As a follow-up to my previous entry about being defriended by high school classmates, I have to tell you about this.
I'll admit to feeling a little paranoid and wondering about how many others had defriended me. Not very many...most of those that I've ended up friends with are still there. As I was looking at a couple of pages, I came across a posting between a couple of mutual friends in which one asked the other if they'd gotten any information about the reunion, that a couple of people from our class were working hard to get in touch with everyone. This was our 30th reunion.
Here's the thing...I am friends with several people on there, and I didn't hear one word from anyone about the reunion. No invitation, no phone call, no Facebook message or email.
I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, I wouldn't have gone, anyway. Let's just say that I wasn't sorry to say goodbye to my high school years, and when I got to college, I finally felt like I came into my own and was able to be my own person. But I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little hurt by this. I know that I wasn't one of the popular kids, I wasn't a jock...I was a bookworm, and kind of a nerdy kid, I guess. I wore glasses, I wasn't real pretty, and I was a quiet, shy person. I didn't have it bad like some kids, being bullied or getting beaten up--I don't mean to give that impression. I had friends, and I went to games and stuff like that.
But I also felt a mixture of amusement and puzzlement. I know that I wasn't so invisible that people don't remember me...we are friends on Facebook, after all. Am I somehow so out-of-bounds from the norm that I am persona non grata? Are my opinions so abhorrent to others that they don't even want to be around me, or take the risk that if they sent me an invitation, I might actually show up? Thus the title of this entry...am I somehow the crazy aunt stashed away in the attic of the Class of '80? I had this mental image of walking into the joint and people flashing the sign of the Evil Eye at me, women fainting, men screaming, "Don't look her in the eye!" Honestly, what the hell? Hahaha!
I spent a little time pondering it all. As I said, I felt somewhat hurt, but then that was much of my high school experience, anyway! After I got past that, I felt okay about it. I was always kind of an outsider or alien, never really fitting in with any group (and there are always groups in high school), and I somehow find it something of a comfort to know that I've always made my own way and been my own person. If there are times in my life when I haven't fit in, I would much rather deal with that than try to be something I'm not. It took me a while to gain some self-confidence and know that I was a person of value, after years of not being really accepted and years of religious guilt and indoctrination. I finally found my voice, my niche, my talent, and my true friends. I'm happy about that.
I'm also happy about being strong enough to break away from what is considered "normal" in these parts and make my own choices and own decisions. In a conservative, religious, socially restrictive environment, I chose my own way. I didn't do it just for the sake of rebellion; I took many years to consider things and come to the conclusions I did. I got many good lessons and values from my parents, but ultimately, it is up to each of us to make our own way and be true to ourselves after learning and growing and exploring.
If the past thirty years have led me to the point that I feel that I am my own person, I will happily accept feeling a little excluded from certain groups. I'm cool with being the crazy aunt in the attic.
I'm getting a fairly large network of friends on Facebook, so it's impossible for me to keep track of everyone. There are quite a few people whose posts I enjoy and comment on and some very good friends on there, and there are some that rarely post. If some of my closer friends and regular posters weren't to post for a while, I would check up on them, but for those who don't often post anything, I don't track their comings and goings. I am not my Facebook friend's keeper, after all.
So I didn't think anything of it when I never saw any posts from a couple of people I went to high school with and had become friends with a while back. I've seen people get on Facebook and not do much with it; not enough time, lose interest, that sort of thing. I think I left a couple of comments early on, probably just saying it was nice to see them on there, maybe commenting about a football game, and I believe at one point I mentioned getting older. (Since we're all roughly the same age, I feel that's a legitimate comment!) I was amused to realize a while later, after seeing the page of a mutual friend, that these people had defriended me. Not only that, but one had actually blocked me! Hahaha!
Now, I know I can be very opinionated on here and on Facebook. I assure you that I said nothing on this person's page that was offensive or in any way controversial. I engaged in no political or religious discussions with them whatsoever. Of course, they probably saw some of my posts and maybe even read my blog and decided that they just didn't want to be my friend. I really don't have a problem with that--I understand that I'm not for everyone--and I have been known to defriend a person or two because of a fundamental disagreement. I don't do it often, but I have done it.
