Comment By Keith

[filkertom]

On Prop 8, and just in time for the vote in New York on marriage equality.

As in 2008, the poetry of the 11th century Persian Omar-Khayyam tells this story best. I recommend it to anybody still holding out on this, whether they be pedestrian or President. So I be written in the Book of Love; I do not care about that book above. Erase my name, or write it as you will, So I be written in the Book of Love.

(The mention of 2008 refers to Keith's original Special Comment on Prop 8. If you don't recall it, it's really worth another look.)

Comments

[alverant.livejournal.com]

The only thing I would add is that opposition to equal marriage is not just about the fear of "teh gay" but control over them so they won't be as afraid.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. But it's not just fear of or control over "teh gay", any more than the vast and horrific campaign of bullshit against women is only about fear of or control over them.

It's about fear of sex.

And there's more than a little slice of H. L. Mencken's definition of Puritanism: "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

I witnessed 18 marriages at Oakland City Hall, the joyful night of June 16, 2008 (the first time it was legal in California to wed same-sex couples).

Two 70something black women who'd been together for 40+ years; a soberly-dressed salt-and-pepper middle-aged gay couple who whipped out neon pink and chartreuse ostrich fans at ceremony's end; dozens of happy children participating in their best clothes as Daddy and Poppa, or Mommy and Mamma, became their legal, official parents; the Jewish couple who stomped on an empty plastic water bottle in the Capitol Rotunda to cries of "Mazel Tov!" from everybody in the room; the young man who broke down during his vows and was still in tears half an hour later.

But the most moving moment for me was seeing the ancient Chinese couple (male and female) who stood, practically propping each other up, and beamed as their middle-aged daughter, very likely their youngest, finally married the love of her life.

The best thing? Halfway through all those repeated words and phrases, it became...boring. Routine. Like any other JP wedding, except of course for the particular participants.

...I can see why the Mormons and the rest of vicious KKKhristianity went after us. Happy people of every age, color, ethnicity and religion has got to be a lot of fundamentalist nightmare fuel. Tragically, we dismissed the coming Proposition 8 as a dead duck - "It's a fait accompli, people will see that no harm has been done and defeat it!"

New York? Do you REALLY want to be compared to California? Pass the fuckin' thing and get to the real business out there!

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

That story is lovely. Thanks for sharing it.

[lizziecrowe.livejournal.com]

Love th Keith. Love love.

As for the marriage vote, they've been waffling all week as to whether it was going to happen. One guy said they may even come back Monday. I seriously hope they get off the pot and remember who's going to be voting for them in 2, 5, 10 years: the generation that doesn't really think this issue MATTERS, let alone is so important that there needs to be a ban on it. Choose your side of history indeed.

"It's A New World, Golde -- A New World"

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Yep. I'm seriously beginning to wonder how much of the human fear of death is related to the thought that The Old Ways May Die Out.

Re: "It's A New World, Golde -- A New World"

[lizziecrowe.livejournal.com]

That seems to be the trend. 'What's always been should always be' seems to be the anthem of the right. The top 1% wants the rest to be as distracted and in-fighting as possible so they can scurry away with 80% of this country's wealth. They need us to fight each other because they have no other ammo. They need us to hate because it's their greatest tool. Once we let that go, they have nothing, they are nothing, and they know it. They fight these issues tooth and nail because they know that when (Not if) they lose, they lose it all.

Re: "It's A New World, Golde -- A New World"

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I think fear of death is the fear that this is The End. It's part of why every major religion claims there's life after death.

Re: "It's A New World, Golde -- A New World"

[tcgtrf.livejournal.com]

With all due respect, Judaism has always been characterized by a concentration on this life, rather than any afterlife. It certainly can claim to be a major religion, since the second two Abrahamic religions came from it. As far as I can tell, lack of belief in the afterlife hasn't reduced the power of their religion--it's still alive and well while the Babylonians and Assyrians who conquered them are long gone.

First Century Christianity (the religion of the time that most of the New Testament was written) didn't bother with an afterlife because they expected Jesus to return during their lifetime and usher in Heaven's Kingdom on Earth. Revelations referred to the sorting of Christians versus non-believing Romans and Greeks at that time. The modern pictures of Hell and Heaven come mostly from the Christian apocrypha--specificially the Apocalypse of Peter--as amplified by Dante in The Divine Comedy.

Doesn't Buddhism's belief in an afterlife depend on the sect?

Tom Trumpinski

Passed in NY!

[alverant.livejournal.com]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/24/same-sex-marriage-passes-in-new-york-senate/

Passed and passed by enough of a margin to (hopefully) resist the challenges you know are coming.

Re: Passed in NY!

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you!! Good news!