BBadger wrote:Most civil rights, for example, are to ensure that people are able to access the same things as others (votes, facilities, jobs, sidewalks, marriage).
This is funny.
Tell the people in states where they're making voting harder for the poor, the elderly & the "minorities" that their right to vote is ensured. Hell, tell the Supreme Court, which is deciding a case on that very subject, while people in Florida and Pennsylvania and Ohio and, and, and... were waiting 6-8 hours or more to vote in 2012 (primarily in Democratic leaning areas).
Tell the LGBT community that in the 29 states you can be fired just because you're gay. No other reason - no "bad performance" or screw-ups, your boss just doesn't like who you love on your own time.
Tell that to the LGBT community in the 41 states that currently don't allow (or recognize) gay marriage. Granted, that number is changing quickly - just today Delaware & Nevada (yea Nevada!) are taking it up.
Tell that to transgendered Americans in Arizona, fighting to retain the right to use the bathroom of their gender (SB1045 if you want to look up the bill). The current bill would also allow the owner of a store to deny access to a bathroom, locker room, shower... to anyone who doesn't fit that owners definition of the correct gender. Butch girl or fem guy, too bad, no loo for you!
Tell that to the Latino's and Native American communities (or anyone "brown") in Arizona, who can get stopped & have to prove they're legally here under the states "papers please" law.
Tell that to the women across this country denied equal access to pay, to sports facilities, to the right to walk down the street without being harassed.
etc.
The reason there is always a fight for "civil rights" is because the majority always like to have someone to look down on. Even within minority communities this division plays out (A-gays are better than gym-bunnies are better than drag-queens; light skinned African-American's are better than dark skinned African-Americans; Americans born of Chinese descent are better than foreign-born of Chinese descent...).
Just because the Constitution "guarantees" something doesn't mean you get it without a fight.
Now, how about some kittens in tea-cups:
