http://disqus.com/people/Hope_Elizabeth/enThu, 25 Sep 2008 23:28:32 -0000http://menstrualpoetry.com/vote-prop-8#comment-2636420I live in Alabama where everthing is pretty much controlled by ultra-conservative Southern Baptists. I can only hope that one day equality can make its way here. My biggest problem with these supporters of Prop 8 is the money they are spending on it. Restoring marriage - the divorce rate among hetero couples is constantly rising, are they doing anything to change that? Protecting our children - I just want to protect my son from prejudicial, hate-filled, right-wing conservatives. I don't know what the school system is like there in California, but here in Alabama it is awful. $16 million is only a small portion of what is needed to fix our schools, but at least the money would be going to something that is actually important. <br><br>As for the comment about generalizing religious people - I suppose that in other, less backwards parts of the country, you can't generalize them, but here in the South you can. My father and grandfather were both ministers so I grew up going to church every time the doors opened. I have visited numerous different denominations, and they all have the same thing in common - they want to force their beliefs on everyone, interested or not, and refuse to listen to other points of view. I applaud Julie for not taking their lead.Hope_ElizabethThu, 25 Sep 2008 23:28:32 -0000http://menstrualpoetry.com/obligatory-911-post-911-myth#comment-2314622I have to say that all the comments posted are thought provoking. I have to admit, however, that in the midst of my sadness I am angry. I am angry that this happened in our country, the "greatest" country in the world. I am angry that George W. used this as an excuse to go to war in Iraq. My cousin survived the war (barely), and now my brother-in-law is there. I am angry because no one in our government will give me a straight answer about why our soldiers are there. It is not because of terrorism or "weapons of mass destruction." It is not because of the atrocities that Saddam carried out against his own people. As Joel pointed out, there are many countries where similar horrors are carried out each day and we do nothing to help those people. There are other countries (North Korea, for instance) that have nuclear weapons capabilities, yet we let them go along like we don't care. We haven't stopped the people responsible for 9/11 - we are merely retaliating against the innocent. I am angry that our soldiers are being killed, and I am angry that innocent Islamic people are being killed, that their lives have been turned upside down for no apparent reason. I am angry because I believe we are doing these awful things because of our addiction to oil. I took time out to think about the lives lost on 9/11, but I also thought of the things we have done in the name of fighting terror, things that I worry make us terrorists as well. If you really want to be open-minded and try to understand this issue from all sides, then I recommend that you read the book "Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq." It is a collection of blog posts written by a real Iraqi, about the reality of what Iraq has become in our efforts to stop terrorism.Hope_ElizabethFri, 12 Sep 2008 20:48:14 -0000