But to block me? Just because I'm opinionated? I was not harassing or even contacting this person after an initial "Hi, how are you?" This makes me think that I am doing something right, and it kind of makes me grin. Whatever I posted that was offensive to this person must have shaken their belief system (both religious and political) enough to get them all agitated. Yes, it wouldn't do to be exposed to any sort of alternate viewpoint. Best not to even see it!
Recently, I received a friend request from another high school friend. Again, it was a quick hello, nice to see you, an agreement that we hadn't seen each other since high school. This was a genuinely nice person, and we were pretty good friends in junior high, and I saw that it looked like they had some pretty strong religious beliefs...so I put them into my group that I sometimes exclude from certain posts that I think might be too offensive. I swear, it wasn't a couple of days before I saw (as before, through a mutual friend's page) that they had also defriended me!
Again, I am not upset by this. If anything, I find it funny. Cousin Shane and I have often talked about how it's odd that out of so many of our conservative, religious classmates and family, we ended up as neither of those things. Considering the area we live in, it's no surprise that the majority are conservative, and the majority in the U.S. are still religious. I suppose I do find it a little sad, to think that someone would be so offended? intimidated? afraid? of my opinions that they would simply choose rather to not see them. And it's kind of silly, because you can hide people's posts from your feed. On the rare occasion that I've defriended someone, it's been because I either wasn't interested at all in their posts, because they were friends only because of games, or because there was a very basic fundamental disagreement with which I just couldn't reconcile. So I guess if I look at it that way, I can understand why they would defriend me...if they had that sort of fundamental disagreement with my viewpoints, then it is certainly their right to do so. Guess I shouldn't waste my time going to any high school reunions, eh? (I have yet to go to one, and I do not regret that one little bit.)
There are a few friends from that era that are like-minded individuals, and that's nice to know. I know I'm not the only one from around here who feels this way!
And just to make me feel even more loved, warm, and fuzzy, my stalker (and occasionally her sister) are still checking me, my stalker usually a couple of times a day. It's good to be wanted, isn't it? It's really too bad they aren't writing anymore, because that was some pretty entertaining shit. Oh well, some people just don't have the fortitude, the stamina, the ideas, or perhaps just the smarts, to keep writing. Nice to know she still loves me, though.
It's nine years later, and all the appropriate tributes and memorials are going on around the country and on the Web. I won't bore you with my story of where I was that morning--we all have our own stories, and some are more harrowing than others. Although we've lost some very important things, chief among them being hundreds of loved ones, I'd rather talk about what we still have.
We might have to take our shoes off at the airport, but many of us still have the wherewithal and the means to travel anywhere in the world. We have the freedom to worship who, where, and when we want...or not at all. We are able to speak out against our government without fear of reprisals. We have the freedom to gather together and protest policies, and our voice is heard. We can contact our government officials and let them know our opinions (hopefully in a respectful way). We have unlimited access to information with little to no censorship. Although it's getting more difficult, we still have a pathway to a good education for ourselves or for our kids. We can learn about cultures around the world, rather than not be allowed to because they might corrupt our thinking. As a woman, I can go to school, work, drive a car, and have an opinion (which I sometimes do). We can go about our daily business without the constant fear of being shot or raped or kidnapped. If we choose, we can make a difference by casting our ballots in elections (and why on earth would anyone not exercise that right?).
I could go on, but you get the idea. Although I always feel sad today, and remember the horror of that day when I see the pictures and videos, I also feel defiant. They may have knocked us for a loop for a few days, and made us change the way we do certain things, but we still have all the freedoms that they can only dream of. They have not broken us...they have not even bowed us. We also have a duty to not let them change who we are as a nation, change what made us great. We had a few bad years there in which we lost our way (We do not torture. Period.), but I believe we're back on the right track. We cannot compromise our integrity because of the mistaken belief that we need to resort to their tactics. We do not, and we must not.
We're still here, and we're still kickin'. We, like the Dude, abide. Fuck yeah, America! (By the way, that picture is more than a little tongue-in-cheek!)
Just to show that life does go on....
