PROP 8, PROP H8TE? (just an update)

When Obama won, I was blown away with excitement. WOW! America moved past ignorance and hate and we elected a man who is black, who was supposed to be a socialist, a Muslim (as if that’s a bad word now), or even the anti-christ. I still walk around with with an Obama-glow. I spoke for him, I voted for him, and I donated to his campaign. Then later that night we find out that Californian’s voted YES ON 8. What?! Really? 

I know it’s been several weeks since the election but it’s almost inauguration time and I got to thinking about the election again. I cannot believe how ignorant we can be. What difference does it make if 2 men or 2 women marry? Does it break your marriage? If it does, you have other issues you need to work on NOW. Does it teach your children how to be gay? If you say yes, you have some education to catch up on NOW. Does it make you a bad Christian? Run to church and learn what God really wants you to do NOW.

Through this election I know of so many that lost friends and family based on this. I did. I ask myself, “Do I want people in my life that think it’s OK to cut human rights from someone?” and after explaining it to them, they further show aggression towards NO ON 8′rs?

I already stopped flying on Jet Blue and cancelled my account with them, because they donated to YES ON 8. Will it make a difference? Probably not. Will I walk a little prouder and know I did not support a company that supports inhumane treatment of others? FUCK YES. This one hurts, but I no longer go to El Pollo Loco because they too donated to YES ON 8. Ebay? At least there is Craigslist, so that’s not too much of a loss. If someone says Del Taco donated to YES ON 8, I don’t know what I’d do. The thought of it brings chill. 

By the way, I think it’s a bit funny that websites advertise who donated to YES ON 8. I think it’s funny because the YES ON 8 campaign threatened to identify businesses that wanted to support human rights and vote no on h8te. 

At a recent holiday party, I ran into the director of a movie called, “Saving Marriage”. He reminded me that when Prop 22 came out, it was supported by a landslip of about 23% points. Californians overwhelmingly wanted to reserve marriage between a man and a woman. In 2008, Prop 8 won by 2-3% and California whispered they wanted marriage only for a man and a woman. When you think of it that way, we only need to educated 3% of the population. Then you consider that the old ones die off and new ones with brighter minds are qualified to vote. He said it’s about waiting and the next election this should not even be an issue. It will be an embarrassing mark on our history but a chance to correct it like civil rights for Blacks in America.  I know one day a group of friends will gather at a coffeeshop or over dinner and say, “Can you believe we actually put human rights up for a vote?”. Yes my friends, one day the others will realize you cannot vote on the human rights of minorities.

They say time is a healer, so lets see what it does. I’m serious about the Del Taco part though. If they support PROP 8, I will go bat-shit crazy on Del Taco withdrawals.

Have a shoe, or two!

I cannot stop watching the President Bush incident! I don’t know how I feel about it. I mean on one hand, having a shoe thrown at you is very disrespectful and no man/woman deserves that treatment; especially when you are representing the most powerful empire in the world (and yes, lets call it what it is. We are not a country, we are an empire desperate to grow). It’s humiliating, it’s degrading, it’s taking a man in front of the world and reducing him to a ducking coward; it’s inappropriate for any head of state to have to face a flying shoe (and in the middle eastern culture, it’s VERY degrading…it’s like having someone spit on your face in public).

I felt so bad for him and what a terrible way to mark the last days of your tragic presidency. Maybe I feel extra-bad for him because I see him walking around with his head down and without pride. I used to walk around the Main Place Mall like that (it’s an OC thing) because I was so over my job. Really, I was so over selling over priced jeans to busloads of tourists. I didn’t care and once I gave my notice, that’s all I did to save myself. I counted the days until the worst job in the world came to a close. I  had a count down to keep from going crazy. I see that look on his face. He’s so over it, that I wonder if he even does any work. That makes me feel bad for him, because there aren’t enough days left to undo his reputation. He will forever be marked as the worst president in the history of this remarkable nation. It’s unthinkable really and then there is another part of me that remembers:

• “The disarmament of Iraq has begun” but Iraq never had WMD.
• “Either you are with us or with them.” so, if we opposed war, then he called us terrorists.
• Thousands and thousands of innocent lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• I remember the worst 8 years of my life and this nation’s history.
• I remember how far back Bush took us on environmental laws
• I remember the patriot act he enacted and pushed for
• I remember the ban put on the media to not cover returning coffins from war, to hide the truth about the war.
• I remember how we picked on country after country, well not so much we, as I mean to say HE.
• I remember how he’s not a big supporter of human rights
• I remember Katrina and the response
• I remember how beautiful of a nation we once were, about 8 years ago actually.

And then I think again, if he deserved this. If he deserved the disgraceful exit for his historic presidency. I wonder if even a man who started wars for no reason (Iraq) deserved this. I wonder if the man who undid 25 years of environmental protection laws in his 8 years deserves this. I wonder if he deserves this because so many innocent Iraqi lives were lost to his lies? Is that reason to deserve this? It’s all so very confusing. I need to think about this, but I know one thing: what a humiliating way to exit your rule. I guess it can’t be as bad as crowds chanting, “You’re outta here! You’re outta here” outside the white house the night of the Obama election victory. Or is it? This is a tough one.

I wonder what happens to the shoe thrower. Something tells me, he’s not going to live to see another day. 

ps… I will give him credit for 2 things. I give him credit for ducking shoes #1 and #2. I don’t know how many would be able to do that. There I feel better now, knowing I said something nice. 

pps…I thought about it. He did not deserve this, even though he is a complete and utter embarrassment to the beautiful nation called America. He is still our president (thank God not for too long) and he should have had more respect from the crowd. He did not deserve this just like the countless Iraqi civilians and American soldiers did not deserve to die for NO FUCKING REASON AT ALL!

PROP 8, PROP H8TE?

A few days from now, you will enter the voting booth and make a decision to pour your personal beliefs onto others or not. You will have the opportunity to spread prejudice or stop it. You will have a private moment to consider opening the gates to equal rights, or slamming the door on equality. You can decide to be a part of the recent America or the great nation that really means “with liberty and justice for all”. 

You will have the chance to combine church and state but cast shadows on millions of homes who want the same rights as you have. Take a moment to think hard about your vote. Perhaps your version of Christianity says it’s a sin to be gay, because I’ve met many wonderful Christians that feel God loves all and wants justice for all. 

Perhaps you might consider the sad fact that many teenage suicides are directly linked to homosexuality.