From You
Existential Crisis
originally published January 10, 2007
I enjoy reading “Hip Mamma.” However, I feel compelled to point out that if we only had eight fingers, she would have experienced her existential crisis at the tender age of 24. [Hip Mamma, Dec. 6]
Bagpiper V. Preachers
originally published January 10, 2007
Okay, now I’m fucking pissed. While I was browsing the Internet, I came across a video on YouTube of the downtown street preachers right here in Athens, GA. It was the night that I wrote my first letter about [“Local Culture Wars,” Oct. 11]. After much review, I found that I am prominently featured on this video, along with Heidi Hensley and other downtown characters. If you go and review these videos yourself, you will find that I had told the cameraman about four times not to film me.
This person, “Kerrigan Skelly” (if that is his real name), apparently travels from campus to campus and preaches the “word of God.” This group “preaches” and tries to “save” people, but they are extremely contradictory to everything they are saying. The video calls me a “heckler” (which I will own up to), and I feel that it portrays Heidi and I in a very bad light. Heidi is a great friend of mine, and I don’t think she would be very happy to find that she is slathered all over this website and made to look like a hooligan. I don’t appreciate the fact that they put me on this website (without my permission), and slander me and my friends. In this video, you can hear this cameraman claim “freedom of the press.” He thinks he’s smart. Another unnamed fellow tries to tell me that nobody will take my image, or my idea, and I cannot sue. All of these videos are downloadable at: http://openairpreaching.com/KerriganVideos.html. This group apparently has bragging rights about who gets the most hecklers in a night.
Tony Denham was the dumbfuck cameraman. His filming style is very similar to The Blair Witch Project, or the first hour or so of Saving Private Ryan. Maybe he should pray to God that he gets a steady hand for Christmas, or he could just use a tripod next time.
I told that fucking cameraman that I would find out what website they are putting my image on, and he didn’t believe me. He probably thinks that “freedom of the press” is a religious right. I have also found the full video in four parts on YouTube. Now I’m going to get a lawyer.
P.S.: Many apologies to Victory Chapel. This group was from PinPoint Evangelism. But seriously, though, you guys should be mad at them for trying to muscle you out of your territory!
RE: Street Preachers
originally published January 10, 2007
In reference to Geoff Terry’s letter [above] about the recent downtown preacher Kerrigan Skelly and the publishing of Kerrigan’s website in which I am featured on video… I have a few things to say. I’ll start off from the beginning of that day. I woke up on the particular morning of this “confrontation” with the street preacher to a phone call from my last remaining relative who accepted me, only to find that through a series of events and the influence of our Southern Baptist background, she was rejecting me as well - rejecting me because of my seven-year committed relationship with another woman. My father is a Southern Baptist minister and my childhood consisted of church, youth groups, Sunday School and Christian camps along with the confusion of being gay. I’ve spent years of my life dealing with rejection from my family - and finding a way to simultaneously maintain my faith. So, I was already upset, out with friends, and of course drinking. I came across Kerrigan and he offered a microphone to the crowd to ask questions. But this part, of course, is not shown on the film. A friend that I was with began asking questions about the souls of non-Christians. Instead of answering his questions, Kerrigan continued to berate the crowd as heathens all going to hell if they did not accept his conservative views. When he began to quote Christ in the book of Romans, I jumped in and lost it. I would like to correct some theology here: the Pauline letters were written 30 years after Christ’s death (as opposed to the 60 I talked about and the seven Kerrigan referred to). Regardless of the theological details, I believe in the principles of Christ, not the rejection and hate of people based on the regions they live in, their sexuality, their drinking habits, etc. Having said that, I do not condone my loud and obnoxious behavior. I was upset and drinking and did not handle the confrontation well at all. I could be angry in the fact that this video was taken and then posted on the web, but the truth is that it happened and it’s done. I clearly wasn’t that concerned who heard me that night, and though I’m not happy that it is now even more public, I can’t deny or give “excuses” for my behavior. Sure, there are reasons that I argued with this man, and it is and was my free right to do so, but that does not dismiss the way I chose to approach him. So I guess I’m ultimately writing this to say that I’m human. I do not retract my belief that Kerrigan does not correctly display the love and acceptance of Christ or the principles of the Christian faith, but I do regret the combative way in which I expressed those beliefs.
