From our Mailbag 03/10/02 - 03/30/02
We've Got Mail! (Sheesh!)
E-MAILS FROM YOU
From Moses E., (No City Provided), NEW ZEALAND:
Subject: Help!
Hi,
I'm doing an interesting assignment about gays and lesbians gaining rights to adopt children especially within the south African context.Unfortunately I still haven't known whether the law of south africa allows that.would you elaborate more in this regard please.I will be waiting for your response the soonest.
With best regards
Moses
ROD RESPONDS: Moses, thanks for visiting TheWorld's Magazine and taking the time to contact us! It's appreciated. I've sent your request on to our writers in Africa to see if they can provide any assistance. Meanwhile, I'm putting it on our "Vox Pop" (or "Letters") page so that our other visitors will have the chance to help you. Good luck on your assignment!
From D. (No City Provided), USA:
Subject: Matthew Shepard
Hello:
I have just watched the Matthew Shepard Story on Television. It made me very ill.
I'm not super tolerant of gays, but am not intolerant. Do I know any gay people. Plenty. Do I dislike them? No. Would I associate myself with gays as close friends. Sure! Always have!
But I wouldn't want it to be my child! I guess I just can't help it.
Matthew's parents handled it much better than I would when they found out.
Somehow, though, I think that the boy who did this was probably sick in that he must have had inner qualms about his own manhood! Also, it wasn't just about the gay part.
This boy was a viscious murderer, and I don't know how the parents of Matthew ever brought themselves to the plea bargain & let this rat live. I don't think I could have been so good to have done that. No matter what the situation, the brutal death of my child, would make me insist on the death penalty, I think. Who knows though, unless & until you are unfortunate enough to have that happen to you in your lifetime.
Yes, we're all responsible for the death of Matthew Shepard.
I sobbed all night, and I'll continue to think of those parents. But the problem is, I feel so much hate for the boy who did it, and that's just what we're trying to avoid.
I'm so depressed and confused.
Thank you for this page.
I searched Matthew Shepard on the Internet
D.
ROD RESPONDS: Thanks for visiting G21 and for writing. We love hearing from our readers and have received quite a bit of mail on this particular article and the Shepard incident. It just a shame that it takes this type of tragedy to raise people's awareness about the treatment of gays, let alone other abused minorities in this country.
From Darhl S., Tampa Bay, FL, USA:
H
A
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5
0
t
h
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T
H
D
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...and quit your bitchin! Sheesh, I just did the math and I was 12-1/2 years old when you were born. ROFLOL
I have just spent two weekends -- solid -- painting the damn house. Am stiff. Am sore. Am broke. Oh... and the house still ain't done yet. Happy HomeOwner? What a crock. Now that the wife can't nag about the paint job that needed doin', she'll find something else (or three)... sigh
cheers... and congrats on a half century of living. (Now, when it is put
THAT way, you feel old.) grin
dc
From Dermot O'G, Dublin, IRELAND:
Subject: NIA Congressional Scorecard
Please send me a full listing of US Congress Members NIA rankings
Dermot O'G
Editor
www.IrishAbroad.com
ROD RESPONDS: Consider it done. Thanks for visiting!
Cheers,
Rod
From Ed C., Bloomfield, MI, USA:
Subject: Re: Reparations via the Vox Pop
Dear Mr. Raheem:
Since you have sidestepped this basic issue, I will limit my primary response to the "ball that is back in my court" to one issue: "how do you, or the formulators of this reparations plan, propose to determine who would be an eligible recipient?"
Secondary responses would point to:
- No explanation of how "payor" status would be determined. E.g. would it be fair to tax or otherwise reverse-discriminate against a recent, Caucasian immigrant from Europe?
- The Geneva Convention doesn't apply, as it does not apply to conflicts at such a great time before it's inception, and is only applied to situations of military conflict.
- Anytime a difference of opinion exists within a group, the difference causes divisiveness.
Instead of marching on Washington, maybe those one million men could each consider sending $10 to the Southern Poverty Law Center. They can even do it on-line, through Tolerence.org, their on-line prescence. Donate here.
Ed-ios Brother,
E.C.
RADIO RAHEEM RESPONDS: Mr. Ed,
Let me put it to you straight: If reparations are such a bad idea, why are so many White Folk like yourself so nervous about a brother even bringing it up? (What would be the amortization on that 40-acres-and-a-mule by now, Pontius?)
