ANP : Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go Too Far?

The following video, entitled "Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go To Far?," is footage from the American News Project's reporting on the LDS Church involvement in lobbying and financial giving for the "Yes on 8" Campaign in California, which succeeded in promoting passage of Proposition 8 - a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

I've included the YouTube Video description, as well as two examples of my own extended commentary on the issues yto demonstrate the vehemency and passion of my opinions and to embolden sympathetic readers to fight against religious bigotry disguised as "morality."

As a gay man living in San Francisco (where the movement toward Marriage Equality first erupted in California), I admit to having pointedly biased views, which could be considered derogatory, denigrating and offensive to Mormons, but which should more significantly be viewed as sensitive to and in accordance with the GLBTQ ideology and cause of "Equality for All."

Activists claim that money from the Mormon Church was the deciding factor in passing Proposition 8 in California - banning gay marriage. The church claims to have only spent a few thousand dollars on the campaign, but ANP has uncovered evidence that may expose a caping hole in the claim. ...

American News Project, "Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go Too Far?"
[Video] YouTube®, January 14, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/.
(February 20, 2009 at 4:21AM PST).

COMMENTARY #1 : MySpace™ | QHereKidSF | Matt(e)o

Did the Mormon Church illegally invest direct funds or lobbying efforts in the fight to pass Proposition 8: the ban on gay marriage in California, which was signed into law by the Nov. 4, 2008 General Election ballot measure with only a 4% margin of the votes?

As the above video highlights, we have no way of calculating the actual total amount of monetary expenditures of the Mormon Church on all "Yes on 8" efforts unless the IRS intervenes, demands greater transparency, and determines what qualifies as criminal, "substantial" lobbying efforts?

My personal impressions are that the Mormon Church systematically attacked GLBTQ civil rights proponents with their arguments of "morality," and by actively & extensively mobilizing its parishioners to contribute millions of dollars and thousands of hours of political action toward the fight against the "Gay Agenda," stripping me and my brethren of our fundamental civil rights, and getting away with it by describing their mission as a religious cause of Christ.

It's a travesty, what has happened! Perhaps, when the gay community re-mobilizes to pose a better fight for their rights, we will see the Mormons react much in the same way; only this next time, they might be challenged by the status quo (or even indeed by the IRS) to disclose their complete expenditures of their anti-gay marriage campaign. Then we'll see who wins out!!

Enjoy the video! Let me know what you think of it with a comment or a mail message. It infuriates me! It's truly lamentable, what the Mormons have done! That's just my personal opinion, worthy of feature on my myspace page.

Matt(e)o, "MySpace Profile | About Me | GAY MARRIAGE IN CA...".
[Profile] MySpace™ : A Place For Friends™, February 17, 2009.
http://www.myspace.com/qherekidsf/.
(February 20, 2009 @ 4:57AM PST).

COMMENTARY #2 : Facebook™ | Matthew Blanchard | Message
Linsay, I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to view and reply to your email here on Facebook. I haven't been paying very much due attention to my Facebook account recently and have fallen behind on replying to emails when necessary and accepting new Friend Requests.

I did however want to reply to this email in particular after viewing the video attached to it, to thank you for sending it to me. I find the news report to be infuriating but matter of fact, and full of information that I did not in any way find surprising.

The Mormon church is a corrupt institution, and in my limited, biased perspective, they are the primary party responsible for the passage of Proposition 8: a ban on gay marriage in California. The truth is evident in the reporting: the Mormon Church expended exceedingly high amounts of the institution's own money to organize a campaign and lobby for its own parishioners to fight for "Yes on 8" by donating monies to the media campaigns designed by the Church's contractors, by phone banking and by flooding the streets of suburban California with "Yes on 8" propaganda posters.

The tens of millions of dollars that the Church and its parishioners contributed to the campaign far exceeded the total amount of donations to the cause by any other individual, institution, political action committee, faith-based organization or corporation nationwide. Like I said, I view the Mormon Church as the party principally responsible for the passage of the amendment to the California Constitution banning same-sex marriage.

We'll have to see as the fight continues in the courts and in politics how the Church reacts, and if the IRS is going to demand any increased transparency from the LDS. I hope that as the fight continues, the Church is called out for its excessive, illegal lobbying and financial contribution to the anti-gay political agenda. And I am a proponent of the cause to have the Church stripped of its tax-exempt status due to their criminal activity.

