Disband Washington

Editor – Let’s take a lesson from the former Soviet Union and disband the federal government! Washington has not been representative of the citizens of this country since its inception and no amount of “political reform” is going to stem the tide of Madison Avenue politicians, sleaze-bag “defense” contractors, special-interest payoffs or plain old graft and corruption spewing forth from there.

The present presidential election is a prime example of this. Millions of people will not vote this November because they won’t want either of the candidates who have been foisted upon us. Congress continues to finance billions for Star Wars, but can’t seem to appropriate money for health or education. The Pentagon spends nearly two-thirds of every tax dollar buying over-priced weapons that don’t work , to ward off bad guys who only exist in their imaginations. The CIA has no idea what’s going on. (And they’re spies, they’re supposed to know what’s going on!) The Supreme Court is anything – but… The Justice Department isn’t … The list is endless! Who needs it? Let’s take the money we are currently sending to Washington and s spend it in our own city and state, improving education, health care, and providing jobs for those who want to work.

TIM DINEEN
San Francisco

China Basin – Great Site For A Ballpark

Editor – I’m a San Francisco native who lived in Boston for several years. I rode the “Green Line” to Kenmore Square and walked over to Fenway Park all the time. Most folks do – it is total convenience. With CalTrain literally next door and BART and Muni so close and accessible, with ferry service from Oakland and Marin directly on-site, the people here will do the same.

I used to work at Second and King streets and walked from Market every day in well under 15 minutes. With a new ballpark at China Basin, I will again be making that trek down Second from the Montgomery Street station. I may even walk along The Embarcadero on occasion. It’s a great stroll nowadays with the freeway gone and the palm trees in place. . . It seems to me tbere are some folks who just do not want to see a new ballpark built – anywhere, anyplace, anytime. And they will continue to naysay no matter what is proposed, what is design- ed or what is finally built. This is a great site for a ball- park. So, let’s play ball!

TIM DINEEN
San Francisco

Columnist’s Views Remind Reader of His Mother’s Story

TO THE EDITOR:

In reading the Sept. 8 column by Andy Diamondstein, I was reminded of a story my mother told several years ago. My parents were in Omaha for my father’s high school reunion. Making small talk at their table, my mother mentioned she was from San Francisco, and that they had traveled from there for the reunion. A man at the table said, “San Francisco?!? I’d NEVER go there!!”

My mother asked why. “Because of all the homosexuals there,” he replied.

My mother looked straight at him and deadpanned, “And just what do you think YOU would have to worry about?!?”

Tim Dineen

Recognize same-sex marriages

To the Editor:

Thank you, [for] Steve [Martens’ column], for pointing out some of the problems my domestic partner and I have experienced … Joint checking account?!? No problem, but all the interest is reported in my name only … We can’t file a joint return … Car insurance?!? We had to re-register both vehicles in both our names (at an additional charge, of course), so “I” could insure them in “MY” account, with Victor being a “secondary driver” – at a higher cost than a married couple. I cannot add him onto my health care plan, so we must pay for two separate plans (and his does not provide dental coverage!) Although we have designated each other as beneficiaries on all our insurance forms, etc., there is no direct inheritance of even commonly held property without specific legal papers being drawn up and filed with the courts … (More $$$)

Fortunately, both of our families love and support our union, because if they didn’t, they could make for some ugly lawsuits in the event of either of our deaths or serious illness … By law they are the next of kin and could direct everything from medical care to funeral arrangements and disposition of property and belongings – without so much as consulting the survivor and often against the expressed wishes of the infirm or deceased.

Regardless of one’s religious or political beliefs, I would think that it would be nothing more than a benefit to society as a whole, for two people who love one another to be able to marry and to work towards creating a better world for all of us, regardless of the gender of those two people. The bottom line in all of this is that Victor and I truly do love one another and, with both our families in attendance, will be on that first plane to Hawaii when same-sex marriages are recognized. It’s gonna be great!!

Tim Dineen

Read The Constitution

To the Editor:

Quoting the Bible – or any other religious book – has absolutely no bearing on whether gay and lesbian people should receive the same rights as those afforded the population at large.

It matters not what any particular persons’ God or Goddess has to say on the subject, or what happened to mythical people in a land before time… What matters is the Constitution of the United States, which, in Article 14, clearly states: “…No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws….”

I am happy that Mr. Hayden and others feel strongly about their religion. However, we are not living in a theocracy based upon his or their religions.

Tim Dineen

Federated Frugality

Editor – Isn’t it rather ironic that Federated Department Stores has enough money to move their furniture store to the Emporium building, tear down two buildings at Union Square and build another, remodeling their flagship Macy’s store, yet need $30 million from the city to bring their Bloomingdale’s branch into the Emporium building?

Methinks their bean counters should resharpen their pencils and try again.

TIM DINEEN
San Francisco

To the editor:

This is not just another Muni story. Tonight on the N-Judah line coming in from the city a couple of hundred (or so) Sunset residents finally had enough and took some action.

I get on the N-Judah at Montgomery station. Tonight I got down there at 5:30pm and an N train didn’t come for almost 40 minutes. Finally one came by and as you can imagine it was jammed with people. We plodded along and when the train came to the stop at Davies Medical Center, the driver announced that the train would be turning back at 19th Ave. There were many grumbles on the train because it was marked “Ocean Beach”. When we arrived at 19th Ave and they told us to get off, the driver said another train was right behind him and we could get on that one.

Two carloads of people were off loaded onto 19th Ave and there was no other train in sight. People by now were steamed. Within a few minutes another street car was spotted coming over the hill. Unfortunately it was a single car. Many of us wondered how we would all fit on it. As the car approached 19th Ave. it stopped short of the platform and unloaded all it’s passengers. People (myself included) demanded to know from the driver what was going on. By this time there was a large crowd, and the driver tried to explain that he too, was turning this car around to go back downtown.

