by Suzanne Westenhoefer

Tinky Winky mourns ... maybe.

Dear friends,

This past Tuesday, I was greeted with the news of Fundamentalist Evangelical Trouble Making Minister Jerry Falwell's death. Now, I have been a Buddhist for a long time, but it is hard to feel any loss at the demise of a man who last year said that to vote for Hilary Clinton was the same as voting for Satan. Over the last nearly 30 years of his "moral majority" cult leadership, this was some of his least fiery rhetoric.Still, it's not good karma to be happy that someone has passed. I am not celebrating, but I am remembering. I'm remembering a man who blamed gays and feminists for the 911 attacks, a man who repeatedly compared homosexuality to bestiality and crack addiction. A quick Google of his name returns an unbelievable legacy of hatred toward women, gays, liberals, Catholics, Jews and African Americans. It's astonishing.When I started performing at Gay Pride events in 1991, I could get a crowd to yell, boo and hiss with the mere mention of his name. As we start Pride 2007, as we go to parties, rallies and parades, as many of us don't even participate any longer because we're "beyond gay," let us stop a moment and reflect on the passing of a man who, as much as he abhorred us, brought us together in a way few haters can do today.

So, goodbye Jerry. We will miss how your intolerance kept us in the news and helped make pride events the huge success they are.

Namaste,Suzanne

P.S. Vote for Hillary.

I could not have said the above better myself. She covers all points! And to think that he was supposedly a religious man! Cult is right!

I'm to the point where I despise religion, any religion. It's all for no tax profit anyway. I thought religion and state were to remain separated? Both groups are power hungry at every cost to you the tax payer. Just what has either group done for you lately? What return have you gotten?

I am spiritual first and would consider studying Buddhism. I'm all for meditating to a higher level and tapping into my inner powers. I know organized religion doesn't want me to know about the power that lie within. For, if I knew that the power lies within myself....why would I need them. The church as caused "hell" in my life not prevented me from it. And for this I am angry. It has also caused me to despise and mistrust most men. In my mind I have "outed" them long before I "outed" myself as a lesbian. Even as a kid, I thought their motives suspicious and surprised at people who willing to follow rather than "think" for themselves.

Organized religion is a joke and I loathe their hidden agenda of pure self profit, control and manipulation. First of all they write the rules themselves, tell you that you are bad..a sinner and will go to hell if they don't "fix" you first. For that they demand your money... a lot of it.

Evidently some people have caught on to their self-serving ways and have moved on leaving empty churches behind. In my area a polish church always stood alone not joining the local organization. When the arch bishop found out they had six million dollars in their kitty, he demanded they join the rest of the flock. They protested. He astracized them. They didn't care! But, in my mind that was the pivitial moment where the arch bishop showed his true colors. After forty years as a stand alone church he decided he wanted them in his flock.....for the money.