Tearing Down The Argument

I need you all to take a few minutes or so and go read this piece over at Bilerico. I love Bilerico, and this piece is a fine example of why I love the site. Poster Josh Olsen tears apart the most common rhetoric from the conservative, mostly Christian Right concering marriage equality. Among the choicest quotes is this gem in regard to the claim that Californian's right to vote has been stripped from them by Judge Walker over turning Proposition 8:

The voters of Californians have had no rights stripped from them whatsoever. Our right to vote (did I mention that I live in California?) remains inviolate. In fact, not only has my right to vote not been touched, I still have the right to vote on laws that are not constitutional, such as, say, Proposition 8.

Bishop Jackson would have you believe that all that's necessary for something to become law is that the people vote for it. That we have a Constitution that our laws must measure up to is something he'd like you to forget, as is the fact that the Constitution is designed specifically to protect minorities from the unthinking bigotry of the majority.

If the voters of California voted to re-institute slavery, would Bishop Jackson object if a federal judge (especially an African-American one) struck it down? We still have the right to vote. What we have never had is the right to vote in laws that violate the United States Constitution.

The article is a bit long but worth every moment of reading. What we all need to understand is that the Right's insistence that marriage equality is evil is just plain stupid. No need to flower it up, the bigoted view that same-sex couples do not deserve equality is based in nothing short of hate and ignorance.

Cutest Picture Ever: California Marriages Resumed Edition

(via)

To Wed Or Not To Wed

Good As You has a good article up today about the marriage equality in this country and how there are two growing camps within the LGBT community on how to best be civil advocates for marriage rights. Essentially, there is the camp that believes that LGBT couples should take advantage of marriage rights (or something not quite equal and definitely separate) where they can, and the camp that believes LGBT folk should abstain from marriage all together until we can receive full and Federal equal rights.

The marriage activists state that getting married when and where we can allows us as a community to show the world how important marriage is to us and that me marrying my boyfriend is not going to ruin the world. We should take advantage of the rights we are afforded when we are afforded them, and take California's Proposition 8 debacle as a sign of things to come: rights fought for may not always be there. Furthermore, when we do get married, like the couples in California that were able to prior to the hateful bile that is Prop 8, our marriages cause massive legal roadblocks and force people to question the legitimacy of statements like "those who are married can stay that way, but those who aren't already can't get married… and we have no idea what we'll do when it comes to divorce because we don't recognize same-sex couples as legally married… except sometimes."

The abstention group states that to show our opposition to the current state of affairs, and to force heterosexual people that may not even have truly considered the issue, we will not participate in the institution of marriage at all until we have full, Federal equality. We shouldn't marry where legal and we shouldn't participate in marriages. Don't go to your buddy's wedding or your sister's ceremony as a statement. Show the world what they are missing by not allowing us to partake in what should be our legal rights. If we can't get treated equally, than rewarding heterosexual couples for their special treatment doesn't help our cause.

While part of me wants to belong to the more radical thought process of abandoning marriage altogether, I just can't bring myself to that side of the debate. Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily against the concept, I just don't think it's the most useful argument for a couple reasons. First, this argument assumes that LGBT couples are actively participating in civil disobedience because they are refusing to marry. That in itself assumes that couples are in a place of the relationship where marriage is the next step. Second, chances are that if you are invited to a wedding, that person likely knows your sexual orientation and (hopefully, if they are your friend) are supportive of you. Punishing that person for not supporting equal rights when they likely do does not seem to be a good thing to do.

If someone is not support of you as an LGBT person, I say go all out on boycotting their wedding. I think it's quite a reasonable question when responding to a wedding invite if the happy-to-be couple supports marriage equality. If they respond in the affirmative, then feel free to join and bring your boyfriend/girlfriend with to the ceremony. However, if they respond negatively, politely letting them know that you can't stand for special treatment in this country is completely appropriate.

I also feel that the strongest statement we can make is to take advantage of our rights when and where we have them, assuming we are in a position to do so. Being able to demand that your work place offer your husband benefits or to introduce your wife as such without a hint or sarcasm is a very strong and powerful statement. It shows our desire as a community to have those rights and our willingness to assume those same responsibilities. It shows that this isn't a fight we are fighting just for shigiggles, but it's a war we are waging for ourselves.

