January 25, 2006
my heroes
A group of Georgetown law students responded to a shill session by Alberto Gonzales in the best way possible: they turned their backs on him. The protest is being downplayed by some media outlets, but it warranted a mention in the Washington Post:
Gonzales's appearance, which was part of a three-day White House campaign to defend the NSA program, was punctuated by a silent protest from more than a dozen students who turned their backs to Gonzales, who continued to speak without acknowledging them and did not take questions afterward.
Five of the students wore black pillowcases over their heads -- an apparent reference to the mistreatment of U.S. detainees overseas -- and held a banner roughly paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither."
I hope this beat continues long enough to influence the elections this fall.
December 02, 2005
gettin' hitched, south africa style
Nicely done, South Africa! Their highest court just ruled that same-sex marriages have the same rights as opposite-sex marriages. It might get overruled by the legislature, but that's not considered likely.
November 30, 2005
british gettin' hitched invasion
Just wanted to congratulate Elton John (and David Furnish) and George Michael (and Kenny Goss) on their impending nuptials. It's nice to know that someone is moving forward on this. Go UK!
September 07, 2005
gettin' hitched, California style
Ah, finally my state does something to be proud of. At least the Senate and Assembly have, by approving the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. Now we'll see if our Guv'nor is a better man that I think he is, because he has to sign or veto it in the next 30 days or it will become law despite him.
As an aside, I'm really glad that Marriage Protection is finally being used in the true sense, rather than the ironic way it's been used by the religious right. (i.e. this actually does protect the right to marry, not protect the status quo.)
UPDATE: OK, maybe not. Our governor is a wingnut.
April 13, 2005
I'm feline down today
Stupid Wisconsin. If this passes, I will boycott you. I mean it.
ETA: I guess I'm already boycotting South Dakota and Minnesota. And I get what they're saying about the birds, but neuter and release is the best solution to that. You know how parents say to kids, "Only take it if you're going to eat it?" I say that to hunters.
February 06, 2005
gettin' hitched, New York style
AP (via CBS) has a wonderful analysis of why New York's same-sex marriage ruling is different. Worth a read.
Oddly enough, Mayor Bloomberg is appealing the ruling because he's an ardent supporter of it. Apparently he's been advised that it might not stand on its own, and only the Court of Appeals can make it stick. Or something.
July 12, 2004
Ungh.
If this blog entry on prisoner abuse in the name of Anti-Terrorism doesn't make you feel like you've been kicked in the stomach, then you're made of stronger stuff than I.
March 25, 2004
Fight the good fight
Our midwife, Barbara Herrera, is on the news and in the papers these days because her partner Sarah is fighting to get marriage benefits now that they're legally married.
A few things I love about this case:
- it underscores the real difference between marriage and a civil union (they have both now, but marriage gives better benefits);
- the county originally granted marriage benefits, but then revoked them citing an "administrative error";
- as the U-T article points out, "There are 1,138 federal provisions and several hundred state provisions where marriage is a factor in determining benefits, rights and responsibilities," again deflating the "separate but equal" argument.
Gooooo, team!
February 12, 2004
Gettin' hitched is all the rage
It looks like the mayor of San Francisco picked up the gauntlet I threw down in a previous posting. As a result of his bravery, San Francisco issued its first marriage license to a gay couple today. Whee!
I love that Phyllis and Del have been together for 51 years. Somehow I don't think they're the RNC's top choice for gay marriage poster children. Go, you wild octogenarians!
A related quote, brought to my attention by Alan: "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. " - Martin Luther King, Jr.
February 04, 2004
Gettin' hitched, Massachusetts style
Yay! The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can't be barred from getting married. Specifically, the court ruled that offering civil unions isn't enough, so civil marriage must be made available to any couple.
"The history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal," the four justices who ruled in favor of gay marriage wrote in the advisory opinion.
Here's hoping this is a sign that our legal system will take the bold stance our legislators will not. (Hmmm. That raises an interesting question: can a constitutional amendment be ruled unconstitutional? Or does the Defense Against Marriages By People We Don't Agree With Amendment receive a get-out-of-court-free card?)
Now, hurry up, California! We're losing our rep as a progressive state.