Those of us who engage in any kind of political action work on social issues involving discrimination against minorities are often reminded by our peers of the virtues – and necessity – of civil dialogue with our opponents. Presenting cogent, carefully worded arguments on why our point of view is correct = good. Hysterical ranting = bad.

Those of us who engage in any kind of writing are likewise reminded by our peers of the need to remain professional and non-vulgar. Drafting creatively worded phrases and sentences to get our points across = good. Cussing and profanity = bad.

Well peers, you can all go fuck yourselves.

As my drunken, racist Vietnam veteran uncle used to say to his patrol boat team members during the war, “I’m going up the river and I’m taking names.”

Although I’m too much of a wuss to do anything violent in real life, let me just dream for a few minutes. Because you see, Gentle Readers, for the first time in my life I am beginning to understand how proponents of violent social revolutions feel.

Enough with all this civilized “talking” so that I can, like the poor Jim Crow-era black boy, enjoy the privilege of begging the white people for fairness and equality. Enough staring abashedly at the floor, muttering “Yes ma’am!” and “No sir!” as I beg for a crust of bread without mold on it for my supper.

I swear to God, Gentle Readers, if I see or even hear of one more gentle prayer for “civility” - or worse - “respect for each others’ deeply held beliefs on the subject of marriage” I am going ape shit on your asses.

Even thinking of the phrase “deeply held beliefs” is enough to send me into a full-on rage these days. It goes something like this:

DEEPLY HELD BELIEFS? May I be so bold as to ask what the fuck your “deeply held beliefs” have to do with my civil rights? I have news for you folks. Your God-damned “deeply held beliefs” are the exact same kind of “deeply held beliefs” that kept that little black boy staring at the floor for all those years while you shit all over him.

Your “deeply held beliefs” are the same “deeply held beliefs” that allowed black women to be raped and beaten, right in front of the police, by business owners for getting behind on their credit card payments.

Your “deeply held beliefs” are the same “deeply held beliefs” that allowed the police to arrest the black women, after they were raped and beaten, because they appeared to be drunk while limping down the street.

OK, so I’ve been re-reading Richard Wright’s Black Boy and I’ve gotten myself a bit riled up on the issue of civil rights. But let’s face reality here. Although the decades have changed and the issue is now about orientation rather than skin color, it’s all part of the same pie, folks.

Mark my words, Prop 8 voters: Like George Wallace, those of you with any semblance of a conscience are going to be embarrassed as all fuck about this disgrace of an election twenty or thirty years from now.

The only “civilized” thing I can manage to say right now is that you are all damn lucky I was born in the sixties, close enough to a more violent era in our history to know that I don’t really want to live in an environment where Molotov cocktails are thrown in protest of society’s unconscionable injustices. But I would advise you quite strongly not to push me too much further, Gentle Readers. There’s only so much a mildly retarded yet enraged Punchman can take before he loses his shit and starts wailing on those who supported Proposition 8.

So, Gentle Readers, while I am still ignoring these collective prayers for civility and non-profanity in my writing, I will say it loudly and clearly just one more time: FUCK Proposition 8, along with each and every one of its supporters.

And while we’re at it, fuck the whole stupid California ballot initiative process that is increasingly turning the state’s political process into a farce. As long as we still have the ability to write these propositions and present to them to the “voters,” the next one on the ballot, if I have anything to say about it, will go something like this:

Each member in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gets his ass kicked by Coaster Punchman.

I’m more than certain to get the requisite number of signatures. So are you with me? For your own safety, maybe you’d better be.