Kerry's Elegy For Matthew Shepard

[DrFunkenstein]

We come here this evening -- straight and gay -- Americans all -- to express our sense of shock and outrage for what happened on a dark road in Wyoming -- to express our passionate conviction and knowledge that there is no room in our country for the kind of vicious, terrible, pathetic, ignorant hate that took the life of Matthew Shepard.

We are a better country than that -- and I know that Wyoming is filled with good people who share our shock tonight.

But the question, here in this city of monuments, is what will we do about it as a country? Is there a lesson that can become a monument to Matthew Shepard and so many others who suffer because of other people's limitations?

The reason we are here is to guarantee that lesson. To make certain that there will be no period of indifference, as there was initially when the country ignored the burning of black churches or overlooked the spray-painted swastikas in synagogues; or suggested that the undiluted hatred which killed this young man is someone else's problem, some other community's responsibility.

We must all accept national responsibility for the killing in Wyoming, and commit -- each of us in our words, in our hearts, and in our actions -- to insure that the lesson of Matthew Shepard is not forgotten.

To my friends in the Congress, I say let us pass the Hate Crimes legislation. And, let the so-called leaders in this country stop their immature and nonsensical rhetoric which encourages, or justifies, these barbaric acts. Look to the 58 high schools in my own beautiful state of Massachusetts where 22 percent of gay students say they skip school because they feel unsafe there and fully 31 percent of gay students had been threatened or actually physically attacked for being gay. Matthew Shepard is not the exception to the rule -- his tragic death is rather the extreme example of what happens on a daily basis in our schools, on our streets and in our communities. And that's why we have we have an obligation to pass laws that make clear our determination to root out this hatred. We hear a lot from Congress today how we are a country of laws, not men. Let them make good on those words and pass hate crime legislation.

To all Americans, I encourage you tonight to stare down those who want you to live in fear and declare boldly that you will not live in a country where private prejudice undermines public law.

Each of us has the power to make this happen, and in a small way change misperception and reverse prejudice. Our belief in the strength of human justice can overcome the hatred in our society -- by confronting it.

So we must confront it as Martin Luther King did when he preached in Birmingham and Memphis and all over this country, when he thundered his protest and assuaged those who feared his dreams.He taught us how to look hatred in the face and overcome it.

We should face it as Nelson Mandela did the day he left prison in South Africa, knowing that if his heart was filled only with hatred, he could never be free. Nelson Mandela destroyed systemic hatred, faced the fear -- and today sets an example to the world about moving away from ignorance.

We need to challenge it as Harvey Milk did in San Francisco, when he brushed aside hatred, suspicion, fear and death threats to serve his city. Even as he foretold his own assassination, Harvey prayed that "if a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." He knew that true citizenship belongs only to an enlightened people, unwavered by passion or prejudice -- and it exists in a country which recognizes no one particular aspect of humanity before another.

Today, the challenge is to face our fears and root out hatred wherever we find it -- whether on Laramie Road in Wyoming, or on the back roads of Jasper, Texas, or in the Shenandoah National Park.

The Declaration of Independence framed it all for us and everything we try to be is based on the promise of certain inalienable rights; life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Two young high school dropouts threaten each and every one of us when they stole Matthews rights and life itself.

That kind of hate is the real enemy of our civilization -- and we come here to call on all people of good conscience to pass the laws that help us protect every citizen and we ask every American to make the personal commitment to live our lives each day in a way that brings us together.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_1998_1014.html

[southerngirlwriter]

1. pretty impressive speech.

nt

[Native]

2. Great picture too. n/t

[dsc]

3. Great speech

But years later no law. Matthew was the poster child of hate crimes. Clinton gave a good speech too. And then nothing. This is the basic problem. Again it was a great speech and I am glad he gave it. But I really wanted a law. Vermont has one.

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. but the GOP won't pass it

that's the thing. No Dem control of congress, no nothing.

Vermont has one because the Vermont legislature is 10000x more liberal than the U.S. House.

[corporatewhore]

6. and if history repeats itself if kerry got elected the house would go gop

he strikes me just like clinton and clinton lost the house to the gop

[THUNDER HANDS]

11. the House already IS lost

And it won't be back for a decade. So Kerry WILL be working constantly under a GOP congress. The question is how much of a majority will they have.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

7. Damning with faint praise? Amazing that you belittle this.

Your attitude towards Kerry, who has been a consistent champion of GBLT rights, baffles me.

[corporatewhore]

8. except when it came to his own state

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. What you said, is untrue.

[corporatewhore]

12. he did say that mass' supreme court descison was wrong and opposed gay

marriage,no?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. You said something different from that didn't you?

Kerry believes marriage is a religious institution, and that all Americans should have equal rights, and equal protection under the law.


You are welcome to twist that position into any type of pretzel you find appetizing, but when you are done twisting, what you have will be a pretzel of your own making, not Kerry's position.

[dsc]

13. It was a great speech

and I don't blame Kerry for there being no law. My point is that Clinton gave a great speech too and I do blame him. I think if we had had a President who was willing to lead on this it would have happened. We were not a priority for Clinton, and I suspect we aren't of Kerry. I have, whether you like them or not, reasons that I consider valid for having that opinion.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

15. But the candidate you support has been a follower, not a leader.

So your position is inconsistent.

“The Legislature will pass a domestic partnership bill and I’m comfortable with that,” Gov. Howard Dean said.

What was more interesting was what he was not comfortable with.

“It makes me uncomfortable, the same as anybody else,” Dean said of gay marriage. “The 4,000-year-old tradition of heterosexual marriage being an institution is something I think you have to respect. I think there are a lot of people in this state who are uncomfortable about the concept of gay marriage.”

There are thousands more who are not uncomfortable and at least some legislative leaders said they would be willing to consider enacting a marriage statute.
http://www.mountainpridemedia.org/jan2000/news_scyes.htm

Is this Dean's version of leadership? Following what the Legislature does, after the Court made it's decision? In what way does that constitute leadership?

[Red State Rebel]

5. As long as Matthew wouldn't have wanted to marry his partner...

Kerry would have been right there for him. Right?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

9. Your smear is offensive.

I take it you are a DK supporter, (is there another candidate in favor of gay marriage?), but I'm not used to attacks from DK supporters.