredit and misrepresent the gay experience in this community and elsewhere.
ay people are ordinary people just trying to live their lives. That's all. End of story. We are kind, giving, responsible people who wish nothing more than to stop being discriminated against.
Bernie Dolezal Jr.
South Bend
Voice of the People
12/31/08
I have always known I was different. I could not put a name on it, but people around me sensed my vulnerability and they used it against me. When I was very young I was sexually abused by a teenage neighbor. I stayed pretty much a loner for a good part of my life since.
It would be years before I could put a name on my feelings. I have taken classes at Indiana University South Bend in psychology, sociology and anthropology. These diversity classes led me into gay organizations where I finally found a home. I can relate to these people and I have found peace of mind among them. So it makes me feel sad when
Christians use the Bible to discredit and misrepresent the gay experience in this community and elsewhere.
ay people are ordinary people just trying to live their lives. That's all. End of story. We are kind, giving, responsible people who wish nothing more than to stop being discriminated against.
Bernie Dolezal Jr.
South Bend
Happiness is the Declaration of Human Rights
From the South Bend Tribune
Michiana Point of View
12/12/08
I was sitting in the Local 5, United Auto Workers, hall for the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 6 and I was feeling proud. I had a smile in my heart. I was smiling because my dear mother was so proud of being a union member all of the years that she worked at Simplicity Pattern Company. I was proud because my daughter is a current member of Local 5. The unions make it possible for working-class people, people of color and women, to live well -- good decent independent lives. Honest money.
I was proud of the Indiana University South Bend students who provided us with slapstick between speakers. I smiled at the adorable little girl, now a teenager, who I remember sleeping in the brown rocking chair that I bought from her mother during the West Washington Street yard sale 10 years ago. I smiled at all of the people in the room who I have known for years who, like me, are gray, wrinkled, pot-bellied and committed.
I smiled to think about the article in The Tribune that said Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in getting the Universal Human Rights Declaration passed and how Hillary Clinton stood up for women's rights in Beijing 13 years ago.
When it was my turn to speak, I was in good company as I stood up once again for individuals' long overdue human rights. A person's right to file a complaint with the South Bend Human Rights Commission if that person believes he or she may have been discriminated against because of sexual orientation or gender identity in the areas of education, housing, public accommodations or employment is a human right. I smiled because the South Bend Common Council came within one vote in 2006 of amending the ordinance that would allow this very basic human right: justice.
The late, beloved and former council member Roland Kelly and I held hands under the table as the ordinance was being debated. I always smile when I think of my sweetheart.
It seems so pitiful, so embarrassing and so sad that people today in this great country would have to beg for a basic human right, justice. Indianapolis passed the same ordinance in December 2005. South Bend can also.
The boogeyman accusations are, "where will this stop, we are going down a slippery slope, and these are special rights."
In the USA we don't stop. There is nothing slippery about this slope and the only thing special about these rights is that we openly deny them to some people while we give them to others.
I continue to run into people who are shocked that these rights are denied to some of our citizens. Those shocked are old and young, people of all races, and Christians and non-Christians.
Our Declaration of Independence talks about inalienable rights ... "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." We don't stop until we fulfill the promise of the president that President-elect Barack Obama most admires, Abraham Lincoln, who stated in the Gettysburg Address, "Dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
I smiled. I smiled inside; a smile of pride, hope and the confidence that we will do the right thing ... we always do. Happy birthday, Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Happy birthday to ya!
Charlotte D. Pfeifer lives in South Bend.
Michiana Point of View
12/12/08
I was sitting in the Local 5, United Auto Workers, hall for the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 6 and I was feeling proud. I had a smile in my heart. I was smiling because my dear mother was so proud of being a union member all of the years that she worked at Simplicity Pattern Company. I was proud because my daughter is a current member of Local 5. The unions make it possible for working-class people, people of color and women, to live well -- good decent independent lives. Honest money.
I was proud of the Indiana University South Bend students who provided us with slapstick between speakers. I smiled at the adorable little girl, now a teenager, who I remember sleeping in the brown rocking chair that I bought from her mother during the West Washington Street yard sale 10 years ago. I smiled at all of the people in the room who I have known for years who, like me, are gray, wrinkled, pot-bellied and committed.
I smiled to think about the article in The Tribune that said Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in getting the Universal Human Rights Declaration passed and how Hillary Clinton stood up for women's rights in Beijing 13 years ago.
