Oh By The Way

[HillWilliam]

Before I got too many months and too many posts down the road, I wanted to take back the name I'm known as better in the blogworld. I feel freer posting as "civilian" me, as passionate as I am about my politics, than I do as "professional" me, RedLetterRev. I've posted as HillWilliam for years over at DNC's Kicking Ass blog and thought I had the handle here but let it lapse. I had posted for a long while as RedLetterRev at Kos and other places, so when KA finally folded and couldn't be saved at all, I found a home here on DU. I couldn't get HillWilliam to work, so I started out as RedLetterRev. Today, I finally got my old, familiar HillWilliam working again. There is some backstory to the change, though.

I've been accused of being a "religionist" (whatever TF that is), without ever espousing any particular religious views. Well, other than my opinion that any fundamentalism has the word "mental" in it for a reason. In my whole life, I've never had a conflict with being comfortably gay and comfortably a man with faith. Mind, I distinguish that from religion because I have seen ample demonstration that those are two entirely separate things that have no particular need of one another. The wackogelicals have plenty of religion and no demonstrable faith: their hair catches fire at the first hint of anything that threatens their belief systems. OTOH, I know plenty of people of quiet faith who've rarely if ever set foot inside of a church. These role models of mine (like my granddad and his mother) whether they know it or not, follow the footsteps of Jesus, the Buddha, Ghandi, the Dalai Lama, or a hundred other quiet notables -- even a million others whose names and faces we'll never know -- footsteps that walk a way of peace and service.

Still, my previous handle (the same that I use on Kos and elsewhere) caused some folks some pause. 'S'okay, not a big deal. Religion, even the perception of it, is a subject that catches folks' hair afire, and I can see why. It has so often been used against us, both as Democrats (or Lefties of all sorts) and as LGBTQ people. Again, if our enemies had faith it wouldn't be an issue.

Anyway, this is my way of kicking my shoes off and putting my feet up. I'm still "Rev" and I'm still me. Thought y'all might want to know and want to know why.

[yardwork]

1. Welcome HillWilliam!

[HillWilliam]

4. Hey again, Neighbor

Now, about that gourmet BBQ place outside Carrboro... me and mine and you and yours still oughtta meet up. Their green beans with garlic are t'die, even if you don't eat pork.

[yardwork]

6. Great idea!

[racaulk]

2. You may want to give the mods a "heads up" to the change.

They could decide to close your old account. They don't take too kindly to people having more than one DU account, as it leads to the potential of the user using one account as a sockpuppet for the other. I'm not saying you would do that (in fact, I appreciate how open you're being here), but better safe than sorry.

I hope this change works out for the better for you. I welcome the "civilian you" to DU! :hi:

[HillWilliam]

3. I did

I added a donation for the extra admin work and sent a note to Skinner both in the donation from PayPal and in the donation acknowledgment. I thought it was the only fair thing to do. If they close the old account, that's just fine. I'm happy where I am now.

I was always happier in boots than flats :D

[qb]

5. Hi HillWilliam. Thanks for the messsage.

I'm an atheist who attends an occasional service at an activist church. I think we can all get along.