"There is difference and there is power. And who holds the power decides the meaning of the difference." --June Jordan

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Yikes!

Remember Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy? This one is one of my favorites:

Somebody told me how frightening it was how much
topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that
story around the campfire and nobody got scared.


I thought of this quote when I read Kristina Wilfore's post at RH Reality Check detailing right-wing ballot initiatives all over the U.S.:
If a "definition of personhood" initiative gets passed in Colorado and Montana this November, you might be investigated if you experience a miscarriage.

If an initiative to end affirmative action is passed in Arizona this fall, you may lose business if you're a woman who receives government contracts.

If a marriage-discrimination initiative passes in California and you're a lesbian newlywed, you'll have to cut short the honeymoon.

In the November election, voters will be deciding whether to roll back equal-opportunity programs for women and people of color, discriminate against gays and lesbians in marriage and adoption, cut public education and threaten women's health care. The big question is whether voters will buy what these ballot initiatives are selling.

Check out her whole post. It's frightening to me and anyone who cares about basic human rights, but probably not scary around the campfire.