Gay Rights Watch

An anonymous comment was left on the previous posting that I think should be brought into its own post. So here we go - and thank you anonymous.

I just called the Governor’s Office in Los Angeles to give them a piece of my mind. They told me although the governor has stated that he intends to veto the bill, he has not made a decision yet.

Equality California (the equivalent of BRO in CA) is still asking everyone to contact the Arnold...even if you live in Oregon.

To send an Electronic Mail please visit: http://www.govmail.ca.gov

To phone and fax dial:

State Capitol Office
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633

Fresno Office
2550 Mariposa Mall #3013
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: 559-445-5295
Fax: 559-445-5328

Los Angeles Office
300 South Spring Street
Suite 16701
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: 213-897-0322
Fax: 213-897-0319

Riverside Office
3737 Main Street #201
Riverside, CA 92501
Phone: 951-680-6860
Fax: 951-680-6863

San Diego Office
1350 Front Street
Suite 6054
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-525-4641
Fax: 619-525-4640

San Francisco Office
455 Golden Gate Avenue
Suite 14000

San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 415-703-2218
Fax: 415-703-2803

Posted by Bryan Harding

Here is the short of the story first... commentary follows.

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday he will veto a bill that would have made California the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through its elected lawmakers.

Schwarzenegger said the legislation, approved Tuesday by lawmakers, would conflict with the intent of voters when they approved an initiative five years ago. Proposition 22 was placed on the ballot to prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries.

"We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails that vote," the governor's press secretary, Margita Thompson, said in a statement. "Out of respect for the will of the people, the governor will veto (the bill)."

And now for the fun part. The commentary.

"Out of respect for the will of the people" is a joke. First of all, Proposition 22 was voted on in 2000. In that time, public opinion has changed regarding gay rights. In fact, a recent poll found that the state was evenly split on the issue of marriage equality. 46% favor and 46% oppose.

Second of all, the duty of these legislators is to vote based on the will of their constituents - meaning 'the people'. Both legislative bodies approved the bill.

Right-wingers throw around the term activist judges - more than Rush Limbaugh throws down prescription drugs. So when Arnold wants the issue to be decided by the courts, I am perplexed.

Another item that has me confused is this statement made by Arnold. Schwarzenegger "believes gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law and should not be discriminated against based upon their relationship," the statement said.

"He is proud that California provides the most rigorous protections in the nation for domestic partners," it added.

These so called protections are little to be desired and can easily be reversed once California has a vote on marriage equality in 2006, as the initiative will also strip away the domestic partnership laws. It is incredibly insulting and utterly transparent when Arnold claims to be so 'pro-gay rights', yet when it comes down to actually having to do something about it - he chooses statewide discrimination. The only reason that he could be doing this is that he is pandering to the far right for his re-election. Arnold must need all the help he can get with the record low approval ratings lately - approval ratings that happen to be in the low 30% range. He has nothing to lose and much more to gain if he thinks that he has a chance for re-election. Instead, he finds himself in the pocket of the right-wing special interest groups.

I'm calling bullshit, Arnold.

Gov. Schwarzenegger must know that either way, whether he vetoes or signs the bill into law, this move will be his legacy. It's historic on every level. He has this chance to do what he has stated is the right thing to do... so where is the action being taken? Come out on the issue, don't be a pussy, don't hide behind your press secretary and make her do your dirty work. Oh, and fire your advisors if you want to be re-elected, because a veto on AB 849 will kill your future bids for a gubernatorial position.

Written by Bryan Harding

In the spirit of Speaker Minnis announcing her re-election we thought we'd take a look back at all of the 'fun times' we've had with her.

Lets journey together down memory lane (from oldest to most recent)...

• Don't Blame Oregonians; Blame Speaker of the House Karen Minnis
  
  
• Karen Minnis - Queen of the House?
  
  
• Bow Down Bitches: The Queen is here.
  
  
• Karen Minnis, I'll just say it: A bitch is a bitch.
  
