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My Facebook Vacation
I’m not going to lie, it’s over hurt feelings. I know who my real friends are, and the ones who stand behind me regardless. Other friends of mine want to poke and prod at the fact that a company (Chick-Fil-A) literally funds money to deny my rights. Some of my friends, family, etc have said “well they have the right to do that.”
Ok, fair enough.
Then we don’t need to be friends. See they are funding to keep me from having equal rights, and funding organizations that actually want to have gay people killed. Yep, dead. Executed. So please don’t give me a side argument when it comes to equality, and the RIGHT TO LIVE. Christians talk out of both sides of their mouths, and in this case – thou shalt not kill still remains true, but it’s ok with God if “Thou shall not kill, but thou can donate money to organizations to those who do.”
So I am taking the high road, and I will still blog here on my website, but I am going to be completely off the Facebook grid until December. I fucking hate that, but I have applications that automatically post shit to my Facebook page so I won’t be “entirely gone,” I just won’t be commenting, reading the overloaded blubber of ignorant “friends,” and frankly trying to figure out how they are my “friends” in the first place. Either way, the chicken issue may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to me – because it’s my life, my rights, and the rights (and LIVES) of people like me that this corporation fund to take away.
Friends don’t do that to friends.
Love,
Jake A. Wheat
Chicken Brings Out The Worst In People, But Don’t Let CHICKEN Bring You Down.
I have been reading Facebook posts today, and have seen the best and the worst of people. It never fails, when a social issue mixes with a corporation’s “core foundation,” albeit for whatever reason, the media coverage and the “large number of people who stand in line to represent said social issue” make headlines.
Here is a scenario: Douchebag Uncle Steve (pictured left) posts on his Facebook status “God Bless Chick-Fil-A cuz they are against them gays, I had two much waffle fries, now drinkin’ a beer at home!” His grammar makes your brain rot, and his ignorance is even worse. Sadly, Uncle Stave is nothing more than the rest of the people who were in line at Chick-Fil-A yesterday…. he is a follower. He is unable to think for himself, and jumps on the “chicken sandwich” bandwagon taking a stand for “moral values,” and “free speech.”
I have/had a lot of friends on Facebook talking about how this is a free speech issue, and a lot of other nonsense – and that this is Chick-Fil-A’s first amendment right to say “they are against gay marriage, gay people, etc.” Here is the truth, plain and simple….. if a restaurant came out and said “we are against interracial marriage,” there would be a lot less “freedom of speech” talk, and a lot more “boycott the prejudiced chicken place” people on Facebook.
Does this mean that Douchebag Uncle Steve would care if the discrimination was different? Well, maybe.
Perhaps Douchebag Uncle Steve is also prejudiced against African Americans, but social pressure makes it harder for someone to come out as a racist than as a homophobe. This is because, as a Nation, we are still in our infancy, and RIGHT NOW GLBTI people are still struggling to get equal rights just like African Americans had to do. It wasn’t long ago that schools, restaurants, and even public restrooms were “whites only,” and discriminated openly against serving African Americans. Bigoted people also called this “freedom,” and spoke out saying that “those establishments who choose to not serve coloreds are practicing their First Amendment rights.” Look how far we have come since then, and frankly in another 20 years or less – we will, as a Nation, go farther.
What Chick-Fil-A is doing right now is bringing out the worst in people, and while they are funding anti-gay organizations and feeding hungry patrons (making billions doing it at the same time) they have made their mark in history, which will only someday be recognized as a mistake and warrant public apology. In Uganda, there is a measure to pass a law where if a person is homosexual they are put to death. Chick-Fil-A funds an organization which actually supports this law, which also includes executing people with HIV. It’s the darkest of bigotry, and while we can put any spin we want on it – Christianity, by supporting Chick-Fil-A is advocating murder in Uganda. (Source)
READ THE FULL BILL IN PDF FORMAT | HOW CHICK-FIL-A FUNDS THIS BILL
What I am reading today on Facebook is that GLBTI teens and young adults are seeing the homophobia on their timelines, and reading how much their loved ones support Chick-Fil-A, which is in turn making them feel like a second class citizen. This is when I have sleepless nights, and can’t seem to get rest because I worry about the GLBT & questioning youth who are bullied, and then turn to attempting suicide over their isolation. The media spotlight on this bigotry today may be “freedom of speech,” but much like the Phelps family who believes that “God Hates Fags,’ Freedom of Speech has accountability – and with accountability there are many risks.
