#have you joined a union today. can i interest you in... a pamphlet.

[dymagamwedd]

unironically i'm so glad my brand on this site now is That Union Bitch. went from reading a union email to opening a notification on tumblr about unions. all unions all the time. maybe i'll fuck around and unionise YOUR workplace, how about that.

[ayma-nidiot]

“Don’t Speak Their Names” - Shrimpshipping fic Chapter 13

This chapter on AO3 can be found here.

Chapter 13 - 11 Years

~29 August 2005~

“Hum de dum…” Rex could not contain his happiness as Ptera drove Weevil and him to his first day of college. He had spent a good deal of that morning preening himself, and even wore his hair in a low ponytail for the occasion.

“I don’t know why you’re so proud of yourself,” Weevil thought aloud. Unlike his boyfriend, Weevil had been sleeping until about ten minutes ago. He was never the type to spend any significant time getting ready for something. He ate the breakfast that Ptera had cooked for everyone, hoping that his groggy head would go away soon. “Getting accepted via the waitlist isn’t exactly a great honour.”

“Ah, shaddap. I’m a student of Domino City University, and nothing’s gonna change that.”

Weevil yawned. “But did we have to get up so early? Our first class isn’t even until noon.”

“Yeah, but I heard there is a morning club fair going on. I wanted to check it out before class.”

Ptera parked the car into a spot; she had just barely beaten someone else, who flicked her off before driving for another spot. “Look at my little man, being such a proactive student already! Have a good first day, Rex! Don’t forget to call me if you need anything!”

Rex felt embarrassed as his mother kissed his cheek, and a few passing older students giggled watching them. “Mom, I’m not little anymore - in fact, I’m far from it. May I remind you I’m now so heavily pregnant that I’m wearing maternity clothes?” Rex gestured towards his baggy beige pants. He wore a black maternity shirt that said “Mamasaurus,” with a dinosaur on it that vaguely resembled Two-Headed King Rex.

Tears of joy formed at the corners of Ptera’s eyes. “You’re growing up too fast.”

“Okay, Mom, love you.” After a few more hugs and kisses, Rex and Weevil entered the grand courtyard, complete with a reflecting pond. As it was the first day of school - and on the day of a club fair, at that - the university had well over 20000 students this day. In the sea of wildly varying hair and skin colours, Rex recognized a few faces from his senior class. Naturally, they acted like the buffoons they were when they were still in high school. One even tried to take a dip in the reflecting pond before being chased out by a dean.

But other than that, most of the student body seemed dignified. He was pleasantly surprised to see that there weren’t just young adults in the student body, there were a few middle-aged and senior citizens too. He wasn’t sure how to feel about Amber suddenly coming at him with, “Hi, guys! So, you made it into university, Rex. Congratulations.”

“I’m not surprised that you made it too,” spoke Rex.

“Wiiiiith a full ride,” Amber practically sang.

“No need to rub it in. Again.”

“Plus, going to university is now free,” Weevil remarked. “Or have you not been watching the news lately?”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. If you’re here for the club fair, it’s just past the student union, which is pretty far from here. Come.” Amber didn’t like how both boys seemed hesitant to talk to her. Then again, she expected it, since they hadn’t contacted each other since their café visit almost a month ago, and the tiring battle that soon followed it. “So, how are things?”

“I’ve finally said goodbye to that sack of shit I once called ‘Father,’” Weevil replied. “And the best part is, I never have to see him again! Adelaide and I live with Rex now. Oh, yeah, Adelaide is my friend who taught me how to duel.”

“I see. I suppose some congratulations are in order.”

“It makes me happy not only to get away from that toxic man, but also to see the growth of my child.”

“Ah…” For the first time, Amber had noticed Rex’s baby bump, and stopped to touch it. “How fortunate for you.”

“Amber?” Rex looked at the raven-haired girl quizzically. Her face had taken on a longing expression he had never seen before. “You’re acting weird.”

“S-Sorry!” Amber quickly retracted her hand and continued the walk to the student union. “It’s so rude to touch a pregnant person’s belly without permission. I… That was wrong of me.”

“Dude, it’s fine,” Rex laughed.

The trio enjoyed a few more seconds of silence before arriving at the bustling student union. The first thing Rex noticed a giant mobile with a mosaic-like pattern hanging from the ceiling. There were so many different restaurants that he feared he would get nauseous again - so he was surprised to find out he still felt fine.

 Amber pointed to a group that approached her. “I’ll tell you what’s not fine… These guys.”

“Hey, would you like to join Domino’s Finest Society?” spoke a red-haired man, who appeared to be the club’s president. He had a gaggle of other officers behind him in colourful, goofy garb.

“You sure sound full of yourselves,” Rex guffawed.

“Who asked you, ignoramus?” spoke the orange-haired vice president of the club, who put her hands at her hips. “We don’t need the opinion of the one who graduated at the bottom of Domino High School’s class.”

“Huh! Ignore him,” a green-haired young woman snorted. “Just his presence is befouling the room.”

“But you, on the other hand…” The purple-haired secretary placed his hand on Weevil’s shoulder. “We could use you. To think that the top two students of Domino High School would attend this esteemed university… How fortunate we are!”

“Beat it, ya freaks!” Amber snorted as she beckoned for Rex and Weevil to follow her. “Come on, you two, let’s not give them the time of day.”

“Uh… Okay.” As Rex turned to leave, he made sure to give the president a good grimace. “Amber, who are they? Besides people I would certainly like to smack upside the head right now.”

“They’re apparently a society of only the highest I.Q. individuals. Apparently, the founding president had an I.Q. of 300. A load of hogwash, that is. Even with my good grades, mine is only 150.”

“‘Only…’” Rex’s eyebrow twitched.

“So why didn’t you join them, then?” Weevil questioned.

“Because there’s this other club I’d much rather join instead. Let me show you!” With that, Amber led her friends past the Legalize Recreational Marijuana Club (Rex had to admit he was mildly interested in it) to a booth with various types of playing cards.

“Ta-dah! This is what I’ve been wanting to show you!”

Rex looked at the sign. “‘Domino Tabletop Gaming?’”

“If you like tabletop games, you’ve come to the right place!” The president lit up when he saw Rex. “We have traditional games, we have more modern ones… And you bet your bottom dollar we have Duel Monsters.”

“All right, I know which one I’m joining!” Amber picked up a pamphlet. 

“What is this? The Amber of Domino High School has chosen us over Domino’s Finest Society?” 

The president got so excited that he took Amber’s hands into his own, which she was quick to snatch away. “Don’t get any funky ideas, man.”

“Hehehe…” An approaching student temporarily distracted the president. “Well, hello there. Would you like to join Domino Tabletop Gaming?”

Rex wasn’t expecting to see Mako there. Unlike most of the members of the “Dweeb Patrol,” he found his presence to be just fine.“Oh! Mako Tsunami, I didn’ t know you were a student here. I thought you’d be off fishing in a new boat or something.”

“I decided to start taking classes here, hoping to be a marine biologist. While fishing as a side hustle, of course.”

“Then we’ll be schoolmates, then.” Weevil’s eyebrow twitched as he recalled his not-so-friendly, very brief encounter with Mako at Battle City. “Charmed. And we’ll be even more charmed to see you at the Tabletop Gaming Club.”

“Y-Yeah…” Mako scanned his surroundings, as if he were looking for someone. “Bummer. I thought that Espa was going to be here, but… I guess he won’t be joining the club after all.”

“It’s not like today’s a deadline to join a club,” the club president chuckled. “You can still tell your friend about it, and he can join if he’s interested.”

“Phew, thank goodness.”

“Why, did you have something you wanted to say to him?” Rex asked.

“I… um…” Mako began to act coy, very much unlike his usual proud demeanour. “I just wanted to apologize to him. I guess I’ll… um… just wait until the club meeting, then.”

“Hmm…” Rex raised an eyebrow as he watched Mako walk off. “I wonder if there’s something interesting going on between those two.”

“Even if there was, it’s really none of our business.” Weevil decided to change the subject. “Anyway, Mr. President… Sir, as a president of a tabletop gaming club, you should know something. I saw some really awry real visions a few weeks ago. They attacked me, but there didn’t seem to be any duelists nearby.”

“Real visions gone bad, you say?” The president scratched his chin. “I can’t say that any of my club members have anything to do with it. That sounds like something you’d need to bring up with KaibaCorp. But if it makes you feel any better, we can talk about it at the meeting.”

“Would you really? Thank you; that means a lot.”

“Anyway, nice seeing you!” The president waved at the three as they left for the nearby dining hall to get brunch. “Our first meeting is tomorrow at 7pm! We hope to see you there.”

“Hmm…” Rex took a look at the pamphlet while he let Weevil pay for their food. “The second day of school is a bit soon for a club meeting, don’t you think?”

“Maybe so.” Amber saved a table for her and Rex; before either of them knew it, the bug duelist was already out to get their food. “Weevil’s a kind young man, isn’t he?”

“I don’t know about that… We still get into quarrels about dueling strategies and such. And if you ask Yugi and his friends, he’s what you would call a ‘duelin’ disgrace.’”

“I wouldn’t have thought that with the way he treats you like a princess.”

As they conversed, the trio learned that they shared the exact same class at noon - freshman composition with Professor Dick Hwad. But that was the only class they had together at the same time. For obvious reasons, Rex had a much lighter schedule; he only had one other class that day - ancient history at 3pm. Weevil’s and Amber’s schedules were nearly identical, with calculus classes, anatomy classes, and a few other classes with such specific subjects that Rex didn’t want to try to understand.

After brunch, Rex, Weevil, and Amber took a seat at a small table in their freshman comp classroom.

“For this being a required class for all freshmen, it sure is a small one,” Amber noticed. “I’d say this room can’t fit more than 20 people.”

After about 15 minutes, the teacher had not yet arrived, even though it was the start of class. “Say, isn’t there a college rule that if the teacher is more than 15 minutes late, then class is unofficially cancelled?” Rex asked Amber.

“Keyword, ‘unofficially.’ And you’ll find out that’s just one of the many unwritten rules college students have made.”

Just then, the door barged open, and a man with goofy glasses ran to the podium. “Hello, everyone, sorry I’m late!”

Amber had already turned to leave the classroom, and the arrival of her professor prompted her to sit back down. As soon as he got himself settled, he returned to his dignified composure.

As Professor Hwad set up his PowerPoint presentation, Weevil whispered, “He sure seems like a scatterbrain, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, well it’s better than being a dino brain.” Rex made finger guns at Weevil.

Ignoring what Rex just said, Amber replied, “He may seem like a scatterbrain, but he’s actually pretty smart. I heard he graduated this university when he was only 20.”

“Huh.” Rex looked at the first slide of the PowerPoint presentation; it appeared to be the class syllabus. He squinted at the materials list and raised his hand. When Professor Hwad called on him, he said, “I didn’t know ‘Internet’ counted as a class material.”

“You’ll find that unlike high school, college is technologically-oriented,” answered Professor Hwad. “Your assignments, as well as copies of my PowerPoint presentations, will be found on our class website.”

“Oh? Then why come to class?”

“Young man, if everyone in college could get by on just reading PowerPoint presentations, then everyone would pass. Plus, you will have in-class presentations as part of your grade.”