I paid a trip to my little Victory Garden yesterday and hauled in a few things. I was a little startled when I saw this mutant alien zucchini hiding under a leaf. What a monster! I know you're supposed to pick them smaller than this, but even when they get this big, they're great for making stuffed zucchini or zucchini bread. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but it's as long as my forearm and hand, and bigger around. I've got another one growing out there, as well as a couple of yellow zucchini. I think there should be enough nice weather yet that they'll get bigger.
I also picked the serrano peppers. Holy capsaicin, Batman, what a haul! I planted four plants, and there have to be at least three dozen peppers here. My tomatoes may have crapped out (again, dammit...stupid Verticillium Wilt), but there is no pepper problem! I think I can probably chop some up and freeze them to use in the next few weeks. I'm pretty sure I've grown serranos before. I got those plants because they didn't have any jalapenos. Serranos are supposed to be hotter than jalapenos, but I don't recall them being that much hotter. I'll be brave and taste one, just so I have an idea of how hot they are. I think they'll be good in chili.
I hadn't made any earrings for a while, and I had some findings that I was looking forward to using. I think these are my favorites that I've made so far. I used black and blue beads (maybe I can call this style Punch in the Face earrings), and I think they're nicely dangly. I wear a lot of black clothes, with a fair amount of blue, so I think these will go nicely with many of my things. I might have to work on another pair today, because I'm so pleased with how these turned out. I like dangly earrings. I don't know why, but I've always liked big earrings.
At long last, I got my Sharpie Liquid Pencils! As many of you already know, I'm kind of an office supply whore. I inherited it from my Dad, who had a cabinet full of pads of paper, pens, pencils, and other such things. As hard as it was to clean some of that stuff out--my Mom will never use all of it--I had to grin knowing that I am so very like him in that regard! Anyway, as soon as I saw that Sharpie was coming out with a liquid graphite pencil, I had to have one. I'm more of a pen person than a pencil person, but it seemed to me that a pencil that eventually becomes permanent would be a pretty nifty thing. I was a little sad to see the initial bad reviews, but was still excited to try it out for myself.
I got a sketch pad out, because I figured that would give the best results of how a liquid pencil would behave.
My high hopes were quickly dashed upon the rocks of harsh reality. The reviews I'd read were right: it wrote like a pen running out of ink, with skips and faint lines. Perhaps as I use it more, it will flow better, and maybe I need to exert more pressure. But after years of working in the lab and being on the verge of carpal tunnel syndrome because of it (my wrists and grip are finally getting back to normal), I don't want to have to exert a lot of pressure when I write. The less the better, which is why I love my Jimnie gel pens. The words flow easily and smoothly, with a minimum of pressure.
I am so disappointed with my Sharpie Liquid Pencils, but there is no time for despair, since today is the day that Notre Dame plays Michigan here at home! I'm happy to be watching from home today, as it's a cool and damp day (although I think the rain might be out of here). This is a huge interstate rivalry, since we're just a few miles from the Michigan border, and this is always a big game. It's considered to be mostly a tossup, but with the home field advantage, I think the Irish will prevail. GO IRISH!
I apologize for my absence of a week, but believe it or not, I'm still fighting this stupid cold! I honestly don't feel too bad now, just tired and with a lingering cough. I tell ya, this was a sledgehammer to the head reminding me of why I quit smoking. If you recall, they told me I had the beginnings of emphysema, at the tender age of about 45. I've been generally healthy since I quit, but for some reason, this sucker really got a hold on me (and not in a good way like the cool Miracles song). My cough reminds me exactly of the cough I had when I was still smoking, and I've had to take a cough suppressant and use my inhaler a couple of times. What a drag. Anyway, I think you'll forgive me for not having a whole lot of energy lately, and I do hope to be on the mend soon.
I'll play a little catch-up here, with a few bits and pieces I wanted to mention.
It's football season! As much as I hate to see the summer come to an end, I'm always happy to be watching football again. Notre Dame's season opener was on Saturday, and they beat Purdue 23-12. I am cautiously optimistic for their season.The Colts play this Sunday, and I'm under the assumption that their 0-4 preseason record will not translate to the regular season. I don't pay much attention to preseason football anymore, other than having it on just for the sights and sounds, because I know it's mostly just a way to trim the roster. Peyton still looks awesome (I read an article a while back that made the case for him being the best athlete in sports right now, and I won't argue with that), so I'm looking forward to seeing how they do this year.