If you don't believe that marriage is right for you and your partner, then I wouldn't presume to pressure you into marriage. I don't believe that we should rush out to marry frivolously. We should honor the concept, and cherish it as well. But I expect the same out of anyone getting married. The key here is that expect equal treatment; equal right to marry and equal responsibility to take that decision seriously. The same as any other couple. That's what we want, at the end of the day, isn't it? To be treated the same?

So while I respect those that had decided to abstain totally from the institution of marriage, I also respectfully disagree. I hope that I can join the ranks of the married some day. And I hope that I have the opportunity to think through the implications completely and to enjoy the benefits, just the same as every one else.

I Can't Wait!!

What sounds fun to legally discriminate against today? Hmmmm… let's see… I know! I don't like Pentecostals. They lie and manipulate their constituents and cause ridiculous amounts of harm to the mind's of the children in their churches, so I'm going to start a voter initiative to outlaw their existence.

What else, what else… Oh, I got it! We should completely ban people who have premarital sex from getting married! Their spreading disease, and what's more, some guy in this class I took told me that his (non-Pentecostal) pastor told him that some guy 2000 years ago said we'd all burn while hanging on splinters for doing it… or something like that. Let's do it!

Or what about those damned women that want to walk around in public in sports bras! That's disgusting! Let's vote on their rights too, because their need for exorcise equipment that keeps them happy and healthy is mildly bothering me in a way that I can't even possibly justify… but think of the children!! How do we explain those scantily clad, healthy ladies to them! Won't somebody think of the Childrens!!

… that all makes about as much sense as the fucking California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Proposition 8 today. I really, really can't wait to start voting on every single minority person's rights, particularly those ones that annoy me or bother me for no other reason than personal, religious, ignorant beliefs, and it'd be even better if what I'm voting on in NO WAY impacts my personal life! It's a joyous day, thanks CA!


…stupid fucks…

Locking Us In Or Locking Us Down?

Everything seems to be pointing to the California Supreme Court's decision on Proposition 8 being handed down tomorrow. Why do I say that? It might have something to do with the adorable barricades being dropped off in the Castro District of San Francisco. Unless they are finally getting around to quarantining all of the 'mos in Castro like Anita Bryant wanted to do back in the day, I'm guessing this looks more like a measure designed to help police when the chaos breaks loose, either positive or negative.

Poignantly, tomorrow also marks the 30 anniversary of the White Night Riots. The riots were in response to Dan White's half-hearted conviction of manslaughter for the murders of Harvey Milk and Mayor Mascone. If you're not familiar, manslaughter is generally used in cases of "accidental" murder… not too accidental when you break into city hall and gun down two victims in two different parts of the building in the head. Needless to say, the LGBT community was none to happy with that ruling, and proceeded to riot through the evening.

Perhaps San Francisco is worried that might happen again? I can tell you this, if the court upholds Prop 8, things won't be sugary and sweet out in the streets.

UPDATE: Looks like this isn't coming down tomorrow after all, but that only leaves next week for the decision. Rumor has it that current mayor and gay rights champion Gavin Newsom asked the court to not hand the decision down on the anniversary of such an important date in gay history.

Why We Can't "Let Her Slide"

I love the Bilerico Project. It's one of my favorite blogs to read, if only because they go out of their way to provide different perspective on issues within the LGBT community. The reason I love reading these various opinions is because they often make me question my own opinion or belief, which leads to me either change my opinion or firm up my previously held belief. Sometimes though, the pieces I read on Bilerico just infuriate me, as was the case with a piece I read on the way to work this morning (which, oddly I can't find anymore... wonder what happened to it...).

The author's premise is that the spectacle caused by Miss California's ignorant comments and the subsequent media rush around her and equally ignorant Perez Hilton is absolutely useless to the marriage equality movement. Furthermore, Miss California should be essentially let off the hook for her comments because she'd just too stupid to know better. I have several big problems with this concept.

