Doggedly searching for the crux of the biscuit.
Here's a tangent, but an interesting one. Looking at historical parallels to the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment, this post at Corante explains how a constitutional amendment to ban interracial marriage, proposed in 1912, arose in part as a reaction to the "threat" of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion. Johnson, who married a series of white women and dallied with many others, was nicknamed "Bad Nigger" and race riots erupted around the country after his 15-round humiliation of former champ Jim Jefferies in 1910. He also was the inspiration for one of my all-time favorite pieces of jazz.
Then, as now, the proponents of restricting rights for an easily targetted class of citizens are on the wrong side of history. Don't let them drown out the voices of equality. The religious right always appears larger than it really is by virtue of screaming louder than everybody else. Write your senators and representative and remind them that they stand to lose more votes than they gain by playing games with the founding document of our country in order to scapegoat minorities.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
TrackBackI *knew* there would be backlash to "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy!"
Posted by: Tripp at February 27, 2004 05:00 PMFor those who are angry with George Bush and the republican party, might I make a suggestion? Take the lemon and make lemonade. Bush's support for a Constitutional amendment coupled with Allen Greenspan's announcing that social security benefits will have to be cut, pretty much guarantees us a concession speech in November. Keep your eyes on the prize!!
Posted by: Ken Fletcher at February 28, 2004 10:44 AMTripp is right. We need a compromise: in exchange for a Civil Unions amendment, we'll offer a No More Making Straight Men Feel Bad for Being Out of Shape, Poorly Dressed, and Under-Waxed amendment.
Let freedom ring!
Posted by: Fontana Labs at February 28, 2004 01:27 PMFontana,
I'll accept it!
I have one question - is it true that hair needs at least three 'products,' or is that simply blatant product pushing on the part of the grooming expert?
I've always thought my hair needed at most 1 or 2 'products' - a good shampoo, and maybe some kind of styling product. So I think there might be a little crass commercialism going on, not that there is anything wrong with that.
Posted by: Tripp at March 1, 2004 12:19 PMI have always been proud to be an American. The rights we have in this country are what defines our freedom. "Land of the free and the home of the brave"; "From every mountainside let freedom ring"; "With liberty and justice for ALL" are not just words to a pledge or to national songs. They are a part of being American. I am not a Replican. I am not a Democrat. I am not a Libral. I am not an Independant. I am what we all are, I am an American. I am a heartbroken American. I don't want to live in a counry that tells it's citizens that their rights are not equal to everyone elses. We are not supposed to have biggotry in our government. If this ammendent passes then we have lost what it means to be Americans. Religion is not supposed to dictate how are freedoms are given or taken away. We the people of these United States (all races, all creeds, all genders, all orientations)
We are the people. Our politionas would do well to remember they represent us..All of us!
I am a middle class, christian, 1/2 hispanic, 1/2 white female American citizen, 28 years of age. I never planned on dating anything other than a caucasian. However, it seems fate would have it that the man I feel God made with me in mind, happens to be black. A bond grew between us out of friendship, love, concern and respect for each other. Being in the middle, Ive sensed the prejudice of black,hispanic, and white people. It is unfortuante that when a woman is lucky enough to find a man who honestly cares for her and treats her with the love she needs,(and when a woman really loves a man),anything else should matter. My significant other and I DO have many cultural differences, but that has seeded in me the desire for a stronger sense of self and value. People do not understand what they have not experienced. Therefore, the disgust black and white people feel towards us, is because they've not been blessed enough to experience love on that level for a different race. In closing,God will conquer. God is colorblind as well as uninterested in our fallible political idealizations, and very uninterested in words such as liberal, conservative, and most of all God is saddened by mankind's general inability to grasp the concept "Love one another."
Posted by: not important at October 15, 2006 10:21 PM