From the Desk of the Lapsed Catholic: The Church Speaks Out, Loudly

I was raised Catholic and spent my formative years at mass and in catechism when not attending Catholic School. I'm a recipient of most of the church's sacraments, although never taken Holy Orders or gone all the way to extremes, Extreme Unction that is, now known as the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick.  Yet, I am a Lapsed Catholic in current parlance. That means I don't go to mass religiously and partake in the eucharist (communion). I vote for Democrats (was once told by a Catholic deacon that I would go to hell if I voted for John Kerry, a Catholic and altar boy). I abhor certain church policies on women's rights and gender equality. The abuse of young people by priests is horrible. I trained to be an altar boy but never finished because our family kept moving so Dad could build missile silos in preparation for Armageddon. 

I spent four years at a Catholic High School in Florida kicking Southern Baptist asses on the basketball court and received Mister Catholic graduation honors from the Knights of Columbus of Daytona Beach of which my father and future father-in-law wore those funny hats with the fringe on top. I made fun of this Mr. Catholic award for many years as I was a snarky know-it-all Liberal which I remain, in most ways. But now, at last, I can wear it with pride as the church speaks out on the anti-human fascist policies of Trump and his henchmen and henchwomen.

The ICE killings in Minneapolis have sickened me. They are lawless thugs doing the bidding of the Thug in Chief, Donald Trump. I have been trying to keep out of politics on these pages out of deference for others. But no longer. Just joined the millions who have listened to Bruce Springsteen's anthem, "Streets of Minneapolis." Go listen. It may make you cry. It may curdle your blood. It may make you think. We just can't let this outrage continue.

I've written my legislators, for all the good it will do. But I keep at it. When I lived in Wyoming during the first Trump presidency, I helped organize protests in the state capitol. I am in Florida now and if any state needs a clean sweep of its ruling junta it's Florida. Gov. DeSantis is as much a thug as Trump. Our congressional rep in Florida District 6, Randy Fine, has gloried in the murders of protesters on the streets of Minneapolis. He's disgusting. 

From Occupy Democrats on Facebook (I was involved with Occupy in olden times):

Pope Leo's hometown cardinal shreds the Trump administration for lying about the murder of Alex Pretti, says that their smear campaign "flies in the face of what our eyes told us."

The Catholic Church is waging all-out holy war against MAGA...

"You have long been an advocate for immigrants' rights. What is your reaction to what we have seen from federal agents and the Department of Homeland Security in just the last few days alone?" Stephanie Ruhle asked Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago during his appearance on MS NOW.

"It's clear that we need to return to the understanding of what human dignity is about. People have to be treated in humane way," said Cupich. "Name-calling, referring to people as vermin or animals, garbage, really puts us in a very difficult position in this country because it's based on an understanding that each and every human being had dignity."

Cupich appeared to be referring directly to Trump's horrific rhetoric. The president has called Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Somali immigrant and Muslim woman, "garbage" and attacked "radical left thugs that live like vermin."

"And so we're going down a path in many ways a far distance from who we should be and claim to be as a nation in the world," Cupich added.

Ruhle than asked the cardinal what it "does to a nation" when "people in positions of authority" including the president use such "dehumanizing" rhetoric.

"Well I can tell you what it has done in the past..." said Cupich. "You know today we mark Holocaust Remembrance Day and it's important to recall the terrible tragedy that happened to the many people who were killed simply because of their faith and their traditions."

"The Holocaust didn’t begin when they opened concentration camps. It began with words,” he continued. "And I think that we have to keep that in mind and learn from history that words do matter. And so it is important to call people out."

"The Holy Father Pope Leo said something really very instructive for us in these days. He said that the real crisis we're facing is one of relativism, where we reduce the truth to an opinion, or alternative facts," said the cardinal, referencing Kellyanne Conway's infamous MAGA slogan from the first Trump presidency.

"And I think that we need to lean into that insight as well because we saw actually what happened and yet there's a narrative out there that's trying to be marketed to the American people that flies in the face of what our eyes told us," he added.

"No Human is Illegal" the theme of Cheyenne May Day march

Front page of this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

The WTE second-page jump header quoted Rev. Rodger McDaniel over a photo of me. This struggle is biblical in many ways. Love thy neighbor as oneself. Stuff like that. 

