Rainbow Community Picnic

The rainbow community picnic


Saturday, July 18 was a beautiful day to have a picnic. This was a day the rainbow community picnic was held behind the community center at Washington Park. Placing the picnic area behind the community center allowed for easy access for those with disabilities. The area directly behind the center was paved along with a concrete walk parallel to the picnic area which itself was essentially flat. This year plastic lawn chairs were put out for people to sit in along with maybe about four canvas chairs. You know the ones that once you get into you have a heck of a time getting out of. I should know I own one of them, but I don't use it very often. Picnic a tables were set up in several rows with tents covering all of them in case mother nature should decide to sprinkle on us. The weather cooperated and the temperature was perfect with very little breeze. There were the usual hot dogs and hamburgers, sausages and brat worst and veggie burgers and every kind of salad you could think of and then some. Dessert consisted of pies and cakes and cookies of every description. Enough I believe to feed an army. Conservatively my estimate of the number of people was at least 75 and perhaps more. The youngest person there was one year old and the oldest was 94. Games were set up for the kids consisting of balls on strings that would be tossed onto a stand made of plastic tubing. My guess is that the person who was able to get the most balls onto the stand would be winner. So if you didn't go you missed a wonderful time great food and great people.

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Where were you Mr Witlowiak?

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/47533542.html

Where were you
Alderman Witkowiak ?

When two officers were shot yesterday in front of two gay bars on the south side. And don't tell me you were too busy to come down here along with the chief of police the mayor in the district attorney. Why is it so hard to show up in person rather than issuing a written statement which to us means nothing other than the fact that you don't care about what happens in this neighborhood.

Why isn't Mr. Witkowiak out there asking the common Council for additional resources for the addition of funds in his district which is impacted by an excessive amount of violence? In my opinion you are not doing the job you are elected to do and if it were up to me you would never be elected again. So let's stop sitting on our butts and get going and do something about what's happening. I talked to a person in your office who said that this was only an isolated incident and not to worry about it. What kind of response is that? It's obvious to me that you and the people your office don't care about what's going on in your district, and you should. Shame on you Mr. Witkowiak and shame on the people in your office and especially you at this important time for not showing up in person.

Please answer one more last question. Why does this chief of police and the mayor of Milwaukee have to be the ones that are doing the job that you should be doing? After all you're supposed to be a spokesman for this district.

Announcing pridefest celebration of our commitments

Things are changing at pridefest this year. Gone is the mass marriage ceremony instead in its place is a ceremony honoring our relationships. As we all are aware constitutional amendments were made several years ago preventing us from celebrating the institutional churches monopoly on marriage. And although we have made strides in various states throughout the union that are now recognizing gay marriage but we still have a long way to go. I personally don't believe in the institution of marriage, it is antiquated, it is restrictive and no longer relevant. Way back when I was on the board of Action Wisconsin I said that if we wanted marriage we must first get Domestic Partnerships and once we get our foot in the door then and only then do we go after the institution of marriage, because by then we will have gotten 99% of the benefits that marriage offers. We must also remember that marriage or the institution thereof is between ourselves and God and not between us and the government. Apparently most of us have forgotten that or ignored it at the worst. I know that many of you will disagree with my sentiments but unfortunately it is the truth.

I am extremely happy to present to you here Pridefests new celebration of our commitment which will be presented by the Universal Angelican Church presided by the Right Rev. Bishop Craig Berglund. I have included the YouTube announcement for your edification.

I'm back

After being out of work stuck at home since last October my doctor just released me so now I'm back and will be covering events as they happen in our community. A couple of discs in my neck went bad and I had temporarily lost feeling in my left hand and left foot and some in my right hand and right foot which is now all but disappeared. You can't imagine how pinched nerves in your spinal column can mess you up. Now everything is back to normal I've gained a lot of my strength back minus a few creaks and groans that is inevitable as we grow older. You can bet I will be a pridefest taking pictures and covering the general shindig. With the weather gradually getting warmer, mom nature hopefully cooperating and giving us good weather should be a very enjoyable time.

I've been on pridefest mailing list and it looks to me like instead of fireworks we will instead have entertainment from a troop out West comprising tricks involving fire which, correct me if I'm wrong may have been inspired by the annual gathering at Burning Man in the desert. Another change is that the mass commitment ceremony has now morphed into a ceremony honoring each other. Religious officials I am told will still be offering private commitment ceremonies. And I'm sure that private church ceremonies can be arranged through various religious organizations who have booths at pridefest. Beyond that there will be lots of entertainment things to do with the kids lots of vendors, good stuff to eat, plenty of libation, lots of people and lots of fun.

Well I guess that's about it for now, so keep tuned and if anything pops up I'll let you know.

