More Post-Election Day Thoughts...

Earlier this year, Maine's legislature passed a bill legalizing gay marriage. The governor of Maine signed it. But it hadn't yet taken effect -- whether it would or not depended on how the state's voters voted on it come election day.

By a 53-47 vote, the gay marriage law was rejected by the people of Maine. Maine was the thirty-first state to bring the gay marriage issue to a popular vote. And for the thirty-first time, it was rejected by a majority of voters.

I have mixed feelings about this. For one thing, I'm gay. I've read a lot of accounts of gay couples in Maine who were deeply upset, and rightfully so, about how the vote turned out. But what surprised me, in reading many of these accounts, was the confusion expressed by these couples. What seemed to them to be a simple matter of giving homosexual couples the same benefits and protections heterosexual couples enjoyed, since the only main difference here is the sexual orientations -- and believe me, I think the matter really ought to be that simple, and every couple should be able to marry and enjoy the same benefits and protections -- looked like an almost existential threat to many of those who voted against gay marriage, and they couldn't understand why.

Well, I can understand why people would do that. Because I'm not a long-time gay activist with a law degree who's spent too much time living in D.C. and fixates on gay marriage, gay marriage, gay marriage above all other LGBT issues combined, convinced that if you repeat the same talking points over and over and over again, you'll win the fuckin' argument -- as if polling places are the same as courtrooms. Yeah, bullshit. What I am is a gay guy who's spent most of his life trying to hide from the fact that he's gay when there was never any reason to because there is nothing wrong with being gay.

I know how homophobes think, folks. I used to be one. Yes, it's possible to be gay and homophobic at the same time.

Part of the problem is basic ignorance on the homophobes' part. It's often said that everyone knows at least one person who is gay. And that's true. But not everyone is aware that they know any gay people because the gays they know are too wary of revealing their homosexuality to others. Can't say I blame them -- I have that problem myself. And that's another part of the problem -- many of us just aren't willing to risk coming out of the closet, for whatever reasons. I have come out to a limited degree. It's not easy to go the whole hog -- and sometimes, it's all but suicidal. (Ask any homosexual serving in the American military.)

Homophobes are, by definition, fearful of homosexuals. I won't get into how much of their homophobia is based on their own limited awareness of their own homosexual tendencies -- that's a topic for a later post. They think we're out to recruit and molest children. We're not -- unless you happen to be a Roman Catholic priest. They think we all screw each other without protection and share needles when we shoot up. Some do -- and since we've had thirty years to study and understand HIV and AIDS, this sort of reckless behavior is indefensible, so I'll cut the homophobes some slack there. But when they say we want to legalize bestiality...

Listen. I don't know of a single gay group who wants to legalize bestiality. I don't. And in case anyone's forgotten, I'm into the furry fandom. This is Mister Queerboy Furry talking here. Okay? I love animals to no end. I just don't screw any of them -- though I tend to wonder about the desires of those homophobes who think I do screw animals.

Anyway... our society has grown more accepting of homosexuals during my lifetime, and that's fantastic. Furthermore, I, for one, am especially happy with this new generation young enough to be my sons and daughters for being the first to see, without qualifications, that we only differ from straight people when it comes to sexual orientation. These kids are proof positive that gay marriage across all America is inevitable -- I just don't know how long it'll take.

So when I look at what went down in Maine Tuesday, I'm disappointed, but I don't feel totally hopeless. I think... our time is coming. I think that it just can't be rushed. I think that we're all human, we're all hurt, we're all broken, and...

I dunno... unlike some hurt and broken humans I could name, I'm willing to wait for my time to come. Since it looks like no matter how much one agitates, rants, raves, blogs, marches, or sulks, my time ain't gonna come any sooner. Ask black people how rushing things worked out for them. Ask women the same.

And then ask them if racism and sexism are dead. That ought to be interesting...

The Day After Election Day, 2009 Edition...

The long, on-again/off-again debate I've been having with myself away from the blogs is over: I'm getting back into regular political blogging. And it's happening on this site.

I made the decision this morning on my way home from work. During my lunch break, I checked the election results across the country on my cell phone. We'll start with the state I voted in

Republican Bob McDonnell easily won the gubernatorial race in Virginia. There is nothing surprising about this -- Virginia is the same conservative stronghold it's always been. All three Virginia Democrats who have won big races in this decade play it pretty close to the center politically: Mark Warner (Governor in 2001, U.S. Senator in 2006), Tim Kaine (Lt. Governor in 2001, Governor in 2005), and Jim Webb (U.S. Senator in 2006), and Webb stands on the right side of the center line. Barack Obama won the state's electoral votes on a strong liberal platform last year, but that wasn't because hordes of life-long Republicans suddenly got liberalism. They didn't. It was the rapid acceleration of the sinking economy two months before the election, amplifying the already widespread disgust with and rejection of the Bush administration on numerous counts (its appalling handling of the war in Iraq being the biggest one), combined with overwhelming support for Obama among African-Americans (roughly one-fifth of the state's population) and Hispanics along with about two-fifths of all white voters that won him Virginia.

That was one year ago. Yesterday, the Virginia voters who bothered to show up at the polls resumed their old habits. The Republicans went three-for-three -- McDonnell, Bolling (a second Lt. Governor term), and Ken Cuccinelli (State Attorney General). Me, I went zero-for-three. (I talk a lot of trash about the Dems, but when it comes time to vote... well, those sons of bitches still have me right where they want me. They're still the best bet -- which ain't sayin' a lot, unfortunately.) So much for all that crap about Virginia turning blue.