Struggling
originally published January 10, 2007
I am struggling trying to understand how democracy works. Concerning the Iraq War, we, the people, voted for a new mandate, but Bush chooses to ignore that and wants to send more troops. Isn’t there a better way for the U.S. to spend a trillion dollars plus?
RE: "Progressive Athens?"
originally published January 10, 2007
I am writing in response to the letter by the anonymous author in Danielsville regarding his/ her commentary on the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, sexual liberation for women by strip joints and sex shops, and the superiority of egalitarianism and justice of African civilizations. [“Progressive Athens?” Dec. 13]
As a feminist - pro-woman - and mother of an eight-year-old daughter, I would like to assert that I don’t feel sex shops or strip joints empower women. As an independent, free-thinking natural woman, I don’t need a dildo to empower me sexually. I find it offensive that I am forced to view full-page ads of scantily clad women and dildos when I am trying to enjoy the articles, letters, columns, cartoons, etc. in the Flagpole. The Flagpole is not trying to empower women’s sexuality by providing a venue for these leeches on society’s poor and confused; it is simply giving the space to whomever forks over the bucks. If there were more fair-trade businesses and whole foods markets that could afford to take out large ads, I feel that the Flagpole would certainly bump the chauvinist women mongers.
I quote the aforementioned letter: “This helps our young daughters to see that they are free to use their sexuality to increase their economic welfare from redneck misogynists…. Even 20 years ago, any young sister that would flash their supple young breasts on ’Girls Gone Wild’ would be considered a simple, dumb slut.” This thinking is so backwards and behind the times, I must respond. First of all, I have personally seen times when I lived mainly off bread and tomato sauce, thinned to make tomato soup. I was free to use my mind to increase my economic welfare by going to college on student loans, and made supplemental income by working in restaurants for five years. I was never tempted to flash, bounce, or degrade my sacred nude body in a strip joint. I once drove a taxi for two weeks and had the opportunity to get to know several strippers. These women often spend most of the fruits of their labors on illegal drugs. A woman’s sacred body and sexuality is not being empowered in a room full of perverted ignorants who care nothing for the minds or souls of the women working there. I feel the same way toward sex shops, as they are detracting from the perfect fulfillment a man and a woman get from sharing their sacred souls and bodies through the act of making love.
Perhaps the author of this letter believes that the underage women who allegedly had sex with the Nuwaubian leader were “empowering” themselves sexually. This free-thinking attitude died in the '60s because when women who are underage have sex with older men, it is generally based on sex, not love. When these underage women get pregnant, as women often do, there is no man focused in love on his woman’s and child’s needs. There has been plenty of writing dedicated to enlightening minds on the so-called Sexual Revolution of the '60s. Check it out!
We live in a society that is largely based on individualism. Were women part of a stable community of women they could rely on in the event of pregnancy, women might have more freedom in expressing their sexuality with less personal risk. I do, however, suspect that if this were the case, these women would not be venturing out from their community to shake or rub their body parts on hungry, ignorant men for money. I am grateful for laws which protect my daughter from predatory men who will want to take advantage of her young teenage body and leave her in a state of unprotected and unprovided-for pregnancy and parenthood.
Finally, I will address the issue of the “superiority of African civilizations.” As someone who enjoys diversity and believes that we all have much to learn from one another’s cultures, I will assert that I don’t think declaring any one culture’s superiority is the best way to learn from one another. I believe that as humans, it is essential to establish confidence in our souls, talents, abilities, capacities for intelligence and gene trees. It is important to define ourselves as individuals and as the fruits of our ancestors. It is important to absorb information and jewels of intellect from the present, our ancestors and other cultures.
Thank you for taking the time to address these important issues.
Spam!
originally published January 10, 2007
Scientific Laws in Human Development Scientific Results Human Resources Business Development and Customer Development Scientific Formula: Please investigate drumming up business for wrong human development profits and for repair profits. Professional adaptation education needed. Education profits replace lack of education profits.
