Oh yes, I have heard that a lot before. If people continue to exercise their right though, the more resistance to it being taken away. So everybody should vote and strip these people of even the faintest idea that they will somehow be able to get enough power to disenfranchise the citizen.
Also, brush your teeth, call your mother, and for God's sake, tuck your shirt in.
All I did was campaign for people to vote. I didn't say vote for this candidate or that party. I just said, "Please exercise your right to vote."
I'm a history grad student. I have read a lot about how people in power constantly fight to disenfranchise those who don't understand what their rights mean to them. I know people who, every time voter rights come up, argue that there should be tests to limit who can vote. These are smart people, who are and hang out with your future leaders, politicians, presidents.
Exercising your right to vote is a fundamental duty in our country and is one of the very few ways we can express our will clearly and plainly. Giving up that voice and refusing that duty means that you are giving up one of the natural rights you have as a citizen of this country. If you do not vote, if you do not have a voice, if you do not do your duty, then what does citizenship even mean?
At the very least, please reevaluate what voting really means.
A few good things for the downtrodden to keep in mind:
1. A lot of liberals who were voted out where voted out because they were doing a good job. While they may have been replaced by a lot of people who have questionable aims, elected officials should earn reelection. Rotating out the bad is good for democracy.
2. While Republicans made huge gains, they were able to stop the Horsemen of the Apocalypse a.k.a. the Tea Party from a number more meaningful than a handful.
3. The Democrats have had to cater to Blue Dogs and have had problems with party discipline in Congress. Now Republicans have their own version - the Tea Party - to deal with. Opposition to Democrats did not make Republicans safe even in victory.
4. Obama is still president, and even if Congress manages to do something batshit crazy like repeal health reform or abolish the Civil Rights act or whatever, the president can still veto. At the very least, the most heinous legislation will not pass.
5. The absolute imperative of bipartisanship to get anything passed will insure that all sides have to compromise, and that progressive legislators will still have a voice in legislation as part of their party.
6. As has been seen in the last two years, a party with a minority in either house can wield its power almost more effectively than the majority.
7. Videogum will be here to help you keep your sanity.
Bonus: Boehner's last name looks like Boner.
I should clarify that in both cases of the Klan rally and the governor annoucning Confederate History Month, the Confederate flag was an important symbol and was being used to advance a certain agenda with harmful or dishonest intentions and aims.
I agree that's it's good we're even talking about it, Friday.
I'm a Southerner too (though barely - I'm from Arkansas, and am currently in Mississippi in grad school), and thoughtful commemoration of those who died with an eye to the flaws of the ideals they were fighting for is something that I can accept. But we cannot deny that many of those commemorate the Civil War with ill will towards their American brothers and sisters of all creeds and colors.
Since I've been in Mississippi, I have seen the Klan rally at a football tailgate because they were going to do away with our mascot. I have listened to the governor proclaim that slavery had nothing to do with the Civil War as he announced April as Confederate History Month. There are people who are recklessly embracing the Confederate battle flag without understanding what it meant and means, and, it is mostly because of these people, that the Confederate flag is so maligned.
I agree that we should be more evenly minded when it comes to talking about the Confederate flag, but we all have to remember that while the adults are having a grown-up discussion, there are others who are holding on to the flag as a symbol and manifestation of some very misanthropic ideals.
I'm pretty sure the youngest person on the Glee cast is Chris Colfer, and I think he just turned 20.
In general, I'm not a fan of people dressing like hyper-sexualized teenagers because it's capital C Creepy^n, where "n" is the difference between actual age and a rough definition of "teenager."
I'm glad that they finally confronted the whole issue with Kurt getting away with being such a CreepyGay(tm). I understand why people would be offended that his dad tells him that he's just going to have to be lonely for a while, but the opposite - allowing Kurt to hit on straight dudes and to try and fuck his would-be stepbrother in some weird fantasy and just excusing it - is not okay at all.
At this point, Burt is the role model, not Kurt. He's flawed and he does a lot of things he shouldn't. But Burt actually cares about his son and is trying to give structure to his life, rather than letting him hit all over straight guys and then say "WELP, THAT'S A GAY FOR YOU."
In short, I am pleased.
I did not like this episode at all, guys. :( I know it's Glee, but it just felt so shallow. Also: Why does Mercedes have to be the magical negro who can bring religion to the white (gay) man? I think I was so annoyed with the episode by that point that I probably started reading too much into it, but Cheesus. I did love "One of Us," though. It was a good version, and I think it hinted at how the episode could have gone if it had been better.
Glee needs to start pulling itself together. Also: Give me my Michael Jackson episode. Stat.
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