Ruminations on Progress in Recovery

During my many inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations for Depression and suicide (both ideation and attempts) after my car accident, I was suffering from not only a loss of social status (adjusting to living on SSD income) but a loss of physical and mental capacities (Depression really does a number on one's cognitive abilities). 

I've since overcome many of these feelings, and even some of the physical and mental debilitations (although not all of them, unfortunately). I've had to learn how to live with a "new me" if you will, and learn that I have new limitations, in addition to discovering what previous limitations I've always had.

It wasn't the doctors who helped me with the profound sense of loss and feelings of inadequacy. They're just there for pharmacological stabilization--"let's get him stabilized on pharmaceuticals and shove him out the door" is the mantra of most psychiatrists these days.

It certainly wasn't my friends, most of whom abandoned me in my time of need. The few friends that have remained a part of my life to this very day, I can count on one hand. But I know they are true blue and will always be there for me.

It wasn't the nurses, or nursing staff. They were always too busy chatting amongst themselves, gossipping, talking with the pretty patients, and letting maybe one person per shift do all of the work. They rest were otherwise doing everything but their jobs -- except when a crisis arose (which wasn't that often, as I was usually placed on the more "stable" and "less disruptive" units).

It wasn't the therapy sessions -- individual therapy was nonexistent. Group therapy was usually monopolized by other patients, and at the time, I didn't feel comfortable revealing what I was dealing with to the others because, quite frankly, I either found it more interesting to work on their problems, didn't feel I was worthy of their support, or was placed in a room with a bunch of morons.

Rather, the one person who assisted me was -- of all people -- the hospital's nutritionist. She's the one who took the time to talk with the patients (including myself) each day. She's the one who made it a point to find, and speak with me, on a daily basis. And slowly, over multiple hospitalizations and countless discussions, she provided a gem of wisdom that turned a switch on in my brain.

Before my car accident, I was somebody who could launch into a situation, attack a problem, and provide a resolution (or complete a task) in short time. After my accident, I didn't expect things to change, and when I realized that they had, and that I had permanent physical damage, it sent my dysthymia into a tailspin, throwing multiple episodes of major depression on top of it.

During one of our discussions one day, the nutritionist -- the only employee of the hospital to spend a significant amount of time providing talk therapy with me (even though she wasn't licensed to do so but hey, she's the one who actually helped me out the most) -- asked me a simple question:

How do you eat an elephant?

I was stumped, and this goes to show how off my thinking was. I was guessing at answers, throwing everything in the book at her, except the (now) obvious answer. With a fork? A spoon? A knife? A saw? 

Smoked? Stewed? Spiced? Baked? Fried? Fire-pit roasted?

Over a period of days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades?

My answers to the question revealed two things about me: I tend to overcomplicate things, and I think too damned much about things.

The correct answer, of course, is something I never thought of:

One bite at a time.

That revelation blew my mind away. I spent the next week reflecting upon its simplicity, and veracity.

I realized, and began to analogize, my struggles with recovering from my accident to eating an elephant. I began to see that even miniscule amounts of progress were significant -- moving from a wheelchair to crutches. Moving from crutches to a cane.

Being able to read a paragraph in a book -- being able to read a simple sentence in a book. Things I had taken for granted for years and couldn't do (because of the Depression's impact on my cognitive functions). Being able to recognize a word and recall its meaning. 

I began to see these accomplishments as tiny bites in my elephantine meal, instead of overlooking them.

I began to celebrate every little extra thing that I could once again do, instead of dismissing or ignoring them, as I had been doing.

By celebrating each of these accomplishments -- by recognizing that I could once again accomplish something, no matter how small that something was, I began to pull out of the black hole I had existed in for quite a number of years.

I stopped looking at all of the things I couldn't do (which I still do from time to time) and began focussing, and concentrating, on all of the things that I could do.

The nutritionist actually suggested I make a list of what I could do. The first day after she gave me this task, I presented a blank list to her. She corrected me, in a loving and supportive way: I could breathe. I could see, I could taste, I could touch, I could feel. I chortled.

But those items, and the nutritionist, got me to thinking. There are people in the world who can't do some of those things. So in a way, perhaps she was right.

And she was.

I began adding to the list. It took a fair amount of time but I eventually had an entire page of things that I could still do--accomplishments I could celebrate.

And with that, my road to recovery began. I've had to build that road from scratch, just as all roads to recovery must be built. But I learned that I could do it, and the feelings of accomplishment, of being able to celebrate each victory--no matter how small--are what propelled me into being able to take on the enormous task I undertook last summer.

Despite often feeling overwhelmed and that I'm not up to the task or the challenge of building a new LGBTQ community services center for one of NYC's more populous boroughs, I've been able to get a great deal accomplished. The most important of those is, of course, assembling a group of caring, loving, supportive, amazing, talented, and wonderful individuals who really care about the community, and building this new center.

So for all of those doubters, nay-sayers, and obstructionists out there, as well as all of those who are facing their own road to recovery, I say this: Start eating your own elephant, one bite at a time. And when you've finished your first, come join us in a great big pot-luck elephantine dinner, and help us tackle this huge pile of elephants.

Once you've discovered your individual ability to eat an elephant, joining in an elephantine feast becomes a piece of cake. Speaking of which, I'm going to go hunt down a nice piece of black forest cake this week! ;)

Note: No elephants were actually harmed in the making of this post. FFS people, it's an analogy! SMDH

Conversations in a Hair Salon

I was having a discussion with an older gentleman in my friend's hair salon yesterday, while I getting my hair done (the salon is owned by my friend, and as we barter for services I don't pay anything out of pocket).

The essence of the conversation revolved around the political crisis that we're facing. We discussed some of the possible reasons that we've managed to sink into such a time of extreme crisis: the vast majority of people in this country (the USA) do not want to know what's going on in the world or in this nation, unless it's something they don't have to think about. In other words, they just want to kick back, pop open a brewskie, and be entertained. They do not want to think about and/or deal with real-world issues—something they leave to the realm of their employment (should they be one of the 37% in this nation who are gainfully employed).

I posti that a very large part of this mentality is due to the fact that we have no real news coverage in our country. Our "news" and "media" are, for the most part, sources of pure entertainment. For instance, the other day, the stories that caught my attention were the protests against Russian Premiere Vladimir Putin in Amsterdam, the death of Baroness Thatcher, threats by North Korea of nuclear attacks against the USA, the civil war and strife in Syria, the crisis in Cypress, flooding in Thailand, and a few other stories.

What was the most pressing issue in the US media: "What did you think of the new Mad Men episode last night?" That -- a poll about what the public thought of a fictional television drama -- was the lead story of the day for most of the media outlets across the nation.

