Impending "Realness:" Transgender Communities Dealt a Blow By REAL ID

[lizaard]

Why stand and fight? Has the ideal of standing up for what is right taken leave of those within this country? Have we sunk so far below our ancestors who shed blood on this land in order to start a new nation?

I do not stand and fight for just for those who are transgender nor the other who fall in the LGBTIQ listings. Nor is it just for those who are black, asian, latino, or whatever. I do so for those who are individuals. Those who are willing to recognise that while society has it's functions that without those of us who think on our own, it is surely lost.

I do not stand just for the people but for the ideal and while I may indeed be killed, die in some camp, or fade into obscurity.... the idea of freedom for everyone will always remain.

I have rarely read an exhortation so powerful. It bears repeating - over and over again.....

[Gabrielle]

I like the warm weather, so I am strongly considering moving to the Bahamas or British Virgin Islands.

[Thundra]

What would happen if everybody in the LGBT community left for places that accept and respect us as human beings?  The U S and A would accelerate its decline towards a provincial third-world has-been republic 'governed' by corrupt politicians.

What we have at hand is a growing polarization of fundamental differences between groups of people that have completely different views of the world, and how things work or should work.
No doubt that as things become more uncomfortable in their own less accepting states, regarding laws and whatnot, people will begin to migrate to places where liberalism will allow them the steadfastness to be themselves. In other words, a mass migration to the coastal areas of people with even half a brain.

Then, as the fascists begin to crack down, even states rights will begin to suffer. This is nothing less than a power grab by the people that lost the civil war -- the first one. They will not rest until they have succeeded in bending the country to their way of thinking and behaving. It is going to be ugly.

For those of you that have the financial acumen and the training and education to escape the coming maelstrom, I salute you and wish you well. I have a GF that is independently wealthy and educated, and even she could not get into NZ on a permanent basis. I don't even have the wherewithal to escape to Canada, so I have no choice but to dig in for the long slog.

I will not go quietly into the night, or alone. Today is a good day to die. Better that than be shipped away like human cattle. I just hope someone is left to remember how things used to be, before the dark ages fell upon us again.

[Lisbeth]

What we have at hand is a growing polarization of fundamental differences between groups of people that have completely different views of the world, and how things work or should work.

No doubt that as things become more uncomfortable in their own less accepting states, regarding laws and whatnot, people will begin to migrate to places where liberalism will allow them the steadfastness to be themselves. In other words, a mass migration to the coastal areas of people with even half a brain.

Then, as the fascists begin to crack down, even states rights will begin to suffer. This is nothing less than a power grab by the people that lost the civil war -- the first one. They will not rest until they have succeeded in bending the country to their way of thinking and behaving. It is going to be ugly.

The perspective from the year 2100:

The American preoccupation with terrorism contributed to loss of freedoms for its citizens to the point where 85% of the people in the world classed the U. S. to be as repressive as the Soviet Union had been during the Stalinist period.  It also contributed to the ecological crisis of the 21st century.  The neo-conservative insistence that global warming was "junk science" and the refusal of the United States to abide by the Kyoto Protocols led to the droughts, the New Dustbowl, and the resulting catastrophic soil depletion of the Great Plains.

(Environmental Concerns Related to Soil Preparation: Soil Erosion
Long Trem Drought Indicator)

The end result of the Red vs. Blue split was the balkanization of the United States.  Four regional nations resulted.  The eastern half of the U. S. split along the lines of the First American Civil War (the First War Between the States).  The map of that side of the continent became little different from what it had been in 1861.

(Original 1861 Map of the Confederate States)

The plains states west of the Red River and east of the Rocky Mountains, along with western Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, fell into warlordism.  With the nominal national capital in Colorado Springs, the twin challenges of the region were endemic drought and the New Indian Wars.  Under these conditions, several Native Nations were able to achieve virtual independence.  West of the mountains the Pacific Coast became and independent country, as did Hawaii.  Alaska joined the Canadian Commonwealth.

[Thundra]

Where the hell did that come from, a book?  Where can I get it?

[Lisbeth]

Where the hell did that come from, a book?  Where can I get it?

It came from a paper I wrote for my cultural anthropology class.

[Thundra]

NICE!  Great minds think alike?

[Shana A]

What would happen if everybody in the LGBT community left for places that accept and respect us as human beings?  The U S and A would accelerate its decline towards a provincial third-world has-been republic 'governed' by corrupt politicians.

If we leave, wherever we go we'll be subject to USA foreign policies and corporate globalization. The patriot act has already stripped away our rights, real id act is another step towards impending fascism. A few years ago I contemplated moving to Canada, but came to the conclusion that this is my country too. For the time being I'm staying and working for change from within. 

zythyra

[rhonda13000]

or move to Canada

Perhaps so, Renae; there is no reversing the decline of this nation, now.

And, I would apologize to you. I was wrong.

Anger destroys.

[melissa90299]

Relax, (but remain vigilant) the left and the right both oppose a "National ID Card." Those in Congress who are pushing this invasion into our civil rights want to push this on the states to implement, which would cost the states billions they don't have.

Crossdresser Rudy Giuilani wants to force immigrants only to carry a Real ID card, I mean, think of it, how would that work exactly?

[Hazumu]

Re: Lisbeth's paper.  It reminded me of something I read several years ago, called The Nine Nations of North America

There always has been a balkanization of the U S and A, we 'murcans just don't like to admit it.  Travel to different parts of North America, and the culture is definitely different.

Speaking of Balkanization, when I was stationed in Bosnia as a so-called Peaceleeper, we had the weird experience of dealing with two countries in one.  Within the boundaries of Bosnia-Herzegovina  was the red-colored, horseshoe-shaped Republika Srpska.  For a 'country' impoverished by prosecuting the war against the Bosniacs and Croats to establish an ancestrally pure orthodox christian theocracy free of the taint of the traitorous Muslim mongrels who defected to the ottoman empire 500 years ago, those signs are hugely expensive -- made of 3M Scotchlite so they 'glow' at night, and they're on every road that leads into the red territory on the Bosnia map.  To this day, Republika Srpska believes they had a higher calling to carry out the war, and would do so again if the peacekeepers ever left.  And so many of  the RS 'citizens' live in poverty, yet show an air of smug satisfaction for having that bit of land to themselves.  I noticed it most strongly in the town of Srebrenica (pronounced: Shreb-ruh-neat-zuh) -- people still had gaping holes in their houses, but they showed an air of satisfaction that the town was all theirs and muslim-free, and the town hall, surrounded by devastation and poverty, had been beautifully restored with gilt-lettered signs and the police who were eying our convoy of hummers with a BBC videographer standing in the gunners' hatch were wearing very new and very martial-looking uniforms.

I can't help but think that that experience was but a foretaste of what it would be like here under a Dominionist Theocracy.  Do read about the Srebrenica Massacre, BTW.

But that could NEVER happen in 'Murica...

...right?

Karen