SC Progressive Network member group Sean’s Last Wish is asking for community support at tonight’s meeting of the Richland Lexington District 5 as the board makes a final decision regarding extracurricular clubs at Irmo High School. See more about the school’s policies, the history behind the GSA controversy and more at the school district’s web site.

School Board Meeting on Monday, June 23, 7pm
H.E. Corley Elementary School,
1500 Chadford Road
Irmo, SC 29063

You can see video of a recent rally supporting the GSA here.

This was forwarded by Columbia Christians for Life. Scary stuff. These folks’ preoccupation with “gay abomination” looks a whole lot like sicko titillation.

Wiley Drake is a California pastor vying to be president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

He caused a stir last year after he used church stationery and an Internet radio program to endorse former Gov. Mike Huckabee for president. After Americans United for Separation of Church and State protested, Drake issued a call for “imprecatory” prayer — specifically for the death of several of the AU leaders.

Using God as a hit man? Now that’s deviant!

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From: wileydrake @hotmail.com
Subject: Legal Same Sex Marriages
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:45:22 +0000

What Legal Same Sex Marriages Bring into society………..

Oral Sex with the ingesting of semen and anal contamination bringing about hepatitis A, gonorrhea, HIV, and hepatitis B

Rectal Sex brings a mixing bowl for saliva and its germs and/or an artifical lubricant which penetrates the rectal lining (which is only one cell thick) rectal intercourse is the most efficient way to spread hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and a host of other blood-born diseases. This brings about the enteric parasites collectively known as “Gay Bowel Syndrome”

Urine Sex In a San Francisco survey of 655 same sex people, 5% drank urine, 7% practiced fisting, 33% ingested feces via anal/oral contact.

Some say same-sex marriage is ok and we should be concerned about the community that want same-sex marriage. We should be concerned when their life style brings early death to them and the rest of society. God called what same-sex marriages do sodomy and those who do it sodomites.

If we do not stand and fight this plague God will as He did in sodom and their neighborhood.

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Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:38:01 -0400
To: Columbia Christians for Life
From: Columbia Christians for Life
Subject: What Legal Same Sex Marriages Bring into society………..

Exactly – we don’t need just to DEFEND “traditional” marriage – we need to re-criminalize the filthy, immoral, abominable commission of ACTS of SODOMY!

Stephen Moller, who murdered Sean Kennedy on May 16, 2007, was sentenced June 11 to a five-year suspended sentence to three years with three years probation after he gets out of jail. He will spend about 10 months in jail, after which he is then entitled to parole. If granted, he will then be on probation for three years. Moller was also sentenced to 30 days community service, ordered to take anger management classes and undergo alcohol and drug counseling.

Sean’s mother, Elke Kennedy, held a press conference after the hearing. Here is her statement:

I want to thank you all for being here today. You have followed the story since Sean’s violent murder last year and I appreciate it. There was no justice today for my son Sean. The sentence that Stephen Moeller received is a joke and a slap on the wrist.

Once again it proves that in the state of South Carolina there is no justice for the victim, especially for a victim of a senseless, violent, bias-motivated crime. I understand that the judge had to sentence according to the plea agreement and the existing restrictions in the law, but that does not make this any easier!

Our judicial system is a joke and it is trying to make you believe that it is there to assure justice. Decisions are made by the solicitor instead of judges and juries. Like in Sean’s case, nobody will ever hear the evidence and all the facts like the voice mail because it was plea bargained by the solicitor, who has only met with me one time almost 10 month ago.

In essence, when the solicitor plea bargains any case, are they not really working for the defendant instead of the victim? Most pleas benefit only the defendant because it results in a lesser charge.

In fact, I believe that Sean’s case has been mishandled from the beginning. Getting the investigation started – we had to initiate the securing of evidence – sheriffs deputies did not take it serious. Our Solicitors got a lot of pressure about the case, received weekly phone calls from our SC senators from Washington and from congress man Inglis himself. Do any of you know of another local case that our Senators and congressman would be that interested in? I don’t!

Furthermore, our officials have known about the 25-year gap in our laws and have not done anything about it! When asked why there was this gap I was told that nobody had ever complained. Well this mother has and will continue to do so.

Bob Arial stated last October that involuntary manslaughter charge and the maximum time with that is not enough in the case of Sean’s Murder, but that is all they could do according to the existing law! Our solicitor invited me to help him change these laws – Mr. Arial – I am here, I am willing and I demand that we change these laws.

So moving forward we must identify the gaps, educate the public and we must demand all inclusive laws in our state that will protect all human beings. We need to be able to identify bias-motivated crimes and be able to report them.