By this time people had had enough. We loaded ourselves onto the streetcar and demanded to be taken all the way to the beach. We told the driver point blank, that we were not moving, we were disgusted and we wanted to be taken home. Everyone was calm, but firm that they weren’t moving.

Over the radio the driver tried to explain that it was his supervisors decision to turn the car around, not his. No one cared, we wanted to get home. He radioed someone (a supervisor, I assume) and then after about 10 minutes, told us that he’d take us to the beach against his supervisors wishes. He said he knew we were tired and just wanted to get home. He received a round of applause and we were on our way.

I think this is a sign of something. And I think the rest of the Muni riders in this city should know that, at least on the N line, we’re mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

It was an act of civil disobedience. I was proud of my fellow riders. Willie Brown should be alerted because his name came up often on the ride home and not favorably.

Victor Martorano

My partner and I are in a monogamous relationship.  We have been called assimilationist, unrealistic, and sex-phobic, among other endearing things. We have been told that “everyone” cheats. We’ve been greeted by people we haven’t seen in a while with a hearty “Are you two still together?” All of this by people in the gay “community.”

I’ve come to expect, if not understand, why the thought of gay marriage and monogamy is a problem for many in the straight world. But when it comes to other gays, I just have to shake my head. Could it be that as more gays and lesbians “come out” about their long-term monogamous relationships and the world sees us as productive members of the community, the gays who eschew us will feel they are more marginalized and less likely to get a cut of the pie?

Victor Martorano
San Francisco, Calif

Amid all the cries for an apology from the president to the public, why has no one asked when Monica Lewinsky is going to apologize to Hillary and Chelsea Clinton for interfering in their family life? This was no wide-eyed innocent. Indeed, she pursued the president fervently. She’s as wrong as he was.

If the president is expected to seek forgiveness she should also.

We keep hearing that we need to protect our daughters from this type of behavior, but who is going to protect us from your daughters?

VICTOR MARTORANO
San Leandro

Editor:

As a San Leandro resident who never shops downtown, I can tell you, the City, and the business owners, that a Business Improvement District is not going to change my shopping habits. They can hold all the festivals 1n the world, but it’s still not going to get me shopping downtown for the very simple reason that stores are never open when I’m able to shop.

There’s virtually nothing open in the early mornings, nothing open after dinner, the entire Pelton Center is closed on Sundays-along with the majority of other downtown businesses. If business owners want to see more shoppers, the first thing they need to do is recognize the needs of their potential customers by being open when they are most likely able to shop.

The second thing they might want to consider is talking to the city about the ridiculous traffic patterns they have recently created. The repaving of East 14th Street-creating a single lane of traffic-and the ridiculously long lines of crawling traffic it has created, now has me traveling along San Leandro Blvd. exclusively. I even drive to the Lucky Market on Hesperian rather than the store on East 14th because it is easier to get to. I bypass downtown completely.

Unless a BID can address these issues, I think it’s a waste of time and money for everyone involved.

Tim Dineen
San Leandro

Is Pentagon-Style Spending Alive and Well in SL?

 Editor:

If Bill Algire thinks $184,000 for a bathroom in Bonaire Park is a “good deal,” then I’d like to see if he’d like to buy my house. I was astonished last year at the $220,000 price tag for the bathrooms at Marina Park, but to hear the director of engineering and transportation brag that “we lucked out on this bid,” just floors me. According to the same issue of the San Leandro Times, the average price of a home in San Leandro this week was $232,600 or $9,400 less than his so-called bargain, after factoring in the final costs which were estimated at $242,000. This, from a city that couldn’t scrape together $14,000 to fund dances for our senior citizens this year.

Reading the article leads me to wonder if our officials in San Leandro learned their purchasing skills from the Pentagon.

Victor Martorano
San Leandro

The editorial staff seems to think that narrowing streets will cut down on pedestrian accidents. And putting in speed bumps. Sure. You’ll have traffic clogging every street in The City for far more hours than it does already, frustrating even more people, pedestrians and drivers alike.

Has anyone thought of some simple enforcement of traffic laws?

If you truly want people out of their cars, you need to give them an alternative. There isn’t one, yet.

People in San Francisco decry the rash of pedestrian deaths and at the same time are tearing down freeways and putting thousands more cars onto already-clogged streets.

C’mon, folks, you can’t have it both ways. Cars aren’t going to magically go away. And the more difficult you make it for people to drive, the more people are going to be injured. Most people in those cars do not have a realistic alternative.

There is no meaningful, cohesive public transportation in the Bay Area. Systems work independently and fight each other for funding.

What we need in the Bay Area is one transit system, one fare and the ability to transfer from bus to train to subway or streetcar.

Public transit has to be cheap, easy and reliable before people will take it on a regular basis. We need BART to San Jose and a subway system that crisscrosses The City.

So let’s cough up the bucks and start digging. The longer we wait, the worse it’s going to get.

TIM DINEEN
San Leandro

Dineen and Martorano Bid San Leandro Goodbye

Editor:

It appears the coffers of San Leandro are a bit richer this week- we’re paying our Property Transfer Tax once again. Alas, this time, it’s because we’re moving away from San Leandro to Philadelphia! As the movers arrive to bring our belongings back to the City of Brotherly Love (and anew 3,000- square-foot home on 2/3 acre for $225K), there’s a 1ot of sadness in leaving our wonderful neighbors and neighborhood, and a great city with great potential.

I’m going to miss not being on the GPAC. I’m going to miss our neighborhood activism. But most of all, I’m going to miss the people of  San Leandro – from our Madam  Mayor to the Council members (and a certain favorite former council member!), to the staff at City Hall I who were always so helpful when I was on a “mission,” our neighborhood association members, the fantastic staff at Safeway on Bancroft, Paradiso and CreAsian restaurants, our great  Realtor, the staff at The Times for printing my letters, all the wonderful, caring people I worked with at Vencor Hospital on Benedict Drive including all the postal workers who stopped by every day for lunch! And all the other folks who make up this wonderful place we called home for almost three years.

