(no subject)
Ed and Hank
Stand by your man...
Disclaimer: Hank told their story to Annie Proulx. Jack and Ennis are all hers. Ed and Hank belong only to each other. Rating: G $$: Nope.
Everything else is here:
http://myeyesaintblue.livejournal.com/10082.html
Stand by your man...
“Slow down, dumbass.”
“I’m only goin’ the speed limit, dumbass.”
“Yeah… But it’s dark ‘n ya cain’t see as well in the dark…"
"That's you. Not me. I can see just fine."
"Hell… A deer jumps out in front of us at 75 miles an hour ‘n…”
“I ain’t ever seen a deer goin’ 75 miles an hour.”
“Ya know damn well what I meant, Hank.”
“Fine. I’ll slow down ta 70.”
“Yeah. That’ll make a real big diff’rence."
"Most deer are prob'bly still up in them higher elevations..."
"Well... Deer or no deer... it's still harder ta see at night... so's if'n ya slow down ta 65 I'll stop bitchin'..."
"I'll give ya 67 or 68... Any slower than that 'n we'll prob'bly end up bein' clipped by some dumbass not lookin' two feet past the hood of his Hummer... "
"What the hell's yer hurry anyways…?”
“Since we couldn’ stay overnight on accounta Bill not bein’ able ta watch the place tomorrow I thought we might as well try ‘n make it back in time fer the ten o’clock news… So’s we can see how they reported on that rally…”
“You jus’ wanna see if ya made it onta TV.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yeah, ya do.”
“No I don’t. I wanna see if you made it onta TV.”
“Shit. I’m goin’ back ta sleep. Wake me up if'n ya end up killin’ us.”
“I ain’t gonna kill us.”
Later…
“Dammit…”
“You disappointed ya didn’t make it onta the news, Hank…?”
“Nope. I’m disappointed you didn’t make it onta the news. But… It’s watchin’ them news shows… About all they showed was them damn bible-thumpers who were at that rally…"
"Yeah... They sure did focus a whole lot on them nut-jobs, didn't they...?"
"Hell… By watchin' ya never woulda guessed there was only a handful of ‘em there… prob'bly less than twenty... compared ta the thousands of folks on our side… ‘N most folks were just ignorin’ them bible-thumpers ‘n listenin’ to the speeches…”
“I gotta tell ya… I’m kinda surprised that you were ignorin’ ‘em…”
“I took some pictures of ‘em… But I weren’t about ta start arguin’ with ‘em or yellin’ at ‘em ‘cause there ain’t no changin’ the minds of folks like tha’… ‘N all a this is about the separation of church ‘n state… ‘n that a majority votin' shouldn’t be allowed ta take away the civil rights of a minority… so’s I think ignorin’ ‘em was the best thing folks coulda done… ‘n I’m glad most folks did… But ya wouldn’t know it from watchin’ the damn news…”
“Weird thing was… Some a them signs looked awful familiar… Weren’t them those same bible-thumpers we’ve seen on TV before…? The ones who are usually protestin’ the Mormons ‘n disruptin’ their General Conference ‘n their weddin's 'n callin’ ‘em non-christian ‘n a cult ‘n whatnot…?”
“Yep… Tha’ was them. 'N that was another thing them news shows conveniently fergot ta mention... Hell... it was purty damn funny that they were out there with some signs sayin’ they supported the Mormon church while most a their other signs were the ones they usually carry ta condemn it…"
(LDS = Latter Day Saints = Mormons)
"I guess they all operate on a slidin’ scale of hate… ‘n they all hate us queers more than they hate each other… Although it sure as hell makes fer some purty strange bedfellas…”
“That’s where yer wrong, Ed… They don’t hate us… They love us… I heard one a them fellas say so… I think it was the fella wavin’ tha’ sign sayin’ ‘HomoSex is Sin’…”
“Yeah… With folks like that lovin’ us we sure as hell don’t need nobody hatin’ us…”
"You can say that again."
“Shit…”
“Wha’…?”
