11.29.2008

Dehumanification

Yes, that is a made up word. In my world, dehumanification is a verb, it means to actively dehumanize the populace through means which reduce, devalue, or undermine human value to which a typical result is violence or neglect of other human beings for the purpose of raising one's own self worth to acceptable levels. I'm sure there is a real word out there that means the same thing, but it simply isn't as clever as mine.

After many hours of contemplating the Walmart stampede(s), and the Toys R Us shootings, I've come to the conclusion that these events are a small part of a much larger societal problem we are currently facing. (That would be dehumanification.) You can see it working it's way through our communities in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. For example, relegating and reducing an entire group of people down to an easy to digest demographically correct bite size stereotype, and then using their situation against them, like a weapon. Poverty is a good example. Race is another. Religion, political affiliation, genres and sub genres - the list goes on and on.

It's very easy to categorize and label people when you don't know them personally, and apply a rather broad brush of judgment across a wide array of individuals. In this way, you have reduced people, individuals, human beings, into a larger faceless group. Much like posting online anonymously, it gives the renderer of judgment an easy target, with no real responsibility or incentive to understand the fact that individuals are affected and behave differently, even when in the same or similar situation, group, or genre.

Plus, the rhetoric is just so easy to spew, it's how Lady Propaganda works her magic.

Obviously, the tragedy that played out on Black Friday is the epitome of not so subtle dehumanification. Although the stampede and killings related to the consumerist frenzy is not the focal point of this argument, it did incite the thoughts about humanity in general. It proved enough of a shock to wake up just about everyone.

I had joked, only slightly, about how degenerates like us Anarchists, punks, skins, and city dwellers of a similar genre had enough decency to prevent such events from occurring in our own violent activities, and a decent point was brought up by Tiffany from Rational Outrage. She noted that perhaps, just maybe, that those of us who are less sheltered from reality, those of us who live on the fringe, or who are a bit "raw" have not yet been sucked into the habit of viewing other people as less than human.

She has a point.

Although our lifestyle is more often than not shoved into the stereotype of an unsightly and disgusting mess on the bottom of society's shoe, we do tend to live life a bit differently, and, outside of the norm of everyday thinking. And quite by choice, at that. We reject capitalism, we reject consumerism, we reject the notion of defining one's value by the toys we own. We also tend to be poorer, live collaboratively and collectively, and reject the notion of gated communities and nuclear families. Typically this is a shocking discovery for mainstreamers, but I digress.

The point is that we are accepting of alternative lifestyles, understand the inner workings of society's worst areas and least progressive states of being, and have seen or operate in the underbelly of the general public. Reality isn't something we learned on a partially scripted TV show. That said, there is a homogenization and isolation of society that has really restricted the exposure of the real world to a great many people, and thus, they have actually become desensitized, not us.

One would think the opposite would be true, and to an extent that is correct. Many of us are desensitized to injury, violence, and drunken debauchery. But on a very real level, I would argue that we are hyper sensitive to tragedies and atrocities of a certain nature. So much so, that we try and reject any contribution to the aspects of society that perpetuate it.

But back to my point. Our society does revolve around consumerism. Without it, capitalism cannot survive. In order for our economic system to thrive, we must convince people that ownership of goods is of the utmost importance. Otherwise, they won't buy. What happens when we insist that the purchasing of goods defines our contribution to society, and thus our value to society? We create an economic caste system that values those who can buy, more than those who cannot. And so the categorization of people into groups begins. It evolves into "othering" and dehumanization of entire groups of people. It removes compassion for those who cannot thrive at the same level as those at the top. Just look at some of the comments about poor people in forums online. "These people won't earn their own way." "These people refuse to support themselves." "These people take our tax dollars and then buy big ticket items."

"These people."

Which people?

In comments and reactions about the incident at Walmart, the comments varied from shock to blame. The comments referred to those who trampled the man as "animals". In a technical respect, this is accurate. However, when paired with claims and statements such as "Well there were a lot of black people there..." and "The poor shop at Walmart..." and "What did you expect from these people?" You begin to get a clearer picture of the problem. I once had a person tell me that a whole plane full of people flying in the economy section could go down and no one would care. "No one cares about these people anyway."

"These people."

I'm in no way defending the actions of the group that trampled a man to death. However you have to step back and look at the reactions, you have to remove yourself just a little bit, and wonder what they mean when they say "These people are animals!" Do they mean this particular group who did indeed act like a stampeding group of animals, or are they referring to a quasi acceptable stereotype of poor minorities? Does the lack of distinction between the two intentions perhaps raise a red flag?