We want to thank each and every one of you for welcoming us into your city, for allowing us to be a part of “the process,” for listening to us when we had concerns, and for working with us to alleviate those concerns. It’s been an education in civics that could never be learned at school. Here’s to a great new beginning for all of us!

Tim Dineen
Victor Martorano
San Leandro

A Relocating Attitude

To the Editor:

 This is in response to Carey Hale’s letter in the 5/17/01 edition (“A newcomer to the area gets a rude awakening”). My partner and I relocated to Strafford from San Francisco in February. I must say that our experiences with “the locals” have been great. I think a lot of it has to do with our own attitudes in being in a new place.

Being a native San Franciscan, I’ve found a lot of differences in how things work here. Though I may never fully understand why I can’t buy beer in a grocery store, as we did in California, our dealings with people have been very positive.

Our neighbors are wonderful. They’ve welcomed us – a liberal, Democratic gay couple – into their Republican stronghold with open arms. Everyone of them has stopped by while walking down the street to welcome us to the neighborhood, or to offer their help in getting acquainted with the area.  Some have even sent housewarming gifts. They’ve truly made us feel part of the neighborhood.

Granted, I’ve run into my share of rude and/or incompetent counter help, but this is not unique to Philadelphia. It took me 13 phone calls from San Francisco to set up cable service at our new home. Every local company I called gave me a different number and the same response (“We don’t service that area, call xyx.”) We had a major foul-up with our new bank when we got here, but the local branch staff was fantastic in straightening out the mess. The folks at our local Post Office have been fun, friendly and helpful. Yes, there have been hassles, but definitely no more than I’ve experienced elsewhere, and I think that once I’ve explained my plight, I’ve received prompt and courteous help.

I’m also proud to say that I’ve learned to stay out of the left lane on Lancaster Avenue, to order a cheesesteak the proper way, and to stay off Route 202 from at , least 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

Games of chance

To the Editor:

William Devlin decries small games of chance and the pitfalls of bingo (Commentary, May 18). It seems that there are a few people who cannot gamble responsibly, just as there are a few people who cannot drink, drive or raise their children responsibly. Should we also ban drinking, driving and childrearing?

To take it closer to home, what about religious extremists? A hammer-wielding Bible-quoter just attacked the Liberty Bell. How many men and women have been thrown out of their Christian homes because they are gay? White supremacists use God and the Bible as a foundation for their views. Maybe we really should ban Christianity. It seems there is a lot more ruination of families, children, marriages and lives in religion than there is in bingo.

Tim Dineen
Strafford
TahoeT@att.net

To the Editor:

Over the next few months, the citizens of Pennsylvania are going to get $1.8 billion in “tax rebates.” My $300 adds up to about eight tanks of gas. Whoopee. Think of what this already collected money could have been used for, if it had been given back to the states and not used for political grandstanding.

The Philadelphia School District faces a $212 million deficit this year. Not only could it have wiped out the deficit, but also is could have been used to remodel or replace aging and decaying school buildings. It could have been used to rewire every school in the commonwealth for Internet access – and bought the computers.

It could have been used for any number of public infrastructure projects – building local libraries, community centers, playgrounds. It could have paid for passenger restraints in police vans, a City Hall renovation, or pedestrian-friendly crosswalks. It could have replaced aging bridges and overpasses. Collectively, $1.8 billion could have bought us all a lot.

But no. Instead, I’m going to get a few tanks of gas. And the way the oil companies keep raising prices, it’s not going to get me much of that, either.

Tim Dineen
Strafford
tahoeT@att.net

Commitment ceremonies

To the Editor:

Marriage is an important aspect of our society. In its truest form, it unites two people and two families to share the joys and pitfalls of life. It is this public sharing of love and commitment that paves the way for the next generation and helps bring us together as a society.

Gay and lesbian couples face the same challenges in life that any other couples face (Commentary, Aug. 13), with the added facts that their relationships are publicly vilified by many. The same arguments used today about gays and lesbians destroying the institution of marriage were used when women sought the right to vote and when antimiscegenation laws were still in effect. The arguments didn’t hold true.

The simple fact that many gay and lesbian couples wish to partake in marriage is proof that marriage is still a strong and viable institution.

Tim Dineen
Strafford
tahoet@att.net

Guest Column

Freedom means freedom for all

Tim Dineen, Guest Columnist

It is far easier to ascribe scapegoats for the ills of society than it is to look for root causes. It is also easier to claim justification when one uses the dominant religion as one’s source. This is what Mr. Cavanaugh has done with his letter to the editor, titled “Homosexuality’s sad emergence” (DLN Aug 15)

For “literally thousands of years” society was held hostage by Christianity. Society did not “recognize a moral order in creation,” as Cavanaugh wrote; it was a concept forced upon society by the Christian Church – a church whose leaders controlled all aspects of society. It was through this force that thousands of women were burned as witches, that thousands more were branded as heretics and tortured or killed for daring to think outside of official church doctrine or question church authority. The very philosophers that Mr. Cavanaugh alludes to were subjected to censorship – and to charges of heresy if they dared to challenge or question church teachings or authority.

While the causes of the French Revolution are as complicated as our own Civil War, one of the main contributors was economics – the haves and the have-nots. Economics play an important role in our own societal problems, today. The rift between the haves and have-nots is growing ever-wider, even as social programs are cut or eliminated. Poor education, lack of decent medical care, and lack of job training all contribute to society’s demise. Much more so than my partner and I wishing to marry.

As Mr. Cavanaugh has mentioned Edmund Burke, it should be noted that in his “Speech on Conciliation with America”, he also wrote, “Deny them this participation of freedom, and you break that sole bond which originally made, and must still preserve, the unity of the empire.” He was speaking of the colonists, but the same concept holds true with gay and lesbian people today. You cannot deny us our basic civil rights without destroying the concept of Liberty and Freedom that this country was founded upon. You cannot continue to use your religious views as justification for this inequity without destroying the very tenets of religious freedom that are so precious to us all.