Rex sat back down, and didn’t like how Weevil and his classmates snickered at him. He never thought he’d hear that signature laugh of his again. “Haha! It’s only the first 20 minutes of class, and you’ve already made a fool of yourself. Good going, dino brain.”

Rex watched the rest of this presentation with a pouting face. Though that pouting face soon faded as Professor Hwad cracked a few funny jokes throughout - something that his high school teachers dared not to do. He never thought that a teacher could be strict and goofy at the same time, yet here he was. College can’t be this fun… can it?

Luckily, class was over 15 minutes before class was set to end, which gave Professor Hwad an idea. “Since you will be spending the next four months or so together, and since this class will involve a lot of group work, the last 15 minutes of class will be for an icebreaker. When it’s your turn, state your name, your major if you’ve declared it, and a few facts about yourself.”

A few of the introverts - Weevil included - squirmed at this idea yet didn’t feel brave enough to just up and leave. Rex, however, was as outgoing as they come. Even before it was his turn, he shot up and spoke, “Yup, I’m the one and only Rex Raptor, runner-up in the regionals! I love dinosaurs more than anything else in the world! And… uh… I actually haven’t the faintest clue what I want my major to be. Truth be told, I’m only here because Weevil is.”

“Yes, we know,” spoke a young male student from the table behind Rex. “We all saw you get your ass handed to you at that match.”

“Naw, I let Weevil win that one.”

Professor Hwad interrupted this quarrel. “Well, I’m glad we already have some sense of camaraderie. Speaking of Weevil, I believe it’s your turn.”

“Yes, well.” Weevil got up and cleared his throat. “I am the salutatorian of Domino High School’s graduating class, Weevil Underwood. And unlike certain dino brains which shall remain nameless, I have come to college to show the world how smart I am.”

“Hmm, maybe teaching would be a good profession for you, then.” Professor Hwad smiled. “We’re down to our last two people. And you, young lady?”

Amber stood up. “My name is Amber, and I graduated at the top of the class from Domino High School. I love Duel Monsters! By the way, if anyone wants to duel me, you know where to find me.”

Professor Hwad spoke through the men’s whistling, “And your major?”

“I already have declared mine to be Education - Life Sciences. I want to be a biology professor.”

“And at the tender age of 16!” Professor Hwad was clearly impressed. “The world needs more teachers, especially potential ones of your caliber. Thank you, Ms. Amber, you may take a seat.”

“Wow, Amber, I didn’t know that,” Rex also sounded impressed. “You should have told us.”

“I didn’t know you were only 16, either,” spoke Weevil. “I can see why you took the valedictorian spot from me.”

“Hehehe… Thanks, guys.” Amber stopped talking when she noticed the last person about to speak her piece. She was a middle-aged woman with mint green hair, tied up in a traditional Japanese bun, with traditional Japanese clothes to match. “Wow, what an unusual hair colour. The only people I’ve seen with hair like that are Espa Roba, and of course you, Weevil.”

“Speaking of Espa, we just might see him in one of our other classes,” Rex whispered to Weevil.

“Um… Hello.” This woman was clearly shy around her new classmates - embarrassed, even, for being the oldest student there. “My major is Biomedical Sciences. I want to be a doctor, even though I don’t know what kind yet. Some of you may be wondering why I’m so late into my college career. Well, I had an abusive husband, who kicked me out of the house 11 years ago.”

“‘Kicked me out of the house 11 years ago…’” Weevil pondered this woman’s words for a while, and his eyes opened wide. “That’s about when Mother was kicked out of the house!”

“My husband didn’t let me study when I lived in that house. All he saw me for was a housewife. The only thing I had in that house was my then-8-year-old son. I’m here today because I want to make a better career for myself, one that my son can be proud of.”

“What a story!” This woman’s speech moved everyone in the room - some even to tears - not the least was Professor Hwad. “Except it’s missing one thing. Your name.”

“My name is Camellia Kaiba, sister of the late Gozaburo Kaiba. My brother practically gave me as a ‘gift,’ if you will, to my husband to symbolize their new business partnership. But their one-upmanship got so out of hand that eventually, my husband left KaibaCorp to start his own company.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here. We’re about five minutes early, but I’ll dismiss class anyway. Be sure to read the syllabus and check the class website! If you have questions, you may contact me through there.”

“Well, time to move onto the next enchilada, as they say.” Rex motioned to take a short break before his next class, but stopped when he noticed Weevil approach Camellia, and followed him. “Weeves?”

“Wait!” Weevil stopped Camellia just before she could leave.

“Hey…” Camellia stared into Weevil’s eyes. “Can… Can it be?”

Weevil knelt to the ground and immediately began to cry. “I… I… I never thought… that after 11 years, we would meet like this…”

“You’re…” Camellia knelt down, still not believing the sight of the person before her.

“Mother!” Weevil threw himself at Camellia, burying his face into her chest. “Oh, Mother!”

“Weevil, my son…” Camellia patted her son’s hair and cried too. “I’ve missed you… My sweet son, I’ve missed you so much. You’ve grown into such a handsome young man.”

After Weevil stopped crying, he let his mother wipe away his remaining tears. “Mother, there’s so much I want to tell you, so much I want to talk to you about. I’ve finally cut ties with Fa- with Roach. So has Adelaide.”

“Adelaide is with you?”

“Yeah, we moved in with Rex and his family.”

“Rex?”

Rex revealed himself. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”

“I didn’t know that this young man was a friend of yours.”

Weevil hadn’t prepared to meet his mother, let alone come out to her. But after all they had been through, he didn’t need to prepare himself. “Mother, there’s something I have to tell you. I’m a bit scared to do this, since Roach disowned me for it, but… I’m gay, and Rex is my boyfriend.”

“Ooh, you make a cute couple!” Camellia grinned. “In fact, I kind of thought that way after I saw you two hug after regionals.”

“You actually saw that?!” Weevil hid his face in his hands. 

“Actually, I’m more impressed by the fact she started shipping us long before we became an item.” Rex winked, eliciting a flick on the nose from Weevil.

“You’re okay with it, then?” Weevil asked, still a bit nervous.

“That you had the courage to tell me just makes me all the more proud of you, son. I love you no matter what.” Camellia let Weevil cry on her shoulder again.

“Sooo…” Rex still tried to process the fact that he had just met his boyfriend’s mother in the strangest of circumstances. “If you’re Weevil’s mom, and you’re the sister of Gozaburo, then… that makes Weeves…”

“...the nephew of Gozaburo, and therefore the rightful heir to KaibaCorp,” Weevil finished.

“Whoa.” Rex blinked. “That’s wild. There’s still so much I haven’t learned about you, baby.”

“Ah! Thank you for reminding me. Mother, you’ll be glad to know that you’re going to be a grandmother. Rex is not only intersex, but he’s also 22 weeks pregnant.”

“Is that so?” Camellia curiously reached for Rex’s baby bump. “M-May I?”

“Of course.”

“Are you… Do you feel all right?” Camellia asked as Weevil put his hand on the baby bump too.

“Eh. My back hurts, and I have to go to the bathroom, like, every hour. But other than that, I can manage.” Rex stopped talking when he felt the baby move. “Oh! What was that?”

Camellia and Weevil felt it too. “Rex… I think… that these are our baby’s first kicks!”

“Oh, Weeves…” As if there hadn’t been enough crying that day, Rex shed his own tears of joy as he talked to his unborn child. He couldn’t be happier to experience yet another pregnancy milestone, especially with Weevil there to experience it with him. “I know, I know, you want out. Don’t worry, we’ll all get to meet you in another four months. And when we do, you’ll get the best party ever!”

Amber watch this scene from near the classroom door. The next class already started to file into the room. “So are you guys going to go to your next class, or what?”

“I’m right behind you.” Weevil started walking to the door, but not without asking Camellia, “What about you?”

“This actually is my next class. But here’s my phone number…” Camellia exchanged phone numbers with Weevil. “We can catch up later.”

“And I should totally invite her over, hehe.” Rex sat on a nearby bench after they left. “Amber, you’re more than welcome to join us, too.”

“...I have a class to get to, so I’ll catch you later.” And with that, Amber was suddenly gone.

“She doesn’t seem all too excited about the baby, does she?” Rex wondered out loud. “But whatever. I think, Weeves, that this is going to be a fun college career.”

[nerdygaymormon]

If you have time, do you mind writing a post about the history of Family: A Proclamation of The World. I would like to know more about what was actually going on at the time. So many people say that they envisioned the problems are society would have before it was even a problem, but I don't believe that. I know some people claim this political document is doctrine because we sustain all the apostle as prophets, seers and revalators. I also have heard that it is not doctrine. Thank you!!

This is a good ask.

I’m going to detail the efforts to get gay marriage legalized in Hawaii and the Church’s opposition. I will also drop in other notable happenings that occurred during this time. These things led the Church to issue the proclamation.

———————————————————————  

If we go all the way back to 1980′s, several cities and states were dealing with gay rights (anti-discrimination ordinances) and same-sex marriage.

Aug 1984 - Elder Oaks writes a memo (which gets leaked a few years later) outlining his recommendation for how the Church should oppose anti-discrimination laws and also same-sex marriage. He puts forth “secular” arguments that can be used in opposing legislation.

1986 - The annual Utah Gay and Lesbian Festival is begun

In 1988 the Church hired a marketing agency in Hawaii to monitor and promote the Church’s stance on gay issues. One reason for choosing a firm in Hawaii was to separate the church’s name from the legislative efforts the firm was undertaking.

n 1989 Denmark became the first country in the world to legally recognize same-sex unions, calling them “registered partnerships.”

1990 - For the Strength of Youth pamphlet is published and in the “Sexual Purity” section it says “the Lord specifically forbids … sex perversion such as homosexuality”. It continues “homosexual and lesbian activities are sinful and an abomination to the Lord” and “unnatural affections … toward persons of the same gender are counter to God’s eternal plan”

Oct 1990 - Utah’s first pride march is organized by BYU shock-aversion therapy survivor Connell O’Donovan. The marchers go right past the Salt Lake temple.

Dec 1990 - 3 same sex couples applied for marriage licenses in Hawaii. Hawaii’s marriage law doesn’t specify anything about the sex of the people getting married. The Hawaii Attorney General’s office was asked for an opinion. The opinion is that under the United States Constitution the right to marry is fundamental, but only for different-sex couples.

Mar 1991 - Elder Jack Goaslind, church young men president, stated that the church would withdraw from the Boy Scouts of America if homosexual youth were allowed to join.

Apr 1991 - Citing the Hawaii Attorney General’s opinion, the marriage licenses were denied to the three couples.

May 1991 - A lawsuit, later known as Baehr v. Miike, was filed asking for the same-sex exclusion to marriage in Hawaii be declared unconstitutional. Hearings took place in September. The court considered whether Hawaii constitution’s right to privacy included a right to same sex marriage and decided that it did not.

May 1991 - The play Angels in America debuts in San Francisco and goes on to Broadway, winning Tony Awards. The play features a gay Mormon in a mixed-orientation marriage.