Is the attitude of the "these people" ideology not part of the larger problem? Did anyone stop to consider the fact that those stampeding may have felt the exact same way? Perhaps the consumers who surrounded the participants were "these people" to each and every participant to this tragedy, and so were not valuable enough to be treated with any modicum of decency and respect?

It's food for thought. We reap what we sow, and those of us living in a world where relying on others for cooperation and support, and the value of each person is based on contributions and ability, and not on material ownership are less likely to generalize, to "other" and to classify others as subpar beings.

Perhaps living in the gated well-to-do communities where "self reliance" is based on wealth (because they are not, in fact, self reliant - they rely on a great deal of people to do everyday things for them at a price) has brought down the general welfare of people all over the country. We see it on a large level, every day. I don't see it as being any less effective on a small scale.

In the end, when self worth is defined by the toys you own, it's a bit easier to see why people would literally stamp out a human life for the chance of getting a socially acceptable toy, on sale. The dollar value of the TV itself isn't worth more than a human life, but the chance at being perceived as "someone" is more valuable than one of "these people's" lives.

What a sad state of being.

Consumerism Gone Mad

Black Friday, corporation's dream, and a retail worker's nightmare came and went yesterday with chilling results. According to the New York Times, an employee was trampled to death, and several others were injured when Walmart's doors were broken open by sales-mad consumers trying to get inside.

I am appalled by this news. Just...appalled. I used to work in retail and food service industries, and I know how crazy "Black Friday" can get. I've seen customers get into fist fights, I've seen stores get trashed, people at their worst. But I have never heard of someone getting trampled to death over TV's and dolls at 50% off. This is...unacceptable.

From the article:

“When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, ‘I’ve been on line since yesterday morning,’ ” Ms. Cribbs told The Associated Press. “They kept shopping.”


An 8 month pregnant woman was also trampled, and sent to the hospital along with a few others who were treated for minor injuries.

They trampled a man to death. They killed a person, and didn't even acknowledge his existence, as he lay there on the ground, dying, so they could get to the sales items first. They stepped over, and on him, so they could buy their TV.

And then they complained when he had the audacity to die, and they had to clear the store.

Pardon my language when I say this, but what the fuck is the matter with these people?!

Listen, let's put this into perspective for a moment. I run with a rough crowd. I go to shows where moshpits are thriving and people regularly get smashed in the face, receive broken bones, and sustain injuries. Just two weeks ago, I had my jaw bashed in at a show.

But never, ever, not in a single pit I've ever been in has anyone ever been left to die on the floor. When someone goes down (and they all do) they are immediately picked up to protect them so they don't get trampled. And if the crowd doesn't pick a person up, the bands have been known to stop playing, and order that they pick the person up, and even further, some bands will refuse to play if the crowd doesn't comply with basic pit etiquette.

Now, how is it that a bunch of degenerate skins, punks, and drunken assholes have enough decency to ensure the safety of others, but so-called "decent citizens" trample each other for a $50 discount?

Hello!?!?!?!

In other news, two men shot each other to death in Toys R Us, over a physical fight initiated by their respective female partners over a toy, and, 15 miles away from the above mentioned Walmart, another women was trampled.

What on God's green earth?

From the article:
As for those who had run over the victim, criminal charges were possible, the lieutenant said. “I’ve heard other people call this an accident, but it is not,” he said. “Certainly it was a foreseeable act.”

But even with videos from the store’s surveillance cameras and the accounts of witnesses, Lieutenant Fleming and other officials acknowledged that it would be difficult to identify those responsible, let alone to prove culpability.


Had I been on the scene, I would have locked the doors, detained every single person in the store and had them all charged with negligent homicide. The courts could sort it out later, after positive ID's were made from the surveillance tapes. Every single person in there who had stepped on or over this dying man to get to their precious sale, or who had complained and booed because the store had to shut down because of the incident deserves to be charged with a crime.

This kind of behavior is disgusting. It is appalling, abhorrent. This is greed, and gluttony.

It's consumer insanity.

11.20.2008

Is Poverty a Personal Choice?

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11.19.2008

Blame the Victim

In the day and age we live in, everyone seems to blame everyone else for their problems. I'm lazy because my parent's made me that way, I'm a criminal because I wasn't loved enough as a child, I did something royally stupid with your product, so I'm going to sue you for my stupidity.

And yet, when you actually are a victim of a crime, everyone else blames you.

