Angry Chair

Sitting on an angry chair
Angry walls that steal the air

That's the first two verses of a song by Alice in Chains called Angry Chair. Right now, I'm sitting in mine.

Why? Because the woman pictured here beat her 10-year-old son to death. You can read more about it at the Arizona Republic. The crime itself is disgusting. But what really struck me is that on the evening news tonight, the news anchor said she's the adoptive mother. Why does this piss me off more?

Because right now the Arizona legislature is set to pass a bill that would limit adoptions to married couples only (with very few exceptions). The bill was drafted by the Center for Arizona Policy. CAP is a right-wing Christian organization that introduces anti-gay bills every year. Although it's a small organization it wields a lot of power.

How do I know this adoption bill is anti-homosexual? One of the main sponsors of the bill told the Arizona Republic that he doesn't want gays to have the ability to adopt. I wrote a story on this. It comes out in tomorrow's Echo. It should be on the Web site tomorrow if you're interested in reading it.

What's even more frustrating is that when the bill was before the Family Services Committee, only THREE groups spoke out in support of it: CAP, The Catholic Church (God how much I hate that fucking institution), and some Right to Life organization. In contrast, over 20 people spoke out against the bill. Many of the speakers were from ADOPTION AGENCIES! Of course the bill passed. And it will probably be approved by the Senate and sent to the governor.

If you live in Arizona and read this, please do me a favor and go to the Arizona Human Rights Fund's Advocacy Center. All you have to do is click on Advocacy Center and then click on HB 2696. It will bring up a form that will automatically send an e-mail to the governor. In fact, even if you're not from AZ, go onto the site and write her. She can't sign this bill into law. It must be vetoed.

I get so angry writing for Echo. It'd be so nice to be oblivious to the shit that goes on everyday. But it's my job to report on it. Unfortunately, not enough people care. They read the stories but then figure, "What the hell can I do?" They can do a lot. All it takes is an e-mail, a phone call, a letter or a visit to your representative.

But back to Hulsey. It drives me nuts that the so-called "pro-family" organizations (in other words Christian fundamentalists) would rather see a kid be killed by a heterosexual woman then grow up happy and healthy in a family that has two dads. Fuck it pisses me off. I'm gonna drink some wine and hope and pray (yes, even homos have a God they can talk to) that this bill never becomes law. If it does become law, I'm going to have to turn up the timetable on my move back east. Cuz this shit's for the birds.