Beyond that, I'm at a loss for words. I'm interested though in hearing your thoughts on the matter. You didn't include any text response to the video in your email here on Facebook, so I cannot glean much of your perspective on the dueling anti-gay and pro-equality agendas. I'd like to hear what you have to say about the video and the entire culmination and continuation of events related to the fight for equal marriage rights in California and to the Mormon Church's involvement in the anti-gay marriage "morality" campaign.

I'm sure I'd consider your opinion to be astute, wise, socially aware, culturally competent and compassionate. I look forward to continuing a conversation with you on the matter. Please respond soon! Thanks! Hope all is well!

BTW, how's school? Are you excelling in your studies of journalism? What kind of extra-curricular or professional development activities are you involved in? Are you enjoying your education and your new academic lifestyle? I certainly hope so! Hope to hear all about it real soon. Peace Out! Cheers! Namaste!

Regards,
Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF
Matthew Blanchard

http://qherekidsf.blogspot.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewblanchard/
http://www.pandora.com/people/mblanchard79/
http://www.wmalumni.com/member/mblanchard2002/

IF ONE ADVANCES CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF HIS DREAMS,
AND ENDEAVORS TO LIVE THE LIFE HE HAS IMAGINED, HE WILL MEET
WITH A SUCCESS UNEXPECTED IN COMMON HOURS.
— Henry David Thoreau

TO DO ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD WORTH DOING, WE MUST NOT
STAND BACK SHIVERING AND THINKING OF THE COLD AND DANGER,
BUT JUMP IN, AND SCRAMBLE THROUGH AS WELL AS WE CAN.
— Sydney Smith

THE GREAT ENEMY OF TRUTH IS VERY OFTEN NOT THE LIE,
DELIBERATE, CONTRIVED AND DISHONEST, BUT THE MYTH,
PERSISTENT, PERSUASIVE AND UNREALISTIC.

— John F. Kennedy

M. Blanchard, "Message: Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go Too Far?"
[e-Correspondence] Facebook™, February 19, 2009.
http://www.facebook.com/.
(February 20, 2009 at 5:18AM PST).

In a final effort to sum up my commentary on the ANP Internet video broadcast embedded above, I will simply reiterate that my opinions & perspective are skewed by prejudice, bias & ignorance of the Mormon Church and its followers and by my own vigorous, audacious adherence to the "Gay Agenda."

The description of the YouTube™ video by ANP, however, speaks speculatively of the evidence of fault in the claim of the church that it only spent mere thousands of dollars (not tens of millions) campaigning against Marriage Equality.

If the ANP's evidence proves valid & true, then the argument, that the LDSs were the one institution and group of parishioners primarily responsible for the passage of a ban on gay marriage in California, holds true. I want wholeheartedly to agree with and believe in each and every key point of argument in this video broadcast, because I am angry, and I am hurt.

Because, I am disappointed that my fundamental rights were thrown in the shit can to fester & rot, where I lay a muck as vulgar excrement of injustice & inequality...where I am deemed decidedly...fundamentally, an immoral, lesser person for being gay (not having decided to be gay).

I am angry, and I am sad. This is the state of mind I've succumbed to after experiencing firsthand the equally potent prejudice and immorality of the Religious Right. But I live in San Francisco. What do I have to complain about?

Here, we are invigorated and empowered by community-wide appeals to continue the fight of "Equality for All!" Here, we have hope and faith in the fundamental maxim that declares, "justice will prevail!"

Here, we chronicle, commend and encourage each tiny tiptoe toward progress change, and toward a actualization of our damned, dear, determined ideals of equal civil rights...fundamental rights, not deferred or detracted, but emboldened and glorified.

Here, we continue the fight to "Defeat H8!" We're so fortunate to be here, in the great "Gay Mecca"...The Great Fog City: San Francisco! AMEN! Alleluia! Need I say more?

The Shanti L.I.F.E. Program | John Olesen

The L.I.F.E. Program is a training for HIV/AIDS positive individuals, offered by The Shanti Project of San Francisco, that teaches a comprehensive, holistic approach to self-care, promoting healthy lifestyle choices, so as to minimize the negative effects of HIV/AIDS on a participant's health, welfare, social & family life, employment, faith/spirituality, sobriety, etc.

