Comments

1
Nobody tell Loveschild, he'll flip his wig over this part:

So the school board's lawyers went to court and compared the school board's actions to those of government officials that closed pools to block integration? They compared themselves racist segregationists in the 1960s?

Now that you say it, yeah, they did compare themselves with governments that were closing pools.
2
There it is, Fricke, as I posted in the comments a week ago. Hurray for my ego.
3
@1

I was just about to paste-n-comment on the very same excerpt.

At this point I can't even guess what's going on in these people's heads. Are they completely oblivious to the implications of that comparison? Are they perfectly happy to be racists by proxy? ARE they racists as well as homophobes? Or are they regretting their decision but already in so deep that they don't feel like they can back out?

I don't know. This entire situation is just baffling to me. It's like - guys, we JUST did this, were you not paying attention? It's taken us a couple centuries to forget the Enlightenment. Don't tell me we're going to forget the entire civil rights movement in only a few decades.
4
You hear their bogus arguments every time gay people seek justice. It's bad for this, it's a distraction for that. But all they ever prove is that they're just a bunch of bigots.
5
They compared themselves racist segregationists in the 1960s

OK, before I was just kind of looking on these people with dismay at their ignorance and cruelty. But now, now, they make me sick.
6
@3 This may answer your questions:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story…

"Mississippi School Holds First Interracial Prom" is the title, dated from June 11, 2008. One quote: "Some white parents wouldn't let their kids go, and some insisted on holding a private prom for their kids."

It is completely in keeping with local custom that segregationists hold their own Furniture Mart prom without the disruption of seeing folks who do not exactly resemble themselves, be they black or gay.
7
@5 shameless bigotry... at least they're being consistent? Tell me again what Mississippi contributes to the union? Is it too late to let the south secede from the union now?
8
@7 - um, higher healthcare costs for America?

I hear Mississippi is great for that.
9
@7: as a former resident, it does have some beautiful wild areas, a lovely beach, and an awesome Aquarium sadly hit by Katrina (though thankfully the Dolphins had been moved ahead of time so none of them came to harm).

The people? We can just fling most of them into the Gulf.
10
@9: Flinging most them into the Gulf could function as a major national event. People from coast to coast would be brought together for this momentous occasion. They can charge $20 a person, $200 to operate the trebuchet.
11
So what they basically said was, "The racist courts wouldn't force the racists to re-open pools back then, so please don't force us to have a prom if it means letting in a filthy dyke now."

nice.
12
Yes, they're sick bastards.

But I have to point out that although they probably didn't like making that comparison very much either, it gave them an excellent precedent for their case, and it was necessary for them to state it given their objectives. They are also a public institution, and they can't refuse specific people, but they can close the program down. Legally.

Given that precedent I would, sadly, rule for them.
13
"By attending prom with a same-sex date, or in a tuxedo, Constance is making a statement about her sexual and political views." Although the ACLU gal is correct, I sure wish it wasn't like this. I hope there comes a time where dating/being in love with/living with someone of the same sex was just...being with someone of the same sex, and not a political statement. Love should not be political.
14
@7 Better to demote MS to a territory. That way, we still own them and can tax them, but they don't get to vote and can stop embarrassing the other states. Ha ha ha!

@9 I think the aquarium you're talking about is in New Orleans
15
if they close the prom, will they be allowed to have it again next year? Or can the courts say in effect, "you can choose to not have a prom, but we won't let you change your mind"
16
You know, all this uproar is over the actions of one school board, not a referendum of the people of Mississippi.

I know how much fun it is to make jokes about disenfranchising people you've never met because you disagree with them about something, but I'm just as reluctant to tar the entire state with this sticky mess as I myself am reluctant to take any responsibility for Don McLeroy and his Christian Dominionist fuckhead minions on the Texas Board of Education.
17
I love the phrase "Furniture Mart Prom."
18
Thank you, Balderdash. I'm not from Mississippi myself but I know that the school board, and even the people who've turned on Ms. McMillen as though she's responsible for all this, don't represent all the people of that town--or that state. This stopped me in my tracks, though:

The defense...cited cases where cities had closed pools and courts said back then that they didn’t have the authority to force the re-opening of pools.


Are they so historically ignorant, or so determined to win at all costs that they would cite segregationists in their defense? I've heard some hateful things, but if the school board members unanimously approve of this line of defense it makes me ashamed. It makes me think that I haven't done enough to stand up to prejudiced people.
19
@10 -- I'm pretty sure flinging them into the gulf counts as polluting it with toxic waste.
20
I think we should put all the dead people in the ocean. It would put back in some biomass and help offset all the stuff humans pull out. We could even throw, on occasion, a few live ones in. As Dirty Harry said. 'There's nothing wrong with a little shooting, as long as the RIGHT(wing?) people get shot.'
21
@20: Too much nutrients going into the ocean in the form of farm runoff already, causing algal blooms and fucking up ecosystems. Human debris would not help the situation.
22
@9--By aquarium do you mean Gulfport's Marineland? My mom took me there in the 90s, and it wasn't anything special. I was told it had been large prior to Hurricane Camille, but when it was rebuilt it was made into something much smaller. I wasn't that impressed by it, though kissing a sea lion was fun. When Katrina hit, the dolphins weren't evacuated, but they got loose and survived. They were recovered, but I kind of wish they had been allowed to live free, if they were capable of it.

And "Furniture Mart Prom"? Seriously? God, I'm so glad I don't live in Mississippi any more. I was born there, and still have relatives there, but I would never want to live there.

My mother said the worst tip she ever got as a teen working at Sonic burgers, was a card from the KKK. That's MS. for you. Granted not all of the people there are like that, but bigotry still runs strong in some areas.
23
If you're ever confused about the whole gay discrimination thing, it really helps to replace 'gay' with 'black'. Even to the point of: you don't have to be black. There are therapies. Just look at Michael Jackson! You can get your skin bleached, hair straightened, a little discreet facial surgery and you can pass yourself off as A-Rab.
24
white people, ::shakes head::
25
I saw your post and liked it so much and i am so impressed to read all this. Thanks for providing this.
26
Gosh, now I don't feel so guilty about that "burn some crosses for an encore" comment I left on the petition.

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