dear land of the free, home of the brave,

(and the people of it) I am really proud of you. I think you elected a really qualified man on Tuesday, one who will do great things, or at least get us heading in the right direction. (I'd also like to give a shout-out to North Carolina, who today declared itself a blue state by a 13k margin.) It pleases me. A LOT. And honestly, I shouldn't be so surprised by how much he won. I mean, lookie here. We the people, in order to stop being such a bullying, floundering, about-to-turtle-our-boat mess, want something different than what you've been feeding us the past eight years. No wonder we didn't elect a Republican. (one who, by the way, was quite qualified and could do a lot of good things too, I must admit. not my #1 choice of course, but could have been a reasonable #2)

But, see, here's the thing...

I don't really think I get you. When we started our journey here we were all "yayayayayay us!" and "thank goodness we're not under their crazytown and cows thumb anymore." And it seems to me that that's what we're doing now. We're doing just what made us want to leave in the first place. We're pushing our beliefs and values onto other people just 'cause we can, and that? THAT. IS. WRONG.

So, you, lady in the car in front of me, you think abortion is wrong. You would NEVER have one yourself, even if you were raped or would die for carrying the baby. You know what? I think I maybe agree with you, I don't know that I could ever make that choice either. It's why I take the pill every day like a good girl. (which, of course, in some people's minds is abortion too, but that's a topic for another day) And maybe you don't understand how someone could make that choice...but all I know is it has to be a really hard one to make, and if someone IS going to logically examine their life and their belief and choose that? Then I hope it's as safe and sterile and painless as possible. And that you don't judge her for doing what was best for her.

And you, great state of California, WHAT GIVES? Okay, okay, Bible thumpers, there are definitely some verses that talk about homosexuality being not-so-good (see:leviticus). Show of hands: how many of you eat bacon or pork chops? or have your ears pierced? or have a tattoo? Um, yeah, that kind of stuff is in the same chapter as the man-with-a-man beeswax. God was protecting his people from death and disease and the like at the time, k? I think we're more than a little past the whole oh-no-we-might-die-off-as-a-human-race phase of our development.

But okay, fine, fine, it's unnatural or marriage is only between a person with a boypart and a person with a girlpart, you say...and that's fine with me, because for you, it is. But go tell me that being a lesbian is the result of a disease. Or something being wrong with you, like, genetically. That it is wrong and they need to be fixed and that you are going to shun them and deny them the rights to, oh, I don't know, EVERYTHING YOU HAVE RIGHTS TO, just because of that.

Now go tell that to the handicapped child in the wheelchair or using braces. You go ahead. Tell them they aren't a real person either, aren't worthy of all that you get. Nice.

Oh, and yeah, because there are people in this world who are abusive to one another the intergrity and sanctity of matt and my boyfriend/girlfriend-hood is totally in question. Just FYI.

I'm not saying everyone should be homosexuals. (although, I must admit, if more of us were there would be fewer babies born and the earth could use that kind of a respite, but I digress...) but California, with your "We're a bellweather" policies and your trendsetter environmental ways, how? HOW?

don't you have a world to save? regulations to write? or at least a continent from which to separate? aren't there bigger fish to fry? Just because you opt to let people have rights doesn't mean you like what they're doing, that you condone it. It just means that you see that they're people too. just as much as you are.

On Tuesday we made history. In SO many ways. In amount of votes cast, in who we elected. We chose our proverbial fork in the road, and I am glad of it. But it's just one fork. There are SO SO many more. On the same day we had a chance to go another way on the issue of equality, and it is very sad to me that while we elected our first African American President we also slighted a signficiant group in our population. If we'd said that latinos or redheads or people with hazel eyes couldn't marry or visit their loved ones in a hospital? We'd say that was preposterous, who would think such a thing?! and yet...

I think one day people will look back on this and think "what were they THINKING?" Just like now I find myself wondering "what ever brought someone to think a woman didn't have the right, the entitlement, to vote?" And I think some day people will look to the 90s when we started realizing all of our enviro-troubles and just pumped more gas into cars, and say "why didn't it just end, right then right there?"

Anyway, America. I don't always understand parts of you, but I support you. And I am looking forward to seeing what happens to you in the next year.

your devoted citizen (who really wouldn't've moved to canada even though she joked about it)
~Carrie