From: owner-mad-mission-digest@smoe.org (mad-mission-digest) To: mad-mission-digest@smoe.org Subject: mad-mission-digest V15 #4 Reply-To: mad-mission@smoe.org Sender: owner-mad-mission-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-mad-mission-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk * If you ever wish to unsubscribe, send an email to * mad-mission-digest-request@smoe.org * with ONLY the word unsubscribe in the body of the email * . * For the latest information on Patty's tour dates, go to: * http://www.pattygriffin.net/PattyInConcertDB.php * OR * go to http://www.atorecords.com * . * PLEASE :) when you reply to this digest to send a post TO the list, * change the subject to reflect what your post is about. A subject * of Re: mad-mission-digest V8 #___ gives readers no clue * as to what your message is about. * Also, PLEASE do not quote an entire digest when you reply to the * list. Edit out anything you are not referring to. mad-mission-digest Wednesday, April 25 2012 Volume 15 : Number 004 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: MM: Follow-up from 1999 (NPC) [Bruce Greenberg ] Re: MM: Follow-up from 1999 (NPC) [Patricia Moran ] re: MM: Follow-up from 1999 (NPC) ["Amy Silver O'Leary" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:41:22 -0700 From: Bruce Greenberg Subject: Re: MM: Follow-up from 1999 (NPC) Larry, What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing. I think we all have our... mistakes from childhood that we wish we could do over. I know I have a couple of apologies that I may never get to send. But I too keep searching the net. And thanks for waking up the group. In Patty news, I did get to see her perform a song at the Austin Music Awards. I have a couple of pics and if I ever get them posted online I will share here. She looked a bit tired. But living with Robert Plant probably does that to you. :-) Bruce Sent from my iPad On Apr 23, 2012, at 8:21 AM, "Lawrence Israelson" wrote: > There may be nobody left here who remembers or cares, but this is kinda > where it all started, so... > > More than 12 years ago, the list had a very spirited discussion > regarding anti-gay prejudice. As part of that discussion, I recounted > something from my past that I had never previously shared with anybody, > but that had always bothered me. A few list members at the time > responded to me privately and urged me to try to find the person that I > had wronged and apologize to him. It was a long time coming, but earlier > this year I was able to do just that. Also, although it hadn't been my > intention to "go public", a journalist helped me track down my old > teacher and (with our permission) wrote a story about it that seems to > have touched a nerve in thousands of people. Following are links to the > current story and my original list post from 1999 (which I have also > copied and pasted in case you don't want to wade through an old MM > digest). > > Thanks for putting up with all of this non-Patty-related content. Aren't > we overdue for a new release? > > Larry Israelson in L.A. > > http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2012/04/a_teacher_a_student_a > nd_a_39-y.html#repete > > > http://www.smoe.org/lists/mad-mission/v03/v03.n283 > > > Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 11:41:24 -0700 > > From: L & C Israelson > > Subject: Re: MM: UGH, ignorant people (NPC) > > > > I didn't chime in on this issue right away because it deserves more than > > a dashed-off response... > > > > Rachel was absolutely right to confront this girl regarding her hateful > > opinions. If the girl hears it enough, and asks herself a few questions, > > she may eventually become more tolerant and accepting of those > > "different" from herself. Otherwise, for all we know she is a couple of > > personal setbacks and/or misfiring synapses away from planting a bomb at > > a gay bar. > > > > Although I never belonged to a fundamentalist church, at one point my > > beliefs were actually quite similar to this girl's. When I was in eighth > > grade (wow! 25 years ago), I had a male teacher who wore bow ties and > > walked and talked, well, a little funny. I can still remember the > > comments he wrote on one of my essays: "A+. Your command of the English > > language is exceptional." Everything was great, until a group of > > classmates approached me in the lunchroom and asked how I liked Mr. > > _______. When I acknowledged that he was one of my favorite teachers, I > > was told, "Well, then you must be a fruit just like him." At that age, I > > was pretty clueless sexually, but I knew damn well that I didn't want to > > be a "fruit," so I marched into the assistant principal's office and > > demanded a new teacher. I never again spoke to Mr. _______, and within a > > week I was transferred to another classroom for that subject. Although I > > thought nothing of it at the time, my actions must have hurt him > > terribly. I would be hard-pressed to come up with anything else I have > > ever done that makes me less proud. And, ironically, to this day I have > > no idea if Mr. ________ really was gay. > > > > As I matured, my attitudes softened but I still must have exuded some > > sort of ill-concealed hostility. For instance, I knew of gay co-workers > > through third parties, but nobody ever revealed his/her homosexuality to > > me directly. Finally, two incidents provoked the epiphany I needed. > > > > At this point, I may be mixing them up chronologically, but the first > > involved some sort of gay pride festival in a public park in Orange > > County. At the instigation of Rev. Wildmon, a fairly sizable group of > > anti-gay protesters gathered across the street and proceeded to shower > > the festival-goers with spit and epithets, not to mention a few rocks > > and bottles. I asked myself, if Jesus Himself walked upon this scene, > > with which group would He stand? > > > > Some time later, actor Dick Sargent (the second Darrin on "Bewitched") > > was near death, I believe due to AIDS-related complications. I saw a TV > > interview with the Rev. Fred Phelps, a minister from the Kansas City > > area. He announced his intention to picket Sargent's funeral to (I'm > > paraphrasing) call attention to how God exacts his vengeance from the > > immoral. During this interview, Phelps said, "You can't preach the true > > meaning of the Bible without preaching hate." I can be pretty oblivious > > at times, but I knew there was no way the God I believe in could make > > some people homosexual and then expect everybody else to despise them. > > > > Since then, I have consistently expressed, with both voice and pen, the > > following: if someone feels about a person of the same gender the way > > that I feel about my wife, then that is something that ought to be > > celebrated rather than condemned. > > > > And, to all those I shunned and snickered at for even the appearance of > > being gay, I am deeply and truly sorry. > > > > Larry I in LA > > > >

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Unlimited Email Storage – POP3 – Calendar – SMS – Translator – Much More! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:36:45 -0400 From: Patricia Moran Subject: Re: MM: Follow-up from 1999 (NPC) What a wonderful story, Larry. This brought tears to my eyes. Thanks so much for sharing. On 2012-04-23, at 10:55 AM, Lawrence Israelson wrote: > nd_a_39-y.html#repete ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:03:32 -0400 From: "Amy Silver O'Leary" Subject: re: MM: Follow-up from 1999 (NPC) That's a beautiful story, Larry. I went to my 20-year high school reunion just so I could apologize to all the people I was horrible to - far worse than you were to your teacher. (As luck - or karma - would have it, 3 of the 4 people I most wronged were there.) You know what they say - "it's hard to give / it's hard to get / but everybody needs / a little forgiveness." Amy Silver O'Leary in PA ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:55:11 -0700 From: Bruce Greenberg Subject: RE: MM: Follow-up from 1999 (NPC) Okay... Here is a pic of Patty from the Austin Music Awards last month. Enjoy. http://thepromiselive.blogspot.com/ Bruce ------------------------------ End of mad-mission-digest V15 #4 ********************************