If Mr. Cavanaugh and others believe that “sex outside of marriage” is contributing to societal ills, he should gladly be supporting same-sex marriages. If he truly believes that “there is little regard for the concept of personal responsibility and even less consideration for the effect our behavior has on our fellow man,” he should gladly be supporting honest sex education in the schools. He should also be looking at himself, and the damage his words have on young gay and lesbian kids.

The writer lives in Wayne.

To The Editor:

People run red lights because it has been an unenforced law (Editorial, Nov. 20). Many believe that they are just too busy or important to have to obey this most basic of safety issues. Even when one obeys the law, one can be in danger. Far too often I have people slamming on their brakes behind me because they were planning to run the very blatant red light I have stopped for.

The rnind-set of drivers has to change, and one very basic change is that if you run a red light, you may have to pay a fine. Yes, the roads are crowded, and yes, many lights should be retimed or reconfigured for better traffic flow. I drive these same roads daily and know the frustrations my fellow drivers share. But running a red light is not the answer. Cameras may not fully stop red light running, but, hopefully, they will deter many and return a bit of civility to the roads.

Tim Dineen
Strafford
tahoetpa@home.com

Care for the privileged

Art Carey was told to consider the computed tomography scan he had on his heart a wake-up call (Inquirer, Jan. 28). Something else should be considered a wake-up call. He received the procedure for free, while most insurance companies don’t cover the cost of it.

Here is another case of health care for the rich and privileged. Working-class people have to fight or sue their insurance providers for what Carey got just because he’s a swell guy.

Victor Martorano
Strafford
victor.martorano@verizon.net

As a gay man, one of the heavier crosses I’ve had to bear is the conservative-based assumption that homosexuality equals pedophilia. Seeing a front-page story on the archdiocese seminary policy turned my stomach (“Phila. policy is to screen for gays,” April 23).

In its frantic search to assign blame, the Catholic Church has once again used gay people as its sacrificial lamb. Gay men are no more predisposed to pedophilia than straight men. Any informed person knows this, yet time and time again the blame is put on us.

The Catholic Church has protected, hidden and abetted priests who abuse children. They’ve paid untold millions of dollars in hush money.

So, tell me, who’s to blame?

Victor Martorano
Strafford

(The letter I sent…)

To the Editor:

In reading James W. Doster’s little epistle in today’s paper, I felt compelled to respond to his tirade by offering him a glimpse of my “homosexual lifestyle.”

My partner of more than 8 years, and I bought a home together in Strafford last year.  We’ve made fast friends with our neighbors, having couples and their kids to our home, being invited to theirs.  We’re Uncle Tim and Uncle Victor to a total of 17 nieces and nephews. We are sons, brothers, nephews, and cousins to two very large extended families. We’re completely involved with our families, hosting holiday celebrations at our home, and attending every family event we can, from birthdays to graduations, weddings and funerals.  We both work, pay our extremely high school and property taxes, donate time and money to charities and worthy causes.  We’re good neighbors.  We’re involved in our community.  We hope to be able to leave the world a little bit better than when we entered it.

Mr Doster seems to believe we are engaging in “the wicked, devious and repulsive sin of sodomy,” and uses your “encouragement of the homosexual lifestyle” as his excuse to boycott your paper.  Nowhere in either of these articles was sodomy or any sexual proclivity mentioned.  In fact, unless Mr Doster is peeking into our bedroom windows at night, he has no basis to make this claim against us or any same-gendered couple. It would appear that his over-active imagination of what we *might* be doing in bed – in private – is really the culprit here.  By bringing these imagined sexual acts into purely harmless newspaper articles, it shows Mr Doster is focusing all of his attention on sex, and fails to see the human beings the articles reported on.

I truly hope Mr Doster reconsiders his boycott of your paper.  It would be healthy for him to see that there is more going on in this great world of ours than his vividly imagined sex acts

(The printed version)

In reading James W. Doster’s little epistle (July 1, “Offended by articles”), I felt compelled to respond to his tirade by offering him a glimpse of my “homosexual lifestyle.”

My partner of more than eight years and I bought a home last year. We’ve made fast friends with our neighbors, having couples and their kids to our home and being invited to theirs.

We’re Uncle Tim and Uncle Victor to 17 nieces and nephews. We are sons, brothers, nephews and cousins in two very large extended families. We’re completely involved with our families, hosting holiday celebrations at our home, and attending every family event we can – birthdays, graduations, weddings and funerals.

We both work, pay our extremely high property and school taxes, donate time and money to charities and worthy causes. We’re good neighbors. We’re involved in our community. We hope to be able to leave the world a little bit better than when we entered it.

The Rev. Doster seems to believe we are engaging in “the wicked, devious and repulsive sin of sodomy,” and uses your “encouragement of the homosexual lifestyle” as his excuse to boycott your paper.

Nowhere in the two June 9 articles he mentioned (“A softball team of note blessed with baby boom” and “Alternative prom lets gay teens join in fun with pride”) was sodomy or any sexual proclivity mentioned.

It would appear that his overactive imagination of what same-sex couples might be doing in private is really the culprit here. By bringing these imagined sexual acts into purely harmless newspaper articles, he shows he is focusing all of his attention on sex and failing to see the human beings reported on in the articles.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

To the Editor:

I sit here dumbfounded that, in the year 2002, my relationship with my partner is still subject to the whim of narrow-minded zealots. I refer to the Commonwealth Court case brought by the Urban Family Council that will now deny gay couples their health benefits.

That my private life can even be held up for public debate, or that any group can file suit in court to deny me my basic human rights is astonishing in and of itself. That they can actually WIN terrifies me. What comes next? Cross-burnings on our front lawn because we own a home together?

The Urban Family Council has stated: “The civil rights movement challenged an entrenched racism fueled by the morally evil idea that some human beings were sub-human.” I state that the Urban Family Council espouses the morally evil idea that my partner and I, as well as every other gay American is sub-human, and not worthy of the very basic right of medical care.

