I read a great article today in The Progressive (December 2004), about the post-election revolution.  Read on…  

The Meaning of Defeat 

How agonizing it was to see George Bush gloat.  Agonizing, no doubt, for John Kerry on a personal level, but profoundly more agonizing for his supporters and those on the left who threw in their lot with him in hopes of ridding the White House of the gang of reactionaries who took it over these last four years. 

This was never about John Kerry. 

It was always about the hope of establishing a semblance of sanity in our foreign policy, decency in social policy, and respect for the basic tenets of our democracy. 

[…] 

To a large extent on November 2, not reason but doctrine prevailed.  Some rightwing evangelicals claimed that God paved the way for Bush in the White House.  “God has given us a reprieve,” said James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family. 

Such comments suggest we are entering the dusk of the Age of Reason. 

[…] 

And so it is the task of the progressive movement to be an effective force of resistance by demonstrating in large numbers against his policies, by pressuring liberal legislators to hold the line, and by regrouping to fight another day.   

[…] 

“Moral values” are not the preserve of rightwing evangelicals.  Nor are they the preserve of believers….Those of us on the secular left must insist that we are as moral as anyone in Focus on the Family.  We believe in truth and justice and peace and equality and a preserved environment.  We practice kindness and compassion.  These are moral values.  And we must stand up and claim them. 

Black Tuesday was a sobering day.  But no one is rolling over dead.  In fact, there is a seriousness of purpose, and urgency to gain power, that is amazing to behold.

We will not sulk.

We will not give in to paralytic depression.

We will not leave the country.

We will stay and fight.

And as we do so, we—and well-meaning people the world over—may once again recite the line from Neruda, “America, I do not call your name without hope.”

This article was recently posted by Clack, and I wanted to pass it along.  The humiliation of being from Alabama is never-ending.  And, really, the insistence on involving religion in the legal process is getting a little scary.

Ala. Judge Wears Ten Commandments on Robe

By BOB JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A judge refused to delay a trial Tuesday when an attorney objected to his wearing a judicial robe with the Ten Commandments embroidered on the front in gold.

Circuit Judge Ashley McKathan showed up Monday at his Covington County courtroom in southern Alabama wearing the robe. Attorneys who try cases at the courthouse said they had not seen him wearing it before. The commandments were described as being big enough to read by anyone near the judge.

Attorney Riley Powell, defending a client charged with DUI, filed a motion objecting to the robe and asking that the case be continued. He said McKathan denied both motions.

[...]

The case raised comparisons to former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was removed from office in 2003 for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery.

Moore said Tuesday he supports McKathan's decision to wear the Ten Commandments robe.

"I applaud Judge McKathan. It is time for our judiciary to recognize the moral basis of our law," Moore said.

While talking to my sister grrlpink yesterday, I suddenly remembered how I lost my mind a couple of weeks ago. I was sort of zoned out driving to work, and I was almost there when I turned my head to look before changing lanes and noticed that the twins were still in the back seat.  And I thought "Holy shit".  Apparently, I had dropped off my oldest daughter at the high school then headed to work instead of to the middle school. They were late, of course, by the time I turned around and drove them there.  They had been so quiet, I had forgotten they were still with me.  It freaked me out. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone for a few minutes.

So, either the dementia is setting in or I'm way too stressed out.  Ever have those days that make you feel like you really are crazy?

Having tried most of the better-known tips for a good night's sleep (Tylenol PM, various teas, Valerian, Melatonin, etc), none of which made any noticable difference to me, my partner and I have decided that sex is the best cure for insomnia.  Funny it took me so long to make the connection.   I actually slept all night several nights this week and even had pleasant dreams.  Mmmm.

Today, though, I think I have a sex-related injury.  Have you ever been going down on someone and you were so into what you were doing that you didn't notice that you were holding your shoulders in a totally uncomforable, cramped position?&nb sp; I tend to get completely focused on what my mouth is doing at that time, I guess. Then later you were like, what the hell is wrong with my neck?  I can't even turn my head to the right without experiencing a sharp pain. 