Oct 1991 - The circuit court ruled against the three couples, but it wasn’t that simple. The court found that under Hawaii’s equal protection clause, denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples constituted discrimination based on sex and declared that the state is required to justify this discrimination under the standard of strict scrutiny.

Strict scrutiny means when it comes to infringing on a constitutional right, the government has to show it has a compelling interest that requires it to do so (some examples include national security, or preserving the lives of a large number of people). The law to achieve this compelling interest has be to crafted to be very narrow, not overly broad in what it addresses. And the law has to use the least restrictive means to achieve the purpose.

The couples who lost the case announce they’re going to appeal to the Hawaii Supreme Court.

________ 

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom was serving as a Regional Representative. You may not be familiar with that term because the calling of Regional Representative is now known as Area Authority Seventy.

Elder Hallstrom was reading the local paper’s coverage of the trial, dismissal and appeal. If the Hawaii supreme court takes the case, same-sex marriage could become legal in Hawaii. Elder Hallstrom makes sure his priesthood leaders are aware of this possibility.

Nov 1991 - The church responded with a letter to be read in all congregations from the First Presidency titled “Standards of Morality and Fidelity” which talks about the “sacred nature of procreative powers” and the “divinely appointed roles of men and women.” It also said “sexual relations are proper only between husband and wife…within the bonds of marriage.” And that “homosexual and lesbian behavior” is sinful and those people could face church discipline.

Although the letter is signed by all three members of the First Presidency, President Ezra Taft Benson was in very poor health and was rarely seen in public after 1989. 

________

April 1992 - In General Conference, Elder Boyd K. Packer says that animals don’t mate with other animals of the same sex, so humans who do so degrade themselves below animals.

1992 - The Church publishes the pamphlet “Understanding and Helping Those Who Have Homosexual Problems” for ecclesiastical leaders. This booklet says that homosexual thoughts and feelings can be overcome and in some cases, heterosexual feelings emerge that lead to marriage.

Oct 1992 - The Hawaii Supreme Court heard the case.

April 1993 - Norway approves registered partnerships, becoming the 2nd country to legally recognize same-sex couples

May 1993 - The Hawaii Supreme Court issued its ruling. The court said if the state government wants to forbid same-sex marriages, it needs a compelling reason. Otherwise, limiting who a person may marry is sex-based discrimination and unconstitutional under Hawaii’s constitution which forbids any laws that discriminate by sex.

The high court sent the case back to the circuit court to issue a new decision based on whether the state can demonstrate a “compelling public interest” in denying marriage to same-sex couples.

The court gave the state legislature time to take action.

May 1993 – Apostle Boyd K. Packer gives an address at a meeting of the All-Church Coordinating Council and refers to homosexuality as one of the three major social problems that represent a danger to members.

Oct 1993 - Elder Dallin H. Oaks’ talk in General Conference says that “there are many political, legal, and social pressures for changes that confuse gender and homogenize the differences between men and women“.

Jan 1994 - The next Hawaii legislative session begins.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Catholic church decided to work together to influence the outcome of bills aimed at keeping marriage only between a man and a woman. Many “experts” were sent to Hawaii to testify, lobbyists were hired and worked behind the scenes.

The Hawaii legislature has competing bills to ban same-sex unions but none are successful because the Senate and House are unable to agree. They House versions of bills were more conservative than would pass in the Senate.

The legislature also creates the Commission on Sexual Orientation and the Law to study the issue of granting benefits to same-sex couples.

Feb 1994 – The First Presidency issues a letter that says the church is opposed to same-sex marriage. The statement says, “We encourage members to appeal to legislators, judges, and other government officials to preserve the purposes and sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, and to reject all efforts to give legal authorization or other official approval or support to marriages between persons of the same gender.”

April 1994 - Elder Packer gives a conference address that mentions “those confused about gender” and “that changes in the laws around marriage and gender threaten the family.”

May 1994 - President Benson passes away and Howard W. Hunter becomes president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

June 1994 - Sweden approves registered partnerships for same-sex couples

Feb 1995 - After another year of working with legislators, attorneys and others in Hawaii, the church announced it would file a petition in the Baehr case to “protect freedom of religion to solemnize marriages between a man and a woman under Hawaiian law.”

In the petition, the Church argued that if same-sex marriage was legalized, (1) it feared the state would revoke its minister’s licenses to marry couples. (2) the church would face lawsuits claiming its ministers discriminate based on sex as to whom they will marry. (3) the Church can help the Attorney General present a more complete case because the state had limited time & resources.

Nov 1994 - Elder James E. Faust gave a speech at BYU where he says that homosexuality is not biological or inborn and that same-sex marriage would unravel families and the fabric of human society.

Feb 1995 - The LDS church recruits members to work with and donate to Hawaii’s Future Today as a way to oppose efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii.

March 1995 - President Hunter dies and Gordon B. Hinckley becomes president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

March 1995 - The court rules that Church can’t intervene in the Baehr case because the no law requires a minister to perform every marriage. The state simply permits ministers to perform marriages, and they choose which to do. The church may face frivolous lawsuits, just like any individual or entity. The state of Hawaii is capable of presenting its case without the church.

Mar 1995 - Elder Dallin H. Oaks begins work on an article on same-sex attraction that will be published in October. In the article, Elder Oaks says that the concept of “homosexual” or “lesbian” as a kind of person is incompatible with LDS theology. Rather the terms should be reserved for use as adjectives that refer to kinds of behavior.

1995 - LDS Family Services publishes the manual “Understanding and Helping Individuals with Homosexual Problems” in which is says “There is sufficient scientific research and clinical evidence to conclude that homosexuality is treatable and preventable.”

Mar 1995 - Utah passes the country’s first Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which says it will not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states

Apr 1995 - The Hawaii legislature rewords the state statute on marriage to say one man and one woman.

Sept 1995 - The Hawaii Commission on Sexual Orientation and the Law is disbanded after an attempt to appoint Mormon & Catholic members to the Commission. It was seen as a violation of the separation of church and state. A second 7-member commission is set up using a different procedure.

Sept 1995 - The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presents a joint “Proclamation on the Family.” This is read by President Hinckley in the General Relief Society Broadcast

The proclamation seems to be primarily based off of Elder Packer’s conference talk from 1993.

———————————————————————  

I was a student at the Church schools in Rexburg & Provo from Jan 1993 to June 1997. The Church’s efforts to sway the legalization of marriage in Hawaii was covered frequently in the school newspapers.

We have had at least one apostle say that when the Family: A Proclamation of The World was issued, people were commenting that this is all common sense and why would they need to publish this.

Perhaps some people did say those things, but those people were not paying attention.

———————————————————————

The FanProc is a summary of LDS doctrine. People who say that the proclamation isn’t doctrine typically mean it hasn’t been voted on and officially declared scripture.

Anyone who says this proclamation isn’t important because it’s not officially doctrine are kidding themselves. It is referenced in general conference more than the scriptures and hangs in the homes of most married couples of the church.

[ebenvt]

Stockyard photos from Chicago

Images from the Union Stock Yards, Chicago, USA, and pork abattoir’s, from The Modern Packing House, by Nickerson and Collins Co., Chicago, 1905 and 1920.

Ham pump from the 1910’s

Wiltshire cut c 1920

Union Stock Yard, Chicago, USA, C 1920

Union Stock Yard, Chicago, USA, C 1920

Pork abattoir, c 1920

Pork abattoir, c 1920

Union Stock Yard, Chicago, USA, C 1920

Entrance to the Union Stock Yard, Chicago, USA, C 1920

Photos from Harris Bacon, Wiltshire, England

Harris photos from old newspapers and redrawn in Cape Town.

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Harris Bacon photos, courtesy of Susan Boddington, curator of the Calne Heritage Centre.

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Ancient photos from Germany

An old pic re-published in the doctoral dissertation of Klaus-Dieter Baja, University of Hamburg, on the changing face of the butches profession.

Vintage photos by Edward S Curtis

Drying Whale Meat – Hooper Bay (The North American Indian, V. XX. Norwood, MA, The PLIMPTON Press). Artist, Edward S Curtis.

Drying Meat, Flathead, 1910 – Hand colored vintage photogravure – 5 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches plate. Edward S. Curtis. From nygardgallery.com

An iconic photo by Curtis, Edward S., 1868-1952, created c1908 November 19, Two Dakota Indian women hanging meat to dry on poles, tent in background. Published in: The North American Indian / Edward S. Curtis. [Seattle, Wash.] : Edward S. Curtis, 1907-30, v. 3, p. 96.

Smokehouses

Meat Curing and Smokehouse – Built in Goria after plans by the United States Dep of Agriculture.  Photo – 1919 from Woodford County Journal (Eureka, Illinois), 20 Jan 1919, p 3.

Photos from Robert Goodrick

About this photo, he writes, “That was the year when we cleaned 900 pieces of poultry — I smelled like a turkey for weeks after :-(”

He says that “The bearded wonder in the center of the photo Quiet Waters Farm is yours truly 1974 I believe :)”

Robert remembers that “this is when ‘butchers’ was ‘real’ butchers 🙂 that Christmas we did over a 1000 birds which included a few ducks, geese, roasting chickens (6lb’ers) as well as a few (true) capons 9/10 lbs) — Largest turkey, if I remember right, was 55 lbs and the smallest was around 7/8 lbs — two of us cleaned the whole lot in about 12 hours”

“My third job in Vancouver British Columbia — My first lasted six weeks as I did not do the right handshake — another story for over a pint — Second lasted about six months as they were pulling the building down, so went down the street and joined this lot — ended up running the place for the owners :)”

How I love these stories!

Laurence Green’s references to Cape food.

From his work HARBOURS OF MEMORY (1969), published by Howard Timmins, Green makes the following references to meat and food recipes.  Many of his best stories he got in bars, drinking with old folks and from magazines and old pamphlets he collected from flea markets.  He was a journalist and an author and I think, if I recall correctly, at one point wrote for the Cape Argus or Cape Times.  His word pictures are priceless.  Here are a few nuggets.

The secret curry powder

From The Road to the Harbour he writes, “Hungry seamen paid sixpence for pea soup or fish, a shilling for roast beef or steak. Many generous hosts provided bread, cheese, and pickles free of charge. A favourite meal in many harbour taverns consisted of a plate of mulligatawny soup followed by sosaties and rice, curried fragments of mutton on bamboo skewers. This cost one shilling and sixpence, including a glass of wine.”