“Ta think I spent so many years worryin’ about folks like tha’… Lettin’ ‘em make me feel like I was bound fer hell… Jus’ fer bein’ who I am… What a goddamn waste…”
“’S kinda hard ta ignore when it’s yer own ma ‘n pa beatin’ it inta ya… But ya worked yer way out from under it… ‘N I’m thankful fer that ev’ry single day…”
“Yeah. Me too.”
"Hey... d'ya s'pose them bible thumpers are gonna be protestin' outside a them Red Lobster restaurants next...? After all tha' bible says eatin' shrimp is an abomination too..."
"Nope. Them kinda folks only take the bible literal-like when it suits 'em..."
"Yeah... So's given half a chance...
I'd bet they'd be more than happy ta bring back slave-holdin'..."
"Unless they're gonna hafta be the slaves."
“True 'nough... But… I wanna tell ya, Ed… I really appreciate you goin’ with me ta tha’ protest… I know ya didn’t really wanna go…”
“I gotta admit… I weren’t lookin’ forward to it… But… I was real surprised… I thought it’d be all young folks ‘n we’d jus' stick out like a couple a sore thumbs… Real old sore thumbs… But all them folks… young ‘n old ‘n gay ‘n straight… we just blended right inta tha’ big ol’ crowd…”
“Yeah… A crowd ya knew was really on yer side…”
“Ya know… I never thought I’d ever end up in the middle a somethin’ like that, Hank… ‘N I gotta admit… it felt good… Real good…”
“It sure did, Ed.”
“’N ya stuck by me too… Tha’ surprised the hell outta me… I thought ya’d run off ‘n start makin’ friends with ev’ryone… ‘n their boyfriends too… But ya limited yerself ta only flirtin’ with fellas within’ a few feet of where we were standin’…”
“I wasn’t flirtin’, dumbass… I was just talkin’ with folks… ‘N it sure as hell wasn’t easy… stayin’ put like that… Hell… I ain’t never been around so many gay folks before ‘n my whole life… But I wanted ta stand by ya, Ed… ‘cause you were willin’ ta stand by me…”
“You ain’t gonna start singin’ ‘Stand by yer Man’… are ya…?”
“Not unless ya want me to.”
“No thanks.”
“How 'bout 'Stand by Me'...?”
"No thanks."
"You sure...?"
“Yep. But… There’s one thing I ain’t real clear about… Weren’t all them other churches rootin' for tha’ Proposition 8 in California too…? Them Evangelicals n Catholics ‘n whatnot…”
“Yep. They sure were.”
“So’s how come folks are so ticked off at the Mormon church specific-like…?”
“Partly because they're just a real visible target… But mostly because the Mormon Church wasn’t playin’ fair… There’s rules about what exactly churches can ‘n cain’t do politickin'-wise ‘cause they’re tax exempt... ‘n they didn’t report ta the gover’ment everythin’ they were doin’ ta get tha’ bill passed like they were s’posed to… ‘N on top of all tha’ they were outright lyin’ about what not passin’ Prop 8 would mean… like tellin’ folks that all churches would be forced ta marry gay folks ta each other… ‘n tellin’ ‘em that kids would be taught all about gay sex in school…”
“Well there’s sure been a backlash against ‘em over it all…”
“Yeah… It’s all backfired on ‘em but good… But… maybe all this happenin’ ‘n Prop 8 gettin’ passed will end up bein’ a real good thing in the end… 'cause Prop 8 will get overturned sooner or later… hopefully sooner by tha’ California Supreme Court declarin’ it unconstitutional fer folks ta vote on takin’ away the rights of other folks… ‘N in the meantime it woke up a whole helluva lotta other folks ta how many bible-thumpers out there still wanna keep them... us... from gettin’ equal rights… ‘n now they’re gettin’ mad about it… ‘n gettin’ out there in startin’ ta fight fer their rights ev’rywhere… ‘N not just here ‘n in California… but across the whole country…”