Oh well, it was worth it.

We got a little Christmas bonus yesterday at work.  It wasn't that much, but everyone was pretty excited about it.  In fact, some staff acted like they had won the lottery.  There were several incidents of  hugging and "Thank you, Jesus".  I work for a nonprofit organization and we get raises or bonuses only when we have the extra money at the end of the fiscal year, which isn't often.  We've gone a few years without either.  In all fairness, we aren't raking in a ton of money, since our funding is largely coming in from Medicaid reimburseme nt and State grants.  And you can imagine what a priority mental health is to the State.  Ha.  But I suspect the Administration of being stingy with it, too, most of the time.  I told the CEO yesterday (we've always had a good working relationship.  when I first came to work here, he was my direct supervisor for a time) that this kind of gesture, even a small one, makes a big difference in how employees feel about their jobs and in improving staff morale.  (Morale has been at an all-time low this year, it seems).  We work so hard for small salaries and many struggle financially, especially during the holidays. 

Sometimes working here feels like being in an abusive relationship.  We try to focus on the good things about it.  We get totally overworked and undercompensated. For the most part, we get only negative feedback.  We feel pressured and unappreciated and disrespected.  Management withholds  rewards/bonuses/raises/po sitive strokes until we are all at the breaking point and a few staff members have already given up and left the company.  Then they throw us an unexpected token and we're all drooling on ourselves with gratitude.  Not that I'm not thankful.  I am.  And, truthfully, I love what I do.  That's why I stay.  There's just something a little sick about this place.

SUMMARY: Missouri high school students in Webb City were sent home Tuesday for sporting gay-rights T-shirts in support of a gay classmate.

Missouri high school students in Webb City were sent home Tuesday for sporting gay-rights T-shirts in support of a classmate, who is suing the school because he was sent home for wearing a similar shirt last month.

On Oct. 20, 16-year-old Brad Mathewson was sent to the principal's office after wearing a T-shirt featuring a pink triangle, various interlocking male and female signs, and the slogan, "Make a Difference."

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Assistant Principal Jeff Thornsberry told him the shirt was inappropriate, distracting and possibly offensive to other students.

However Thornsberry was not able to explain why stickers in support of Missouri's anti-gay marriage amendment, which were reportedly all over the school, were allowed.

Mathewson traded shirts with a classmate, but on Oct. 28 was sent home for wearing a different shirt with the words: "I'm gay and I'm proud."

On that day the ACLU demanded school administrators reverse any punishment and assure the student body that political T-shirts, including gay rights shirts, would not be censored.

After receiving no response the ACLU filed suit in federal court on First Amendment grounds. The ACLU cited a 1969 case, Tinker v. Des Moines, where the Supreme Court ruled schools cannot force students to give up their right to freedom of expression.

But on Tuesday the Webb City school cracked down on 10 students for wearing clothes supporting Mathewson.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the front of some shirts read, "If this shirt offends you, look the other way." The back read, "We have the right to be who we want to be" and "We support gay rights."

Other students sported shirts with messages such as, "I'm gay and I'm proud" and "I have a gay friend and I'm proud of him."

Seven students were sent home; three others changed their T-shirts.

Dick Kurtenbach, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri, told the AP that sending the students home, "perpetuates the same violation of rights that took place in Brad's case."

Kurtenbach said the ACLU is asking the school to enforce its dress code equally.

------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------

I bet they let the Christian kids wear their "What Would Jesus Do?" shirts.  At the beginning of this school year, I saw a group of boys wearing t-shirts that said "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" at the high school my daughter attends. I have no doubt that a student would not be allowed to sport a gay pride shirt here, if he/she were brave enough to do so. How am I supposed to explain to my kids why fundamentalist Christians have the right to express themselves freely, but those who disagree with them don't?