Artwork and protest signs complement each other at the May Day March in the Depot. The multimedia piece in the foreground is CylieAnn Erickson's "Executive Order 13769."

I was one of a hundred-plus souls who came out on a rainy Monday for the May Day March to Keep Families Together in Cheyenne.

Organized by Juntos, the march protested Trump & Company's cruel attempts to demonize people from Mexico or anywhere south of the border. Put it together with Trump's attempted Muslim ban and you have a set of racist policies that deserve protesting.

Juntos enlisted the arts as part of its rally. One of the organizers, Gonz Serrano, read his poetry to the crowd as it sought shelter post-march in the Cheyenne Depot. A high school mariachi band played. Laramie artist Adrienne Vetter worked with Juntos organizers to stage an art show. The arts both personalize and magnify the cause.

Before the poetry and music came the march. The goal was to carry a letter, signed by organizers, to Gov. Matt Mead. His HQ resides at the other end of  Capitol Ave., the route  followed by most marches in Cheyenne. Rally at the Depot Plaza and walk eight blocks to the capitol, usually with a police escort. The capitol complex will be under construction for three years. So we visited the governor at his temp HQ at the old Schraeder Funeral Home quarters on the corner of 24th and Carey.

A delegation, led by Juntos Director Antonio Serrano, left the march and walked inside to deliver the letter to the Gov. They returned a few minutes later with the news that the Gov was in meetings all day and couldn't meet with them. The crowd was not pleased. Since the goal was peaceful protest and not civil disobedience, we turned around and walked back to the Depot.

A sound system had been set up on the Depot stage. But rain and a bit of hail forced us inside. I pondered the largest artwork in the exhibit. CylieAnn Erickson's multi-media piece, "Executive Order 13769," featured a human-sized Statue of Liberty behind a chain-link fence. The artist had included cutouts of newspaper headlines on the subject. It included a snake-like lamp jutting from the panel far enough that I almost bonked my head on it. It appeared that the lamp worked and was meant to illuminate the assemblage.

Writers attempt to comprehend the deeper meanings behind an event, and not always successfully. Marches like this were held all over on this May Day. L.A. had a huge crowd with reps from more than 100 organizations and unions, including the Screen Actors Guild, which may go on strike soon. Why should I care about a Hollywood screenwriter making a lot more money than I ever did as a writer? Because they are fellow humans trying to make a living in an economic system that does not care if you live or die. You must fight for it. Just as these immigrants are doing. ICE agents bust into their homes and haul away family members. Schoolkids taunt Hispanic peers. Cruelty abounds. Trump and his minions lead the charge.

The headline on the news clip above speaks of the universal nature of this issue.

Biblical? Shakespearean? Historic? You could describe our current situation with any of those. Or find your own term. We need witnesses. In print. In art. In music.

Human Rights Campaign holds reception in Cheyenne

This announcement comes from Wyoming Equality: 

HRC Wyoming: Cheyenne Community Reception 

Sept. 18, 6-8 p.m., at The Suite Bistro, 1901 Central Ave, Cheyenne

We are excited to invite you to an upcoming community reception with the Human Rights Campaign in Wyoming. You are invited to join us in Cheyenne for a community gathering with brief remarks from HRC Director of Programmatic Development, Brad Clark, followed by a reception including complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages. 

We hope you can join us and ask that you please RSVP in advance. Go to http://action.hrc.org/site/Calendar/2118893071

Recalcitrant Equality State legislators urged to come out and learn something about equality

Coming Out for Equality at the University of Wyoming

Wednesday, October 9 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. COE Library, University of Wyoming Room 506 Laramie, WY RSVP Today

On the 25th anniversary of national coming out day, full equality for LGBT Americans is closer than ever. Come learn about the progress we've made, and the steps ahead in our fight for full LGBT equality for everyone, everywhere.

Learn. Take action. Lead.

All HRC members, supporters, friends and family are welcome.

Recalcitrant Wyoming Republican legislators (you know who you are) are invited to come out and learn something.

Wyoming Legislature continues long tradition of anti-worker legislation

We shouldn't be surprised when more anti-worker legislation emanates from the Republican-dominated Wyoming State Legislature. It's a long tradition. Kerry Drake explores this long line of anti-labor legislation today in wyofile. Read it here.

