When an Angel Speaks

THE ARTICLE IS FEATURED IN THE LOS ANGELES SENTINEL NEWSPAPER - COMMEMORATIVE KING ISSUE (Release Date: January 11, 2012) Also featured in numerous other National Publications

The Endangered Middle Class is on Life Support.. and the Republicans are poised to pull the plug!

'FTG' Presents... 'When an Angel Speaks'

Social Commentary from Bishop Terry Angel Mason

On December 30, 2011, From The G-Man published a special feature entitled Terry Angel Mason: "PRIDE of the LGBT Community", which can be read by clicking on this link:

http://fromthegman.blogspot.com/2011/12/terry-angel-mason-pride-of-lgbt.html

The article was extremely well-received and Bishop Mason was offered an opportunity to submit articles to this site on an ongoing basis. He has graciously accepted the invitation and will serve as a contributing writer. Having said that, From The G-Man now presents the first installment of Bishop Mason's "When an Angel Speaks".

Part 1: Don't Blame the President! Don't Blame the Congress! 
Blame yourselves!

It is January 2012, and the insanity of the 2012 presidential election has begun. I believe the word "insanity" is appropriate and succinct because of the axiom which states that "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." This adage takes on an even more prophetic and Nostradamean meaning when you consider that this fall, once again, the American people are going to the polls in an insane attempt to select a President to lead them out of the morass, muck and mire that has afflicted our country and symbolized its politics!

I contend that "insane" is the correct word because unless we do something different, we will not effect any meaningful change, no matter who wins the White House this fall. Moreover, that different thing that we MUST DO is pause for a moment and reflect upon our choices and the actions that WE MUST TAKE in order to save our country, which is dangerously teetering on the edge of the abyss.Firstly, we must vote according to our own self-interests. This is usually what most voters do, but in this presidential election we must intelligently re-define what our BEST self-interest is, and because I am advocating for the endangered middle class, I assert that the most important and critical self-interest we have is SURVIVAL!

The Republican party is hell bent upon destroying us, the Endangered Middle Class. Why else would Congressional and Senatorial Republicans try to eliminate Social Security and Medicare through the Ryan Plan, in addition to killing almost every job bill that the White House has proposed? The proposed bills could have added thousands, if not tens of thousands, of high paying jobs to a crippled economy.

The Democratic Party has been feverishly attempting to resuscitate a grievously ailing national economy and the Republican Party is withholding the critical assistance needed to heal the patient. Why is this? You need only to look back upon Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's vow in 2008 when he said, "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."  The Republican Party officials do not care about the economy because THEY HAVE MORPHED INTO THE PARTY OF THE RICH! This is why they do not worry about the Endangered Middle Class because they cannot relate to us. They don't know how hard it is to balance a shrinking paycheck against rising expenses. They don't know the pain of losing long held treasured jobs because of greedy avaricious bank initiated financial recessions. They don't lose sleep at night worrying about staving off foreclosure on their homes, despite the fact that MANY ALREADY HAVE LOST their homes! So why should The Republican Party care about us the Endangered Middle Class? The answer is THEY DON'T AND THEY WILL NEVER CARE! Why not? The answer is simple. It is not in their best self-interest to do so. Period!

This brings me to the crux of my argument, which is the important and irrefutable fact that it is not enough to re-elect President Obama. We must ALSO elect Democratic congressional representatives and Democratic senators to aid Obama in implementing his policies. It is not enough to just vote for the man with the vision! We must also put in place people who support that vision and the visionary!

President Obama should not have to do all the heavy lifting! It is our responsibility to give him some help! It is imperative that we elect enough Democrats to regain control of the House of Representatives and MAINTAIN control of the Senate. Hello, Endangered Middle Class America, ARE YOU LISTENING?!! It is only by the regaining and maintaining control of Congress and The White House can we thwart and undo the grievous damage inflicted upon our beloved nation.The Republicans are masters of distraction! Their current strategy is to portray Obama as  someone unable to fulfill "pie-in-the-sky" campaign promises. But what they don't tell you is that every promise he has attempted to keep, promises ranging from rescuing the economy to delivering jobs, the Republican Party has thwarted, obstructed, if not down right killed!