Curries of various sorts were favourite everyday meals in the seafaring quarter. If you passed down Waterkant or Bree Street between certain hours there were such pungent aromas of chilies and garlic, mustard oil and onions, that you might have been in Calcutta. Jacob Watermeyer, a Strand Street ship chandler, was the far-sighted businessman who transformed the curry and rice dishes of Cape Town. This remarkable episode brought him and his assistant a fortune. The master of a British sailing ship owed Watermeyer money for stores and he departed without paying the bill. Next time he called, however, the honest captain entered Watermeyer’s shop and announced: “I still can’t pay, but if you care to come down on board my ship I will show you something valuable.” Watermeyer and his assistant lunched in the saloon and were given the finest curry they had ever tasted. After lunch, the captain handed them a list of ingredients and showed them how to mix the curry powder which had made the lunch memorable. I do not pretend to know the exact amount of turmeric, ginger, chilies and other spices that went into the powder; it was a secret recipe. No one could say that it was dominated by this or that condiment. It was a true blend, and compared with the other curry powders of the period it seemed to have an almost magical effect on soups, pumpkin, beans, crawfish or snoek, eggs, chicken and meats. The captain revealed to Watermeyer the whole secret process and gave him a sealed barrel of the curry powder. Watermeyer canceled the debt, three hundred pounds, a substantial amount to write off in those golden days. He put the curry powder on the market in tins and Cape Town flocked to his store to buy more. Here was a powder with just the right bite. It gave a rich, almost mysterious stimulating quality to a thick stew. People glowed and perspired and declared that Watermeyer’s curry powder made them feel cool in the heat of summer. The assistant married Watermeyer’s daughter and inherited the secret. He built a store in Adderley Street far more ornate than the little ship chandler’s shop down on the waterfront. The store has gone but the curry powder survives and is still mixed just as that forgotten sea captain showed Jacob Watermeyer in the Indiaman’s saloon more than a century ago.

Few old people record their memories and I was lucky to hear the curry saga before the origin was lost. When an interesting person dies a whole page of the past is torn away. I am grateful to those who spoke to me and left their most vivid impressions

Picture from the Shambles – leopards and sand sharks

Leopards were still visiting the shambles at the foot of Adderley Street in search of offal when Hinton was a boy. Wharf Square, outside the old mainline railway station, was close to the wharf. The slaughterhouse, built long before the station, supplied meat to troops bound for India before the Suez Canal was built. Shortly after World War II an aged coloured man showed officials the door in this building where he had stood shovelling refuse into Table Bay. So many sand sharks gathered for the feast. that they called the place Haaibaai. Now the shambles has been demolished and the nearest sea is more than twelve hundred yards from Wharf Square.

Polony, existed from at least 1900’s with much older roots

“Butchers prepared fine mutton hams and polonies and these kept fresh in any climate. The polonies were a foot long, one inch in diameter, made of pork and other meats and fat with various spices; they were bound in bundles of twenty-four and sewn up in airtight bladders.”

See my article I did based on Greens description, The Origins of Polony.

Pigs in blankets were served as oysters, wrapped in bacon

About chef Luigi, he tells the following.  “So he served “pigs in blankets” (oysters wrapped in bacon and fried) or oysters au gratin, sole and oyster pie, oysters sweated in butter and served on hot fried bread, oyster soufflees, oysters with spinach, grilled oysters and fried oysters chopped and mixed with scrambled eggs.”

From Australia

The country of Australia holds some of the most iconic meat history.

Tim Westwood made me aware of this remarkable video.

Meat Hangers

Kevin Ahern took these pictures of Petroglyphs National Monuments in Albuquerque, NM, dating to between 800 and 1200 BP with the oldest dating to 2000 BCE.  He tells me that the images depict the Yucca bud.

“The uses of this plant are numerous, the least of which today being for textile use. The strikingly tall inflorescence stalks have long fibres in them that can be spun to make (incredibly uncomfortable) clothing, textiles, or rope. Yucca flowers are also edible, and are a deep-fried delicacy in some southern states in the US. Some species of the genus also have edible fruits, but this species isn’t one of them since the fruit walls are made up of very tough plant tissue.  (botanicalmusings)

The leaves of this plant (Yucca filamentosa; Adams needle) are also sometimes referred to as “meat hangers” since they are so tough they can pierce meat and can be knotted together to make a ring that can be hung on a tree branch to dry-cured meat.”  (botanicalmusings)

The reference to the hanging of meat for curing seems to originate from Small (1933) who recorded that “leaves of all southern species were used by pioneers to make rope and string for hanging up cured meats.”  Daniel F. Austin says that he found fishermen in the early 1970s on Great Inagua near the Bahamas still using cord made from Yucca to hang their bonefish to dry.  (Austin, 2004)

Yucca to the native tribe, Alabama was called tosiina istatakka (tosiina, from Spanish tocino for Bacon, ist-, it is, atakkaaka, hanging).  The name is derived from their use of the sharp point on the leaf and its fibers to hang meat for smoking (Sylestine, et al, 1993) (Austin, 2004)

Further Reading and Reference:

http://botanicalmusings.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-northern-agave-yucca.html

Austin, F. D..  2004.  Florida Ethnobotany.  CRC Press.

Old Meat Pictures from Мясо! Мясо! Колбаса

In July 2019 I was looking for old meat processing pictures for the deli stores concept we are launching in Johannesburg.  Robert kindly directed me to this amazing facebook site.  All photos were downloaded from this site where it was posted by members.  I wish to acknowledge them and members of the site as the source.

Chuck Vavra‘s Grandparents

Making sausages

Todd Young’s  photos

From South Africa

A photograph from L V Praagh, The Transvaal, and its Mines, 1906, p.321, of the curing room of a cold storage and butcher’s shop shows the importance of this imported European tradition in Johannesburg.

Sheepkraaling in the Karoo.  Late 1800’s.  From The Rise of Conservation in South Africa – Settlers, Livestock, and the Environment 1770-1950 by William Beinart.

Contributions

Please mail any contributions to ebenvt@gmail.com and help us preserve the rich heritage of our trade.

  Pic’s history of meat processing Stockyard photos from Chicago Images from the Union Stock Yards, Chicago, USA, and pork abattoir's, from…

[neo-veniceworkersjournal-blog]

Competitive Unions in Workspaces

One of the main problems with unions today is that the federal government mandates that any benefits and wages the union negotiates applies to all employees at the company / branch. This creates the problem of freeloaders, people who enjoy the same benefits and wages as union members, without having to pay any dues. Companies regularly try to convince employees to opt out of their unions, so they don’t have to pay dues.

Delta’s recent campaign is a good example of this tactic that businesses use, in order to break unions. The fact that Delta’s best argument is essentially, “you could buy video games,” gives you an idea of how great the benefits a union offers are. The truth is that the union can hold up many, many freeloaders until the employer breaks them, but once a union is destroyed, it’s very hard for it to come back nowadays. Businesses are far more ruthless than ever before, and want to prevent us workers from getting a foothold again. So now that I’ve covered that free loaders are a threat to unions, I want to talk about something related: the alienation of employees by unions.

Part of the reality today in America is that the working-class isn’t very aligned with the left anymore. While I think that’s due to neo-liberals obsessing over frivolous social matters while our nation experiences industrial decay, it is a reality we can’t ignore. In my trade alone, about 80-90% of the people I work with are republicans and the union behaves in a similar fashion, pushing for conservative candidates in the state of California. For people like me, I don’t want my dues to feed into republican campaign donations and the amount of flyers and pamphlets I get telling me to vote for this or that greatly annoys me. For people like me, not just leftists alienated by politicized unions, but conservatives as well, freeloading sometimes seems preferable to paying dues to an organization that goes against my political interests.

Truthfully, I’m not clambering to vote Democrat, but I also don’t want part of my paycheck going to republicans. This is why I believe workplaces ought to allow for multiple unions to colonize them. This way, I can join a union that has views similar to mine or are at the very least apolitical. This would make a great difference in clamping down on the threat of freeloaders, as employees could opt for cheaper unions, less vocal unions, etc. Union dues frankly are a pain in the ass depending on your union, and if we introduce the free market into union competition, we could see dues getting slashed. LACOLA, the Los Angeles County lifeguard’s Union, has dues in excess of 10%. At that point, you’re paying dues that are at the same rate as state taxes! In comparison, unions like IBEW 47 and Local 18 have rates of around 1-2%. The benefits don’t differ either, which is the true travesty here: County lifeguards wind up paying 500-1000% more of their paycheck to the union, for the same benefits and lower wages as electrical unions in the local area.

The free market, if we manipulate it to support certain outcomes, can be an amazing force for good. I view it as a powerful engine, and we need to fine tune the car to truly harness its portential to allow for wage growth and innovation. I’m pro-market and pro-union, because the two together make for a viable, very powerful middle class and if the left doesn’t focus on creating a middle class, then what are we doing?

[southerncrossfire44]

The Barefoot Sorority, 1

The Barefoot Sorority

Part 1

Michelle Burton and Angie Drake were on their way to the Student Union at Midwestern State University.  The two eighteen-year old freshmen were roommates at the dorm, and though they had met just two weeks before, at the start of the fall semester, they had already become pretty good friends.

“This calculus class is killing me!” Michelle groaned.

“Two weeks in, and I’m already lost.”

“At least you’re not in advanced honors English,” Angie replied.

“I’ve already got a 20 page paper due.”

“Yeah, but at least you’re into creative writing.  I’m an art major who has to take calculus!”  Michelle shot back.

“Well, I guess it sucks to be you!”  Angie said,and mockingly stuck out her tongue. Michelle shoved her playfully, and the two laughed.  They noticed a girl walking past them, wearing a sorority t-shirt with the letters “beta” and “gamma”on it. The girl looked like any other college student, except that she was barefoot, without a shoe or sock in sight.  The girl was walking down the sidewalk without a care.  She smiled and nodded at Michelle and Angie as she passed them.  After the girl had gone some distance, Angie spoke quietly to Michelle.

“You know, that’s like the tenth girl I’ve seen walking around

barefoot since we got here.

“I’ve seen several, too,” Michelle replied.  “What’s up with that?”

“That girl had a sorority shirt.  Maybe it’s an initiation thing.”  

Angie wondered.

“Could be.  Actually, I think it’s kind of cool,” Michelle laughed.

“Let your toes be free, right?”  She wiggled her toes in her flip-flops.

“Whatever,” Angie rolled her eyes.  Her feet were just fine in her tennis shoes and socks.

The two girls came around the corner of a buildingand saw a big crowd milling around. About two dozen tables were set up, with banners emblazoned with Greek letters hanging from them.  The various frats and sororities were all trying to draw interestin their group, whether through academic standards, social standing or good old fashioned partying.  Angie and Michelle had little interest in “paying for friends” as they saw it, so they decided to give the affair a wide berth. Then Michelle noticed something at the edge of the crowd.  A table with a “Beta Gamma” banner, and three girls wearing matching “Beta Gamma” shirts.  The three girls were barefoot.  The Beta Gammas weren’t making any grand performance to draw attention, they just seemed to be letting those who were interested come to them.

“Hey, look at that!” Michelle nudged Angie.  

“Let’s find out what the barefoot thing is about.”  Angie shrugged, though she was a little curious.  The two girls went over to the Beta Gamma table.

“Hi, I’m Tracy Hoffman, president of Beta Gamma,”said a cute brunette.  “Are you guys interested?”

“Well, a little bit,” answered Michelle.  “We were wondering what’s up with the whole barefoot thing?”

“Really?  You’re the first ones to ever ask about it,” Tracy deadpanned, then she and the other two Beta Gammas laughed.  

“No, seriously, it’s a statement that we make, for a lot of reasons,

one of which is to show that we’re not your stereotype sorority.”

“So, it’s just a gimmick?”  Angie asked.

“Oh, no,” Tracy replied. “We go barefoot all the time, everywhere.”

“All the time?  Everywhere?”  Angie repeated.  Tracy nodded.

Angie and Michelle looked at each other, a bit confused.  

