Enough Rope?

[greygirlbeast]

Just some news items and links, because, you know, it just keeps getting more absurd. I think it's healthier, for me, to say absurd, when I mean worse. And it is. Absurd. Worse and absurd.

The thing about Charles Rangel repeatedly calling for a reinstatement of the draft is more than slightly old news, but I believe that Congress was supposed to convene to debate the bill today. There's no chance of it passing, of course, if only because it calls for mandatory service for men and women ages 18 to 42. Part of me thinks, yeah, maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing. Maybe a draft would finally galvanize a serious resistance against President Asshole and Co. Especially if all those good Republican and "Democrat" moms were to suddenly find themselves having to pack their daughters off to Iraq.

Likewise, we'll not the see the anti-gay marriage amendment passed. Now, is it odd that I find no comfort in this? Whether it passes or not, whether there's a draft or not, the men and women running this nation would have things that way if they could. And consider this CNN poll on the question of an amendment to ban same-sex marriage. 50% of those who responded support such an amendment. 50%. I live in a country where perhaps half the populace would deny me the right to marry the person I love because we're of the same gender. I live in a country where, perhaps, half the nation so loathes who and what I am that they will openly and freely admit that I should be denied simple civil rights. Because, they say, I'm a threat to cisgendered heterosexual marriage, which we apparently need, because their god said so and, hey, there are only 6.5 billion people in the world.

Sometimes, the anger gets out. It's unseemly. But there you go.

How about a tiny and more or less irrelevant bit of "good" news to put things in perspective? The Santa Marta Harlequin frog and the San Lorenzo Harlequin frog, both native to Colombia, aren't extinct after all. Well, aren't extinct yet. I think the thing that always astounds me most about what humans have done to amphibians is that these guys have been around since the goddamn Palaeozoic. They've survived megavolcanoes and ice ages and global droughts and cometary/asteroid impacts. They survived the extinction of the dinosaurs. But they probably won't survive Homo sapiens very much longer. I mean, isn't that genuinely fucking astounding? Too bad no one's keeping score out there...

Comments

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I actually don't think the Assholes That Be really want another draft; that would, as you say, galvanize an anti-war movement like nothing else would. No, they'd rather do it the 'backdoor' way.

listeningowl and I have been saying that the last six years (and the two more to come) have been a necessary fever for the country to go through. Little by little, the madness will be sweated out of the American body; one sees the temperature going down in tandem with Bush's approval rating.

I wouldn't put too much stock in the CNN poll. As Harlan Ellison is fond of saying, if fifty million people say a stupid thing, it is still a stupid thing. Then again, I've been watching the GLAAD Media Awards, where Melissa Etheridge gave the kind of speech we all need to hear right about now.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't put too much stock in the CNN poll. As Harlan Ellison is fond of saying, if fifty million people say a stupid thing, it is still a stupid thing.

Obviously. Well, obvious for those of us who disagree with that 50%. Problem is, stupid has an awfully good track record.

By the way, Harlan was quoting Anatole France.

[humming-along.livejournal.com]

Well, on the marriage front, transexuals are even worse often than the GLB of the queer alphabet. We can get married if we happen to have been born in a state the issues us a brand new birth certificate, but if challenged in court the marriages are almost always annulled or invalidated, and they don't "count" for purposes of sponsoring a spouse for immigration. Which is why I live in Red Stick and my significant other lives in Israel.

[hewet-ka-ptah.livejournal.com]

The thing about Charles Rangel calling for a reinstatement of the draft is slightly old news, but I believe that Congress was supposed to convene to debate the bill today.

That was the old version of his bill. The new version was submitted in February of this year and calls for a draft of people from age 18 to 42. No co-sponsors.

Bills presented on the House floor today were for everything from National Passport Month to commending American brewers to the budget for Homeland Security. All of those bills were technically up for debate. HR 4752 wasn't discussed today. If it were scheduled for today, it wasn't important enough to keep on today's schedule.

My frustration, btw, is not directed at any one person, so if it comes out that my frustration is directed at you, I'm deeply sorry. I've been seeing this linked and talked about all day and it's made me a little nuts.

My ire is fully directed at the sponsor and co-sponsors of that p.o.s. marriage amendement. Sponsored by Wayne Allard of Colorado. 31 co-sponsors. Karl Rove's been a busy, busy, little man.

