Religions > Bible > To All Black/African-American (as you prefer) Voters: Please consider THIS on Nov. 2nd ---
| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"GOOD RIDDANCE on Nov. 2nd to Dishonest Warmonger-in-Thief G.W. Bush!" |
| Date: |
31 Oct 2004 09:34:07 AM |
| Object: |
To All Black/African-American (as you prefer) Voters: Please consider THIS on Nov. 2nd --- |
To All Black/African-American (as you prefer) Voters:
Please consider THIS on Nov. 2nd ---
Per reports on the news media, many of you are leaning
toward supporting Bush because they are opposed to same-
sex marriage.
I ask you to give serious thought to this, even though it's
been long enough now that for most of you, they've become
words in history books, and stories handed down to you by
parents and grand-parents.
In 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education decision by a
fair-minded U.S. Supreme Court catalyzed the decline of seg-
regation in America's South, and led to its ultimate doom.
**Without** that decision, it may have taken far longer for that
horrible condition and terrible discrimination to end. It took a
FAIR Court -- one that had respect for the personal liberties of
all Americans -- to trigger that series of incalculably-beneficial
and necessary events.
It would be hard to imagine any person of color who today
would disparage that course of events.
Okay. Now let's go back to the Presidential Election year of
1952 -- two years earlier, and explore *this* SCENARIO.
Note: "scenario." In which the following situations prevail:
1. The candidates were NOT Ike and Adlai, but were
two imaginary candidates --- one of whom ("Smith" had
pledged to appoint only egalitarians to the Supreme
Court, if given the chance. And the other one ("Jones")
had pledged to appoint ONLY Justices who would
uphold the "traditional" status quo of a USA that has
supposedly "sepatate but equal" segregation in the
South.
2. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of personal
liberties very consistently for more decades than most
Americans at the time have even been alive. BUT...
a substantial percentage of those decisions have been
by a harrowing, razor-thin 5-4 split.
3. It's been around 15 years since the last time a Justice
was appointed to the Court, and it's had the same
composition ever since. By this time, some of the
Justices have become old enough that it is almost an
absolute *certainty* that at least one, and possibly as
many as four of them will retire DURING the next
presidential term.
Obviously, the fate of ten million American blacks hangs in
the balance on this critical (hypothetical) election. If Smith wins,
the Court will remain egalitarian and fair-minded -- oriented to
upholding the individual liberties and dignity of all Americans.
And if Jones wins, the Court will -- for the first time in over 100
years (since the loathsome Dred Scott decision) take on a
composition beyond the comprehension of most Americans.
One which supports the stances of **repressive** factions,
at the expense of personal liberties.
Okay. It's 1952, and as an American voter (let's assume that
blacks in the South back then, too, could vote unimpeded, even
though that was far from being the case in that Dark Ages era),
and it's all up to you. Vote for Smith, and the Court remains fair.
And already, it looks like the stage is being set for opposition to
segregation. Or... vote for Jones, and the Supreme Court soon
will value the "traditions" of repressive forces, and will no longer
rule in favor of human rights, w/respect to that faction's agendas.
And -- since Supreme Court appointments are for LIFE... you just
might not live long enough to see an egalitarian Court again during
your lifetime, if Jones wins the election. Even if you're only 18, in
1952.
As a black person, which candidate would YOU vote for? And
which one would you HOPE that most of your neighbors of other
races would vote for?
Well, folks -- we are at the threshold of precisely the SAME
scenario. The only difference is this: In the one above, the most
imminent cases to be decided were racial ones. And in our current
and REAL scenario, today, in 2004, the repressive faction is the
frighteningly-potent, trans-denominational cult of the "Religious"
Radical Right, which totally disrespects the rights and well-being
of America's women, and seeks to discriminate against people on
the basis of their sexual orientation.