Divided government does not work, especially if one faction of government acts like a bunch of jealous extremists that would be willing to destroy our beloved country to make or win an ideological point. Remember the debt ceiling crisis and how perilously close the Republican Tea Party Congressional officials brought us to defaulting on our national debt, which would have destroyed our economy and plunged the world into a global depression? This unnecessary political posturing resulted in the downgrading of America's credit rating. Moreover, the Republican Party had the audacity and malevolent cunning to blatantly lie and falsely attribute this debacle to Obama.

An anonymous writer who wrote under the pseudonym General R. Never said, "People deserve the government they permit!" Furthermore, if we don't WAKE UP and vote in our own best interest by voting for Obama and other Democrats, then we, the Endangered Middle Class, deserve the inevitable pain, misery, heartache and death that will surely come when the Republican Party pulls the plug on us. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on "going gently into that good night." I'm going to vote for every good democrat I can find!

About Global Author Terry Angel Mason   
 
Terry Angel Mason is an internationally renowned author, columnist, keynote speaker, poet, singer, songwriter, minister, and Civil Rights activist who currently resides is Southern California. He is the author of three popular titles, Love Won't Let Me Be Silent, They Say That I am Broken, and The Dream Keeper, set to be released in 2012. A revered leader and global change agent, Terry Angel Mason's mission is to inspire, educate and empower millions around the world, and promote love and acceptance for all people. A highly sought after author and activist, Mason has been featured in (Lee Bailey's) eurweb.com, The Los Angeles Sentinel, Healthy Black Men, The East County Magazine, Five (5) Magazine, Whosoever Magazine, SGL Weekly Magazine, Outword Magazine, The NBJC Newsletter, The Advocate, Frontier Magazine, Broadway World, The Windy City Times Newspaper, New Pittsburgh Courier, New England Informer, Our Weekly Magazine, Out Impact, The San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, The San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times, The San Diego Union Tribune, ME Magazine, POZ Magazine, The New Civil Rights Online Magazine, A&U Magazine, Religious Tolerance, Marriage Equality International, Homorazzi, BN&S News Commentary, Real Health Magazine, Q Magazine, MSNBC News Vine, ILGA, Out Military Online Magazine, Proud Parenting Web Magazine, Fuse Magazine, Echelon Magazine, The Bay Area Reporter, Connextions Magazine, and in many other publications.WWW.TERRYANGELMASON.COM

Follow Angel Mason on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ALOVEBALLAD

Photo courtesy of Bishop Terry Angel Mason 

Mother's Day and Father's Day will soon arrive but thousands of children, and young adults will miss the celebration because states like Virginia, Illinois and Arizona have recently moved to prevent same-gender-loving people from becoming foster or adoptive parents solely based on their sexual orientation and marital status. Moreover, discriminatory restrictions in other states, including Florida and Arkansas, have recently been the subject of heated ongoing legal action.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 30 percent of foster youth across the nation are black. What is even more troubling to me as an African American same-gender-loving man and parent is that black youth are found in disproportionate numbers in the foster care system. These beautiful children are prevented from being placed in permanent loving homes because they are hindered by discriminatory laws that make their placement in nurturing families almost impossible. You will be amazed to discover that African American children represent only 25 percent of the children who are adopted.

I know from my research as a global author and Civil Rights Activist that an estimated 10 to 15 percent of the population in the world is same-gender-loving people and since this is true, it stands to reason that thousands of these same children are also LGBT youth as well!

Many conservatives who support these discriminatory laws publically promote the perception (through media) that child molestation is directly linked to homosexuality, and boldly claim that this is the reason that same-gender-loving people are unfit to parent and should never be permitted to adopt. Perhaps, it's because many continue to falsely associate homosexuality exclusively with sexual behavior and thus believe children are not safe around gay men or lesbian women.

While on the train the other day, I heard two Black men talking about gay people, and one of the men stated, "They're okay; just don't bring them around my children!" But adoption experts, law enforcement agencies, and psychologists continuously declare in study after study that "A child's risk of being molested by his or her relatives' heterosexual partner is over one hundred times greater than by someone who might be identifiable as being homosexual." The study also found that out of 269 cases of child sexual abuse, only two offenders were found to be gay or lesbian, proving, that same-gender-loving people are actually less likely to molest children than heterosexual men or women. Unfortunately, these unfounded perceptions have led to widespread opposition to gay people parenting children in our society, leaving thousands if not millions of children held captive and grossly deprived from loving families in a discriminatory foster care system.

