06/05/06 07:30 - 72ºF - ID#25759
The Beautiful Colors of Pride
On Sunday, June 4, 2006 I marched for the fourth consecutive year with The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) a worldwide Buddhist group striving for peace and happiness. The Buffalo chapter of the SGI is admired throughout the organization including New York City and San Francisco for their amazing ability to unite and show the community the values we stand for. Every year we have faced adversity and been shown signs of resistance and hate. I'm happy to say that this year was the best, in that messages of hate were at a minimum. The first year that we marched was 2003 and a much larger group seething with hatred immediately bombarded us. They were taken by surprise by an overwhelming opposing message of happiness and respect for others. In Buddhism we make our lives more aware of the nature of cause and effect and I truly believe that our organization has had a positive affect on this city. That first year we took all of Buffalo by surprise, as we were the largest contingent in the parade! This year we were awarded best walking contingent!
Today, June 5, 2006, I was deeply saddened to hear the president address the people of our country with his own message of hate. He is using the GLBT community for political purposes. Recently, it has become a crime to protest at US military funerals. I think that is great, people should have the right to grieve in peace, but shouldn't the same right be awarded to those grieving at a GLBT funeral? He packed the room where the address took place with supporters of his agenda to make a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages, not allowing for the many who disagree with such a ban for their voices to be heard. In the front row, two black men sat applauding the president's speech. The president claimed that the majority of the country's people supported defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Since we live in a 'free' society congress should ratify the amendment to the Constitution. Would those black men sit there and applaud the President if he were asking for an amendment to the Constitution denying citizenship and freedom to black men because the majority of the people wanted to enslave them? Is that freedom?
For next year's Pride Parade, I would like to propose that Pride Buffalo open up the march to all who would like to participate regardless of whether they associate with a group or not. We need everyone who supports the GLBT community to march especially the members of that community. We still have not reached equality and the Pride Movement is still as important as the day it began. It's time for all of us to unite together at the parade and demand our freedom.
Libertad
Enjoy the photos!
Thanks for marching with us (e:ladycroft) and Dan!
This is a bad pic of Jennifer. She didn't march with us, but I think she supports our group
Wendy
Maimi
Isabel
Jane
Andrew
Mike
Jeanette and Mike
Jeanette's mother
Steve
Beauty Queens
Supporter
Buddhist Messages
Colors of Diversity
Beautiful Day
United
Marching Band
Steve made his shirt
SGI member representing Canada
Jay
Beat to a different drum
Lisa
Blue is from 2003, yellow 2004 and Red 2005. The three colors are the colors of the SGI
Star Power
What a smile!
Michael
Christina
Families supporting
Kim, Moonjung, and Wendy
Mitzi
Jennifer
Bidwell
Lisa
We won!
Love
Performance
Estrip Models
Permalink: The_Beautiful_Colors_of_Pride.html
Words: 713
06/02/06 10:42 - 61ºF - ID#25758
Why I hate Big Business
Permalink: Why_I_hate_Big_Business.html
Words: 289
06/01/06 02:45 - 73ºF - ID#25757
Justice Please
Lon,
You are so selfish. I truly think you deserve your fate, not only for this, but for all the terrible things you have done. It is my hope that you have ample time to think of all the people you have used in your life. When I saw that beautiful house completely destroyed on my way to school in the fall of 2004, my most immediate concern was for your safety, because I knew that you lived in the attic, which was practically non-existent after you torched it. There was a look of absolute horror as I drove by that morning. I thought oh no, it finally happened, an electrical fire. See, if I knew that you had insurance, I would have thought that you had done it right away, but I didn't learn that until later. I got out of the car practically in tears; I thought that you could be dead. Why did I even care about you then? What have you ever done for me? You stole my tips, you left me alone to work, and when I was finally assaulted because I was working alone, you couldn't come to help me because you were in Niagara Falls gambling. You used Nikki as if she were disposable, pillaging her retirement, working her to death as you sat on your big fat ass. You sexually harassed me, as if I were some cheap whore that would have sex with you for money or so that I could become a manager like I would really be moving up in the world. Have you always been like this Lon? Did you ever have any morals, any decency?
That was not your house to burn down! It was part of Elmwood, part of history. You stole that from us. That house was not Coffee &, it was not yours! I have heard so many people tell stories about their experiences in that house. A couple came in once, they were so happy. They told me that they had gotten engaged there when it was previously a restaurant, can't remember which one. Christina Ricci supposedly vomited there all over the clown face mosaic on the floor. Oh my, that clown was evil looking wasn't it? I remember when I would close at night, in the beginning; there was one single light above the clown face that never shut off. That was until you couldn't afford to replace the light bulb. Everything would be dark after closing except that clown. If you stood on the clown's face you could see yourself in the mirror with that one single light shinning down on you. I loved that! I never had a run in with the ghosts that occupied that building, but I knew there was something there. I wonder what has happened to them? Do they haunt Cecilia's stupid patio now?
You did not pay your sales taxes; you did not know how to run a business. You made everyone else pay, because you are fat and lazy. I met someone very special in that house. He was so cute...Mocha Jet Café Please! There were lots of special people I met there, including the guy who made the mosaic clown. I hope that the dog you loved so much that you killed in the fire haunts you in your sleep. Really more than anything I just want you to be sorry, to finally take responsibility in your life and to apologize to the people that you have hurt so badly. You let all those people raise money for you after the fire, because you are not a man.
