Links and comments

[stakebait]

Laser guide bombs = ceasefire, apparently. Thanks to betnoir for the link and George Orwell for the logic.

Photos show abuse of prisoners by US. Link from sinboy This is better, right? This is us bringing freedom and democracy? Wasn't the torture of prisoners one of the reasons why Saddam had to go?

I am so, so sorry. There is not a apology in the world good enough for this. But, hint to American government, a good start would be STOPPING IT.

And not, for example, getting ticked because one of your colleagues dared to say the pledge without Under God in it.

Oh look, Senator Hollings wants to reinstate the draft

Virginia passed a bill not only forbidding civil unions, but stripping private contractual rights between same-sex couples by outlawing any "partnership contract or other arrangements that purport to provide the benefits of marriage."

That means no health care proxies, no custody, no power of attorney -- maybe not even wills. There's really no rational answer to this. This isn't a rational thing. There is no convincing some people that attacking their status as better than me is not attacking them.

Alliance of Baptists approves of gay marriage. I don't usually link the statements, but I wanted the reminder that not all devout Christians are opposed.

A cool site about celtic medievalism, courtesy of makinglight.

An analysis of misogyny in last night's Angel. Oddly considering my reaction last time, this one made sense to me. Either way, it's interesting.

Mer

Comments

[lucifrix.livejournal.com]

Here's what I love--just a few days ago someone asks me why we don't just leave "under God" out if it bothers us. We can't fucking win.

And those torture pictures...how is this happening??? I just don't know how to wrap my head around it.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

No, not all Christians are opposed! I'm Episcopalian, we just installed our first openly gay bishop this year. :)

[rhi]

The only part of the torturing prisoners that makes us better is that other US MPs were aghast and said so, publicly. But dear gods.

(And I fail to see how the pictures of the coffins were disrespectful of the dead, on a related subject. The pictures I saw showed them being handled and guarded with utmost respect. Did I miss something?)

[tamnonlinear.livejournal.com]

The argument is that making a point of showing the coffins is using the soldier's deaths for political purposes, which is exploitative and therefore disrespectful. Whereas not showing them political at all. So acknowledgment is disrespect and denial is respectful, because it helps further the war for which they died.

At least, that's the best mind-warp I can do of it.

I'd come up with something more cynical, but I'm giving up on the human race at the moment. I'll try again later.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Well, you and the majority of Americans sure AREN'T responsible for electing Bush into office...

Thanks for the Alliance of Baptists link, for usually I have to read statements against equal rights for gay couples and feel ashamed of those who call themselves my fellow Christians...

[iswari.livejournal.com]

I can't even tell you how much that Virginia thing pisses me off! *GRRRRRRR*

[emmett-the-sane.livejournal.com]

It pisses me off, too... but rest assured that the legislation will be found extremely unconstitutional by the first heterosexual case to cross the court's desk. The case for shared responsibility by friends or long term unmarried partners runs too deep and long in the nation to be lost that easily, and this law appears to take that away, too. In trying to make something that couldn't be called "discriminatory against gays" in a court of law (which it cannot by itself), they've made something which is discriminatory against a huge chunk of the population.

I don't even expect that the first people to run amuck of the new law will have anything at all to do with gay rights.