The Constitution versus God
When Proposition 8 came up on the California ballot I thought to myself, fuck all man, again?! About two seconds later it dawned on me that only during an election cycle will people be afraid of gays getting married. Then two seconds later it dawned on me that this is a hackneyed divide and conquer method which still works, pitting the left against the right.
If two people marry of the same sex it should be labeled as something else? Really? A marriage between two gays should be labeled a Union, or a partnership; and Condi Rice had not a 'plan' but a 'list of actionable items'.
The thing that I think bewilders me the most is why would people give a shit at all? Allowing gays to marry doesn’t have a direct consequence to opponents of gay marriage.
Granting the same rights across the board for everyone in a society whether they want to employ these rights or not, seems to be a better option than not being having rights at all.
Hating homosexuals or defending marriage, whatever your flavor, has reached a high water mark here in Sacramento. The Student Council at American River College voted on September 30th to support Proposition 8. But not without the help of a few immigrants from the Former Soviet Union who sit on the Student council who from word on the street is, they can’t vote anyway. Do coups happen at colleges now?
A vote for prop 8 would make sure that the social fabric of our society remain tight and thick, and not include gays. I don’t understand this fear about teaching homosexuals getting married in school, since when is that a priority of education? Maybe I’m just a skeptic and don’t see a teacher planning any lessons about marriage or gay marriage. Parents would be up in arms over this shit.
I went to school in an era where students’ parents would come in and teach us about her religion. I remember a friend’s mother coming in teaching us about Judaism, but this was the 80’s. The Zionists evil plot: tricking us with dradles, potato latkes, and sour cream. There was really nothing about the religion just a little bit of our culture and that’s it. I didn’t turn out to be a Zionist, and not a Jew.
But the defense I hear time and again against educating kids about gays is summed up with one question, “What’s going to happen to our kids?” I don’t know and neither do you. They might end up junkies or the next Warren Buffet or they may be the next David Koresh, or chances are they will live in total obscurity and die that way. Dick Cheney’s daughter is gay, explain this to me please, you strange right wingers.
I’m reading through the gray and thin pages of the ballot measures and prop 8 the tiniest of the measures is all of a couple sentences. Section 7.5 only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Nothing about schools, nothing about civil rights either.
State of Siege
Albert Camus’s, State of Siege, the plague takes over and eventually rules by fear and nonsense. Everyone is guilty by laws no one really knows not even the drafters of the law. Reasons for getting married and being alive are now required, upsetting everyone but the plague. Those who are afraid abide by these radical rules, under the fear of the unknown.
A scene in the second act struck a cord with me not just as the if only something somewhere made sense somehow, topsy turvy, parallel dimension that seems to embody laws and foreign policy of the Bush administration and extremists on the right of all types.
“When the law is identical to the crime it ceases being a crime.”
“And then its virtue you must punish.”
“It’s not the law that making you behave like this, its fear.”
The race was very close, but I couldn’t help but think of this passage as making something virtuous like marriage illegal for certain type of person.
Not letting an individual live as others and engage in the same activities is detestable at best, and is indeed what the US has done to women and African Americans. I have a car that predates desegregation, so it wasn’t long ago that protesters were out in the streets arguing for maintaining separate drinking fountains, and segregated schools. Should we give gays separate drinking fountains too?
Why am I so concerned with this proposition as is everyone else? Well it has all the elements that make up politics and news today, pure emotion and sensationalism. Why are not people in the streets over the Iraq War, Palestinian displacement, and ninja loans. Why are we not in an uproar over human trafficking, why are we not in an uproar over child soldiers in Nigeria, why are we not in an uproar over high cancer rates?
Part of me is upset with this issue, in part that as human beings I think we would have come a lot farther then we are. We all too judgmental and the world is completely fucked.
Saturday November 1st
The day after Halloween I was hung-over. I drove to Trader Joe’s to get some food as I had little in my house besides Kalamata olives and Pine nuts. Supporters of proposition 8 were in full force on Sunrise Blvd and Madison Ave. I’d imagine at the peak of the protest or rally depending on your view, when the opponents of proposition 8 showed up there were maybe 80 to 100 people. I didn’t get the horse count but there were enough. I have never seen a protest in this part of town.
I drove by looking in disgust at these rotten bigots. I felt like giving them the finger but they probably would have keyed my car or said God bless you, neither of which I’m okay with.