Lead plaintiff William Devlin stated: “To us, this suit was not homosexual bashing but filed to strengthen the family.”

As a gay man, this suit was very much about homosexual bashing. Look at the numbers, Mr. Devlin: Homosexuals represent maybe 5 percent of the total population according to most credible sources. That means that 95 percent of the population is heterosexual. How does denying five percent of the population the very basic need of medical care “strengthen your family?” And what is so weak about the families of the 95% majority that they are going to be destroyed by my partner and I having health benefits? How is denying a gay couple medical benefits “a huge victory for marriage?” Why do you blame gay people for the problems heterosexual people experience in marriage?

NO family will be “strengthened” by this mockery of justice – but tragically, there are some gay families who are going to greatly lose.

The published version…

To the Editor:

I am dumbfounded that, in 2002, my relationship with my partner is still subject to the whim of narrow-minded zealots who would deny gay couples their health benefits (Inquirer, Sept. 4).  That my private life can be held up for public debate, or that a group can file suit to deny my basic human rights, is astonishing.  That they can actually win terrifies me.  What’s next?  Cross-burnings on our front lawn because we own a home together?

Lead plaintiff William Devlin of the Urban Family Council stated: “To us, this suit was not homosexual bashing but filed to strengthen the family.”

How does denying about 5 percent of the population the very basic need of medical care “strengthen the family”?  And what is so weak about the families of the majority that they are going to be destroyed by my partner and I having health benefits?  Why blame gay people for the problems heterosexual people experience in marriage?

No family will be “strengthened” by this mockery of justice – but, tragically, there are some gay families who are going to greatly lose.

Tim Dineen
Strafford
tahoet@timandvictor.com

The published version:

Safety of blood supply

Trudy Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, is quoted as saying, “The blood supply is as safe as it’s ever been” (“Calm is urged on new West Nile fear,” Sept. 3). Think back to the early years of the AIDS epidemic. We heard the same statements then, yet how many hemophiliacs and transfusion patients contracted AIDS? Why should we trust or believe health officials any more now than we could then?

Victor Martorano
Strafford

(The letter I wrote is first.  The letter they published follows…)

To the Editor:

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution on August 7, 1964 – stated “… That the Congress approves and supports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. … “ Over 50,000 Americans lost their lives because of those few words.

Today, thirty-eight years later, our forgetful Congress has allowed the start of the Iraq War with the following resolution:

“…The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to … defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; … “

As a Viet Nam veteran, I cannot adequately express the horror I feel in allowing this president the unfettered ability to bring our nation to war. This administration has been sending it’s Public Relations spin doctors into overdrive trying to garner support for this ludicrousness. The international community is not with them. The majority of Americans are not with them. But the Cowards in Congress – those election-year panderers – have just voted, and are willing to send off YOUR children to die. Have we learned nothing from our past?

We must stand up and demand an explanation from our elected representatives. An uninformed or misinformed citizen is what they want. It is time to get our collective heads out of the sand and start holding these people responsible for what they are allowing to happen in our name!

As Americans, we must stand up and let it be known that WE THE PEOPLE are not going to allow our children to be used as cannon-fodder as they were in Viet Nam. And trust me, unless the citizens of this country start protesting this blank check to wage war, they will be.

Tim Dineen

The published version:

As a Viet Nam veteran, I cannot adequately express the horror I feel in allowing this president the unfettered ability to bring our nation to war. This administration has been sending it’s Public Relations spin doctors into overdrive trying to garner support for this ludicrousness. The international community is not with them. The majority of Americans are not with them. But the Cowards in Congress – those election-year panderers – have just voted, and are willing to send off YOUR children to die. Have we learned nothing from our past?

We must stand up and demand an explanation from our elected representatives. An uninformed or misinformed citizen is what they want. It is time to get our collective heads out of the sand and start holding these people responsible for what they are allowing to happen in our name!

As Americans, we must stand up and let it be known that WE THE PEOPLE are not going to allow our children to be used as cannon-fodder as they were in Viet Nam. And trust me, unless the citizens of this country start protesting this blank check to wage war, they will be.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

Identifying Ira

If I never heart the phrase “”former hippie guru” in my life it will be perfectly OK. Can’t anyone in journalism, be it print or TV, come up with another way to describe Ira Einhorn? The language is rich with descriptive words. Try using some of them.

“Former hippie guru” does disservice to all former hippies and gurus.

Victor Martorano
Strafford
victor.martorano@verizon.net

Don McKinney (Letters, 12/11/2002) asks excellent questions about President Bush’s war plans with Iraq and writes “what is the will of the country” on this issue? Sadly, I fear it’s too late. The political spin-meister’s have done their job well, and “the will of the people” was voiced loud and clear at this last election. President Bush is going to finish his daddy’s war if it kills us.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

It is often said that one can tell a lot about a person by the friends they keep. With both Senators Specter and Santorum supporting the despicable Trent Lott, it clearly shows just how easily our own Senators can ignore the struggles of millions of Americans in the name of partisan politics.

I can almost understand Santorum – his political beliefs mirror those of the arch-conservative Senator from Mississippi, but I am a bit surprised about Specter. Then, again, I don’t believe his single bullet theory, either.

In any event, this should be a wake-up call to the People of Pennsylvania.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

It appears that president Bush really did sleep through his MBA at Harvard if he can so easily dismiss millions upon millions of anti-war protesters as a “focus group” with no significance.

Merriam-Webster defines a focus group as a “…group of people whose response to something (as a new product or a politician’s image) is studied to determine the response that can be expected from a larger population.”

This “focus group” is telling him EXACTLY what to expect from the larger population if he continues on with his unabated plan for war.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

tim@timandvictor.com

Never fear, State Farm

The headline in The Inquirer on Feb. 28 stating that State Farm will no longer cover nuclear-related auto insurance claims nearly made me spit my coffee across the room. It elevates the insurance industry, which is already a joke, into the realm of pathetic.

