Wednesday, November 24, 2004

THE 60'S ARE LIKE, SO-O-O OVER, DUDE!

The major news organizations have begun moving on from the election, and are finding new stories to focus on:

  • OMG! We forgot to obsess about Scott Peterson for a single hour! Well, even though the-it-who-would-have-become-Connor didn't get that chance, and although it would have been perfectly legal (and completely HER CHOICE) for Mrs. Peterson to have made the decision to terminate his existence, we are going to make this into a huge issue because his father made that choice. And, BTW, also killed his mother.
  • Warning! Bush is actually going to use his executive power to appoint some new members of his cabinet and administrative team.
  • And we, the media (The Real Annointed Rulers of This Pathetic Collection of Bumpkins) weren't even consulted!
  • Schools Suck, and they aren't getting enough money. Which, when they did get more money, still sucked. So, give them even more. And, BTW, don't expect smarter children, since we don't offer any guarantees or money back. And, if you decide to try to home-school, we're also going to make your live a living hell, since, even though many parents do a perfectly good job of teaching their own children, by doing so after the age of 5, you are clearly infringing on our union's sacred obligation to keep our job safe educate the future generations.
  • Many celebrities actually have lives just like real people. And we know that you can't resist hearing about every, single detail - 24/7
  • Professional atheletes are uncouth, crude, overly physical in a confrontation, and often use poor judgement. (I know this last part will come as an incredible shock - I personally always told my kids to act, speak, and live exactly like them, not me)


The hysteria about marriage seems to have died down. The trendy types rushed to make it semi-legal while the going was good, and thereby earned the "right" to call their significant other "husband" "wife" or "whatever" for the remainder of the "marriage" "union" "whatever's" existence.

The real issue is that in no state did the marriage extension pass the voters. And that firm response may stem the tide of lawsuits that seem sure to follow:

  • Employers - for medical and other benefits to be extended to the putative spouses and kids.
  • Government - for tax deductions
  • Insurance - life and car (they can already insure both, but I'm guessing that the real push will be reduction of car insurance for guys, since married men often get a lower rate)
  • Frivolous - family discounts at restaurants, gym memberships, etc.


Actually, the move to extend marriage's reach might have had a chance if it hadn't been put to the civil disobedience test. It gathered little resistance until MA and CA started having the marriage license rebellion, and married without sanction, and, in many cases, open opposition in defiance of the official government. Only after this did the issue start to get political action that permanently closed off this option.

I think this is an example of how the more showy, theatrical protests cut their own throat. Ever since the MLK days of the 60's, liberals have been enamoured of the glamour of The Struggle. They yearned for martyrdom, wishing they had been fortunate enough in their youth to have had their Brave Struggle immortalized via dramatic black & white pictures of their Oppression By Violent and Barely Even Human Fascist Pig Brave 9/11 Rescue Heros Unwitting Tool of the Overlord, Who, Neverless, We Must Resist.

I'm not impressed by Street Theatrics. If you have an issue, go through channels to get it resolved. It's simply not that difficult. The conservatives have done it, primarily working through established means:
  • Making arguments in various media. One of the most important media today is the Internet, which conservatives have found to be a good way of reaching people with similar values who are distant in geography. The Left is simply not taking full advantage of this, instead setting up sites for the in-group, who meet to kvetch and insult the opposition. They fail to make use of the opportunity to set up sites to inform and persuade, as well as use them to assist local organizations in their growth.
  • Organizing like-minded people to divvy up the work involved in working for change. Some of that organization involved finding churches and community organizations to assist them in their efforts.
  • Hiring lawyers to pursue REVELANT lawsuits.
  • Lobbying legislators.
  • When lobbying fails, working to elect more amenable lawmakers
  • And, last, not giving up in a huff. They hung in there for the long haul, working without necessarily expecting that they would succeed. In general, the most successful were single-minded in the focus, and willing to take longer rather than make compromises that would diminish the effect of their efforts.


What was shocking in the 60's is ridiculous today. Put away that patchouli and paisley, and use the means that are available to you today.

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