First, let's examine the non-gay layer of this cake. The author presumes that because the girl is a Beauty Contestant, she must obviously be ignorant. Because pretty girls can't be smart, and women that would dare subject themselves to the rigors of a Miss America contest are even lower on the intelligence scale. While one might have understandable and justifiable objections to the ideal of a female Beauty Pageant, assuming that all that enter that contest are ignorant is mildly sexist and highly elitist. Am I saying that you should accept those people with open arms? No, because I think it's reasonable to say that you would choose to not associate with them. But to instantaneously dismiss them and put them down for being "dumb, pretty girls" is just as asinine as saying you don't believe in Equality because it's "just the way you were raised."

Second, dismissing Miss California's comments because she's just not smart enough to understand what she's saying is antithetical to fighting for hearts and minds. Fred Phelp's isn't going to change, but if you let his message go unchallenged, you are in essence validating it. I would not suggest you treat an out-right Bigot the same as a lazy, casual hater (what I would qualify Miss California as), but in either case if you let that message stand on it's own, you are validating it in the eyes of the masses. For some unforeseen reason, there are people that will look up to her and take her thoughts and opinion as their own, particularly if someone doesn’t stand up and say that those thoughts are wrong. If we are going to give her a by pass, we may as well forget about talking about school bullying as those kids are obviously not smart enough to know the difference either, right?

Finally, I cannot accept that exposing the issue to the public and putting in front of people is a bad idea, even if it's in the form of one prima donna spitting at another. Sure, it's then reduced to mindless quips, however this debate on Marriage Equality has been reduced to that by mainstream media in ever instance anyway. Shooting down Perez for standing up for our rights in such a public manner, regardless of his words, only serves to fuel to fire of the anti-gay torch bearers. Apologizing for his behavior only equates to apologizing for our outrage and anger, and I will be last person you will ever see apologizing for being pissed that I STILL do not have equal rights in the country.

So no, I don't think we should "let her slide" or move on to a "more intelligent" debate. Here is today's battlefield, and I say we stand and fight.

"It's Just That I'm Incapable Of Thinking For Myself"

"It's just the way I was raised." It's a common phrase tossed around by the bigoted-opinion-holding masses who feel that it's OK to discriminate, whether it be against sexual orientation, race, or gender. The theory goes that they were raised to hate gays or Jews or women, so there's just nothing they can do about their opinions. They are stuck with them, and you have to forgive them for their stupidity and not challenged them on those evil beliefs.

That's about as intelligent an argument as someone saying they were taught to hunt while young, so you have to accept that they enjoy killing people. That's just the way they were raised. They are helpless to challenge their own beliefs, a victim of their upbringing, and we must embrace them for it.

That phrase is on my top 5 list of Things To Clearly Identify An Idiot. If you mean to tell me that you are completely incapable of challenging things you learned as a child, then I have to write off your opinion on every subject. If you truly can't separate childhood lessons from reality, then you obviously still believe in Santa Claus and the Eater Bunny, and anyone that rationally believes and accepts a fat man breaking into their house once a year is a good thing can't be someone worth talking to.

What? Too harsh? No, I don't think so. That line of reasoning is often offered up by people to justify their irrational hate. It also means that they know their hate is wrong, which is why they are offering up their parents as having the ultimate responsibility for their ignorance. So not only do they believe that magical rabbits that shit eggs exist, but they also feel it's perfectly OK to throw their parents under the bus. Man, these people are sounding more and more awesome by the minute!

It's OK to hold a belief that matches your parents. But it's not OK to hold that belief because you simply haven't considered other possibilities. We are all affected, both positively and negatively, by our upbringing, but we are not always a product of it. We have the ability to examine what has brought us to where we are in life and change or perfect that course. Those of us that do will go on to make a difference in this world.

My family gave me a lot of my traits and characteristics. But I've tried to analyze why I hold the beliefs that I've held, and if I ever come back with something similar to "it's the way I was raised," I take some time to consider it further. The next time that belief is questioned, I won't have a ridiculously ignorant answer. I'll either have a defense of that position or a new position all together. But to sit back and be complacent in life to only hold on to things we were taught as children… that is just plain sad.