For instance, identity theft. I'm dealing with this now, and have been for the last four years. I have had to go above and beyond to prove my innocence, and companies still don't believe me. My identity was stolen, I filed a police report, I canceled all of my cards, and reported them stolen to each individual company. I have miles of paperwork regarding disputes, I hired an attorney. I have a letter from my congressman on my behalf. My credit reports have fraud alerts on all of them, and reports are frozen. Everything has been disputed, and the stolen cards show on my report as being reported stolen. Like, years ago.

And yet, I'm still being told "We don't actually know if your identity was stolen."

WHAT?! How much more proof on my behalf do I freaking need to provide? At what point does the burden of proof change from a reasonable request to a weapon being used against a victim of a crime?

I've had it, and I am livid.

I've worked, and worked to resolve and correct all of these problems - these problems have halted and destroyed any semblance of a normal life for my family and myself, financially crippling us for the last four years and will continue to do so for many years into the future. And yet, I'm still hearing 'Well, your card may have just been lost...not stolen", implying that I had reported is stolen, but then used it anyway.

Why the hell would companies allow you to report cards as stolen and then turn around and accuse you of fraudulently acquiring goods with it instead?! I understand that there is fraud out there, I understand that people game the system - but a person who has lost far more money than was "earned" back by way of ill gotten merchandise, and who has paid an attorney a tidy sum, and for one with paper trails and evidence that the cards being used are the ones that were reported stolen, and not the cards that I've had - I think they'd believe me. Not to mention I was always a good customer with excellent credit and low balances, anyway. I had no need to steal anything, I could have just bought it.

Is it me?

I'm dealing with idiots right now who say things like "Well, there's nothing on your credit report to indicate fraud..."


Me: "So yo don't see the fraud alert or credit freeze on the report?"
Idiot: "Well, yes, but that doesn't mean..."
Me: "Do you see all of the cards reported stolen?"
Idiot: 'Well yes, but that may not be the truth...."
Me: "Do you see all of the disputes?"
Idiot: "I see no indication of disputes being made on any of these accounts."
Me: "I'm looking right at the report, here I'll read it to you...."
Idiot: "Well yes, but I have the credit report, and we pull our own..."
Me: "I have ALL THREE REPORTS from the DISPUTES I MADE!"
Idiot: "Well, yes, but that doesn't mean..."
Me:" YES IT DOES!!!"
Me:" Do you have the letters, reports, and files of disputes with businesses?"
Idiot: "Well yes, but there's no indication of fraud..."


AARARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then I'm told that these companies don't have to deal with me. I'm told that I may have to pay anyway.

I'm thinking this is a rather nice racket for the credit card companies and banks whose employees are too lazy to do the job they're hired to do - like cancel stolen cards, and check to make sure the identity of the person applying for credit matches the identity of the person on the actual application. Like, maybe checking to see if the person applying has just reported a lot of stolen cards, and needs to be called an verified. You know, just maybe actually preventing theft, instead of encouraging it by honoring every damn purchase made with a STOLEN CARD.

Then they blame the victim of the crime, and demand payment - how nice. Either way, they get their money, right?

Wrong. Not from me they aren't.

Bastards.

But the worst part isn't even being blamed - it's the absolute willful ignorance played by these assholes. "I don't see any indication of fraud here!!"


What freaking report are you looking at, asshat? Becasue my reports have FRAUD written all over them. Literally. In bright red, bold letters. You start to feel like you're living in an alternate universe.

*Sigh*

Yup, let's blame the victims.

11.15.2008

Hahahahaha

Shamelessly stolen from Tom Rants, a blogger I haven't heard from in a bit (but is still alright in my book) this was one of his random quotes of the day:


Damn it feels good to be a banksta, making money selling toxic loans. Got my silver spoon and gold parachute, I'm untouchable like Al Capone! Banksta 4 Life y'all, feel me?

By the Way, I finished that Goya...

The top images are a little grainy (I didn't take the photos) but you can click to enlarge them. The third one down is obviously the original.










11.13.2008

Olbermann on gay rights.

Because I am on a gay marriage and civil rights kick, and because this video has been brought up numerous times, it's time I posted it direct.

Olbermann can be rather abrasive at times, but I was surprised to hear real emotion in his voice. Maybe it's just me, but it sounds like he was on the verge of tears.

Watch the video, and read the transcript while you watch it. It's worth it.


Transcript courtesy of The News Hole, MSNBC




Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast.

Some parameters, as preface. This isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics, and this isn't really just about Prop-8. And I don't have a personal investment in this: I'm not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives.

And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics.

This is about the... human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.

If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not... understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want -- a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Only now you are saying to them -- no. You can't have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don't cause too much trouble. You'll even give them all the same legal rights -- even as you're taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can't marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn't marry?