“Well… it got you out there… 'Course that ain't too hard... But you got me out there… Hell… Maybe it’ll even happen in this state in our lifetime, Hank… Tha’ civil union thing anyways… I heard some folks talkin’ about how some spokesman fer the LDS Church said they weren’t opposed ta civil unions fer gay folks… they’re just against gay folks usin’ the word ‘married’…”
“Yeah… ‘N if’n you believe that ya might as well pull on a pair of their secret long johns ‘n go join up with ‘em… ‘cause them sayin’ that is just their way of tryin’ ta cover their asses ‘n back-peddle fer wha’ they were doin’ in California… ‘N they still control the gover’ment in this here state… so’s I’m bettin’ no way will they let that happen… Not unless ‘n until the federal gover’ment forces ‘em to anyways… ‘Course that’s one bet I’d sure like ta lose…”
“They always have been purty good at talkin’ outta both sides a their mouths…”
“Yeah… ‘N if’n ya ask me tha’ civil union ‘separate but equal’ crap is bullshit too… ‘N I already wrote ‘n told Obama as much… As if them religious folks can lay claim ta the sole use of the word ‘marriage’… Hell… It’s the gover’ment that issues marriage licenses ‘n marriage certificates… ‘n plenty a folks get married in civil ceremonies ‘n not in churches ‘n they don’t gotta go around sayin’ ‘Hey ev'rybody… we got ‘civil-unioned’ last week…”
“I dunno, Hank… If’n ya ask me… they can call it whatever the hell they wanna call it… so’s long as they give us the same rights as ev’rybody else has got…”
“But tha's the thing... some states that let gays get civil-unioned... or domestic-partnered... how dumb does that sound...? But... Some a them states give gay folks all or most a the same rights as married folks... 'n some states don't... 'n the federal gover'ment doesn't recognize any of 'em anyways..."
"But what if they did... really give us the same rights... 'n jus' called it somethin' diff'rent...?"
"Well ta me it’s gotta be either ev’ryone gets issued a civil marriage license or ev’ryone gets issued a civil union license… ‘n then churches can marry or not marry whoever the hell they wanna… or don’t wanna… But it shouldn’t be one thing fer one set a folks ‘n another fer another… Otherwise it’s like concedin’ that all them crazy bible thumpers got a real claim on the word ‘marriage’… ‘n that they’re the ones who get ta decide what it means… ‘N that ain’t right… It’s s’posed ta be equal rights fer everyone in this here country… ‘n that includes equal words fer everyone too...”
“But what if foresakin’ the right ta the word ‘marriage’ is the only way we can get the same rights in this here state… are you gonna say 'thanks, but no thanks' ta bein' civil-unioned…?”
"Please don't say that... I'm still sufferin' from Post-Palin Stress Disorder."
"Sorry... It jus' slipped out... But... Wouldya turn it down...? The right ta be civil-unioned...?"
“No way. But I’ll be acceptin’ my supposedly equal rights under protest tha’ they still ain’t quite equal…”
“But... it’s just a word, Hank…”
“It ain’t just a word. It’s… Well… it is just a word… but words mean a whole lot… They matter… Hell… I dunno… I cain’t explain it real well… I ain’t good at stuff like tha’… But ya know it matters a whole lot… or there wouldn’t be so many folks fightin’ ta keep us from usin’ it.”
“So’s… Yer sayin’ you wanna use the word ‘marriage' just ‘cause other folks say we can’t…?”
“Yep. ‘Cause tha’s part a what bein’ equal is supposed ta be about… Other folks not bein’ able ta say that they’re worthy a usin’ tha’ word… but we’re not… It’s just another way of sayin’ we’re still not quite as equal as them ‘n tha’ we never will be…”
“Ya know damn well them folks won’t ever think we’re as good as they are… no matter what words ya make ‘em use…”
“True ‘nough… But I still wanna be able ta use that word.”
“Anybody ever tell you yer one helluva stubborn sonofabitch…?”
“Nope.”
