Houston Rainbow Herald

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Publisher / Executive LAURA M VILLAGRAN

Business Development Manager RANDALL JOBE

Production RAFA ESPINOSA News Features JOHNNY TRLICA

Copy Editor NANCY FORD Scene Writers JIM AYRES JANICE ANDERSON Distribution MIRIAM ORIHUELA ELIZABETH MEMBRILLO

THE STAR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

JIM AYRES by day is an employee benefits and human resources writer. By night he turns his creativity toward the local food and restaurant scene. Do you know of a restaurant that needs a review? Info@montrosestar.com

NANCY FORD has enjoyed a front row seat to the most remarkable and sparkly Cultural Revolution in the history of mankind. “What a world!” She reflects appropriately. After moving to Houston from Ohio in 1981, Ford became a highly visible player in Texas’ LGBT publishing circles as an editor and contributor to myriad other local and statewide LGBT magazines and newspapers.

Karma reacts to evil. Will America?

RANDALL JOBE has been a fixture in the Houston LGBT Community for several decades in marketing and promotions for top nightclubs, as an actor/director/writer for dozens of theatrical productions, and is also known for his whimsical art pieces. He is the author of the 12-part series “This Old Queen”, which summarized his many experiences living in the gay Mecca, Montrose.

VIC GERAMI is journalist, media contributor and Editor & Publisher of The Blunt Post. Vic grew up in LA and has a BA in Theater Arts. He spent six years at Frontiers Magazine, followed by LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. His syndicated celebrity Q&A column, 10 Questions with Vic, is a LA Press Club’s National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award finalist. Vic is a contributor for Montrose Star, DC Life Magazine, Out & About Nashville, Q Virginia, GNI MAG, QNotes, Windy City Times, WeHo Times, GoWeHo, Los Angeles Blade, Asbarez, California Courier, Desert Daily Guide, Armenian Weekly, GED, The Pride LA, IN Magazine and The Advocate Magazine.

FOREST RIGGS is no stranger to the adventures of life, he bills himself as a “raconteur with a gypsy spirit.” A former educator, public speaker, hospital administrator, counselor and gay owner, he was instrumental in the formation of OutSmart Magazine in the early 1990s. He has written for several newspapers, magazines and other publications. Recently he completed a collection of short stories about his beloved Galveston and is working on a novel. He currently resides on the island where he can be found wasting bait and searching for the meaning of life.

JOHNNY TRLICA has called the Houston area home all of his life. Four years ago he founded and still edits the Houston Rainbow Herald and has worked in the apartment leasing industry for the past two years. His passion is keeping the battle for LGBT rights at the forefront of today’s headlines and fighting complacency in the LGBT community.

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By Johnny Trlica

“THROUGHOUT HISTORY, IT HAS BEEN THE INACTION of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” —Haile Selassie

Commentary: America has been confronted with evil at various times throughout its history. Sometimes the evil has come from within, such as slavery and antisemitism. At other times we have faced evil from abroad, such as fascism and Nazism.

Whatever the evil has been, America has always looked it squarely in the eye and combated it. The past four years, the evil we face sits at the resolute desk in the Oval Office at the White House. Evil, however never acts alone and it is very contagious.

Few can deny the President has not only corrupted the office he holds but the entire party that sent him there and has enabled him to remain there.

One of the evilest policies of the Trump administration is the separation of immigrant families. Children and babies, some still breastfeeding, have been pulled from their mothers’ arms and placed in cages. Many will never be reunited with their families due to shoddy record keeping. Stephen Miller, the President’s senior policy advisor, is the man responsible for the war on immigrants.

He tested positive for the corona-virus on October 6.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who promised, “I will never lie to you. You have my word on that,” and has not made an honest statement since, tested positive on October 5.

First Lady Melania Trump made anti-bullying her pet project with a “Be Best” campaign. She was unable to rein in the biggest bully on the planet — the man she sleeps with. Well, presumably. She showed her true colors while visiting immigrant conditions on the border when she wore the coat that had “I don’t really care, do you?”

Inscribed on the back. She tested positive on October 2.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who never met a lie she didn’t like, will be remembered for her

“alternative facts” debacle. She participated in preparing Trump for the debate with Joe Biden, where the president made a complete ass of himself with constant interrupting. She tested positive on October 2. Find us on P v Facebook.com & t Twitter Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie helped prepare Trump for the debate, as well. His advice allegedly was, “People who overcome stuttering have a harder time maintaining their train of thought when interrupted. Keep interrupting him and he’ll stumble when he tries to speak. This will enforce the ‘senile’ narrative.” Christie tested positive and was hospitalized on October 3. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Senator Mike Lee of Utah are Trump sycophants. Lee submitted federal “religious freedom” law legislation to attempt to allow the legal discrimination of LGBTQ citizens based on someone’s “deeply held religious faith.” Tillis, meanwhile, put forth legislation to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Both senators declined to hear witnesses during Trump’s impeachment trial and voted against removing Trump when they had a chance, and yes, they both tested positive for COVID-19. Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel never misses a chance to appear on the Sunday talk shows and praise the job Trump is doing and talk about his impending landslide victory. She tested positive on October 7. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien took on the role of rearranging chairs on the Titanic during the summer. He tested positive on October 2. He is not to be confused with his predecessor Brad Parscale who was recently arrested after his wife called police to report he was suicidal. All the corona virus-infected people named above have one thing in common. They are on a first name basis with Karma. That, and they all attended a Rose Garden ceremony that introduced Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s replacement on the Supreme Court. Ginsberg’s last wish was that the selection of her replacement be made by the winner of the election. Karma still had one more perpetrator to take care of. The President, himself. Karma does not always act swiftly, but she does act. She has a great memory, too. She remembered the evil the President has placed upon on the country he was elected to lead. She remembered all the lies — 25,000 of them, by some accounts. She remembered the mocking of the disabled and sick, the corruption, the racism and the incompetence. She remembered the cavalier attitude in the words, “it is what it is.” Of course, the President being who he is, we may never know if he caught the virus or if it was just a play for sympathy. Karma saw enough and acted accordingly, but will America? We will find out on November 3. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” —Edmund Burke e

The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of MONTROSE STAR. Johnny Trlica is the administrator of the Houston Rainbow Herald Facebook page. Reach him at: HRHeditor@gmail.com.