Time changed for "We Mean Business" rally for Equality at State Capitol

If you're interested in participating in the Wyoming Equality rally Monday at the Capitol, the time has been changed from 11 a.m. to 9 a.m. Here's an update:

Equality Coalition of Wyoming

University of Wyoming Queer Action Network

Wyoming Equality

Contact: Will Welch (608) 575-9455

‘We mean business’ rally for Equality at the Capitol Building in Cheyenne

When: Monday, 9 AM on the front steps of the Capitol Building in Cheyenne.

Come dressed for business because we mean business for Wyoming!  

Our rally will be calm, cool, and collected with slick black and white signs. If you’d like to make your own signs (encouraged!), go for simple, clear messages that lend themselves to black and white photography.

If you’d like some ideas for messages we’d like to hit, see the briefs below.

We’ll be rallying to support three bills:

1. Marriage Equality (HB0169). Background brief here.
2. Domestic Partnerships Rights & Responsibilities (HB0168). Brief here.
3. Anti-Discrimination (SF0131). Background brief here.

See you on the front steps of the Wyoming Capitol at 9:00 AM sharp on Monday!

Map of our meeting point.

"In the Shadow of the Buddha" author to be keynote speaker at WY Dems' Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet

Matteo Pistono will be the keynote speaker at the Wyoming Democratic Party's Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Plains Hotel in Cheyenne. A cocktail reception starts at 6 p.m., followed by dinner, awards ceremony and keynote at 7. Get more info at http://wyodems.org

For more than a decade, Matteo Pistono has lived in Nepal and Tibet, and worked in the fields of human rights and religious freedom. Matteo Pistono has been heralded as "The James Bond of Tibetan Buddhism" and has worked with some of the world's greatest teachers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sogyal Rinpoche, and the late Khenpo Jikmé Phuntsok.

Sioux City Journal: It takes a community to stop bullying

Sioux City (IA) Journal devotes Sunday front page to anti-bullying campaign. Neat graphic, gutsy move. A new resource is available locally for parents whose children have been the target of bullying in the Laramie County No. 1 School District. Contact UPLIFT for its bullying ombudsman program at 307-778-8686 or 1-888-875-4383.  

Take part March 11 in the filming of a Democratic Party music video

This announcement comes from Wendy Soto of the Democratic Grassroots Coalition:

Be A Part of A Professionally Produced Music Video

Enthusiastic Audience Needed for an adaptation of WOODY GUTHRIE’S “UNION MAID”

To Celebrate Our Great Democratic Party

Arrive at 2 p.m. for Refreshments & Instruction

Filming Begins at 3 p.m.

Sunday March 11

Atlas Theatre

211 W. 16th St.

Downtown Cheyenne

WY ACLU: "Religious Freedom or an Assault on Women's Health Care?"

From the The Republican War on Women Facebook page. 

Methinks it's the latter. So does the Wyoming ACLU. To read the grisly details, go to http://acluwyomingchapter.blogspot.com/2012/03/religious-freedom-or-assault-on-womens.html

Republican war on women -- illustrated version

From Daily Kos

Cheyenne native Daniel Junge wins Oscar for documentary "Saving Face"

"Saving Face" filmmakers Daniel Junge, left, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy of Pakistan accept their Oscar for best documentary short at the 84th Annual Academy Awards tonight in L.A. Junge grew up in Cheyenne and now lives in Denver.

Action alert: Ask Wyoming Senators to restore crucial HIV/AIDS funding

Wyoming Equality's Joe Corrigan wrote a letter to concerned citizens today about a legislative cut in funding for much-needed HIV/AIDS meds.

Dear Friends,  

Yesterday we learned of a mistake in the Wyoming Health Department Budget regarding funding for HIV/AIDS Treatment.  The error cuts treatment funds by $400,000. If not corrected, it could cost the state matching funds from the Ryan White Care Act Part B.  I am asking you to please take the time today to email your Senator and Representative and ask them to restore these funds. Please prepare your own original email.  You can send your email to as many Senators and Representatives as you like. Please be as polite as possible.   Your letter may make all the difference in the world for the 135 currently people being helped by this program as well as future recipients.  Talking points are listed below.  Shorter letters are appreciated by our elected officials.

Read the rest at http://outinwy.blogspot.com

Find your Representative here, and find your Senator here. For a complete list of all Senators and Representatives visit the LSO Website.

How about drug and alcohol tests for Republican legislators?

