Chapter Two for me

[Diesel4me]

Guys and gals, some here know me from back when Benzmac was on here and MBShop first started. At that time, my passion was buying old W123, W115 and W126 diesels and fixing them up only to drive them till the wheels fell off. I even found a couple of nice old Texas diesels that I looked over for guys here in the rust belt. But I got sick, and working on these cars became too much.

Then I got REALLY sick (kidney failure) so now it's hard to even imagine holding a job at all. Yet I still have my mind to occupy and I have been struggling lately to find a sense of purpose for myself. I'm thinking I have figured out what I want to do with my remaining time and energy.

I have decided to become a gay rights political activist, at first concentrating on trying to overturn the Texas constitutional ban on marriage equality. The election of Annise Parker as our mayor here is one thing that inspired me. She started her career as an AIDS activist back in the 80's.

I have joined national organizations that promote equal rights such as the Human Rights Campaign, and PFLAG. I will mostly be doing work here in this part of the state due to dialysis but if need be I can certainly arrange to take dialysis most anywhere in the country.

Whether you agree that we deserve the same rights afforded all others, or you disagree and still feel like LGBT people should remain second-class citizens, i would at least wish that those of you left around that know me will wish me the best with my new mission. I feel that the time is right for DADT to go away, DOMA to go away, ENDA to be passed, and marriage equality is overdue. These things, I feel represent the last civil rights frontier our country faces. It will happen. It must happen.

Thanks for reading.

[pj67coll]

Originally Posted by Diesel4me

These things, I feel represent the last civil rights frontier our country faces. It will happen. It must happen.

Thanks for reading.

Somehow I suspect that humans being what they are, these might not be the last civil rights frontier the country faces, but of course I could be wrong.

In any event good luck. I suspect you may have an uphill battle ahead of you, though that doesn't mean it's not worth fighting.

- Peter.

[Brian Carlton]

I wish you the best, Bill, in whatever you choose to do. Staying active in any endeavor sure beats sitting at home without a purpose or a plan.

The cause that you champion is important to you and that's really all that matters.

[Diesel4me]

Originally Posted by pj67coll

In any event good luck. I suspect you may have an uphill battle ahead of you, though that doesn't mean it's not worth fighting.

- Peter.

Thanks for your well wishes Peter and Brian. It will, undoubtedly, be an uphill battle.

I was raised in the most conservative area of this state and i know Texans and how they think. Part of my approach will be to somehow convince them it's in the best interest of our entire society for ALL people to have access to the social stability that marriage provides. I know that half of all marriages end in divorce but imagine how much bed-hopping and packing up and moving would be happening if marriage was available to NO one.

[MTI]

Does this mean you won't be tending your "virtual farm?"

[Diesel4me]

Originally Posted by MTI

Does this mean you won't be tending your "virtual farm?"

I will or my wonderful farm assistant Kim will handle it. Don't worry crops WILL be fertilized and the chickens will get fed lol.

Oh and now it becomes the Texas gay marriage farm. Officially.

I'm not sure if TX is the best place to fight that battle, but it sounds like that's where you want to live. I would probably just find a state or country that was more in line with my beliefs and leave TX to the unwashed masses. Then again, I've already given up on american politics. Good luck with your political efforts and your health issues.

[Diesel4me]

Originally Posted by Craig

I'm not sure if TX is the best place to fight that battle, but it sounds like that's where you want to live. I would probably just find a state or country that was more in line with my beliefs and leave TX to the unwashed masses. Then again, I've already given up on american politics. Good luck with your political efforts and your health issues.

Texas isn't so bad lol! The big cities are oasises of blue in a vast sea of red.

Texas has been my only home and i could not imagine leaving, i'd rather try to change Texas than move.

Thanks for the good luck wish.

I know, I get to DFW several times a year and know some people who live there. I'm just not that attached to any one place, and I find arguing with idiots to be a waste of time. If you believe you can accomplish something, go for it.

[Hatterasguy]

Good luck with your new venture Bill, I wish you the best!

[kerry]

Bill:
I wish you the best in the new venture. Seems to me that it is a good time for gay rights. In my limited experience, even young religiously conservative people are starting to be in favor of gay civil rights.

Kerry

[MS Fowler]

Originally Posted by kerry

Bill:
I wish you the best in the new venture. Seems to me that it is a good time for gay rights. In my limited experience, even young religiously conservative people are starting to be in favor of gay civil rights.

Kerry

Kerry and Bill,
Even some not so young, religiously conservative, old farts believe that you are entitled to all civil rights.
I wish you well.

[Diesel4me]

Thanks you guys, I'm happy to see all of the positive posts! But at the same time I am a realist, and I'm sure there are some that have remained silent instead of being negative, or worse, hateful. Lol but that's ok, i'm not looking to get married to any of those types. I don't even need to make those people come around to my POV,; all I nned is to make them indifferent to it at the least. Indifferent enough to stay at home if we can ever bring a referendum for appeal. Not sure if that is how it would work. I'm getting educated on these issues from every source i can find.

[kip Foss]

I have a gay brother and 2 gay cousins so I have seen of bit of what they go through. I might offer a suggestion to those that are fighting for gay 'marriage'. Give up on the word marriage. That word is like a hot poker in the eye of conservative/evangelical Christians. You need to fight for the rights to civil unions, equal rights under the same set of laws that allows the christians to demonstrate in the streets and print inflammatory rhetoric in the paper.

The word marriage is a red cape to a bull. The opposition can not and will not see past that word. You will spend 90% of your time, effort and money just trying to get over the image that that word creates in their mind. The idea of 2 gays on a honeymoon in the bridal suite is more than most christians can handle.

[Diesel4me]

Originally Posted by kip Foss

I have a gay brother and 2 gay cousins so I have seen of bit of what they go through. I might offer a suggestion to those that are fighting for gay 'marriage'. Give up on the word marriage. That word is like a hot poker in the eye of conservative/evangelical Christians. You need to fight for the rights to civil unions, equal rights under the same set of laws that allows the christians to demonstrate in the streets and print inflammatory rhetoric in the paper.

The word marriage is a red cape to a bull. The opposition can not and will not see past that word. You will spend 90% of your time, effort and money just trying to get over the image that that word creates in their mind. The idea of 2 gays on a honeymoon in the bridal suite is more than most christians can handle.

Because civil unions and domstic partnerships provide marriage-LIKE rights and privileges within a given state, only MARRIAGE is recognized by the fed, i.e. filing joint income tax return or having equal protection under the 14th ammendment of the U.S Constitution. MARRIGE is a right other American taxpayers enjoy, why, just because the heavily religous object, should we allow our taxpaying selves to the second best alterative of signing our rights away by accepting a civil union?

"Seperate but equal" has never been the right choice, and seperate and unequal is even worse.

As far as i know, christians don't hold the trademark on the word marriage. What i see are marriage licenses granted by the GOVERNMENT, not any church. As for what i can see from here, you apply for marriage license at the same place that collects taxes from taxpayers both gay and straight. Yet only one group of people are allowed the stability, and the protections that are afforded to married couples? HELL NO!!

If some freaky christians lie awake at night letting visions of two men in a bridal suite upset them they need to grow the EFF up. What ever visions they dream up have absolutely nothing to do with my reality in a state that continues to deny my rights that are protected and guarenteed under the fourteenth ammendment..