Comments on Advance Indiana™: Fighting Back

That is about par for the course.

2007-05-10T01:07:00.000-05:00

That is about par for the course.

Anon 2:26 -- Damm, I love your "..who peed in you...

2007-01-24T21:16:00.000-05:00

Anon 2:26 -- Damm, I love your "..who peed in your oatmeal?" comment; it brought just the right amount of brevity to a somber subject.

After reading the bigoted comments posted by Anon's 11:46, 11:48 and 2:23 my blood began to boil and I decided to cross post my earlier post on Bilerco. I've never done this before and I hope it's okay.

Let the bigots come out from under their rocks and spew their ignorance and hatred anonymously. I bet, though, that there are a lot more of us out there, and we ought to fill Gary's blog with our posts! Thanks to Gary for providing the forum.

Let me share my thoughts on 'outing' people. And, to those who are reading this who do not share my views, I hope you can find it in your heart to reconsider your position. Lives are at stake.

When I was much younger, I was even more liberal than I am today.

At age 19 while working in a factory for the summer in Muncie, Indiana, I led a group of UAW workers out the door in an impromptu and unauthorized mini-strike.

When I was in my 20's I was the victim of police brutality when I was beaten bloody and choked during a confrontation in which I stupidly stood up to a group of bigoted Indianapolis police officers who were harassing young gay men on a busy downtown street where we had gathered to socialize together (then referred to as 'cruising').

For the next few years I had more than one confrontation with what seemed then to be a sea of corrupt cops, some of which resulted in arrest and more brutality (Fortunately, today our police department is much more professional, and more tolerant of diversity).

I also lost two jobs when it was discovered that I was gay in the mid-1970's.

Back then, there was nothing we could do. We had to accept it. It was either live in a closet or risk various forms of abuse. The abuse often came from those entrusted with the responsibility to protect all citizens -- the police and prosecutors.

Having lived through that, and having lived in my own closet for a long time, I've long been on the fence about 'outing' people.

But today, the gloves are off. I agree with Bil that we must take this step as part of our arsenal of weapons to stop the bigots and homophopes -- at both ends of the political specturm -- from ripping from us even more of the basic rights guaranteed to us in the US and Indiana constitutions.

To be 'outed' today carries little of the baggage or fear of thirty years ago, or even fifteen years ago. The majority of society is on our side today and it's unlikely that anyone who is outed today will face the potential for brutality that we faced not that many years ago.

I believe that today we have a duty to 'out' any and all hypocritical LGBT men and woman who dare to prey on our community and sell us down the river, whether it's for religious or political gain.

To save time I apologetically have plagiarized "Jay's" post on his MySpace site for an email that am sending to as many people as I can. Thank you Jay.

And thank you Bil for this wonderful idea. By each of us doing just a little bit in this battle, together we can move mountains.

For that 10 year old who today may not yet know they are 'different', and for all the LGBT teens who are entering the prime of their lives soon, it's all too important that we do what we must today so that they have a better life tomorrow.

Joe Miller

wow, 2:23--who peed in your oatmeal?And, while I'm...

2007-01-24T14:26:00.000-05:00

wow, 2:23--who peed in your oatmeal?

And, while I'm at it, who filled you with that kind of logic? Because it makes no sense.

Get happier. It'll change a lot in your life.

"I'm sick and tired of these hypocritical Hoosier ...

2007-01-24T14:23:00.000-05:00

"I'm sick and tired of these hypocritical Hoosier legislators who think that my sex life or relationship status is any of their business. Do I intrude on who they're sleeping with?"

What do the gay folks expect? What do all other Americans expect? We sat by while they took away individual freedom with "Civil Rights." Basically, telling others how they will run their business. A bunch of folks sat back and said "This is not a bad thing, regulating these people who dislike folks on religion, color, gender, etc." Then we decided to further take away the rights of more people by banning smoking in their business, unless of course you are a specific establishment. Further, we passed laws that Bilerico supports such as anti-gay discrimination laws. I am sick and tired of hypocritical Hoosiers who demand government force me to do things to their benefit. As long as a person does not do physical harm to another person or that person's property, they should be able to hire, fire, serve, etc. however they want.