To participate in the program, I was required to complete three health/welfaire & lifestyle surveys that asked questions ranging from "How much water do you drink in one day?" to "What are your substance abuse issues? How often do you use? Are you involved in a recovery program?" or "Are you a spiritual person? How does your faith play a role in your lifestyle choices?," etc.

The L.I.F.E. Program is reputed as being the premier health/social/spiritual welfare empowerment program for HIV/AIDS positive individuals in San Francisco; although, the Institute is practiced nationwide. In fact, John Olesen, MA is my National L.I.F.E. Trainer. I meet with him weekly, so that he can facilitate for me lifestyle lessons taught in The L.I.F.E. Program. in addition to facilitating my weekly one-on-one sessions, he leads group support trainings once a week for 16 weeks at a time (the duration of the program). He also travels all over the country to train social and health/welfare service providers in the HIV/AIDS Advocacy sector on how to facilitate the basic fundamental practices & lessons of The L.I.F.E. Program. John is a professional HIV/AIDS Care/Prevention Counselor as well; who has over 30 years of experience in industry work for NYC, San Francisco, and other cosmopolitan regions in the nation.

He's a fun, lively character…a good man, with lots of insight, wisdom and experience. He also happens to be a recovering addict/alcoholic, and does not hesitate to offer me support around my substance abuse issues. I will most definitely benefit from this relationship that I have set up with John and from our weekly check-in meetings.

To give an example of how the discussion topics for these meetings might prove to be tangential, I'll report that for our February 9, 2009 check-in, John focused the discussion on helping me implement new lifestyle changes related to my living space. We basically discussed for an hour the conceptualization of a design for the interiror of my studio apartment. I even drew him graphic diagrams of how I envisioned my apartment being arranged vs. how it is arranged at present. We also discussed paint colors and chatchka decorations, window drapes and textile fabric color choices for a "Blue/Sunshine" thened design and a "Moroccan Kazbah" themed design.

I think he happened to prefer the "Moroccan Kazbah" themed design concept himself. I just am afraid of the color red, even though, I know that it can be a very peaceful, relaxing, warming color. I find blue to be peaceful, relaxing and calming or cooling, which would be my initial preference; although, I do like the idea of having my own private Kazbah den for relaxing and meditating and toking on the shookah. Hehehe! As if that would ever happen in the life that I am now leading.

We also discussed setting up a savings plan to develop funds for redesigning the interior of my apartment. A redesign will definitely cost money that I just don't have right now, given that I happen to be still using (which shouldn't be lasting much longer now, if I hope to continue on with my cycles of reconstructions and recovery in the near future).

The meetings will provide me with an outlet for thoughtfully expressing and considering my daily lifestyle choices and concerns; whatever they might be! I look forward to meeting with John every Monday morning at 11:00AM for the next few months, until I am ready to participate fully in the group sessions of The L.I.F.E. Program. John will be a good sounding board for my anxieties, aspirations, obstacles, frustrations and dreams.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
[MDB2009.02.19@04:07PMPST]
Microsoft™ Office® Outlook™
Calendar Entry Description:
Monday, Feb. 23 @ 11:00AM
[Reoccurring Weekly (X15)].

KWAKUH: Indie Punk Kid Social Activist!

As someone who takes intimate care in developing my internet profiles, including especially the professional development & networking profile I have on LinkedIn®, I believe that it is important to mutually benefit from the contributions of others by contributing something special to a friend or colleague in return. That is why I decided to write a LinkedIn® Recommendation for my good friend and Connection, Peter Maybarduk—in hopes that he would return the favor, so that I could complete my profile with my own Recommendations from others.

In writing the first draft of Peter's Recommendation, I aimed to fully illustrate the impact of his involvement as a student on the campus of the College of William & Mary by mentioning specific examples of his achievements. Then after much time had passed and after re-reading multiple time the Recommendation I had posted to Peter's LinkedIn® Profile, I realized that what I had written was a rather sterile, drab, lifeless inventory of facts that he himself could have easily mentioned in the text of his Education Listing on his Profile.

