Trollin' Hatin' and Bad Formattin'

I could not find a picture of Mr. Luke Richardson on line, but I suppose it looks something like this. 

My recent post on the Huffington Post  regarding Gay Marriage was widely shared and read within my circle of friends and fellow bloggers. To this date, there were no comments on the blog entry and it seemed that I made my point. As we all know, the internet is a crazy place, and people who are off their meds or have let their tin foil hat slip often are the ones running the show. I woke up today to a letter in my work mailbox from a teacher in New York City regarding my piece on gay marriage. To make it interesting, he sent it to every goddamned person at the college. I am not sure how he got everyone’s email, but he did. My colleagues have been responding back to his rant (see below) and have asked him to not contact them again. I appreciate their support.

The offer from the writer to “feel free to respond to my email…” is a tempting offer. However, as we all know, if you feed the trolls, they will not go away. So instead, I’ll just share with you his SIX PAGE rant, as it was sent, formatting and all. People wonder why I put myself out there, and they wonder why I share so much. It’s because of people like this that I continue to share about the inequities in our lives. I will not be bullied, I will not be silenced, nor will I stand rhetoric such as this “It is simply to tell you that you are a moral failure, a coward, and a fraud.” I am far from all three. It takes courage to put your life out there for people to read about. It takes conviction and an inner compass of morality to stand up for not only my family, but for those in our state going through the same trials due to our state’s draconian laws regarding LGBT families. And, if you know me, I am the real deal. I can’t stand frauds or fakes and I do my best to live a life that is open and transparent. When you are in the public eye, you can’t afford to be anything but.

After reading his letter, I was reminded of the time when former rock star and racist nut job Ted Nugent had a community forum on his webpage. It was a fantasy land of conspiracy, terrible formatting and copious amounts of bloviating on any number of subjects. A colleague of mine pointed out that I was not the only one to receive this letter. 

As mentioned, I will not personally engage him, but if you would like, feel free to contact him: lrichardsonluke@aol.com.

Behold, the ramblings of Luke Richardson:

Dear Professor McMillen-Oakley: 

     I have read your article in The Huffington Post entitled “A Holiday Letter to the Supreme Court” that was posted on December 8^th, 2014.  I noticed that your article appeared in the “Gay Marriage” section of the website.  In your article you acknowledged that you are openly gay and living with another man. 

     As a high school history teacher from New York City, I have a different perspective on morality than many people.  I personally do not agree with same-sex marriage and I do not endorse homosexual conduct.  Nor do I agree with the so-called “progressive” and “enlightened” views you are advocating.  I would like to say why.  Feel free to respond to my email if you like.       

     As you may or may not know, in the United States of America, at least 636, 000 Americans have already died of AIDS from 1981 to 2010 inclusive.  The body count numbers for 2011, 2012, 2013, and thus far in 2014, have not been included.  At the start of 2010, at least 1.1 million Americans were living with HIV.  All of these casualties occurred within just one generation, a generation being 30 years (1981 – 2011).  What does it mean to lose at least 636, 000 Americans from AIDS within one generation?  Consider the following evidence:

   

  Ø  This is more than 10 times American fatalities in the Vietnam War (1959 – 1975).  America had 58, 000 servicemen killed in this conflict.

  Ø  More than five times American fatalities in World War I (1917 – 1918).  America had 116, 000 servicemen killed in this conflict.

  Ø  More than American fatalities in World War II (1941 – 1945).  America had 407, 000 servicemen killed in this conflict.

  Ø  More than American fatalities in World I, World War II, and Vietnam—all added up together.

  Ø  More people than are presently buried in Arlington National Cemetery. 

  Ø  More than American fatalities in the American Revolution (1775 – 1783).

  Ø  More than the fatalities incurred in the American Civil War (1861 – 1865) where 620, 000 people died in the worst war in American history. 

  Ø  More than Napoleon Bonaparte lost in his disastrous retreat from Moscow in 1812.  Napoleon lost over 500, 000 men due to the severe Russian winter. 

  Ø  More than the Axis powers lost in North Africa in World War II.

  Ø  More than the Allied forces lost in the battle of Passchendaele in World War I.

  Ø  More than the French Army lost in the battle of Verdun in World War I.

  Ø  More than the losses incurred by the British Empire forces and her allies in the Somme Offensive of 1916.  The allies incurred 623, 000 casualties at the Somme for a gain of less than

     12 kilometers of land. 

  Ø  More than were killed by all the defoliant Agent Orange sprayed on the jungles of Vietnam.

