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Slumdog Millionaire/Chai and Milk: KingCast New Year's post to all oppressed people of Franconia and North Country.

By Christopher King

For Christmas we were all somewhat relieved to discover that three-time felon and general hooligan and public menace Gregory W. Floyd will stand trial on the issues of suspended sentence and for his actions on 15 April, 2008 in which he lashed out at local L.E. and lunged at Yours Truly with a deadly weapon.

But going into the New Year, as we realize that while we cannot bring anyone back to life, we must remain ever vigilant in our efforts to bring another inanimate yet living, breathing identity back to life:

Truth.

Two movies I saw this weekend carry a similar theme. Slumdog Millionaire is a fictionalized comedy/drama that reaches deep into the caste sytem of India to show us how the intestinal fortitude of one man -- a lowly chaiwallah -- can stare convention right in its face, kick its ass and rise above it all.

Harvey Milk's story, sadly, does not end on such a good note. I will never forget the assassinations of Harvey Milk and John Lennon when I was a young teen. Milk came first, and it really resonated with me because my father was a precinct committeeman in Cleveland Heights and it made me wonder just what in the hell could cause a councilor to go off like that, kill the Mayor and a fellow councilor.

Well it was hatred, and that hatred still exists toward gays without any lawful reason. Meanwhile, gays are hating on blacks within and externally from the gay community, which is also unfortunate. I remember my fiancee and I helping out on GLBi issues at OSU Law School, only to see a couple of gay bloggers on the Daily Kos CIA Death Squad turn cold shoulder to me when I needed help.

But for a brief time in San Francisco, a lot of that was put aside so that people could stand together and seek Civil Rights and Truth for all. As Milk put it after one of his initial losses at the polls, and as I will say about the situation in Franconia regarding various BS court rulings that continue to let Kelly Ayotte and the town of Franconia off the hook:

"Dammit, it's not just about winning."

I'll have my chai with a little bit of milk; as I used to back in the Day when Kelly Ayotte and her feckless buddy Chief Martin Dunn had me all hemmed up on bogus charges before I kicked their asses. In the days before KingCast, and well before my wonderful current job, I worked for some super cool folks (Mike and Kenliegh) at the award-winning Drawing/Room in Cos Cob/Greenwich, CT. I was for a minute, a lowly chaiwallah.

Happy New Year Everyone. I'll see you at the Oral arguments in KingCast v. Martha McLeod et al, 08-E-192.

-The KingCaster.

Full post as published by Chris King's 1st Amendment Page on January 03, 2009 (boomark / email).