h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Not all the news from the US is bad. Sometimes, people will pleasantly surprise you. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Vicco, Kentucky, population 330 - the smallest town in the US, so far, to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance aimed at guaranteeing the civil rights of its LGBT citizens.

Including its popular mayor, Johnny Cummings.

Vicco people have gone on record - on TV, no less - as saying that Mr Cummings is a first-rate mayor. He's fixed the potholes, repaired the bridge, and improved the water supply. They like him. The police chief, his best firend, says he 'loves him like a brother'. He adds that Cummings has been there for him through all of his four marriages.

When not mayoring, Mr Cummings is the town's hairdresser.

Stephen Colbert - as always, right on top of this LGBT business - expressed his usual mock outrage by calling Johnny Cummings one of the 'people who are destroying America'. His piece for the 'Colbert Report' is both funny and heartwarming.

A note for Brits: the audience is laughing in places that might surprise you. That's because Colbert's live audience consists mostly of people from New York City. They find Kentucky accents hilarious. That's their problem. Those people in the Kentucky mountains are pretty sharp, no matter what you may think of their vowels.

If you can pick it up where you are, you might enjoy the Colbert bit in this link:

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/08/mayor-johnny-cummings-vicco-kentucky-interview-colbert-report

Even if you can't see the video, this piece from 'Mother Jones' is worth it, because it tells you why Cummings and the other good people of Vicco agreed to play along with Colbert. You see, the networks were all over this story, and proposing 'cr*p', according to Cummings. This can well be imagined: making fun of 'hillbillies' is a cottage industry with these people. So they went with Colbert, because Cummings is a fan.

One gets the feeling that the Colbert people had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find any opposition at all to the fairness ordinance. Think about it: a preacher who drinks beer? Come on. His credentials are suspect, right there.

Anyway, hurrah for Vicco, and good luck to them in restoring their infrastructure. And let fear-mongers and the politically retrograde beware: the grassroots are not as full of manure as they fondly imagine.

PS: I've also found this opinion piece in the "hazard Herald'.Hazard, Kentucky is not too far from Vicco. It has some very good things to say about Vicco and equality - and why Kentuckians on the whole were pleased with Colbert's coverage:

http://www.hazard-herald.com/news/opinion/2440168/Spotlight-on-Vicco-should-be-spotlight-on-equality

Yep! Saw it! Almost restored my faith in humanity completely!