Tracy laughed again.  “Here, why don’t you take some of our

literature and see for yourself.  Our phone number and e-mail is on the back if you want to know more.”  She handed Angie and Michelle several pamphlets, and the two continued on their way to the Student Union.

“Barefoot all the time?  That’s crazy,” Angie stated, after they had walked a bit.

“Yeah, I guess,” Michelle replied, but she seemed lost in thought.

Part 2

That night, Angie sat at her computer, working on her English paper.

Michelle lounged on her bed, reading through the Beta Gamma pamphlets.  

For some reason, she was fascinated.

According to the literature, the Beta Gamma sorority

was founded in 1979, by a young woman named Jane Geiser.  

Jane wanted to create a sorority that provided a progressive and

empowering atmosphere for college girls, something that was not

about social climbing or drunken parties.  

The “barefoot thing” was a big part of the Beta Gamma philosophy.  

Going barefoot at all times showed that a young woman was strong,

yet vulnerable, tough but sensual.  

It was healthy to go barefoot, moreso than wearing shoes, really.  

The pamphlet listed testimonials from several Beta Gammas who

noted that they felt more alive and energized once they started

going barefoot all the time.  

“Shoes and socks are evil!” said a girl from Kansas.  

A girl from Virginia raved that “It’s amazing how much you

can enjoy the world through the soles of your feet!”  

“I never knew how much I was suffocating my feet until I

let them breathe!” offered a girl from Idaho.

Michelle looked at her own feet and wiggled her toes.  

She always kicked off her shoes when she got home, but she

had never thought much about it, until today.  

Now, the idea of not wearing shoes or socks ever again

seemed very appealing.  

She looked over at Angie, typing away on the computer.  

As always, Angie wore her tennis shoes and socks.  

It occurred to Michelle that Angie was almost never barefoot.  

She wore slippers to and from the shower, and always put on

socks after she had dried off.  

She always slept in socks, too.  

Michelle had known other girls like that, but suddenly,

it just seemed strange.

“Hey, Angie,” Michelle called. “You should read this.  

It’s pretty interesting.”  Angie snorted derisively.

“No thanks.  I’m not interested in being a Greek hobbit,”

she replied, not looking away from the screen.

“Seriously.  They’re not just about going barefoot to

be weird,” Michelle said.  “They’re into civil rights, protecting

the environment, promotion of the arts and a lot of grassroots stuff.”

Angie turned around.  That was interesting.  

One thing she liked about Michelle was the fact that they

shared some pretty strong progressive left-wing beliefs.

“Well, okay.  I’ll take a look.  Give me some of that stuff.”

Angie started to read about the Beta Gammas, as Michelle dialed the phone.

“Is this Tracy?” she asked, after someone answered.  

“Great! Hi.  This is Michelle Burton.  

We met at your table today.

My friend Angie and I were interested in learning more

about Beta Gamma.”  She paused for the response.  

“That’ll be fine.  We’ll be there!  See you then!”  

Michelle hung up.  Angie looked up from the pamphlet.  

“They’re having a meeting for new pledges tomorrow night.  You’re in, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Angie nodded.  “I do like what they stand for,

but this going barefoot thing is pretty wacky.”  Michelle looked

a bit crestfallen.

“Don’t worry.  I’m going with you,” Angie assured her.  

Michelle brightened up instantly.

Part 3

Angie couldn’t sleep.  

The ideals of the Beta Gammas appealed to her,

but she kept thinking about bare feet.  

It wasn’t that she was grossed out by feet, or thought they were ugly.  

It was just that the idea of going barefoot everywhere was

so alien to her, and to the way she had grown up.  

Her parents had always insisted that shoes and socks be worn at all times.  

Open toed shoes were not acceptable.  

Slippers were to be worn any time shoes and socks were not necessary.  

Socks were not explicitly required for sleep, but her parents

wore socks to bed, so it was just assumed.  

Even at the pool or beach, she was expected to wear those

lame slip on aqua shoes unless she was actually swimming in a pool.  

She had seen Michelle and plenty of other girls walk around

the dorm or their houses barefoot, but it was just not something

she didn’t or couldn’t do.  Or could she?

Angie finally drifted off to sleep, and she dreamed.  

She was standing in a forest somewhere.  

She liked the woods, and started walking, enjoying the sights and sounds.  

For some reason, she felt clumsy, and kept tripping and stumbling.  

She heard some soft laughter, and turned to see a young woman sitting in a tree.  

It was Tracy, the Beta Gamma president.  

She was barefoot, of course.  

Angie could see the soles of Tracy’s feet.

They were a little dirty, but it just seemed appropriate.  

Her toes were spread out, and they seemed to be the most beautiful feet

in the world, natural and free.

“Take those stupid things off your feet.  It’s great!”  

Tracy gently urged.  

Angie looked at her feet.  

She was wearing her normal shoes and socks, but they just seemed

ugly and heavy for some reason.  

Suddenly, her shoes started untying themselves.  

She kicked her left shoe off, then the right.  

They disappeared somewhere in the woods, and she didn’t care.  

Then her socks seemed to just slide off her feet.

They vanished in the underbrush, not to be seen again.  

Angie looked at her bare feet.  

Of course she recognized them, but they were still unfamiliar to her.  

She wiggled her toes, and dug them into the soft earth.  It felt great.

Tracy jumped down from the tree.  “There you go!  Isn’t that better?”

Angie nodded in agreement.  “Well come on!”  Tracy said moving

off into the woods.  

Angie followed, savoring the dirt, leaves and twigs under her liberated soles.  

Her feet felt alive for the first time in her life.  

Soon Tracy and Angie came out into a wide meadow.  

The grass was heavenly between Angie’s toes.  

A whole group of girls wearing Beta Gamma t-shirts was waiting for them.  

Michelle was with them.  

Every foot was bare and wonderful.  

Bursting with joy, Tracy and Angie rushed to join the group,

eager to leave those awful shoes and socks behind forever.

Angie woke from her dream with a pleasant feeling.  

Except in her sock imprisoned feet.  

They felt hot, almost like they were burning up.  

She worked her right sock off with her left toe, and then

did the same with the left sock.  

Just the feel of the warm air under the blanket was a sensation

on her naked feet.  

Wow, that’s so great, she thought.  

She fell back to sleep, smiling and wiggling her freed toes.

Part 4

Angie and Michelle got ready for the get together at the

Beta Gamma house.  

They had decided to dress nice, but casual.  

Then it came down to the question of footwear.  

Michelle was torn between a pair of flip flops or some dressier sandals.  

Of course, the third choice, which she was also weighing,

was just to go barefoot.

“The sandals go better with your outfit, but flip flops

are probably fine,” Angie said.  “I doubt these girls are too worried

about coordinating shoes.”  Michelle laughed.

“That’s true, but I’m not quite sure I’m ready to go all

the way yet,” she answered.  “Of course, you’re not even going part of the way.”  

Michelle nodded at Angie’s loafers and trouser sock clad feet.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.  Look, we’re not members of this house yet.

We’re just checking it out,”  Angie grumbled.

“Okay, but don’t you want to borrow a pair of my sandals,

or something?”  Michelle offered.

“No, I’m fine.  Just decide what you’re doing already.  

We’re going to be late,” Angie replied.

Alright, I’ll go with the flips.  I don’t want to be barefoot

by myself.”  Michelle slipped on her flip flops, wiggling her toes

to make sure they were on al the way.  

A part of her was disappointed.  

She thought if Angie would have at least worn sandals,

she would have had the courage to go barefoot.

Angie and Michelle arrived at the Beta Gamma house.  

It was a large three story house at the end of a cul-de-sac.  

There was a big, well-maintained yard, and a wooded area behind it.  

The noise from inside told the girls that they were probably some

of the last arrivals.  

They stepped onto the porch, and noticed a pile of shoes.  

There was also a mat with two rainbow colored bare foot prints stenciled on it.  

Michelle rang the bell.  Tracy answered the door.

“Hey, glad you could make it!”  Tracy greeted.  

She looked down at their feet, and laughed.  “I always wonder

who’s going to show up with shoes on.  It’s about fifty-fifty.  

Go ahead and kick those things off and come on in!”  

Michelle had no problem with going barefoot inside,

and added her shoes to the pile by the door.  Angie hesitated.

“I’d really rather not right now,” she said, almost

embarrassed. Tracy shrugged.

“Suit yourself.  But I imagine you’ll change your

mind pretty quickly.”  Angie and Michelle followed Tracy inside.  

Michelle leaned close to Angie.

“You’re going to look sillier with shoes on than

you will going barefoot,” she whispered.  Angie shot a hard

look at her friend, but didn’t answer.  

She did feel a little foolish, but she wasn’t ready to go barefoot,

especially in front of a bunch of strangers.

Tracy led them into the main living room area.  

About thirty girls were gathered for the meeting.  

All of them appeared to be barefoot.

A few seemed a little timid about it, curling their feet under them,

but most of the girls didn’t mind at all.  

Angie did notice one girl, standing kind of shyly in the corner,

who was wearing shoes and socks.  Angie was a little relieved.  

At least she wasn’t the only one.

Introductions were made, and the girls mingled.  

Angie made her way to the other shod girl.  

The girl looked up and gave her a nervous smile.

“Hi there.  Glad to see I’m not the only shoe loving

weirdo in this place,” Angie offered. “I’m Angie, by the way.”

“I’m Lena.  Nice to meet you,” The girl seemed to perk up.

“So what are you doing here?  I came with a friend

who was really interested,” Angie asked.

“I wanted to join a sorority, because my mom had been in one,

but all the other ones seemed kind of stuck-up and mean.

The Beta Gammas were the only ones who were nice,”

Lena explained.  “And they’re still nice,” she quickly added.  “I was just by myself

because I felt kind of awkward.”

“Yeah, this whole barefoot thing is weird,” Angie added.

“I mean what’s wrong with a nice pair of shoes?  Or socks?”

“Actually, I love to go barefoot!”  Lena exclaimed.  

“I just don’t like to do it in front of other people.”

“Why not?”  Angie asked, wondering how she

herself would answer that question.

“Because my feet are ugly,” Lena said sheepishly.

“Oh, I doubt that.  And so what?  They’re just feet!  

Everybody has them,” Angie reassured her.

“Look, all these girls are barefoot.  

Do you really think your feet are so ugly they would stand out in the crowd?”

Lena mulled it over for a minute.  Then she smiled.

“You’re right!  I should just do it,” Lena said.  

She quickly yanked off her left shoe, then the right.  

Then her socks were pulled off in an instant, then wadded up and stuck in her shoes.

Lena happily wriggled her freshly bared toes in the soft carpet.

“That’s it!  Oh, this is good!”

Angie smiled.

“Actually, you have really pretty feet.  I guess going barefoot

has been good for them, even in private,” Angie said.

“Oh, thanks!  I guess they are kind of cute,” Lena laughed.

“Hey, you should take your shoes and socks off, too!  It feels great!”

“Uh, well, no, I’m not sure about that yet.

Maybe later,” Angie stammered.  

She could tell Lena was happier barefoot, and watching the girl’s feet

revel in their new freedom made her a little jealous.  

