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Welcoming hope back into my life
Nov. 5th, 2008 08:37 amI know not all of the votes have been tabulated yet, but it looks like Prop H8 has won, and it is the one and only thing marring an otherwise perfect day. Given the fact that Prop 2 passed and Prop 4 received a thorough drubbing I can at least take a little comfort. But as pissed off as I am right now (and believe me, I want to personally kick every single bigoted asshole who voted for this measure square in the gonads), all of the other victories are making me look at the bigger picture. If this measure had passed 4 years ago when Emperor Codpiece and his hordes of flying monkeys were in charge, or heaven forfend McMaverick and Bible Spice had made it into office, I'd have been crushed. I mean literally I would've been considering leaving the state if not the country.
But that's not what happened, not by a long shot.
No, we put a black Democrat in the highest office in the land last night, and not by some tiny, contestable amount, but a goddamn landslide. There were a helluva lot of talking heads who said it couldn't be done, that this country wasn't ready for a black president and might not be in our lifetime. Indeed watching Chris Matthews go from pandering to Tom DeLay (and seriously, MSNBC, you brought that jackhole on as a "political expert"? WTF?) and alluding all too ominously to a McCain surprise win, to seamlessly brown nosing his new dusky-hued overlord made me laugh and laugh. As did watching Rachael Maddow verbally spank his flabby white ass repeatedly during the coverage (BTW, Rachael I know you've got a long time partner and all but if things don't work out for you two, call me).
We did it, though, we goddamn did it. People got out and voted in record numbers and they made it pretty fucking clear that they're no longer willing to let fear and hatred rule them. Eight years of living in the new Dark Ages is finally at an end, may we all look back on them with a sort of bewildered pity, future generations certainly will. Now is the time to look ahead. As President-Elect Obama (and I can't help grinning every time I use that phrase) said so eloquently last night, now is the time for us to pull together and start thinking not only of ourselves, our families and closest friends, but of the country as a whole. Pulling ourselves out of the hole Bush, Inc. has driven us into is going to take a team effort. We can't afford to be selfish and self-centered any more. It's time to let that 80's Reaganesque culture of entitlement die its well deserved death and then let's compost that fucking ideology so that at least something positive can come out of it.
Which brings me back to Prop H8. Sure we can sit around bemoaning the fact that a whole lot of people still let their fear and ignorance rule them in this state...or we can decide not to take this lying down. We can get involved in the fight against this constitutional amendment and do everything in our power to stop it from happening. There are going to be lawsuits, and there are already organizations in place that will, over the next few weeks, need your help and donations. Even if all you can do is post to your journal about upcoming events, or talk to a co-worker or just someone you meet on the street about why this measure is such a bad idea, do it. Make a pledge to yourself that you're not going to give up on this, and no matter how dispirited you may become, stick to it.
We proved last night that the majority of people in this country are ready to put one form of discrimination behind them and that's a great first step. But we've still got some work to do and we're energized now to do it. Let's prove to the world that we are, in fact, a true nation of equality and social justice. We can do this. Yes we can.
But that's not what happened, not by a long shot.
No, we put a black Democrat in the highest office in the land last night, and not by some tiny, contestable amount, but a goddamn landslide. There were a helluva lot of talking heads who said it couldn't be done, that this country wasn't ready for a black president and might not be in our lifetime. Indeed watching Chris Matthews go from pandering to Tom DeLay (and seriously, MSNBC, you brought that jackhole on as a "political expert"? WTF?) and alluding all too ominously to a McCain surprise win, to seamlessly brown nosing his new dusky-hued overlord made me laugh and laugh. As did watching Rachael Maddow verbally spank his flabby white ass repeatedly during the coverage (BTW, Rachael I know you've got a long time partner and all but if things don't work out for you two, call me).
We did it, though, we goddamn did it. People got out and voted in record numbers and they made it pretty fucking clear that they're no longer willing to let fear and hatred rule them. Eight years of living in the new Dark Ages is finally at an end, may we all look back on them with a sort of bewildered pity, future generations certainly will. Now is the time to look ahead. As President-Elect Obama (and I can't help grinning every time I use that phrase) said so eloquently last night, now is the time for us to pull together and start thinking not only of ourselves, our families and closest friends, but of the country as a whole. Pulling ourselves out of the hole Bush, Inc. has driven us into is going to take a team effort. We can't afford to be selfish and self-centered any more. It's time to let that 80's Reaganesque culture of entitlement die its well deserved death and then let's compost that fucking ideology so that at least something positive can come out of it.
Which brings me back to Prop H8. Sure we can sit around bemoaning the fact that a whole lot of people still let their fear and ignorance rule them in this state...or we can decide not to take this lying down. We can get involved in the fight against this constitutional amendment and do everything in our power to stop it from happening. There are going to be lawsuits, and there are already organizations in place that will, over the next few weeks, need your help and donations. Even if all you can do is post to your journal about upcoming events, or talk to a co-worker or just someone you meet on the street about why this measure is such a bad idea, do it. Make a pledge to yourself that you're not going to give up on this, and no matter how dispirited you may become, stick to it.
We proved last night that the majority of people in this country are ready to put one form of discrimination behind them and that's a great first step. But we've still got some work to do and we're energized now to do it. Let's prove to the world that we are, in fact, a true nation of equality and social justice. We can do this. Yes we can.
