Out of the Ashes

One World Trade Center

I know we all remember where we were that day 12 years ago (which oddly seems like both yesterday and another lifetime ago). I was actually home with a sinus infection and slept in, waking up to turn on the TV to find the surreal images just as the first tower fell. They had already determined at that point that it was a terrorist attack and not just a bizarre accident. I was actually surprised that I was able to get in touch with family members via landline and once I knew everyone was OK, went back to watching the coverage in absolute horror. Three days later, still numb and totally cried out, I had to change the channel and escape into cable TV. It was all just too much. 

That next October, K and I took a long-planned vacation to Florida to visit my sister and the eerily empty Disney World, where we found no lines and the fewest people I've ever seen in the park. Our flights down and back were pretty empty and most of the country was still raw with emotion. At the time, few of us questioned President Bush's attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq. Of course, as time passed and 'Dubya' announced "Mission Accomplished," many of us were questioning the efficacy of a war raged in two countries with little or no ties to the mastermind behind the attacks. 

12 years on and we're debating the use of force against Syrian President Assad (though that seems to have been neatly sewn up as of this writing, thanks in part to the Russians - and don't even get me started on Putin and his overt homophobia). Life in America has changed, somewhat. Ridiculous and often ineffective measures have been taken to beef up airport security. Our government has given itself more power to access private communications between its citizens. Osama bin Laden is dead and we are in in the middle of the second term of the country's first African American President. 

LGBT rights and Marriage Equality have progressed by leaps and bounds despite the efforts of fundamentalist Christians and homophobes who seem to think we can move backward. More and more people are recognizing hate for what it is, while the haters become more desperate and violent in their frightened attempts to prevent social progress even as social progressives win more and more battles for true Equality. 

While America's standing as a World Leader may have waned thanks to the divisive acts of men who many rightfully consider to be war criminals (yes, I'm talking about you, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney), the American Spirit - our pride in the freedoms our country allows us; our strength and courage in the face of adversity; our determination to remain "one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" - has not wavered. And while we must honor and remember the innocent men and women and First Responders in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on those four fateful flights whose lives were taken, we must also look forward.

This year saw the completion of the first building of the new World Trade Center. Like a phoenix risen from the ashes, it serves as a symbol of the indomitable American Spirit. It should inspire us all to remember what those who have given their lives since the "Shot Heard Around the World" have fought for and remind us all not to take anything we have as a result, for granted. Uncle P may well be a gay. hippy liberal but I'm still a proud American who knows all too well that my right to be a gay, hippy liberal is something I should never (and will never) take for granted. And neither should you.

More, anon.
Prospero

VOTE!

I missed last week's "Walking Dead" recap due to Sandy and while I thought this week's episode was exceptionally exciting, emotional and powerful, I'm skipping the recap to talk about something near and dear to my heart. Something with which I know most of you already agree, but it's my last chance to rant about it, so I'm going to.

Tomorrow is the Presidential Election in the U.S. Personally, I don't understand how any LGBT person; any woman; any elderly person; any disabled person or otherwise disenfranchised person would vote for 'Rmoney.' He doesn't care about you. He claims he's going to create 12 million new jobs? Out of thin air? Maybe he intends to reinstate the WPA (something I think would actually be good for the country and our decaying infrastructure), but he has yet to show anyone how he plans to do that. He claims he's going to reduce taxes for the middle class, but his infamous "47%" video proves otherwise. He claims he wants to move the country forward, but his stand on social issues would actually move the country back by 50 years or more. His religious views certainly inform his views on government and anyone who allows religion into the governance of a decidedly secular country simply cannot govern fairly.

If you are a U.S. reader of this blog, I know you already feel the same as I do about Mitt Romney and his decidedly anti-LGBT; anti-women; anti-progressive stances. The man can simply NOT be allowed to run this country. It would be devastating to everything we have fought for in the last 30 years or more. He wants to overturn Roe V. Wade. He wants to abolish Planned Parenthood. He wants to redefine 'rape.' He wants to reinstate DADT; enforce DOMA and abolish ENDA. Basically, he wants to force his personal religious beliefs on the entire country. 'Disgusting' doesn't even cover it. And let's not even go into his flip-flopping and lies.

