juy 4th

[ponyboy]

On this July 4th independence day for the United states I can’t help but wonder, if the American people only know how the US Immigration department and the American embassy’s treat people, would they but out there celebrating the birth of this country? Plus making a big deal of the stature of liberty.

Personally I feel that the right wing has forgotten a few things about this country, like equal rights, separation of state and church. The poem on the statue of liberty. The rest of the world has free health care.

I guess they forgot that the Pilgrims left England to get away from the Church of England so they could worship any way they wanted. I guess that they have forgotten about all men are created equal. They have also forgotten about separation of state and church. They have forgotten that almost all Americans came throw Ellis Island.

So this year when they are making a big deal about the opening up of the crown on the statue, who cares it’s all a big scam by the government. There are no full equal rights in this country; you have a bunch of bigots in office that just want gay people and immigrant to go away.

Also with all the fire works and spending millions of dollars, that money should go to help the homeless, people that are hungry, people that are having there homes ripped out from under them because of the republican parties miss handling of this country for over the last 8 years. What a waste of money!

I have an American flag up, and you know what its flying upside down!

The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus, 1883
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

[PUMPaul]

In a lot of ways I agree with you.
However, I am very grateful to have been born in and live in this country, the USA.

In the past few years I have met gay people in Moldova, Romania, and Georgia who fear for their life at the risk of being found out. In Russia the police frequently and openly persecute gays (like the police did here in the 1960s) while the Russian government forbids gays from assembling because the official stance is that gays don't exist. In the middle east and most of Africa simply being labeled as gay or bisexual is grounds for stoning to death under shia law.

While the EU seems to be ahead in terms of equality for gays, many gays in the UK, Netherlands, and Sweden are still victims of gay hate crime and denied services by the local governments.

So, what I'm saying in a round about way is that while things are not great here. They aren't all that much better anyplace else either. Americans are slowly turning away from the religous crazys that have held too much power for too long and the young people of today are lots more tollerant to GBLT community. I'm very happy to be american and am glad to be a part of the social change taking place today.

[ponyboy]

Hi Paul
I hear what you are saying; I know there are other countries like China, that are worst off then the United States, but this country says all the time about human rights, which is bull shit and the rest of the world knows it to.
I’ve been in a battle now since 06 to bring my husband into this backward country with no luck fighting to get the uniting families act passed, to have at lest section 3 of the defensive marriage act repealed. Since I’ve been following what this country is doing to gay people and our rights it’s a crime! Over that time I have been watching the fight to lift the HIV ban that was put in place when Regan was in office.
There are hate crimes that happen all the time here to, In Texas I herd on q109 a bar was raided by the police, two weeks ago a bar in Brooklyn was raided, three months ago on long island a guy was beat up for being gay. You hear every few months about a gay person in nyc getting beat up.

It is better in Canada, im giving this country two more years before I leave and join other gay people waiting for the uniting families act to be passed in exiles