One Book, One Bettendorf

I believe in having hope.

We are proudly on the verge of change with new hope in the upcoming 2008 Presidential appointment with an exciting and historic decision of possibly electing for the first time as our Commander-in-Chief either a woman or an African-American.

This takes me back thirty years to 1978 when, as a college student living in San Francisco, I was fortunate to have shared on-going discussions with human rights activist and Board of Supervisor member Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the United States. Harvey’s talks and chance meetings proved a constructive influence on me. They helped me to instill confidence and pride as a young gay man.

One afternoon, while at an impromptu lunch meeting in San Francisco’s Castro district, Harvey discussed with me how fear, especially fear of change, of new ideas, and of social and ethnic diversity, could be used as a nasty and quite effective tool to wrongly influence, discriminate, and mislead public opinion when manipulated in the wrong ways and minds. Harvey further remarked that in such terrified and often hate driven minds; fear could produce dangerous and even deadly results.

Tragically the boundless energy, wit, compassion, intelligence, frankness, and hope of Harvey Milk would be silenced by five bullets in San Francisco’s City Hall (along with Mayor George Moscone), from the gun of a hate driven, insecure, and fearful assassin one dark morning in late November of 1978.

Harvey continually talked the talk and, more importantly, he walked the walk for human rights and the ongoing dream of diminishing the barriers of prejudice and discrimination in our country.

Harvey Milk was not perfect nor was he a saint. Then, this is true for us all. What Harvey strived to be was a good citizen and friend to all of the many diverse and wonderful “uses” out there.

These “uses” include the many diverse races, nationalities, social classes, as well as spiritual denominations which together makeup our nation. It would be grand if we would always continue to follow Harvey’s inspiring philosophies from the 1970s.

Even in 2008, as our country is once again poised in witnessing history in the making on a national level, I am confidant that with one advancement (or one election) at a time towards change, that we can proceed significantly in eventually representing a greater contingency of the numerous, wonderful, and diverse “uses” in our United States. I certainly believe this!

I sure wish that Harvey Milk could have been around today to witness this upcoming presidential election. He would have loved it! And, who knows? Perhaps Harvey Milk also would be vying for President either in 2008 or in the not to distant future.

Even though we cannot live on just either one alone, I still believe it is essential in having both dreams as well as in preserving hope in our present day as well as for our future.

Michael Thomas Masters