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is a co-sponsor of the bill and is in my state. He's up for re-election this November. I'm planning on being actively involved in the campaign of his Democratic opponent cuz I'm more than tired of this bullshit by Social Conservatives.

A gay marriage amendment is being pushed here in Arizona which is psychotic because it's already illegal to marry a same sex partner in this state. However, Arizona does recognize civil unions. The Radical Right are pushing to eliminate civil unions for all unmarried people - focused on gays, but also effecting straight couples. No health insurance, no life insurance, being kept out of the ER if your partner is injured because you aren't "legal".

Petition drives have been underway since last year to gather enough signatures to get the proposal on the ballot this November. Shockingly enough the only places where the petition is circulating is in churches. So far the jerkwads are failing miserably to gather enough support. Recent polls show that 68% of Arizonans think the "Protect Marriage" amendment is a bunch of bullshit.

There's some hope out there.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

A gay marriage amendment is being pushed here in Arizona which is psychotic because it's already illegal to marry a same sex partner in this state.

But see, it has to be extra illegal, because it's extra Evil.

[elmocho.livejournal.com]

There's a group called the Center For Arizona Policy-- so official sounding!-- hustling for signatures on the position. Last I heard, they hadn't gotten all the signatures they need to get it on the ballot.

What scares me is "their" gubanatorial candidate, Len Munsil, the former president of the CAP. Munsil has recently made a few statements about the universality of all citizens and other lip service to equality, but if you scratch his former history and statements, he's a theocratic whackjob.

I fear, with the immigration furor, they will paint our current Governor Janet Napolitano as weak on border issues and Munsil as the sane, reasonable alternative and therefore get votes from folks who aren't theocratic whackjobs. Napolitano has also consistently vetoed anti-choice legislation, another item to whip up the base.

Also, the representative in my district is a member of the Concerned Woman for America. She lives in Anthem, a gated enclave in North Phoenix, and came from somewhere in the midwest to get a communications degree from ASU. So far as I can tell, her communcations firm mostly manages her campaigns. Meanwhile, my family has lived out here since Anthem and everything around it was desert and my Grandfather hauled water to his house from a metal tank by I-17. I yearn for the day when we meet face to face.

[hewet-ka-ptah.livejournal.com]

There's a group called the Center For Arizona Policy-- so official sounding!-- hustling for signatures on the position. Last I heard, they hadn't gotten all the signatures they need to get it on the ballot.

Have you joined Arizona Together yet? They've gone a great job at counteracting CAP. There was a bit of tricky maneuvering when McCain came out in support of the amendment. AT sent out emails to everyone urging them not to write letters to the editor or do anything to call attention to McCain's stance and instead write letters to McCain that calmly requested that he change his stance. It worked. The McCain support got zero play.

Munsil is a freaking psycho.

I'm not too worried about Napolitano, she's still hitting well over 60 percent in the polls and the Republican Party has yet to get a solid candidate to run against her. Munsil just wants more attention and I think he's too radical to get a lot of support. I've not even heard he was running until now, so the news isn't hitting Tucson in a big way yet.

I yearn for the day when we meet face to face.

Heh! Go get her.

When I first heard the petition for this "Protect Marriage" amendment was being circulated I stalked libraries and City Hall hoping to catch an organizer until I found out they were only being circulated in churches. I was so depressed that I wouldn't get to verbally eviscerate a bigot live and in person.

[elmocho.livejournal.com]

Have you joined Arizona Together yet? They've gone a great job at counteracting CAP.

I signed up for a few mailing lists, but haven't been as proactive as I could be. Thanks for the tip.

When I first heard the petition for this "Protect Marriage" amendment was being circulated I stalked libraries and City Hall hoping to catch an organizer until I found out they were only being circulated in churches. I was so depressed that I wouldn't get to verbally eviscerate a bigot live and in person.

I got a random petition-taker in front of Burton Barr Library. He had a lot of stuff, and he presented it like just one more on his list-- along with some pet laws, anti-smoking ordinances and the usual suspects. I just looked at it, shook my head, and said "I'm not signing that." I don't think he cared one way or another, but I missed an opportunity to ask him if he even knew the stuff he was collecting signatures for.

[tookhernowhere.livejournal.com]

How long have they been circulating that ammendment? 'Cause I remember it popping up in the lobby of my folks' church, and it's been almost a year since I've darkened their doorway.

