When I drove home this evening, I saw two or three dozen people waving "Yes on 8" signs all around the big intersection near my condo. It really upset me. I felt alone and besieged. Though I have never done anything like this before, I went home, grabbed a cardboard box, wrote "No on 8" on it in big black letters, and went out to stand near them: my own personal counter-protest.
While the "Yes on 8" activists monopolized the four corners, I stood about five yards away, smiling and waving my sign at all the cars. It was amazing how many drivers smiled, gave me the thumbs up, even rolled down their windows and cheered!
After about fifteen minutes, a young woman I had never met before came up to join me, carrying a "No on 8" sign she had also just made. She had been driving by with her boyfriend and seen me at the corner---and decided she just could not let me stand there alone. Ten minutes later a young man joined us, holding a big "No on 8" that he had painted on a bedsheet. He made a cell phone call and a couple more friends came to help him hold it up. Then two students came to help out: they told us they went to Target, bought a couple of posterboards, and made some "No on 8" signs on the spot. An hour after I arrived, my mini-protest of one had become ten, and we now "owned" one of the corners.
Eventually I had to go, so I left my sign with the woman who had first joined me. She smiled and said, "You started a posse." I thanked this total stranger and walked home. I don't know if I made a difference tonight, but tonight made a difference in me. None of us are alone.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
"You've Started a Posse"
Posted by Dr. Strangelove at 12:20 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Yay Dr.S!!!
That took guts, going out there alone, and I'm betting you made a difference to at least some of the people driving by - seeing you there, with the courage to stand near groups clearly broadcasting their totally opposite view to you (which is risky, given that some of these wingnuts have been known to get violent), will have touched people. Definitely.
YAY YOU!!!
I reckon you made a difference, because above all else you were spontaneous and it speaks to your convictions as opposed to the group think of others. Well done Dr S! I consider myself privileged to call you a friend!
WAY TO GO DR. S!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And don't worry, regardless of the outcome today, you aren't alone.
I think we're going to win tonight, Dr.S, and Prop 8 will go down to defeat. Even if they win, you will know that millions of your Californian neighbors stood with you, and definitely a majority of people in Los Angeles county.
I'm glad you stood up and stood out there. It always takes courage to go out there alone.
I've started to think of Prop 8 as a personal attack by the Mormon church on my family. And we should respond in kind.
I wonder how many of those Yes on 8 people were from LA and how many were from Utah.
At our corner, the "Yes on 8" protesters were a mix of elderly widows and widowers, families with lots of children, Latinos and Latinas, and a few tall, blond Mormons in white starched shirts.
My hubby went to talk with one of the protesters on the other side, and near the end of the (polite) conversation, he apparently struck a nerve when he said he had been personally offended to see them and his feelings had been hurt.
He did not change any minds last night, of course, but he let them know this was personal and the lady was a bit taken aback and apparently said seriously, "Thank you for telling me that."
Dr. S,
That is the best election story I have heard. Kudos to you and your hubby!
Prop 9: Mormon marriages, whether polygamous or monogamous, shall not be valid and recognized in the State of California.
Prop 10: Only a marriage between two persons demonstrably capable of procreation shall be valid and recognized in the State of California.
Prop 11: Only a marriage between a man and a woman who is a virgin shall be valid and recognized in the State of California.
What do you say?
Prop 12: Only a marriage between a man who has been chosen by the woman's family and a woman who has been appropriately transacted shall be valid & recognised in the State of California.
Dr.S - sounds like Mr.S (he still needs his own blog name!) may well have changed at least one mind last night: how many times have we said on here that making it personal is the key?
LTG: good way of viewing it I reckon.
I really don't think this is going to do the Mormons any favours at all - even if by some freak chance the Yes on 8s 'win' this round, they will eventually be defeated, and no-one's going to forget the Mormon involvement.
I'm very very proud of you Dr S! You've done something that I've always wanted the courage to do myself.
Oh grief. Am currently watching the CNN vote counter (half hour after polls closed), and it's not looking too good right now - quite a few counties are reasonably close, and irritatingly CNN are marking 50-50 as Yes, but there's still a lot more yes than no. Feeling very worried here, going to check out LA Times' map, see if that's better...
To add further to LTG's list:
Prop Pombat: bigots shall have their right to vote revoked. A bigot to be defined via a simple yes/no questionnaire - answer yes to any of the following, lose your 'right':
(1) do you believe homosexuality is a sin?
(2) do you think a Muslim in the White House is a bad idea?
(3) do you believe that a man should always be the head of the household, never to be questioned or challenged?
(4) do you believe that straight white men should be able to do whatever they want, regardless of what everyone else is allowed to do?
(5) do you deserve a right royal kick up the arse?
As you might have guessed, I'm feeling a bit angry (and could go on), because looking at the vote (86% counted, LA Times providing my info), it's still not looking good - only 48.2% no.
:-(((
Post a Comment