I felt like I needed to stop and ask them a few questions, I couldn’t it, my situation was bad. I felt as if I was going barf the whole day, my chest hurt from smoking a whole pack of American Spirits in one evening at a gay bar.
I got home and turned on the news, some broadcaster was out there in the rain covering this despicable display of human shortcomings. Some young girl being interviewed, “Who’s going to populate America?” I guess assholes like you, little miss sunshine. She probably already has a kid and an STD.
All this happening in Dan Lungren’s district, I’m sure all too happy to see bigotry and religious dogma coming to fruition. This kind of thing is an old Republican’s Viagra. He probably hasn’t seen this kind of action since college, some good old fashion Abu Ghraib shenanigans (as per Rush Limbaugh). They were all out till probably midnight, spreading the good word.
The next day I woke up feeling like shit again probably because I drink too much coffee and smoke more cigarettes in a day than John Wayne. I got into my car and drove around looking for these scumbags holding up those yellow and blue yes on 8 signs. I went to all the major intersections.
I’m driving through old Fair Oaks, ripe with churches. This is fuckin Sunday these bastards should be out in full force. Where’s a Catholic church they hate gays? I drove in circles, nothing. No matter I’ll some of these people soon enough, but when? It was a perfect sunny day for it all, and I found nothing.
I had called my friend Scott B. to see what was going on, because I knew that he knew what was going on. I saw his parents out protesting a few days earlier at a different intersection. I saw his mom on one corner and his bald beefy father at the opposite corner. Talking fervently to other pedestrians and people who felt it was their duty to hold signs.
“Hey I saw your parents protesting the other day at Madison and Hazel.”
“Yeah my dad's crazy. He's the craziest guy you'll ever meet.”
I asked him how this all started, I figured he would know out of anyone. According to him someone from his church (Latter Day Saints) saw some videos on youtube gathering in support of prop 8 in Los Angeles and decided to bring it to Sacramento. “Someone contacted the Russians here and it just blew up, no one expected it.” He called some churches in the area and they called other churches, and there you go. A spontaneous wildfire of separate but equalers emerge from the depths of unknown nameless churches.
Scott was stuttering and having a hard time finding words and justifying his position to me so much so that he thought he might lose a friend.
He had taken his little sister to the protest on Saturday and made his way to a few opponents of prop 8. They had started cursing, and threatening them, this is a bellicose issue at best. His sister Natalie is a junior in High school and had no idea what she was in for and became teary eyed. I can only hope it was because she was frightened not that gays should marry.
The protests Saturday Nov. 1 had stretched from highway 50 to 80 in Roseville along Sunrise Blvd. Some other shady character at Sunrise mall told me that only in random shopping centers, were there clusters of people. Scott kept saying there were Russians everywhere.
The debacle at AR College has brought an interesting element into what some people like to describe as democracy. I’m sure not a lot of Russians are even able to vote. Piggybacking on upon the voting population whom I’m afraid will override judicial scholars on this proposition.
A dark day before the election
Monday afternoon, as I get out of work I called Scott B. to find out where and when the protests were going to take place. From about the fish Hatchery and highway 50 to Greenback on Hazel, which is about a three mile stretch. His dad was going to give me a dvd that someone made of the protests, he was hanging out at the fish hatchery that afternoon preparing for the protest. I drove past the intersection of Hazel and Madison at 2pm and saw three old people with those already famous colors yellow and blue.
Why is marriage so important I began to wonder…I used to be totally opposed to it, now all I can say is that I’m not against it, for myself. But why was it so important that a diaspora of churches and ‘the Russians’ make it impossible for anyone else other than them? I don’t expect a good answer from anyone, and have yet to receive one I’d consider acceptable to justify inequality.
Scott B, ”hey my dad just called he’s out on Greenback and Sunrise he says its complete mayhem, you might want to get down there.”
“Thanks.” I hung up the phone grabbed all my shit and went to the scene of turmoil and rain. I lit a cigarette and sped away in Volkswagen.
I find a close spot to park, right next to this bank on the corner, and there were tons of people lined up and down the sidewalks. I get out of my car and there is this strange man sitting in a black Honda, observing my car. I wonder why there would be spooks at a rally like this? I wonder if he’s even a spook? But I found out soon enough why.
I walk to the grassy mound stomped down and turned into shit mud from the rain and bodies, and just watched. There were hundreds of people out in the streets. It was raining heavily and there were crowds of people on all four corners. It was about 4pm and the sky was gray. I think things are just warming up, people were just getting off work.