Milwaukee LGB T. Center panics

Just a note for curiosity sake the swine flu scare has not only affected Milwaukee public schools but also our LGB T. Community Center. On May 2 apparently somebody got sick and they all panicked. The police and paramedics were called and the center was closed for the evening just in case it might be the flu. So for all those of you who had some sort of meeting at the community center I guess you would say it was just a false alarm.
In case you don't know or haven't seen the news CDC has issued a statement concerning the swine flu indicating that the current strain is a mild one similar to the flu strains that we normally see during flu season. They still are however studying the current strain and preparing vaccines for the fall just in case it comes back with a vengeance. Just remember to frequently wash your hands and if at all possible use a hand sanitizer just to be on the safe side. Try to stay away from anyone who may be coughing or exhibits any type of flu like symptoms. Cover your mouth and if you must cough and you don't have many tissue instead of coughing into your hand you should use the inside of your elbow instead. And of course if you don't have to go out or be in large crowds don't. Instead of going to the movies or to a show rent a flick, pop some popcorn and enjoy.
Y'all keep healthy, you hear?

The awful truth about smoking

I know this blog has been silent for a while, you see I had spinal surgery

and now I'm back and posting again and should be out and about shortly. As soon as my car gets a tuneup and you'll see me around in the community. I recused myself from the job that I had so now I have all the time in the world to be out about. Okay I know are really just want to know what happened to me so I guess it's about time I tell everybody. Many of you know that I have been working security for ages as a licensed security officer. I patrolled four major garages in the downtown area of Milwaukee, specifically some of the garages around the water St. entertainment district. I've dealt with homeless people, drunks, car thieves and even a major homicide across from the performing arts Center last May. To make a long story short, while I was patrolling around some of the garages I noticed that my left hand was becoming numb and so wasn't my left foot which I did not think was right, so I went to the doctor and after a number of tests they found that I had several deteriorated discs in my neck which needed to be operated upon before anything got worse. Needless to say the operation was successful and I have been home recuperating, and now that it is getting warmer and I plan to get out of the house and get back into the swing of things.

Now to the meat of this article. One of the big reasons you very seldom see me out at the bars on the weekends especially during the winter is because of the cigarette smoke. If no one is smoking it's okay but if they are it tends to bother me quite a bit. I usually come in, look round see if I can find somebody I know and if no one I know is there I turn around and exit. I know the bar owners don't like it because they'd rather have me stay and buy A few drinks to keep them in business. I have enough health problems without having to compound the problems by breathing in everyone else's toxic gases.

Believe me I know what smoking can do to a person. I used to know a person who used to smoke about three packages of cigarettes a day. Previously he had pneumonia and before he quit he sounded like the demon in the exorcist (you know the book by William Peter Blatty). One day as he swung his legs to the floor upon waking up, he couldn't catch his breath. He decided at this time that he should quit smoking and he did. It's fortunate that he did because to this day he hasn't had any problems with his lungs. My mother on the other hand has smoked since she was a child, but she died of cancer. The agony that my father and I went through watching her slow deterioration and knowing that we could do absolutely nothing is something I never wish on anybody. So I hope this is a wake-up call for the gay community. A grim reminder that 1200 people a day die due to cigarette smoking and lung cancer. And as a sidenote it's not just cancer but emphysema which can kill you too. With the cost of cigarettes now exceeding five dollars a package, don't you think it's a good time to quit? Just think of how much money you could save at one package a day at five dollars a package, comes a $35 a week or $175 a month. If you go through three packs a day that's $15 and in one week it comes to $105 or $525 a month. And just think in one year you it's been $6300 to feed your habit. I don't know about you but that was sure pay for a nice trip down to Key West or even Palm Springs. How about it? Don't you think it's time to quit?

Alaska Gov. Palin's church is gutted by fire

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=353462

Alaska Gov. Palin's church gutted by fire

Just the other day Alaska Gov. Palan's church was gutted by fire of suspicious origin. Several women that were inside the church making ornaments apparently for Christmas when the fire started near the very front of the church. No one was hurt because the fire alarm sounded allowing everyone to exit the building. Authorities suspect that it may have been arson. Although this is only speculation and has not been proven and no one has been caught. They suspect arson because of Gov. Palin's anti-homosexual viewpoints and because of her church's involvement with the American family Association in sponsoring a program aimed at people who may be uncomfortable with their homosexuality claiming that they may be able to change.

Although I try not to be very biased I do think that this was purposefully set and it seems to be quite a coincidence especially as this is approaching the Christmas season. It may also be a backlash from the outcome of California's passage of proposition eight. And although I don't like the idea of violence, American history has been written in blood and violence. When the British came over and tried to take over the New World and tried to make us their colonies we went to war with the British and succeeded from the British Empire. Later on when people from the South wanted to split the United States in half we had the Civil War and much blood was spilled. Among these things we also had minor skirmishes such as the protests by women to become equal citizens and gain the rights of voting. African-American people had the likes of Martin Luther King said I have a dream and they were rioting in the streets and bloodshed until they gain equal rights. Gay people got sick and tired of being arrested and punished and beat up by the police and rioted in what is now called 1969 Stonewall riots. We told them then that we were not going to take it anymore and that we were going to fight back. The latest problems that we now face are against those we love to whom we would like to marry. Of course my question is, will the passage of proposition eight in California lead to bloodshed and riots similar to Stonewall or perhaps worse? Only time will tell.