Deep down, she thought that she did want to join in, but something still stopped her.  

She’d told Lena they were just feet.  Angie had feet, too.  

So what was wrong with her?  Why couldn’t she bring herself to just go barefoot?

Part 5

Tracy stepped into the center of the room.  

Everyone stopped talking and gave her their attention.  

“First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for coming.  

For the pledges, and potential pledges, I hope you like what you’ve

seen so far, and I hope you’ll join us.  For the Beta Gamma sisters,

I’d like to thank you for making everyone so welcome.”  

Tracy addressed the group.  “Now, I’d like to give you my version

of what Beta Gamma sorority is all about.  I know you’ve read

the pamphlets, but I think a personal insight is good to have, too.”

She looked around the room, taking care to make eye contact

with all the newcomers.

“Jane Geiser started Beta Gamma because she couldn’t find what

she was looking for in any other sorority.  

She wanted something that was about celebrating the power of being female.  

All she saw in other sororities was a breeding ground for

trophy wives and snobs.

To be fair, that’s a generalization, but it was Jane’s experience.  

So anyway, Jane founded her own sorority, for young women who had

been excluded, or just felt like they didn’t fit in to the traditional

sorority girl role.”

Tracy let her words sink in for a moment, then she continued.  

“Beta Gamma is for all the girls who are too brainy, too tomboyish,

too shy, too sensitive, too non-conformist, too whatever, to be accepted

by other sororities.  

We believe in total acceptance of one’s spiritual beliefs and sexual

preferences. We don’t turn our noses up at anyone who doesn’t fit

some preconceived mold.  

We believe in making the world a better place, not just in getting

a big diamond on your finger or snaring the perfect man,”

she paused, then said, “Not that we have anything against men.

I mean, I happen to like them a lot.”  

Some giggles rippled through the crowd.  “Well, that’s all I’ve got.

Now I’d like to turn it over to a few of the sisters to

share their thoughts.  Phoebe?”

Phoebe took Tracy’s place at the center of the room.

Phoebe looked like a classic “hippy chick.”

She wore a flowing gypsy skirt and a peasant blouse.  

She had bangle bracelets on both arms and both ankles.  

She had three toe rings on each foot.  

Seeing Phoebe’s beautiful feet made Michelle instantly decide

she was going to get some toe rings.

To Angie, it looked like Phoebe had never worn shoes in her life,

and it was amazing.  

Her feet were perfect.  

It almost made Angie want to rip off her shoes and socks,

but she resisted the urge.

“Two years ago, I came to Midwestern State, and was a

total fish out of water,” Phoebe explained.  “I grew up in a

small commune, and had never seen anything like this.  I mean,

I had a good education at the commune, so I wasn’t a total ignoramus,

but it was almost like culture shock.  

It didn’t seem like there was anyone like me.  I was becoming

desperate just to fit in, I almost bought a pair of Nikes.”  

A few good-natured boos from the crowd.  “I know.  It was that bad.

I mean, I’m a girl who’s been barefoot since birth.  

My mom never saw a need to put shoes on me, and neither did I.

Luckily, I happened to meet a Beta Gamma, Lupe, literally 100 feet

from the shoe store.  

She noticed my bare feet, and of course I noticed hers.  

We struck up a conversation, and the rest is history.  

Really, I don’t think I would have made it past the first semester

if it hadn’t been for Beta Gamma.”  

Phoebe drew a round of applause as she finished.

“Thanks, Phoebe,” Tracy said. “Good thing we saved your

feet before they got ruined by those Nike prisons.”  

Everyone laughed.  “Colleen?”

Colleen took her place in the middle.  

She looked like a total preppy, homecoming queen type.  

She wore a Beta Gamma t-shirt and stylish jeans.  

Of course, instead of trendy footwear, she was barefoot.  

Angie could tell Colleen had worn shoes in her life, but her feet

were still natural and beautiful in a way she had really never seen before tonight.

“I was one of those stuck-up sorority snobs,” Colleen confessed.

“My freshman year, I was Zeta Rho Tau.  

One of the worst.  I thought everything was great, and I was on top of the world.  

Then I found out one of my Zeta sisters was sleeping with my boyfriend.  

When I went to my other sisters for support, they laughed at

me for being so stupid.  

They had all known about it for months and thought it was a big joke.  

They had bets on how long it would take me to figure it out,”

Colleen paused, obviously a bit shaken up, even now.  

“I ended up just crying on a bench on campus.

I wanted to die.  Then a few girls from Beta Gamma were passing by,

and they stopped to help me out.  

They didn’t know who I was or anything, they just wanted to

help out because they could see I was hurting.  That’s pretty rare in this world.”  

A tear dripped down her face, but she composed herself.

“After we talked for awhile, the girls invited me to go camping

with them that night.  

I went, because I sure didn’t have anything better to do at that moment.”  

Then she laughed.  “The funny thing is,” Colleen continued,

“was that I was so upset that I didn’t even register that the girls were

all barefoot until later on, around the campfire.

Then I asked them about it, and they explained the whole barefoot

philosophy of Beta Gamma.  Right then, I ripped off my shoes and socks

and threw them in the fire.  

I haven’t worn any since.  I think some of my old shoe stores must

have gone bankrupt without my business.”  

Everyone applauded, and Colleen got some pats on the back as she sat back down.  

Tracy came to the center of the room once again.

“Just for the record, burning shoes and socks is not a good idea.

The smell is terrible,” Tracy joked.  “Well, thanks Colleen, we love you.  

Now, I’m sure some of you pledges have questions.  Who’d like to start?”

A girl in the front raised her hand.

“I’m totally down with the bare feet.  Man, I hate shoes!”

The girl stated.  “But my question is, don’t you get a lot of grief

from the administration?  

I went barefoot a few times in high school, and they acted like

I brought dynamite to class!”  That drew some knowing laughs.

“Well, first of all, Midwestern is a pretty liberal school,

so they don’t care too much about harmless self-expression.  

Second, we have the highest combined GPA of any Greek organization

on campus.  We make the rest of them look good.  

And most importantly, we do a lot of good work in the community.

People see us and say ‘hey, you’re the barefoot girls!,’ and it’s a good thing.  

A few years ago, an elderly lady lost her house in a fire.  

The Beta Gammas were there the next day helping to rebuild it,

barefoot of course.

It was all over the news, and the town gave us a public service award.”

Tracy pointed out a bronze plaque on the wall.  “So, the short answer is: no,

we don’t get hassled by the administration.”

“What about jobs?  I mean, after graduation?” another girl piped up.

“Going barefoot while we’re here is cool, but how does it help us in

the real world?”

“Good question,” Tracy began.  “It’s true some of us end up

in shod jobs, but you’d be surprised how many options you have to work barefoot.  

An awful lot of Beta Gammas become entrepreneurs, setting their own

work rules, and being very successful at it.  

And, that’s another plus to sisterhood.  

We can put you in touch with alumni who are very barefoot friendly

and can give you great jobs.  It’s sort of our version of an old boy network.”

Several of the girls looked at each other, liking the sound of that.

“I have a question,” Angie said. “What’s the point of going

barefoot all the time?  I know what the pamphlet said about strength

and making a statement and all that.  But why is it so important for

all of you to be barefoot?  I just don’t get it.”

“I’m not surprised that you were the one to ask that question,”

Tracy began.  “And there’s a very good answer to it.”        

Part 6

“The reason we always go barefoot is because it’s good

for us, on a physical, mental and spiritual level,” Tracy said.

“Really, it’s as simple as that.”

“But that’s not really an answer.  

That’s just an opinion,” Angie protested.

“Okay, fair enough,” Tracy admitted.  

“So let me explain it: human feet are meant to be bare.  

Whatever your concept of the origin of life, people have always been barefoot.  

No one has ever been born with shoes or socks on.  

Our feet are meant to feel the air.  

Our soles are meant to have contact with the earth.  

Our toes are meant to flex and grasp and be useful appendages.”  

Tracy reached into her pocket and dropped a coin on the floor.  

Angie was amazed as Tracy used her toes almost like fingers,

effortlessly picking up the coin.

Tracy held it between her big and second toes, then flipped the

coin into the air and caught it in her hand, slipping it back into her pocket.

“And I can write with my toes, work a TV remote, just about anything.  

I can do this because I’ve gone barefoot constantly for the last three years.

My feet are living, breathing, fully functional parts of my body,

not just stumps that I use to stand on.  

My feet are perfectly healthy, something most shoe wearers can’t say.”

“Alright, so your feet get exercise.  It makes sense that they

would be healthier,” Angie agreed.

“Okay, but there’s more.  Mentally, my senses are more alert.  

I’m constantly in touch with my surroundings.  

Having my feet free keeps my stress level down.  

With less stress, I can focus on what I’m doing and stay sharp.  

Remember when I said we had the highest GPA in the Greek system?

That’s not a coincidence.”

Angie seemed skeptical, but she appeared to be mulling it over.  

“And then there’s the spiritual component,” Tracy continued.  

“It’s not something that can be explained scientifically, but there is

a real connection to the natural world that you can only get from

walking barefoot over its surface.  

Shoes are a barrier that separates humanity from its roots.  

Keeping your feet bare grounds you, but lets your spirit soar at the same time.  

When we’re barefoot, we feel closer to our fellow humans.  

For us specifically, it strengthens our bonds of sisterhood.  

So, that’s why we go barefoot.  Did I answer your question?”

“Yeah, I guess you did,” Angie responded.

“So take those things off!”  Tracy urged.  Several others

voiced their agreement.  

Angie suddenly felt very awkward.

“I just – I don’t – I just can’t.  I feel like I’m just being pressured,”

she stammered.

“Okay, that’s cool.  We’re not about forcing anyone to

do something they’re uncomfortable with.  Let’s have a hand for

Angie,” Tracy said.  

The crowd applauded, offering her praise for being true to herself.  

Angie felt better.

“Alright, enough of the serious stuff!  Let’s have some fun!”

Somebody turned on some music, and the girls got back to socializing.

Michelle gave Angie a hug.

“Hey, it’s alright.  If this isn’t your thing, we can still be

friends,” Michelle laughed.

Angie smiled.  The problem was, deep down, Angie thought this

was her thing, if she could just let herself go.

Part 7

Later, Angie and Michelle left the party.  

Michelle slipped her feet back into her flip flops.  

Angie started to say something, but held her tongue.  

They had gone about 100 feet when Michelle stopped.

“Hey, what am I doing?  I don’t need these things

anymore!” she exclaimed.  

She swiped her flip flops off and carried them in her hand.  

She started walking again.  The sensation of the cool sidewalk under

her now naked soles was exhilarating.  

She stepped onto the grass, and it was even more exhilarating.  

It wasn’t like she had never walked barefoot on those surfaces before,

but now she was just somehow more aware of it all.  

“Yeah, I think I could get used to this real fast.”  She noticed a garbage can

just ahead.  

She ran up to it, and dropped her flip flops in.

“Are you sure you want to do that?”  Angie was stunned.

“Yeah, I’m sure.  More sure than I’ve ever been in my life,” Michelle stated.

“This is great!”  

Michelle started turning cartwheels out of sheer joy.  

When she had finished, she said, “Hey, some of the girls were going out dancing.