When it was my turn to speak, I was in good company as I stood up once again for individuals' long overdue human rights. A person's right to file a complaint with the South Bend Human Rights Commission if that person believes he or she may have been discriminated against because of sexual orientation or gender identity in the areas of education, housing, public accommodations or employment is a human right. I smiled because the South Bend Common Council came within one vote in 2006 of amending the ordinance that would allow this very basic human right: justice.
The late, beloved and former council member Roland Kelly and I held hands under the table as the ordinance was being debated. I always smile when I think of my sweetheart.
It seems so pitiful, so embarrassing and so sad that people today in this great country would have to beg for a basic human right, justice. Indianapolis passed the same ordinance in December 2005. South Bend can also.
The boogeyman accusations are, "where will this stop, we are going down a slippery slope, and these are special rights."
In the USA we don't stop. There is nothing slippery about this slope and the only thing special about these rights is that we openly deny them to some people while we give them to others.
I continue to run into people who are shocked that these rights are denied to some of our citizens. Those shocked are old and young, people of all races, and Christians and non-Christians.
Our Declaration of Independence talks about inalienable rights ... "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." We don't stop until we fulfill the promise of the president that President-elect Barack Obama most admires, Abraham Lincoln, who stated in the Gettysburg Address, "Dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
I smiled. I smiled inside; a smile of pride, hope and the confidence that we will do the right thing ... we always do. Happy birthday, Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Happy birthday to ya!
Charlotte D. Pfeifer lives in South Bend.
"Special Rights"
More wacky comments brought to you by CCV member, Tom Uebbing. Notice that he claims that regardless of what the facts are regarding homosexuality, we should still make a moral judgment on it. Of course, this moral judgment must be based on HIS understanding of HIS religion. No other opinions need apply.
From the South Bend Tribune
Voice of the People
12/12/08
Rev. Edward Ruetz's characterization of the opponents of special rights for homosexuals as unChrist-like is facile. He alleges that Jesus did not condemn homosexuality. Jesus affirmed the sin of Sodom will be punished. (Matthew 10:15; 11:24) Jesus' personally authorized representatives ("He who rejects you, rejects me" -- Luke 10:16), the Apostles, repeated his warning. Jude identified the sin of Sodom as "unnatural vice." (Jude 7)
Paul identified homosexual sex as sin (Romans 1:27) which if unrepented bars entrance to heaven. (1 Corinthians 6:9)
Even if homosexuality were inborn and genetic, which it is not, the practice should not be legitimized in the law any more than a hot temper. You still must make a moral judgment about it.
Simply uttering the magic word "discrimination" does not make a case for good law. If what is protected is an intrinsically disordered and morally wrong behavior -- homosexual sex -- enforcement of the law will inevitably pose a conflict for citizens of conscience. They would be punished for opposing the negative effects of homosexual behavior. We would punish what is good for the sake of accommodating what is bad. That is bad law.
Tom Uebbing
South Bend
From the South Bend Tribune
Voice of the People
12/12/08
Rev. Edward Ruetz's characterization of the opponents of special rights for homosexuals as unChrist-like is facile. He alleges that Jesus did not condemn homosexuality. Jesus affirmed the sin of Sodom will be punished. (Matthew 10:15; 11:24) Jesus' personally authorized representatives ("He who rejects you, rejects me" -- Luke 10:16), the Apostles, repeated his warning. Jude identified the sin of Sodom as "unnatural vice." (Jude 7)
Paul identified homosexual sex as sin (Romans 1:27) which if unrepented bars entrance to heaven. (1 Corinthians 6:9)
Even if homosexuality were inborn and genetic, which it is not, the practice should not be legitimized in the law any more than a hot temper. You still must make a moral judgment about it.
Simply uttering the magic word "discrimination" does not make a case for good law. If what is protected is an intrinsically disordered and morally wrong behavior -- homosexual sex -- enforcement of the law will inevitably pose a conflict for citizens of conscience. They would be punished for opposing the negative effects of homosexual behavior. We would punish what is good for the sake of accommodating what is bad. That is bad law.
Tom Uebbing
South Bend
Bathroom 'issue' just a silly distraction
From the South Bend Tribune
Voice of the People
12/10/08
Bathrooms? Please. This is the argument used in the '70s when many of us were working to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. I remember hearing that what the proponents of the ERA really wanted was joint bathrooms. It was a ludicrous, weird argument.
