So, at long last, the inexorable wave of marriage equality has washed up in my native state of North Carolina. I live in Asheville, and the unexpected news last night electrified my friends and the community. Just like in every state before (and in many to follow) there were scenes of jubilation on social media and downtown at the Registrar of Deeds which stayed open late to accommodate the sudden crush. The opposition was taken by surprise, stunned, and temporarily silent.
It's been too long coming. The religious diehards and the politicians that feed on them for votes have been quite deft and very sneaky about this. They put the horrible Amendment One on the ballot in an election that was fueled partly by tea party types voting against the socialist Muslim wrong-color usurper in the White House, and partly by churches voting against Sin (including the very large and devout black church population) as instructed by their Pastors. It won by 60 percent, the total number of which only amounted to 21 percent of the registered voters in the state.
But the tide can't be stopped by sand castles no matter how strong they seemed at the time. Monday when state offices open they'll be crowded.
But this Sunday the fundamentalists will have a chance to catch a breath, regroup a little, and thunder, froth, and fulminate from their pulpits. They will exhort their loyal legions to strike a blow for Virtue and the Rule of Law based on God's Will by voting Republican in the upcoming election.
Will this have an effect? I doubt it, but I could be wrong. These people wouldn't vote for anyone but a Republican anyway. But some may be motivated by anger and fear to go to the polls. Others may be discouraged, but never count out the power of the die-hard vote. They are stubborn and will never, ever give up until they are dead.
But this election in this state is very different from 2012. There's widespread disgust with the radical conservative agenda that's been foisted on us -- and I say this not just from talking within my bubble of leftist friends, but to many more moderates and middle-class people. For every fed-up Fundie and his loyal subservient wife there may well be at least 2.1 fed-up moderates. We'll see soon, won't we?
But regardless of the outcome of this next election, the social climate of the United States is changing dramatically.
Where will the Fundamentalists go, oh, where will they go and what will they do?
The Republican Party faces a huge dilemma. Move away from them and lose the present; or stick with them, hang on now, but lose the future.
We live in interesting and somewhat hopeful times.