I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage.

If this country hadn't re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal... in 1967. 1967.

The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it's worse than that. If this country had not "re-defined" marriage, some black people still couldn't marry...black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not "Until Death, Do You Part," but "Until Death or Distance, Do You Part." Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized.

You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are... gay.

And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing -- centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children... All because we said a man couldn't marry another man, or a woman couldn't marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage. How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the "sanctity" of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless?

What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don't you, as human beings, have to embrace... that love? The world is barren enough.

It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness -- this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness -- share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

---

You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of...love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate. You don't have to help it, you don't have it applaud it, you don't have to fight for it. Just don't put it out. Just don't extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don't know and you don't understand and maybe you don't even want to know...It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow **person...

Just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.

This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial.

But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this:

"I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam," he told the judge.

"It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all:

"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."

11.07.2008

The Case For Equal Rights.

Now that the election is over, and votes have been cast and counted, the debate about the marriage propositions in three states brings about a new question.

Should civil liberties and constitutional rights be decided by a simple majority vote?

Civil liberties, and equality under the law seems like a no-brainer to the modern American. After all, we no longer tolerate racial or gender based inequalities, and scoff at those who do. Our constitutional rights at first glance, do seem to support the notion of all men being equal, and the general interpretation by the average citizen believes that our founding fathers believed in personal liberties, and equality across all lines. How soon we forget the legal battles waged in the US over such now common place opinions to guarantee the rights of individuals to be treated fairly, and equally under the law.

How often we overlook the ability of state based constitutions to be amended or revised by a simple majority vote by the populace. Even those rights that would interfere with what we consider to be civil rights, and thus automatically guaranteed.

Let's take a brief look at the race based civil rights movement that started shortly after the abolishment of slavery, and raged on until the 1960's. In 1877 citizens and law makers alike began creating and supporting local and state laws that enforced segregation, and restricted Black American's ability to vote. Clearly the majority supported the Jim Crow laws, and used the power as a majority to keep the laws in place.

So what changed? Court cases. Many, many court cases. Eventually the US Supreme Court had to rule on the wide array of civil rights cases brought before them over a period of time, and after the court's implementation of the Equal Rights Clause in the 14th amendment, the US government was able to introduce the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The government had to introduce it under commerce laws, however, to circumvent the limit of congressional power on enforcing court rulings.

After nearly two months of debate, and filibusters, the bill was passed. Even then, the citizens of the US fought the new anti-segregation laws with civil disobedience, protests, and sometimes outright violence.

In the case of civil liberties in matters of race, the US Supreme Court and the US government had no choice but to step in, and force equality even though it was a dangerously unpopular decision. Had civil liberties and rights not been mandated, against popular opinion, on a federal level and continued to be decided by majority votes and left to states, there is no guarantee that racial equality under the law would exist today. It's possible, but not guaranteed. And even though the civil rights are now guaranteed, it took 87 years before such equality was made possible.

The average citizen, such as myself, would think that looking back at historic civil rights movements we would automatically adopt some sort of legislation that would inherently protect US citizens from various forms of legal discrimination, and, continuance of such discrimination by way of majority votes. It would only be logical to use our past experience to determine how civil rights and equality should be treated under the law, and, that it's probably a bad idea to leave fundamental rights up to the general populace.

It just isn't that simple.

The way that our constitution(s) and government is set up, is a system of checks and balances that guarantees the populace the right to determine how they are to be governed by way of voting. I personally feel that there is some balance between preserving and insuring civil rights sans drawn out court cases for every individual civil rights issue without negating the constituency's right to vote on and decide issues and matters of importance, on a state level.

The very first issue I decided to look up was a basic, agreed upon enumeration of human rights. Those rights that are not granted by and cannot be taken away by governments. I found the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as outlined and accepted by the UN generally assembly. I needed to know if equality was indeed a basic human right. I was pleasantly rewarded with an answer in the first seven articles of the declaration. Most of which deal with equality, and specifically article seven which states:

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Excellent, so now we do know that equality under the law is a basic human right. To me, this is important to recognize. The US is bound by treaty to adhere to the international laws of human rights, as shown in this Executive Order 13107.

An average layperson, such as myself doesn't see a large amount of obstacles in adopting such language of equality under the law into our federal constitution. In fact, the 14th Amendment has very similar language regarding equality under the law. Read an interpretation of the 14the amendment.