News flash QLife magazine ceases publication

http://wisconsinlight.blogspot.com/

For all of you who may not know, but now you do QLife magazine has as of December 1 ceased publication. As of this date I have decided to resurrect the Wisconsin light online as a source of news and information as it happens. Because many of us do not get the newspaper or can get out to the bars to pick up our gay publications is my decision to start an online publication for your edification. Any business or any person wanting to publish information about their business, their bar or other publication or has any type of articles they would like to publish on the Wisconsin light online I would be happy to receive those articles and then be able to publish them on either this blog or the Wisconsin light online. Wisconsin light online has been established to create a news outlet where I intend to be as accurate and un-opinionated as possible. I can't claim that on Gary's dish. Of course that's why Gary's dish exists so that I can express my opinions anyway I see fit.

On the right hand side of this blog you will see a link that tells about me which you should click on in order to see the link to the Wisconsin light online I will also supply it herehttp://wisconsinlight.blogspot.com/ for your convenience. I guess it's sad to say that we lost another publication which I hope may be able to resurrect itself like a phoenix from the ashes. I wish the best of luck to the publishers of QLife magazine.

As a sidenote is my intention to set up a website for the Wisconsin light online so that we can publish a newspaper somewhat to the way it was published previously only as an online publication that you may be able to read at your convenience. It is also my hope that we will be able to allow people to download and print out the publication as a PDF document similar to the way Quest is doing it. We already own the domain name for the Wisconsin light and we already have a server lined up so within the next several months I hope to have it up and running.

Prop. 8 protesters target Mormon temple in Westwood - Los Angeles Times

Prop. 8 protesters target Mormon temple in Westwood - Los Angeles Times

I just had a very long talk with a friend of mine about the protests due to the passage of proposition eight and the involvement of the Mormon church has had in promoting its passage. My friend was very upset with this and thought that this was very hypocritical of the gay community. I confess I really wasn't aware of this until he pointed it out. He believes that anyone should be able to express her opinion publicly if necessary without it being called hate speech. Personally I think that the gay community is looking for a scapegoat because they were not able to overturn proposition eight.

Here in Wisconsin when Action Wisconsin was first formed I was privileged to be on its board of directors and was able to voice my opinion on gay-rights issues within our state. Prior to this time gays and lesbians in Wisconsin were looking to get their foot in the door and trying to get partner benefits past in major metropolitan areas such as Milwaukee and Madison. After some struggle we were able to get some of these domestic partnership benefits passed both in the Milwaukee and Madison, but not as many as we would have liked. Many gays and lesbians within the state of Wisconsin were not happy with this and were claiming that we were second class citizens and that we should have full equal rights under the laws. They believed that getting partnership benefits would be one of the first steps to us getting our foot in the door for full inclusion. Some, I believe decided to rush headlong into the fray and push for all the rights under the law that heterosexual marriage would give and therefore supposedly give us equal status and full inclusion along with the government's blessing. Unfortunately I tried to point out to them that going for complete inclusion via marriage would be stirring up a hornets nest with the religious right. Instead they did not want to listen and went forward with their quest for complete inclusion and equal rights under marriage.

How wrong they could be. Indeed they did stir up a hornets nest within the religious communities and the likes we have never seen. The faith based community staunchly held the belief that marriage should only be between one man and one woman, not two men or two women. The gay and lesbian community spent thousands and possibly millions of dollars beinging their cases to court in order to force states to recognize gay marriage. Faith based communities including the religious right became incensed at this and worked feverishly to change the constitution to ban gay marriage, which for the most part was successful. Not only do we lose the right to gay marriage but also the constitutions and laws of the states of the United States were changed to prohibit gay marriage saying that only one man and one woman can be considered in the process of marriage. Now in 2008 comes a presidential election along with proposition eight in California which would ban gay marriage within that state. Many churches including the Mormon church encouraged their members to get out the vote in order to get proposition eight passed, which of course it did, and now the gay community is looking for a scapegoat to blame because of their failure to overturn this referendum.

Personally I do not see what all the fuss is all about because I for one do not want anything to do with heterosexual marriage in any shape manner or form. I don't like the idea of being homogenized into society and having anyone including gays and lesbians telling me that we are just like them. On the contrary we are not just like them and we never will be. This is one of the reasons why I am against marriage, because it is so much a part of the greater heterosexual community. I am not and never have been a second class citizen and no one is going to tell me anything different. As far as I am concerned I am a sovereign individual and I do not need the blessing of the government to be bestowed upon myself or my partner should we decide to enter into a state of matrimony. I only answer to one law and that law comes from God and not from some government. Should I ever find a partner I definitely want the blessings of the church to be bestowed upon us, but I do not want the government to intervene in any shape manner or form. The only things I want are basic benefits afforded to myself and my partner such as hospital visitation and the right of my partner to inherit whatever I so choose when I pass on. And as far as I'm concerned everything else is gravy. Like a bumper sticker I used to have on my car which said "God bless the IRS, if it wasn't for them I'd be filthy rich." I don't know about you but I think this whole thing is just a little stupid. Any thoughts that you may have would be greatly appreciated.