President Obama, on the other hand, has delivered on more campaign promises than any other President  in recent memory. He repealed DADT; ended the war in Iraq; authorized the mission to get Bin Laden; saved the auto industry; started the end of the recession and publicly endorsed Marriage Equality. How much more do you want in four years? Let's give him four more and see what happens.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, here. I know that 99.9% of you agree with everything I'm saying. But none of that matters if you don't vote. Vote. Because our lives depend on it. Vote. Because you know what's right. Vote. Because a country under the leadership of a millionaire who believes God lives on a planet called Kolob, is a country governed by a very dangerous lunatic. Let's keep loonies out of politics, shall we?

More, anon.
Prospero

D'oh!

D'oh!

40-odd days away from the Presidential election and I can't help but feel more hopeful than ever that the Romney/Ryan ticket is sinking faster than the Titanic. 

I'm pretty certain that the majority of my U.S. readers are liberal Democrats who agree that a Republican in the White House will only lead to more poverty, more repression of human rights and more corporate power. It is clear that Mitt Romney doesn't care about the working poor, the elderly, the ill or the LGBT community. Romney only cares about what's good for himself and the 1%. You all know that I'm an avowed Secular Humanist, but I know that nothing Romney stands for is in line with what the Bible says Christ stood for. The message of the New Testament is one of love, compassion and charity. I have no idea what the Book of Mormon says, other than what I've learned from the creators of "South Park" and The Book of Mormon, though it sounds just as insane as Scientology does to anyone with half a brain. Still, if it follows the supposed teachings of Jesus, Romney should throw himself out of the temple; denounce his wealth and set about doing good for his fellow men. I honestly don't see that happening, do you?

I wonder what the average guy thinks? Maybe the ultimate 'average guy,' Homer Simpson can shed some light on the problem.

Honestly, I'd try to kill myself if Flanders was seated next to me on the production line, too.

Uncle P lives in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where the State Supreme Court has just sent the new Voter ID law back to lower courts, deeming it unworthy of their consideration but still likely Unconstitutional. PA does issue free Non-Driver IDs via the Commonwealth's DMV. Of course, one has to be mobile enough to get to a DMV photo center in order to obtain such an ID. This limits those who are handicapped; elderly and/or without adequate transportation from obtaining such an ID. The idea behind these IDs is to limit voter fraud. The reality is that the law limits those unable to obtain such an ID (no matter what the reason) from voting at all. This Repugnican backed law is meant solely to prevent voters who would normally vote for Obama, from doing so. Who is committing Voter Fraud, now? Comedienne Sarah Silverman probably expresses this idea best in the the NSFW video below:

Here's the thing: VOTE! Vote to save our freedom. Vote to save our economy. Vote to keep religion out of politics. Vote to ensure that every American has the same set of rights. Vote for what you know is right. Vote as if your lives depended on it. Because they do. 

If you're still not sure who to vote for, read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or George Orwell's 1984 or any other treatise on the tenets of basic human rights. Hell, read the Constitution. It's all right there. 

Do you want the country to be ruled by man who believes God lives on the planet Kolob, or a man who believes every citizen has the right to liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of his or her race, religion, sex or orientation? 

And just to touch on Marriage Equality one more time, I came upon a quote about "Two Spirit" people and I'd like to share it with you.

"Christian leaders stand on our soil and claim: 'gay marriage' has never occurred here. Over 130 tribes in every region of North America performed millions of same-sex marriages for hundreds of years. Their statements are both hateful and ignorant. Your 'homosexual' was our 'Two Spirit' people... and we considered them sacred." 

I don't have a name to attach to that quote, but I know from my personal research in my own spiritual quest that this is true. In fact, the word 'homosexual' didn't even exist until the mid-19th Century. 

And don't even get me started on the teacher who insisted that the 'homo' in 'homosexual' was rooted in the Latin for 'man,' rather than the Latin for 'same.' If she were alive today, I'd smack her silly.

Rant over, for now. You know I'll be talking about this subject again before November. I hope you'll bear with me through the idiocy of our electoral system.

More, anon.

Prospero