Well, triple bonus points to anyone who correctly identifies that movie quote, and can supply the preceding phrase. (I almost feel as if I should disqualify Diane, because she's seen this flick nearly as many times as I have . . . but if I do that, perhaps nobody will get it . . . )

Scuttlebutt on the street, here (as I'm sure those of you without the stomach flu knew yesterday) is that the gay marriage bans that were on the ballot in 11 states are what got Bush elected. This makes me heartsick; it's absolutely the perfect issue on which to pivot an election because it is a matter of utmost importance to fundamentalist Christians, and it's completely off the radar for liberals. I am just banging my head against the wall; I should have known. After all, I, myself, was a fundamentalist Christian, for a few very tumultous years after my father died, when I badly needed structure and reassurance. It's not like I don't know how they think. (Of course, it's been years since I thought like that . . . I was, ironically, prodded out of my complacency by a gay man, from whom I got [1] a serious depression in college, [2] an abiding love for the outdoors, and [3] many of my current friendships . . . )

So by now homosexuality is such a non-issue to me that it never occurred to me that it would draw Conservatives out to vote like that. Apparently it's a non-issue to much of the nation; certainly there's a zillion positive or neutral portrayals of gays in the media these days, and it's certainly a non-issue to my children and their friends, some of whom are old enough to vote.

But still. I feel as flummoxed as I did after the OJ trial. How could I not see what was happening?

But nobody saw, from what I can tell. Didn't hear a peep about this from my gay friends, nor from my Christian friends, nor from my gay Christian friends . . . Was it really off everybody's radar? What the hell happened??

And then I skimmed this NY Times article:

\----------------------------------------------------------/


In the Magazine: Without a Doubt

October 17, 2004
By RON SUSKIND



What makes George W. Bush's presidency so radical - even to
some Republicans - is his preternatural, faith-infused
certainty in uncertain times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/17BUSH.html?ex=1100619028&ei=1&en=5ae41192c7b47420


---------------------------------

. . . which is really terrifying to contemplate, especially if you've ever been around evangelical Christians very much. "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" pretty much sums it up.

And then I started to wonder what W might think he's supposed to do, given that he's an instrument of God. That's even more terrifying, because as I recall from my fundamentalist days, we're in the end times. I don't remember much about the Book of Revelation, but I do remember it being pretty specific about a holy war between Christians and somebody, taking place in the Middle East and heralding Jesus' return and the dawn of the millenium and all that good stuff. The rapture. Christians taken from their beds, lifted towards heaven. "A young wife lies asleep in bed/she hears a noise, she turns her head/he's gone/I wish we'd all been ready." It doesn't matter what kind of mayhem gets wreaked, God's going to save the Christians in the end, and everyone else will - you guessed it - burn in hell. But that's just incidental; the real attraction is that God's going to save everybody who matters, and you're all going to party for a thousand years. I remember that my friends and I spoke longingly about it, wishing it would come.

So, then I think, what if W is really, truly, medically delusional? As in, mentally ill? (History is full of nothing if not stories of crazy people mistaken for prophets.)

(Aunt Sara thinks he's suffering from presenile dementia. I wonder if delusions are a part of that package?)

And he's got his finger on the trigger, ready to start the war that will bring God back to earth.

If you aren't scared yet, you might want to read this article from Khuro5hin.org:

A Tale of Two Osamas

I especially liked the "who is worse?" post by zaxios following the article.

*sigh*

I'm not even going to apologize for being such a downer. Somebody hurry up and tell me something good . . .