Remember, this is an election year – you can make a difference!

My son was violently murdered because of hate, and as his mother I want justice. This could have happened to anybody’s son, daughter, brother or sister. My family will never be the same. A big part of our lives has been ripped out of our hearts and we are all struggling through birthdays, holidays, etc.

No mother should ever have to bury her child. No mother should ever have to lose her child to violence and hate. No mother should ever have to fight to see justice for her child!

Harriet McBryde Johnson, a well-known Charleston disability and civil rights attorney, died Wednesday. She was a longtime supporter of the SC Progressive Network, and was recognized for her activism with the Network’s 2004 Thunder and Lightning Award.

‘She worked yesterday. It’s a shock to everybody,’ said friend and attorney Susan Dunn.

She was born July 8, 1957, and had been a Charleston resident since age 10. In 2005 she wrote the book Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life.

She told The Post and Courier that she became an attorney because her disability-rights work had taught her something about the impact of law on how people live. She specialized in helping people who couldn’t work get Social Security benefits.

She was chairwoman of the Charleston County Democratic Party executive committee (1988-2001); city party chair (1995-2000); secretary of city party (1989-95); national convention delegate (1996); president, Charleston County Democratic Women (1989-91); County Council candidate (1994); and a certified poll manager.

Funeral arrangements are pending at Fielding Home For Funerals.

Johnson, who was born with a neuromuscular disease, drew national attention for her opposition to ‘the charity mentality’ and ‘pity-based tactics’ of the annual Jerry Lewis muscular dystrophy telethon.

She was a talented writer. Here is a piece she wrote for POINT.

This ran in today’s op/ed section of The State. Thanks to Bennie Colclough, Co-chair of the SC Progressive Network, and C. Ray Drew, executive director of SC Equality for writing with clarity and compassion on an issue that is fracturing the student body at Irmo High School.

Alliance promotes tolerance, not sex

By BENNIE COLCLOUGH and C. RAY DREW – Guest Columnists

The question of a gay-straight alliance being formed at Irmo High School and the ensuing resignation of Principal Eddie Walker has created a firestorm of emotion in the Midlands. Thousands of people have spoken out on online blogs. Demonstrations have been held. Prayer vigils have been formed. The emotion has created tremendous misunderstanding.

Gay youth grow up isolated. They often grow up without the support of parents, ministers, teachers or friends. The pervasive negative stereotypes in our society create a horrible dissonance in the minds of gay youth: a choice between hiding the true nature of oneself or facing profound rejection from loved ones. This leads to a frightening fact: Gay teenagers are three times more likely to attempt suicide. Regardless of how you feel about gay people, no one wants our kids to kill themselves.

National research shows that 80 percent of gay students do not know a single supportive adult at school, 38 percent face hostility and violence at school, and 18 percent experience physical assault. Gay students face more verbal harassment and physical violence than any other group of students. The one mitigating factor for these students is knowing a supportive adult at school.

Continue reading →

The State ran this piece today on Principal Eddie Walker, who tendered his resignation (effective at the end of next year) because of the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance group at Irmo High School. The story devotes exactly half a sentence to those who support the GSA. See if you can find it.

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Irmo principal draws support

Many back Eddie Walker, who’s leaving school because gay-straight club violates beliefs

By JOY L. WOODSON – jwoodson@thestate.com

While Irmo High principal Eddie Walker still is not talking about his resignation announced nearly a week ago, many in the community are speaking out for him.

Support has been emerging since Walker announced in a letter that he would step down at the end of the 2008-09 school year because a gay-straight club being formed on campus was against his religious and professional beliefs.

Since then, there have been prayer meetings, groups launched on social networking Web sites and — in a strong showing earlier this week — a rally before the Lexington-Richland 5 school board, which included rounds of applause for the man who has led Irmo High since 2005.

Walker has declined repeatedly to talk with The State about his resignation, saying in an e-mail as recently as Wednesday: “I feel my initial e-mail, when read in its entirety, says everything I intended to say.”

His supporters say his refusals for media interviews aren’t surprising. The man they know isn’t swayed from his morals, and he doesn’t apologize for them.

“He has such integrity, and he’s such a great guy, and he loves his students,” said Megan Brasington, 17, a senior at Irmo High. “Those who love Mr. Walker all love Mr. Walker, and they can’t say a bad thing about him.”

She recalled a time when he listened to her mother’s objections to a summer reading book. Walker read it and later removed the book from the reading list, she said.

Continue reading →

Friends of Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-Orangeburg) gathered at the historic Robert Mills House in downtown Columbia on May 22 to honor the legislator for her commitment to progressive values and her long history of speaking truth to power.