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One of my Facebook friends has published a book! Woohoo! The lovely Diana Agorio is the author of Sex Rites: The Origin of Christianity. I already have my copy (signed...thank you, Diana!), but haven't started it yet (I'm in the middle of two other books right now). Diana discusses the use of drugs, sex, and human sacrifice in ancient religious rituals, and the persistence of these elements in today's Christianity. I know that she's been working on it for some time, and her research is thorough and extensive. I look forward to reading it, and I'm certain that I'll learn a lot. Congratulations, Diana!
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The non-mosque that isn't at Ground Zero continues to make news, most notably with the recent spate of anti-Muslim violence. A mosque was damaged in Tennessee, and it was determined to be arson; a mosque and its playground equipment sustained $20,000 in damage in another fire suspected to be arson. A pastor in Florida is going forward with his plans to burn copies of the Koran. Way to win friends and influence people, dude.
Get a grip, people. We are better than this. The people running these mosques—or the children attending their schools—are not the perpetrators of 9/11. This is absolutely appalling, and the people committing this violence against innocents should be ashamed of themselves. These are nothing less than hate crimes, and it needs to stop before someone gets seriously hurt.
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On a related note, a recent poll showed that one-fifth of Americans polled think that President Obama is a Muslim. It would seem that a significant portion of our populace has lost their collective minds. This is just beyond stupid. Remember how they were all pissed off because he was a member of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church? Not just for a little while, but for two decades? Did they forget that part? You know, at this point, I think I'd like to hear one of these people just stand up and declare, "You know what? I don't like the guy 'cause he's colored. There. I said it." It would be somewhat refreshing, and it might help them overcome the weight of denial that is crushing them as they try to come up with excuse after excuse to hate the guy. As I've said before, it's one thing to dislike his policies, although many of these people seem to not have a full understanding of what those are. It's quite another to try to brand him as "Other," whether you think he wasn't born in the United States or is a closet Muslim.
That one-fifth of Americans believes this fallacy is bad enough. The fact that the media continues to report on it without addressing the larger issue is equally as bad. Remember the No Religious Test Clause of the Constitution? Article VI states:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
What that is basically saying is that it is none of our fucking business as to what religion a public official is or is not. Of course, Americans being the bunch of Nosy Parkers they are, you can bet there will always be questions about a candidate's or official's private life, and that includes religion. Wouldn't it be great to hear someone say, "It's none of your goddamn business what I believe"? I would enjoy that.
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Finally, it seems that former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is really barking up the ol' Presidential run tree. Unfortunately (for him), he has a little problem with the continued existence of the website Spreading Santorum, which was started in response to his hateful, homophobic comments. If you do a search for Rick Santorum, you'll get that site right towards the top. I feel that it is my duty to link to the site and make sure that it gets plenty of hits, staying right up there at the top of results returned on a Google search. You're welcome, Rick.
People told me that it was a waste of time and that it was incredibly bad. But I had to see for myself. I just had to watch Ben Stein's paean to intelligent design and anti-Darwin documentary, "Expelled."
(I find it interesting--and I do recognize this in me--that I am so contrary in this regard. If someone tells me that I "have to" see a movie or "have to" read a particular book, I will go out of my way to make sure that I don't see it or read it. Apparently, the converse is true. Despite being REPEATEDLY WARNED, I just had to watch a movie that everyone said was not worth my time. But don't try reverse psychology on me. I can spot it!)
I was stunned at its badness. I'm one of those types who love bad movies for their sheer hilarity, and I suppose that if I got drunk and watched this with a like-minded individual who got drunk with me, and we could make fun of it a la Mystery Science Theater 3000, it would be a lot of fun. But watching it for the sake of critiquing it, and looking at it with a serious eye...wow. Really, really bad. I took a couple of pages of notes. Aren't you thrilled?
The premise is that scientists are censured and penalized, even to the point of being fired, if they dare to raise the specter of intelligent design in classrooms or in research facilities. Stein interviews various professors and scientists who claim that they were ousted by their employers because of their views on intelligent design. My first thought? There was more to the story there. In subsequent reading, there was indeed more to the story, with one researcher not even being a true employee, and other issues like publishing papers and assisting graduate students involved. It's never black and white, and shame on Stein for trying to portray these individuals' cases in this way.
