Saturday, November 22, 2003
Forty years later ... : Oh, Coz. ... Actually, this WaPo article about Dallas probably captures the mood of the country -- as opposed to the mood of the aging Baby Boomer editors hyping the anniversary -- better than most other articles. The young simply don't have the same attachments and feelings toward JFK and the anniversary. And newspapers wonder why they're losing readership among the young. ... It may not be up for long, but check out today's Globe op-ed page -- Howard Zinn and John Kenneth Galbraith and John Updike (11 dinosaurs in all). All remembering where they were when they heard the news, etc. It's all about them and their feelings. Is that what JFK's legacy has come down to?
'Separate-but-equal,' BS: Notice how professional activists (in stories in the Herald and Globe) are so quick to suggest they're the rightful heirs of the Civil Rights Movement, borrowing/ stealing lines from the Brown-Topeka decision, positioning themselves in the dreadful modern category of official victimhood. ... The fact is the gay rights movement has little to do with the Civil Rights Movement. The last time I checked, there were no recent cases of snarling German Shepherds biting at the legs of gay protesters or firemen shooting water hoses at unarmed gay protesters or governors blocking the path of gays trying to enter a Massachusetts college with an escort of National Guardsmen. There is a difference between the right to drink at the same Little Rock water fountain and the right to marry on a Berkshire hilltop. ... The comparisons are silly -- and obnoxious. The fact is, the gay leadership today is powerful, affluent, influential -- and firmly imbedded within the establishment. ... Different times require different tactics -- and temperaments. ...
... Where am I going with this as a supporter of the right of gays to marry? Give the legislative, democratic process a chance to work out. Is that too much to ask? That the people -- a majority of whom already support gay marriage -- have a say in crafting this momentous decision? The gay rights movement has accomplished more in 30 years than African Americans achieved in 300 years. A little perspective -- and a little more patience -- is needed. ...
P.S. -- There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind Tom Reilly is running for governor. Taking on Billy. Offering up this marriage compromise. He gets the notion that occasionally hip-checking the Hack/Progressive Alliance is necessary to win over suburban Independents. Shannon never got it.
'Separate-but-equal,' BS: Notice how professional activists (in stories in the Herald and Globe) are so quick to suggest they're the rightful heirs of the Civil Rights Movement, borrowing/ stealing lines from the Brown-Topeka decision, positioning themselves in the dreadful modern category of official victimhood. ... The fact is the gay rights movement has little to do with the Civil Rights Movement. The last time I checked, there were no recent cases of snarling German Shepherds biting at the legs of gay protesters or firemen shooting water hoses at unarmed gay protesters or governors blocking the path of gays trying to enter a Massachusetts college with an escort of National Guardsmen. There is a difference between the right to drink at the same Little Rock water fountain and the right to marry on a Berkshire hilltop. ... The comparisons are silly -- and obnoxious. The fact is, the gay leadership today is powerful, affluent, influential -- and firmly imbedded within the establishment. ... Different times require different tactics -- and temperaments. ...
... Where am I going with this as a supporter of the right of gays to marry? Give the legislative, democratic process a chance to work out. Is that too much to ask? That the people -- a majority of whom already support gay marriage -- have a say in crafting this momentous decision? The gay rights movement has accomplished more in 30 years than African Americans achieved in 300 years. A little perspective -- and a little more patience -- is needed. ...
P.S. -- There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind Tom Reilly is running for governor. Taking on Billy. Offering up this marriage compromise. He gets the notion that occasionally hip-checking the Hack/Progressive Alliance is necessary to win over suburban Independents. Shannon never got it.
