arde

It's old and continual news in the States - how the right uses homofobia (hatred, fear, insecurity and a host of other pathologies) to win elections. No one can doubt the sheer evil political genius of Rove and his minions in placing anti-gay marriage referendums in important states last November (of course, we cannot just put the blame on the Roves of the world...or the Goebbels of the world, for that matter - in the end, those were individual citizens who were spurred on to go out to the polls and vote for inept, corrupt creeps - all out of their squeemish, pathological hatred of how some folks care to love). Here in Spain the issue is still hot. The somewhat progressive PSOE government passed a new law legalizing same-sex marriage some time back, and the current opposition party (Partido Popular), surely taking a cue from some creepy Washington political consultancy, has recently been moving their base with homofobia. They managed to bring tens of thousands into the streets of Madrid last week, all in "defence of the sacred institution of marriage". Makes one sick. All of this, of course, with the active participation of the Catholic church - as always right there on the vanguard of political nastiness. There is no real p0litical logic, of course. The Church has never accepted civil marriages itself, and the new law only applies to State-recognition of same-sex unions. So, one might ask, what in hell are they doing getting involved in criticizing something they already reject for heterosexual couples?
Nothing. I'm sure that none of them could give a flying fuck. Neither in the gilded offices of the Vatican or their affiliates in Spain or elsewhere. Nor do those cynical politicians using this issue to retain or regain power give a goddamn whether two men or two women can have their union legally recognized. They simply know that it's a good way to bring out their sordid base - that part of the electorate that bases its "moral values" on fear, puritanism, squeamishness, hatred...and above all, hypocricy...
Which once again makes me wonder: why must we continue to show respect for these sky-god movements, while they continue to show complete disrespect for those who do not share in their bizarre metaphysical constructs? For chrissakes, it is really annoying.
An oftheard Spanish anarchist refrain that I really like: La unica iglesia que ilumina es la que arde.

Indeed.