     Of the 636, 000 Americans that have died of AIDS, at least 53% of this figure is made up of homosexuals.  Therefore, at least 337, 080 homosexuals in the United States have died of AIDS.  From 1981 to 2010 inclusive (within a generation), over 555, 000 homosexuals in America were diagnosed with full-blown AIDSaccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

     Even though they are a tiny minority of the population in America, men who have sex with men (MSM) in America make up the majority of the new HIV infections, the majority of AIDS cases, and the majority of the AIDS fatalities.  The tiny minority tail has lost more people than the big majority dog.  This reality has to do with the fact that they (MSM) engage in conduct that is self-destructive, goes against nature, and is considered high risk.  What does it mean to lose at least 337, 080 homosexuals from AIDS in America within just one generation?  Consider the following evidence:

  Ø  This is more than five times American fatalities in the Vietnam War (1959 – 1975).

  Ø  More than double, nearly triple, American fatalities in World War I.

  Ø  More than the German Army lost on the Russian Front in their catastrophic defeat in the battle of Stalingrad in 1943.  The German Army incurred 330, 000 casualties in this one

     battle.

  Ø  More than were lost by the Italian Fascist armies of Benito Mussolini on the Russian Front in World War II. 

  Ø  More than were killed by the two atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki—put together.

  Ø  More than the fatalities incurred by the slave states of the Confederacy in the American Civil War (1861 – 1865).  The eleven slave states of the Confederacy experienced 258, 000

     fatalities, fighting for a cause that was morally wrong.

  Ø  More than six times the carnage at the battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), where the combined casualties for both armies exceeded 53, 000 in just three days.

     In case you didn’t know, a man cannot become pregnant.  Only a woman’s body can become impregnated, carry a child to term for nine months and breastfeed a baby.  A woman’s body was anatomically designed for bearing children.  Only a man’s sperm can impregnate a woman.  Without heterosexual sex, no human beings could exist—that includes you.  Heterosexual sex is natural, necessary and meant to be.  Have you ever studied human anatomy?  The human rectum was anatomically designed for the elimination of human waste, not to be turned into a vagina.  Nobody can deny these facts.  It appears you are ignorant of the most obvious realities of nature.

      

     When you participate in behaviour that goes against nature and is self-destructive, then the results will reflect that.  In other words, the norms become reversed. Why is it that in just one generation (1981 – 2011) a large number of parents have had to bury their own children?  Normally, children should be burying their parents, but not for many of these AIDS victims.  Why is it that a record number of people are dying in peacetime rather than in wartime?  Why is it that a tiny minority of the population ends up incurring more casualties than the majority?  Why is it that many racists and warmongers have outlived countless of these so-called peaceful and tolerant AIDS victims?  Why do so many grown men have to wear diapers like infants?  Why the silence?  If one is truly proud to have HIV/AIDS, then why try to hide it?  Why hide the casualties?

     The number of HIV infections keeps going up with no end in sight.  Every year, more and more people are becoming infected with HIV and AIDS.  At present, 1 in every 300 Americans is infected with HIV and climbing.  In total, 1.7 million Americans have become infected with HIV since 1981.   Approximately 50, 000 Americans become infected with HIV each year, which means that almost 1, 000 Americans become infected with HIV each week.  More Americans die from AIDS every year than are killed in gun homicides.     

     During the Vietnam War (1959 – 1975), the American forces were incurring an average of 19 fatalities per day over the entire duration of the conflict.  At present, the number of Americans that die from AIDS every day is more than double that.  In other words, it would be like fighting two Vietnam conflicts at the exact same time, and at the end of every single day there is a body count which cannot be stopped and there is no telling for how long the conflict will last.  In New York Cityalone, from 1981 to 2012, over 75, 000 AIDs deaths were reported—more than American fatalities in the entire Vietnam War.

     The coffin factories will never go out of business as they continue to manufacture more coffins for these AIDS victims.  Do you know someone with HIV?  A cousin?  A business partner?  A brother?  A sister?  A friend?  A parent?  A celebrity?  A co-worker?  A religious leader?   A son?  A daughter?  Chances are you do. The trends do not appear to be going in your favour.  When you get to the point where you can easily name someone who has contracted HIV, then you know that the disease is more widespread than you realize.        

    

     What did these AIDS victims die for? What great noble cause could justify the loss of so many people in peacetime?  How can one justify the conduct that led to these losses?  What is it all for?  The body count numbers have provided a telling rebuke.  Their decadent conduct has resulted in a big waste of human life.  It truly is a vast and indefensible waste of human life.  It is amusing to watch these posers put on an act and pretend that there’s nothing wrong.  When you lose hundreds of thousands of people for nothing, people will criticize you because they do not respect you.  When people don’t respect you, they won’t listen to you, and they won’t care what you think.  Yes, there will be a loss of respect, a loss of credibility, and a loss of legitimacy.

