![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
In Other News, Blizzards are Cold
Jan. 4th, 2013 10:43 amEnded up spending the holidays in Michigan with some family members who needed me. Sorry about disappearing on you guys. It's always fascinating coming back to the Midwest and seeing how different things are here from back home, though. For a state that's pretty consistently colored blue so far as national elections and debates go, there have been quite a few frightening moves so far as intra-state legislation goes over the last few years. The most recent have been the passing of an abortion-access restriction bill and the passing of "right-to-work" legislation. Their governor is really a piece of work, too, stating that he didn't understand why everyone was "attacking" him even before he'd made his stance on the abortion restriction bill known. Gee, I don't know, gov. Maybe the fact that your party passed it through the legislature and the fact that it's easier to tell the government you think something is a bad idea *before* it's signed into law has something to do with that. The fact that you went on to actually sign the damn thing despite massive protests in Lansing means that you clearly weren't listening, either.
Also, for one of the states that really helped make unions a thing, it's surprising how anti-union a lot of people can be. I have my issues with forced union membership--being forced into doing anything isn't fun--but at the same time, I have a lot more trust in unions than I do in corporations. And we know from the past that right to work laws are much more liable to be used by corporations to bring in union-busters than by the people they're ostensibly protecting. Cue more protests in Lansing over this law, too.
It snows a lot in Michigan. I have massive respect for the people because protesting in the snow is not fun. But at least they had hot chocolate. It's almost like this is something they've had to do a lot over the past few years. *sigh* I do love seeing a well-run protest, though.
Overall, it was a good holiday. It's always nice to catch up with people, and it's always interesting being home and seeing where people's opinions line up and don't with your own. Sometimes it's surprising who holds what views. Expecting support for women's rights from those who have agreed with me on LGBT rights seems reasonable, but isn't always true. And vice versa--especially in the older generation, it's interesting to see women who are very adamant about abortion rights but not so keen on LGBT rights. Not everyone, of course, and I don't even mean to make generalizations so far as generations go, but it struck me as fascinating.
It's good to be home, though, even if we're missing a few of our motley band. I'm going to need to come see you, Combeferre, because I'm already getting lonely thinking of him being gone. I hope you won't mind my rifling through whatever new collection you've started since we last talked. And maybe there will be hot chocolate, too, because I'm not sure I'm ever going to be properly warm again, and if I never see another snow flake it will be too soon.
Plus maybe the two of us can look into those disappearances that Enjolras mentioned.
Also, for one of the states that really helped make unions a thing, it's surprising how anti-union a lot of people can be. I have my issues with forced union membership--being forced into doing anything isn't fun--but at the same time, I have a lot more trust in unions than I do in corporations. And we know from the past that right to work laws are much more liable to be used by corporations to bring in union-busters than by the people they're ostensibly protecting. Cue more protests in Lansing over this law, too.
It snows a lot in Michigan. I have massive respect for the people because protesting in the snow is not fun. But at least they had hot chocolate. It's almost like this is something they've had to do a lot over the past few years. *sigh* I do love seeing a well-run protest, though.
Overall, it was a good holiday. It's always nice to catch up with people, and it's always interesting being home and seeing where people's opinions line up and don't with your own. Sometimes it's surprising who holds what views. Expecting support for women's rights from those who have agreed with me on LGBT rights seems reasonable, but isn't always true. And vice versa--especially in the older generation, it's interesting to see women who are very adamant about abortion rights but not so keen on LGBT rights. Not everyone, of course, and I don't even mean to make generalizations so far as generations go, but it struck me as fascinating.
It's good to be home, though, even if we're missing a few of our motley band. I'm going to need to come see you, Combeferre, because I'm already getting lonely thinking of him being gone. I hope you won't mind my rifling through whatever new collection you've started since we last talked. And maybe there will be hot chocolate, too, because I'm not sure I'm ever going to be properly warm again, and if I never see another snow flake it will be too soon.
Plus maybe the two of us can look into those disappearances that Enjolras mentioned.