This message brought to you by the ignorant ramblings of a Miss America contestant. May you and Anita Bryant live a happy, co-existing quasi-lesbian life style together.

Be Prepared For The Day Of Decision

I love the Internets. And I also love G.W.B. for giving us the ultra-intelligible pluralization of the Internet. Wait, did I just say I love G.W.B? Wow… those are words I never thought I'd see myself write.

Anyway, I really love the Internets for its amazing ability to allow quick organization and reaction. In the wake of Proposition 8's passage on November 4, we saw a swift and fast reaction, all driven through the magic of the Interwebs. LGBT's (and every other letter, apparently) all across this country of ours rallied within a week, taking over streets, forcing the nation to hear our voices and listen to us for once.

That energy, fueled by righteous anger, has died down, in part because it's fucking cold outside. But we can't let ourselves down now, we still have a lot of work to do. The California Supreme Court heard the verbal challenges to Proposition 8 last week, which was the last step in the legal fight against the measure (in California at least). All we can do now is wait for the Justices to either deem us as equal as they had previously decided, or change their minds and relegate us queers to the sidelines again because a bunch of whiny ass magical ghost lovers had a hissy fit. They have 90 days from the verbal arguments to make an official decision, but the announcement could come any day now.

From the accounts of everyone that watched the proceedings, things do not look particularly rosy for the gays. It appears that yet again we will be forced to prove our validity to life and acceptance. In reaction to… well, rather in preparation for the reaction to the announcement, so of our strongest grass-roots minds have created a new initiative to prepare the LGBT movement for our next step: Day of Decision.

The Day of Decision is a movement to get our community prepared and ready for the Final Word of the Cali Supreme Court. Once their decision is made public, whether it be good or bad, we need to be ready to act and let the nation know how we feel about whatever is decided. Will we be partying or protesting? Honestly, it's hard to tell right now, but we should be prepared for both possibilities, and that is exactly what Day of Decision is about.

Go to the website and sign up to be an organizer. Or stay up to date on planning initiatives by visiting the site regularly. Help the cause and spread the word. We need to be ready to act, because if we fail to react to the decision, we will send the absolute wrong message to the world.

Weight Of The World: What's Running Through My Head

Really Republican's? Limbaugh is your "de facto" leader? That's pretty sad and pathetic, don't you think? I suppose that make sense, given that you elected a similarly pejorative, demeaning ass wipe in to office twice in a row.

Honestly Rihanna? You married Chris Brown? I mean, I didn't realize that you wanted to emulate the life of the trailer trash wife… but OK, sure, if you're into that sort of thing. Ya know, Whitney is a great singer and all, but you probably shouldn't look up to her as a personal idol. Maybe you and Chris can have your own fabulously awful reality show at some point too.

The California Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today on the fate of Proposition 8. Many experts expect the Court to uphold the prejudicial, vile piece of voter-initiated legislation, but I'm still holding out hope. Someone, at some point, has to be able to point out that taking rights away from a people, regardless of the "will of the voters," is unethical and illegal. This is, after all, all about my right to live happily, not the religious fuck-job's right to be a mindless sheep.

American Mattress is a shitty ass company to do business with. They are charging us $40 dollars plus a tax differential (since tax went up from when we purchased our bed) to replace their busted box springs. Regardless of whether or not that is an industry standard practice, it's a shitty customer service tactic. Furthermore, if your are manager is too much of a puss to call us or to have his number given out, then you no longer deserve our business.

Congress members are starting to make moves toward revoking Don't Ask, Don't Tell via legislation, which is a very, very good thing. Who knows when this will go through, or when it will even be heard, but here's to a better tomorrow in the Service.

A More Reasoned Response

Yesterday I bitched about the douchebags that won a lawsuit in San Diego because of what amounts to heterocentric gay panic. If you'd like to read a more reasoned, intelligible response to the case, check out Ron deHarte's (San Diego Pride Executive Director) response over at the San Diego Pride site.

