Don't Mess with Texas! Or, the day the haters bought a freezer.

Hello Everyone --- especially Carol, who called to worry about my safety -- that's cute,

So, today was the big day for the Haters from Westboro Baptist Church to visit the Community Center and Help raise money for a new freezer.

If you didn't get a chance to read the flyer:

http://www.rcdallas.org/release/wbc-protest-fundraiser.doc

I wouldn't miss it for the world!
Some days, you're determined to do the right thing, but your pre-conceived idea is quite different from what happens . That's OK. write this one down -- it is ALWAYS a good thing to stand up in support of love and justice, and it's NEVER a mistake.

Eveyone knows you're supposed to have signs to take to a demonstration, so I went to the dollar store and got my discount poster board and markers to make my sign -


And here's a video of me going off to protest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDmBdvX0-4U

So I showed up with my totally appropriate protest signs and pink triangle. ....
BUT -
......I got the impression that the People in Dallas might need more direction on the concept of a "Protest" Sign.

Apparently, God does not actually hate everything and everyody (contrary to what my friends from Kansas say) -- some things He just feels very strongly about.

Some people miss the point of a sign.

Here's a Mom who understands.

I don't know what free-loving zombies would look like.

Did anyone tell these girls they were at the wrong rally?

But eventually the haters do show up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGhYmTwC7SY

Don't Mess with Texas!

On their own website, the haters say that one of the things that set them off was a huge civil rights case that came out of Texas in 2003. Lawrence v. Texas basically says that the police may not kick in the bedroom door of consenting adults and arrest them for what they are doing in the privacy of their bedroom -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_v._texas

But there are some things God apparently really hates....

I suppose God has been to Cleveland but I don't know what they did to make him so mad.

Thankfully,

Some people are totally "not clear" on the concept

Or perhaps they are MOST clear that the thing to do with haters is laugh at them -- like Mel Brooks said.

To be fair, some of the signs on their side of the street were also pretty strange:

I think this hater might be dyslexic.

I don't know where he's coming from.

I wonder if this guy grabbed the wrong signs out of the van

Some people were there to make a very important statement:

Some were just trying to figure out why they're hated.

some people are just trying to get through life the best they can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGZaOoxLxVk

I guess this is as good a venue as any to demand justice.

In this bedlam I found one faithful old Catholic nun who arrived all alone with her cane to say the same thing she's said her whole life:

The bad guys just kept waving their same tired old signs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h2pTNV3OMk

Finally, the bad guys went away. Ours was their last stop of the day and they only stayed 20 of their allotted 30 minutes. The head of the family didn't show up in the rain, he sent his grandchildren.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn75Lc_t8c0

Public service announcements notwithstanding.

Yes, we raised money for the darned freezer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75uGKJx3GIk

But you wanna know what was really the most important thing I did all day? The thing that made me glad I went??

I told these two boys how much God loves them......

"Suffer the children to come unto me and forbid them not."

"Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, that you did to me">

And I'm glad I was there to do it!

Peace and Love! Paul

Now is the time

for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country

Am I still here?

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

What a good boy am I

.

Well, I put my little shirt-n-tie on like the good boy God knows I am and I went to another networking lunch. Everyone was very nice. ... it just feels like walking into High School.... " Hi, I'm the new guy." The thing is that I have to meet someone who knows someone who will help me.

Stupid Cat

So, there's this stupid CAT



And after a week, I decided to give the cat a pet. Which makes the cat think that she can now be my friend and do things like come into my room ---- -





Wich, apparently is what she used to do before I paid the rent. But, the last thing I need is a friend whose hair is wilder than mine and who looks like the wild cat of Borneo.





And sitting outside my door at 5:00 am screaming my name is no way to think you're going to change your mind.... neither is making a dash to jump on my bed just because I opened the door. I got better things to do with my time than befriend a Mad-Cat who lost part of her tail when she was a kitten.

Guess I had a good week

On Sat. morning, I met found a group through MeetUp.Com of professional networkers. They meet at a pizza place in North Dallas to interface and socialize. People my age - from every profession.
It was very hard to walk in not knowing anyone and inroduce myself --- like the new kid in 10th grade. But they were very nice and welcoming.
They invited me to join them for Drag Queen Bingo Sat. night. It was a ball! I won $60 It's THE event in Dallas. There are about 600 in the hall (the Bar is Open.) By the end of bingo few people are really playing bingo anymore. It was totally fun to go out with new friends.

Sunday I found a United Church of Christ in N. Dallas. It's a large church. About 800 in the congregation. Formal. Liberal. Protestant. It was nice. It's "High Churh".

This church has "career transition ministry" on Monday morning. A career counselor leads a discussin and networking group at noon. They were very nice and helpful. I got some good ideas about hot to proceed.

I'm very sure that I'm going to meet someone soon who will introduce me to the person who will open the door for me.