Stand our ground on human rights in America

[felix_numinous]

I have posted on a couple threads this morning, and thought this subject deserved it's own thread. This has been a very emotional week for me. I am not gay, a 53 year old woman, yet recent events have brought up some very primal issues. On a physical, instinctual and emotional level I feel that basic human rights in this country are under assault on a new level. You know that moment, when you realize things have changed fundamentally and taken a significant step into a new territory. It is a "Back to the Future' moment, deja vu, the battles of yesterday are having to be fought all over again, from step one.

I do not think that the racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, animal abuse (this is actually quite significant) and lack of empathy for the disenfranchised have been this out in the open in a very long time. There have always been these things, festering under the surface, in some people's private thoughts, but these things were never talked about out loud. Abuse and oppression are nothing new, they have occurred in dark corners of the world. I have heard some people point out that in the information age we are simply seeing all the events of the world, that the statistics and ratios are the same they have ever been. Yet this common attempt to reframe human rights issues should not be so effective in stopping the discussion further. The point is that these behaviors are not acceptable, and we need to stand our ground and not allow any reframing to move us off the basic issue here.

I think what disturbs me the most is that discussions about basic human rights issues: civil rights, rights to privacy, women's rights, children's rights, gay rights, free speech, war for profit, police brutality, for example are currently being reframed to the most primitive forms. These primitive forms: gay is just a lifestyle, women must bear rapist babies, black people want white people's money, America is being invaded, poor people are lazy, this dangerous world needs a stronger police, war is peace, for example have the effect of driving us off our ground. We become ungrounded, literally and figuratively, if we lose sight of our center of balance, which is basic human rights. It is non-negotiable, but by being baited to discuss these more primitive forms, we are in effect negotiating our way out of having these rights.

This one issue is the common thread in all the troubles we have, pollution, tainted food, jobs, housing, healthcare and education. It is the key that can open all of these doors again so we can start gaining our common ground back. If the RW takes over this country, all of our human rights will be gone. We have to reframe this issue back to it's original place, and clear up the fog.

We have given our civil rights away to international groups like BP, who are not even American. Ironically they are behaving like insane humans who have lost all sense of civil rights.

This rant is not about Barack Obama. Human rights goes beyond politics, beyond religion, beyond everything but being human and safe.

[ck4829]

1. It's crazy that this even needs to be discussed

When it comes to a short political victory or a permanent expansion or even defense of human rights, then the choice should be crystal clear.

[felix_numinous]

2. Isn't it?

It's crazy to me to have to re-fight all the old battles again, all of them. Labor laws too.