The other governor's race was in New Jersey. Republican Chris Christie beat Governor Jon Corzine in what turned out to be a much closer race than the one here. I don't know enough about New Jersey to explain that one, beyond knowing that Corzine was a Goldman Sachs bigwig-turned-politician running for re-election at a time when the American public is growing increasingly incensed with All Things Wall Street. I'm thinking Christie should have won in a landslide. But a win is a win.

Weirdest of all was the NY-23 race. Democrat Bill Owens beat Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman after the Republican nominee, Dede Scozzafava, dropped out of the race. She was disowned by certain of her fellow Republicans for not being conservative enough. This happened in a district that has elected one Republican after another without fail since the 19th century.

Taken together, these three races create a general but fair outline of the kind of mood American voters are in right now. People are clearly displeased with the lack of progress the Obama administration and the Dem-controlled Congress have made in the last nine and a half months, but not so displeased that they're willing to give the GOP's crazy bloc a second chance after eight years of Bush. As bleak as things appear, that's a healthy sign -- and when you think about it, it's also a wake-up call for both major parties, not just the Democrats.

One of the big differences between the two parties is, the Dems have a crazy bloc of their own, but those folks are relegated to the party's fringes, precisely where they belong. The crazies in the Republican Party are currently running that show. Compare what happened in New York with what happened here in Virginia. Bob McDonnell is a right-wing theocrat at heart. But he edged toward the center during the campaign. Granted, he's going to veer rightward once he's sworn in, but he kept the right-wing rhetoric toned down a bit on the campaign trail -- he played it safely and smartly, and Virginia's legion or two of election-minded and ever-conservative voters lapped it all up. It all makes perfect sense, whether or not one likes the outcome.

And then there's what happened in New York's 23rd district. The difference between the result of our governor's race and the result of that district's race is the difference between, respectively, conservatism and far-right batfuckery. The far-right batfuck segment of the GOP basically told the moderate, conservative GOP candidate to hit the road because she wasn't batfuck enough for her own party -- all over a congressional seat that has been held by the GOP since the 19th century. And the Democrat won it. Jesus.

I used to think George Allen's "macaca"-based self-destruction in 2006 was the most bizarre election-related development I'd seen since taking up blogging. But all that noise that just came out of New York takes the cake now. And I'm happy that it turned out the way it did. Because if we absolutely must suffer under a two-party system in which no third party will ever have a snowball's chance in hell of taking root, growing, and flourishing, then I want it to be dominated by Republicans who are at least as rational as they are conservative, and by Democrats who are, at the very least, effective. The message I got judging from the three elections I've mentioned is that the bulk of Americans feel essentially the same way.

Taking what happened in just three races to be representative of the American public macrocosm is one hell of a stretch, I admit. But there are pundits who make tons of money who are making equally long stretches when they say these elections are all about Obama's limitations. That's a crock of bull.

Here's the truth: The American economy is still in trouble, people are still losing their jobs, their insurance, their life savings, their homes, and worst of all, whatever sense of security they still possess -- never a good sign. Obama's campaign was heavily fueled by his incessant talk of hope and change, but ever since he was sworn in, he's been learning how to do his job, and all the while, hope has turned to despair for millions more, and change simply has not been happening fast enough. I'm not exactly frustrated with him -- he really does have the worst job in the world. But I happen to still have a job, my health insurance (for what that's worth), a place to live, and even if I do lose my job, I only have myself to worry about -- no children to raise, no adult relatives who depend on me for their own survival. Hell, I'm doing well enough that I have the time it takes to sit down and write this ridiculously long-assed post. I can afford to cut Obama a little slack. Most of the people I know have much more to worry about than I do. If they aren't willing to cut him, or the Democrats, as much, if any, slack, than I fully understand -- even if they happen to be batfuck insane. There is, after all, an awful lot of that going around. It won't accomplish anything good if things get much worse and the infection spreads. But I fail to see what else will happen if things do get much worse.

I have more to say about the election results from yesterday, mostly concerning gay rights. Suffice to say here that I consider those results to be a mixed bag, as I do the results of the three races I've talked about. In the meantime...

Til further on...

And Now, a Piece of My Fur Affinity Artwork...

Its title over there is "Goat, Donkey, Big Bear, Wolf, and Little Bear." It's part of a furry comic I've been struggling to get off the damn tarmac for months. I'm in that comic, and my so-called "fursona" character is the little bear on the right. If I ever get this damn thing rolling, I'll let you know.

Later...

"Fly By Night, Goodbye My Dear"...

My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend.

Enjoy...

More Fun With Hitler...

There must be a thousand of these Der Untergang spoofs on YouTube. But this one is among the best I've seen...

Not Buying It...

Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee that awarded Obama the Nobel claimed they "would like to support what Obama is trying to achieve."

Really? Me too. But by that same logic, shouldn't George W. Bush have been awarded a Nobel in 2003 for trying to bring democracy and freedom to the Middle East? Because Obama's accomplishments toward establishing peace to date have yet to merit mere consideration for a n award as allegedly prestigious at the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee is jumping the gun a bit, don't you think? Sure, Obama beats the hell out of Bush -- which is kind of like saying a rapist who uses a condom is better than one who does not. Either way, you're getting screwed.

But don't try to tell me Obama is a man of peace. Try telling that to our soldiers fighting a war they have absolutely no chance of winning in Afghanistan. When (or, rather, if) Obama withdraws our soldiers from Afghanistan, then I'll start to entertain the idea that he is a man of peace. Until then, forget it...

Godwin's Law Be Damned...

As fed up as I am with the two-party system, this was just too funny to pass up. Enjoy...

(Got it from Gordon at Alternate Brain...)