Let me be the first to assure State Farm that if my car is caught in a nuclear blast, they won’t be hearing from me. Or anyone else for that matter. It should comfort them to know that in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, State Farm’s assets will be safe and secure.

Victor Martorano
Strafford

To the editor:

We are told that we must stand behind our government and not criticize our President during a time of national crisis, yet we tell the Iraqi people not to listen to their President.

We are told that we are freeing the Iraqi people and will instill democracy in their country, giving them the right to dissent, while we condemn dissenters in our own country.

We are told that the oil under Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people, and the money will be used for their benefit, while the oil under America belongs to a few bloated corporations, 40 million Americans lack any sort of health coverage, and 33 million Americans live in poverty.

It would all be easier to understand if the double-standard wasn’t so blatant.

Tim Dineen

As a gay man, one of the heavier crosses I’ve had to bear is the conservative-based assumption that homosexuality equals pedophilia. Seeing a front-page story on the archdiocese seminary policy turned my stomach (“Phila. policy is to screen for gays,” April 23). In its frantic search to assign blame, the Catholic Church has once again used gay people as its sacrificial lamb.

Gay men are no more predisposed to pedophilia than straight men. Any informed person knows this, yet time and time again the blame is put on us.

The Catholic Church has protected, hidden and abetted priests who abuse children. They’ve paid untold millions of dollars in hush money. So, tell me, who’s to blame?

Victor Martorano
Strafford

Dismantle liquor system

Pennsylvania is about to offer ”competitive pricing” in four of its monopolistic liquor stores? Wow! So we have to pay the full, monopolistic price in all the other stores. What a sour deal if one doesn’t happen to live next to a border state.

The state stores claim that these dis­count stores will help stem the tide of shoppers crossing the borders to find true bargains and variety in other states. Personally, I doubt it. And it’s still not going to off er shoppers true bargains such as the Charles Shaw ”Two-Buck Chuck” wines and other in­expensive world-class wines only avail­able at Trader Joe’s stores.

I will never understand the concept of having to go to a wine and spirits store with its lack of selection, for a bottle of wine and bottle of Scotch, and then head to a beer store, with its lack of selection, where one can only pur­chase beer by the case. By the case! So much for promoting responsible drinking.

The commonwealth should get out of the alcohol business and allow grocery stores and other private companies to sell liquor. Tax the product and sales as they do in other states, and reap the monetary benefits without having to pay for thousands of state employees and their subsequent benefits and retirement costs.

Tim Dineen
Strafford
tahoet@comcast.net

Tribe mentality doesn’t work for all gays

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, your April 17 column in the Mercury [“All You Can Eat,” The Homeowner, Mike Prevatt] has found its way to the East Coast. Are you sure you’re only 27? Your commentary is so on target and not, unfortunately, confined to Las Vegas.

As a 52-year-old gay man (HAPPILY ensconced in a 10-plus-year relationship), more and more I feel less and less connected to the “gay community.” I don’t even know what that means anymore. I’ve long since passed the age where I’m even VISIBLE if I were to walk into a gay bar. But being invisible has its advantages.

There have always been gay men like the ones you describe as being overly moisturized and looking like they’ve just stepped out of an Abercrombie and Fitch ad. In the ’70s we (unfortunately) had the “Castro Clone.” Everyone wore flannel shirts and jeans and sported a mustache.

There is nothing wrong with being part of a “tribe,” especially when you’re in your 20s. But at some point in time you need to find your individuality and if your only point of reference is a completely homogenized, vanilla society, you’ll be sadly lacking.

I, too, want my plate piled high with a variety of tasty, delectable morsels. I even require that some be aged to perfection, while others ripe off the vine.

Thank goodness I have a wonderful partner to share my dinner with. I’d really hate to be dining alone.

Victor Martorano

Frightening Rules on Secret Detentions

Re: ”Court backs U.S. on secret de­tentions,” June 18:

That a court of appeals in these Unit­ed States could actually say that the courts are ”in an extremely poor posi­tion to second-guess the executive’s judgment in this area of national secu­rity” may be one of the most frighten­ing sentences I’ve ever read. And they should ”defer to the White House”?

This administration was handed its powers to wage war against Iraq by a Congress that ”deferred to the White House” in the area of national security, and we have yet to see any proof that there was any threat to our national se­curity.

There is also increasing evidence that not only did it not exist, but that some of it was actually fabricated.

And now, an appellate court actual­ly states that the system of checks and balances designed into our Consti­tution are unnecessary and that the executive branch of our government knows best.

I’m beginning to wonder just what country it is I live in.

A better name for ballpark

I completely understand the economics of selling the name of the Phillies’ new ballpark to the highest bidder – $95 million over 25 years is nothing to  sneeze at.

But wouldn’t it have been nice if Citizens Bank had shown a little class and named the park Richie Ashburn Field instead? They still could have plastered
their name all over the place anyway, and if anyone deserves an honor like that, it’s the late, great Richie Ashburn.

Victor Martorano
Strafford

A New Beginning

For many, many years, my partner and I have lived with the very real fear that the government could bust down our door and arrest us for consensual acts in the privacy of our own home. Today, that fear has been abated.

Justice Kennedy wrote for the 6-3 majority that “”Freedom extends beyond spatial bounds. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct.”

The court recognized that we are human beings, and that our expressions of love and intimacy are very real, and behind the closed doors of our homes, we should have the right to express that love without the fear of government intrusion.

Contrary to the beliefs of Justice Scalia, Senator Santorum, and others, this is not the end of the world. Rather, it is the start of a new beginning. A beginning that treats all Americans the same. It shows that we are, in fact, equal under the law.

Tim Dineen

Senator Santorum, in his column, decries the state of marriage in America today, stating “The out-of-wedlock childbirth rate is at a historically high level, while the divorce rate remains unacceptably high.” What he doesn’t explain is how gay couples – banned from traditional marriage and not procreating – are somehow at fault for this.