Here's a copy of the letter to the editor Cheyenne’s Ken McCauley submitted to the WTE yesterday. It concerns the mandatory drug-testing (aka “punish the poor”) bill making its way through the Wyoming House: 

Last week several legislators introduced a bill to require drug testing of needy families participating in the (Power Program). The bill was introduced by the sponsor as a state budget concern. 

Of the 47 legislators who voted to introduce this bill, 14 voted against mandatory testing of DUI suspects last year. They are willing to force those with extreme financial need to undergo drug testing, but oppose testing drivers who exhibit behavior extreme enough to qualify as probable cause to a trained law enforcement officer. 

Rep. Frank Peasley, of Douglas, speaking against the DUI bill last year, called it “a pretty intrusive concept … something right out of a good 'ol vampire movie.” Rep. Bunky Loucks, of Casper, told a reporter, “What are you going to do? Are you going to strap people down [to test them]? To me that’s a scary visual.” 

But apparently, mandating testing for the poor doesn’t bother these representatives a bit. 

The program targeted by the bill is the Personal Opportunities with Employment Opportunities (POWER) program. The POWER program is a “work program” -- not a handout. Recipients are assigned jobs within their community in order to learn job skills that will make them self-sufficient. Many suffer from social disabilities or lack basic work skills. Most are assigned a job for a full 40-hour week, but in return for their work they receive a maximum benefit of just $577 per month (for a family of three). 

Let's put that in perspective. A Wyoming legislator receives $150 per day in salary from the state. Most receive an additional $109 per day for expenses. That means they receive more in just 4 days than a struggling family of 3 will receive in an entire month with this subsidy. 

Rep. Miller says the bill is necessary to control state costs – but the program does not receive any funding from state revenue. Unlike the legislature budget, the POWER program is funded 100% by a federal block grant and does not impact the state budget at all. The drug testing, however, would be paid for by the state when the recipient passes the test. 

If the legislature is seriously concerned about paying state resources to someone who might be under the influence, I'd suggest morning and afternoon alcohol testing of the members of the legislature. This bill and the supporting votes clearly shows we have members who are impaired. 

Thanks to Ken for doing the research on this bill -- and digging up the legislative quotes. Find out more about the "punish the poor" bill at http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2012/Introduced/HB0082.pdf

More Arizona craziness: Tucson schools ban books by Chicano and Native-American authors

Can you imagine a school district anywhere banning the writing of Sherman Alexie, Leslie Marmon Silko, William Shakespeare, Roberto Rodriguez, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Sandra Cisneros and Henry David Thoreau?

This is what the Unified Tucson School District board did when it ordered the removal of "Rethinking Columbus" and other books from the curriculum. This was in response to the Arizona State Legislature's banning of ethnic studies classes in all public schools.

The Know Nothings in the Arizona Legislature are an international embarrassment. They have the upper hand now, but it won't last forever. The voices of these talented authors will outlast the barking of the bigots. Authors such as Alexie and Silko and Baca and Rodriguez and Cisneros are writers of the West. They write about the struggles that go on every day in Wyoming and Utah and New Mexico and Arizona. Their voices are loud and clear. Too loud and too clear and too popular for close-minded bigots in state legislatures across the West.

Read more here: Tucson schools bans books by Chicano and Native American authors | the narcosphere

P.S.: When the Arizona Legislature was first considering banning ethnic studies classes in May 2010, I penned a modest satire on the subject, "Ethnic Studies 212: The Superiority of the Irish." The post has received thousands of hits in the past 18 months and remains one of the most popular pieces on Hummingbirdminds. Read it at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2010/05/ethnic-studies-212-superiority-of-irish.html

Code of the West: "Remember that some things are not for sale"

I was wondering when someone was going to make the link between Wyoming's official "Code of the West" and the rise of corporate personhood. Great column by Dave Throgmorton writing in the Rawlins Daily Times. Go to Rawlins Times opinion columns

UPDATE: Occupy Cheyenne's plan for Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day march

Here's an update on the Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day march in Cheyenne.

On Wednesday, after taking our cause to Monday's NAACP meeting, I advised Occupy Cheyenne people not to bring signs to Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day march in downtown Cheyenne. My advice was a bit premature -- my hummingbirdminds' impulsivity took over. Yesterday I heard from Gloradene Stevenson, president of Love & Charity Club, organizer of the march. She was out of town. Gloradene said that Love & Charity has no problem with us bring respectful signs to the march.