Throughout the movie, Stein asks horribly leading questions; it's obvious that he is not out to find true or honest answers, but merely to prove his own point. I despise that sort of interview style, and Stein employs it throughout the movie.
A couple of choice quotes. First, Stein visits a seminary in Texas and hears this from a guy he talks to (I didn't catch the guy's name, and I'm not sure he even gave it):
If you look at the history of science, people often have a good idea and then they just decide to run with it. They say, "We're gonna apply this everywhere," so Darwin takes his idea of natural selection and says, "I'm gonna explain ALL of life with it."
No. No no no. If you have a "good idea" in science, that is called a hypothesis. You don't just apply a hypothesis everywhere and have that accepted and acceptable. You test, you experiment, you go through endless studies and answer questions, discard certain avenues and explore others. Your hypothesis and lab results are perused endlessly by your peers, and if your logic and data is faulty, your hypothesis is pretty much blown out of the water. You can readjust based on what you've learned in your experiments, and others may offer suggestions for a new path to pursue. Every hypothesis is subject to rigid scrutiny and testing; you don't just get a "good idea" and get to "run with it." That is such a stupid statement.
Stein seems to want definitive answers as to how life began. One of the people he interviews says derisively, "Darwin didn't know." No one knows! There are many hypotheses, and scientists are beginning to get a pretty good idea of the conditions required in order for life to begin; I have seen studies which show that proteins can be assembled via heat, pressure, and various other conditions. Research is ongoing. This is the way of science. There is always more to learn.
Stein interviews Alister McGrath, a theologist and author of The Dawkins Delusion?, which is apparently a response to Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion. McGrath ridicules science:
Describing how something happened scientifically somehow explains it away. It doesn't. But the questions of purpose, intentionality, the question "why" still remain there on the table.
The purpose of science is not to answer "why." You can ponder that to your heart's content, Alister. The purpose of science is to answer "how." We do not see purpose or intentionality in why organisms behave the way they do, other than an urge to survive, whether rudimentary or highly developed.
Stein interviews another guy (I didn't catch his name) who calls Richard Dawkins a "reptile." My main impression of the interviewee was of a supercilious toad, so I suppose that is fitting. Seriously, that guy was a pompous ass.
I was extremely put off by the style of the documentary, which included plenty of vintage newsreel footage of Nazis, Soviets, marches in Red Square, and on and on. I felt like I was being hit over the head with a sledgehammer. Yeah, I get it...you think evolutionary science is oppressive and exclusionary. Stein mentions a 1953 experiment and ridicules it as indicative of the foibles of science. Hello? We've managed to make some progress in the past five decades! He mentions the panspermia theory, in which some believe that life was seeded on earth by extraterrestrial life. Although most will concede that this is entirely possible, since meteors hit the earth not infrequently, most will also say that there is no definitive evidence of such a thing. As with all of science, if any evidence shows up, it will be evaluated, examined, and duly and rigorously tested before it is accepted as fact.
Finally, like an anti-Vanessa Williams, I went and saved the worst for last. (I also didn't win the Miss America title, get the boot because of "candid" photos with another woman, and go on to a lucrative singing and acting career...so I guess I really AM the Bizarro World Vanessa.) Stein has the nerve to equate "Darwinism" with...get this...HITLER. And the Nazis, and their Final Solution. I am not kidding. In fact, he originally wanted to title this documentary "From Darwin to Hitler."
He builds a tenuous connection between eugenics, Margaret Sanger, and today's Planned Parenthood, somehow believing that all of these things were a result of Darwin's theory of natural selection, and stating that Darwinism led to Hitler's rise to power and mass genocide of Jews and others deemed unworthy of life. He talks to a reporter who states that Darwinism is a devaluing of human life, and Stein states, "Evil can sometimes be rationalized as science." Gee, Ben, as a speech writer for Richard Nixon, I suppose that you also could say, from experience, that evil can sometimes be rationalized as politics!
