#politicalthings

[tetradoesgaycrimes]

Two different Friends of mine got attacked by fascists in the same night. 2 days later a member of the European parliament gets attacked one city over. Eastern Germany is getting even more dangerous.

[tetradoesgaycrimes]

Sometimes I get the feeling that the bigger the city gets, the more leftist hates each other. It's just painful to see.

On the other hand, the smaller the communities get, the less capacity there is for pointless debates. And suddenly you can really do something. In Germany there was this massive wave of protest after an NGO published that some politicians from the right-wing fascist party and the conservative party had met with other fascists and had a meeting about the deportation of German citizens who were "not German enough". And we in our small East German town now had to plan a demonstration in 4 days and we fucking did it. The highest expectations we had were 2000 and that was utopian, we registered the demonstration with a maximum of 500 participants. And the social media post kept getting more and more likes, I think it's now at 4000 likes, which doesn't sound like much, but for us that's 10x the typical best post. And then on Saturday we had 12000 people there, which if I am right is the biggest demonstration we have had in the last 20 years. And that was just in 4 days. What I want to say here is that the bigger cities are often the places you want to be as a leftist and that is probably still true (not even adding the better quality of life), but knowing the people who are holding the banner with you and knowing that this small group of people can do so much is also really fulfilling.

[ghostbopp]

I'm going to be honest. I'm conflicted.

Major, major props to the SCOTUS for their decision regarding DOMA and Prop 8, BUT, I'm still furious about their ruling regarding the Voting Rights Act. And it's because of this:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/government-elections-politics/with-voting-rights-act-out-states-push-voter-id-laws/

I think that the strike-down of DOMA and Prop 8 are great victories for the LGBTQIA movement as well as a step towards equality, but the fight is not over. Yet the headlines explode and the media celebrates with confetti like it is? Because really? Pay attention to the dissenters. They're not done. Kansas Republican Tim Huelskamp stated that he was ready for an uphill legal battle. 

One victory should not wash over the other frightening problems, simply because they're not getting media attention. Staggering incarceration rates--the US has 25% of the world's incarcerated citizens; there are more incarcerated African-American males than there were slaves in the 1850s, and they are in prison mostly for nonviolent crimes. A costly healthcare system on track to bankrupt this country (the ACA only touches upon the fringes of the problem, unfortunately) where treatment is $9000 dollars in the US but $500 in other countries, without quality difference; where the pharmaceutical industry makes 4 times as much as the movie industry. Attempts to pass anti-abortion laws, and wealth gaps that have only increased since the 80s. PRISM. The drones. Zimmerman's trial. 

The persistence of rape culture. Steubenville, anyone? And the suicide of a young girl in an area near where I live, a suicide that was hushed by the school board and where many lamented the careers of the rapists who continue to live while a young, beautiful girl does not. 

I think that any day where there is a step towards equality is a day to be celebrated, but that should not let a country's citizens from forgetting to face national problems and striving to form a more perfect country, a more perfect union. 

I think my negativity may also be affecting my views adversely. Or, maybe, I'm just so exasperated that the decision regarding DOMA and Prop 8  took so long, because I really don't understand why it's such a contentious issue to begin with. Aren't we a secular nation? Hello?