Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Tuesday, August 18, 2020, Olivia Mitra Framke

 0:05:20

One hundred years ago today, the state of TENNESSEE became the 36th to ratify AMENDMENTXIX, and since 75% was all that was needed for a UNISON ruling in all 48 states, the amendment became an official part of the U. S. CONSTITUTION, making voting rights FORKEEPS. This was more than a mere TOKEN law, but it did take a little longer for the law to help you if you weren't a white LASS, but let's not DRAG it down.

ALICEPAUL

It is a little IRONIC that ALICEPAUL is the only one of the movements' many supporters to be included, for while she did indeed lobby for WOMENSSUFFRAGE, she also believed (correctly) that the 19th amendment would not be enough to ensure women and men were treated equally. The very next year, she drafted what would become the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a bill that was introduced into congress in every session from 1921 to 1972, when it finally passed. Its ratification, however, has not yet come.

It would have been ideal if SON and the reference to MUSTANGS as "muscle cars" could have been left out, but we do get more female representation with Lucy LIU, RAMONA Quimby, a reference to Pearl S. Buck (OLAN), and a quote from Alice Walker (ART). I'm guessing the constructor is a VASSAR ALUM, and if so, that's a fun stack. And the excellent RuPaul quote ("We're all born naked and the rest is DRAG") reminds us that the 19th simply said that the right to vote will not be denied on the basis of sex. It didn't say "women get the vote." It said anyone of any sex can vote.

I'm glad to see this puzzle, and even support the use of ADEE and MNOP to make it work. It's ridiculous that the amendment was necessary in the first place (before 1776, women did have the vote), but since it was necessary, I'm happy it finally got ratified. Now let's get a woman in the white house, let's get ERA ratified, and let's start acting like rational beings for a change.

- Horace


5 comments:

  1. 5:56
    Under six is good for me for a Tuesday. I agree with Horace, for once, that AMENDMENTXIX took far too long and should not, in polite society, have even been necessary, but we can point to countless other inequities that also fit that bill. I take issue with MNOP, which in a perfect world would never be required, and have never heard of ORANGINA. I tried "esc" instead of TAB at 45A, but that was repaired in record speed with its first cross, TOXINS. Not much to BARK about in here. I liked the start referencing Leontyne Price (ARIA). Nice to see KEL in the grid, even though I'm unfamiliar with the reference, and I haven't heard of this OLAN heroine before today.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful theme ruined by cringe-worthy clues: 33 Across, 24 Down, and 31 Down.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 3:25 (FWOE)
    I put in WOMaNSSUFFRAGE. That's silly. As Horace mentioned, it's not just for one person. I heard a nice NPR segment about the debate over the amendment in TENNESSEE, and how the man who changed his vote did so because his mother told him to.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gee, SUSAN B. ANTHONY (13) didn't make the cut? Can't imagine why not. Agree with Ian, by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hmm, surprised to see FEMS partly because I would have spelled it "femmes" (although dictionaries seem to have fem too) and also because it is hard to clue well ("not all lesbians" and all that), although I don't think the latter is a reason to avoid it.

    But enjoyed the theme. Nice to find suitable length answers all about a historical event.

    ReplyDelete