IF YOU ARE GAY, LESBIAN, TRANSGENDERED OR QUESTIONING YOUTH …. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! YOU ARE IMPORTANT! THE PEOPLE THAT LINED UP TO EAT CHICKEN TODAY WERE NOT LINED UP AGAINST YOU…. THEY WERE LINED UP BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO IGNORANT TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES.
IF ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED GAY MARRIAGE LINED UP TO EAT AT ONE PARTICULAR RESTAURANT, ON ONE SPECIAL DAY, THE LINES OUTSIDE THAT REPRESENTED TOLERANCE WOULD BE MILES AND MILES LONGER - WE JUST DID NOT SEE THAT TODAY. TRUST ME…. THE LINES ON YOUR SIDE WOULD HAVE BEEN MILES AND MILES LONGER, DO NOT FORGET THAT.
FEELING ALONE? CALL THE TREVOR PROJECT
For those of you who want to defend Chick-Fil-A for their ability to practice “Freedom of Speech,” I want you to understand that sometimes our “Freedom of Speech” when used to isolate a class of people into not having the same rights as everyone else is not a a FREEDOM, but an ABUSE of speech. If McDonalds funded a campaign to outlaw divorce, we would see an OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNT OF PEOPLE not eating there anymore, and the FREEDOM of NOT GETTING A DIVORCE vs. FREEDOM OF SPEECH issue would not be as vocal. We also seem to have a lot of people saying “I support gay people, but…..” There is no BUT, it’s either you are for equal rights, and the elimination of hate – or you are not.
It’s also VERY INTERESTING TO SEE how many “Freedom of Speech” people there are who are married but secretly bisexual, closeted, or gay themselves being so outspoken on this issue. In other words, social issues mixed with waffle fries and a deep fried chicken sandwich seems to have hit a boneless nerve with a lot of people, but in the “milk” shake cluckerfuck that this whole “Chick-Fil-A” thing has brought on….. people will either be followers or leaders, and those outspoken about “Freedom of Speech” and publicly uncomfortable with their own sexuality are FOLLOWERS.
Those who are able to say they are boycotting the restaurant, and believe what they said was WRONG are LEADERS. Freedom of Speech is our Nation’s First Amendment which reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Yes, Chick-Fil-A has the right to say what they want, and we as Americans cannot prohibit them from doing so, however as Americans when a restaurant says “we want to isolate a class of people, and even go so far as to take the money from people who believe the same way and FUND groups to continue to isolate that specific class of people” – up to and to them even being murdered, goes way beyond what the intentions of the First Amendment were originally.
The right of Freedom of Speech is often misunderstood by ignorant people who spout off patriotic statements, but have not actually read the First Amendment, or who have NOT studied article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which deems Freedom of Speech “subject to limitations, as with libel, slander, obscenity, copyright violation and incitement to commit a crime.” (Source)
So “Freedom of Speech” isn’t exactly “Freedom of Speech” without responsibility, so do not ACCEPT that argument as fact ever – especially when dealing with people who talk out of both sides of their mouths. HATE SPEECH is wrong. Chick-Fil-A contributes to the message that GLBTI people are second class citizens, and are exempt from the same equal rights as heterosexual Americans.
Most people don’t even know what TRADITIONAL BIBLICAL MARRIAGE IS, and define it as only between one man and one woman – well, here is what the Bible DEFINES as traditional marriage:
According to “God”, here is traditional marriage:
- Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes. Then she’s yours. – (Deuteronomy 21:11-13)
- Find a prostitute and marry her. – (Hosea 1:1-3)
- Find a man with seven daughters, and impress him by watering his flock. – Moses (Ex 2:16-21)
- Purchase a piece of property, and get a woman as part of the deal. – Boaz (Ruth 4:5-10)
- Go to a party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. – Benjaminites (Judges 21:19-25)
- Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. Note: this will cost you. – Adam (Gen 2:19-24)
- Agree to work seven years in exchange for a woman’s hand in marriage. Get tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Then work another seven years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place. That’s right. Fourteen years of toil for a wife. – Jacob (Genesis 29:15-30)
- Cut 200 foreskins off of your future father-in-law’s enemies and get his daughter for a wife – David (I Samuel 18:27)
- Even if no one is out there, just wander around a bit and you’ll definitely find someone. (It’s all relative, of course.) – Cain (Genesis 4:16-17)
- Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. – Xerxes or Ahasuerus (Esther 2:3-4)
- When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, “I have seen a … woman; now get her for me.” If your parents question your decision, simply say, “Get her for me. She’s the one for me.” – Samson (Judges 14:1-3)
- Kill any husband and take HIS wife (Prepare to lose four sons, though). – David (2 Samuel 11)
- Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. (It’s not just a good idea; it’s the law.) – Onana and Boaz (Deuteronomy or Leviticus, example in Ruth)
- Don’t be so picky. Make up for quality with quantity. – Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-3)
- A wife?…NOT? – Paul (1 Corinthians 7:32-35)
I have to thank my friend Bobby for the above, since he posted that on his Facebook – but yes this is in fact a comedic take on what the Bible says. The Bible also teaches us that Jesus loves everyone, and doesn’t exclude people for being gay. In fact, if Jesus were on Earth today he wouldn’t condone anyone denying equal happiness to anyone, because he was the embodiment of LOVE.
