Well, I learned recently that the president of my former full-time (and now third-time) publisher is leaving. He had made some mild work-related promises to me after I was downsized (Now your job is two-thirds less filling!) that I really didn't expect him to fulfill, and now it seems pretty damn definite my pessimism was warranted. (Hate when that happens.)
Me and business journalism are on the outs, anyway, right? Yes indeed-y, I have had ample evidence in the past six months that the Universe (or What/Whoever is in charge) is not interested in seeing me seque smoothly into a similar job. Great, big changes are afoot, but what exactly they are is still filed under "To Be Determined."
If I may be so bold, may I ask the Universe to hurry the hell up? Not to be ungrateful or anything, but the new president of my former full-time publisher is a turnaround specialist, and to me, TURNAROUND SPECIALIST = KISS THE REMAINING 33% OF YOUR JOB GOOD-BYE.
Yes, I may be very wrong, but so little has gone right where this facet of my "career" is concerned, I think optimism would be foolish. So, I'm preparing for the worst, and praying something breaks on another front soon, so I don't have to cash in some of my retirement savings or something equally drastic to keep up my end of the bargain here.
That's it for the whining phase of my post. Wait, one more thing: Thanks to a clipping that crossed my desk en route to the Superintendent this afternoon, I came across a homophobe's letter to the editor in my hometown paper, titled, "Let voters have a say on gay marriage." The author reprinted the proposed anti-gay marriage amendment, then wrote "Clear. Concise. Straightforward."
Yes, straightforward. No irony implied, I'm certain.
He then went on to whine about how "We, as voters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, deserve to have a say in the way marriage is defined for future generations." And in case you weren't sure what was fueling his missive, he quoted the Pope.
DAMN STRAIGHT, say I.
Does this homophobe really think anyone's civil rights should be put to a vote? I don't think equality is an issue that should be left to the whims of the electorate, any more than civil rights for dear, departed Rosa Parks were--cause you know, sure as I'm writing to you today, that had her rights been left to the electorate of the South, she and her fellow African Americans might STILL BE WAITING FOR THEIR SEAT ON THE BUS.
And I, like Ms. Parks, am not interested in waiting for the voters of Massachusetts or any other state to "allow" me my rights, no ma'am.
When asked why she didn't give up her seat, Ms. Parks said that a popular reason offered is that her feet were tired. In 1992, she said the real reason she didn't give up her seat was "I felt that I had a right to be treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long."
Well, I'm with her--I have the right to be treated as any other citizen. Anything less won't do.
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