Nov 16 to Nov 22, 2016! DDG THIS WEEK in Gay Palm Springs.

THE LAST WORD by Greg Pettis
I’m sitting in the O. Rambo International
airport in Johannesburg, South Africa waiting
for my flight home. It’s been a fascinating
times here as part of a Rotary Friendship
Exchange.
My team of 5 people from the Inland Empire
toured 5 different cities and Kruger National
Park. It was amazing to see the reverence
that everyone, black or white, consider Nelson
Mandela. No one claimed him to be
a great administrator, but all said he was
a true visionary. Someone who knew his
countrymen, understood where his country
needed to go and provided the direction to
set his nation on a new course
We traveled to Soweto and visited his home
and just down the street the home of Bishop
Desmond Tutu. This is the only place in the
world where two Nobel Peace Price winners
lived on the same street
We ate all our meals with people from
South Africa, sometimes our home hosts
and some with various Rotarians. The one
thing everyone wanted to know was....... can
you guess it? What did we think of Donald
Trump. No one on our team from CA voted
for him. And only one person we met along
the way in Africa supported him
There was a general nervousness and unease.
They have corruption issues with their president
and never thought we would, but they
are worried about policy, security and a drift
towards reactionary conservatism
At the Apartheid Museum, the first display
was on “Talking of Faith”. It was a moving
demonstration of the LGBTI community of
faith in South Africa. I never would have
thought this would have had a place in this
museum, but the South African constitution
is the most liberal on same gender
issues. Marriage equality has been the law
of the land for years. The museum wanted
to show that LGBTI folks have some of the
same issues as the black and colored population
of the country. If only we were so
progressive
I have been quiet here and on Facebook
about Donald Trump. Obviously I am horrified
and scared about him being President.
But I must say the one reason I want him to
succeed is simple - Mike Pence. Pence is the
new Dick Cheney. Angry, anti LGBT, anti
woman, a war mongerer. This is who we
should be worried about, not the caricature
who will take office on January 20
Think on it. Send your thoughts. Greg@
gregpettis.com
Greg Pettis is a 22 year city councilman in Cathedral
City. He has made his name in governmental circles
as an expert in transportation issues and is very active
in working on bringing passenger rail service to the
COACHELLA Valley. Greg was the first openly gay
elected city council members In Riverside County. He
has served on the boards of the National League of
Cities and the League of California Cities and as President
of the Southern CA Association of Governments.
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