Also, Susie Bright sent out this e-mail to her mailing list a short while ago:
In the Wake of Sept. 11...
Dear Friends,
SAFE BUT NOT SOUND
Like everyone else, I'm struggling to make sense of this past week's events. I'm concerned about all my family and friends in NYC, and I want to offer my love to all of you who've been directly affected by this. Let me know if there's anything I can do to support you.
I first became interested in the sexual world because of my political passions, and when something like this happens, I have to turn to that passion and test my resolve.
It's been difficult.
I noted in one news broadcast that The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles closed its doors after the first air strikes- it seems like an apt metaphor. Tolerance, the simple decency of appreciating people's differences, has gone underground.
Instead, the fundamentalists of every world religion rule the order of the day. Prejudice and social separation are the credos of the new "right livelihood". I never thought I'd see the day when a motto like live and let live became a shocking utterance.
I see the people in my own neighborhood who "hate fags," "hate Mexicans," etc. They don't seem far off from their gun-toting counterparts across the map. This is the era of the suicidal fanatic, the person who's willing to die (and take everyone else down with them) in the name of their cause. It's chic to have your own jihad.
Instead of the grassroots movements I grew up with that changed our world forever, we have suicidal maniacs who make history dance their tune. When MLK was assassinated, when the students at Kent State were shot, they were acts against these individuals' will to live, their desire to connect with humanity. Now, the goal of the uber-revoltionary seems to be total annihilation.
Who do I blame?
I am furious at all the puritanical theologies that indoctrinate soldiers for this unending self-destruction. The words that terrify me most are: "God is on our side." Marx said religion was the opiate of the people, but I'm afraid today it's more like a runaway meth lab.
I also have to point the finger at the people who, while far from being religious purists, have profited while idly watching this situation retch to the boiling point.
The corporate ethos that guides our global economy has sacrificed everything- and everybody- in the name of the bottom line. They didn't spend the money to protect us, they promoted inequities which could not stand, and they didn't spend the time foster one iota of understanding. Their hypocrisy created arrogance beyond compare.
The captains of the ship can't be surprised when the folks who didn't make the gravy train go insane. They can't be surprised at the oxymoron of "airport security" - they're the ones that decided it could be done on the cheap. Capitalism digs division and hands out bandaids as long as its methods delivers a profit- so it's disingenuous to be shocked when a mouse appears with a box knife and cuts our throat.
This morning, President Bush announced: "Now that we have declared war, we will lead the world to victory." My daughter read his speech aloud out loud, and snorted. "Well, hip-hip-hooray," she said. She is very scared, and since she is eleven, she is also exquisitely sarcastic.
I share her sentiments. The sabre-rattlers have confidence that we can carpet-bomb an ideology. I almost envy their smugness, that it could be that easy. But this is a political battle we face, and it takes a visionary resolve far steelier than any military might.
My partner Jon dreamed of Pogo last night: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
So what do we do about us? I want America to fight fanaticism with heart, and to vanquish puritan intolerance with the greatest love and insight- the love we have for our freedom, and the insight that our future lies together on this tiny planet. What is our agenda our children's future is the goal?
At the moment I am safe, if not sound. How are you? I would appreciate hearing from any of you at this time. It's comforting and enlightening to me to hear your thoughts.
Clits Up, and Mighty, Mighty, Peace,
Susie
posted by Carly Milne 9/14/2001 03:35:24 PM
From a forwarded e-mail:
I wish you strength enough to show the world that love can't replace safety, but that love can thrive in safety's absense. And if you have experienced the loss of someone you love, may you feel that love itself cannot be separated from you, but becomes an infinite and eternal gift.
I wish you peace in your own hearts.
I wish you tolerance and compassion. While tolerance may be weaker than love, if we keep repeating the word tolerance out of compassion, the world will eventually remember what it means. May we all repeat it often enough to make others remember too.
I wish you patience so that you might experience the balance-correcting nature of justice rather than the endless pollution of revenge.
I wish you the right to feel the impact of all that you have experienced, the grief it may entail, and the healing that is possible because human beings have strong spirits, and the ability to overcome tremendous difficulty.
Friday night at 7 pm, step out your door, stop your car, go outside, and light a candle... We will show the world that we are strong and united against terrorism. Please pass this message along to everyone on your e-mail list - we need to reach everyone quickly.
posted by Carly Milne 9/14/2001 03:31:19 PM
