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In the musical 1776, delegates to the Continental Congress debate the issue of declaring independence from England. The process is proceeding at a painfully slow pace and not without a controversy that threatens to scuttle the effort. On July 2, 1776, a dispatch is received from General Washington. The general is camped in New Jersey attempting to muster a continental army but is frustrated by the lack of progress of the Congress in drafting a Declaration of Independence. In despair, Washington's dispatch rhetorically asks, "Is anybody there? Does anybody care?" Alone in his chambers, Adams laments over Washington's message and the unfinished work of the Congress.
When Hurricane Katrina roared into New Orleans on August 29, 2005, it left a trail of destruction and misery that promises to remain for a long time to come. One "victim" of the storm's fury was the annual Southern Decadence celebration, which was scheduled for Labor Day week.
Southern Decadence, which started in 1972 among 40 or so friends, has blossomed into a major New Orleans Labor Day event that attracts more than 100,000 homosexuals for a weekend of drinking and debauchery where gay bars stay open 24 hours and condoms are passed out free at the NO/AIDS Task Force station. Does anybody care? Certainly not the city of New Orleans, whose mayor has signed an official proclamation of welcome to this year's participants.
The New Orleans celebration is certainly not a unique event. So-called "gay pride" events offering similar "decadence" are welcomed in essentially every major city in America and around the world. In two blatant "in your face" acts, an international version of gay pride was held in July of 2000 in Rome, which is arguably the visible seat of the Christian faith. The event coincided with the Vatican's celebration of the "Great Year of Jubilee." A second such celebration was held in August 2006 in Jerusalem — the most holy city in the world for both Christians and Jews. But, does anybody care?
It should be abundantly clear to even the most casual observer that the homosexual rights movement is out of control and has gained immense momentum. Homosexuality in its several forms (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender — LGBT) has become the cause celebre of our time and shredded the fabric of rational thought. It begs the question: How could a behavior that has been universally condemned for thousands of years suddenly become an acceptable and respected alternative lifestyle? Gay rights activists have not been hesitant to exploit the incredible power they have acquired:
— Armed only with anecdotal evidence, a perception has been created that homosexuality is inborn and unchangeable, even though there is not a shred of scientific evidence that supports the claim. (Actually, the preponderance of evidence suggests that homosexuality is a learned behavior whose most prevalent common denominators are seduction, childhood sexual abuse, and/or a dysfunctional relationship with the same-sex parent.)
— In many states, same-sex couples enjoy all the benefits of marriage and great pressure is being exerted to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples.
— Homosexual affirmation is being introduced in our public schools as early as kindergarten; sex education courses encourage students to explore their sexuality.
— Major corporations and government offices have been coerced into providing "sensitivity training" for all employees to assure homosexuals are fully accepted in the workplace.
— Legislatures have enacted "hate crime" laws that grant LGBT persons special civil rights protection against discrimination and harassment.
— For the most part, gay rights activists control the editorial content of the print media through the powerful 1,200-member National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA). The association is "dedicated to providing responsible gay coverage [for the] issues of same-sex marriage, gay families, parenting and adoption, gays in the military, sex education in the schools, civil liberties, gay-related ballot initiatives, gay bashing and anti-gay violence." Similar "gatekeepers" exist in the motion picture and television industries.
Homosexual advocacy has even penetrated significant elements of the Church and is now the most divisive issue facing several Christian denominations. The result of this zealous pursuit of homosexual affirmation has been the breakup of congregations, open schisms, legal battles over property rights, and a mass exodus of membership from many mainline denominations.
Additionally, the city of San Francisco recently elected a new president of the San Francisco Police Commission — an organization of considerable power that sets department policies and oversees its operating rules. The person selected for the position, T. Sparks, is a Vietnam veteran who is twice divorced and the father of three grown children. However, Sparks has undergone sex reassignment surgery and is now known as Theresa Sparks. She is also chief executive officer of the nation's largest sex toy distributor, Good Vibrations, whose vision statement declares:
At Good Vibrations, we believe that sexual pleasure is everyone's birthright. We believe that sexual pleasure is an important part of all of our lives, and that everyone should be able to live the sex life that's right for them… We believe that any consensual sexual activity is something to affirm and celebrate.
So the police department of the city of San Francisco has elected a cross-dressing commissioner who is an advocate in the pursuit of deviant sexual pleasure. But does anybody care?
In San Diego, the mayor appointed an open lesbian to head the city's fire department. She gained national notoriety recently when she forced four firefighters to participate in the San Diego Gay Pride Parade in full uniform and on the city fire truck — a humiliating experience for the men who were subjected to sexual taunts from homosexuals along the parade route. Does anybody care?
On August 9 the Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation's most aggressive gay rights organizations, hosted a Democratic Presidential forum focusing on LGBT rights. The participating candidates included Senator Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Senator Barack Obama, Representative Dennis Kucinich, and Governor Bill Richardson, and was broadcast over Viacom's Logo cable channel — an exclusive homosexual channel serving the LGBT communities. All the candidates were committed to furthering gay rights and pledged to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Unfortunately for Governor Richardson, he gave the evening's only wrong answer: when asked if homosexuality was a choice or biological, the governor blurted out that "it's a choice." His "flub" created a stir among the gay community and may have cost him any hope of being on the 2008 presidential ticket.
We have reached a point in America when a person can be fired, fined, or perhaps even arrested, for expressing negative views about homosexuality. The question is: Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Allan Dobras is a freelance writer on religious and cultural issues and an electronics engineer. He lives in Springfield, Virginia.