What is going on? Why is the fear of us queers being allowed to establish law and policy in this country? Why are the religious extremists being allowed to influence this nation? Fuck them! This is my country too, and I'm sick of this tyranny. I believe this is an organized attempt to marginalize the LGBT community just as the community is being assimilated into the mainstream.

Look, if you're not comfortable with the way I love, good for you. Go join the Phelp's and their protests if that makes you happy. But I'll be damned if you get to decide for me how to live.

San Diego Firefighters Get Paid To Be Scared Punks

A lawsuit concerning San Diego Firefighters recently closed. The lawsuit awarded damages to the Firefighters for "mental anguish" caused to them when they were assigned to work the Gay Pride parade in that city. They felt that they were forced to undergo undo pressure and had to see things (gay things!) that were just sooooo traumatic that they could only be cured by money.
Hmmmm… I guess that means that gay men working in retail stores can sue the world when they are asked to assist a straight woman pick out her wedding dress. That's a lot of mental anguish there… it's just so crippling! Or I can sue my employer when they force me to watch a training video that features hetero couples in , or even worse, in their own homes! I can't take that, that's crossing a line, and I need reparations for this travesty against my homosexuality!

Are you kidding me?!? These Firefighters were informed that they needed to participate in a community event, one not unlike the dozens of others most likely held in San Diego every year, but yet they feel that because that particular event was gay centric that they have the right to be fuckinig offended?? Fuck that!

My tax dollars pay for those gay-hating, ignorant ass holes (well, ok, not mine, because I don't live in San Diego, but transpose this to Chicago…). If you ask me, these twits should be fired immediately for wasting our time and tax dollars with this inane court case. This isn't a private organization, this is the publicly funded Firefighter we're talking about here. The people that are suppose to protect us in case there's one of them fire thingies. Yeah, those guys. The point of civil servants showing at events like this is to build community ties, but when shit like this happens, it builds up walls faster than anything else.

Will the Fire Department now stop responding to calls in gay neighborhoods or from "known homosexuals" because that might possibly cause trauma to the Firefighter? Do we allow this shit to happen in other industries, like say Medicine?

This is pure ignorance, and I can't say I expect much more from the state that just proved that gays aren't welcome there. What kind of precedent will this set if allowed to stand? Will a ruling like this be applied across all things, or just to scared fucking punk-ass straight boys when it comes to those predatory queers they seem to be afraid of? If you're that afraid of gay people, I'm willing to guess it's because you're afraid of you own damn desires anyway. If this stands, you can guarantee that I will be going back to my college and suing for forcing me to sing with the choir at a hetero marriage. I was uncomfortable.

I've been un-fucking-comfortable my whole life because I'm constantly barraged by the hetero-normative world and told that I am a silly queen that doesn't deserve rights or justice. Welcome to the game, San Diego Firefighters. It sickens me that as the straight world start to get a taste of what us LGBTs have to go through, they get to make financial gain from it… fuck that.

Don't Divorce Us

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

I watched this video and I cried. 

There is no reason that I should not be allowed to marry when and if I choose to, and there is no reason that any marriages should be invalidated by a bunch of hippocritical, magical book believing fools.

I don't know what else I can say, so I'll let the Courage Campaign say it for me:

Hi,

Have you heard that Ken Starr -- and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund -- filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and attempting to forcibly divorce 18,000 same-sex couples that were married in California last year? The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, 2009, with a decision expected within the next 90 days.

The Courage Campaign has created a video called "Fidelity," with the permission of musician Regina Spektor, that puts a face to those 18,000 couples and all loving, committed couples seeking full equality under the law.

Please watch this heartbreaking video now. If you have the same reaction that I did, you can help spread the word by sharing it with your friends ASAP -- before the Valentine's Day deadline:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/Divorce

The more people who see this video, the more people will understand the pain caused by Prop 8 and Ken Starr's shameful legal proceeding.

After you watch the video, please join me and over 100,000 people who have signed a letter to the state Supreme Court, asking them to invalidate Prop 8 and reject Starr's case.

Thanks.