“Now yer just lyin’… I tell ya that all the time.”
“But... it ain’t bein’ stubborn… It’s just wantin’ ev’rythin’ we deserve… ‘n we deserve ta use that word too…”
“Well… The next time we go up there ta protest…”
“The next time…?”
“Yeah. I’m willin’ ta go again… ‘Cause goin' up there... 'n bein' around all them other gay folks... Well... it made me realize we really ain't alone in this..."
"Ya had ta see it fer yerself ta believe it, huh...?"
"Lemme finish, dumbass... 'N I know no one's just gonna hand us our rights on a big ol' platter... we're gonna hafta fight fer 'em... 'N the right ta be hitched ta you legal-like… ta be married ta you... like ev'rybody else gets ta do... is somethin’ tha’s really worth fightin’ fer…”
“Jeez, Ed…”
“‘N the next time we go up there ta protest… I’ll even carry a sign sayin' as much…”
“Ya will, huh…?”
“Yep.”
“What exactly d'ya want it ta say…?”
“How ‘bout we worry about that when the time comes…?”
“Why…? You got somethin’ else ya gotta do right this minute…?”
“Tha’ depends...”
“On wha’…?”
“On if’n you feel like sinnin’ some… 'N I ain't talkin' about eatin' shrimp...”
"Then I can only assume yer talkin' about some a that homosex sinnin'...?"
“Yep.”
“The kind that’ll send us directly ta them bible thumpers' hell… Do not pass 'Go'... Do not collect 200 dollars...?"
“Yep... Tha’ would be the kind of sinnin’ I’m referrin’ ta…”
“Well alls I can say is amen ‘n hallelujah ta tha’.”
“C’mere, dumbass…”
“Wait a minute… How about some music…?”
“Are you really askin’ me… or are ya jus’ gonna put somethin’ on no matter what I say…?”
“I’m gonna put somethin’ on no matter whatcha say.”
“Why the hell d’ya even ask me then…?”
“I dunno… Seems like the polite thing ta do… Here…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeyBWuRz6Y0
“You ever gonna play some country music… Like I like…?”
“If'n you wanna change it go ahead ‘n change it… 'S okay by me...”
“Nah… This is alright I guess... So’s… 'heaven is a place on earth', huh…?”
“So’s long as yer within’ hollerin’ distance of me it sure as hell is.”
“Even if’n we won’t ever be able ta get hitched legal-like…?”
“Yeah. Even then. 'Cause I know how lucky I am just ta have ya with me, Ed... 'N even though I won't ever stop fightin' for it... gettin' hitched legal-like would just be the icin' on the cake... Or make that the sprinkles on the icin' on the cake... 'Cause I already got the icin' on my cake... But fer a long, long time I never even thought I'd get the damn cake... Not the whole cake anyways... I'd just get real small pieces of it thrown my way ev'ry now 'n again..."
"We don't got any cake... Do we...? Fer real, I mean...?"
"You think we got cake 'n I've been hidin' it from ya...?"
"I wouldn't put it past ya."
"We don't got cake."
"Too bad. Ya'd think there'd be cake in heaven..."
"Well... There is cake. We just gotta go inta town tomorrow 'n buy one."
"How 'bout we buy one a Myrna's pies instead...?"
"Pie it is."
"'N we should go early... right after chores are done... so's we can be sure 'n get an apple pie."
"I guess in your heaven love of pies still comes first."
"Yep. But yer definitely second."
"I think I moved up a couple a spots."
"Or third maybe..."
"I'm still behind pancakes, huh...?"
"Depends on who's makin' 'em."
"I love yer dumb ass, Ed."
"I love yer dumb ass too, Hank."
"Now... about tha' sinnin'... Exactly which homosex sins didya have in mind...?"
"A whole bunch of 'em... C'mon over here 'n I'll show ya..."
---
"In this world we're just beginning
to understand the miracle of living... Baby I was afraid before
But I'm not afraid anymore
Ooh, baby,
do you know what that's worth? Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place
on earth"
---
Stand by your man...