Eligibility is blood simple. We all know where our forebears were prior to 1864.
So here are my answers to your lame-ass questions:
- The payor should obviously be the government of the United States. When Switzerland and Germany were sued for reparations only a few years ago, the courts determined that the governments bore the responsibilities for the atrocities involved. I don't think they worried about your hypothetical immigrant in those cases, now did they, Daddio?
- Wrong! Where do you get these facts? A Cracker Jack's box? You in the NFL now, my friend!
- Last time I heard, the whole notion of democracy, E.C., was based on the notion of open dialogue, diversity and differing opinons. Or you think we all need to be lock-step in our new, post-Sept. 11 Sheep Mode, and be of ONE MIND because it's unpatriotic for somebody to think for themselves?
Do the right thing: Show up at the March in our support.
Peace Out
From Edwin S., Ann Arbor, MI, USA:
Subject: Begin Year 7
Hey Rodney,
I been dealing with this "50 thang" for six months now. I can no longer
play tennis because of my knees. Am being treated for a panic disorder. My wife has a chronic pinched-disk problem. My sister had a heart attack and my cat just died. Other than that, it's really not that bad.
Cheers!
Eddie
You've got a point there ... and I do mean besides the one on the top of your head. Now that the "milestone" is passed, I guess it's not too bad. My bank will give me free checks now. I can join the AARP. What else is there? (Scratching my head.)
From Martha A., Warwick, BERMUDA:
Subject: You are getting there
HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY
DON'T WORRY HOPEFULLY WE WILL ALL GET TO BE SENIORS.
Don't laugh, your day is coming -- OR IS IT HERE.!
Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning.
Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said, "Mabel, did you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?"
Mabel answered, "I have? A suppository?" She pulled it out & stared at it. Then she said, "Ethel, I'm glad you saw this thing. Now I think I know where my hearing aid is."
An elderly couple was on a cruise and it was really stormy. They were
standing on the back of the boat watching the moon, when a wave came up and washed the old woman overboard. They searched for days and couldn't find her, so the captain sent the old man back to shore with the promise that he would notify him as soon as they found something.
Three weeks went by and finally the old man got a fax from the boat. It read: "Sir, sorry to inform you, we found your wife dead at the bottom of the ocean. We hauled her up to the deck and attached to her butt was an oyster and in it was a pearl worth $50,000 . . please advise"
The old man faxed back: "Send me the pearl and re-bait the trap"
From Monica St. J., Sydney, AUSTRALIA:
Subject: Bravo! I love it
Rod,
Congrats !
I appreicated your words TREMENDOUSLY.
www.g21.net definately is a world class e mag !
Thanks for the smiles
Yours sincerely,
Monica St J
From Tamila I., (No City Provided), USA:
Subject: Matthew Shepard
I, too, feel it was wrong what happened to Matthew Shepard, but I don't think his blood is on anyone's hands except for the ones who committed the awful crime.
Homosexuality is an abomination. God did not create us to be that way. Unfortunately, we are all born of sin, that is why God sent his only begotten son to die for us. A person who believes they are gay and it is a way of life is only believing the lies of the devil. It is true, the word of God says "God does not hate the person, but hates the sin". God hates all sin because sin is the wages to death. It is unfortunate that Matthew Shepard and others believe this is how they have to live. It isn't natural for same sex relationships to happen, that is why God created Adam and Eve. The natural order is for a man and woman to join together and produce fruit (children). This order cannot happen when two people of the same sex join together. This is another deception that Satan has given and his way of tearing down the family unit. Marriage is a covenant ordained by God and anything of God Satan hates and wants to destroy.
I feel it is unfortunate that there are those in this world full of evil and would do something so terrible to those who are mislead. If more people were following God, this may not have happened and the truth could have been told to Matthew Shepard. Situations like these should not be approached in anger, violence, or hate. Instead, we should share the gospel with those as Jesus did when he walked the earth and gave us the authority to do as well.
MORE STUFF Folks Think We Need to Know
From DC, Tampa Bay, FL, USA:
Subject: This is your government speaking
http://www.whitehouse.org/initiatives/patriot/index.asp
via e-mail.