Israel and 'loyalty' law.

This is more than slightly disturbing.

The bill is part of two draft laws proposed by the Israel Beiteinu.

The first is the Loyalty Oath Law that obliges all Palestinian Israelis to pledge allegiance to the Jewish identity of the state.

The second is the Nakba Law, which bans commemoration of the 1948 dispossession of the Palestinians as a result of the creation of Israel.

Are you serious? The first one makes Israel not a democracy, but a democratic theocracy- which is what people should be calling it, in my opinion (and even then, I'm wary on the democratic bit of it).

The second is just a disgusting attempt to silence the controversy out of which Israel was born. That's akin to the United States passing a law banning the commemoration of any Ameri-Indian massacre, or commemoration of the Trail of Tears, or any Ameri-Indian resettlement. There's a difference between being ashamed of your past and outright trying to erase it. There should be nothing wrong with saying 'yes, our nation-state was created in extreme controversy, but that's not enough of a justification to un-create it'. Nothing at all with letting people commemorate what they wish.

And what are the ramifications of breaking said law?

the bill stipulates one-year imprisonment of any person who makes "such public statement"

Are you kidding me?

Free, but NOT equal

I'm not a single issues voter. I'm really not. If I were, I wouldn't consider myself a moderate. But the issue of whether marriage should be allowed for any two consenting adults has me seriously considering switching sides (among other things). I don't know how to explain to people who are against this that denying me the opportunity to marry someone who is the same-sex as me, is a crushing blow to that piece of my identity. It's not the only piece of the vast number of pieces that comprise my identity, but it's a haunting piece all the same.

There is already so much to cope with when not fitting into someone else's specially designated box for you. I don't like boxes, I don't check myself off into them. When forced to, I often check ones that people will blink their eyes at- and that's the point. Genderfucking is something I've been known to do. I like challenging people's perspectives of not only what I am, but what's ok, what's permissible, what's acceptable. I am acceptable in whatever form I so choose. I don't have boxes. I am genderqueer and proud. My sexuality isn't any of your concern, and has thus far not been able to fit into anyone's pretty little label for it, so I leave it as just mine. If you don't like it, that's fine: no-one ever said you had to be involved in my sexuality at all. But you know what? I get two days a year where none of that matters. Where I can go walk around a park and I can be me- whomever that is- and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's Pride, and it's the best two days out of the year because no-one assumes anything about me- they just let me be.

I get two days: how many days do you get?

I'm not going to defend myself- my gender, my sexuality- to anyone- and nor should I ever have to. Like I said, if you don't like it, no-one said you had to be a part of it. But California's recently upheld ban shatters my heart. The idea of letting people vote on who gets to have basic, fundamental rights is absurd to me. It has been this whole time. I don't understand how either party can make statements like, "I believe marriage should be left up to the states" and no-one calls them on it. Not enough people stand up and say, "wait a minute. This sounds a little ridiculous to me- human rights up for votes?". Jerry Brown, the California Attorney General said it best in this statement about Prop 8: put the fundamental rights of a minority group to a popular vote. There's no denying that it does, and that we willingly allow it to continue because we've all been conditioned for the hetero-normative life-style. Which is sick. The idea that I must find someone to love, to marry, to have, to hold, that is the opposite-sex as me, and that we must strive for some capitalist dream just sickens me. I've never wanted a part of the capitalist dream. For goodness sake, I want to work for a non-profit/NGO. I'm not in this world, this life for the money, or the white picket fence. I'm also sure as hell not in this to love someone that only fits into pre-prescribed boxes. People aren't boxes! Love isn't boxes!

All people are equal. Some are just more equal than others.

Well, congratulations California, you've just exemplified this statement to the highest degree.

I want to scream that this is so easy of an issue to come down on. That regardless of beliefs, or personal aversion too, no-one should have their rights stripped away. I don't get how this works in the United States of America. I don't get how we can allow personal opinions to so cloud the legal area. I don't understand how personal discriminations can become law. I don't get how I'm supposed to be ok with this, how I'm supposed to rise above it. I don't understand how others can't see how simple this is. Why would you deny me the opportunity to marry someone that I loved? Me. Hannah. With crazy hair, and pies, and a determination to be a voice for the voiceless. Why? Why do I matter less than others? Why is it so bad that I might want to get married to a woman someday? Why is it allowed to be legal that I cannot? How can bans exist in 18 states against gay-marriage? Am I supposed to be comforted by six states allowing gay-marriage. 6/50 is STILL failing, and yes, it's a step in the right direction, and yes, I understand that this is a long path.

But it's one step forward and two steps back; the state of California just denied me a basic, fundamental right.

I'm not going to sit here and be ok with that.

The end of school means ... projects!

My first project was scrapping off an old table on our front porch, sanding it with as much sandpaper as I could find, and then painting it light green. I don't promise pictures any time soon, as I'm not done with it- there's a few other things left to do. Possibly a second coat of paint, and definitely a seal coat or clear coat or some sort of top coat to make it not-so-rough.

Then I might actually finish up a milk-poll that I took among my friends (and others- the response rate on that thing is phenomenal), mapping the price of milk with location so people can see nationally- and possible internationally, though I'm not sure if I want to convert all the international data- how much a gallon of milk costs. Or how much a gallon of milk cost back when I did the poll, way back when.

At some point I will attack my summer reading list ... which mainly consists of books that I've bought but have not read, as well as a few books that people have recommended to me. Currently I'm reading this book about Charles Schulz (Titled Schulz appropriately enough) and it's fascinating because he grew up in St. Paul and worked in Mpls, and then moved his family back to Mpls. What's awesome is I can recognise all the street names.

School starts again on the 15th, and I'm ... not at all excited. I just want this degree and to get school the hell over with.