Disclaimer: Hank told their story to Annie Proulx. Jack and Ennis are all hers. Ed and Hank belong only to each other. Rating: G $$: Nope.
Everything else is here:
http://myeyesaintblue.livejournal.com/10082.html
Stand by your man...
“Slow down, dumbass.”
“I’m only goin’ the speed limit, dumbass.”
“Yeah… But it’s dark ‘n ya cain’t see as well in the dark…"
"That's you. Not me. I can see just fine."
"Hell… A deer jumps out in front of us at 75 miles an hour ‘n…”
“I ain’t ever seen a deer goin’ 75 miles an hour.”
“Ya know damn well what I meant, Hank.”
“Fine. I’ll slow down ta 70.”
“Yeah. That’ll make a real big diff’rence."
"Most deer are prob'bly still up in them higher elevations..."
"Well... Deer or no deer... it's still harder ta see at night... so's if'n ya slow down ta 65 I'll stop bitchin'..."
"I'll give ya 67 or 68... Any slower than that 'n we'll prob'bly end up bein' clipped by some dumbass not lookin' two feet past the hood of his Hummer... "
"What the hell's yer hurry anyways…?”
“Since we couldn’ stay overnight on accounta Bill not bein’ able ta watch the place tomorrow I thought we might as well try ‘n make it back in time fer the ten o’clock news… So’s we can see how they reported on that rally…”
“You jus’ wanna see if ya made it onta TV.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yeah, ya do.”
“No I don’t. I wanna see if you made it onta TV.”
“Shit. I’m goin’ back ta sleep. Wake me up if'n ya end up killin’ us.”
“I ain’t gonna kill us.”
Later…
“Dammit…”
“You disappointed ya didn’t make it onta the news, Hank…?”
“Nope. I’m disappointed you didn’t make it onta the news. But… It’s watchin’ them news shows… About all they showed was them damn bible-thumpers who were at that rally…"
"Yeah... They sure did focus a whole lot on them nut-jobs, didn't they...?"
"Hell… By watchin' ya never woulda guessed there was only a handful of ‘em there… prob'bly less than twenty... compared ta the thousands of folks on our side… ‘N most folks were just ignorin’ them bible-thumpers ‘n listenin’ to the speeches…”
“I gotta tell ya… I’m kinda surprised that you were ignorin’ ‘em…”
“I took some pictures of ‘em… But I weren’t about ta start arguin’ with ‘em or yellin’ at ‘em ‘cause there ain’t no changin’ the minds of folks like tha’… ‘N all a this is about the separation of church ‘n state… ‘n that a majority votin' shouldn’t be allowed ta take away the civil rights of a minority… so’s I think ignorin’ ‘em was the best thing folks coulda done… ‘n I’m glad most folks did… But ya wouldn’t know it from watchin’ the damn news…”
“Weird thing was… Some a them signs looked awful familiar… Weren’t them those same bible-thumpers we’ve seen on TV before…? The ones who are usually protestin’ the Mormons ‘n disruptin’ their General Conference ‘n their weddin's 'n callin’ ‘em non-christian ‘n a cult ‘n whatnot…?”
“Yep… Tha’ was them. 'N that was another thing them news shows conveniently fergot ta mention... Hell... it was purty damn funny that they were out there with some signs sayin’ they supported the Mormon church while most a their other signs were the ones they usually carry ta condemn it…"
(LDS = Latter Day Saints = Mormons)
"I guess they all operate on a slidin’ scale of hate… ‘n they all hate us queers more than they hate each other… Although it sure as hell makes fer some purty strange bedfellas…”
“That’s where yer wrong, Ed… They don’t hate us… They love us… I heard one a them fellas say so… I think it was the fella wavin’ tha’ sign sayin’ ‘HomoSex is Sin’…”
“Yeah… With folks like that lovin’ us we sure as hell don’t need nobody hatin’ us…”
"You can say that again."
“Shit…”
“Wha’…?”