If you think media in this nation isn't a source of entertainment, look at who's presenting the media: 95% of the anchors and news reporters one sees on television could qualify as contestants in beauty pageants. I dare anyone to find me a current news anchor on one of the major networks with the looks of Roger Grimsby, Hal Fishman, Larry King, or Bob Schieffer. Why do you think Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil are relegated to PBS (public broadcasting station) news shows -- the least-watched of all news shows in the nation?

Have you ever seen what the disastrous silence that ensues when one of the current TV news anchors' teleprompters runs into a glitch? Or worse, when a field reporter (who all must meet the beauty requirements of news anchors these days) runs into technical difficulties with the writers who are feeding them questions into their earpieces, in the middle of a live interview? The field reporter hasn't a clue what to do without those directions being fed into their earpieces.

I'm tempted -- and this is something that the Occupy and Anonymous movements should consider -- to show up when field reporters are conducting live, on-air interviews, and initiate an EMF-jamming signal, preventing the reporters from receiving their instructions and questions to ask the interviewees. Now that would be entertainment, and it just might wake some people up to the fact that the "news" shows they watch every night are merely another form of entertainment.

It is this mentality that has crippled our nation (and some other nations around the world who seek to emulate us) to the point of it no longer being the shining mecca of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it once was. The mega-rich, those elite few who have plotted for decades, now control just about everything that goes on in this nation. Nothing gets done without their say-so or that doesn't inure to their benefit.

One would think this uninformed, apathetic attitude would exist solely in the lower, uneducated classes but that's far from the truth. The vast majority of even the so-called well-educated in this nation haven't a clue as to what's going on in our own back yards, let alone the world. And again, it's because the elite few have turned our media and news agencies into sources of entertainment, all to keep us placated and them in power.

If the citizens of this nation ever were to wake up from their entertained dreamland of wonderment, they will be in for quite the rude awakening. Unfortunately, I have very little hope that we will awaken in time to save this nation from the destructive path upon which it is most certainly headed.

Oh, and in keeping with the spirit and mentality of the American public, this is how mah hurrrs came out:

For those of you who don't realize it, today is 4/11 -- 411 is a number commonly used as an abbreviation for information (in the USA, dialing 411 usually reaches an operator (or nowadays, an automated system) where one can ask for "information" about a phone number they're trying to look up). Perhaps this little 411 post will awaken a few minds and unplug them from the Matrix -- which will be just as much a shock in reality as when Neo was unplugged....

Changing Meanings via Censoring One Word

A friend from a BBS suggested that I watch this video, which is taken from an episode of Sesame Street. They censored one word, and the entire meaning of the video has changed...if you can't figure out what the word is that they censored, let me know and I'll post it in the comments. But first, watch the video and be prepared to laugh!

10 Simple Tips to Supercharge Your Brain

Brain graphic

Here are ten simple tips that will help keep your brain functioning well into your old age.

1) EAT ALMONDS

Almond is believed to improve memory. If a combination of almond oil and milk is taken together before going to bed or after getting up at morning, it strengthens our memory power. Almond milk is prepared by crushing the almonds without the outer cover and adding water and sugar to it.

2) DRINK APPLE JUICE

Research from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) indicates that apple juice increases the production of the essential neuro transmitte race tylcholine in the brain, resulting in an increased memory power.

3) SLEEP WELL

Research indicates that the long-term memory is consolidated during sleep by replaying the images of the experiences of the day. These repeated playbacks program the subconscious mind to store these images and other related information.

4) ENJOY SIMPLE PLEASURES

Stress drains our brainpower. A stress-ridden mind consumes much of our memory resources to leave us with a feeble mind. Make a habit to engage yourself in few simple pleasures everyday to dissolve stress from your mind. Some of these simple pleasures are good for your mind, body and soul.

• Enjoy music you love
• Play with your children
• Hug a stranger :p
• Appreciate others
• Run few miles a day, bike or swim
• Start a blog
• Take a yoga class or Total Wellness routine

5) FAST FOR A DAY

Fasting cleans and detoxifies our body. It is known fact that heavy food not only causes stress on our digestive system but also drains our brainpower. Fasting relieves toxic emotions such as anger, grief, worry, and fears –before they accumulate and cause disease. By cleansing toxic emotions, fasting strengthens mental clarity, which increases
memory, concentration, creativity and insight.

6) EXERCISE YOUR MIND

Just as physical exercise is essential for a strong body, mental exercise is equally essential for a sharp and agile mind. Have you noticed that children have far superior brainpower than an adult does? Children have playful minds. A playful mind exhibits superior memory power. Engage in some of the activities that require your mind to remain active and playful.

• Play scrabble or crossword puzzle
• Volunteer
• Interact with others
• Start a new hobby such as blogging, reading, painting, bird watching
• Learn new skill or a language

7) PRACTICE YOGA OR MEDITATION

Yoga or Meditation relives stress. Stress is a known memory buster. With less stress,
lower blood pressure, slower respiration, slower metabolism, and released muscle
tension follows. All of these factors contribute significantly towards increases in our brainpower.

8) EAT A LIGHT MEAL IN THE NIGHT

A heavy meal at night causes tossing and turning and a prolonged emotional stress while at sleep. Eating a light meal with some fruits allows us to sleep well. A good night sleep
strengthens our brainpower.

9) DEVELOP IMAGINATION

Greeks mastered the principle of imagination and association to memorize everything. This technique requires one to develop a vivid and colorful imagination that can be linked to a known object. If you involve all your senses –touching, feeling, smelling, hearing and seeing in the imagination process, you can remember greater details of the event.

10) CONTROL YOUR TEMPER

Bleached food, excess of starch or excess of white bread can lead to nerve grating effect.
This results in a violent and some time depressive behavior. Eat fresh vegetables. Drink lots of water and meditate or practice yoga to relieve these toxic emotions of temper and violent mood swings.

A new beginning for the LGBTQ communities in The Bronx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Saturday, July 14, 2012, a fundraiser was held to assist with efforts to raise the nearly $5,000 in funds needed to pay for various NYC permits required to stage Bronx Pride 2012, an LGBT pride festival, celebration, and rally that will be held on Saturday, July 21, 2012 at Crotona Park in The Bronx from noon until 6 pm.

Donations to help pay the NYC permit fees are being accepted on the Eventbrite page created for the pride event at http://bronxpride2012.eventbrite.com/. Additionally, orders for official Bronx Pride 2012 T-shirts, with personalization options, are being taken. All orders will be available for pick up at Bronx Pride on Saturday. Due to the financial straits everyone is in, we will only be producing T-shirts for people who order them in advance, through Eventbrite.

More importantly, attendees at the fundraiser discussed how best to move forward after the devastating news broke of the Bronx Community Pride Center (BCPC) being forced to close down amid the scandal of former employees' alleged malfeasance.

An Ad Hoc Committee was formed with the purpose of creating a new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community services center in The Bronx that would serve The Bronx, Upper Manhattan, and lower Westchester County. This community services center would be a completely new organization with a clean slate, devoid of any history or affiliations with existing organizations, politicians, and members of the community.

