Gay Bashing In Clallam Bay

I just want to throw up.

I thought Clallam Bay was above this. I expect such things in Port Angeles -- I've heard horrible racist things while sitting waiting to serve on a jury -- but HERE?

I heard this crap in the bar last night while the Seattle Gay Pride parade was on TV. Maybe I shouldn't have pointed it out, but I was missing it. I've ridden in cars sponsored by gay groups, doing the silly parade wave.

"Oh, look," I said in delight, sort of generally toward my husband and sort of just thinking out loud. "The Pride Parade!"

Two people at the end of the bar started up:"Oh, those people! That's just disgusting!"

Me: "What? Those are nice people! That parade is a lot of fun."

"Why don't they have a parade for the rapists and murderers? What if my kid saw that?"

I know these two nasty arguments. They come straight out of church pulpits.

Of course I shot off my mouth, too, and made everybody even more uncomfortable:

"What if your kid IS gay? Do you want to make him commit suicide? What if there are gay people in this bar?"

I don't understand it. Sit in public and say ugly things about race or gender, and expect everybody to agree with them. I mean, if I sit with my mouth shut, it means I agree with them. I'm free to excercise my free speech -- and I mean to use it to show that I am a MUCH nicer person and NOT ONE OF THEM. If they want to split people into groups, then they can be the Nasty People, and I can be the Nice People.

I know what I'm saying next time (I have to always think about these things):I'll point at the parade and say, "EVERY SINGLE PERSON in that parade has been persecuted or bullied or oppressed for being gay or having gay relatives. This is their declaration of freedom from the cruelty of their pasts.

"And they were oppressed and persecuted by PEOPLE LIKE YOU. So the next time you see a gay couple holding hands or kissing -- JUST LIKE STRAIGHT PEOPLE DO ALL THE TIME -- it's because people like you made them refuse to hide any more. So if you don't like it you can go home and look in the mirror and blame yourself."

And while we're at it -- nosing into what your children will ultimately do with their genitalia as sexual adults -- is just plain sick. What is WRONG with you?

Now I know why I've had to tell the kids on the beach that if they use the word "gay" as an insult they can't go fishing with me. I've also told them that they can't be with me and torment the fish, either -- "Those fish died so you could eat. Respect them. Kill them quick and don't pull their eyeballs out while they're alive."

Bullying gays. Tormenting fish. Bragging about using kittens for target practice.

Kids got this from adults in the community.

You know who you ARE. And yes, I resent you, because you make my world uglier and stupider and more cruel. YOU are the reason life can be brutal, nasty and short.

The next generation of kids in Clallam Bay are smart, kind, alert, talented, and thirsty to learn. Get out of their way. Don't infect them with your poison.

And why can I say this?Because someday they won't just be YOUR kids -- they'll be MY fellow citizens. And I don't want to have to deal with YOUR baggage.

Fishing....

Went to the beach to relax a bit, and throw bait at the fish.

Wild waters, throwing high waves, mist in the air. Didn't, of course, expect anything.

WHAM! they acted like food was gonna be banned tomorrow.

Before they figured out there was a hook out there, and got picky and started playing hook games (dragging the bait down the beach, wrapping it around kelp, all the stuff that makes me respect greenling as having a fish sense of humor) -- got two of the biggest girls I ever pulled off the beach. Couple pounds a piece. LOADS of beautiful white meat and a big meaty backbone. And bunches of scraped raw fish from the skins for the cats -- and big livers and roe sacks for the cats, too.

Greenling look like big golden-brown and bright yellow and orange versions of Mr. Limpet.

The males have pretty black-rimmed silver spots, too. Rarely catch males, and they're not very big. I don't think they're as daring as the big girls.

We got more meat than we know what to do with.

How to prepare greenling:

They're kind of mushy and grass-tasting fresh. So -- gut and rinse. Put in 'fridge overnight to firm and dry a bit. When you skin 'em out the next day, they peel easy and look like lingcod. Don't discard the backbones -- they got loads of meat on 'em. Freeze filets and backbones on trays to lose the grassy taste. Glaze 'em individually with cold water, don't freeze 'em in a lump.

Thaw, and dredge in cornmeal batter.

Fry up. Use the left-over batter for hush-puppies. Serve with cold beer.

Oh, Lawdy. Maybe there is a god.

Makah Clout

Okay.... Imagine this. Contentious, hairs-up library/funds meeting. County councilmen, leaders of Friends of Library and Library System and pissed-off citizens. Nearly over when --
Makah tribal representative introduced from the back of the room.

Medium-tall thin guy with iron-grey hair slicked back, in a brand new black/white/red Makah Whaling Commission t-shirt.

Total double-takes. Hair on end. Mouths fall open. Shock and awe.

You can practically hear it.... "The TRIBE!!! is here!"

Everybody is -- well, not scared of the TRIBE -- but the TRIBE might as well be our Mother. "What will the TRIBE say?" "Can we get the TRIBE in on that?" "What does the TRIBE want?"

When the spokesman said that the TRIBE sided with what the citizens and the FOL wanted, it was like -- well the Navy had hit the beach. In cedar conoes.

In the course of siding with us, he said, "I will take your words back to my council."

Twice.

So we are all doing this little white-eye war-dance, cuz the TRIBE is on OUR side. With alder-smoked salmon. "Here come the Indians!" is the line up here.

Everybody else can just take their nasty dried fish and go home.