Pride Rally for Rights, Equality, and Change

I rolled my little video equipment cart down to the Michigan Equality rally at the Capitol Building in Lansing on Saturday, June 13, 2009. I had received a voicemail message on Friday evening from someone asking me to record a speech by local activist and journalist Todd Heywood. I was willing to do it because I had planned to be downtown the next morning. Still, the caller risked my doing the favor by concluding his call with an ill-timed "Go Pens" shout out, which was just one hour before the fateful Game 7 in Hockeytown. Needless to say, I wasn't up all night celebrating a Detroit Red Wings victory.

Michigan Equality -- a prominent political arm of the LGBTQI community -- sponsored the noontime rally, which was sandwiched by the enthusiastic, high-energy Michigan Pride parade and celebration gathering at Adado Park. I did not get a count of the crowd but as everyone streamed onto the Capitol grounds from the parade route, the numbers appeared impressive -- way, way bigger than that teabagging anti-tax rally a few weeks ago.

Realistically, I should accept that part of me that is becoming, in effect, a video blogger because I recorded Heywood and all the other speakers at the rally. Heywood's video recorded speech is below and you can follow the links of the other speakers listed below. Or, if you prefer that CNN TV news-type feel, you can watch the speeches on my LiveStream channel posted below right or here.

Michigan Equality Rally Speakers

Kathie Dunbar

Kathie Dunbar, Lansing City Council Member and author of the city's Human Rights ordinance, uses her stand-up comedy skills to kick off the rally with humorous and welcoming remarks here.

Mayor Virgil Bernero

The Mayor welcomes the Pride crowd to Lansing and talks poignantly about his brother who died of AIDS here.

Dr. Penny Gardner

Longtime activist talks about marriage rights in Michigan here.

Dr. Julie Nemecek

Co-Director of Michigan Equality talks about future battles to ensure equality in the state here.

State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith

A leading ally of equal rights talks about legislative issues pending in Michigan here.

State Rep. Pam Byrnes

Another prominent legislative ally talks about the legal challenges in Lansing here.

Michelle E. Brown

Co-director of Michigan Equality speaks of the progress the equality movement has achieved in various states around the U.S. here.

Jocelyn Benson

This politician/candidate stopped by to discuss rights, equality, and need for political change here.

Todd Heywood

Activist and journalist talks about the community's need to discuss HIV status in a open and honest fashion here.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Todd Heywood Addresses

Michigan Equality Rally

13 June 2009 * Lansing, MI

RTR's Monday Moanin' 4 May 2009

Random observations in my Monday moanin’…

= The U.S. Army had an elaborate recruiting set-up at a shopping mall over the weekend. The display included tents with shooter video games and banks of computer stations.  A “Soaring Eagle” Computer Tournament was operated at the computer stations.  I saw a good number of minors tapping away at the computers.  In fact, most of the computer-oriented activities were big attractions to minors.  Doesn’t the Army know that -- just like torture -- recruiting minors is illegal under international law?

= The Army had plenty of “freebies” at the mall to hand out:  decks of playing cards, computer game CDs, pseudo dog tags, computer mouse pads and more.  The freebies were care of the military’s desperate multi-billion dollar recruiting budget, which is paid for by our tax dollars.  Noticeably absent from the scene was protesting anti-tax teabaggers who oppose wasteful spending.

= Incredibly, the media blared the supposed identity of Mexico’s “Patient Zero,” the person who may have started the swine flu pandemic.  It turned out to be a 5-year-old boy from La Gloria, a town in southern Mexico.  He was identified by name and his picture published in print and across the Internet.  There are two problems here: (1) How and why would the press want to violate the medical privacy of a minor on a world wide scale? and (2) Why should we seriously believe that this singular little boy in that little Mexican town was the originator of the flu virus? 

= In the credit card reform debate in Washington, I have yet to hear or find details that the federal legislation will return to the states the power of regulating and establishing the interest rates offered by credit card companies.  I will keep looking…

= This caught my eye in Sunday’s editions of the Lansing State Journal and the Chicago Tribune:  separate stories related to Mexican/Latino issues were both accompanied with prominent photos of individuals sporting Mohawk haircuts, a rare look you would find among the thousand of people participating in the covered events.

= Lansing (MI) incumbent Mayor Virgil Bernero officially announced over the weekend that he will run for re-election.  I don’t know what to make of the fact that Bernero was voted both the favorite local politician and worst politician in the Lansing City Pulse’s recent Top of the Town contest.   

= Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in press accounts warning that Iran is gaining influence in Latin America.  Apparently, the State Department, CIA, and the military establishment are continuing the campaign to demonize Iran, the one Middle East oil country the U.S. does not influence.  I still point to Iran and Venezuela as the U.S. military establishment’s top two targets for military “intervention.”  The fabricated incidents to justify the actions have not yet been revealed, though plenty of hints exist.

= I’m surprised that I’m surprised about the amount of television people watch, as evidenced by the streaming commentary across Twitter.  After years of limited TV service, I recently expanded my cable service to get more channels. Not much has changed. Programming is very weak. Somewhere along the way, the medium jumped the shark.

-- Rico Thomas Rico