How quickly the news cycle changes. Not too long ago we were debating if Santorumania would sweep America, if gas prices would stay down and if someone would just pay attention to the horrific assault on minorities.
Well we got our wish.
America is in conflict mode as I write this diary. A chain of events, unrelated in every aspect except chronology, has triggered what I truly believe is proof that our country might be progressing.
February 29th, 2012:
At at time where Americans were struggling to wrap their heads around hearing the word "transvaginal ultrasound" in its lexicon, Rush Limbaugh accelerated the GOP's nuking of women. Limbaugh would call Georgetown grad student Sandra Fluke a "slut" for her testimony to House Democrats on her support for contraception coverage.
While the political world was following the events in Virginia with its transvaginal ultrasound bill, the real world didn't seem to be tuning in. The reaction to Limbaugh's comments created a firestorm of backlash as #stoprush started to gain traction. Limbaugh would lose countless national sponsors and was famously sponsored by "dead air" due to his hot air.
Limbaugh, as everyone with a pulse knows, is no stranger to controversy. He's bashed Parkinson's Disease, addicts, race-baited on ESPN and received enough backlash that he wasn't even allowed to purchase part of the St. Louis Rams.
To be fair, Limbaugh's failure rate is pretty staggering. At this rate, who would be shocked to see Bain Capital liquify his empire?
All jokes aside, Limbaugh finally knew what it was like (even if it was for a few weeks) to be silenced. He might have his supporters but he has gone from "shock jock" to "dumb rock" and is more toxic than ever to sponsor. With Mike Huckabee's radio show going national, Limbaugh is going to face the ratings fight of his life.
Trayvon Martin
Often a story comes across that is so ugly it has to be made up. Unfortunately the murder of Trayvon Martin is all too real and represents huge problems in our society.
We all know the story by now but we mustn't forget (and we won't) that a 17-year old boy was murdered in cold blood. We realized that the police can fail those it serves to protect. We realized that race, all-too-unfortunately, is still a prevalent issue in our society.
But in a case where the whole country should be up in arms, the right feels it needs to vilify a murdered teenager. People point out Trayon's tweets or school suspensions as that must immediately make him a menace to society. The law protects everyone whether you are a Mr. Perfect or you & I.
Yet red herrings keep being thrown by the right and that is actually clouding the developments that the case is making. We know have reason to believe that George Zimmerman didn't appear to be injured in the new surveillance video released by ABC News.
I have a nephew whose mother is white (my half-sister) and whose father is black. He's now a sophomore in high school and is actually near the college I attend. He recently moved to a city nearby and I wonder everyday about him. He's 6'3, 15 years old and is starting to fill into his body. What if he is walking down the street and a man pulls him over because he looks "suspicious"? Not even a police officer, but just some self-appointed vigilante?
All it takes is one person's hatred to end a life. My sympathies, condolences & best wishes for Trayvon's family are being sent everyday. They lost their son. They should've seen him grow older and live a life that was ended far too short.
"Obamacare" & Romney
Now that the Supreme Court is listening to see if the individual mandate in the Affordable Health Care Act is constitutional or not, we are exposed to another injustice.
I'm not exactly calling out the right's hypocrisy of opposing the idea they hatched or the lack of legislation to health care they have proposed. No, not at all.
I am simply calling out Mitt Romney.
I've always felt rather indifferent to Romney. I thought he was an arrogant, rich, disassociated, pandering type of guy. I am still right in that regard, but I've learned that these gaffes he's making; aren't gaffes.
It's his thought process.
Mitt Romney, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, seduced the audience with the size of his conservative endowment. Romney is so proud of it that he essentially said "tough luck" to those who have a pre-existing condition and getting health care.
Romney hasn't shown much sympathy to the "common man" but of all the things he's ever uttered and redacted; this might be the most detached. This isn't about the "free market" or "capitalism", this is purely about silencing the people who do not matter to him.
He knows people with pre-existing conditions wouldn't vote for him. So he's going to make them feel worthless to the country. He's not letting the free market work, he's working the free market.
But Romney made a small mistake. He probably forgot about the Internet, which makes sense, since he's running for office for Pete's sake and the fact that his comments proved the necessity of an individual mandate. He's proved that we need to go beyond an individual mandate to help those who need it.
Mr. Romney, you forgot that the loudest people are those who are silenced. I hope this comes back to bite you.
This brings me to my final point. All of these cases are not quite similar but it's all representative of what the other side of the political spectrum believed.
We are beyond politics and social beliefs. They are simply trying to reduce certain demographics to "sluts", "hoodlums", and "worthless individuals". This isn't about party platforms anymore, this is far more personal.
The bashing of a private citizen, the murder of a teenager and the healthcare of Americans should be topics that have us stick together. But no, we actually have a divide in our nation over these topics. Why? Because they must take the opposite side.
There are two sides to every argument, yes, but there is a right and wrong.
We may not win in the Supreme Court, we might lose the Presidential Election, we might not get justice for all of those who deserve it; but we have proven that we will not let these issues fade away.
To me, that is a win.