[hewet-ka-ptah.livejournal.com]

I joined Arizona Together in June of last year and they were formed pretty much on the heels of the petition drive. So I'm guessing they've been passing that petition around since at least June of last year, possible as early as May of last year.

50 percent

[hewet-ka-ptah.livejournal.com]

Btw, I think I've mentioned this before, but when the Supreme Court ruled that interracial marriages were legal, 80% of Americans thought they were wrong.

It doesn't mean that all is hunky dory or that we're making great progress in the area of civil rights. Just means there's more work to be done and we can hope that at some point in the not so distant future, the 50%'s viewpoint will be seen with the same contempt and disbelief as one feels when seeing the 80% figure for interracial marriages.

Re: 50 percent

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

the 50%'s viewpoint will be seen with the same contempt and disbelief as one feels when seeing the 80% figure for interracial marriages.

We'll see...

[thomasroche.livejournal.com]

My skin crawls when I consider how many of my countrypeople -- I use the term "people" loosely here -- would never cop to racism but are just fine with open homophobia and transphobia....or, perhaps even more disturbingly, don't view it as such.

[setsuled.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that the right-wingers have been very good at redirecting the same-sex marriage conversation to being about protecting the "traditional definition of marriage." Even people who disagree seem to feel obliged to make the entire argument about either semantics or the timing of the issue.

I became especially aware of it last night when I was watching The Daily Show, and saw Jon Stewart, interviewing Bill Bennett, swiftly go to the real argument, whether homosexuality is part of human nature, or just a sort of fetish. Of the various interviews and pundits I've seen talking about the issue, Stewart was the first I saw to actually put to a conservative commentator that the civil rights issue is that gays should be allowed to marry in order to pursue happiness.

It's an interesting interview, and you can see it here, if you want. (http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/06/07.html#a8614)

[from-ashes.livejournal.com]

What I find really interesting is that there is still a war going on, gas prices are at an all-time high, the economy is pretty much sucking right now, and all our president can think about is how it's wrong for two people to love each other just because they're of the same sex. I honestly think he's jealous of anyone who can find a little bit of happiness in this world, because you can imagine his marriage is one without a lot of love.

But that's just my theory! hehe.

And yes, it is depressing that half the country (at least according to CNN) would deny those rights to someone. I mean, HOW DOES IT EVEN AFFECT THEM if gays can get married. It doesn't. Geez.

It pisses me off, can you tell?

[tarots.livejournal.com]

and all our president can think about is

Exactly. I think it's all diversionary bullshit. As was said recently in this blog: it is easy to pick on gays.

I honestly think he's jealous of anyone who can find a little bit of happiness in this world, because you can imagine his marriage is one without a lot of love

Whelp...I sincerely doubt he's 'jealous' of anyone having love since it appears to me that he lacks the capacity so I guess he hasn't a clue what it is to begin with. Feh.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I wonder if a lot of people out there had an issue with the label of "marriage", and if they did the same poll using the term "civil union" how things would change, if at all. I want to believe that even if there are many with a linguistic hangup over their "sacred" term, that not nearly as many people would want to refuse rights to committed same-sex couples. If it's all about semantics, I say use the different term, and secure people their rights and legal protection.

About extinction, sometimes I wonder if it's the species whose numbers are dwindling, or the irksome, conceited one that's skyrocketing that is really the one in danger. I suppose when it comes down to it, we all are ~ since we're all connected. Sad thing is, humans don't always comprehend the vital and necessary importance of that connection.

[sisyphusiren.livejournal.com]

With regard to the civil union v. marriage semantics issue, civil unions offer comparitively few rights to couples, while marriage offers well over a thousand rights specifically to married couples. In discussion with friends I tend to equate this to the "separate but equal" notion: "Textbooks for all children! Nevermind that some children get outdated, used, pages-missing, should-be-garbage books and other get new ones, they're equal! Really!"

I mean, but you may already know this. I guess my point is that even if it were just an issue of wording, it still wouldn't sit right with me, it's still like They are segregating a group for not being like all the other good, red-blooded 'Mer'cans.

