 |
 |
"Break, break, break On thy cold grey stones, O sea. I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me....." Judith Richards - gone. Janet Paterson - on sabbatical Dennis Greene - gone The twilight of the gods has begun. And we, left behind in Valhalla: what are we going to do about it? Are we going to sit back and accept 'the inevitable'. Are we going to go on destroying ourselves and watch the stalwarts as they fade and disappear ioto the past? While we consume ourselves with infighting anmd character assassination. In the past couple of days I have watched in open-mouthed shock as a good man, a decent human being was systematically being destroyed by his fellow listmembers. I am reminded of the story of the psychology professor, who took a large white piece of paper, and drew a small black dot on it. He held up the huge sheet of paper and asked his class what they could see. "A black dot on a white sheet of paper" they cried. So Ivan isn't perfect. Are you? So there are things about Ivan that you do not like, And there are things about some of you that Ivan does not like. That is no excuse for the tongue lashing and character assassination that has been happening here. Is that the way to treat a man who, despite the ravages of this dreadful disease we have, has been actively campaigning so that the Menbers of Congress from his state were the first complete delegation to support the Udall bill. The only state where both Senators signed that urgent letter at the end of the last session? Is that the way to treat a man who gives of his free time to volunteer with an organisation that counsels would be suicides. Is that the way to treat a man who donates hours of his time to counsel and comfort pwps who are troubled and in need of support and friendship, and who was a founding member and organiser of the PD support network in his state? Is that the way to treat a man who, before PD, was always (and still is, in as far as he is able) to be found defending the under-privelleged, leading civil rights demonstrations, organising protests against Apartheid, pushing his state legislature to a policy of divestment in South Africa Is that the way to treat a man, who, since the onset of PD has directed his energies and his not inconsiderable skill in advocacy, not to the gay community, to which he also belongs, but to us, his fellow pwp's, wheree he recognised the need was greater. Just recently we applauded when his picture was in the PAN Newsletter - for Ivan's oustanding achievements in advocacy. And there were even whispers that he should be nominated for the Fishman award. And this is the way we treat him in his hour of trouble - by castigating him, ripping him to shreds, and then leaving him to the hyenas? No wonder Valhalla is crumbling, and the great ones are leaving. Hilary Blue