Instructions: Please Read The Passage Before Trying To Pass A Constitutional Ammendment

The fine folk(s) at G-A-Y have a post up pointing out some interesting information regarding Proposition 8 and the California Supreme Court's decision to institute marriage between same sex couples earlier this year. Here is some of the wording from the Court's ruling:

This passage is leading some to believe that the California Supreme Court may have already formed an opinion on the matter. Considering there are a few cases already in front of this same court asking to overturn Prop 8 or rule it invalid, this may be more important that it first seems.

All indications are that the CA Supreme Court will rule on the issue quickly, possible even by the end of this week.

The Governator Has Some Positive Words: Never Give Up

The Face And The Fight Back

This is the face of bigotry. Smiling, happy, praying Christians. They look so cute don't they? Standing there, dressed boringly, praying... It's like the picture of hatred. Considering this was snapped moments after the announcement went out that the anti-gay Proposition 8 had passed, and these people are thrilled to have literally stolen rights from others, it should be sobering.

And if anyone wonders why I rag on Christians so much, here you go. They are "proud" of their hatred. All we need now is confetti and cake, and it's a party!

As I said earlier, the fight isn't over yet. As reported on Towleroad and Joe.My.God., two lawsuits have already been filed, and I expect more to be filed within the coming days and weeks as the fall out from this mess starts to hit the ground. What becomes of the married couples who are now magically un-married? How will their lives be mystically rectified back to two separate entities? All these things, and more, will be revealed, if you stay tuned! My guess, that's what the majority of the lawsuits will revolve around.

I'm really not sure what these lawsuits can do, but I'm hoping that something will come of it.

Oh, This So Isn't Over Yet!

I am utterly outraged. I feel beyond betrayed. I wonder what it will take to rectify this country's concept of Equality with the actual practice of it.

Proposition 8 will officially pass in California, stripping thousands of residents of their constitutional right (the first time such a thing has happened in our history, mind you) to marriage, officially establishing GLBT persons as second-class citizens and voiding the hundreds of marriages performed between same-sex couples since the ban was lifted by the California Supreme Court.

Once I saw that Obama had won the Presidency, and handily so, all my focus shifted to California. In a sad and utterly pathetic show of internalization, I didn't have much hope for the marriage ban amendments up for vote in Florida and Arizona (although, I did not expect Florida's ban to pass with such a large majority as it did). But California was different. Marriage is a right afforded to all persons regardless of sexual orientation, according to the California Constitution. At least, it was. Gay persons had not married in Florida yet, nor Arizona, but many already had in California. Many had already made plans for their future and for the family they hoped to start with the protections that ONLY marriage affords. Now, Californian's have shown their true color and proved that the LIES and DECEPTIONS of religious INTOLERANCE have found a way to win.

All I wanted to do today is rage. Rage against every person of religious faith. Rage against every straight person that feels they are better than me. Rage against those that support indoctrinated hate and bigotry, no matter where it lies. I simply can't do it though. I can't just scream at the problem, it obviously isn't scared of my roar. So what can I do?

Fight. This battle is long from over. Just as these Christian hate groups have gone out of their way to tell me I'm wrong, that I'm a bad person for loving, just as long as they fight to indoctrinate our country with their minority views, I will fight to uphold equality. We lost a vote in California, a vote that should not have been allowed in the first place, but it's one state. As sad as it is to look at history, we have to understand that no battle for rights has been won over night, and not a one has been won easily.

I appreciate and welcome all the support we can get in this fight. We can't be angry with all the heterosexual persons. We are but 10-15% of the population. We have to rely on our allies fighting with and for us to get anywhere. We may have to change our strategies, and maybe even change our leadership (find some, for that matter). We cannot give up now, and we will continue to fight until we have won.

Not Quite Done Yet

The fight over Prop 8 is still going, although it still doesn't look great. Right now, we need about 350,000 votes, and with only 9% of the vote left to report, I'm a little shaky on if we can get that.

The large majority of the votes that haven't been counted are in the big counties though, which tend to support marriage equality. However, I'm thinking they need to be very supportive to make Prop 8 fail.