Libertad
If anyone has any photos of the house please post them! Maybe someday I'll find out his address in prison and send this to him.
Permalink: Justice_Please.html
Words: 702
06/01/06 02:37 - 73ºF - ID#25756
Diverse Videos
One of my favorites is dated "jueves, Mayo 25, 2006" title "Si pudiera decirle a Tim" it's called "Corpse Bride Duet"
Libertad
Permalink: Diverse_Videos.html
Words: 90
05/31/06 04:28 - 86ºF - ID#25755
SSSumer SSSomethings
Light Colors
Painted Toes
This gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), lives in my mother's backyard.
This cage keeps the creatures out.
You aren't anyone if you don't have a cage.
Animal Sanctuary. Rabbits, coyotes, and tortoises.
SSSlipery SSSeal
SSSlithering SSSwimer
SSSleeping SSSweeties
SSSoothing SSSlumber
SSSumer SSSomethings
SSSuny SSSmetry
Libertad
Permalink: SSSumer_SSSomethings.html
Words: 83
05/29/06 08:39 - 80ºF - ID#25754
God Bless America and Wal-Mart
My question is if I hate Walmart, does that mean I hate America?
God Bless America, God Bless Wal-Mart.
Permalink: God_Bless_America_and_Wal_Mart.html
Words: 65
05/29/06 08:05 - 67ºF - ID#25753
Jimmy Hoffa and Joel Giambra
Permalink: Jimmy_Hoffa_and_Joel_Giambra.html
Words: 210
05/25/06 12:29 - 64ºF - ID#25752
News Flash
Just a heads up to pay attention to the News today. I'm off to sunny FL, will return on Tuesday.
Libertad
Here is a photo I shot last summer of the HH Richardson Complex.
Permalink: News_Flash.html
Words: 78
05/24/06 06:45 - 62ºF - ID#25751
What's cookin good lookin?
It smells good. I'm a little nervous because he keeps screaming in the kitchen and I can't hear what he is saying cause I have the music too loud.
Permalink: What_s_cookin_good_lookin_.html
Words: 36
05/24/06 04:16 - 66ºF - ID#25750
Not guilty!
Today I got another ticket. It was so shitty. My friend that is moving to Phoenix gave me some things, so I parked my car in front of my house on Elmwood to run the things inside. All I did was bring the items in and go right back down to take my car to get it inspected, so I wouldn't get any more parking tickets! Of course there was a parking ticket on my car after coming back down the stairs! I was so upset, I was practically in tears. I could see the ticket Nazi ahead of me at the next corner. If he were just a little bit closer I probably would have been arrested for assault.
Anyways, after I learned that i need $200 in repairs to get my car an inspection sticker to avoid more tickets, I decided to fight both of them at city hall. Let me tell you it wasn't easy, but I was found not guilty on both charges! I won! My defense was that they don't give as many tickets on the East Side because they are too scarred of getting shot. I think he agreed with me. He was going to give me just one ticket, but I was relentless and wouldn't give in. My efforts paid off. He seemed to think that I chose to live on Elmwood because its the "cool thing to do." I was like look I'm poor, I'm a student and its not fair I have to pay for the cities problems. I live on Elmwood because I happen to have an affordable apartment, not because its cool to live on Elmwood. I'll have to admit its nice, but it comes at its price. Anyways, things are looking a little bit brighter now. I was just around the corner from having a complete emotional breakdown.
Permalink: Not_guilty_.html
Words: 333
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...the only constant is change...
You suggest that anyone who wants to walk should be able to. I think that is a guy idea in theory. I think as long as they do it in a way that shows support of wanting equal rights for gays or support for them, or even not hate. But on the other hand you don't want it so big that it is like the St. Patricks day parade. What do those bands have to do with St. Patricks day. They don't even play irish songs they play their normal marching songs.
I'm not defending making Same Sex Marriage illegal constituntionaly. Moraly I think it is fine to be gay. Moraly I think gays having the same Legal Rights to marry and the benifits that legaly come from mariage is good. That being said lots of People have been braught up to belive Homosexuality is a sin. Once you belive that then they don't want the church to say that it isn't a sin and allow mariage. I disagree with them but I respect there religous beliefs. What religous people don't understand sometimes is that Marriage is a legal contract and is really a state thing. In America people of the church and able to do marriages also. But it isn't only a religious thing. They also don't get that This country wasn't found on there religous priciples. The priciples where around before there religion and that is what our country was found on. Oh yeah plus the fact that we said fuck You to the the british and the tyrany.
However I do belive that people who belive homosexaulity and homosexual sex is a sin have every right to belive that and to demonstrate aganist gays. But that is it. They can hold there signs and let there thoughts be heard. But no personal attacks no trying to change the laws. Once you start represing someones freedom or try to you have gone to far. Or if you get in someones face that is going to far. They need to stop trying to save everyone and assuming that if you belive homosexaulity is ok you are evil to.
I know I have odd religous beliefs. But one thing I know is Jesus belived in loving your fellow man. I'm sure he never ment for his message to be turned into hate. I think it is verry important that people who disagree learn to get along with each other anyways.