Stein saves an interview with heavy hitter Richard Dawkins for last. He asks Dawkins ridiculous questions like trying to get him to put a number on the possibility of the non-existence of God--95%? 99%?--and asks him if he believes in any other gods, like Hindu gods. It was laughable, and even Dawkins laughed and said, "Why on earth you you ask me that question?" Dawkins finally says, "I believe it is a liberating thing to free yourself from primitive superstition."
He ends his movie with footage of Reagan speaking at the Brandenburg Gate, exhorting Gorbachev to tear down the wall; Stein seems to equate his assertion that anyone who mentions intelligent design is fired and shut out of academic circles with the Berlin Wall. He certainly put plenty of footage of the Wall in this documentary.
What I found most appalling was his attempt to connect Darwinism with the Nazis and the Holocaust. He visits Dachau, and as a Jew, is obviously moved by the visit; anyone would and should be. However, his efforts to connect Darwin's theory to Hitler and the Nazis is just beyond stupid...it is incredibly manipulative, and he is using his religion in a clumsy and cynical attempt to portray evolution as the cause of the Holocaust! No lie! That is what he attempted to do here, and I could not believe my eyes or ears!
But wait...he backs off. Sort of.
I know that Darwinism does not automatically equate to Nazism; but if Darwinism inspired and justified such horrific events in the past, could it be used to rationalize similar initiatives today?
Un-freaking-believable. This is what demagogues like Glenn Beck do: throw out some crazy statement, then backpedal and say, "Now I'm not saying this is the case!" Stein spends quite some time in the movie trying to make the connection between Darwinism and eugenics and the Nazis' Final Solution...and he ends by saying that he knows one doesn't equate to the other. Absolutely shameful, and shameless.
Shame on you, Ben Stein. You are not a stupid man, but your documentary is unbelievably stupid. Sites have already sprung up that refute the claims made in Expelled. I think this is one that I can honestly call a cinematic turd.
If you want to watch Expelled, there you go. I don't recommend it unless you do it for morbid curiosity. It is so very, very bad. If you want to read a much better (and more scathing) review than mine, here is what Roger Ebert had to say about Expelled. Finally, here is a short video to give you an idea of just how intellectually dishonest this movie is. BAD, BAD MOVIE. Incredibly bad.
He's a little bit charlatan. (Sung to the tune of the theme song of his fellow Mormons, Donnie and Marie.)
Okay, here's the deal. Glenn Beck decided to have a rally in Washington, D.C., one that would honor the troops (right, because so many of us despise them), and one that was supposed to somehow restore integrity to America. It was initially planned for sometime in September, but that date on the National Mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial was already taken, so they rescheduled to August 28th. It just so happens that that is the date of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech. Beck claims it was a little ol' coinkydink, it was never intended to take attention away from King's speech, blahbitty blah blay blue. Whatever. If you believe that, you're just silly. He later said that he came to see it as "divine providence," and went on to say some stuff about the civil rights movement, which I'll write a little more about in a moment.
Beck himself spoke, and so did Sarah Palin, as the mother of a soldier. Another "standout" speaker was Chuck Norris. Wow, bringing out the heavy hitters! (Or at least the heavy roundhouse kickers.) Beck stayed true to his claims that this was not going to be a political rally, I'll give him that, and there was little to no mention of our current administration or politics in general. However, there was a whole lot of churchin' going on. Man, from what I've seen and read, this was one big tent revival. Beck has been hitting the "divine plan" stuff hard lately, and seems to have developed the delusion that God is speaking to him and has a plan for him, and from what I can gather, it seems to involve buying up as much gold as possible from the company he's shilling for (which is currently under investigation).
At the rally today, Beck said, "Something that is beyond man is happening. America today begins to turn back to God."
Uhhh...no. 16% of people claim no religious affiliation, and the number is growing, not shrinking. I have no problem with anyone believing what they want to believe, just as long as they keep it out of my government. I don't want my legislators going to an ancient collection of texts for their inspiration and guidance. I want them going to college, law school, maybe medical school, learning about our Constitution and its laws. I don't understand Beck's recent embrace of this highly religious rhetoric, although I'm guessing he's just playing to what his followers seem to want to hear, which is what a snake oil salesman does. I wonder if they understand that he's a Mormon? I'm pretty sure that most evangelicals are not down with Mormonism. They certainly didn't seem to dig Mitt Romney all that much, although there were probably more factors at play there. But I digress.
