This post is from the JMBzine Blog Vault, which means it is a very old blog post that I wrote at a very different time of my life. My views on religion (I’m now a Humanistic Jew), politics (today I’m a democratic socialist), and many other subjects (LGBTQ+ inclusion, abortion rights, etc.) have drastically changed over the years, so please bear this in mind when reading this post.
September 6, 2001
3:43 pm
From today’s NY Times:
- Oklahoma Prosecutor to Seek Death for Bombing
- Getting an Early Jump on College: The Bard High School Early College in Brooklyn opened with 260 students.
- In Coffin-Making, an Abbey Finds Fiscal Rebirth: Aging Trappist monks in Iowa have found new work.
- Music Stars Complain of Stringent Contracts
3:11 pm
On the subject of things happening in Austin, please pray for our city on Sunday. The “Reverend” Fred Phelps and his band of nuts is coming to Austin to picket at University Baptist Church this Sunday. Phelps is the man behind the hate-website www.godhatesfags.com and is an embarrasment to all true followers of Christ. I for one plan on attending University Baptist this Sunday at 11 a.m. as a way of defying the “Reverend Phelps” and encourage you to do the same.
Editor’s Note (2023): If I recall correctly, Phelps’ band of bigots was a no show. I recall being outside the building but I don’t think I went in, which is sadly because I was at this moment still stuck in a transitional point in my life. I was obviously opposed to extreme homophobia and hatred, but not yet at the place of being LGBTQ-affirming, which would take a few more years to happen… and frankly Fred Phelps played a role in that, because it was watching the Laramie Project movie a few years later that convinced me that the less aggressively hateful kinds of homophobia (i.e. “love the sinner but hate the sin”) are what empowers people like Fred Phelps.
But in 2001, I was still secretly nervous about affirming churches like UBC.
12:36 pm
My friend Brooke Axtell is playing tonight at Momo’s (on west 6th above Katz’s deli) at 10 p.m. If you’re in Austin, come to the show. It should be good. (BTW, I’m working as a pedi-cab driver tonight. If you’re downtown and need a lift to or from her show, give me a ring on my cell phone at 576-5620 and I’ll pick you up and give you a free ride. (I can carry up to four.)
Editor’s Note (2022): Brooke Axtell is still doing some awesome work, not only in the world of creativity but also in activism.