This Thanksgiving, did you give thanks for all we take for granted, especially our relatively safe society? 

How about remembering all the victims of violent crimes, including rape and murder?  If not, I ask this Christmas that you remember the late Jesse Dirkhising, a former 13-year-old middle school student in Arkansas. 

You’re probably asking, “Who the heck is Jesse Dirk-whatever?”  I don’t blame you for not knowing.  He seems unimportant to a national media normally excited to report anything involving sensational violence, rape and homosexuality.  Unless of course, it regards rapists that are violent, homicidal and homosexual. 

In September, Dirkhising was bound and gagged and then raped repeatedly by Joshua Brown, the homosexual lover of “openly gay hairstylist” (some stereotypes die hard) David Carpenter, while Carpenter watched and gave instructions. 

After taking a break to “eat a sandwich,” Brown, intent on continuing to rape the child, discovered Dirkhising had stopped breathing. 

Responding to a 911 distress call on Sunday, Sept. 26, 1999, the police discovered Dirkhising’s limp body with drug paraphernalia and duct tape nearby.  Police found chilling notes and diagrams illustrating the premeditated rape.  Hours later, Brown confessed and the child died at the hospital.  The two rapists are charged with capital murder and six counts of rape. 

So why the lack of national media attention? 

Especially after a continued year-long media blitz on the Matthew Shepard case.  Yes, that’s right, we’ve all heard of him, the 21-year-old college student that was viciously beaten to death by two total losers in October of 1998. 

Oh, that was heterosexual losers, as the Associated Press and broadcast media so poignantly reminded us everyday for weeks, in addition to the fact that Shepard was an “openly gay student.” Well, Dirkhising was an “openly young boy.” 

I’ll go out on a limb and say that if Dirkhising was an “openly gay youngster” and if he was assaulted by two heterosexual men, the liberally-biased media would not let us sleep until we all felt responsible for Dirkhising’s fate. 
 
The simple fact is the Shepard case was an opportunity to be exploited, while the Dirkhising story has the potential to short-circuit the current appeal of gay politics, which is to focus on gays as victims, not as perpetrators. 
 
After all the agenda-pushing, let’s not forget these are two heinous crimes, two unfortunate victims and four criminals. That is four lethal injections in my book. 

Since you did not know Dirkhising last week at stuff-your-face-and- watch-football time (Thanksgiving), please remember Dirkhising, as well as Shepard, and their families and loved ones this Christmas.  Let’s make that holiday a true opportunity for giving thanks, and not an opportunity for rampant materialism.