Let’s go meet them!”

“No, you go ahead.  I’m just going to go back to the dorm,” Angie replied.

“Okay, well, I’ll catch you later, then,” Michelle raced off, relishing

the ground under her feet and the air between her toes.  

Angie walked a little further, then stopped.  

She turned around and headed back to the Beta Gamma house.  

She rang the doorbell, and Tracy answered.

“Can we talk?  In private?” Angie asked.

“Sure,” Tracy said.  “Hey, guys, I’m going to take five,”

she called to the other sisters who were helping to clean up after the party.

Tracy showed Angie to the sorority house’s office.  

Angie took a seat, while Tracy sat behind the desk, propping her feet up.

Angie’s gaze was drawn to the other girl’s perpetually bare feet.

The thin layer of dirt on the sole, contrasted with the whiteness of the arch.  

The perfectly formed toes that seemed to unconsciously flex, as if in

response to the limitless freedom they enjoyed.  

The cute toe ring with a butterfly on it encircling Tracy’s left second toe.

“So, what’s up?”  Tracy asked, snapping Angie back to her surroundings.

“Well, I guess, you see – the thing is, I really like what the

Beta Gammas stand for, and I think I would like to be a member,

but it’s just...,” Angie trailed off.

“Just that you can’t bring yourself to go barefoot all the time,

or even any of the time?”  Tracy guessed.  

Angie nodded sheepishly.  “I know it seems weird,” Tracy continued.

“You’re probably wondering; how come they’re so open and liberal

about everything, but so strict about bare feet?”

Angie was listening.  “All that stuff I said earlier about going barefoot

being good for you, inside and out, is true, but there’s more.  

Going barefoot is also a symbol of just how we’re different from any

other sorority out there, and everyone’s unity makes that symbol even stronger.  

If any Beta Gamma wears shoes, even flip flops, it weakens our symbolism

in the eyes of others, and dilutes our message.  

I mean, sure, we could all wear matching headbands, or pins or something

like that to show our unity, but those are just objects, not a part of us.  

Going barefoot shows that you have a real commitment to your principles.  

It makes people take notice.  They may think you’re a little crazy, sometimes,

but they will respect you for it.  I’ve seen it over and over,” Tracy concluded.  

Angie mulled this over, letting the words sink in, though she still seemed torn.

“You know, it just occurred to me,” Tracy said.  “I think that deep down

you really do want to go barefoot.  That’s why you came back to talk.

Is there something that’s holding you back?  Something in your own head?”

Angie paused, and Tracy could tell she was onto something.

“It’s my parents.  Growing up, you’d think that none of us had bare feet.  

It’s like we just had different shoes that we screwed onto the stumps of our legs

every day.  Does that make sense?”  Angie finally replied.  

Tracy nodded, and smiled.

“Oh, it makes perfect sense,” Tracy confirmed.  “Believe it or not,

I grew up the same way.  If you didn’t have shoes on, you’d better have slippers.  

And, oh the horror if a foot without a sock was ever seen.”  Angie was stunned.

“So, how did you deal with it?  I mean, you’re like the barefoot

poster girl now,” Angie asked.

“My freshman year, I went home at Thanksgiving, and I just

did it barefoot.  

Being with the Beta Gammas gave me the confidence to stand up

to my mom, to show her who I was and how I was forging my own

path,” Tracy said.  “She freaked, of course, but I stood my ground.  

By the end of the weekend, I had convinced her.  I even got her to take

a barefoot walk with me at the park.  

My mother, who I didn’t even realize had toes, was walking barefoot

through the park.  In late November, no less!”

“She’s really okay with it?” wondered Angie.

“Absolutely.  She’s not as hardcore as me, but she’s definitely

an avid barefooter now.  We spread it to my sisters, too.  

My middle sister is a sophomore Beta Gamma at Apple Valley right

now, and my youngest sister is a high school senior, but she’s already

planning to pledge Beta Gamma next year.  

She tries to go barefoot in school now, but of course, there are teacher

and principal issues.  She’s gotten pretty sneaky, though,” Tracy laughed.

“That’s awesome.  I don’t know if my parents would go

for it, though,”Angie doubted.

“Trust me, if my mom could change, yours can, too,” Tracy reassured

her.  Angie thought about it.  

Tracy gave her a minute.  She could tell Angie was on the cusp of breaking

through her reservations.  

Tracy had a sudden inspiration.

“Angie, have you ever had a good foot rub, you know, from

a boyfriend, or anyone?”  Tracy asked.  Angie shook her head no.  

“I’m not surprised.  If you don’t mind, I’d like to show you how

wonderful the sensations in your feet can be, right here, where it’s safe.”

Angie seemed a little unsure.

“Okay,” she said, finally.  Tracy rolled her desk chair so

that she was facing Angie, close enough to touch.  

She reached down and pulled Angie’s loafer enclosed right foot into

her lap.  Angie trembled a bit.

“Don’t be nervous,” Tracy said gently.  “I won’t even take your

sock off.”  Tracy slipped the loafer off and dropped it on the floor.  

Angie stared at her own socked foot with dread, but there was another

sense, anticipation, that was building, and overpowering the dread.

Tracy touched Angie’s foot, and it was like she had been struck by

lightning, but she didn’t jump.

Tracy gently caressed her sole, kneading it with her fingers.  

It was like heaven.  

How had she not realized her feet could provide such a wonderful

sensation? Then, Tracy stopped.  “I can keep going, but I need to take

your sock off to do it right,” she said.

“Go ahead,” Angie didn’t hesitate.  Tracy hooked her finger into

Angie’s sock, and slowly slid it off her foot.  

Tracy was a bit surprised to see a fairly healthy, well formed bare foot,

with straight toes and nice arches.  Angie wiggled her toes in the cool air.

“You’ve got some nice tootsies.  I guess this is one time nature

beat nurture,” Tracy laughed.  

Angie blushed slightly.  Tracy then began to rub Angie’s bare foot.  

If the massage through the sock had been great, the gentle touch on

Angie’s naked sole was beyond wonderful.  

Tracy lovingly worked over the ball, the heel, the arch, the crevice

under the toes.  

If there were any spot on Angie’s foot that could feel good, Tracy found it.  

Tracy’s grand finale was to corkscrew every toe, finishing with the little one.

Angie was almost in a trance-like state.

“Mmm, that feeeels soooo gooood,” she managed to mumble.

“So, should I stop, or do you want me to do the other one?”  

Tracy asked, already knowing the answer.  

Without a word, Angie kicked off her left shoe, and reached down to

quickly yank off her sock.

Then she put her left foot in Tracy’s lap.  “I guess that answers

that question,” Tracy laughed.

She repeated her performance, using her hands like a concert pianist.  

Once she had finished with the final toe corkscrew, Angie was in ecstasy.

Tracy let her bask in it.  Finally, Angie seemed to come back to earth.

“I’m going outside,” she said, matter-of-factly.  Angie stood

up, savoring the soft carpet under her soles, the threads oozing between her toes.  

Then she headed out the door, leaving her shoes and socks discarded

on the floor.  Tracy quietly followed her out.

Tracy stepped onto the porch to see Angie soaking up

the sensations of the lawn.  

Angie felt like she could feel each blade of grass gently brushing

against her sensitized and energized feet.  

Then she remembered the wooded area behind the house.  

She ran to it, not caring that it was the middle of the night.  

She plunged into the tree line, feeling every distinct part of the

underbrush, the roots, twigs, leaves, the bare earth.  

She could feel the energy welling up through her bared soles, as if

the living planet itself was welcoming her back to its embrace.  

She felt alive, primal.  Why had she let herself be closed off for her entire life?

She spent a long time soaking it all in.

When Angie came out of the woods,  Tracy was waiting for her.  

Angie gave the girl a big hug.  “Thank you.  It’s just – it’s amazing.  

I can’t describe it,” Angie told her.

“You don’t have to,” Tracy replied.  “I know what you’re talking about.”  

She playfully rubbed her foot across Angie’s.  The two laughed, and hugged again.

“I’m going to get going, but I’ll be back tomorrow to fill out the membership

application,” Angie said.

“Great.  I’ll have it ready for you,” Tracy told her.  Angie

started walking away.  “Hey, what about your shoes and socks?”  Tracy called.

“Oh, you can throw them in the trash, where they belong,”

Angie shot back.  She intended never to wear shoes, or especially

socks, again.  Wouldn’t Michelle be surprised!

The End, and a New Beginning.  

[itsnelkabelka]

Speech: Foreign Secretary Speech at Chatham House London Conference 2017

Good morning everybody,

It is fantastic to be here in this wonderful hotel, that I think that I opened or reopened. I opened many hotels across London in my time as Mayor and I definitely reopened this hotel at one stage and this is after all an example of the kind of infrastructure that you were just talking about Robin. It is an inspirational structure that was created many, many decades ago, over a hundred years ago, and it has been beautifully upgraded and it has stood the test of time and that is what I want to talk about this morning.

All you young, thrusting Chatham House types look far too dynamic to remember the early 1980s or indeed the late 1970s. Do you? I certainly do.

I remember being chilled to the marrow not just by the newspaper graphics, the hundreds of nuclear missiles trained on this country by the Warsaw Pact.

Scarier still were the attempts by the UK Government to reassure the population, the pamphlets and films that told you such things as how to build a fallout shelter.

You took several doors off their hinges and propped them up diagonally against a wall, reinforced by suitcases full of books, and then you were told to tune to Radio 4, where the contingency plan was to play endless re-runs of Just a Minute.

And there really was a time when British children knew all about the four-minute warnings, and the perils of radiation sickness, and we all read a book called Where the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs, and brooded, as I did as a teenager, on the horror of those weapons.

For decades now that threat has seemed to vanish. It went with the end of the Cold War.

We don’t want it back.

That is why people are now watching with such interest – and the first stirrings of apprehension – the events in the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jong Un has tested 19 missiles so far this year, and has conducted four of the six nuclear tests ever carried out by that country.

It is now widely accepted that Kim is coming closer to being able to launch a nuclear-armed ICBM at the continental United States.

I should stress that this has not only prompted outrage in America, but it is a prospect that has been unanimously condemned by Russia, by China, by the EU, to say nothing of the dismay of those quintessentially peaceable countries – Japan and South Korea.

It is this increased tempo of nuclear testing, coupled with florid outbursts of verbal belligerence, that have reawakened – even in this country – those forgotten fears.

The public can be forgiven for genuinely starting to wonder whether the nuclear sword of Damocles is once again held over the head of a trembling human race.

So now is perhaps a good moment, in a calm and dispassionate way, to take stock.

Before we reissue that old pamphlet called Protect and Survive, before we teach our kids how to hide under the desks or lay on stocks of baked beans or spam, let us look at the history of nuclear proliferation, how nuclear weapons have spread, and how we have collectively sought to contain their spread.

Back then, as now, most predictions were gloomy – and yet those gloomy predictions have been utterly confounded by events.

America was of course the first to use the bomb, in 1945; then the Soviet Union detonated a device at Semipalatinsk in 1949; then we were next, the UK, in 1952; then the French did their test in the Sahara in 1960.