As conservative politicians flex their political muscle in Congress and in the Senate, thinking nothing of disregarding the needs of the poor and disenfranchised by attempting to eliminate Medicare and other much needed social services; the question begs to be asked, "Who is going to care for and support these children?" I won't even attempt to even estimate the staggering cost of caring for these children because I already know it is costing taxpayers multiple millions!

The National Black Justice Coalition recently pricked the consciences and hearts of millions all over the world by reminding us that there are already one million LGBT parents raising two million children in our country today and this number is growing! According to analysis of the 2010 Census data, a sizable number of these parents are African American and Latino, and they are raising their children to love their country, respect their neighbors, worship a loving God, and positively contribute to their communities.

Thank God that in addition to the National Black Justice Coalition's ongoing mission to combat discrimination in our country; Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) is also committed to do the same! Recently, he re-introduced legislation known as "The Every Child Deserves a Family Act." This legislation if successfully passed would expand the number of qualified foster and adoptive parents for youth in the foster care system by banning all discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status. Subsequently, this would open up hundreds if not thousands of new homes to youth who desperately need placement.

Furthermore, I was alarmed when I was made aware of these additional staggering statistics revealed by Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of PFLAG National: "There are more than 500,000 children currently in the foster care system. While 120,000 of them are available for adoption every year, 25,000 of these youth will 'age out' of the system without ever finding loving families to call their own (and many LGBT youth will remain homeless). Tragically, more and more states' laws and practices are creating barriers for these children from accessing permanent homes. This legislation would remedy that problem."

Last year, I was invited to Chicago Illinois on my birthday by several organizations. One of the organizations who sponsored and organized the book signing event called UCAN is responsible for placing children and LGBTQ young adults age 18 -- 24 in homes in Chicago, Illinois. My life was profoundly altered by meeting them! And I am now committed to aiding UCAN in their mission of placing these deserving souls in loving homes. There are no words that could express how impacted I was as I gazed into the eyes of these young adults while reading excerpts from my book. I secretly vowed to myself and to God that I would do everything within my power to ensure that every one of them was placed in loving homes with parents who could rear them and nurture them the way God intended for all children and young adults to be nurtured.

Just remember that when you phone your local restaurant this weekend to make dinner reservations for you and your mother in preparation to celebrate Mother's day that there are millions of children and young adults who do not have the same privilege. They will miss out on the joy of heading to the mall to secretly purchase that special Mother's Day gift, and they will be denied the opportunity to present their fathers in June on Father's day with a gift as well! And while this gift giving ritual may seem insignificant to some, these precious moments, bless the lives of youth and young adults. Because as they gaze into the approving eyes of parents they find validation, empowerment, and they come to the realization that they are truly loved!

In the upcoming months, when it's time to vote on legislation like "The Every Child Deserves a Family Act," I challenge you to recall how wonderful it felt to have a nurturing mother and/or father and the magical feeling of security that you felt in their loving care. Don't buy into the homophobia, misinformation and discrimination spewed out by misguided conservative politicians and religious leaders, bent on depriving same-gender-loving people from enjoying their legitimate Constitutional rights, while condemning thousands of children in the Foster Care System to a life of missed opportunity, tragic abandonment, and unnecessary homelessness.

by Angel Mason, Global Author
WWW.TERRYANGELMASON.COM

FOLLOW THIS BEST SELLING AUTHOR ON TWITTER LINK: http://twitter.com/ALOVEBALLAD

SOME OF THE CHALLENGES BLACK GAY PARENTS FACE
Audio Excerpt from Love Won't Let Me Be Silent, entitled,
PRODIGAL SON

Angel Mason's Blog Angel Mason is one of America's most talked about civil rights activists and HIV advocates. He is an extraordinary poet and writer who is known for his breakthrough revolutionary book, Love Won't Let Me Be Silent, which is becoming a testament for many gays and lesbians struggling with their sexuality and the need to come out to their family and friends. What started out as a self-published nonfiction book has now become a literary phenomenon consistently earning him numerous literary nominations; while at the same time, gaining a place of reverence in the hearts and minds of millions of readers—both men and women worldwide.