  
• BREAKING SB1000: KAREN MINNIS AVOIDS DUE PROCESS AND AVOIDS INTENT OF HOUSE RULES
  

Posted by Boys of Gay Rights Watch

OregonLive.com reports that Karen will seek another term. Looks like we've got some work to do.

Story is here.

Posted by Bryan Harding

Today, California became the first state in the nation to pass gay marriage via a legislative body. This is historic in every way, shape and form. The bill will now move to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk to sign. MONUMENTAL. Will he sign it? He favors civil unions, but now that both legislative bodies in California have approved it - he should take a clue. The democrats and republicans united to some degree to make this happen. Sign it Arnold!

For more click here.

Posted by Bryan Harding

You know we're all fucked when...

Steve Lefemine, an anti-abortion activist in Columbia, S.C., was looking at a full-color satellite map of Hurricane Katrina when something in the swirls jumped out at him: the image of an 8-week-old fetus. Damn he's good! He even knew the age of the fetus?

Lefemine went on to say, "In my belief, God judged New Orleans for the sin of shedding innocent blood through abortion". Lefemine, who e-mailed the flesh-toned weather map to fellow activists across the country and put a stark message on the answering machine of his organization, Columbia Christians for Life.

"Providence punishes national sins by national calamities," it said. "Greater divine judgment is coming upon America unless we repent of the national sin of abortion."

Lefemine is far from the only person to see the wrath of God in the awesome damage that Katrina has wreaked on the Gulf Coast... As with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and of course last year's South Asian tsunami.

So that was an anti-abortion activist. Next we have an America hating, Kuwaiti official named Muhammad Yousef Mlaifi.

"It is almost certain that this is a wind of torment and evil that Allah has sent to this American empire," Mlaifi wrote Wednesday in the Arabic daily Al-Siyassa under the headline "The Terrorist Katrina is One of the Soldiers of Allah . . ."

Next we have the Christian journalist.
Stan Goodenough was struck by the juxtaposition in recent days of Jewish settlers being removed from their homes in the Gaza Strip and Americans being forced out of their homes in New Orleans. Is this some sort of bizarre coincidence? Not for those who believe in the God of the Bible". "What America is about to experience is the lifting of God's hand of protection; the implementation of His judgment on the nation most responsible for endangering the land and people of Israel."

Just one minute. America is 'the nation most responsible'. Get this. Total U.S. aid to Israel is approximately one-third of the American foreign-aid budget, even though Israel comprises just .001 percent of the world's population and already has one of the world's higher per capita incomes. Indeed, Israel's GNP is higher than the combined GNP of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza. With a per capita income of about $14,000, Israel ranks as the sixteenth wealthiest country in the world; Israelis enjoy a higher per capita income than oil-rich Saudi Arabia and are only slightly less well-off than most Western European countries. Quite interesting facts - dontcha think?

Then there is Repent America who blames it on the gays.
In Philadelphia, Michael Marcavage saw no coincidence, either, in the hurricane's arrival just as gay men and lesbians from across the country were set to participate in a New Orleans street festival called "Southern Decadence."

"We take no joy in the death of innocent people," said Marcavage, who was an intern in the Clinton White House (how did that happen?) in 1999 and now runs Repent America, an evangelistic organization calling for "a nation in rebellion toward God" to reclaim its senses.

"But we believe that God is in control of the weather," he said in a telephone interview. "The day Bourbon Street and the French Quarter was flooded was the day that 125,000 homosexuals were going to be celebrating sin in the streets. . . . We're calling it an act of God."

I'm really glad to know that all of these people know the real reason for Hurricane Katrina - I was starting to think it was simply a weather system.

To donate:
American Red Cross
Mercy Corps (they donate 92% of contributions, only 8% to admin costs)
Liberal Blogosphere for Hurricane Relief
Rainbow World Fund

Quotes above published in The Washington Post.

Posted by Bryan Harding