There are Russians standing next to me…You can tell a Russian when you see one, jesus they’re were everywhere, Scott was right. The honks from the passing cars and yelling were relentless. There was a child of maybe eight years old holding a sign, a Russian child, unable to vote probably like her parents. There were kids and teenagers everywhere.
At first only the signs could tell people apart but later on in the evening, then the teenagers wearing no shoes, no shirts, and piercings in every piece of skin they had were soon the spokespeople fighting against prop 8.
Some of them for Christ’s sake looked like Juggalos. That’s probably where this whole thing failed for opponents of prop 8. Any movement is going to fail if freaks with an overwhelming appreciation for the Insane Clown Posse were on your side.
‘Otkuda’ These two Russian girls walked away, fuck these people are everywhere. I need to find out why. According to the 2006 census Sacramento County has close to 50,000 from Russian, Ukraine, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, in a city with just over a million people in it.
I asked if these Russians wanted to talk to the press, they all said no, a lot of people say no, like you’re a rabid vampire feeding off their already cold blood slowly pulsing through their hardened veins.
I talked to a young man from the former Soviet Union, Ilya. He found out about the protest on the local Russian am radio station. They were easily a third of the people out at this intersection. Ilya had elaborated for me his esoteric view of freedom. “Take a dollar bill. It says on it, in god we trust. Where is God? God is not with the gay people. They should change this, if it’s not about God, but yes it is. We trust in God. They say it’s a free country but its not.” I don’t think this kid knew what he was talking about, but whatever. I asked him what’s the worst thing that could happen if prop 8 passes. Ilya, “People will seek God and go back to their own country.” In the former Soviet Satellite countries, I can’t see that happening.
These people have been sold some strange shit to act this way, I think we all have. Teenagers running across the street able to vote I don’t know but most of the crowd were teenagers so it seemed. After all this was taking place at a mall area ripe with apartments and low paying jobs, like Jamba Juice, and Target. It was a battle between these freaks and the middle class and Russians.
This situation could definitely turn ugly if a car smashed into a group of kids. Explained away by God followers, as divine intervention. Hmm what would the others say if a car rolled into a groups of Christian Orthodox Russians? God, no, some one not paying attention while driving. For some strange reason I wanted there to be a riot, I wanted total fucking mayhem. I wanted these people to want civil rights, like civil rights depended on it.
The cars and motorcycles are doing burnouts and honking, the engines redlining while going five miles per hour, revving in support of prop 8. 'YES ON 8, YES ON 8, YES ON 8, yes on 8' these flare ups of communal chanting.
Hmm, nothing of constitutional rights or expertise will ever come out of this via the papers or the news. That's boring, nor for the everyday person. Not for these freaks out here either.
I feel sorry for the security detail here. It’s too cold to have to taze someone, but some kid did anyway, I missed it and got the text while I was away. Not to mention the security incognito, baby sitting a bunch of multicolored teens. Only the Russians will throw the first punch, that and drunken sots who just so happen to be walking by. If I was a bettin’ man I’d bet the security is here for the Russians.
People are crossing the streets at every chance, are the car horns for them to get out of the way, the lights green. A kid from the former Soviet Union was crossing the road and putting his index fingers together and shaking his head in disapproval. “Get a shot of the police officer.” Some random voice yelled out of the thickening crowd. How can these people supporting prop 8 say this doesn’t stem from homophobia? Jesus I've gotta piss.
I'm now conflicted, why this issue? Why is this so important? If there's anything that's going to divide the public it’s this. Everyone is out in the streets but is it for good? It’s no wonder the war has lasted so long. Voting once every four years and protesting a few days here and there will never require the powers that be to change their ways.
More big rig trucks and mini vans driving by with prop 8 banners in every window, people yelling out of the car windows and others into them. I don’t know that these six year olds know what they’re holding up, these prop 8 signs.
“NO ON 8, NO ON 8, no on 8….” People screaming in other peoples faces, the wrong faces. These faces aren’t the ones paying dollars on the signature to make sure prop 8 gets on the ballot, these aren’t the faces that define and redefine and reillegalize gay marriage. Seems like trickle down hatred. Everyone is capable of being stirred into this rabid frenzy for what they think is right. I know we can look forward to another ballot measure, more court battles, and more protests. At least gay people didn’t have to suffer the economic inequalities African Americans did. The African American community got a late start and it still shows.