And here it is again, being used by Joe Sergio, in his letter of Nov. 13. It would be laughable, except that it completely ignores the real issues: Justice, equality, and freedom -- in the workplace, in education, in housing and medical care -- for all people, not just for some, and instead focuses on toilets.
Why is that? Why would anyone want to cheapen a conversation about people and justice and equality in such a way? Conversations about difficult, controversial subjects are far better served, surely we can all agree, by focusing on the real issues.
Nancy Mascotte did not stand before the SouthBend Common Council to make a case for the creation of joint bathrooms serving both males and females. These already exist -- in our homes and in family bathrooms in many public places. She was speaking out for what does not exist: equality for all Americans. Let's not trivialize the issue.
Martha Carroll
South Bend
Voice of the People
12/10/08
Bathrooms? Please. This is the argument used in the '70s when many of us were working to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. I remember hearing that what the proponents of the ERA really wanted was joint bathrooms. It was a ludicrous, weird argument.
And here it is again, being used by Joe Sergio, in his letter of Nov. 13. It would be laughable, except that it completely ignores the real issues: Justice, equality, and freedom -- in the workplace, in education, in housing and medical care -- for all people, not just for some, and instead focuses on toilets.
Why is that? Why would anyone want to cheapen a conversation about people and justice and equality in such a way? Conversations about difficult, controversial subjects are far better served, surely we can all agree, by focusing on the real issues.
Nancy Mascotte did not stand before the SouthBend Common Council to make a case for the creation of joint bathrooms serving both males and females. These already exist -- in our homes and in family bathrooms in many public places. She was speaking out for what does not exist: equality for all Americans. Let's not trivialize the issue.
Martha Carroll
South Bend
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Judge and Jury
I've never been on trial before, although I worked as a paralegal for many years and am familiar with courtrooms. It is quite a different perspective, however, to actually feel like your fate lies in someone else's hands. That is the feeling I get when I think about the South Bend Common Council deciding whether or not to amend the city's Human Rights Ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity. I feel like they are judging me - like they have some strange power over my life.
In reality, these feelings are quite overblown. Although it seems like I'm begging for their blessing, all I really want is a place to go to file a grievance should I believe I've been discriminated against. The Council members don't need to condone with my orientation, or even really to understand it. They just need to admit that GLBT persons do face discrimination and should have somewhere to go to report allegations. This system works in cities all over America; there is no reason why it should not work here in South Bend.
I've given some thought as to why I feel like the Council is scrutinizing my friends and me every time this issue comes up. Maybe it's because of the way society tries to put GLBT persons in a box and marginalize us? Or, perhaps it is because it feels like those who condemn do so much more loudly than those who accept?
For whatever reason, I think there needs to be perspective on this issue. After all, this is not Solomon deciding whether or how to split the baby; it is elected officials recognizing a hole in the system of justice and equal rights that needs to be filled.
If the Council decides to allow GLBT persons access to the Human Rights Commission, life will be more secure. I'll gain assurance in the knowledge that my job, my house, my education, and my life in South Bend are valued and protected. If the amendment is rejected, I'll know that discrimination is definitely alive and well, and that it still permeates not only the fabric of society, but the power structure in our government, too.
Unfortunately, the latter confirmation would be no surprise, but it would be a big disappointment. After all, I am a constituent, too.
In reality, these feelings are quite overblown. Although it seems like I'm begging for their blessing, all I really want is a place to go to file a grievance should I believe I've been discriminated against. The Council members don't need to condone with my orientation, or even really to understand it. They just need to admit that GLBT persons do face discrimination and should have somewhere to go to report allegations. This system works in cities all over America; there is no reason why it should not work here in South Bend.
I've given some thought as to why I feel like the Council is scrutinizing my friends and me every time this issue comes up. Maybe it's because of the way society tries to put GLBT persons in a box and marginalize us? Or, perhaps it is because it feels like those who condemn do so much more loudly than those who accept?
For whatever reason, I think there needs to be perspective on this issue. After all, this is not Solomon deciding whether or how to split the baby; it is elected officials recognizing a hole in the system of justice and equal rights that needs to be filled.
If the Council decides to allow GLBT persons access to the Human Rights Commission, life will be more secure. I'll gain assurance in the knowledge that my job, my house, my education, and my life in South Bend are valued and protected. If the amendment is rejected, I'll know that discrimination is definitely alive and well, and that it still permeates not only the fabric of society, but the power structure in our government, too.
Unfortunately, the latter confirmation would be no surprise, but it would be a big disappointment. After all, I am a constituent, too.
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