     Take a good look at these people with HIV/AIDS.  They have tried awfully hard to find a cure.  They have bake sales for the cause, fashion shows for the cause, concerts for the cause, battle of the bands for the cause, celebrity dinners for the cause, celebrity endorsements for the cause, barbeques for the cause, ecotourism for the cause, walk-a-thons for the cause, bike-a-thons for the cause, and every other possible activity known to mankind to support their cause.  All the while they have completely ignored the morality of their conduct and the body count that is attached to it.        

     Do you not realize that in the eyes of God up above, virtually all of the decadent conduct that caused these people to get AIDS would be considered morally wrong? Do you honestly believe that an all-mighty, all-knowing, all-powerful God would endorse the conduct that these people engage in?  Where are the divine letters of recommendation to support the cause?  Where is the divine seal of approval?  Where is the divine endorsement?    

     People like you seem to operate on the assumption that there is no God, that there is no such thing as divine intervention, that divine justice does not exist, that there are no absolute truths of any kind, and that there is no afterlife.  If that describes you, you are entitled to believe what you want, but that does not necessarily mean that you are correct or that others must be forced to subscribe to your views.  If you wish to worship the golden calf, then that is your business, but do not demand and expect others to follow your example.        

     For these people living with HIV/AIDS, there is no war, no draft, and no arms race.   No weapons of mass destruction were used to cause this devastation.  The Cold War between America and the Soviet Union is over.  There is no declaration of war, and a single shot hasn’t even been fired in anger at anyone.  Yet, despite all of these factors that are stacked in their favour in a time of peace, their fatalities from AIDS are even higher. 

     

     The prime architect of the Vietnam War, Robert McNamara, who was the U.S. Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968, admitted in his memoirs that he was wrong to have gotten America involved in Vietnam to the extent that it was.  As a result, 58, 000 American servicemen died from 1959 to 1975.  At present however, the number of Americans that have already died from AIDS is more than 10 times that.  Nonetheless, it would appear that most of the victims living with HIV/AIDS and most of the activists who support them, will never admit that their conduct is wrong.  They remain unapologetic right to the grave.  They never want to admit that they have erred, no matter how high the body count goes.  Why is that relevant?  It is relevant, since finding common ground with these people will be virtually impossible.    

     Globally, the body count from AIDS is very revealing.  Every 12 seconds, someone on the planet contracts HIV, and every 16 seconds someone dies from AIDS. That translates into 12, 600 casualties a day, every day, without end in sight.  Since 1981, at least 78 million people on the planet have been diagnosed with HIV and at least 39 million people have died of AIDS.   Nobody knows with 100% accuracy what the real global body count number is, since many nations do not keep accurate numbers and other nations do not even report the number of fatalities at all.  What does it mean to experience at least 39 million fatalities from AIDS? Consider the following evidence:

   Ø  This is more than quadruple the number of fatalities incurred by the Third Reich of Germany.

   Ø  More than triple the combined fatalities of the big three of the Axis Powers in World War II (Germany, Italy, and Japan).

   Ø  More than were killed on the Russian Front in World War II.

   Ø  More than were killed in all of Adolf Hitler’s concentration camps put together.

   Ø  More than the fatalities incurred by the Soviet Union in World War II. 

   Ø  More than were killed in the all the gulags of Joseph Stalin put together.

   Ø  More than were slaughtered in the killing fields of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge.

   Ø  More than were killed in the Iran-Iraq War (1980 – 1988).

   Ø  More than were killed in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars—put together.

   Ø  More than were killed by the Mongol hoards of Genghis Khan. 

   Ø  More than were killed by the Roman legions of the Caesars. 

   Ø  More than double the fatalities of World War I (1914 – 1918), where 14 million people were killed.

   Ø  More than were killed in every single military conflict in the history of the world, with the only possible exception of World War II, where 55 million fatalities resulted.

     What is the point of this email?  It is simply to tell you that you are a moral failure, a coward, and a fraud.  More people have died from AIDS than were lost by all the warmongers, lunatics, racist bigots and totalitarian regimes I have mentioned.  These body count numbers have mocked you for eternity.  Why is it that the media seldom mentions anything about the AIDS fatalities in North America?   If you feel that you need to censor the body count, then you’re the one who has the problem.  You are fooling nobody.   

     All of the defense contractors that make up the military industrial complex in America and all of their weapons put together, do not kill off anything comparable to the global body count numbers produced from AIDS.   I find it hard to believe that God up above agrees with you.  If you find these body count numbers disturbing, then maybe you had better re-evaluate what you believe in.  Are you really on the right side of history?  Sexually transmitted diseases have been infecting and killing people for centuries.  You cannot blame politicians, lawmakers and religious leaders for the existence and spread of AIDS.  The historical evidence does not support you.             