"The handful of us who are producing Bronx Pride this year, in the absence of the BCPC, feel very strongly about having a community center for our LGBT communities in The Bronx, which is why we're moving forward now. We want to inform our LGBTQ brothers & sisters The Bronx and neighboring communities that we stand with them," stated Appolonia Cruz, an internationally-acclaimed drag performer who attended the dinner.

Such a new LGBT Center in The Bronx would act as a true community services center, serving as an umbrella organization that would house numerous other groups and organizations, which would provide some of the services BCPC provided to its clients. Unlike the BCPC, the new center would reach out and strive to serve all segments of the LGBT communities.

"I've never used the BCPC because I didn't feel they had anything for me. They were all about youth programming and services for the transgender community, and I don't belong to either of those communities," stated Nelson Garcia, a prominent Gay blogger who lives and was raised in The Bronx. 

The Reverend Carmen Hernandez-De Armas, president of the NYC LGBTQs Chamber of Commerce, commented, "I'm very excited to learn of plans for creating a new community services center with a clean slate, one that isn't beholden to no-good politicians and people. We would be honored to become part of a new center, as we have a lot to offer the members of all of our diverse communities, from job search preparedness and assistance to skills training to assistance with creating and running your own business. These are services we would be happy to offer members of our community in a new center."

"Many of the problems that BCPC had were related to its structure and operations. For instance, the structure of the corporation did not allow for memberships, which can be a significant source of income to a non-profit organization such a community services center. To rely almost entirely on one source of funding—in this case, government funding—is not the way an organization should be run," Peter C. Equality Frank, a community activist, told the supporters attending the fundraiser. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the governments had frozen all funding to the BCPC when they initiated their investigations into this sad scandal, initiating the cascade of events that has led to their closure."

Williamson Henderson, director of the STONEWALL Veterans' Association, threw his organization's support behind the idea of creating a new center. "Having a new center with a clean slate is the best way I can see of achieving the goals of our LGBT communities. I think it's a great idea and we will be there to support the new organization and ensure that the problems that have plagued the previous two Gay centers in The Bronx don't reoccur with this new center, and having diversity in funding is a great first step in the right direction," he said.

"Right now, the Ad Hoc Committee's focus is on producing Bronx Pride 2012, which is in less than one week. Once Bronx Pride is over, we will form a new New York State not-for-profit corporation, which is the first step in a long but travelable road toward creating a new LGBT community services center in The Bronx," Mr. Frank advised the crowd. He further told supporters, "It is my hope that the Coalition to Save the BCPC, which has been meeting at Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.'s offices since the closure of the BCPC will recognize the wisdom and benefits in creating a new center with a clean slate and come to support our efforts."

Bronx Pride 2012 will take place on Saturday, July 21st at Crotona Park in The Bronx, just south of Indian Lake in the park. Festivities will begin at noon and run until approximately 6pm. The event has only come together within the past week, after  a handful of activists decided to stop waiting for politicians and bureaucrats to get something done and began taking action. The event will feature music throughout the day, as well as a number of cultural performances and entertainment by various LGBT performers. Speakers will discuss topics ranging from maintaining one's personal safety to the personal experiences of LGBT individuals growing up in The Bronx. Members of the STONEWALL Veterans' Association will be present to provide a history of the pride movement, which started with the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969.

An anti-violence/anti-bullying rally will take place, as well as a call for full equal treatment under the all the laws of this nation. A number of organizations have already pledged their support for Bronx Pride 2012, including the NYC LGBT Community Services Center, the Anti-Violence Project, The Trevor Project, STONEWALL Veterans' Association, the NYC LGBTQs Chamber of Commerce, the NYPD LGBT Liaison's office, Citiwide Harm Reduction, Rivers at Rehobeth, and the Human Rights Campaign. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn are both expected to send representatives to Bronx Pride on their behalf in a show of support, as neither will not be in town to attend the event themselves. No other politicians (including Borough President Diaz) have responded to the invitations that were sent to them early last week to participate in Bronx Pride and show their support for the LGBT communities in The Bronx and neighboring communities.

"All of the people coming together to help out with Bronx Pride 2012 know the financial situation we're in and everyone is donating their time, services, talent, energy, and love—and that is really what this is all about, isn't it? Having a community center in The Bronx is very important to me and I'm happy to do whatever I can to support this new initiative," Ms. Cruz, who served as the fundraiser's hostess, proclaimed. "Essentially, there are no organizations behind this year's pride. It really is just a handful of people coming together to make Bronx Pride happen for us in 2012. Everyone deserves a huge amount of support and are owed a debt of gratitude that we will never be able to repay, " Mr. Frank elaborated.

The Ad Hoc Committee is being organized by Mr. Frank and includes the persons quoted in this article. Interested parties should contact him at 914-417-9579 in the afternoons and evenings, or at pcfrank73@gmail.com regarding both Bronx Pride and the Ad Hoc Committee to create an LGBT community services center in The Bronx. 

There is still room left to showcase performers and other talent, in addition to various vending and tabling opportunities. For more information about Bronx Pride 2012, visit http://bronxpride2012.eventbrite.com/  or contact Peter.

Crotona park is easily accessible from I-95, the Tremont Metro-North railroad station, or the #2 & #5 subway at 174th street. Bronx Pride 2012 will be staged just south of Indian Lake in Crotona Park, near the intersection of Claremont Parkway and Crotona Park East.

###

I just need to vent for a bit..

Grant me the strength to accept fucktards I cannot change!

Am I wrong in this? Have I done anything wrong? What have I done to deserve this sort of treatment? Srsly!

Here's the skinny, Jimmy!

Wednesday Night:

Unfortunately i have to deal with this kumkwat of a fucktard as he's sort of a client and I do work for him (yes it's a "him"), but he's also supposed to be my friend, as well. So last night, I made a suggestion to him. It was only a suggestion, and he blew his top off. Here's the actual chat (mind you, I'd been waiting all day to speak with him about some stuff; we were even supposed to have a teleconference meeting but he blew me off b/c something else came up (which is understandable, except he didn't bother to tell me about it so I was sitting around waiting for him to call):

me: how r u? XXXXX: stressed.2:23 AM 
me: can i so anythung?2:28 AM  

me: do anything*
2:29 AM  

XXXXX: No. I have a confernce call with the Executive Board tomorrow at noon. I'll let you know then what's going on. Honestly, it dosen't look good. 

2:30 AM 
me: push the new legal entity XXXXX: see  anyway off to bed me: ok XXXXX: Everyone has a opinion.  godo night2:31 AM

me: sorry for trying to be helpful

After this, he blocked me on chat. He then went onto Facebook and posted like a bazillion things on his page (which he almost never does) and was up until 4:30am, not responding to any of my texts or chats or e-mails asking him what was going on and telling him I was only trying to be helpful and offer suggestions (but whenever I do that, he lashes out at me and asks me how stupid I think he must be).

