On November 6th, registered voters in Washington State get to decide whether some of their fellow citizens get to enjoy equal rights. I’m referring to the vote on Referendum 74, a measure which seeks to overturn the legalization of same sex marriage that passed the Washington State Legislature. Isn’t it simply amazing that the rights of individuals are subject to the vote of the majority? I must have failed my basic civics class back at Seattle Prep in the ‘60’s. Actually, we didn’t have civics at Prep, but it just seems so odd to me that some people get to vote on the rights of others. This doesn’t seem like the type of thing that should be decided by popular vote, does it?
A person may or may not believe that individuals of the same sex should be allowed to marry. Personal opinion isn’t the issue. The issue is that citizens are voting on whether a specific right should be granted to other citizens. How is this a matter of popular vote? Isn’t this a matter for the courts to decide? It is either Constitutional or not Constitutional that same sex couples be allowed to legally marry. How is it that a person can vote to grant this right or another person vote to withhold this right, regardless of their reasons for doing so? One citizen should not have the ability to determine the rights of another.
There is a precedent for insisting that the issue of same sex marriage be decided by the courts. As recently as 1967, 16 states had laws preventing blacks from marrying whites. That is the year that the ironically titled case, “Loving vs. Virginia” was brought before the Supreme Court. Richard Loving was a white man and his wife, Mildred, was black. They were married and living in the state of Virginia. In the early morning hours of July 11th, 1959, authorities entered their home, specifically their bedroom , arrested them, charged them and convicted them of a felony based on their marriage. In 1967, the Supreme Court overturned their convictions and additionally, prohibited states from passing laws that prohibited interracial marriage. The Court decided that prohibiting interracial marriage violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, language that guarantees equal rights to citizens. It is this very same clause which today is being used to determine if the ban on same sex marriage is constitutional.
This is a decision that must be made by the courts. This isn’t a matter to be decided by citizens. Imagine having your rights determined by popular vote. It is interesting to consider this fact: in 1967, the year that interracial marriage bans were struck down,72% of Americans opposed interracial marriage. Forty eight percent believed in should be prosecuted as a criminal act. Fortunately, it was not an issue left to popular vote, just as same sex marriage should not be. It is demeaning and unjust to an individual to have his rights decided by another.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A sure sign of spring
Ah, springtime.
Today, the 25th of March, was the first day of spring. It wasn’t the real first day, of course, that was March 19th. Today just felt like spring. Low 60’s, birds chirping, runners out pounding the pavement, and that sure sign that winter is over, the re-emergence of the wife beater shirt. Nothing says, “class” quite like the wife beater shirt when it is worn in public.
The standard wife beater top actually comes in many varieties. First, there is the classic. This is simply the undershirt that has existed since before the invention of the T-shirt. Your grandfather wore this. Al Capone wore it. Men have been wearing it since the 1800’s, but it has only been 15 years or so that men have worn it TO THE GROCERY STORE. For a hundred years, it was referred to as an undershirt, so called because, strangely, it was worn under a shirt. Only in recent times has it become THE ONLY shirt.
Wife beater shirts come in two other varieties. There is the modified, which is a regular t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Here, the essential component is arm pit reveal. Unless the pits are out there for all to admire, it isn’t wife beater material. More recently yet is the basketball wife beater. This is simply a basketball jersey that bears the logo of some professional team on the front and the name of a star on the back. Often, some dumpy 35 year old, 5’6” 230 pound guy can be seen wearing this type of jersey. Perhaps he feels that since the jersey promotes an actual team, that he is, in fact, a basketball star and that it doesn’t qualify as the tackier wife beater version. In this assumption, he is wrong.
The wife beater look has a special appeal when worn by the overweight, hairy, older gentleman, especially when he chooses to wear it where food is available to the general public. You’re in the grocery store, looking at the cottage cheese, and just as you’re about to make your selection, there he is. What do you think is going through that guy’s mind before he leaves the house?
“Maybe I’ve put on a few pounds, but damn, I still look pretty good. I think I’ll wear my underwear to the grocery store.” Nice.
This isn’t to say that the wife beater looks any better on the tanned, athletic, youthful types. The problem with younger guys who go for this look is that they invariably couple their big reveal undershirt with their big reveal underpants, the sagging, bagging trousers that look like the wearer is hiding something back there, and perhaps he is. This general look of public undress is usually enhanced by a tattoo or maybe twelve tattoos, signifying to all who see him that he is tough and very, very sexy.
So, as spring jumps to life and baseballs are flying and daffodils are sprouting, let’s take a moment to savor that true sign of spring: the guy wearing the wife beater shirt in the ice cream section of the local super market.
Today, the 25th of March, was the first day of spring. It wasn’t the real first day, of course, that was March 19th. Today just felt like spring. Low 60’s, birds chirping, runners out pounding the pavement, and that sure sign that winter is over, the re-emergence of the wife beater shirt. Nothing says, “class” quite like the wife beater shirt when it is worn in public.
The standard wife beater top actually comes in many varieties. First, there is the classic. This is simply the undershirt that has existed since before the invention of the T-shirt. Your grandfather wore this. Al Capone wore it. Men have been wearing it since the 1800’s, but it has only been 15 years or so that men have worn it TO THE GROCERY STORE. For a hundred years, it was referred to as an undershirt, so called because, strangely, it was worn under a shirt. Only in recent times has it become THE ONLY shirt.
Wife beater shirts come in two other varieties. There is the modified, which is a regular t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Here, the essential component is arm pit reveal. Unless the pits are out there for all to admire, it isn’t wife beater material. More recently yet is the basketball wife beater. This is simply a basketball jersey that bears the logo of some professional team on the front and the name of a star on the back. Often, some dumpy 35 year old, 5’6” 230 pound guy can be seen wearing this type of jersey. Perhaps he feels that since the jersey promotes an actual team, that he is, in fact, a basketball star and that it doesn’t qualify as the tackier wife beater version. In this assumption, he is wrong.
The wife beater look has a special appeal when worn by the overweight, hairy, older gentleman, especially when he chooses to wear it where food is available to the general public. You’re in the grocery store, looking at the cottage cheese, and just as you’re about to make your selection, there he is. What do you think is going through that guy’s mind before he leaves the house?
“Maybe I’ve put on a few pounds, but damn, I still look pretty good. I think I’ll wear my underwear to the grocery store.” Nice.
This isn’t to say that the wife beater looks any better on the tanned, athletic, youthful types. The problem with younger guys who go for this look is that they invariably couple their big reveal undershirt with their big reveal underpants, the sagging, bagging trousers that look like the wearer is hiding something back there, and perhaps he is. This general look of public undress is usually enhanced by a tattoo or maybe twelve tattoos, signifying to all who see him that he is tough and very, very sexy.
So, as spring jumps to life and baseballs are flying and daffodils are sprouting, let’s take a moment to savor that true sign of spring: the guy wearing the wife beater shirt in the ice cream section of the local super market.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)