“Ta think I spent so many years worryin’ about folks like tha’… Lettin’ ‘em make me feel like I was bound fer hell… Jus’ fer bein’ who I am… What a goddamn waste…”
“’S kinda hard ta ignore when it’s yer own ma ‘n pa beatin’ it inta ya… But ya worked yer way out from under it… ‘N I’m thankful fer that ev’ry single day…”
“Yeah. Me too.”
"Hey... d'ya s'pose them bible thumpers are gonna be protestin' outside a them Red Lobster restaurants next...? After all tha' bible says eatin' shrimp is an abomination too..."
"Nope. Them kinda folks only take the bible literal-like when it suits 'em..."
"Yeah... So's given half a chance...
I'd bet they'd be more than happy ta bring back slave-holdin'..."
"Unless they're gonna hafta be the slaves."
“True 'nough... But… I wanna tell ya, Ed… I really appreciate you goin’ with me ta tha’ protest… I know ya didn’t really wanna go…”
“I gotta admit… I weren’t lookin’ forward to it… But… I was real surprised… I thought it’d be all young folks ‘n we’d jus' stick out like a couple a sore thumbs… Real old sore thumbs… But all them folks… young ‘n old ‘n gay ‘n straight… we just blended right inta tha’ big ol’ crowd…”
“Yeah… A crowd ya knew was really on yer side…”
“Ya know… I never thought I’d ever end up in the middle a somethin’ like that, Hank… ‘N I gotta admit… it felt good… Real good…”
“It sure did, Ed.”
“’N ya stuck by me too… Tha’ surprised the hell outta me… I thought ya’d run off ‘n start makin’ friends with ev’ryone… ‘n their boyfriends too… But ya limited yerself ta only flirtin’ with fellas within’ a few feet of where we were standin’…”
“I wasn’t flirtin’, dumbass… I was just talkin’ with folks… ‘N it sure as hell wasn’t easy… stayin’ put like that… Hell… I ain’t never been around so many gay folks before ‘n my whole life… But I wanted ta stand by ya, Ed… ‘cause you were willin’ ta stand by me…”
“You ain’t gonna start singin’ ‘Stand by yer Man’… are ya…?”
“Not unless ya want me to.”
“No thanks.”
“How 'bout 'Stand by Me'...?”
"No thanks."
"You sure...?"
“Yep. But… There’s one thing I ain’t real clear about… Weren’t all them other churches rootin' for tha’ Proposition 8 in California too…? Them Evangelicals n Catholics ‘n whatnot…”
“Yep. They sure were.”
“So’s how come folks are so ticked off at the Mormon church specific-like…?”
“Partly because they're just a real visible target… But mostly because the Mormon Church wasn’t playin’ fair… There’s rules about what exactly churches can ‘n cain’t do politickin'-wise ‘cause they’re tax exempt... ‘n they didn’t report ta the gover’ment everythin’ they were doin’ ta get tha’ bill passed like they were s’posed to… ‘N on top of all tha’ they were outright lyin’ about what not passin’ Prop 8 would mean… like tellin’ folks that all churches would be forced ta marry gay folks ta each other… ‘n tellin’ ‘em that kids would be taught all about gay sex in school…”
“Well there’s sure been a backlash against ‘em over it all…”
“Yeah… It’s all backfired on ‘em but good… But… maybe all this happenin’ ‘n Prop 8 gettin’ passed will end up bein’ a real good thing in the end… 'cause Prop 8 will get overturned sooner or later… hopefully sooner by tha’ California Supreme Court declarin’ it unconstitutional fer folks ta vote on takin’ away the rights of other folks… ‘N in the meantime it woke up a whole helluva lotta other folks ta how many bible-thumpers out there still wanna keep them... us... from gettin’ equal rights… ‘n now they’re gettin’ mad about it… ‘n gettin’ out there in startin’ ta fight fer their rights ev’rywhere… ‘N not just here ‘n in California… but across the whole country…”
