When I was a kid, they were trying to pass the Equal Rights Amendment so that women had the same rights as men. It did not pass, though things did start to look better over the years. Personally, given the way of the world, what the heck would it have hurt to pass it?

Turns out it is needed more today than when I was a wee one. Republicans got one last good gasp in the 2010 elections and they aren’t about to let it go to waste. All over this nation, they are trying to strip the vote from the elderly, minorities and college students with “Voter ID” laws, trying to “fix” vote fraud that a) only exists in a mere fraction of 1% of incorrect votes, and 2) would not be solved by IDs as many of the “illegal votes” are felons who are still under the impression that time served makes them a citizen again (sorry folks, not in THIS country) and who already have IDs.

Then there is the constant assault on women. Even tangential things, like assaulting professions women are predominantly in – like the arts and teaching – are pretty heavy handed. When beauty and learning aren’t given credit, what is left but to go back to our caves?

So there is the hate of the “other”, the hatred of civilization.

But to tell women you will insert objects into their bodies just because you want to? To make her submit to propaganda and to make a difficult situation worse in the case of potential abortion? To deny the pill or contraception and then wonder where all these pregnant ladies came from? For no good medical reason? Because shaming a woman who wants to think and decide for themselves gets you hard or something?

I don’t get it.

I won’t side with it.

And, frankly, I don’t understand anyone who would go along with this. No, really, what the hell is the motivation? And don’t hide behind a Bible. Why shame women? Why hate them? Why try to assert authority over others? Why deny rights to those you do not agree with?

Why?

The Southern Miss band did themselves no favors last week, looking both racist AND stupid in trying to slur a Puerto Rican player on the Kansas State team. This follows their state “leaders” passing a bigoted law and days after the state endorsed the beliefs of Rick Santorum.

But it is great that America gets to see what the South is like on national television. They have spent the past 150 trying to refight the Civil War, trying to oppress Blacks, Women, and now Latinos.

I would hope incidents like this finally build to an outrage that tells these people that their ideas hold no value, are not American, and they should be shamed to face their hatred and bigotry.

I would hope that.

Unfortunately we are not going to call them out for it, they are going keep thinking it, believing it, and expressing it. In time, however, it will fade to background noise as demographics and education chip away at their, truly, Lost Cause.

In other news, more racist anti-Obama bumper stickers.

If I shook my head at all of this, people would think I was having seizures.