Farm-Crafted Compost“ - 10 if SEAL OF QUALITY % SEAL OF QUALITY , o nu-noon‘ -an-u mu-eauumxnamu-um W ....VT modular . com _ info@VTmodular.com VERMONT MODULAR HOMES DAVID E. CURTIS 902.951 ~ 1100 p mite r: A —e{« r I I I?I..-Al. Yo“!-.lIi.?~ %It:.O.~I-‘I-‘st: TRAVELING OUT TOURS You’re invited... to join us for a new 8: exciting group tour opportunity for gay and lesbiantravelers. Traveling Out, a subsidiary of Notch Above Tours, will offer quality lD11l‘S for the discriminating traveler with fun & fasdnating destinations throughout the United States 8: Canada T01lI'S range from one day to several days 8: mayinclude shows, meals, special events and sightseeing, Traveling Out has been working 8: meeting with my Giambers of Oommeroe, gay organirations, gay and gay-friendly hotels, restaurants 8: gay tour guides. They are very excited about host- ing us Srlookforward to offering theirwarm hospitality. Aportion of Traveling Out’s profits will be donated to Vermont Cares, a nonprofit corporation dealing with the physical, ma1tal,stxitl&edmoriiicdulleigesoflivhigwitl1AlDS. We look forward to traveling with you 8; welcome your comments 8: suggestions. . sum, May 19 Springtime Escape & Brunch in Montreal - Fri.- Mon., June 28-July 1 Pride Weekend in New York City 0 Fri.- Sun., August 9-11 Men in Uniform in Quebec City . sat- Sun, Oct. 12-13 The Queen 8:1: Montreal Black & Blue Festival For information, please contact Brian 1—800—659~2367 Brian Jaffarian Marketing Consultant, Providing a full-range of creative and effective marketing solutions. // (802) 434-6062 www.a|Ithebuzzmarketing.com he Word “pride” gets tossed around in the world. Queers are so proud, their yearly holiday is actually called a “Pride Festival.” You can also be proud to be an American, like so many people became after September. Pride can cover a multitude of characteristics, but for gays, it has its roots in the Civil Rights movement, when “Black is Beautiful” and “Gay is Good” were affinning calls to action. The Pride festi- vals and parades are actually reminders of the Stonewall Rebellion, a militant and pow- erful action that had every- thing to do with fighting back and not giving in. American history that prevents me from feeling the same way. This country was built by African and African American slaves, whose descendants continue to suffer at the hands of a racist criminal justice sys- tem and urban poverty. We killed off Native Americans in mass campaigns of genocide and continue to isolate them, forming reservations to all but tie them in place. America is also the proud land that locked its citizens of Japanese descent in concentration campus just fifty years ago. And the situation has barely improved, especially for the poor, racial or ethnic minorities, and queers. Think To me, the American flag signals a loss of safety. Its red, white, and blue are slavery, oppression and poverty. When I see an American flag image on a car, I assume that it was placed in the aftermath of terrorism to make someone feel better about the disaster. Whether the colors express “These Colors Don’t Run,” “Proud to be an American,” or “Nuke the Arabs,” the presence of the flag overwhelms me. To me, the American flag signalsa loss of safety. Its red, white, and blue are slav- ery, oppression and-poverty. Its stars and stripes are guns and bombs. The flag has no place being displayed on every car and from every house, especially when the “proud” Americans flying it proclaim its connection to liberty and freedom, peace and prosperity. There is too much about being Arab-American or Muslim today. Talking about queers specifically, another bumper stickerjumps to mind: “If You’re Not Outraged, You’re Not Paying Attention.” No matter what we think about marriage, we deserve the right to the same benefits and special rights as heteros. Even now, when the country has allegedly come together to fight for the American way of life, the families of queer vic- tims of the attacks are being ignored by the victims’ fund, which does _not recognize gay relationships outside of the marriage laws. Imagine my shock when, recently, I saw several cars displaying American flags and rainbow colors simultane- ously. It completely ruined my t The True of the American Fag day to see two lesbians pro- claiming their American and gay pride simultaneously on their car. My horror at how they display the symbol of their own inequality under American law has stayed with me. If you have put a flag decal on your car and left it there until now, nearly seven months after the attacks, and if you still wear a red, white, and blue lapel pin, you show your enthusiasm for death, destruc- tion, war, and oppression. It’s one thing to be pleased to see the flag and hear the anthem when Americans won medals at the Winter Olympics and another to sport a jingoistic symbol while an endless war rages overseas. The war in Afghanistan looks as if it might never end. The Bush administration has pledged to continue this unwinnable war all over the world. By the time this column is printed, we may have already invaded Iraq or dropped nuclear weapons on China or Russia, if you believe what the papers are saying. Urban Blacks and Latinos inhabit a precarious situation in America’s cities while the rural poor are imprisoned in low-paying jobs, and both groups, rural and urban, lack opportunities to community-build and advance. The war on queer-s'at home continues, too. Not only are we too far from ever receiving federal marriage benefits, we cannot even count on being safe when we walk around the streets. Today is not the time to abandon queer struggle for the cause of American big business. Rip that American flag off your car and call our Senators and Representative Sanders to urge them to try and stop the war. Take your queerness and fight back against everything you know “America” should not stand for. V _Joel Nichols grew up in Brandon, VT and is about to graduate from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.