Two Sociopolitical Notes

[browngirl]

(I wrote the first part yesterday, but didn't post it, because of the Zombiepocalypse.)

So, I got home to find Wolf listening to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on NPR. Now, some people consider National Public Radio a bastion of godless liberalism; I like listening to it, so it probably is.

On this radio game show, ordinary citizens call in to be contestants, and when they do they're asked a couple friendly questions about their professions, etc. A young man called in and said he was currently unemployed, having just been discharged from the army after seven years of service.

What did the audience, celebrity panelists, and moderator do, upon hearing this? The moderator said "wow" in a warmly respectful voice, and everyone gave the young veteran a round of applause.

The next time I hear about how opposing this war necessarily means hating and despising the members of the armed forces who are fighting in it, I'm going to remember this. "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" isn't specifically an anti-war program, but all my snarkiness aside, their jokes haven't been in favor of it. But it's not because they hated this soldier, or any other

In other news, I wish I'd thought to take today off (not least so Tigerlily wouldn't've had to drive me in--- I feel guilty about how much traffic there was) to go to the State House. It being the summer, my superiors probably would have let me; I'm not optimistic about the political climate, and I wish I could at least be there feeling like I was doing something to help.

Dear [Ayesha],

June 14th could be a day for the history books. Join us at the Constitutional Convention on Thursday so you can say you were there the day the anti-gay amendment was finally defeated.

We still have work to do between now and then, but I believe it can happen. We are fully prepared for a vote tomorrow, and we are doing everything we can to line up the votes to win.

But we need you to be there with us that day.

Show our legislators that there is strong support in Massachusetts for marriage equality. Remind them that there are tens of thousands - if not hundreds of thousands - of Massachusetts citizens depending on them to do the right thing and vote down this discriminatory amendment.

We will be in front of the State House starting at 7AM. Please come and join us as early as you can. The Constitutional Convention will take place at 1PM.

Join us at the Constitutional Convention
Starting at 7AM
Massachusetts State House
Beacon Street
Boston, MA
Click here to sign up

If you have any questions, contact Jesse Sullivan, Event Manager, at 617-878-2328, or email events@massequality.org.

Come be a part of history with us!

Marc Solomon
Campaign Director


MassEquality.org was formed as a coalition dedicated to ensuring that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision on marriage equality is upheld, and that any anti-gay amendment or legislation is defeated. MassEquality.org values its relationship with you. If you do not want to receive our updates, please visit http://www.MassEquality.org/action/unsubscribe.php. If this email was forwarded to you and you would like to join the MassEquality.org email list, subscribe by visiting http://www.MassEquality.org/action/subscribe.php. To make a financial contribution to support our work, please visit http://www.MassEquality.org/gift. Thank you. We are a team and together, we will win.

Comments

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

I'm always slightly amused by the difference in attitude towards the Forces in Britain and America. In Britain, soldiers - especially infantry - are thought of as minimally educated, yobbish and only in the Army because they can't get a proper job. We still don't want them to get killed, mind, but it's not as though they're nobly sacrificing themselves for the good of the country - they're running around and getting to play with guns. Officers are all public school twonks. Sailors and airmen have it slightly better, because they have to have a trade, but they still aren't seen with any particular respect.

I mean, I don't know anybody who's joined the Forces out of patriotism. My family did it because it's what their parents did and they were at a Forces boarding school (which basically prepares you to join the Forces); my friends did it because it was a way of learning a trade while getting reasonable pay.

Then again, Britain has a long-standing distrust of the Forces, dating right back to Cromwell and the birth of the first modern army, so I suspect that's still an influence.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*nod* The US has some large patriotic myths/ideas/whatnot with the idea of military service woven in; it also has the widespread idea that the Vietnam War protests involved attacks on soldiers (phrased this was because I wasn't there and people who were have told me conflicting things).

[anisosynchronic.livejournal.com]

The genesis of the USA involved the notion of "citizen-soldier" (including a few women such as Molly Brown and Molly Pitcher) who mustered up to defy the British regular Army soldiers and mercenary Hessians and fight for independence, and then went -home- demobilized out of the army as soon as the war was over.

[flabosib.livejournal.com]

The amendment isn't going on the ballot! Thank goodness!

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

HOORAY!