One thing I noticed is that Beck said this rally was to bring back integrity, truth, and honor to our country. What? You have to have a rally to do that? You mean to tell me that you're so lost that you need someone like Beck to tell you that you need to get back to integrity, truth, and honor? If he was talking to certain corrupt politicians, sure, they need to get back to those things, too. But I doubt that they were inspired by your little rally, Glenn. In fact, I'd be surprised if they listened to much of it at all.
I also had to laugh about the remarks of one attendee who a reporter spoke to. She said, "I believe in our Constitution--and this administration doesn't." Spare me. Typical teabagger talking points. They blurt out "Constitution" about every third word. Lady, I believe in our Constitution. I want to protect it; you and your ilk want to get rid of decades-old Amendments. I want to preserve what is written there when it comes to separation of church and state; you want to pervert it. Don't you tell me I don't believe in my Constitution, and it IS mine, every bit as much as yours. And to believe that this administration doesn't believe in the Constitution is beyond retarded. Just a simple example: our President--and yes, he is your President, too, like it or not!--is a Constitutional lawyer. I think he believes pretty strongly in our Constitution, and probably understands it a whole fuck of a lot better than you do.
Now to the civil rights stuff. Oh Glenn. I think you really stepped in it this time.
First of all, I recognized this group's right to assemble there. I thought it was in rather poor taste, but I understood their right to do it. Gee, does that remind you of anything in the news lately? I found it interesting that the people telling the builders of the Islamic community center in Manhattan to "give up their rights" and move it elsewhere because it was in poor taste had no intention of moving their rally to another day when they were told that many believed it to be in poor taste. I thought Beck's calculated move to hold it on that day in that place was beyond tacky...but in the interest of consistency and constitutionality, I recognize that they had the right to do it.
However, Beck's remarks leading up to this rally grew increasingly bizarre when it came to the civil rights movement. At one point, he said that he wouldn't be surprised if:
...in our lifetime dogs and fire hoses are released or opened on us. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of us get a billy club to the head. I wouldn't be surprised if some of us go to jail--just like Martin Luther King did--on trumped-up charges. Tough times are coming.
He said that it was time for him and his followers to "reclaim the civil rights movement," because after all, "we were the people that did it in the first place!”
Wait. What?
I was born in 1962, and I don't remember a thing about the civil rights movement. I was two years old when the Civil Rights Act was passed. I don't remember JFK, RFK, or MLK being assassinated, and I don't remember racial tension or riots. Anything I know about it, I learned through reading and talking to others.
Beck was born in 1964. So what is this "we" you speak of, Kemosabe?
He has shown numerous instances throughout his career in which he exhibited racist behavior, including the most recent one in which he mimicked one of the President's daughters and questioned her intelligence. He called the President a racist, with a "deep-seated hatred of white people," although he later backed off of that a bit. Listen to Beck's reaction when Joe Madison, a radio host, took him to task on his remarks.
And this is the guy who wants to "reclaim the civil rights movement."
Let's get something straight, you rabblerousing, treasonous bastard: you don't have any more claim to the civil rights movement than this lily white child of the sixties does. I can admire what people like Dr. King did, and mourn for him and others because they lost their lives in an effort to make things better for ALL Americans. I can read with amazement of the courage of Rosa Parks as she finally had enough and peacefully and calmly took that seat at the FRONT of the bus. I can see with shock the pictures of little girls running a gauntlet of hatred, derision, and venom as they walk to school, and I gaze with horror upon the pictures of black men hung from trees for the crime of looking at a white woman. I read of the beatings and torture endured by those who were on the front lines--and it WAS a war, make no mistake about it--and I am ashamed that my country did such things to its own citizens. Ashamed.
But I would never, NEVER claim the civil rights movement as my own. It is part of our history as a country, it is part of my history, and I can admire the courage and fortitude of those who endured such treatment in the name of equality and justice for all. But I have never been subjected to such horrific treatment, whether for the color of my skin or for anything else, and most importantly...NEITHER HAVE YOU.
So get off your bizarre little carousel ride of "I'm just like you and it's MY civil rights movement, too!", put on your big boy magic underwear, and just shut the fuck up already.