Anyway, so I have said my piece and you can disagree with me all you want. However, my main message is this – if you have READ ANTI-GAY HATE SPEECH on YOUR FACEBOOK or any other family member has supported Chick-Fil-A and made anti-gay statements then remember “It Gets Better.” If you don’t BELIEVE that “It Gets Better,” then please understand that this chicken basted discrimination is temporary….. because the people who were in line today were not in line to hate you, they were in line because they hate themselves, and are scared of anything they do not understand.
Eating Healthier Food Options,
Jake A. Wheat
Bullied 68 Year Old Grandmother on Bus & What Is Happening To Her Now?
While Kentucky calls bullying a gay rights issue, and refused to pass House Bill 336 – another viral video is screaming across the Internet and Facebook accounts like wildfire. It is that of Karen Klien, a 68 year old Grandmother who lives in Greece, N.Y. She was acting as a bus monitor, riding the bus with good intentions to make sure the kids behave in a civil manner, instead she was bullied - at least for a full 10+ minutes, while someone filmed the entire episode.
What started out as a post on MY Facebook page, peaked my curiosity enough to begin watching the video. I had read about it in days prior, but didn’t have a chance to watch it in full. I watched about five minutes of the video, before having to turn it off – having heard enough insults, jeers, and physical “harassment” on this Senior Citizen by young punk asses…. I just had to turn it off.
The kids on the bus were cruel, calling her “fat ass” and physically touching her hair and arms, and all the while Karen sat there on the bus and did what anyone in that situation would do…. she cried. The words cut through her during the long bus ride, and insults and laughter continued for what was too long for me – and what had to feel like an infinity to her. For those of you who have NOT seen the video, I am going to post it here, but please be advised it is tough to watch, and is very infuriating.
The worst part is that now the incident is full on outrage, and people in the community have taken action – reverse bullying, which Klein is not agreeing with either. Police said Karen Klein does not want her young tormenters to face criminal charges, partly because of the storm of criticism leveled at the boys from the Rochester suburb of Greece after the video went viral.
“They’ve received death threats,” Greece Police Capt. Steve Chatterton said Thursday. “Their families have been threatened. We have custody of one of their cellphones, and he had over 1,000 missed calls and 1,000 text messages threatening him. And he’s 13 years old. That must stop.”
The verbal abuse was captured in a 10-minute cellphone video recorded Monday by a student of Athena Middle School in suburban Rochester and later posted to YouTube. The video shows Klein trying her best to ignore the stream of profanity, insults and outright threats directed at her.
One student taunted: “You don’t have a family because they all killed themselves because they don’t want to be near you.” Klein’s oldest son killed himself 10 years ago. (Source)
A press release from the Greece N.Y. Police Department has this to say:
June 21, 2012
“The Town of Greece offices have been inundated with phone calls and emails regarding the incident aboard a Greece Central School District bus. We have received phone calls from not only our own concerned residents but also residents from across the state and nation. We too are outraged by the behavior of this group of students and want to emphasize that the actions of a few do not reflect our community as a whole.
The Town of Greece is a community of nearly 100,000, comprised of people who are kind, respectful neighbors and hardworking people. Greece Central School District is one of three districts which serve our community. All three districts have extraordinary students who are doing great things inside and outside the classroom on a daily basis.
The Greece Central School District and the Greece Police Department are working together to obtain evidence and review all of the information so that appropriate action will be taken in this dreadful incident. The Greece Police Department, the Monroe County District Attorney’s office and the victim will make the final determination as to whether or not any criminal charges will be filed now or in the future. With regard to disciplinary actions, the Town Government does not have jurisdiction over Greece Central School District with regard to any resulting discipline, those determinations rest solely with the District and the School Board.