However, I'm not trying to belittle your opinion or start a fight or be rude at all, I just get (like every other person with sense in their head) really worked up about this and it comes out in the most random of places.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I live in Massachusetts, so I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to be proud of the local lawmakers standing up to the bullies, and making sure people *do* have equal rights :)

However, I've lived in extraordinarily conservative parts of the country before, and in some of those areas, I just don't see them abiding by same-sex marriages for the forseeable future, so I'd rather there be some kind of protective rights on the books, than none at all ~ especially when it comes to the right to adopt, be covered under their partner's insurance, be considered family at hospitals, after death, etc... I figure if there are areas where the door isn't going to swing wide open right now, I'd at least like to get a crack of light shining through in the meantime. That said, would I prefer full equal rights in place at this very moment ~ of course I would.

And by all means, take every opportunity you can to be outspoken about your opinions ~ we need a *lot* more of that going on in this country!

[sisyphusiren.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I used to be completely against civil unions only for GLBT couples for all of the above reasons, but that only lasted a short time, because at least it's a step in the right direction. I would rather have that than nothing at all.

[tarots.livejournal.com]

My anger at this is totally based upon seeing too many gay couples denied end of life rights, period.

I wonder what it says about folks who are so adamantly averse to the concept of equal protection that they cannot follow the thought that IF you are not married or recognised as a couple -- you cannnot even fucking sit next to your dying partner in the hospital, you may not be allowed to access money to pay your bills from a bank, you may lose every possession you owned in a house that was in one name only, you may have to watch helplessly as your pets die alone or are bundled off to destinations unknown...ghod damn, this just irks me.

A womb with a fertilised egg is given more protection than a couple that has spent YEARS, not days, together.

Where's the love.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

These are the same people who believe that the centerpiece of heaven is a full view of hell and think that the bliss of the elect cannot be complete without being able to witness the torment of the damned. A version faith that pathological must cope with the possibility of being wrong by not wanting to wait until the nixt life to torment the sinners who live with joy and love in this one. For some people, righteousness and cruelty are the only satisfaction, and this world seems to reward (paraphrasing Phillip Pullman) cruelty with power.

Sorry, now I'm just being bitter and snarky.

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

the centerpiece of heaven is a full view of hell and think that the bliss of the elect cannot be complete without being able to witness the torment of the damned.

One of the principle reasons why I stopped believing in hell or an objective, physically or psychically manifest realm of "punishment": the notion of "perfect mercy" and "infinite justice" are incompatible unless one applies the equation that mercy = justice. While I might not currently like the idea of sharing an idyllic afterlife with Mssrs. Bush, Rove, and Hitler, I imagine that at the point of transcendent cessation of life functions, I probably won't really give a damn and will gladly trade such discomfort for the likelihood that I won't suffer an "ETERNITY OF FLAME AND TORMENT" based on some tool's capricious and arbitrary concept of morality.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Not believeing in either, I do very strongly believe in the actions of those people who do believe and whose actions are wholly informed by those beliefs. I suspect that sin and hate and evil and whatever, like carbon dioxide and PCBs and asbestos are burdens only for those who yet live, and they endure after those who make them die.

I dunno. My (our?) countrymen make me sad.

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

My (our?) countrymen make me sad.

Mostly they make me angry and sad to the point of puking my guts up. Alcohol sometimes helps. Worst of all, they are really great at making me feel impotent.

a republican, a bigot, or a pusher...

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

I'm of the opinion that, if they saw someone standing at the edge of a cliff, and they knew that person looked/believed/was of different faith then them and that they could get away with it, at least 50% would push the person unawares. The hell of this opinion, of course, is that, put into the same position, I'd be walking away from a republican, a bigot, or a pusher.

There's no chance of it passing, of course, if only because it calls for mandatory service for men and women ages 18 to 42.

However it would explain my nightmares about military service returning (which were pretty bad in my late teens and early 20s, but petered out through the mids and magically disappeared sometime when I was 27).

Argh...

[wishlish.livejournal.com]

Between the RIAA trying to sneak in a copyright bill that would force you to obtain a license for MP3s in your computer's frelling RAM and this nonsense, I'm starting to wonder if it isn't time to just rip up the Constitution and start over.

We're at war. 380K people were dislodged from their homes over Katrina and FEMA's butchery. There was a major terror arrest in Canada. And yet, we're spending actual time trying to rob a significant portion of our citizenry of their right to get married.

Great country we got here. Ugh.

[cillygirl.livejournal.com]

There's no chance of it passing, of course, if only because it calls for mandatory service for men and women ages 18 to 42.

I suppose that if it did pass the only good thing would be that you'd see a lot of young men and women in the army coming out as gay, and some pretending to be gay to get out of military service... as the US still has "don't ask, don't tell".