Sen. Ed Murray on the Bigot Rev. Ken Hutcherson

This fantastic letter via Josh Feit, The Stranger:

Principal Randy Taylor Mt. Si High School 8651 Meadowbrook Way S.E. Snoqualmie, WA 98065

Dear Mr. Taylor,

Today, every American is familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King’s great leadership in the fight for civil rights for African Americans.

However, Dr. King’s example was not simply limited to the tireless quest for equality. It was also found in the manner in which he treated his opponents, embracing them with respect and without vitriol – even while they denigrated and insulted him. When we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, we would do well to remember this, too.

One man’s own personal experience of racism, while certainly regrettable, is not enough to qualify him as a spokesperson of Dr. King’s values. To truly uphold Dr. King’s example, one must also uphold his humility and his fundamental objection to derogate those who disagreed with him.

Rev. Ken Hutcherson decidedly does not follow in these footsteps.

Here is a man who, in his battle against equal rights for gays and lesbians has said: “You know how the Bible says, ‘Turn the other cheek?’ Well, I did that. But I’m not giving them the big cheeks.” These kinds of degrading remarks about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens are simply obscene.

Here is a man who, after viewing the movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’ told a reporter that the Jews were responsible for killing Christ: “The truth is that they did push to have Christ crucified. That’s just plain truth… that’s Biblical truth.” This libel has resulted in the suffering and death of millions over twenty centuries of Western history.

Intolerance and contempt are objectionable enough. Using Christianity to support them – to use, in other words, the tools that Martin Luther King developed not to extent rights but to deny them – is a cynical order of magnitude worse.

History has taught us that we must speak out, and speak out vigorously, against these slanderous attacks. There are many leaders in the African American civil rights movement, including some who oppose my position of sexual orientation, who would have better represented the example of Martin Luther King.

As an agent of intolerance and contempt, Hutcherson should not have been invited to speak at your school’s Martin Luther King Day event. I have no doubt that he has very painful stories of the inequality he has experienced in his life. But his story today is about perpetuating inequality among gays, lesbians and Jews. And that cannot and should not be condoned.

A member of your staff thought as I do, and, at the end of Hutcherson’s remarks, respectfully questioned him about his commitment to the values of acceptance and respect as they apply to gays and lesbians. I was shocked to learn that you issued Hutcherson an apology as a result. This – and your subsequent “fact-finding” inquest into your staff’s actions – only adds insult to injury.

Although a minimal amount of circumspection alone might have helped you determine that inviting a known bigot to speak on Martin Luther King Day may have offended members of your student body, staff and faculty, I am heartened to know that you plan to examine your policies and standards related to speakers and presentations at your school.

However, to not disavow Hutcherson’s presentation at your school will continue to amount to an endorsement of his views and values – neither of which follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King.

Sincerely,

Sen. Ed Murray

Snowy Morning

What's Going On

Well, for starters, we had a great time in Chicago with Stasia's brother. Deep dish for dinner and an awesome brunch the following day -- a day which was colder than should be allowed.

From there, the three of us drove to Lansing Michigan, home to Stasia's family, where we commenced with a week of reading, relaxing, eating too many cookies and generally slothing about.
Whilst in Michigan...

We watched two movies: The holy-cow-funny-and-fantastic Charlie Wilson's War and the way-more-brutal-than-I-thought-it-was-going-to-be Sweeney Todd.

I read a book: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's an Oprah selection, but don't let that fool you. This was one of the most intense and satisfying books I've ever read. A story about a father and son struggling to exist in a post-apocalyptic world. Yeah, I know, sounds like a real pick-me-up, right? Well, it's not. In fact, I've kind of felt the need to recover or "come down" from that book before starting another one. Like I said, it's pretty intense.

Part of that intensity stems from its simplicity. The writing is very minimalistic. The scenery very drab. The emotions very numb. Humans are knocked down to a very primal existence. Some choose to follow the moral compass they've always known, while some spiral into methods of survival that sit in your stomach like a brick.

What else is going on?

We're having our roof replaced this week -- well, depending on the weather of course. Forecast shows lots of rain this week, but we'll see. If it's just a drizzle, I think they can still work on it.

We're pretty excited to see the finished product. Yesterday morning we woke to find a big truck parked in front of the house -- there to deliver materials. It's all stacked up on the roof now, waiting for workers!