Last year, when we learned that Prop H8 had passed, I posted a quote from Spider Robinson about why that effort was ultimately doomed.
Given the idiotic election bloodbath that has taken place tonight—claiming a significant number of innocent victims—I think that quote is worth repeating.
This quote comes from Robinson's novel Variable Star (see the Wikipedia entry), whose plot was actually written by Robert Heinlein well before his death.
Robinson was asked to finish it a couple of years ago. The style is very much like Heinlein's, although it clearly was written in a post-9/11 world.
In any case, here is the quote (emphasis mine):
Sol Short once told me mankind is divided into two basic sorts: those who find the unknown future threatening . . . and those who find it thrilling. He says the rupture between those two sides has been responsible for most of the bloodshed in history. If change threatens you, you become conservative in self-defense. If it thrills you, you become liberal in self-liberation. He says the Threateneds are frequently more successful in the short run, because they always fight dirty. But in the long run, they always lose, because Thrilled people learn and thus accomplish more.
The Teahadists, Rethuglicans, Reptilicans, pederast enablers, fear-mongerers, racists, misogynists, etc., are the Threateneds. And, obviously, they have won this battle by playing dirty (see Citizens United). But they can't win the war unless we Thrilleds stop fighting.
And the way I see it, the fight to take this country FORWARD again starts now. Who's with me?