Don't a lot of folks to care about the marriage issue. You folks turned your backs on others in their time of need, why should they help you now?

ANON 11:46, and ANON 11:48. Firstly, cowards hide ...

2007-01-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

ANON 11:46, and ANON 11:48. Firstly, cowards hide behind anonymous posts. Secondly, young straight men and women are in the highest risk groups for HIV since they still think it's just a gay disease. In Africa, AIDS IS the disease of straights.

I'm posting this comment on Bilerico and Advance I...

2007-01-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

I'm posting this comment on Bilerico and Advance Indiana both:

It's interesting that when talking about our twinkie State Senator with the Sugar Daddy, the bloggers have been avoiding using his name--it's Brent Waltz from Greenwood, who hit the jackpot when he was 19.

This information is public and was published in the Indianapolis Star during the campaign:

During school, he struck up a friendship with George P. Rice Jr., an Indianapolis lawyer, college professor and nationally renowned public speaker. They met through Waltz's parents, who were involved in banking.

Apparently, Rice saw promise, Waltz said, and took him under his wing.

When Rice died in November 1991, Waltz inherited almost all of Rice's property and money. The payout was several hundred thousand dollars, and by all accounts it was well-invested.

My understanding is that a few eyebrows were raised, but for whatever reason it didn't get traction.

The Waltz story is an interesting one all around. Much like the Flogger who took out Bob Garton, Waltz was basically installed by the right wing who had a bone to pick with Phil Borst, so they whacked him in the primary, which basically guaranteed Waltz's election in a heavily Republican district.

The coup was done by using Waltz's money and the Johnson County political machine (if you can believe there is such a thing!), which I understand is more-or-less controlled by Greenwood Mayor Charlie Henderson and his cronies, which include Waltz's Daddy (real Daddy of course, not the dead Sugar Daddy).

He was 30 when he was elected to the state senate, and I'm pretty sure he had never lived anywhere but with Mommy and Daddy in Greenwood until the campaign, at which point I was told he moved into the district. According to a neighbor, he now spends most of his time at his parents' house, and the neighbor believes for all intents and purposes he has moved back in.

What really turned me against Waltz was when he spoke in favor of the amendment when it came up for a vote in the Senate. Had he been a freshman senator who voted wrong because he was afraid of the Republican establishment, it would have been understandable and he may have been deserving of a pass.

But he chose to make it known that he is a bona-fide right-winger and enemy of the GLBT community by giving an unnecessary speech in favor of a measure that had zero chance of failing. The only point of his speech was to demonstrate to the religious right that he was one of them, and he has since consistently demonstrated his loyalty to the far-right wing. I was not surprised to see him sucking up to Eric Miller at Advance America's recent gathering in Greenwood.

Whether he's gay or not is a matter of speculation, and there has certainly been plenty of that. He's never been married, and he was left a fortune by a single man to whom he was not related. Those are all facts, but I suppose none of that is really proof of anything.

10:47 - I vote to add morals and decency to the co...

2007-01-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

10:47 - I vote to add morals and decency to the constitution! I never thought it necessary until recent day.

Anal Avengers & Rump Rangers need to keep it in th...

2007-01-23T23:46:00.000-05:00

Anal Avengers & Rump Rangers need to keep it in their AIDS infested nest. There is no legitimizing the abominable sin!

I applaude you Gary...big time. If you are a Senat...

2007-01-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

I applaude you Gary...big time. If you are a Senator or Representative and you vote to add bigotry and discrimination to our constitution, you've opened a can of worms that will not be closed for a long, long time.

Thanks for the mention, Gary! Everyone can send t...

2007-01-23T22:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the mention, Gary! Everyone can send tips about these "moral values police" hypocrites to the tip e-mail address I've set up. I'm sick of these bigots saying I'm attacking their marriage when I'm not the one trying to discriminate against them. I want to know all the dirty laundry. If we're going to talk about my sex life, then we're going to talk about theirs too!

I do find it amazing that the bloggers must do The...

2007-01-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

I do find it amazing that the bloggers must do The Star's job. I find the blow job in the parking lot story to be quite interesting. I know who the blowee is but I'm quite curious about the blower. Anybody have a name? Bueller? Anyone?