June 16, 2010

Oh, the hateful speech is in full swing. It must be Wednesday!

…I don’t even know what that means. I just needed some way to link these stories together and that sounded, at least in my head, like a legitimate strategy. Oh well.

One Tux Too Many

A young woman named Ceara Sturgis was cut out of her high school yearbook because she wore a tux instead of the traditional dress. Why would she do this? She’s a lesbian and, judging from her reactions in this video, she’s more comfortable in traditionally male clothes than dresses.

Unlike another now-infamous incident a while back, there was no problem with Ceara wearing a dress to prom (although she went with a guy, her best male friend) and there was no chance of girl-girl action occurring in the photo. There were no pride banners, logos, or calls for lesbianity to take over America.

The girl wore a tux.

End of story, except the principal quickly pulled her picture. Caera doesn’t appear at all. They didn’t even give her the courtesy of a blank frame. Nothing. The problem here is that it can’t be easily undone with a lawsuit or anything. The school would have to recall every yearbook, have the company reprint them, and re-distribute them, and by now e students have very likely signed books and would not give them back.

The year is over and this popular student, yes, she was well-liked, is now a ghost.

This all started last fall, but with the academic year gone, there’s nothing left to do. I really wish something had been done. Anything. Fire the principal. Make him pay reparations. Something. Poke him with a stick.

I don’t care.

With all the talk on “individual rights” versus “human rights” the right is screaming about right now, you’d think the right of an individual to express herself would get people more angry than anything else, but seeing as how she’s an abomination in the eyes of God, the right has better things to do.

Oh, but the hate is just beginning.

GAY PRIDE 2010 Bordeaux by ~PoisonOxygene on deviantART

We Have Psychic Cops?

Representative Steve King (R-Iowa), not to be confused with author Stephen King, defended Arizona’s immigration law by stating that not profiling goes against the very nature of law enforcement. Besides, law enforcement can routinely use their heightened mental abilities to scan for illegal without any real proof. While he’s against using racial profiling to discriminate-

Wait… What?

I think I better let the Congressman explain in his own words.

Oh, brother, where to start? First of all, if someone uses a “sixth sense” to detect criminal activity, that person should donate his or her brain to science because they would provide evidence of psychic abilities. Secondly, there is a massive difference between racial profiling and behavioral profiling.

Huge!

Behavioral analysis focuses on what you do, specific behaviors, and psychology. Racial profiling involves looking for the most brown person in the group. According to U.S. intelligence specialists, racial profiling can harm law enforcement efforts.

Think of it this way. You want the public’s cooperation? Don’t make them think you’re after them just because they happen to be a member of a race.

Of course, basing decisions on clothes is even dumber. Am I to believe the white guy dressed gangsta-style is a criminal because he dresses like the bad guys on Law and Order?

see more Epic Fails

Okay, maybe not.

Then again, it’s still more sane than this…

Hey, It Worked for Korea, Right?

Let’s put some anti-personnel mines along the Mexico border.

At least, that’s the suggestion from New Mexico Congressional Candidate Tom Mullins.

Though he’s taken the remarks back, he did so because he got such bad press about them. If more people in Arizona had backed him up, I’m sure he’d the first one out to set up an M18 Claymore.

Mines? Have we gotten to the point where this country fears immigrants so much that this idea is even said out loud? I always find it funny how people stereotype Mexicans as lazy and unmotivated while simultaneously complaining that Mexicans are taking all the jobs. Does Mullins actually think mines are going to keep people out?

We have illegal immigrants from China. They have to cross an ocean. A minefield will just prove a very explosive inconvenience. Given the efforts to get rid of mines planted all over the world following wars that tore nations apart, why does this man think that mines will fare any better here?

So there you have it. Racism and homophobia in one neat little package. Given how much we gain from our diversity and how much we claim to respect the rights of others, instances like this really do show that he belief in equality extends only to a certain group.

Sometime I wonder if we’re moving backwards.