OK, next day ...

A few hours ago, I try to find him online, but no dice. He still has me blocked in chat.

So i text him, and this is the actual entire conversation I had with him via texting:

Me: Srsly, you blocked me?
XXXXX: I did
Me: Wow. Way to be "professional." Talk to you next year, dude, after you've had some serious intensive psychotherapy to deal with your issues and how you treat people around you in your life, especially those who try to support and help you.
XXXXX: What?
XXXXX: What are talking about?

I don't respond. I just couldn't believe the gall and audacity of what he said and did. So then he finally hits me up on IM, and again asks me what I'm talking about (like he doesn't know). Ten mins later he says "thanks for not responding."

And then--get this: this dickwad of a kumkwat freaking calls me at 12:52 in the effing a.m. ***UNANNOUNCED***. In other words, the ringer on my phone was at its highest setting, because I wasn't expecting a late-night call. So of course, it wakes up my mom and younger brother, who both yell at me. And then, he doesn't bother to leave a voicemail (like I'm really going to speak to someone at 12:52 in the morning if I'm not expecting a phone call from them, or they don't text or IM or even e-mail me and ask if it's OK to call me at that time--despite the fact that I'm usually awake, that's some freaking nerve, if ya ask me!).

So after the phone call, I tweet out the following:

Phone calls at 12:50 in the morning, UNANNOUNCED. Wake up the whole fucking family. AND, no message. #WTF is wrong with people? #Srsly #FAIL

Now, anything I tweet out gets auto-posted to my Facebook timeline, and I checked to make sure it was there. The next morning, I go to check and it's no longer on my timeline. I mean, seriously? Noone's name was announced or anything. I'm not going to be unprofessional about it. There was no way to identify who was calling me. So why report my post to Facebook and have it removed?

After this, the dickwaded kumkwat of a fucktard then goes and un-friends me on Facebook and unfollows me on Twitter, and he blocks me on Google+. Like I give a rat's patootie! It just goes to show the level of his maturity (none?) and his mentality in dealing with people. And I still have to deal with him in the future, because I really, really need the couple of dollars I'm hoping will get thrown my way for doing all of this work!

**le sigh**

**le cry**

;-*(

So what does everybody think? Did I do anything out of line? Am I not responding appropriately? WTF different should I be doing to deal with this cretin?

The Progression of Civil Rights

In the early 1990s, I advocated pursuing the fight for full marriage equality, in the Hawaii case. Most of the leadership in the LGBTQ community (with the notable exception of Evan Wolfson) nay-sayed the idea, saying that it was too much, too soon.

Having studied the civil rights struggles of two notable minority groups in this nation (namely, women and Blacks), it's clear that the minority remained oppressed for centuries because they were appeased with the step-by-step breadcrumbs thrown at them by those in power, those who kept them in second-class citizenship status.

I argued that, to break this cycle, we must not accept these small steps, these small breadcrumbs and scraps of rights thrown from the table. We must not have to fight 20 years just to achieve one equal right and another 30 years to achieve another. Instead, we must ask for it all, the whole kit and kaboodle, upfront. Only then will we be able to achieve the equality to which we are legally entitled.

Twenty years later, my hypothesis has proved true: in those states where marriage equality is a reality, there is nearly full equality and protections under civil law for LGBTQ individuals. In those states without marriage equality, there is virtually none--perhaps a smattering of rights strewn about here and there.

WHEN will people stop being blinded by the truth and demand to be treated fully as equals to their fellow citizens under the laws of this nation?

The major LGBTQ organisations (Human Rights Champage, NGLTF, etc.) are concerned with one thing: ingraining themselves into positions of power within the existing, corrupted and wasteful power structures. They are concerned very little with the basic, human rights denied to so many, far too frequently, in way too many regions across the globe.

The following organisations are more concerned with, and fighting for, our full equality. They deserve your support--your full support.


Demand Equality
GetEQUAL
A Rights Odyssey
Occupy Equality
STONEWALL Veterans' Association
Occupy Justice
Occupy Wall Street

An Open Letter to Pastor Daniel Hamlin

I just e-mailed the following letter to Pastor Hamlin, at pastor@greenbeltucc.org, with a cc: to the Miss Greenbelt Pageant organizers, at natasha@missgreenbelt.com, christine@missgreenbelt.com (they list no other contact information on their web site, at http://www.missgreenbelt.com/ )


* * *
Dear Pastor Hamlin:

I write to you because you are listed as a supporter of the Miss Greenbelt Pageants. As a church and religious organization with clear pro-marriage equality stances, I would like to know why you are supporting this clearly anti-LGBT organization and one of its start spokespersons, Little Miss Greenbelt, Sarah Crank.

A few days ago, 14-year old Little Miss Greenbelt, Sarah Crank, who is home-schooled by her very anti-LGBTQ Concerned Women for America lobbyist mother, told the Maryland state legislature, and I quote, "It would be the best birthday present ever if you would vote no on gay marriage." and "People have the choice to be gay, but I don’t want to be affected by their choice.", as well as " I don't want any more kids to get confused about what's right and OK."

Sarah's mother, who serves as her sole educational resource and life coach, has been lighting up the blogosphere trolling articles which have reported about this travesty of child abuse, proudly proclaiming her daughter's pageant title.

I would like to know why you, as a supportive and pro-LGBT church and religion, are sponsoring this expulsion of hatred.

I ask that you immediately withdraw your sponsorship of the Miss Greenbelt pageant and condemn the words, intent, attitude, meaning, and sentiment of the hatred espoused by Miss and Mrs. Crank. If you do not do so, I would be happy to bring your support of this hate-spewing, homophobic organization and its spokespersons to the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I do hope that you will do the right thing and continue to spread and share the joy and love of Jesus Christ, instead of supporting and promoting the ignorance and hatred that those such as the Miss Greenbelt Pageant and their spokesperson, Sarah Crank, choose to falsely ascribe to the teachings of love from Jesus Christ and God.

Very sincerely yours,
-Peter C. Frank

A Decade in Review; A Life in the New (or, Peter's Pretentious Prattle)

It is with a sense of tearful melancholic irony that I look back upon the past few decades of my life and examine what was in a futile attempt to determine what will come to be.

Two decades ago from today, I was breezing through the first year of my studies at university, even while carrying a work load of 24 or 26 credits per semester. In fact, I already had become a sophomore, credit-wise, even though it was my first year of "higher learning."

My problem was that I found little difference in the teaching methods between my secondary school teachers and the professors at my university of higher learning. The fault was not with the professors' profferings but rather the unparalleled acerbic academics of my secondary school teachers—something which, quite unfortunately in today's banal society, one finds less often than the chances by which one can be struck by lightning.

Exactly ten years ago today, I should have died; I did not do so. Instead, I have found renewed purpose—perhaps even a sense of hope among all the doom and gloom of my intellectual pursuits.

