el primer.

This is the first post. Holler.

I picked the title "Gut the House" as a little throwback to the Audre Lorde speech "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House". It's one of my favorites, yo. I bounced between this as the title and an old Bikini Kill song called, Jigsaw Youth. So if by general consensus we like that title better I can do the old switcheroo. Or if there are any other suggestions, throw them this way.....

Yo, so I just watched the documentary Jesus Camp. I don't know if anyone's seen it or not but you SHOULD.

I'm 60% disturbed, 40% amused. They use the rhetoric of 'war' throughout the whole thing: Good vs. Evil, god vs. satan. It evokes the same rhetoric used within the fight to preserve "American Family Values" and the "nuclear family" which basically means convoluted WASP moral righteousness and a blatant disregard for non-normative lifestyles. The imagery of this vulnerable moral and virtuous entity that seeks preservation at all costs allows for this idea of a war to plant itself into the minds of the religious right. It seems to give a sense of meaning, a sense of almost certainty and validation. The film highlights the way this rhetoric is used to cajole children into these 'armies of the lord'.

It also addresses the issue of religion and the state, which brings to mind a book I just had to read for Queer Studies called, Love the Sin. I think it was by Janet Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini. I've got it still, so if you want to borrow it: shout at me. Literally, shout. Im serious. Hah. No but really, they presented this really fresh argument that paralleled the arguement for sexual freedom to the constitutional right for religious freedom. Both are vested in both practice and identity. The arguments they employ do a great deal to sidestep problems "born that way" arguments sometimes fall into (ie: protection under the law of indentity and not practice-"Love the sinner, not the sin"). They hold that you cant separate identity and practice because the two are so intimately fused. I could go on, but I'll keep it short for length's sake.

Anyway for real, its a fresh read and I thoroughly recommend.

A link to watch Jesus Camp:
http://www.alluc.org/alluc/movies.html?action=getviewcategory&category_uid=5795
(click on full and it will bring you to a new page)

-I'm glad to see that Nestle has been made the official baptismal water of the lord.
-The anti-choice man in the red shirt sounds like Macho Man Randy Savage.
-I particularly enjoy the quote at the very end that goes something like 'equality for everyone will destroy us!".
-I'm also happy that the director of the camp has found good use for the blood-dripping font on Microsoft Word. Phew!

Peace and Love,
Stephanie Una Murphy