Monday, November 06, 2006

Express Yourself

It was just a few days after the last election that the Montgomery County school board unanimously approved a new sex-ed curriculum. It was going to cover some new ground. Notably, it was going to talk about sexual orientation a little bit, define some terms, list some myths and facts.

Some people took the result of that 2004 election to be a mandate, they took it to mean that the country was finally ready to convert to Puritanism. In our county, the peasants headed toward the castle with pitchforks and torches, chanting, "No deviants, no Sodomites in our schools!"

But that castle was on the top of a pretty high, craggy mountain, and the road was dark. The peasants had originally intended to occupy the castle and throw the lord of the manor over a cliff but they ran into some difficulties. Turned out the residents of the castle were not interested in converting to Puritanism, and a few thousand arrows and several hundred gallons of boiling oil later, the peasants decided, about a quarter of the way up, that maybe it would be good enough, you know, just to hang out on the moutainside and make noise. So they stood out there, on the side of the mountain, waving their torches and pitchforks and yelling at the top of their lungs.

Their voices dissipated without an echo over the wide valley below.

One by one the peasants returned to their huts, until only two or three stood out there on the mountainside, raving at the night sky, their torches burning down.

And here we are on the eve of another election. We see now what our 2004 votes got us. America has had some years now of one-party rule at the national level, and we see what that got us.

Tomorrow we return to the polls to express our wishes, all of us who care to participate. We don't know if the machines will work, or if they'll be hacked, or if there will be cheating at the precincts or in the counting. We hope the Supreme Court doesn't get involved, and we definitely don't want to have to worry about the digital equivalent of hanging chad. But if we don't vote, none of that will matter anyway.

The country has gone through an important learning period. I sense a sort of quiet calm here now, as people know what they have to do. It's your only chance: get up tomorrow, go stand in line until they get it working, then go in there and poke the screen, tell them who you want.

It's your only chance.

14 Comments:

Blogger Theresa said...

In the interest of free expression, I dare you to post Dana's letter to the committee...where he claims that tomboys are really transgenders..

Theresa the tomboy is going to run out and get my sex change operation right now !

Wonder how my husband will feel about this....

November 06, 2006 6:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Theresa, shut up.

You refer to Dana as 'he', when she's more of a woman than you'll ever be.

She's a really great role model. You should learn from her - you'd be a better person for it.

November 06, 2006 7:51 PM  
Blogger JimK said...

I don't know who this Anon is, but I agree with them. All of us here have learned a lot from Dana, and she deserves our respect. I've deleted a lot of Anonymous comments here for this sort of thing, Theresa, and would not have expected this from you.

You say you want me to post her essay, but I don't think I will until I see an apology or at least a correction from you. We don't maintain this site to support personal insults.

JimK

November 06, 2006 8:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This whole thing where transgenders consider it the ultimate insult to refer to them by their natural-born gender is really just emotional blackmail. In other words, you must validate their freedom to choose their gender or you are the worst of offenders. Sorry, but some people don't agree with that and shouldn't be forced to.

If Dr D, on the executive commitee of TTF, which has been given a seat on the CAC, is now taking the outrageous position that tomboys are really transgenders, we'd all have an interest in hearing said position.

November 06, 2006 9:59 PM  
Blogger JimK said...

First of all, it is only polite to refer to someone in the way they prefer. It shouldn't be too much to ask. If you want to be rude, I will just delete your comments, no problem.

Your comment about "choosing your gender" makes it pretty clear that you haven't thought this through. Certainly you don't think a person makes a change like this capriciously, do you? If you simply don't understand, I'm pretty sure Dana would be glad to explain the whole thing to you. But I don't think that your failure to understand constitutes a license to be rude on our blog.

Second of all, it is not very ... wise ... of you to take Theresa's paraphrase as if it were a direct quote. As usual, there are a few important words changed.

JimK

November 06, 2006 10:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"First of all, it is only polite to refer to someone in the way they prefer. It shouldn't be too much to ask. If you want to be rude, I will just delete your comments, no problem."

Oh, when Dr D insults someone else, a reciprocal insult might not be out of the question.

"Your comment about "choosing your gender" makes it pretty clear that you haven't thought this through."

Yes, everyone who doesn't share your worldview just hasn't thought things through.

"Certainly you don't think a person makes a change like this capriciously, do you? If you simply don't understand, I'm pretty sure Dana would be glad to explain the whole thing to you. But I don't think that your failure to understand constitutes a license to be rude on our blog."

Again, you don't seem to mind when the Dr is rude. Your offended stance is hollow.

"Second of all, it is not very ... wise ... of you to take Theresa's paraphrase as if it were a direct quote. As usual, there are a few important words changed.""

Well, either you or the Dr are free to point out any discrepancy.

November 06, 2006 10:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Theresa the bigoted CRC'r is showing who she really is and why she is a CRC'r.


Theresa please let us know when you end up with as much class as Dana.

When hell freezes over I guess or when pigs fly you will be able to say that.

Ted

November 06, 2006 10:58 PM  
Blogger JimK said...

Anon, Dana has never been rude to you, or to anyone else here.

JimK

November 07, 2006 6:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"In the interest of free expression" I would amend Theresa's inflammatory and meritless comment. A lot of us grew up as tomboys. Nobody said all tomboys are transgender.

Of course, we understand as a member of the CRC, Theresa's intent is to "INFLAME" the public with statements with "merit or no merit."

Daisy

November 07, 2006 9:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, Daisy, if Dr D didn't say that, why will TTF not post the actual text of the comments in question?

November 07, 2006 10:17 AM  
Blogger Dana Beyer, M.D. said...

Because she hasn't apologized for her gratuitous personal insult.
The very few times I was called on insulting someone, and considered their words, I apologized. I don't consider it a difficult thing to do, and I will do so again if merited.

I'm sure it will get published here, since both Matthew's letter and Peter's rebuttal were published. I have nothing to hide, and you'll easily see how Theresa twisted my words.

November 07, 2006 4:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dana said, "you'll easily see how Theresa twisted my words."

Well that is how the CRC gossip game works. Never tell the real truth just twist it to fit their twisted minds then they go spread that through their bigoted world.
Which by the way has become very small.

Ted

November 07, 2006 11:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Still waiting to see any proof of this. Usually, TTFers are the ones twisting words so I tend to believe Theresa.

November 08, 2006 12:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well if you are Theresa then you believe Theresa.

Brad

November 08, 2006 12:10 AM  

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