Perhaps it is done in order to satiate the human brain's need of order within all the chaotic flotsam and jetsam contained within the data rhythms of sensory input that we humans are able to "pinpoint" pivotal moments in our lives, upon which have launched tributaries of change in the linear graph we humans call, simply, "life."

Or, perhaps it is just that our pre-programmed pragmatic neural pathways are otherwise incapable of such abstract realities that we seize upon certain moments in "time" instead of allowing ourselves the meek luxury of enjoying the sojourn through inter-cosmic strands of Silly-String tying our eternal Oneness together.

Whatever the case may be, I once was alive--very, very alive--then almost died. And in fighting for and attempting to reclaim some of that prior life, I've come to that aged revelation of just how little of "life" (or what we consider to be life) is, in fact, being alive. Most of it is the muck and dreck "society" lays upon our bereaved shoulders.

There is but one thing I have discovered that remains real, alive, and unchanged throughout the myriad morphings of societies' demands: LOVE.

It is Love, the universal and eternal source of energy, that has allowed me to remain calm in the face of inter-familial quabbles and deflect the hatred lashed out and me, responding instead with pity—not the very same hated fired upon me in misguided outrage all in the name of one's so-called "religion." I discovered an ability to absorb negative energy and convert it into a more positive form of energy.

It is Love, the universal and eternal source of energy, that has exposed one very important purpose I can serve here while in this space, in this very vessel of being. I always have been politically involved in my "adult" life, serving as advocate for those unable to do so themselves. In fact, my "chosen career path"—that of the attorney—is dedicated to this noblest of noble ideals.

It is Love, the universal and eternal source of energy, that has given me a sense of hope for a future—the mere fact there can be a future. Love of the within and the without, the internal and the external, the subordinate subservient versus the domineering predominant.

Indeed, when reading earlier of the passing on of the noblesse that was Camilla Williams into the eternal expanse of energy, I became, at first, enraged with its placement in the "Entertainment" section instead of front-page news. That anger subsided as I was filled with the Love that was her life in all respects and aspects: how silently she battled the hatred and negative energies of society with tear-evoking, theme-filled magically melodious music created from the Love within her and how society changed as a result.

The minutiae of life's little details obscure and preoccupy most with their reckless requirements. Taking a trip to death's door and back, I am left with but one universal truth:

Love thy self, and everything will fall into place. Or, to put it in other words,

LIVE LOVE, BITCH!

Much Ado About Nothing

There's a story that's been going around lately, and it's pretty true, that a bunch of Muslim women were recently arrested at the Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York (which is owned by the Westchester County Government--the only amusement park in the nation so owned by a governmental entity), for causing a disturbance and protesting the park's refusal to allow them entrance on the park's many rides while wearing their headgear.

Being a life-long resident of Westchester County and friends with folks who've worked at Playland over the years, I have an issue with this entire story. It's being made out that the Muslim women were singled out, and that's just not the case.

Here's the fact of the matter:

Anyone wearing any sort of headgear, including scarves, is not permitted on any ride at Playland, for safety reasons: If the women were allowed onto the rides and one of them were choked to death because their scarf (their headgear) loosened or got caught on the equipment during a ride, then they would be clamoring to sue. This is the reason that headgear of any sort is not allowed on rides; it can come loose and cause injury.

[EDIT]Apparently, as some of my friends in the social sphere have pointed out, these women have never heard of Isadora Duncan.[/EDIT]

The women could just as easily have left their headgear with the attendants of the ride for retrieval for when they were finished with the ride, much as has been done with assistive devices (such as canes/walkers) that some patrons require to aid their walking.

If these women simply had removed their head gear for the ride, they would have been let on. The women were issued refunds for their tickets but, basically, decided to make much ado about nothing, IMHO.

The Most Incredible Journey

Last week, I took a trip down to Memphis, Tennessee, right in the heart of what we northerners might call the "Bible Belt."

Why would I, an out gay man, take such a trip? Well, for starters, I wasn't alone. Over 90 individuals representing 26 different states in the USA, as well as the District of Columbia, ventured to Memphis for a life-changing journey in order to undergo training in nonviolent civil disobedience so that would would be enabled and empowered to take direct action and raise both the stakes and the spectrum of the fight for equality for all but especially of us LGBTQ folk. The trip and training were sponsored by GetEQUAL, a queer-rights activist group.

To be completely honest, I went on the trip for some pretty selfish reasons: I wanted to get away for a few days; I hadn't gone on any sort of trip other than for family matters in nearly a decade; I wanted to see the National Civil Rights Museum and determine how much import they'd given to Bayard Rustin, who has mostly been ignored by the Black civil rights movement because he was gay; and last but not least, I did think I could learn a few things and catch a glimpse of some eye candy.

I also had some pretty certain expectations as to what would happen while I was down there: I would be quite a bit bored; I wouldn't be able to wake up in time to attend all the workshops; I would be chastised and castigated for being a Republican in a mostly Democrat-leaning LGBTQ population; I would make a couple of new contacts; and perhaps I would make a new friend or two.

Looking back on what took place last week and finally being able to process a large amount of the past week, as well as having some conversations online with some of the folks I'd met down in Memphis, I'm left both ashamed and blown away by what took place.

With each new step I’ve been taking over the past few years, I’ve managed to meet and become engaged with some truly wonderful, loving, caring, and astounding individuals. This past week was no exception; in fact, if anything, I’ve connected with more such individuals than I ever had done before.

Perhaps I’m just getting older, perhaps my medications are working better, or perhaps I was just excited and knew that everyone attending this insanely information-packed training was there for one purpose: coming together to fight for equality but I found it much easier to speak with individuals in-person at this event that ever before in my life. Ideas were flowing, synergies were colliding, and information was spouting across every sphere of influence.

Yes, there was some eye candy there. But my interest in forming relationships with most of the individuals with whom I met in Memphis go far beyond having someone nice to look at and speak with. There were deep, deep bonds that were made, sometimes across chasms of pain, and it wasn't with just a few individuals. Rather, an amazing, astounding, and perhaps overwhelming number of friendships were forged out of this coalescence, which was the brainchild of a very remarkable woman and her team of cohorts.

Perhaps it was because I saw this as a business trip of sorts that I experienced such little social anxiety in such a large group but I was able to get to know and form a deep friendship with maybe half of the queer-rights activists attending the training. Of that half, there are a few men I'd like to get to know better and explore, over a very long period of time of course, whether or not there's any potential to be more than great friends. But that's secondary to what really happened down there.

The trip to Memphis exceeded my expectations at every level. I was not castigated and shunned for being a Republican; in fact, I was almost embraced. Instead of not being able to wake up in time for the workshops, I actually had difficulty going to sleep. I would estimate I managed to get in a total of 7.5 hours of sleep over the course of five days, and I believe that it was due to the tremendous amount of positive energy that everyone brought to the training. The divisiveness that usually is present when large groups of LGBTQ folk get together wasn't there; we were a coalition united around a certain truth: Equality For All is a fundamental right whose time is long overdue and we demand its immediate implementation.

