Fred-God Hates Fags-Phleps

I heard through the grapevine that Fred-God Hates Fags-Phelps has passed away. I'm not going to rejoice in the loss of a life. I 'm not going to celebrate the death of a human being, one who like all of us held infinite possibilities. Imagine if he had used his influence and passion to make the world around us a softer, gentler, kinder place. Imagine if he had taken a fraction of that hate and turned it into something, anything positive.
Imagine.

I'm not one to say "whoo-hoo" when all of that potential has been lost, wasted.
Does he deserve, even now, upon the time of his death, to be ridiculed and shamed for all of the pain and anguish and general douchebaggery that he inflicted upon everyone that he encountered?  Absolutely yes.
But doing so accomplishes nothing but to bring us down to the levels, the depths, the cesspools that he and his ilk flourish in. We're better than that. We are. All of us are better than that. Even you over there. Yeah, you.

I believe that we need to recognize the loss. Recognize the missed opportunity to utilize passion and conviction to better this world, and to ponder how we can protect our public from another who will surely come along carrying this brand of hate and intolerance.

I won't go so far as to say I mourn his passing, because I don't. And I won't go so far as to say that I celebrate his passing, again, because I don't. But I do have a bit of hope flourishing inside me that maybe, just maybe some of that hatred that he harbored has at long last faded out of existence along with him.

What Motivates You?

I adapt pretty well to things. I really do. I have, like many of you, overcome great obstacles in my lifetime, and I think that in the end I have tackled them with strength and determination, for the most part. Sure, I got knocked down a few times. Okay, a shitload of times. And maybe I wasn't always as quick to get back up on my feet, but I always, eventually, have.

Sometimes, when I reflect on my life's crazy and sometimes tumultuous events, I get a feeling that each one was leading up to, preparing me for the next, and then I wonder, what is the culmination of it all going to lead to?
I wonder.
I fret.
I daydream about it, and I hope.

I hope for a clarity of mind to be able to recognize, when faced with it, that I am well prepared. That I am in fact strong enough, resourceful enough, and brave enough to face it, whatever it may be, head on. I hope for that.

But I know me well enough to know that initially I will flounder. I will shrink into that dark abyss of hopelessness and despair, even if only for a day or four. I will cry and I will feel defeated. And then I'll get pissed.

That anger motivates me. It drives me to do all the things I do. That's not to say that I enjoy my anger. I don't. That's why it motivates me. When something pisses me the eff off, I feel driven to make it change. Or to at least find a way to make it better. I always just want to make things better. Not just better for me, but for you, and them, and even them. Because even they should be afforded the experience of knowing happiness, joy, and love in this life.
Doesn't matter much who they are. We're all the same. We're just people, trying to live this life and make the most out of our time here.
Aren't we?
I mean, that's what we should be doing. Right?

What motivates you to make changes in the world around you? How do you react to your inner voice when it says to you, "this is NOT right?"



A Citizen Appalled
by Angie Schleicher 2008

I watch the world shift and crumble all around me

A treacherous path lay aheadI trembleI see the leaders of a once great nation falter 
And I wonder, 
I look for a leader with honor, with valor
I find none.
My eyes shift from the wreckage of democracy gone awry
Now focusing upon the subtle strengths of
a woman determined,
a woman focused,
a citizen appalled.