As for channeling my energies into other things, I can assure you that I don’t “…sit in a dark corner of your mother’s basement and type out instant vitriol from your macbook.”

Instead I use an HP TouchSmart tablet with Windows-7 and have successfully developed and hosted the popular Dallas-Gayborhood System at: http://www.divamac.com/Gayborhood which you are also welcome to join. There you can learn more about the humanities that I have freely provided to gay men in the world for the past two decades.

Thanks for the reply and the sympathy which truly goes to prove that before you decide to attack someone, maybe you should try to walk a mile in their shoes first. For if you had, you would have known that me and my lover were both a powerful ingredient to the mix you have the benefit of enjoying today. Go out to Wikipedia and do a search for “Wynn Wagner”

In the meantime, why don’t you try using a little more compassion in your travels…

==Rick

I am sorry that you suffered so terribly at the hand of someone that was irresponsible. You have obviously gone through quite an ordeal, and for that you have my every sympathy.

However, your personal misfortune, horrific as it was and still is, does not give you the right to attack people you don’t even know. Nor does it excuse your profanity laced diatribes.

Many people have survived terrible accidents, misfortunes and injustices. I suggest that you take a lesson or two from someone like Nelson Mandela or Desmond Tutu; men who overcame the most criminal of injustices and went on to make something positive out of their experiences and even change the world.

Perhaps if you channeled your anger, which is indeed justifiable, into something good instead of listing the address of the man who struck you as if you were going to put a hit on him, you might help educate some people and prevent some other person from suffering the terrible pain that you have suffered.

Hurling epithets has never solved a single problem. Rather, such tactics tend to get you put on permanent ignore.

You said: “…Talk about blowing smoke. Where are YOUR manners Mr. Wagner? Where is your civility? And where on earth did you learn to write so very poorly?

I had a great teacher.. You can click here to learn all about them: http://www.rickwagnertx.com/html/thoughts__near_death_experienc.html

I wonder how well you would do if you were in the same position?? HUH?? Kindly share with us…

Again, I ask what is the Dallas Voice staff trying to cover up and why ???

There is more to these articles that meets the eye…

Now, I’m not saying that everyone is supposed to agree with what I’m about to say, but I would hope that everyone here has a mind open enough to listen and to consider an alternate perspective.

I continue to read all 70 + comments on this thread and the main red flag that continues to pop up in these comments is COMPETITION and WINNING AT ALL COST at the expense of destroying others. Also, it is clear that we have a series of mini groups which have formed, composed of friends with similar thinking ideology who wish to establish territories, force their ideology on others and conspire and retaliate against those either in other groups or those on the outside who somehow invade their ideological “turf” if you will.

Call it political activism, Game Plan Organizations, Equality Groups, QL, EAA or whatever you wish, the behavior expressed is similar to that demonstrated by gang related activity……I mean really, all you folks need is to fly some “colors” and you would be par with some of the more prominant street gangs…..

Don’t believe me ?? Take a look at all of the “recruitment” and marketing that is going on here. First you have the Wednesday night Buli’s faction (whether affiliated with QL or not, we don’t know ) saying in so many words “join us or shut up”. Then we have the Thursday night Ilume faction which is all about this “plan” that has yet to produce any details. Next we have the Equality across America faction whose leaders threaten people in online blogs (this is documented) with phrases like “God help you” if you don’t agree with us and appear to use their money and business clout to bully and retaliate against people who cross them, and then of course we have QL who debates strongly with everyone and who refuses the other side to have an open forum. Lastly we have folks like Kevin above who appear to be trying to come to some civil group and is frustrated by the response rate…………….Well Kevin, nice try but I think that people are either already a “member” of one of these other factions /gangs or are too skeptical to take part because they fear your group turning into another one of these factions and for being retaliated for doing so……

What totally amazes me is that like gangs and cults, some people will retaliate against people and express hate towards them, not necessarily because they know that person or know the situation, but at the behest of their faction’s leaders who had heavily influenced them, which is clearly seen when “supporters” come out of the woodwork and say textbook statements such as “we now know who to avoid (blackball)” and “Good Work”, “Great Article” etc……….. Its all about supporting the “leaders” in the buddy circle (gang) and their conspiratorial tactics than about talking about the real issue. I’m amazed at how easily human beings can be influenced and later manipulated……

But factions aside, a very puzzling point which always seems to linger is the underlying cause of the original verbal debate in the first place. Isn’t it strange that we never seem to hear the name of the airline in which these tickets were obtained ?? Also, why hasn’t John Wright seen it in his duty as a journalist to publish the ENTIRE video so that we can decide for ourselves ?? And why John do you sit behind in the shadows without a peep while you helped instigate these gang wars by publishing this article ??? What may be exposed which may possibly get to the hidden business connections that both Mark’s and Laura’s businesses are associated ?? And lastly John, why do you censor and remove comments which get to the very heart of these issues. Are you a member of one of these factions as well protecting your “turf” ???………….Sure seems like it.

So I say that perhaps you people in the factions / gangs above need to reflect upon the kind of behavior you are really fostering here. Defamatory slander, online bullying, retaliation and conspiracies are all activities that could very well be investigated by authorities, not to mention legal liability to the Dallas Voice, other business entities and a few corrupt attorneys and electronic litigators who have possibly aided and abetted this……………

Like many here, I am saddened that we have these factions forming in the first place and that we can’t come together as a community, at least not here in Dallas.

Take heed folks, word is getting around nationally on other blogs as to how the Dallas GLBT community is doing things and from the comments I have read here and there, Dallas is not too well-favored from the national masses despite all of the media hype.

Again, if this comment does get posted without censorship then thank you for at least stopping for a moment to listen to a different perspective.

better read up if thats the tack you want to take, no judgments, just sound advice
Act Up has pretty much written the book on it and a good reference chapter forthat approach is covered by links on this page. If you haven’t read it you probably should.
Good luck to you
http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments/CDindex.html