A friend posted a post-election link on Facebook that caught my eye... the gist of it is that you can either thank the plankton for Obama's re-election or blame them for Romney not winning. It's actually doing a comparison of the past two elections, so McCain can be thrown in the pot too. It's an interesting concept (follow along with me in If You Give A Mouse A Cookie style):
- If you had a plankton bed that follows a line through the deep South (which we do), it would result in richer soil;
- If the soil was richer soil along this line, it would make for better cotton growing;
- If the cotton grew better along this line, there would have been more slaves;
- If there are more slaves, it would result in a predominately black population running across that line still today,
- If there is a predominantly black population running across the 'plankton' line, it would put the vote to President Obama.
- If it put the vote to President Obama, then you should be thanking or blaming the Plankton for the past two election results.
It's an interesting concept that I'm sure SpongeBob Square Pants villian Sheldon J. Plankton revels in!
Another recent Facebook link was one tying free states and slavery states during the Civil War to the election results (picture to the right, credit goes to Michelle Lawrence on Facebook whom I do not know but was re-posted by a friend with Lawrence giving credit for the second picture to an online reference).
This all makes me sad to think that the division between races is still such a predominant issue. Both articles lean toward a mentality that we, as a Nation, have not made much progress forward since the Civil War or Civil Rights movements - which I do not think is true. Unfortunately though, it frankly makes me wonder if underneath some of my Republican friends might also unknowingly still be racist and if some of my black friends only voted for Obama because he is black. Broad generalizations based on who won/lost the election and the correlation these two posts evoked, so don't get your panties in bunch - I'm just sharing what they caused me to think.
That line of thought though, of course, then led me to the current discrimination that is prevailing against the gay community. Is doesn't seem all that different to me. It is discrimination toward a select group of people because they are different (first by race, now by sexual orientation). It seems to me that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment should protect us from this but realize that actually there has been a great history of different interpretations of it's intent. Although this last election with the same-sex marriage victories in Maine and Maryland, the state of Minnesota not enacting legislation that would define marriage as one man and one woman, and the election of an openly gay Senator do speak to the growth of our country and provide hope for a less judgmental and condemning populous. I find it interesting that the Republican party, who is very much so about not wanting government involvement are also the faction that is predominantly bringing forth legislation to discrimination against the gay community. Here of late there has been a huge push by the Republican party to 'educate' the public that they were on the right side of the Civil Rights Movement while the Democrats were on the discriminating side - yet at the same time as yelling out how pro-Black they are, they are anti-Gay. Seems a tad bit hypocritical. While I don't agree with them, my friends who are against Gay Marriage do so because of their religious organization's interpretation of the bible and are, and should, be allow to have their opinions. My issue is when that religious opinion is used to enact laws that are a civil discrimination - as the good majority of these religious factions are in alignment with the Republican party that has put forth the anti-Gay actions. Please note: I purposely say 'their religious organization because not ALL Christians interpret God's Will as anti-Gay, I also generalize in regards to the Republican party based on the majority as they also are not ALL anti-Gay either. Bottom line is that while I respect your different of opinion and right to voice it or vote based on it, I have a fundamental issue with a civil discrimination being on a ballot. The law, in my mind, should encompass all regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. The flip side of that though is that while, in my opinion the law should stay out of if, the religion institutions should also then have the right, without penalty, to make their decisions regarding what they will or will not allow. Meaning, the law should not define or limit 2 parties, regardless of gender, to engage in a civil union that allows them the financial and societal benefits it brings but religious entities should have the right to not perform the marriage, or recognize the marriage, if it goes against their doctrine. Some religions wouldn't, some would. Either way, it would be a foundation on their beliefs and separate from the government rights. Two things that I see as very different.
Just food for thought this morning...
And for the record... I'm neither Republican or Democrat so don't try to dispel what I think as being with the 'other' party. I vote based on the individual and the issue and will never be a party-liner.
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