I didn't make just a few connections and one or two new friendships. I connected with almost every single one of the other individuals present at the training, and formed deep bonds of friendship (or the beginnings thereof) with nearly half of them.

I was already familiar with a good deal of the information presented in many of the workshops held over the course of the 4-day training session; however, I did learn and much of the information that was presented, while I might have known it, had sunken to the deep recesses of my memory, so it was good that they were brought to the fore of my mind. It truly was a staggering amount of information that was presented; think of it as an intensive course -- you know, the type you take in college where you sit for a class six Saturdays out in a row and get a full semester's worth of classes in such a short time-span. So I wasn't bored out of my mind, either.

I am still in awe of what took place last week, and owe a great deal of debt and gratitude to Robin McGeHee, GetEQUAL's director, and her cohorts Heather Cronk (GetEQUAL's Managing Director), Dan Fotou, Jase Watson, and countless others whose dedication and hard work helped make the training the raving success it turned out to be.

I didn’t realize the true intent of Robin’s organizational symphony until very late Friday night (around 11pm). Earlier in the evening, Robin spoke about how she wasn’t bringing us all together to form a new organization. She said some other things, and all of a sudden, New York’s recent triomphe of marriage equality popped into my head. I couldn’t get it out of my head so I started playing with it a bit, poking and prodding here and there. I soon discovered some similarities between how marriage equality was actualized in New York and what Robin was doing, and it came down to one sentiment: coalition-building.

Instead of telling folks that she was attempting or wanted to build a coalition, she built it. Instead of asking folks to come together to fight for a common cause, she brought them together. Instead of worrying about “process” and “procedure,” she worried about “content” and “logistics.”

In short, Robin got an idea in her head and set out to effectuate its realization. And in doing so, she gathered together a truly wondrous group of 90 or so individuals into a coalescence of ideas, information, thoughts, energies, synergies, and actions. I would feel the love, the togetherness, and the oneness in the room as we progressed throughout each day, each presentation, and each training exercise and it renewed me. It energized me, and it filled me with impetus to take action.

So much so was the strength of this impetus to take action that I began planning a direction action event--a flashmob--to occur in the midst of our training: GetEQUAL activists planned to protest Urban Outfitter’s discriminatory and unequal treatment of its LGBTQ employees, such as not giving or even offering health benefits to LGBTQ employees’ partners or spouses. And that’s something that was not included on the agenda; it’s something that was organized and put into effect in less than 24 hours. It’s something that spoke directly to the training we were receiving this weekend. In essence, it was our “final exam” for the class. (The protest didn't take place due to logistical difficulties; many of the participants had to leave early to return to their homes and thus we were left with an insufficient number of participants to make the prosecution of the planned flash mob worth it.)

My life will forever be changed as a result of attending this training. And, I have a better idea of why I was made to go through all that I have endured in life, especially during the past ten years or so. For that, I owe Robin a universe of gratitude, admiration, and love.

To give you an idea as to the caliber of individual I've bonded with, in response to some of the blog posts that many of you have read right here, chronicling the my life over the past decade, as well as my own story as to why It Gets Better, I received this comment:

What impresses me so much about what you have shared is that through all the ugliness you are so sweet and giving of yourself. You have a basic kindness about you that I find so beautiful. 

A lot of people in your circumstance could be bitter or paralyzed with devastation. But instead, every interaction I have had with you has been with a brilliant, kind, caring person. 

And that is pretty effing remarkable.

That an individual could not only recognize this about me in the short period of time we've known each other but feel a need to vocalize their feelings about it to me, well, it leaves me speechless, humbled, and with a renewed determination and passion to fight on behalf of those who cannot fight for themselves, so that we may some day look back on this and scratch our heads and wonder just what the heck all the fuss was about.

And so it is with profound and great love, gratitude, and the deepest respect for my new friends that I write and dedicate this post to them, the Memphis 90+, for I believe we will be seeing great things coming from this historic gathering of individuals who created, and will continue to make, history.

Journeying Into Old Age

Yesterday, I had my first real experience on the journey into old age, and it wasn't fun.

I've not been feeling well for a while now; at the beginning of the month I was having "stomach issues" and I've just generally been feeling pretty run down.

Around 7pm yesterday evening, I began experiencing a great amount of pain in my chest, which made it difficult for me to breathe. I wasn't doing anything physical, and hadn't done anything physical in a while. In fact, I was sitting on my bed, as usual, on my laptop computer.

I called a few friends to see if I they had any idea of what might be happening, and was able only to get hold of one. She suggested that I go to the emergency room ("ER") right away, as chest pains might be related to the heart.

At first, I postponed such action as it didn't feel like my heart, per se. But as the minutes ticked by, the pain became worse, and it became increasingly difficult to breathe. The pain spread to my shoulder, back, neck, and head. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like someone was standing in the middle of my chest, on the inside. There was pressure but the pain mostly originated from within my body.

It wasn't the sort of tightness I normally would have associated with an asthma attack. I'd never before experienced anything like it. The pain increased exponentially as I inhaled, and it got to the point where I could only take very, very short, shallow breaths.

Twenty minutes after the pains began, I called 911, and reported that I was having chest pains and difficulty breathing. I have VOIP service from my cable company, and they advertise providing E-911 services with their VOIP service.

The 911 operator asked me where I lived, and I had to give him my address. It was quite difficult to talk, mostly due to the fact that I could only take very short, shallow breaths. He then told me to hold on and wound up transferring me to an EMS operator, where I had to repeat myself, including giving them my address.

I have verified with the cable company that the E-911 service that comes with my VOIP phone service through the cable company automatically transmits my address to the 911 call center. They are, however, running diagnostics to ensure that it was transmitted correctly yesterday.

There's no reason I should have had to spend just over two minutes on the phone with 911 to get an ambulance to show up. In my opinion, what should have happened was that as soon as I said I was having difficulty breathing, they should have asked if I wanted an ambulance sent to me and if I responded in the affirmative, should have read my address to me and asked if that's where I wished the ambulance to be sent.

I went outside of my apartment building to wait for the ambulance, which arrived pretty quickly. Once they got me inside of the ambulance, on the stretcher, they prepared to head to hospital, and the ambulance broke down. They had to radio for another ambulance to arrive, which took less than five minutes.

The EMS response was very good, in my opinion, and they treated me well. They allowed me to write down answers to questions (such as contact info, insurance info, medications taken, allergies, etc.) so I wouldn't have to talk, as they saw I was having difficulty with that. They took my pulse, blood pressure, and performed a few EKG, as well as measured my oxygen levels.

