Saturday, April 4, 2009

Journey Begins with Bang - Gays Can Marry In Iowa

WE LEAVE WHEN DAVID CALLS!!! I sit here with packing still to do, but I must write for a bit to calm things down upstairs...no need to start the journey with the Itty Bitty Shitty Committee in session.

Big News in Iowa! The State Supreme Court has ruled that sexual preference or identity cannot be used to discriminate who can or cannot get married. I have many friends on both sides of this issue. I think that is true of many of us. Regardless of one's views I hope that all of us can remember that it is our responsibility to love and care for each other...at least that is my view. I am happy for all of my gay friends and wish them well...Joe was documenting the big celebration on Pentacrest yesterday I can't wait to see what he shares with us.

On a more personal note, David the hero of our journey is gay. When I spoke to him yesterday he was very happy about the decision. David also is a very close friend. It hurts me to see the pain caused him by the hatred and insults some throw at him because of their religious or political views. It hurts me doubly because I know that it need not be so.

My Father is a deacon in the Southern Baptist Church and I suspect that he and many of his fellow Christians are concerned and fearful about what this change may mean. BUT, and this is the really important part...I know that my Father will love David and treat him with great respect when we visit him the day after tomorrow. I know this because despite our differences, my Father has always found it in his heart to love me. We have had our differences and have had angry arguments but my Father has always loved me. My Father loved me through my years of drug and alcohol addiction. My Father has shown love and kindness to the mentally ill friends I brought to see him over the years. My Father loves and cares for the sick, the poor and the homeless.

My Father has even loved me when we
have strongly disagreed about religion. My Father's religion is the bedrock for his daily life. I have no talent or ability in religious matters. Perhaps, due to my drug use and mental illness I must stay in the material world...I cannot distinguish between hallucination and revelation. Like mine, my Father words and actions can be rough, but in the end his Acts generally align with his Teacher's admonition to love his enemies and to do unto others...

I hope that the rest of society can follow my Father's example and treat others with love and kindness regardless of whether or not we agree with their religious or political views. I certainly intend to follow my Father's lead in this.

Peace and Love

dh


THE FOLLOWING IS A REPEAT OF AN EMAIL SENT TO THE DAVID'S DREAM TEAM MAILING LIST - Email me at daleshankins@yahoo.com if you want to be put on the list. Be sure to put David's Dream in the subject line.

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To: David's Dream Team Dream Date: April 3, 2009

Hello

Hopefully, I have the right list and all of you are interested in tracking David Young's progress as he heads for California, the Pacific Ocean and ultimately, San Francisco. If you are not, please send me an email and I will remove you from the list. Warning: Remain at your peril...David's Dream is a special place, frankness is the rule and if your emotional, moral or political sensibilities are easily offended then your time is better spent elsewhere.

Still here? Then Welcome Aboard the Bus! Beware the Kool-Aid in the refrigerator, it's vintage is Kesey, 1962 - the beginning of a decade that changed minds forever.

We will be documenting the journey daily on both YouTube.com and Blogger.com

YouTube address: www.youtube.com/user/DavidsDream999

Blogger address: http://davidsdream999.blogspot.com/

If you are new to the journey and need a bit of background read the following section. Otherwise, scroll to the bottom of the page to view the David's Dream blog entry for April 3, 2009.

Background

For those of you needing a reminder, David Young is a friend of mine that I met at Uptown Bill's Small Mall (www.uptownbills.org) several years ago. He had a rough time of it early in life including several decades in state institutions. To quote David, "...the state was my parent...". But David has overcome those difficult times. He is a self-taught myrmecologist (one who studies ants) of great expertise, and has published several articles and numerous books of his photos and miscroscopy of ants and nature.

David and I hit it off due to our mutual interest in photography and due to the general atmosphere of hope and healing we found and shared at Uptown Bill's Small Mall (uptownbills.org). Uptown Bill's is the child of Tom Walz, Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa. Tom founded the Mall to continue the legacy of Bill Sackter a man whose mental faculties may have been limited but whose heart could encompass the Milky Way with room to spare. Bill's story was documented in the Emmy Award Winning movies - Bill, and Bill On His Own starry Micky Rooney, with screenplay by Barry Morrow. More recently, Bill's film legacy was continued by Lane Wyrick in the award winning documentary, "A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story", http://www.billsackter.com/.

David and I have spent many afternoons taking photos at Lake McBride near Solon, Iowa. These photo sessions typically were followed by lengthy meals at a chinese buffet. David often has remarked that he would love to see the ocean and visit San Francisco. I have often thought of making the journey with him over the past few years. A sense of urgency arose when David had a stroke last year.

I discussed the trip with Barry Morrow (Oscar winning screenwriter for Rain Main and Emmy winner for Bill and Bill on His Own). Barry's excitement over the idea was contagious and I soon found myself involved with other friends in planning out a major journey with potential for becoming a documentary.

Another facet was added to this little gem when I met Joe Cox on YouTube. Joe is a filmmaker living in Manchester UK. Like me, Joe has bipolar disorder. He is currently working on a movie with the working title, Joe Mania, the goal of which is to help educate the general public and remove misunderstandings about mental illness. I knew that Joe would be able to do a much better job than I in documenting David's journey. I hesistantly asked Joe to join the team. I was amazed and thrilled when he agreed to join us.

There is much more to tell. I will be posting details on the blog.

dh

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