     You would have to realize that the casualties from AIDS are rather high.  Yet, you pretend that there is nothing wrong.  You try to bulldoze your way through circumstances and impose your will on others without considering the morality of your actions, and then you play stupid, wondering why there are those who do not agree with you.  Is it really that hard to figure out why there are people who don’t agree with you?  Professor McMillen-Oakley, would you ever share these AIDS statistics with your students, fellow educators, friends and family members?  If not, why not?  Do you want people to see the big waste of human life that has resulted?  Why should people respect your views?  Are you really making progress?       

     There are so many different strains of HIV that scientists have given up trying to count all of them.  What about the new strains of HIV that cannot be stopped? You cannot legislate your way out of this problem.  You cannot interpret your way out.  You cannot vote your way out. You cannot protest your way out.  You cannotscream your way out.  You cannot bully your way out.  You cannot demand your way out.  You cannot manipulate your way out.  Public opinion polls cannot get you out.   Celebrity endorsements cannot get you out.  Hiding the casualties won’t stop the spread of HIV.  The genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back in.        

    

     You would like to portray yourself as a moderate, a centrist, a person of reason, a forward- looking person, a person who is sophisticated, or some other kind of enlightened intellectual.  If you think that everybody sees it your way, you are seriously deluded.  You don’t occupy any moral high ground.  You are not a superior alternative.  You are not the lesser of the evils.  You do not stand for common sense, reason, or logic.  If you think that you are making progress, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when you start claiming you are having a setback.  You are living in your own Fuhrerbunker, the victim of your own perverted groupthink mentality—blind to the reality around you.         

     History has shown us that people who ignore the morality of their conduct, who ignore their conscience, whose ideology is bankrupt, and who ignore the consequences of their choices—are destined to fail.  Why are there people who oppose same-sex marriage?  Why are there people who do not respect your views? Why do people disagree with your so-called “progressive” morality?  Why are there people who do not see things your way?  I suggest you look at the AIDS-related casualties.  Then you’ll find the answer.    

Sincerely,

Luke Richardson

New York City

Misfits of the World UNITE!

Our Fearless Leader: Yukon Cornelius

This is a re-post from December 2010. From the Island of Misfit Toys

Author’s note: Each year, living in the state of Michigan gets more and more difficult. Laws that have been enacted are purposely hurting my family, and perhaps even my own well-being. Recently, the Michigan Legislature approved a law that would allow medical workers serving in the public sector the ability to deny care to someone they perceive to be gay.  A rabid anti-gay pastor (and total closet-case) in Arizona recently called for the end of the AIDS crisis by Christmas, his solution, execute all the gays. Yes, you read that right, a CHRISTIAN minister said that we could end the AIDS epidemic by rounding up and executing all the gays. My little family remains strong, as we have a strong support system of friends and family in the state and around the globe. However, it’s stuff like this that make me die a little inside when I read about them. So raise your fist, your paw, your hoof (or whatever) in solidarity for misfits all over the world this holiday season. Together we can survive. TAM-O

Ever since I can remember, I have loved the Christmas special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. We both premiered in 1964 and the show features two of my favorite things: burly redheads and St. Bernard dogs.  The show is a classic on many levels. I have noticed that a lot of my LGBT friends love the show as well, and I think it’s because of its endearing story and great characters. But there is more than that. It tells the tale of a group of outsiders, or misfits, as they are known in the show. For many of us; it paralleled our own lives as LGBT men and women, especially our childhood. I remember hating gym in school, and the coach reindeer at the beginning of the show mirrored exactly what I endured with all my misguided gym teachers through elementary school.

Hermey, the fey and dentally fixated elf, pines for a better life as a dentist somewhere other than the North Pole while Yukon (the inspiration for our dog’s name) lives as an outsider in the great, white north. And then there is the Island of Misfit Toys. So much of that concept connects with me, because when AIDS first came out in the 80s, the ultra-conservatives talked about rounding up and isolating the gays, so that the disease wouldn’t spread. For a long time, as a young man, I worried that I might end up on my own little island due to who I loved and my misconceived status as a misfit because I was gay.

But, like in the show, the misfits band together and make their own family, one born out of rejection and hatred but ultimately joined in love. Our friend Michelle once sent us a Christmas card that read “friends are the family you chose.”

I agree! With all the current talk of bullying and harassment, this holiday show has a great message of acceptance and unconditional love. I may be a misfit in some people’s eyes, but I am a happy misfit.