“I am flabbergasted that 51% of Americans didn’t see what was right in front of them. Now the rest of us are left trying to figure out what to do so nothing like this ever happens again. From the bottom of my heart, I AM SO INCREDIBLY SORRY. 🙁 From Abby in Memphis”
I don’t know if this is kosher, but I’m going to do sort of a call-response thing on my blog. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Adam, has a blog and posted some excellent stuff today that really got me typing. I typed an absurdly long response on his blog, and I’d like to bring the whole discussion over here. I’m also going to post something my mother wrote to that Catholic leader who was telling people it was a sin NOT to vote for Bush on the grounds of moral values.
“Moral Values” (from Adam’s A Violently Executed Blog)
First off, let’s make it clear: “Moral values” are about more than gay marriage and abortion. Opposing an unjust war is a moral value. Fighting for health care and jobs is a moral value. Don’t let the So-Called Liberal Media or the f’Right-dingers tell you otherwise.
Second, I’d like to address those that are blaming the queers for Kerry’s loss. Yes, the Rethuglicans mobilized using us as their recruiting posters. Do you really think that if the GLBT community had stayed out of sight for the entire election period that it would have been any different? There’s always something for these ChristoFascists – abortion, evolution, guns, prayer in schools – they always pull something out to beat on the Progressives with. Even Clinton thought Kerry should play the Queer-bashing card, but Kerry stuck to his principles and said no.
I don’t think the GLBT community bears blame. We fought like hell for Kerry, despite his lukewarm support. Even the Log Cabin Republicans turned against Bush. Unlike the Naderites, we understood the need to support a candidate that could win.
So don’t blame the election on us. You say that shit around me, I’ll put a size 10EE so far up your ass you’ll taste shoe leather.
And my response:
I didn’t know you had wide feet, too! We really are like siblings. I’m an 8.5D, which is wide as hell for a girl. And my New Balance Men’s 7EEE fit like a glove, but oh… that wasn’t the point of your post, was it?!
I watched a really interesting documentary last night about Gay Republicans, and I was so happy to see the Log Cabin Repubs NOT endorse Bush. It was fascinating.
I don’t think the blame is really aimed at the GLBT community. I think the blame regarding that issue is at the insidious homophobia in this country. I blame the 51% that voted for Bush for their homophobia, because you’re right… when they say “Moral Values,” they mean (as Jon Stewart said) “dudes kissing dudes.”
A war just to avenge your dad (in the wrong fucking country, btw) is completely immoral, but “it’s war, and war is manly and American and STRAIGHT! Dudes kissing dudes… now that’s just wrong because (frankly) I’m threatened by gay people because I’m insecure about my own sexuality and change and things I don’t know about.”
I’m so enraged by all of this. I love what Jon Stewart’s been saying lately… about how if the war were really about terrorism and about what gay people should do, then who is better at knowing about that than New Yorkers. They were directly affected by terrorism, and they live around lots of dudes kissing dudes. And so why, then, did they vote overwhelmingly for Kerry? Steven Colbert said it was because they were too close and “Thank god the people in the red states are saving us from ourselves!”
OK, I should be putting this on my own blog (perhaps I will), but you have such a great point here.
Keep the faith, my brother.
Here is a letter my mother wrote to Archbishop Chaput regarding moral values, after he declared that any Catholic who votes for Kerry is committing a serious sin and should go to confession because they are cooperating in evil:
Dear Archbishop Chaput,
Would you not also consider the proliferation of war a foundational
issue? I’m appalled at your inconsistency and at your interjection of
politics into the church.Abby’s Mom
Mountains of North Georgia
He responded, too.
Dear Abby’s Mom,
Thank you for your email. Since you’ve taken the time to write, I’m sure you’ll also have the courtesy to read what I actually say about these issues.
[He then included several links: the original New York Times interview transcript and his thoughts on the relationship of church and state, the death penalty, Catholics and their responsibilities both within their Church and as citizens, embryonic stem cell research, and Iraq. If anyone wants these links, let me know.]
You’re certainly welcome to disagree with anything I have to say. But you do owe it to your own integrity — not to mention common justice — to know what I actually say, not what others report or claim about it.
Be assured of my good will and prayers.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+cjc
And my mother’s response to him:
Dear Archbishop Chaput,
I very much appreciate your reply. In fact, I was astonished to get a personal response from you. In fairness, I forwarded the links you sent me to all persons to whom I had forwarded my original letter to you.