So, I set out to revise the Recommendation, infusing it with emotion and life to truly evoke the profound impact Peter Maybarduk has had on my life and the trust with which I hold him to his full potential. Below, you will find the first- and second-drafts of my LinkedIn® Recommendation for my dear friend, former classmate, and now committed colleague: Peter Maybarduk.

I post this as a gesture to honor Pete's accomplishments and to express the gratitude I have for God for having kept Peter in my life these last 11 years. Everything that I have written below is an honest, sensitive appraisal of Peter Maybarduk's potential to "Affect Change" in the World and to work to empower disadvantaged and disenfranchised communities globally. The words I have written are truth—inspired, emotive, especially honest truth!

FIRST-DRAFT RECOMMENDATION
(Peter excels as student & social activism leader.)

As a student at the College of William & Mary (1998-2002), Peter Maybarduk excelled in his advanced studies of cultural anthropology and in his role as student activism leader, while maintaining active participation in an amateur indie rock band and membership in his fraternal order: the W&M Phi Beta Chapter of Psi Upsilon.

Accomplishments by Peter Maybarduk of particular merit to his undergraduate career were his:
1.) 2002 Completion of a magna cum laude diploma & related Honor's Thesis: an anthropological study of the modern Warao culture, an indigenous people of the jungles of Venezuela.
2.) 2001 Implementation & coordination of a student/faculty campaign for a Board-approved Living Wage for campus-wide support staff.
3.) 2001 Campaign run for Student Assembly President (for which I was his Campaign Manager) by which he cultivated & cemented a social activism agenda within the culture of students, faculty and staff at the College of William & Mary.

As one of Peter's closest friends & student colleagues during our time at the College of William & Mary, I was completely confident of his potential to "Affect Change" and to accomplish major achievements in his future professions in Cultural Development and Social Activism for International Human Rights Law Practices.

SECOND-DRAFT RECOMMENDATION

(Inspiring spirit empowers people to affect change.)

During Peter's 2001 run for Student Assembly President, he chose an inspirational, evocative slogan that was close to his heart. He urged the Student Body to "Affect Change" with their votes. For me, this slogan epitomized what my friend stands for politically; it defines his heroic spirit.

Peter is an indie punk kid social activist at heart, who nurtures a deep empathy for the World's disadvantaged and disenfranchised. He was a cultural anthropologist at the height of his undergraduate career, but his astute, refined intellect & his profound desire to have the most positive impact on the development of world communities led him to the greater pursuits of a law degree.

While Peter might not be fully satisfied with the direction his life is taking, I still recognize in him a compassionate, empowering spirit that truly lifts people out of their squalor, stasis and self-loathing only to be inspired to affect change in their own lives. What I have to say might sound trite & hyperbolic, but it must be said: Peter's spirit continues to move me deeply in admiration & in awe.

He is my HERO and always will be, because he is at once a stable, stubborn realist and a spirited, sensitive idealist. The only catch is that he is moving forward much faster than the world seems to turn, and that unrelenting, Sisyphean friction born of engines calibrated at different speeds truly torments him. However, he will affect great, positive change in the World, all for the better; of that, I am sure!!

This second-draft I consider a final version, because I believe it truly captures the profound sincerity of my emotions and feelings toward Peter, and I believe that this final Recommendation has a gentler, but more powerful touch. I'm awaiting a response from Peter to see whether or not he accepts my Recommendation of his work as a student at the College of William & Mary or whether or not he requests any changes or further revisions. Who know's!

Maybe he has specific things he'd like me to highlight. Maybe this more personal, emotional tone does not settle well with him as appropriate for a professional development & networking profile on LinkedIn®. Maybe he'll love it and be moved by the sweet, intimate candor of my remarks. I'm sure that after reading both these draft Recommendations, Peter will have a good impression of how deeply he has moved me to reassert myself in life and to not let my tragic circumstances overcome me.

He is a shining light in my life these days; I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to work with him on the project he is spearheading: The Sierra Leone International Interns Partnership (SLIIP) Project, which is just now going to be getting off the ground, as I have taken a share of the controls and am helping to organize fund-raising for the program. Maybe with the work that I do on the SLIIP Project, he will be so inclined to offer me a recommendation for my work in return. We'll just have to wait and see!