Do you give positive attention while one is being good? According to Doctor Fitzhough Dodson some learned the only way to receive attention was through inappropriate behavior. As long as one was good one may have been ignored. Some who ignored others when they were good may have felt compelled to give instant focused attention for inappropriate behavior. Misbehavior was therefore attention. The behavior received attention from some in the environment and allied forces producing further teasing for social recognition. While wasting productive time other needs failed to be met causing the need to feed off productive forces. Changing who one became depends upon the process. In the past some thought dictated undesirable actions would stop unwanted actions. Authoritarians did not know punishment, which is a behavior recognizer, fools by temporarily suppressing behavior while at the same time giving social and self recognition causing the behavior to repeat. Recognizing the difference between the behavior and the individual do give the individual attention. Doctor Dodson suggests easily gently distracting offering attention in a new direction redirecting the individual to fun learning activities that let the individual know they are valuable and people care their time is spent valuably, that meet needs, and that lead to productive behavior while applying Extinction Technique by giving zero attention to behaviors one does not wish to be repeated. Recognized productive behavior becomes repeated productive behavior. Generative productive personalities develop. Children’s productive behavior is the right to have their educational needs met and be actively engaged in the educational process. Scientific studies by recorded observation of behavior under precise behavior recognition conditions produced the results: Recognized behavior repeats, or to quote the results, “Recognized behavior is repeated behavior.” The rule of science is, “All science is repeatable.” Repeatable results may always be obtained. These scientific facts may not have been available to others and you before so forgive others and yourself for the unchangeable past punishment cannot change and focus upon life’s qualities being specific and investigative. Make a future. Quoting a homes and gardens magazine, “The best way to quit a bad habit is to substitute it with a good habit.” The book One Hundred Languages of Children by Carolyn Edwards is the story of Italy’s child development Reggio Emilia Schools. Learning projects at Reggio Emilia are self-discovery projects. The children are free to think through how to construct and measure in their own way. During play the children test their theories. Chapter nine is the true story of a small group of children who draw a life scale dinosaur. The children found a place in the schoolyard large enough to draw a dinosaur. The school provided for the children’s access many measuring sticks, ’Rods’, for placing side-by-side showing the precise height and length of the dinosaur. The school spared no rods. The children learned measuring skills used in building societies. The King’s foot measurement divided into one dozen makes twelve inches. Cubit rods measure cubits. During projects the teachers engage the children in conversation. Children are inspired to inquisitiveness as a result of the teacher’s questions. Projects are displayed at community gatherings giving each child a sense of community. Community observers give recognition of correct principles applied to create each project. Rods used in child education to show quantities are Cuisenaire Rods. Each uniform section on the rod is displayed by color. Each consecutive rod is one unit longer. Rods make useful levers. Rods reach under and pull out items a person cannot reach. A walking stick is a sturdy rod. Children attain higher principles. Quoting Doctor Fitzhough Dodson, “What is the ultimate goal we are working toward in the training of our children? If we reflect deeply on this question, most of us would say that our ultimate goal is to produce an adult who has learned self-regulation, who has learned to exercise his freedom in a responsible way.” “A baby’s wants are a baby’s needs.” “Mother is a baby’s first social life.” “The learner must be in condition to learn.” Mother and Father set an example as learning discovery information gatherers. Family members share learning experiences. Doctor Dodson says “A two year old may not be able to obey the same as a six year old.” If one is taught the only reason one does or does not do something is because someone says they might not know the other reasons and when the someone who says to or not to is not able to control there is no other reason, says Doctor Dodson. Obedience has been misused by dictators. Obedience causes some to fear the rise to power of dictators. A dictator must take advantage of obedience in order to dictate. Kind cooperation is a virtue. Please investigate drumming up business for wrong human development profits and for repair profits that objects to good human development communications. Math places out of business all that profit by lack of mathematical accuracy. Mathematically accurate happy childhood, thinking, and meeting needs equals mathematically accurate mental health. Scientific Laws in Human Development Democracy Occurs Business Development and Investor Relations Communications objected to by wrong human development profits communism bring freedom and kind living. Freedom is mathematically accurate. Be Free.
Please forward to Banking Business Development, Student Loans, Human Resources, and Investor Relations, and to Business Banking Development and Business Banking Development for Tourism Business Development. Please forward to the Thomas Clan from Janet Hartwick, daughter of Pauline Thomas.
Get With It
originally published January 10, 2007
Not to discount the quality of the local albums that made your “Favorite Local Albums of 2006” [Dec. 27], but the fact that Harvey Milk’s Special Wishes didn’t make the list is a cryin’ shame.
Get with it, folks!
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