I Hope California Isn't A State Of Liars

Taking a look at the CNN Exit Poll for Proposition 8 in California clearly show that there is NO WAY Prop 8 should be able to pass. It shouldn't be possible, according to these polls. I mean, 52% of men and 52% of women said NO to Prop 8. So how in the hell are we sitting at:



So, Californian's. Are you liars? Bigots? Both? Or have they just not counted the right votes yet? I'm going to hold out hope that they've only counted the conservative votes so far, because I really don't want to have to hold a grudge against all Heteros for the rest of my life...

At 12%...

Yeah, it's only 12% reporting, but it's not looking good for gays in California either.

I pray that America is not this full of hatred...

Election Day Jitters

I am excited. I've been teeming with energy all morning, almost like a kid on Christmas. I'm not exactly sure what's in those boxes, but I can make an educated guess. I'm not 100% sure that today will be the happiest day this year, but I'm pretty positive. Going into this morning it looks like Obama will pull out a win and California will retain marriage rights for everyone, but there could be surprises on the way.

Because I am so excited, I'm finding it hard to concentrate on anything. I was attempting to study for my GMAT on the bus this morning, but that wasn't working out so well for me. Luckily, I have nothing sitting in my in box at work right now or I'm afraid I just wouldn't be able to get it done. So, instead, I've decided to write and provide some interesting links for you to check out.

The fight over Proposition 8 is so fucked up. I won't reiterate my standing on the issue, because frankly, I've stated it enough in this blog. I will add something to the fire, however. When I scroll through my RSS feeds and stumble upon an article referring to the fight over Proposition 8 as the Gay Gettysburg, I'm at once appalled and amused, but I find it oddly appropriate. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the forces of the North and South fight for what they believed in with all their passion, similar to the fight in California. At Gettysburg, one side was fighting for justice and the other side was fighting for oppression (oversimplification, I'm well aware, but it's the root and that's the point), in California we have people fighting to oppress us and us fighting for our freedoms. What's appalling is that this fight isn't about liberating, it's about retracting freedoms. In the Civil War, people were fighting to liberate a repressed population of people. Even the oppressors weren't fighting to oppress further (can there be worse oppression than slavery?), but to maintain the "right" to do so. Now, we're looking at a situation where people want to take away freedoms from a group of people and that group fighting to maintain their basic freedoms. Imagine fighting the Civil War to gain the right to enslave a free, honest and respectable people. Imagine the South saying "we want to enslave all Irishman" and fighting several bloody battles to do so. That seems utterly ridiculous, doesn't it? So does taking away people's rights, simply because of a capricious whim.

Rachel Maddow made some interesting comments concerning Election Poll Stations and the lines that form simply so people can vote. Her stance is that these lines are simply another form of voter discrimination. When I first read that line, I thought it was a bit extreme, but upon further thought, it may have some validity. People that work hourly jobs, who also tend to pull in a lower salary, probably cannot afford to sacrifice a few hours pay to wait in line to cast a vote. Those people are more likely to vote Democrat. Repressing the vote of an entire class of people due to their inclination to vote a certain way = voter discrimination. But here's the other side. Many (read most) places have Early Voting nowadays. If you don't have early voting, you can usually request an absentee ballet so you can vote by mail. There are options. Even those options aren't the best though, as there are far fewer early voting stations than election day stations and there are usually some restrictions on who can and cannot cast absentee ballots.

I'm not sure how we could reduce lines though. More polling stations? Here in Chicago, I have a polling station in my building which is 5701. The next polling station is literally across the street at 5700. The next is around the corner, half a block West. From my perspective, that seems to be plenty of polling stations. You know what holds up polling stations? Illogically elderly people working them who either don't understand the process or are far passed the point of being able to read but are charged with verifying voter registration. Yeah, I said it. Why Election day isn't a national half-holiday or something to the effect is beyond me. Wouldn't it make sense to guarantee EVERYONE has a right to vote and ensure that people of better abilities are running the polls?

I believe that's all my ranting for the moment. I'm sure I'll have more as the day plods along and I hit refresh on the CNN homepage approximately 270,056,066.32 times today.