I want to also take this opportunity to commend Karen Klein for her strength and courage in having to endure such treatment. Her response to their bullying is an example of the type of people that make our community great. The outpouring of care and concern that she has received from our community toward her is indicative of the depth and breadth of this great Town, not the actions of those aboard Bus 784.”
There is a BRIGHT side to this story after all, because Karen Klein has received over $561, 341 for her torment on the bus, donated by OUTRAGED people from all over the world, and Karen’s measly $15,000 dollar a year salary now has an uplifting turn. DONATE TO KAREN’S VACATION FUND HERE
If you are more outspoken and wish to get involved, or were moved by the video – visit the Athena Middle School website by clicking here.
You can also contact the school by using the information below:
Bus number: #784
School’s fax number: (585) 966-4039
Principal of the school’s E-mail address: David.Richardson@greece.k12.ny.us
The Principal’s statement is as follows:
I am deeply saddened and embarrassed by the actions demonstrated recently by some of my students. I am sorry Karen has been subjected to this kind of student behavior. I am working with Capt. Chatterton and an investigator from the Greece Police Department, as well as, our head of security at the Athena campus and District leadership to investigate this matter and to determine each student’s specific role. Disciplinary actions to the fullest extent will be taken against all those involved.
Having been born and raised in Greece, a graduate of Greece Athena and now the Principal of Athena Middle School, I, alongside my colleagues, are driven to educate and support our students. I am working to ensure that my students are successful, have the appropriate study habits and skills and are respectful, responsible and productive both in the classroom and in the greater community.
At this time, I ask for your support and understanding that we are doing everything we can to understand the events that occurred and that the district is working to address this issue with all staff to make sure an incident like this does not happen again.
The website also goes on to say:
The Greece Cenral School District has been touched by the outpouring of support for Karen and we share the country’s outrage over the behavior displayed on the videos. We are deeply sorry that Karen was subjected to that kind of treatment.
Based on our internal investigation, and the interviews conducted by members of the Greece Police Department, we have identified four Athena Middle School students as participants in the incident. Certainly the behavior of the students on the video is a clear violation of our district’s Code of Conduct and will not be tolerated. Disciplinary action to the fullest extent appropriate under New York Education Law will be taken against all involved. However, as we stated yesterday, it is not appropriate for the district to discuss the specific disciplinary consequences that will result for any individual student.
I need to stress that we have a specific process that we must follow before imposing discipline on students. Discipline for public school students in New York State is handled under specific procedures set forth in the New York Education law. In the event that a district is seeking a suspension of more than five days, the district must prove the student’s violation of its Code of Conduct in a due process hearing before a hearing officer. If the student is found guilty, the hearing officer makes a recommendation for an appropriate period of suspension to the superintendent of schools. Each case is determined based upon the actions engaged in by the student as well as consideration of a student’s prior disciplinary record.
As is shown by this unfortunate incident, bullying is not a new issue to those who work in schools. The Greece Central School District has a strong bullying prevention model that includes a district response team, training programs for staff and students including the Olweus Bullying Program, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and a Bullying Reporting Process. In March, we also hired a special counselor to train all staff in bullying prevention models. In fact, she is holding a previously scheduled training for administrators as we speak.
The behaviors displayed on this video are not representative of all Greece Central students and this is certainly not what we would like our students to be known for. We have worked very hard to educate students on the damaging impact of bullying and will continue to do so.
We have received thousands of phone calls and emails from people across the country wanting to convey their thoughts. People are outraged by what has happened and they feel the students should be punished. While we agree that discipline is warranted, we cannot condone the kind of vigilante justice some people are calling for. This is just another form of bullying and cannot be tolerated.
We all need to take a step back and look at how we treat each other. It is our job as educators and parents to teach children and lead by example. We encourage parents to use this as a springboard to begin a dialogue with their children about bullying, respect and consequences. As a school community, we will continue to take the lead in bullying education and we encourage all students and employees subjected to bullying and harassment to report it as soon as it occurs and to take a stand if they are witness to bullying in their lives.
Interestingly enough, for those who live in Kentucky – you may want to re-visit our lawmakers who didn’t pass an anti-bullying law in Kentucky this past session, and maybe use Karen Klein as a prime example of how bullying can hurt anyone, and is not just a gay rights issue.
Donating To Karen,
Jake A. Wheat