So once in the second ambulance, we took off for hospital. They asked which hospital I wanted to go to -- there are two of them in Yonkers. The one I'd gone to in the past (for less serious health matters) was supposed to be the worst of the two, so I opted to go for the one that's supposed to be better.

I was taken (on the stretcher) from the ambulance into the ER and placed into a room. I would say that approximately one-third of the rooms in the ER were occupied when I arrived. The first person I saw who came to the room I was in was the registration clerk. He took my insurance information, and was kind enough to take other information he need from my phone.

After about 20 or so minutes of being in the room, the triage nurse came in to see me. She hooked me up to the blood pressure and oxygen monitors, and took my temperature. As she was doing this, she began asking me some basic questions, such as what medications I was taking and if I had any allergies. Since I had already given this information to the EMS technicians, I was somewhat peeved that I had to repeat myself, as EMS techs usually transfer that info to the ER the few times I'd been taken to the ER by ambulance in the past.

She finally got around to asking me what was wrong, and I began telling her. As I was describing the symptoms I was having to her (which was difficult as I the pain was getting worse and it was extremely difficult for me to breathe, due to the pain), she left the room. I mean, she actually walked out on me while I was talking to her, without saying a word. No "I'll be right back" or anything.

Even more time passed, and another technician came in, who performed an EKG on me.

Approximately two hours after I entered the ER, the doctor on call finally came in to see me. She was very nice, and listened to all of my concerns. She examined me, and ordered medications as well as a number of tests, including a slew of blood tests. She advised me that she didn't think I was having a problem with my heart, and I agreed with her as it didn't feel like that. The doctor told me that the muscles in my right shoulder/neck were having severe spasms, and were impacting on the nerves, thus causing all of the pain and discomfort I was experience, which in turn was making it difficult for me to breathe.

A few minutes after the doctor left me, "my" nurse came into the room, along with a phlebotomist. The nurse administered one of the medications, and they both began poking me to draw blood and hook up an IV to administer some other medication (it took a few tries to fill the eight or so vials needed for all the tests the doctor ordered on my blood work, and I thus was left with a few bandages in different places on my arms and hands--ever since my automobile accident in 2002 where I spent nearly an entire year in hospital, it's been very difficult for phlebotomists and the like to find my veins as most of them had collapsed during that hospitalization).

The oral medication (a muscle relaxant) began to kick in, and as it did so, my pain and discomfort began to decrease.

I was then moved to a different area of the ER, a holding area, and was told that I was being moved there as they were finished treating me. I was finally able to take a normal breath, but breathing deeply was definitely out of the question. If I tried to do so, pain would immediately kick in and shoot from the bottom of my rib cage straight through to the top of my head.

About an hour after she first came to see me, the doctor returned to speak with me. She asked how I was feeling, and said that she could tell, visually, that it looked like I wasn't in anywhere near the pain and discomfort I was when she first saw me. She advised me that my blood work came back fine, except for an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count. However, since I didn't have a fever, she didn't think I was fighting an infection but advised I follow up with my regular doctor.

She then told me that I would be discharged, as it seemed her diagnosis and treatment were working. A bit after 11pm, the triage nurse came in to see me, had me sign the discharge papers and gave me some additional paperwork, as well as a few prescriptions. I was then free to go.

In Westchester County, in which Yonkers (where I live) is situated, most buses stop running some time between 9pm and 11pm. I advised the triage nurse that I came by ambulance and no way of getting home, as I didn't have money for a taxi. She told me that she didn't think the hospital could do anything, but I could ask at the registration desk, which she brought me to as I had to fill out some additional paperwork or answer questions (I can't really remember). The clerk at that desk told me that there wasn't really anything they could do for me. I was left on my own.

Mind you, after I had been moved to the holding area (where they moved me after treating me), I began contacting a number of people I knew in the area who might be able to help me out by picking me up to take me home, or something along those lines. However, since it was fairly late in the evening (although early for me, as I'm a night owl), most didn't answer me and I assumed they had gone to bed, which assumption was confirmed in the morning when they began responding to me but, by that time, I myself had gone to bed).

Long story short, as this story is long enough as it is, I sat in the waiting area for about three hours. Seeing that I was there for quite some time, the security guard approached me and asked if I was OK; I told her that I came to the ER by ambulance and had no way of getting home as I had no money for a taxi, and the buses had stopped running by the time I was discharged (I do have a bus card with money on it, and I did have that with me, useless that it was).

The security guard took it upon herself to make some phone calls, and finally was able to secure transportation for me to get home. I got home around 4am, nearly 4.5 hours after I was discharged from hospital.

I'm still feeling a bit icky, and definitely under the weather. I slept for nearly fifteen hours, when I finally did get home and was able to fall asleep.

As I write this, I can breathe normally and even take a modestly deep breath. At certain points during this ordeal yesterday, I know that my anxiety was kicking in and making things worse, especially during the time I was lying in the ER bed waiting to be seen by someone and having such difficulties and in extreme pain.

It should not, in my opinion, have taken a doctor almost two hours to see me after being admitted to the ER, especially as I was brought in by an ambulance (non-ambulatory, or patients brought in by ambulance, are usually given priority in the ER). The ER was neither particular busy nor occupied, from what I could see.

The triage nurse should not have walked out on me while I was answering her questions, especially without saying anything to me.

The ambulance that first arrived should not have broken down, causing me to be transferred to the second ambulance, increasing the amount of time it took to get me to the ER.

I should not have had to give my address to 911 operators, especially as I was having difficulty breathing, and especially as I had to give it to them twice.

I should not have waited the twenty or so minutes I did before calling 911, after the symptoms first appeared.

If I were younger, I would not be nearly as grouchy and not be complaining so much about this experience.

I guess this was my official "welcome to the You're Getting Old club initiation." It was not pleasant. :-p

I have, however, walked away from this journey with some souvenirs:

Souvenirs from my journey into old age.

I'm glad it wasn't a heart attack -- it could very well have been. The technical diagnosis on my discharge papers is "non-cardiac musculoskeletal" something or other (the ink got a bit smudged--event, perhaps?). Whatever it was, it was quite frightening. It's not often I'd call 911 to be taken to the ER, and it's not something I hope to have to do anywhere in the near future, either.

Let Us Never Forget

I received this in an e-mail, and have verified the information contained herein via Snopes.com.

Look at this lady - Let us never forget!

The world hasn't just become wicked...it' s always been wicked. The prize doesn't always go to the most deserving.


Irena Sendler

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena obtained permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. However, she had an 'ulterior motive'.

She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried, and she carried a burlap sack (for larger kids) in the back of her truck.

She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids'/infants' noises.

Irena managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants in the time that she performed such work.

Unfortunately, Irena was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs and her arms, and they beat her severely.

Irena had kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out of Warsaw in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard.  After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and reunited the families, although most had been gassed. The rest of the children she helped were placed into foster family homes or adopted.

