Laramie Project: Wow.

Tonight we saw a wonderful production of The Laramie Project presented here at Rapid City Central High School. It was very moving and honest performance, full of integrity.


Thomas B. Howard from the Matthew Shepard Foundation flew in from Denver this weekend to facilitate a panel discussion that included the actors and audience. This happened at two performances today, I caught the late performance.


Many thanks to cast and crew and the many supporters that made this possible. The play touched me deeply and really helped foster understanding on all sides of the issue.

It was great for me to hear from and get a chance to meet Mr. Howard. He's very much looking forward to coming back this summer with Judy Shepard.

I did get a chance to put in a plug for Equality South Dakota at the discussion, which seemed to me a bit "preaching to the choir" ... but clearly the play had a lot for everyone to ponder.

An actor told me that Bob Ellis of Dakota Voice was there, but it would be great if he could confirm that. It would be really interesting to know what he thought about it.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT opens tonight

The play THE LARAMIE PROJECT opens tonight at Central High School. This play speaks powerfully about prejudice, hate crime, good, and evil.

Tonight/Friday/Sat 7:30, Sat 2pm – Central High School Theatre

Saturday performances will include a panel discussion including (I'm pretty sure) representatives of the Matthew Shepard Foundation

The Rapid City Journal (to their credit) has published more about it:
- Controversial play to benefit theater students
- RCJ Editorial: Sowing seeds of tolerance
- Cast member lived in Laramie during Shepard's killing

Hearts break on Valentine's day

A teenage boy was brutally slaughtered in a middle-school computer lab in Oxnard, California, last Tuesday. Today, his murderer was charged with a hate crime, because the motive seems to be that he was different.

Susan Russell has a challenge especially for we Anglicans:

If our eyes are not open to the truth that GLBT people live in fear of their very lives throughout the global communion of ours then shame on us as Anglicans.

A commenter on her blog said:

We live in a sad time when the freedom to express oneself without harming others attracts harm to oneself by others.

A Lenten meditation from my friend Susan

Especially for dog people.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

More here.

Update HB 1297 - They Don't Care

Sweet guys.

House Commerce hardened their heart in a big way. HB1297 was killed this morning.

Please listen to this morning's testimony and root for a smoke-out to bring this bill back.

And remember this when primary time comes around.

Moved by Rep. "we've heard enough" Pederson

Second by Rep. Hunt

Led by Gordon Pederson and Roger Hunt, House Commerce told Ezekiel to take a hike, 10-2.

Remember these votes:

MOTION: DEFER HB 1297 TO THE 36TH LEGISLATIVE DAY
Moved by: Pederson (Gordon)
Second by: Hunt
Action: Prevailed by roll call vote. (10-2-1-0)
Voting Yes: (to kill bill) Ahlers, Boomgarden, Dreyer, Hunt, Noem, Nygaard, Pederson (Gordon), Street, Willadsen, Rounds

But please give a rouse (and send re-election money to):
Voting No: Engels, Novstrup (David)
Thank you fellas.
Excused: Juhnke

God asked you to support HB1297

The SD House Commerce committee will be voting TOMORROW on a bill to place a 36 percent cap on interest rates. If any of these reps are yours, please call or email them today.


House Commerce Committee

Rep's & district & email:

Ahlers 25 rep.ahlers@state.sd.us
Boomgarden 17 rep.boomgarden@state.sd.us
Dreyer 32 rep.dreyer@state.sd.us
Engels 9 rep.engels@state.sd.us
Hunt 10 rep.hunt@state.sd.us
Juhnke 21 rep.juhnke@state.sd.us
Noem 6 rep.noem@state.sd.us
David Novstrup 3 rep.davidnovstup@state.sd.us
Nygaard 17 rep.nygaard@state.sd.us
Gordon Pederson 30 rep.gordonpederson@state.sd.us
Tim Rounds 24 rep.rounds@state.sd.us
Street 4 rep.street@state.sd.us
Willadsen 11 rep.willadsen@state.sd.us

Phone in Pierre: 773-3851 Monday morning by 9:30am.
A page can take one message to 2 reps.

It may be easy for some to say that low income people should just be smarter about their money, but the industry has a history of bait and switch tactics, and I'm sorry 400 percent interest, even if legal, is wrong. I've seen TV ads recently that makes it clear (like the oil company ads) that the middle class is seeing how they are being preyed upon. Honestly, most of us are one hospital stay away from the desperate situations these payday loan businesses use to make a buck. These people need oversight, and their clients need education and help. We need legislation like the federal credit card legislation that at least give people some chance to see how expensive payday loans are BEFORE someone signs on the line.

I heard the expert testimony on the payday loan business posted on the sdpb website on Saturday. As I heard the expert explain the brutal arithmetic behind much of this business, I was moved to tears. Which is remarkable be cause the presentation stuck to the facts and did not play on emotion at all, and I was just half-listening while I was doing some work.

I highly recommend this audio of the testimony, it's eloquent, factual and to the point.

Today, I asked my good friend Dave Lust (House R-33, one of the good guys, who favors this legislation) why the die-hard Republican evangelical "values voters" aren't picketing the payday lenders with with bible verses. God has things to say about these people, after all:

...you men accept bribes to shed blood; you take usury and excessive interest and make unjust gain from your neighbors by extortion. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. (Ezekiel 22, NIV)