A Radical Agenda
  by Frank Withworth

In the June 11th local daily, there appeared the startling announcement that our illustrious Mayor Lionel Rivera and a majority of City Council approved a proclamation recognizing Gay Pride Week.

In the same article, Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family lamented this decision and issued a warning to Rivera, et al., implying that they had best do what those who elected him want or pay for it in the next election. Obviously Tom forgot that our elected officials represent all the people.

In truth, Rivera did not receive a majority of the vote, winning the votes of 18% of those eligible to vote and 33% of those who actually voted.

Analysis reveals that the probable hard right vote, based mostly on the Domestic Partner issue, came in at about 18,000. Rivera received most of these, which represents about two-thirds of the vote for him, 22% of those who voted, 12% of those eligible to vote, and 8% of the population.

While Rivera was legally elected he must realize in a two-way race he would have likely lost. He has no mandate and needs to find more moderate footing to attract a broader base for re-election.

As long as the hard right turns out it 95% of its voters and those of us who are more moderate or liberal stay at home on election day, we could be controlled by this 18,000 voter block. The powers that are on the right (Minnery, Chuck Gosnell, Will Perkins, etc.) know this. They relish controversy that stirs their troops to vote.

Domestic Partner Benefits gave them the issue they needed to accomplish a takeover of council. They rose--or, rather, sunk--to the challenge. Targeted letters were sent out by the Christian Coalition ranting about the Radical Homosexual Agenda; saying that Jim Null and Ted Eastburn were doing the bidding of those Radical Homosexuals. The Coalition could not legally tell anyone how to vote so they simply gave Null and Eastburn's telephone numbers and told the recipients to ask them not to support the Radical Homosexual Agenda. Of course they closed with an appeal for mass quantities of money.

As one I am sure they consider a Radical Homosexual with an Agenda, I thought about that agenda:

I believe in and demand fairness and equity for all people. Gays and lesbians are as much a part of the fabric of America as are all the others who can be defined by one or more descriptive classifications. We are heroes and not; rich and poor; young and old; happy and sad; all races, all religions, all nationalities; male and female; of all parties; elected and appointed officials; community volunteers; grandparents and parents; brothers and sisters; sons and daughters; members of the military; doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs; and, most of all, regular people you will find next door.

We are overwhelmingly loving, caring people who want to live our lives free from discrimination, free to share in the American dream embodied in the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

This was a radical agenda when it was written. Apparently it continues to be.

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