“Well… it got you out there… 'Course that ain't too hard... But you got me out there… Hell… Maybe it’ll even happen in this state in our lifetime, Hank… Tha’ civil union thing anyways… I heard some folks talkin’ about how some spokesman fer the LDS Church said they weren’t opposed ta civil unions fer gay folks… they’re just against gay folks usin’ the word ‘married’…”
“Yeah… ‘N if’n you believe that ya might as well pull on a pair of their secret long johns ‘n go join up with ‘em… ‘cause them sayin’ that is just their way of tryin’ ta cover their asses ‘n back-peddle fer wha’ they were doin’ in California… ‘N they still control the gover’ment in this here state… so’s I’m bettin’ no way will they let that happen… Not unless ‘n until the federal gover’ment forces ‘em to anyways… ‘Course that’s one bet I’d sure like ta lose…”
“They always have been purty good at talkin’ outta both sides a their mouths…”
“Yeah… ‘N if’n ya ask me tha’ civil union ‘separate but equal’ crap is bullshit too… ‘N I already wrote ‘n told Obama as much… As if them religious folks can lay claim ta the sole use of the word ‘marriage’… Hell… It’s the gover’ment that issues marriage licenses ‘n marriage certificates… ‘n plenty a folks get married in civil ceremonies ‘n not in churches ‘n they don’t gotta go around sayin’ ‘Hey ev'rybody… we got ‘civil-unioned’ last week…”
“I dunno, Hank… If’n ya ask me… they can call it whatever the hell they wanna call it… so’s long as they give us the same rights as ev’rybody else has got…”
“But tha's the thing... some states that let gays get civil-unioned... or domestic-partnered... how dumb does that sound...? But... Some a them states give gay folks all or most a the same rights as married folks... 'n some states don't... 'n the federal gover'ment doesn't recognize any of 'em anyways..."
"But what if they did... really give us the same rights... 'n jus' called it somethin' diff'rent...?"
"Well ta me it’s gotta be either ev’ryone gets issued a civil marriage license or ev’ryone gets issued a civil union license… ‘n then churches can marry or not marry whoever the hell they wanna… or don’t wanna… But it shouldn’t be one thing fer one set a folks ‘n another fer another… Otherwise it’s like concedin’ that all them crazy bible thumpers got a real claim on the word ‘marriage’… ‘n that they’re the ones who get ta decide what it means… ‘N that ain’t right… It’s s’posed ta be equal rights fer everyone in this here country… ‘n that includes equal words fer everyone too...”
“But what if foresakin’ the right ta the word ‘marriage’ is the only way we can get the same rights in this here state… are you gonna say 'thanks, but no thanks' ta bein' civil-unioned…?”
"Please don't say that... I'm still sufferin' from Post-Palin Stress Disorder."
"Sorry... It jus' slipped out... But... Wouldya turn it down...? The right ta be civil-unioned...?"
“No way. But I’ll be acceptin’ my supposedly equal rights under protest tha’ they still ain’t quite equal…”
“But... it’s just a word, Hank…”
“It ain’t just a word. It’s… Well… it is just a word… but words mean a whole lot… They matter… Hell… I dunno… I cain’t explain it real well… I ain’t good at stuff like tha’… But ya know it matters a whole lot… or there wouldn’t be so many folks fightin’ ta keep us from usin’ it.”
“So’s… Yer sayin’ you wanna use the word ‘marriage' just ‘cause other folks say we can’t…?”
“Yep. ‘Cause tha’s part a what bein’ equal is supposed ta be about… Other folks not bein’ able ta say that they’re worthy a usin’ tha’ word… but we’re not… It’s just another way of sayin’ we’re still not quite as equal as them ‘n tha’ we never will be…”
“Ya know damn well them folks won’t ever think we’re as good as they are… no matter what words ya make ‘em use…”
“True ‘nough… But I still wanna be able ta use that word.”
“Anybody ever tell you yer one helluva stubborn sonofabitch…?”
“Nope.”