If Bush wins, we will soon have a Supreme Court that would
probably overturn Roe vs. Wade. That would mean that several
of the states that are "red" on political maps these days, will FORCE
millions of women (regardless of their economic status), who find
themselves faced with unwanted pregnancy, to either gestate-to-
term against their will, or come up with the time and money nec-
essary to travel to a free state to obtain a safe & legal abortion.
(Or, unthinkably worse, risk an *illegal* one!)
(If you think America is poloarized NOW, wait and see what
it'll be like if **that** befalls us!)
If Bush wins, then WE, in 2004, will -- with almost 100%
certainty, will -- during his term -- end up with a Supreme Court that
will value the "traditions" of the repressive RRR, and will no longer
rule in favor of human rights, w/respect to that faction's agendas.
And it will be YOU -- not the voters in the earlier scenario -- who
just might not live long enough to see an egalitarian Court again
during your lifetime. Even if you're now only 18, and you live to be
a ripe old age.
Tyranny is a slippery slope. If we start down that road with a
Court that cannot become egalitarian again for many decades,
then what could possibly *reverse* that horrendous circumstance?
The women and gays will surely be the first ones to suffer, but
that alone is a blow to ALL Americans. Disrespect one group's
liberties, and the liberties of ALL Americans are devalued. After
that, what's next? How long will it take for America to resemble
the society of the old USSR, or the one envisioned by George
Orwell in "1984." Once the forces of repression have been
inexorably set in motion, their inertia will do nothing but increase.
Who can possibly save us? A free superpower nation somewhere?
Nope. Tough luck. We're currently the ONLY free country on the
planet with the might to be regarded as a "superpower."
If our society goes Orwellian, thanks to a Bush victory's leading
to a NON-egalitarian Supreme Court... we will have NOWHERE
to run.
Finally, let's take a quick look at same-sex marriage.
The Constitution has become one VERY egalitarian document...
and it contains absolutely **nothing** that would deny marriage to
same-sex couples. If it did, the RRR wouldn't have been yowling
for a Bigotry Amendment. (Which, fortunately, was just **rejected**
spectacularly by both houses of Congress.)
Ask yourself these questions: "What damage would be done
to any opposite-sex couple's marriage if a same-sex couple gets
legally married?" And: "WHAT would 'traditional' marriage be
defended *against*, by denying marriage to same-sex couples?"
Then, too, there's THIS: Debate seems to center over whether
people are born homosexual or choose that orientation. But -- what
difference does it make? How many people are BORN Lutheran?
Presbyterian? Catholic? Muslim? Hindu? Buddhist? Atheist?
Jewish? No matter what their parents' religious views may be, it
ultimately becomes every person's own *choice*. His/her own
*preference*.
Can we legally discriminate against a person based upon his
religious preference? Of course not.
Should discrimination against people based upon his sexual
preference (*even* IF it's a 'preference' and not as a result of
'orientation from birth') be legally tolerated? Of course not.
If you're reading this post, and you're black, then such discrim-
ination should be ANATHEMA to you. You've BEEN there!
Have you forgotten the horrors of the past so very soon? Do the
victories of Martin Luther King, Jr., millions of fellow blacks, and
all their white allies (several of whom, of both races, died for their
convictions on behalf of human rights) -- mean so LITTLE to you
now, that you would disparage the gay community for emulating
their efforts? You should be **praising** them for that. They are
HONORING those leaders and dedicated human rights workers.
All who whine that they are "piggy-backing" on your Civil
Rights Movement, and denounce them for that, should be
hanging their heads in abject SHAME for even *thiking* along
such bigoted and intolerant lines. Those blacks should be
infinitely ABOVE such unbridled and unconscionable hatefulness.
Eye color... skin color... sexual orientation... handedness...
these are all TRIVIALITIES. Any society that judges people on
the basis of trivialities, rather than on the basis of their humanity
is a society that still has a lot of growing up to do.
Smith vs. Jones was just a scenario. Bush vs. Kerry is real life.
And so is Tyranny vs. Freedom.
Just HOURS from now -- it's all up to you.
-- Craig Chilton <xanadu222@mchsi.com>
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