So bring your signs. Participate in the march and accompanying MLK Day events.

Attention Occupy Cheyenne: Here's the plan for Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day march

This is a copy of the status update I sent to my fellow occupiers on Occupy Cheyenne:

My wife Chris and I attended the local NAACP meeting Monday night at the Laramie County Public Library. Chris chairs the planning committee for Juneteenth, the annual summer celebration held in Cheyenne’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Park. Rev. McDowell gave up 15 minutes in the NAACP agenda so I could talk to the membership about Occupy Cheyenne.

I spoke about our street actions and protests. I talked about our General Assemblies and the work we did on the declaration. I read the first two paragraphs of the declaration. As I read, I thought that there was little in the declaration that Dr. King would disagree with.

I then told the group about our plans to participate in Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (known in Wyoming as “Equality Day”) march from the Depot Plaza to the Capitol. I told them that our plans were to bring signs that were respectful to Dr. King but also carried a message from Occupy Cheyenne.

Several members spoke out against the sign idea. They felt it would distract from the commemoration. Rev. McDowell, president of the local NAACP chapter, suggested we talk to the actual organizers of the march, Love & Charity, about our plans. I plan to do that before the march.

My suggestion is that we forget about the signs and attend the march. How many of you have participated in the local MLK Day march? It’s well attended but the numbers could be better. Rev. McDowell and others spoke last night about the crucial nature of the 2012 elections. Equality is threatened on all fronts, but especially in Wyoming with its Tea Party Republican-dominated Legislature. Unnecessary cuts will be made to programs crucial to the 99% while legislators will busily be turning over the store to their benefactors in the energy industry.

The NAACP members support our goals. They were interested in hearing about our actions. They were very interested in participating in the action we plan for the first day of the Legislature, although I had few details.

On Occupy Cheyenne's Dec. 10 action, we were allied with union members in Wyoming AFL-CIO affiliates. As far as I can tell, we’re one of the few Occupy movements in WY and CO that have done this. Other alliances would be welcomed. Attend the MLK Day march, meet some of your fellow marchers, introduce yourself as a member of Occupy Cheyenne, attend the soup and crackers luncheon after the march at the Allen AME Chapel, attend the “Youth Salute” to Dr. King at 4 p.m., at the Second Baptist Church. And there’s also a full slate of events this weekend.

See you Monday at noon for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day/Equality Day march.

Gregory Hinton at the BBHC in Cody: "Out West with Buffalo Bill"

This news comes from Gregory Hinton: “I would like you to be among the first to know the preliminary results of my recent research at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody as a 2011-2012 Resident Fellow. The title of my talk was Out West with Buffalo Bill. The primary objective of my research was to analyze the art, artifacts and papers of the BBHC for evidence of LGBT history and culture in the American West, particularly as it related to Buffalo Bill's Wild West.” Photo: Colonel William F. Cody, 1889, by French painter Rosa Bonheur (courtesy of the BBHC). For more about this research, go to http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2012/01/gregory-hinton-discusses-preliminary.html. Cross-posted from Wyomingarts.

"Defy the Hate" photo shoot Feb. 14 in Cheyenne targets bullying

From the “Defy the Hate” Facebook invite:

A “Defy the Hate” photo shoot will take place in the student lounge area at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne on Tuesday, Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day), 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 

This shoot will conducted in honor of those who have committed suicide due to bullying. This shoot is also a community awareness shoot. Suicide and bullying is a growing problem. Too many of our youth are ending their lives needlessly. Too many teachers, principles, guidance counselors, and even some parents are turning a blind eye to this. Schools are saying that they have no record of some kids being bullied... really, how many kids feel safe to come to a teacher about this? How many kids have to lose their lives to this disease of bullying, ignorance, and indifference before someone realizes this is a problem? Schools are supposed to be a safe place. It seems the schools have become a battleground for the lives of the kids that go there. Come to this open shoot and make a stand against bullying and suicide. Come show the schools and bullies that you aren't going to put up with their hate and indifference any longer. It is time to be heard. Let’s show everyone that the community of Cheyenne won't stand for this. 

Photography will be provided by Flux Photography Studios and Lunar Studios. More info will be added as it becomes available.