The problem, however, that has been brought to my attention is that if there were a strict amendment or revision regarding equal application of laws to help stop discrimination by way of majority vote, the citizens may be disenfranchised by not being allowed to weigh in on important matters of their governance, and that it opens the door to more government based regulations and law making than is healthy or desired. Questions such as who and how such amendments would be made, under what authority, and who makes the distinction of such rights come to the surface.

I see a precedent made with previous civil rights cases, and with guidelines such as the Declaration of Human Rights and the US federal constitution as being a solid way to amend or revise our constitution(s) in a way that will not disenfranchise the general population. First and foremost, I think that any revision of this type should be made on a federal, not individual state level so that it's application is uniform.

I would propose that, under the article seven of the Declaration of Human Rights, and, the 14th amendment of the US constitution, we could feasibly amend or revise our constitution and add a clause that states amendments and revisions of the constitution(s), laws, and rights must be applied equally and uniformly for all US citizens, with reasonable regulations and restrictions, as already stated in our constitution.

Those reasonable regulations and restrictions generally apply to rights or privileges that require legal consent, and legality of the action, and protections for certain parts of the community. For example, such regulations could include regulations of consent regarding minors, mental competence, mutual agreements, and insuring that the activity is legal in the first place.

Uniform application of the law isn't something new in the US. If something is against the law, that criminal activity is illegal for all citizens, not just one group of citizens, etc and so forth.

In that regard, the general population can still vote to change their own state's constitution, but those changes will affect the entire populace. This, to me, is the only way to allow majority vote decisions, while preventing one group from voting the rights of another group down.

I will use the example of gay marriage, partly because it's up for debate and it inspired this post.

In the US constitution, the 14th amendment outlines the right to equal protection under the law, and it's interpretation specifically regarding marriage is as such:
Unlike the shifting definitions of the
‘‘privacy’’ line of case, the Court’s treatment of the ‘‘liberty’’ of familial
relationships has a relatively principled doctrinal basis.
Starting with Meyer and Pierce, 644 the Court has held that ‘‘the
Constitution protects the sanctity of the family precisely because
the institution of the family is deeply rooted in this Nation’s history
and tradition.’’ 645 For instance, the right to marry is a fundamental
right protected by the due process clause, 646 and only ‘‘reasonable
regulations’’ of such relationship may be imposed. 647

Marriage is interpreted as a fundamental right in our own constitution, and as a fundamental human right by the Declaration of Human Rights, article 16:
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.


It would seem, then that marriage is a fundamental human right. If my idea were to ever make through the government process, the debacle of gay marriage could still be voted on, but the end result would be applied uniformly.

For example, the propositions voted on during the past election was to explicitly define "marriage" as being between a man and a woman. In doing so, the constitution has been amended or revised to exclude a specific group of people - homosexuals - from the fundamental rights and protections of marriage by the use of specific language.

If the federal constitution were amended or revised to include a uniform application of rights, that proposition would not have been on the ballot. Instead, the populace would have to decide if they want to abolish "marriage" altogether, and implement civil unions instead. In that way, the group that is fighting to "preserve the definition of marriage" from including homosexuals could do so, by implementing civil unions as the standard legal right. They would be free to have religious marriage ceremonies, but all legal aspects of it would now be called civil unions, for heterosexuals and homosexuals alike.

The majority would have their say, and their amendment, and no one would be excluded from the state's constitutional laws, or be isolated or banned from fundamental rights by way of majority vote.

As a lay person, I do not know all of the legal nuances and obstacles that could prevent such a federal amendment from being implemented. But I do know that even without that, the process itself would take a very long time, I'm certain that there are plenty of legal problems that need to be addressed first on top of that.

That doesn't dissuade me, however, from the idea that there is some way to bring civil rights, equality, and popular votes to a happy balance. Of course, my novice opinion on constitutional law is far from perfect, but I am merely offering this idea as a premise, a brain storm if you will, to help fuel a progressive civil rights movement so that future generations aren't forced to fight for equal protection and equal access to fundamental rights, all while preserving the checks and balances of the government we have.

Amending our constitutions, protecting certain amendments from being changed by law or majority votes, and civil rights are not radical ideas. This isn't a radical proposal. We've done this before, we can do it again.

But at some point, I do believe as a country bound to protect the rights and freedoms of humans, we have to stop and ask ourselves if it's really OK to decide civil, human, and fundamental rights by popular vote. Full well knowing that bigotry and hatred exist, right here in our own country, we need to ask ourselves if amendments that create inclusive rights and protections are something we shouldn't be considering.

11.04.2008


Obama Wins the presidency!

As of 11:16pm Eastern time, McCain concedes the presidency to Obama.

Today will go down in history.