I’ve read everything you sent me, and it seems that we agree on almost everything. Here’s the big point of disagreement. Although you certainly have a right to choose your candidate, I don’t feel you should be using the power of the church to support your candidate. You say that abortion and stem cell research are foundational issues. I would never have an abortion, and I certainly wish that no one ever would. I don’t like the idea of using embryos to do stem cell research. However, I feel that waging a pre-emptive war, refusing to consider not applying the death penalty, following policies which are destroying our environment, and not renewing the ban on assault weapons should also be foundational issues. Neither candidate is consistently pro-life.
To me, using one pro-life issue as an excuse to exhort your parishioners to vote for one candidate smacks of playing God. Because both candidates fall on both sides of pro-life issues, I feel you would show great wisdom in asking them to pray to God in helping them to make their own decisions, not in telling them what to do.
Respectfully,
Abby’s Mom
I know I’m putting an awful lot into one post, but I have a rare day off to catch up on things, and I’ve been meaning to blog about this idea of moral values. I even have another topic I’m hoping I get to today, so thanks for your patience if you’ve actually read this far.
There is more to MORAL VALUES than keeping dudes from kissing other dudes. (It may seem shameless, but I had to make this t-shirt, because I’m going to have to wear one myself.)
Where I don’t want to live.
This graphic makes me feel so much better. I feel less like I’m living in the middle of Jesusland. Maybe I don’t need to run to the hills. I’m still moving to Boston after this internship, but at least for now, I can feel better about my country.
The rest of the ride along. I won’t be organized about it. I’m too pissed about the election.
The scariest part of the evening came after we went to the house where the “violent mental consumer†was supposed to be. I was expecting someone screaming throwing things. We pulled up after meeting briefly around the corner (I wrote about that before). There were 6 police officers (and me) in 4 cars. The house looked dark. I was very nervous. In the car, I asked if I should come in with her. She said that was the only way I could see a CIT call. I was scared, but I decided to do it (a real act of bravery for me). I got out of the car and suddenly became very aware of my chest and back being exposed (police officers wear bulletproof vests). We walked up to the dark house. I positioned myself between two officers, not wanting to be the last person to walk up, nor the first person. They always go to CIT calls with backup, so this was typical. The officers had flashlights aimed at the door and their hands on their weapons. They knocked loudly on the front door. A 28 year-old African-American woman (I’ll call her Miss X) answered the door. She had clearly been sleeping, not at all what I was expecting. The lead CIT officer was in charge of the call.
This woman was talking a lot about details of her life and her day. She was coherent, but she wasn’t giving us enough background for us to understand what she was saying. The officer asked many organizing questions. It’s hard to explain, but basically here’s what we finally gleaned from talking to her and from making a few calls to the hospital emergency room. Miss X lives with her mother, her mother’s common law husband, and another woman who moved in recently. Miss X clearly didn’t like this new woman who had moved in. The mother of Miss X is not healthy and has to take several types of medication. Her daughter is the one who gives her medication. She doesn’t like anyone else to do that. Well, Miss X is also on medication. TennCare (
What was interesting about this call was how the lead officer spoke to this woman. He kept her thoughts organized by asking simple questions. And when he arrested her, it was so casual that I didn’t even know that was what had happened. He asked, “Sweetheart, you got some shoes you can put on?†And when she panicked saying she couldn’t possibly leave the house because there weren’t keys and she couldn’t get back in, he told her he’d call her mother and get more keys and take care of everything. They cuffed her, and she went into our car.
We drove her south to the triage assessment center at the big hospital downtown, not before missing our exit and ending up in
After that lovely experience, we still hadn’t eaten. It was 11pm. We got to the Rendezvous at 11:05pm, and a cop watching the door let us in anyway. They didn’t want to feed us until the old guy working there saw that she was a cop. His son is also a cop and works in her precinct. We asked for anything they wanted to give us. We each got a full rack of ribs plus sides. They didn’t charge us either. We tipped though.
I learned a lot about police culture. I’m so glad I did it, but I don’t think I’ll be doing it again. It was a hard thing to do. It isn’t in my blood. I’m so glad I saw a CIT call and that it wasn’t a dangerous situation (even though going in, it TOTALLY felt dangerous). I’m even gladder I didn’t see horrible violence or anything too inerasable. What a relief. More training this Friday, but luckily, the ride-along is now behind me, and I survived.
Two more election-related posts below. Don’t forget to read those, too.