A few years ago, it was rumored that Irena was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected.

President Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a community organizer for ACORN, and Al Gore also won for creating a slide show on Global Warming.



In MEMORIAM - 66 YEARS LATER

Please read the little cartoon carefully; it's powerful.

Then read the comments at the end.

I'm doing my small part by sharing this message.

I hope you'll consider doing the same..




It is now more than 65 years after the Second World War ended in Europe.

This notice is part of a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians (Including 12,000 Jehovah's Witnesses), tens of thousands of LGBT folk, and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated!

Now, more than ever, with Iraq, Iran, and others claiming the HOLOCAUST to be 'a myth', it's imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

Problems with the neighbors

{EAV_BLOG_VER:50d9bce121877b1b}

[EDIT 4 June 2011: Please ignore the first line of this post; I'm having to do some technical stuff with which you need not be concerned...]

I just faxed the following letter to the management company of the apartment building I've been living in for almost six months now:

I write to advise you of an incident that just occurred at my apartment door.

Approximately 15 minutes ago at around 2:45 a.m., a woman began banging on my door almost to the point of knocking it down. She complained that I was making too much noise.

For the first time since I moved into my apartment XX at XXX, a friend came over to help me unpack. As you are aware, I previously have been unable to unpack because the movers stacked everything from my previous apartment to the point where I was physically unable to move anything, due to my physical handicaps.

The woman complained that she’s sick and tired of me sliding things around back and forth and moving things around every morning, and that some people have to work. She stated that this has been going on every single day for months; when I attempted to advise her that this could not be possible as I haven’t even been staying in the apartment for that long, she told me I was “full of shit.”

I can honestly say that I do not know what she is talking about. The people above me and next to me move around at all hours of the day and night. Music will blare at all hours of the day well into the early morning. I do not complain, nor do I have a problem with this.

This is a three-day holiday weekend. As stated, this is the first time I have done any unpacking of boxes or moving of anything around. I don’t have anything to slide around or make any noise. I am not a heavy walker, although I do limp around in my apartment. I try to make as little as possible when moving around in my apartment.

As you are also aware, I tend to be nocturnal. The woman complained that every morning she is awakened by noises of things sliding around and banging going on allegedly emanating from my apartment. For hours she implied this to occur, I am usually asleep.

Additionally, I haven’t even been in my apartment that much, with the exception of the past month or so. Prior to that, family obligations kept me away from my apartment and I usually was staying either at my sister’s in Rye Brook or my mother’s in Hartford.

As my resources are limited, I have to take help when and where I can get it.

I was unable to get to the door to answer it as my friend had temporarily moved some items into the hallway, blocking entrance to the door, so we would work on getting my bedroom in order (I had access to the window with the fire escape in the event an evacuation needed to take place). The woman threatened to call the police if I didn’t stop being so disrespectful to her. I advised her that she should by all means do so if she thought I was that much of a problem, and I could explain my situation to the officers who might arrive at the scene to investigate and they could see for themselves the state of my apartment, what I was doing, and the injuries I sustained in my automobile accident in 2002 that have left me physically disabled.

I do not play music loudly, blast my television, or stomp around my apartment. I cannot help that the floors may creak when I walk on them; such is the nature of a hardwood floor. I usually don’t wear outside footware inside my home, so I’m not clonking around and making a lot of noise on the floors.

I do not know who the woman is. She refused to identify herself.

Should you have any questions, you may reach me at [redacted] or via e-mail at pcfrank73 at gmail.

Thank you for your time and courteous consideration.

Sincerely,

Peter C. Frank

cc: ...

Petition to have hate-filled legislation revoked in NYS & restore dignity to NYS Senators' offices

I just created a petition at Change.org to have NYS Senate Bill No. S5416 removed for consideration. Here's the text of the petition.

OVERVIEW 

New York State Senators Golden and Libous vulgarized the dignity of their offices by introducing hate-based legislation filled with lies and defended their actions to the press by insisting their constituents "don't really give a rat's ass" about social issues. By signing this petition, you will tell Senators Golden and Libous that you firmly insist on their respecting the dignity and purport of their offices, and insist they respect all New Yorkers and treat them with dignity. 

New York State Senators Martin Golden and Tom Libous introduced a "Defense of Marriage" bill in the NYS Senate that would prohibit New York State from recognizing same-sex marriages performed out of state. Currently, pursuant to an Executive Order issued by then-governor Patterson, New York State recognizes all legally performed same-sex marriages. 

New York State confers over 1,300 rights and responsibilities to married couples. There are tens of thousands of gay and lesbian couples who have married out of state (or in such nations as Canada, where same-sex marriage is fully recognized) whose marriages are currently recognized by New York State pursuant to an executive order issued by then-Governor David Patterson. These couples would have their marriages stripped away by this hateful legislation. 

Additionally, the proposed legislation contains a number of factual innacuracies (to put it nicely). Here is the full text of the bill, which can be found at http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S5416-2011 

S5416-2011 

Memo BILL NUMBER:S5416 

TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the domestic relations law, in relation to rendering the status of same sex marriage entered into outside of New York void under New York law 

PURPOSE: To affirm that the status of same sex man1age that is recognized, solem- nized or legal in another jurisdiction is considered void in New York. 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately. 

S5416-2011 

S T A T E    O F    N E W   Y O R K 

5416 2011-2012 Regular Sessions I N SENATE May 19, 2011  

Introduced by Sens. GOLDEN, LIBOUS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary  

AN ACT to amend the domestic relations law, in relation to rendering the status of same sex marriage entered into outside of New York void under New York law  

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 

Section 1. 

Section 6 of the domestic relations law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows: 

4. MARRIAGES CONTRACTED BETWEEN TWO PERSONS OF THE SAME SEX, REGARD LESS OF WHETHER SUCH MARRIAGE IS RECOGNIZED, SOLEMNIZED OR LEGAL IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION, SHALL BE CONSIDERED VOID IN NEW YORK.  

S 2. This act shall take effect immediately. 

EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11581-01-1 

As can be seen from the text above, they list "fiscal implications" as "none." In addition to voiding all currently-recognized same-sex marriages in New York State, the bill would prohibit recognition of same-sex marriages "in another jurisdiction," violating the Equal Protection and Full Faith and Credit Clauses of the United States Constitution.
Senator Golden quietly announced this piece of legislation but when queried about it by the press, he responded that his constituents in the 22nd Senatorial District "don't give a rat's ass" about such social issues. Senator Libous has remained silent on why he has originated this piece of legislation. 

Let your voice be heard; tell Senators Golden and Libous that you DO give a damn and do not want to see this hate-filled piece of legislation enacted into law, and demand that he withdraw the legislation immediately. 

Demand that the New York State Senate revoke this repulsive piece of hate-inspired legislation based on lies and omissions, and immediately expunge it from its records.

Please sign it now.