He further states marriage has “…special legal protection for a vital reason — it is the institution that ensures the society’s future through the upbringing of children.” He does not bother to add that children and childbirth are not and cannot be a condition of marriage in this country. Nor does he bother to state that marriage between infertile couples is legal, marriage between persons past childbearing ability is legal, and that the ONLY conditions of marriage are that the two parties be of a certain age, and that neither of them be too closely related or currently married to someone else. There is no requirement that the two people even like one another, let alone love one another.

Senator Santorum believes a Constitutional Amendment is necessary to protect marriage. If he is truly serious about protecting marriage, I might suggest that he sponsor a Constitutional Amendment outlawing adultery. It appears to me that straight people cheating on their spouses is much more detrimental to marriage than my partner and I could ever be.

Tim Dineen
Strafford, PA

The President declared yesterday that he believes in “the sanctity of marriage.” He also stated that he has government lawyers looking into “the best way to codify” marriage as only between a man and a woman.

I suppose his “sanctity of marriage” includes such shows as “Race to the Altar” or “Who Wants to Marry A Millionaire” or any of the other shows out there that mock the very institution we as gay people are denied.

Instead of being able to legalize our relationship, a relationship of love and trust we have built upon these past 10 years, we get to watch how lightly and frivolously straight people take the “sanctity of marriage “on national TV.

If traditional marriage is truly in as big of trouble as we are led to believe by our President, Senator Santorum, and other political and religious ‘leaders’, perhaps they should take a hard look at the straight people who are actually causing the problem, and stop blaming gay people for wanting the civil laws and protections marriage offers.

Because gay people could never mock the “sanctity of marriage” more than straight people are doing already.

Tim Dineen

The President declared yesterday that he believes in “the sanctity of marriage.” He also stated that he has government lawyers looking into “the best way to codify” marriage as only between a man and a woman.

I suppose his “sanctity of marriage” includes such shows as “Race to the Altar” or “Who Wants to Marry A Millionaire” or any of the other shows out there that mock the very institution we as gay people are denied.

Instead of being able to legalize our relationship, a relationship of love and trust we have built upon these past 10 years, we get to watch how lightly and frivolously straight people take the “sanctity of marriage “on national TV.

If traditional marriage is truly in as big of trouble as we are led to believe by our President, Senator Santorum, and other political and religious ‘leaders’, perhaps they should take a hard look at the straight people who are actually causing the problem, and stop blaming gay people for wanting the civil laws and protections marriage offers.

Because gay people could never mock the “sanctity of marriage” more than straight people are doing already.

Tim Dineen

Here’s the letter Victor wrote. The published letter follows.

To the Editors:

Chris Smith would try and have us believe that Jeremy Shockey’s “homo” comment about Bill Parcells and his gay jokes on the Howard Stern show aren’t about homophobia but how he uses shock-trash talk to rev himself up.

I’m here to tell Chris Smith he couldn’t be more wrong. It IS about homophobia. Had he called Parcells a Jew, Kike, WOP, Dago or, God forbid, a Nigger would Smith still feel the same way? Calling someone a homo and making crude jokes about gay people is bigoted. Period. When the fuck are people going to wake up to that fact? Maybe when jock-sniffing writers stop sucking up to Neanderthal, testosterone driven athletes and driving their egos through the stratosphere.

Titty Bars? Playboy Bunnies? All he cares about is football and fucking? Are we going to be surprised when Shockey’s next to be charged with sexual assault like Kobe Bryant or is the media, who enflame these athletes sense of entitlement going shoulder the blame?

Victor Martorano

____________________________

and the published version…

Homo Respectus

Chris Smith would have us believe that Jeremy Shockey’s “homo” comment about Bill Parcells and his gay jokes on The Howard Stern Show aren’t about homophobia but are just ways he uses trash talk to rev himself up [“Jeremy Shockey Is Living Large,” August 18]. He couldn’t be more wrong. It is about homophobia.

Victor Martorano
Strafford, Pa.

The letter I wrote:  The printed version follows…

This Sunday, November 23rd, my partner and I will celebrate our 9th Anniversary. Nine years together. A lot has happened in those nine years. We’ve both lost parents, we’ve seen 4 nieces and nephews and 5 great nieces and nephews born. We’ve been Godfathers to two of them. We’ve celebrated the weddings of at least six family members. We’ve moved from the west coast to the east coast, bought a home, changed jobs, and most recently adopted a dog from the Chester County SPCA. This Thanksgiving we will have about 30 family members over for a traditional holiday dinner. Siblings, in-laws, aunts and uncles, lots of kids, and a brand-new baby boy! We’re really looking forward to it – as are they.

We’ve done just about everything these past nine years any other couple has done – except get married. As the President and others decry gay marriage, let me try and put it in perspective. We *are* married in our eyes and in the eyes of our family, friends, employers. At my first family wedding almost 9 years ago, Victor’s Italian patriarch father walked me around table-to-table and introduced me as his “new son-in-law.” My family welcomed Victor in the same way. Our friends and neighbors refer to us as a married couple. It is only in the eyes of the government that we are not wed.

We totally agree with Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall when she stated “Marriage is a vital social institution.” We would not be interested if it wasn’t. We also agree when she stated “The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support; it brings stability to our society. For those who choose to marry, and for their children, marriage provides an abundance of legal, financial, and social benefits. In turn it imposes weighty legal, financial, and social obligations.”

We are already bearing those obligations, however, we do not have the benefits. Allowing us to marry will not destroy America – it will strengthen it. It will add to the stability of our society. It will confer legal status to our relationship. But most importantly for us, it will allow our surviving parents the pleasure of finally seeing all of their children happily married. Sadly, my mother and Victor’s father will not be there in person to witness it, but I know they will both be smiling down on us from heaven.

Tim Dineen

The Printed Version…

A gay marriage

Re: “Mass. court backs gay marriages,” Nov. 19:

This Sunday my partner and I will celebrate our ninth anniversary. A lot has happened in those nine years. We’ve both lost parents, we’ve seen four nieces and nephews and five great nieces and nephews born. We’ve been godfathers to two of them. We’ve celebrated the weddings of at least six family members. This Thanksgiving we will have about 30 family members over for a traditional holiday dinner.