At that point the then American presidential candidate, John F Kennedy, predicted that by 1964, within only four years, there would be ten, 15 or 20 nations that would acquire nuclear weapons.

As things have turned out, it is now almost 60 years after he issued his warning – and yes, the NPT has some notable non-signatories including India and Pakistan; and yet the number of nuclear-armed countries has yet to reach double figures.

This is on the face of it an absolutely astonishing statistic and an extraordinary achievement.

When you consider that every previous military development – from firearms to fighter jets – has spread among humanity like impetigo, you have to ask yourselves: why? Why have nuclear weapons been the great exception?

It can’t just be the kit. They can’t be so complex that only a handful of so-called advanced nations have the intellectual wherewithal to make them.

It is true that the process is laborious and highly expensive – but the basic technology is more than 70 years old and indeed has been taught in universities – if not schools – for decades, for generations.

The answer is partly that many countries wisely decided, after the war, that they were going to take shelter under the nuclear umbrella provided by the United Nations.

Nations in both Europe and in Asia opted for this protection, a commitment that must be rated one of the greatest contributions by America to the unprecedented epoch of peace and prosperity that we have all been living through.

I should observe that some European countries found themselves under a rival umbrella provided by the Soviet Union, though at that stage they had no choice in the matter.

And it was that American offer – that guarantee – that made possible the global consensus embodied by the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

By this treaty 191 countries came together to recognise the special role of the five existing nuclear powers, and also to insist that there should be no further dispersal of such weapons.

Nuclear technology would be made available to other countries, provided it was used exclusively for civilian purposes.

That was a great diplomatic achievement.

It was an effort in which the UK – as one of the leading upholders of the post-war rules based international order – played a crucial role.

[political content deleted]

That diplomacy has helped to make the world safer, more secure, more confident and therefore more prosperous.

It has helped avoid what might otherwise have been a Gadarene Rush to destruction, in which the world was turned into a great arena of Mexican stand-offs, a nuclear version of the final scene of Reservoir Dogs.

That far-sightedness is now needed more than ever, not only to keep the NPT, but also one of its most valuable complementary accords, the nuclear deal with Iran.

To grasp the importance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, we should remember that just before it was signed in 2015, Iran had enough centrifuges and low-enriched uranium to be only months away from producing the essential material for at least one nuclear weapon.

Let us remember what the consequences would have been – for Iran and the world – if Tehran had gone down that road.

Never mind the response of Israel, or indeed the United States to the fact of nuclear weapons in the grip of the Iranians, a regime that has been capable of blood-curdling rhetoric about the mere existence of the “Zionist entity”.

A nuclear-armed Iran would have placed irresistible pressure on neighbouring countries to up the ante, and to trigger an arms race in what is already one of the most volatile regions of the world.

Imagine all those mutually contaminating sectarian, dynastic and internecine conflicts of the Middle East today. Then turn the dial, and add a nuclear arms race.

Think of the nightmare that deal has avoided.

It is a nightmare we can continue to avoid if we are sensible, if we show the same generosity and wisdom as the negotiators of the NPT.

And first and most important it is vital to understand that President Trump has not withdrawn from the JCPOA. He has not junked it.

He has continued to waive nuclear-related sanctions against Iran, and having spoken to some of the most influential figures on Capitol Hill – none of them fans of the Iranian regime – I have absolutely no doubt that with determination and courage the JCPOA can be preserved.

This is not just because the essential deal is in the interests of Western security – though it is – but because it is profoundly in the interests of the Iranian people.

This is a great nation, of 80 million people – two thirds of whom are under the age of 30.

They are highly educated, both men and women.

They watch Youtube; they dance to music videos, even if it is in the privacy of their own home.

They use and understand technology and they are bursting with a capitalist and entrepreneurial spirit.

If we can show them that they are welcome in the great global market-place of ideas and innovation then, in time, a very different relationship is possible with the modern heirs, of what is after all, one of the greatest of all ancient civilisations.

That is the possibility the JCPOA holds open - not just averting a perilous and debilitating arms race, but ending the long and largely self-imposed exclusion of Iran from the global mainstream that so many millions of Iranians yearn to join.

Of course, we in the UK, we share with our American friends and with many of our allies – in Europe and across the Middle East – their legitimate concern over the disruptive behaviour of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in countries hundreds of miles from their borders.

It is simply provocative and dangerous that Iran has supplied tens of thousands of rockets and missiles to Hizbollah in Lebanon - weapons that are even now pointing at Israel - but whose use would bring the most destructive retaliation not upon Iran – the responsible party – but upon the people of Lebanon.

It is no conceivable benefit to the tormented people of Yemen that Iran should be supplying missiles that Houthi rebels use routinely to strike targets in Saudi Arabia; behaviour which alas can only strengthen the convictions of those in the region who believe they have no choice but to respond to Iran’s actions.

And frankly it’s astonishing that the Iranians – who rightly complain that the world looked the other way when they suffered so tragically from the chemical weapons deployed by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s – should even now be abetting and concealing the crimes of Bashar al-Asad who has used the same methods against his own people.

So I think it’s right that we should join with our American friends and allies to counter this kind of behaviour wherever possible.

But that does not mean for one minute that we should write Iran off, or that we should refuse to engage with Iran or that we should show disrespect to its people.

On the contrary, we should continue to work to demonstrate to that population in Iran that they will be better off under this deal and the path of re-engagement that it prescribes.

And that is the model – of toughness but engagement, each reinforcing the other – that we should have at the front of our mind as we try to resolve the tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

It is right that Rex Tillerson has specifically opened the door to dialogue.

He has tried to give some sensible reassurances to the regime, to enable them to take up this offer.

Remember the four Noes – that have been offered by the South Korean president and reinforced by the US Secretary of State.

No seeking regime change in North Korea; No seeking to force the collapse of North Korea’s regime; No seeking to deploy US forces beyond the 38th parallel; No attempt to accelerate the reunification of Korea.

These are the commitments that we hope will encourage Kim Jong Un to halt his nuclear weapons programme, to come to the negotiating table, and thereby to take the only path that can guarantee the security of the region as a whole. You will often hear it said that in weighing up those options Kim must bear in mind the woeful precedents of those who disarmed.

Of Libya, where the leader listened to the blandishments of the West and gave up his nuclear weapons programme – only to be overthrown with Western connivance.

Or of Ukraine, which actually surrendered its nuclear arsenal, only to suffer the first forcible loss of territory in Europe since 1945.

It is therefore suggested that Kim would be sealing his own fate if he were to comply.

I reject those analogies.

What finished Gaddafi was an uprising of his own people, including on the streets of Tripoli.

Even if he had been able to perfect a nuclear arsenal in time, and even if it is true he had a justified reputation for mercurial and unpredictable behaviour, it seems unlikely that he would have decided to nuke his own capital – including himself.

As survival strategies go, that would have been eccentric even by his own standards.

As for Ukraine, the fundamental difference is that no one, not South Korea nor any other neighbour, has any designs on the national territory of North Korea.

And the crucial question Kim Jong Un surely needs to ask himself is whether his current activities are making Pyongyang any safer for himself and his regime.

No one, I’m sure no one in this room, certainly no one in the UK or around the world wants any kind of military solution to the problem. No one actively desires that outcome.

But Kim Jong Un and the world need to understand that when the 45th President of the United States contemplates a regime led by a man who not only threatens to reduce New York to “ashes”, but who stands on the verge of acquiring the power to make good on his threat, I am afraid that the US President – whoever he or she might be – will have an absolute duty to prepare any option to keep safe not only the American people but all those who have sheltered under the American nuclear umbrella.

And I hope Kim will also consider this: that if his objective is to intimidate the US into wholesale withdrawal from East Asia, then it strikes me that his current course might almost be designed to produce the opposite effect.

Already President Moon of South Korea – hitherto seen as one of the political leaders most open to engagement with the North – is installing the US-made THAAD missile defences.

And in Japan and South Korea it is easy to imagine the growth of domestic pressure for those governments to take further steps to protect their own populations from a nuclear North Korea.

In short Pyongyang faces the same dilemma as Tehran:

By continuing to develop nuclear capabilities Kim risks provoking a reaction in the region that is at once defensive and competitive, that reduces not increases his security and therefore reduces not increases the survival chances of the regime.

And therefore I hope that Kim will see that it is no part of Juche – his family doctrine of national self-reliance – nor is it in his interest of national security to end up with an escalation of America’s military presence in East Asia, let alone to run risks that could imperil his regime.

And until he understands that I am afraid that we have no choice collectively but to step up the pressure on Pyongyang.

It is one of the most encouraging developments this year that the UN Security Council – with the strong support of the UK - has unanimously passed three resolutions to tighten the economic ligature around the regime.

When I joined a debate on North Korea in the Security Council earlier this year, I was struck by the unaccustomed absence of discord.

For the first time the Chinese have agreed to impose strict limits on the export of oil to North Korea, which until now was taboo.

There has been an unmistakable change in Chinese policy, and that is warmly to be welcomed.

In his speech to the 19th Party Congress last week, President Xi hailed China’s standing as a world power

And I would say there is no more urgent problem for China to address – nor any where Beijing has greater influence – than the threat to international security represented by the behaviour of North Korea.

There is also unprecedented discussion between China and the US on how to handle this crisis, a closeness, by the way, that I believe bodes well for the world; and I should again pay tribute to my colleague Rex Tillerson for his efforts.

Whatever we may think of the regime and its behaviour, the ruling elite of North Korea is in the end composed of human beings.

We must find ways of getting through to them, and at the same time not just toughening the sanctions regime but enforcing those already in place; and in this respect again, the Chinese hold the key.

This is the moment for North Korea’s regime to change course – and if they do the world can show that it is once again capable of the diplomatic imagination that produced the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – arduously negotiated – and that after 12 years of continuous effort produced the JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran.

It will not be easy, but the costs of failure could be catastrophic.

We cannot dis-invent nuclear weapons or wish them away; and the events on the Korean Peninsula are the clearest possible rejoinder to those [political content deleted] who say that we should unilaterally cast aside our nuclear weapons.

To wield a nuclear deterrent, as this country does, is neither easy nor cheap; indeed it imposes a huge responsibility on this country.

We are one of the handful specifically recognised by the NPT to possess such dreadful weapons, and we do so not just in the name of our own security but – via NATO – for the protection of dozens of our allies.

And by holding that stockpile – a minimum stockpile, I should say, which has been reduced by half since its Cold War peak – we play our part in deterring the ambitions of rogue states.

It is 25 years since the end of the Cold War, and a new generation has grown up with no memory of the threat of a nuclear winter, and little education in the appalling logic of mutually assured destruction.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Their destruction, the full horror of what took place is now literally fading from living memory.

When people like Alun Chalfont drew up the NPT, those horrors were still fresh in the hearts of the world.

We must not be so forgetful or so complacent as to require a new lesson in what these weapons can do, or the price of failing to limit their spread.

The NPT is one of the great diplomatic achievements of the last century. It has stood the test of time.

In its restraint and its maturity it shows an unexpected wisdom on the part of humanity, and almost evolutionary instinct for the survival of the species.

It is the job of our generation now to preserve that agreement, and British diplomacy will be at the forefront of the endeavour.

Thank you all very much for your attention.

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