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Ivan Suzman said in part re:20/20 program: I have been in MANY non-violent vigils in my day, and KNOW that peaceful protest as well as peaceful assembly IN GREAT NUMBERS is the MOST influential pressure to be brought to bear on governments who appear not to care. I think it is much more productive to look inwards, and search for what WE can do, than to look outwardly and seek to blame someone who ultimately could be our biggest ally. As many of you know, Matthew Shepard died one year ago today. In remembering him, I think of the peaceful and embracing ways that we must honor our diversity, override the separateness that we might feel, and persuade our "opposition" to join with us. Ivan S. :-} I reply to Ivan's message: Persuasion of the "gentle" type can sometimes be the most productive and long lasting. It is normally more lasting and heartfelt than heavyhanded badgering. As a child did you respond better to a spanking or to sitting in the corner and "thinking about" your transgressions? As a scared parent we might think the spanking is necessary for the child who has run out in a busy street. However, the child then might hate the parent, learning nothing from the situation. How much more lasting an impression is the corner time out or better yet a visit to a hospital to see victims of car/bicycle/pedesterian collisions? Joan's showing her own vulnerabilities of a SLOW morning awaking, a walk with her foot dragging along, her telling of hoping for an emotional response when she testified at a hearing with few congress members attending rather than a packed room like when Liz Taylor spoke. Each of these revelations will probably stay with viewers of the 20/20 segment in a way that the loud, sign bearing protestors won't. Her quiet, deliberate message is the type that in the long run is very effective. I think I'll choose the quieter, sincere, determined testifiying of Joan, MJF, and Jim Cordy supported by the letters, e-mail, faxes, phone calls of pwp, family, friends all over the world to congress, newspapers, radio and television. WE can speak most effectively through the channels available without being belligerent. The individual stories of pwp told by us to our elected officials or the public by writing letters, calling, e-mailing or faxing our local, regional and national media will get our message to everyone. WE are VISIBLE and we will be heard. Jeanette Fuhr 49/47/44? <[log in to unmask]> Jeanette Fuhr 49/47/44?