I go up to some man, who was staring motionless at the crowds, holding a no on prop 8 sign. “What do you think about all this?”
“I’m sorry I’m just in shock right now.” He stared back at the crowds, he was totally catatonic. I wasn’t getting anything from this one. Some old Russian passed by missing a few teeth, gold on others, yelling yes on 8. We bumped shoulders I just kept going.
Some policeman was hanging around the corner and kept looking at me and my notepad, he seemed a little weary but I’d be on edge too if I was responsible for the safety and social order of things, with this many people constantly moving around, looking for the pole position, and peeling out cars. His tazer was right in front in his belt, I saw it and so could everyone else. Policeman, “All I can hear is no on yes.” He gave a look as if all this was futile, maybe it is.
The cop was still hanging around, ”Oh great the media’s here, I’m sure everyone is going to behave now.” I look up and there is news 13, that red van. All sorts of high tech goodies and bright lights came out. It’s now 4:45 pm and a helicopter is circling, the sky is too dark I can’t tell what it is. The news, the police, the Mormons…?
Yes on 8, or was it hate, I can’t tell. This scenario seems to be gathering steam, more people are coming out here. I need to get out of here for a while, this is going to be going on till the late hours. I still needed to piss and there were too many people around to just go beside my car. Getting arrested for exposing myself to immigrants filmed of course by news 13 isn’t what I needed right now.
I get into my car and rush to a coffee shop to piss and warm up and take some notes not in the rain. ‘Maybay I’m craaaayzay, maybay I’m craaaazzayy….” So the song played, prophetic or impeccably timed, illuminating my view of the animosity between what’s going outside between those who follow gods law and those who follow a different law. Bums getting out of the rain and students getting into their books fill the coffee shop. Russians…jubilant as they line up for a hot drink. My friend Scott has yet to arrive, his brothers were around but I hadn’t seen em’. I need coffee anyways.
So I got the text that someone had been tazed from my friend Scott, he must have just shown up. I ran out of the coffee shop and once again descended on the dark night and soaked humans. The rain was pouring hard and was almost unbearable for me, I had on thin shoes and everything I was in was soaked.
I had stuck close to the opponents of prop 8, more my scene. I think all of the teen protesters’ hormones were spinning like the turbines at the Hoover dam. It’s about 630 in the evening and more news vans were on the scene. The streets are still crowded. Obama and McCain aren’t the only ones campaigning, this prop 8 thing has the whole state up in arms.
What happens when all this is over when people vote tomorrow? Will gay marriage be illegal, will gays still be married, will the sanctity of ‘marriage’ as just between a man and a woman be in the favor of Crazed immigrants? Who knows, no one knows, legal scholars don’t know, what the fuck has this proposition done but to divide people and make the constitution to be more like a list of suggestions? Legal scholars interviewed at McGeorge Law School on the local television set said they didn’t really know what will happen when Wednesday the fifth rolls around.
I can’t help but to think back when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to speak at Colombia last year and claimed there were no homosexuals in Iran. Hey GOP something to look into. Talking to a gay friend of mine Paul, whom I met in Egypt earlier this year and traveled with for a few weeks there, told me “It’s not like we’re seeking approval from the religious establishment.” He certainly wasn’t into getting married.
It was late and I needed to talk to some prop 8 opponents. The rain was coming down too hard. There could have been no worse day to be outside the perfect day for protests, the perfect day for the eve of the election.
The week after the election
Tuesday came and went, the proposition had passed, but Obama won the presidency, Jesus at least the world has that going for it. I was convinced that McCain was going to steal it, and I fear that and most would have just sat back and let it happen a third time.
The protests continued here in Sacramento at the capitol. This was a set back for civil rights. Its now Friday night and there was just a report on the local news that a Church of Latter Day Saints was vandalized, spray painted prop 8 shit all over the sign. Things are turning violent now, and something tells me that it’s going to uglier.
Those marginalized in society are going to have to get ugly. Fighting for equality and civil rights has never been pretty. Maybe that’s just a dream of mine, what I’d like to see. Spontaneous and violent outbreaks migrating around the streets like a flock of tightly knit flies. I guess I’m just glad to see it keep going after the elections. What it comes down to is simply this, the constitution versus God, and sometimes one side wins and the other doesn’t. I definitely thought I’d see gay marriage as legal before I’d see a black president.
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