We’ve done just about everything any other couple has done, except get married. As the President and others decry gay marriage, let me try to put it in perspective. We are married in our eyes and in the eyes of our family, friends and employers. It is only in the eyes of the government that we are not wed.

We totally agree with Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court when she stated that “marriage is a vital social institution… . For those who choose to marry, and for their children, marriage provides an abundance of legal, financial, and social benefits. In turn it imposes weighty legal, financial, and social obligations.”

We already bear those obligations, but, we do not have the benefits. Allowing us to marry will not destroy America, it will strengthen it. It will add to the stability of our society. It will confer legal status to our relationship.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

This letter made the front page of the “Neighbors” section of the Sunday paper.

Marriage laws have been a State’s Right issue from day one. They should remain so. The simple caveat is that while the individual states should continue to have the ability to set their own parameters for marriage within their borders, all states should continue to recognize any marriage performed in another state, as is current practice and law. The Federal Government should be involved only in that it would enforce the Full Faith and Credit clause in our Constitution, and recognize, for federal purposes, any and all marriages in the individual states.

As the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court noted, “separate is rarely equal.” Civil unions that do not confer the full legal status of civil marriage are meaningless. At worst, it could force a couple to “remarry” if and whenever they moved, or deny basic visitation or medical direction should an accident happen away from their home state.

Civil marriage confers responsibilities as well as benefits and no one should be immune from any of those responsibilities, nor be denied any of the benefits.

I believe that what most doom-sayers of same-sex marriage fail to recognize is that my partner and I already are married. Our families refer to us as a married, as do our friends, neighbors, and employers. We merely lack the legal considerations a civil marriage contract confers.

If we were to marry today, the only immediate change for us would be that we would be able to file a joint tax return next year and end the yearly nightmare of trying to untangle finances and try and decide which of us should take the house deduction. It wouldn’t change our neighbor’s marriages, it wouldn’t change yours.

Tim Dineen
Victor Martorano

I am a life long Democrat and Gay man from the Philadelphia area and I think its well beyond time Vince Fumo just goes away. His use of the word “faggot” on the PA Senate floor shows his true colors no matter how many good things he may have done for the Gay Community over the years.

Mark Segal’s comments just astonish me. Fumo’s temper simply got the better of him? Vince is a colorful man? How quick to forgive would Mr. Segal be if Fumo’s “colorful” word was aimed the African American Community and began with an “N”? A slur is a slur and as a gay man I won’t stand for a slur against me to be any less than a slur against another minority group.

An apology is not enough.

Victor Martorano

The PUBLISHED version…

Fumo’s true colors

I am a life-long Democrat and gay man from the Philadelphia area, and I think it’s well beyond time for Vince Fumo to just go away. His use of the word “faggot” on the floor of the Pennsylvania Senate shows his true colors no matter how many good things he may have done for the gay community over the years.

A slur is a slur, and as a gay man, I won’t stand for a slur against me to be any less than a slur against another minority group.

An apology is not enough.

Victor Martorano
Strafford

Taking Voting Seriously

As Lynn Swann stated…” If you don’t take part in the process and you don’t vote, then I am not willing to listen to your complaints.” Of course, he didn’t mean himself, because he didn’t vote in 20 of the past 36 elections in Pennsylvania. He must believe in “special rights” or something….. And what is it with actors and athletes who think their special pampered status makes them qualified to govern? Or do they just make better puppets because they’re used to following scripts and being told what to do?

Voting is a serious issue. Even more so considering how both parties’ foist their candidates upon us. It’s past time for people to wake up and start realizing the consequences of their vote – or lack of vote. And it’s past time for people to start demanding accountability for the actions of their elected officials.

Tim Dineen
Strafford

Hateful Speech

President Bush has signed a bill that bars demonstrators from disrupting military funerals at national cemeteries. This is aimed at Fred Phelps and his ”church,” which has been disrupting the funerals of gay men who’ve died from AIDS for years. The signs he carries at military funerals claim our soldiers die because of tolerance to homosexuality.

Where was Congress when Phelps picketed Matthew Shepard’s funeral and those of the countless other AIDS victims? Why didn’t Congress see fit to protect those families from his hateful speech?

Once again, our government leaders show the disdain they hold for gays and lesbians. They continue to allow our families and lives to be degraded. Apparently free speech is OK, as long as the speech is hurled at second-class citizens.

Victor Martorano
Strafford

So Bush Cursed

I was aghast over the presidential potty mouth episode (”So that’s what world leaders’ talks sound like,” July 18). Not, mind you, over the (mild) expletive unknowingly uttered by President Bush into an open microphone at a world summit, but over the amount of press it generated.

From the coverage it received one would think it was equal to the sexual escapades of the last administration.

I’m no fan of Bush, but the press needs to get a grip.

Victor Martorano
Strafford

Avoid the traffic

Dennis Maloomian, president of Realen Properties, says that the proposed development for the old Valley Forge Golf Course could be the walkable downtown that King of Prussia has never had (”King of Prussia just builds on,” June 17). As an Upper Merion resident who lives five minutes away, I can assure you he is right. You’ll have to walk because traffic congestion will be so bad you won’t be able to drive there.

Victor Martorano
Strafford
victor@timandvictor.com

Politicians put us at risk

As our elected officials move closer to allowing persons to carry concealed weapons across state lines, and as they have removed most of the District of Columbia’s strict uncontrol laws, it is now time for them to remove all metal detectors from every state and federal building.

It is time for these politicians to put up. If they truly believe the citizens of this country are made safer by allowing people to carry guns, they should demand that any citizen be allowed to walk into our nation’s Capitol with a loaded gun.

Of course, we know they won’t do that because they don’t mind when you and I are put at risk, but they’re certainly not going to put themselves at risk.

Hypocrites.

Tim Dineen
Strafford
tahoet@timandvictor.com