“Now yer just lyin’… I tell ya that all the time.”
“But... it ain’t bein’ stubborn… It’s just wantin’ ev’rythin’ we deserve… ‘n we deserve ta use that word too…”
“Well… The next time we go up there ta protest…”
“The next time…?”
“Yeah. I’m willin’ ta go again… ‘Cause goin' up there... 'n bein' around all them other gay folks... Well... it made me realize we really ain't alone in this..."
"Ya had ta see it fer yerself ta believe it, huh...?"
"Lemme finish, dumbass... 'N I know no one's just gonna hand us our rights on a big ol' platter... we're gonna hafta fight fer 'em... 'N the right ta be hitched ta you legal-like… ta be married ta you... like ev'rybody else gets ta do... is somethin’ tha’s really worth fightin’ fer…”
“Jeez, Ed…”
“‘N the next time we go up there ta protest… I’ll even carry a sign sayin' as much…”
“Ya will, huh…?”
“Yep.”
“What exactly d'ya want it ta say…?”
“How ‘bout we worry about that when the time comes…?”
“Why…? You got somethin’ else ya gotta do right this minute…?”
“Tha’ depends...”
“On wha’…?”
“On if’n you feel like sinnin’ some… 'N I ain't talkin' about eatin' shrimp...”
"Then I can only assume yer talkin' about some a that homosex sinnin'...?"
“Yep.”
“The kind that’ll send us directly ta them bible thumpers' hell… Do not pass 'Go'... Do not collect 200 dollars...?"
“Yep... Tha’ would be the kind of sinnin’ I’m referrin’ ta…”
“Well alls I can say is amen ‘n hallelujah ta tha’.”
“C’mere, dumbass…”
“Wait a minute… How about some music…?”
“Are you really askin’ me… or are ya jus’ gonna put somethin’ on no matter what I say…?”
“I’m gonna put somethin’ on no matter whatcha say.”
“Why the hell d’ya even ask me then…?”
“I dunno… Seems like the polite thing ta do… Here…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeyBWuRz6Y0
“You ever gonna play some country music… Like I like…?”
“If'n you wanna change it go ahead ‘n change it… 'S okay by me...”
“Nah… This is alright I guess... So’s… 'heaven is a place on earth', huh…?”
“So’s long as yer within’ hollerin’ distance of me it sure as hell is.”
“Even if’n we won’t ever be able ta get hitched legal-like…?”
“Yeah. Even then. 'Cause I know how lucky I am just ta have ya with me, Ed... 'N even though I won't ever stop fightin' for it... gettin' hitched legal-like would just be the icin' on the cake... Or make that the sprinkles on the icin' on the cake... 'Cause I already got the icin' on my cake... But fer a long, long time I never even thought I'd get the damn cake... Not the whole cake anyways... I'd just get real small pieces of it thrown my way ev'ry now 'n again..."
"We don't got any cake... Do we...? Fer real, I mean...?"
"You think we got cake 'n I've been hidin' it from ya...?"
"I wouldn't put it past ya."
"We don't got cake."
"Too bad. Ya'd think there'd be cake in heaven..."
"Well... There is cake. We just gotta go inta town tomorrow 'n buy one."
"How 'bout we buy one a Myrna's pies instead...?"
"Pie it is."
"'N we should go early... right after chores are done... so's we can be sure 'n get an apple pie."
"I guess in your heaven love of pies still comes first."
"Yep. But yer definitely second."
"I think I moved up a couple a spots."
"Or third maybe..."
"I'm still behind pancakes, huh...?"
"Depends on who's makin' 'em."
"I love yer dumb ass, Ed."
"I love yer dumb ass too, Hank."
"Now... about tha' sinnin'... Exactly which homosex sins didya have in mind...?"
"A whole bunch of 'em... C'mon over here 'n I'll show ya..."
---
"In this world we're just beginning
to understand the miracle of living... Baby I was afraid before
But I'm not afraid anymore
Ooh, baby,
do you know what that's worth? Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place
on earth"
---