Good News About Proposition 8

Proposition 8 passed in California on Tuesday adding fifteen words to California constitution: "Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." This after the California supreme court in May overturned an earlier, similar ballet initiative that had banned same-sex marriage. Over 18,000 gay couples have been married in CA since may.

For me, this soured the otherwise euphoric mood on Tuesday night. The total number of states with constitutional or legal bans on same-sex marriage is now up to 40. (Source)

But there is hope.

The ACLU is suing. On several grounds they argue Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. You can read the full complaint here.

There's also a movement to have the IRS revoke the tax-exempt status of the Mormon Church, a major player in the campaign to pass Proposition 8. Details here.

Finally, the LGBT community is not taking this one lying down.

I hold out hope that proposition 8 will be short-lived.

Facebook: Post-Election

I watched it all last night, excited and elated.

This morning I get up and scan Facebook. Not surprisingly most statuses are related to the election. There's plenty of "yes we can" and "Obama wins!" and "I'm so proud to be alive right now."

But there's also plenty of grade A dumbassery out there. "At least the world won't end until January", posted by a guy whose profile pic is Obama with the word Communist beneath. "I'm now afraid to live in this country." "Just shoot me now..." posted by a guy with a Reagan '08 profile pic.

Then there's the people that are just posting Bible references, mostly Romans 13, which says to obey your authorities. There's others who say something more or less like "God is still in control of this country." My question: if God is in total control, why do you vote? Shouldn't God's will happen anyway?

Oh, and just because it bears repeating, often: we were not founded as a Christian nation. So please stop bringing up the phrase "under God." It's just a typo.

Smartest one I saw was probably "He did it...now let's see what he can do." A tempered response and one I would agree with. Last night was historical and euphoric, but now life goes on. Obama's going to take office with hard times ahead of him. I am hopeful, but I know Obama is not a panacea.

It's all fun and gaffs until the idiot gets elected.

You've probably heard this story. Sarah Palin gave her first policy speech the other day. She began by saying something good: education for special needs children needs more funding. To secure the funds for this increase, Palin pointed to earmarks. Her specific example: fruit fly research. Here's the hilarious/tragic part. The research she was referring to at the University of North Carolina is using fruit flies to research a protein that is essential to nerve development. This research may very likely lead to new breakthroughs in the understanding and treatment of autism. But Palin says that's a waste of money.

Oops.

Here's the video.


Edit: It's possible she was referring to this research, which while it is not directly related to autism or any mental condition, is still important scientific research. Palin's offhand dismissal, like McCain on bear DNA and planetarium projectors, shows a callous disregard for science.

Myth of the Maverick

John McCain portrays himself as a maverick, the guy who's not afraid to go against his party. (He also says "friends" far too much.) In reality, McCain's record shows him to be reckless and dishonest.

Tim Dickinson, of Rolling Stone, lays out the full details.

These Lulz Are Clever

From Edward Current, a YouTube satirist.

Truth Kicks Palin's Ass

Because of the damage she is doing to the republican party, I love Sarah Palin like I love Bob Barr (a.k.a. the Republican' Nader).

My Email to Obama

Following up on a challenge from Michael Moore, I just sent the following email to Barrack Obama.

Senator Obama,

This morning the House of Representatives scored a major victory against the corporate elite of this nation, those who would transform this great nation into a kelptocracy, when they voted against the proposed $700-billion bailout. As one of the citizens you were elected to the United States Senate to represent, I urge you, Senator Obama, to oppose this legislation if it should come through Congress again. George W. Bush and his cronies have taken enough money from the American people. One more dollar is one dollar too much--let alone 700 billion!

Please, Senator Obama, oppose this attempted redistribution of debt--from Wall Street to everyday taxpayers like me. For too long the rich have run this country, exerted an influence far greater than the number of votes they represent. If your talk of change and hope is more than empty rhetoric, _prove_ it. Stand up to this measure, which is just more of the same, and fight for the change we so desperately need.

Best regards,

Joshua Arnold

Harris 1, Palin 0

Sam Harris tears Palin to pieces, in a Newsweek article.

Her fans seem inclined to forgive her any indiscretion short of cannibalism. However badly she may stumble during the remaining weeks of this campaign, her supporters will focus their outrage upon the journalist who caused her to break stride, upon the camera operator who happened to capture her fall, upon the television network that broadcast the good lady's misfortune—and, above all, upon the "liberal elites" with their highfalutin assumption that, in the 21st century, only a reasonably well-educated person should be given command of our nuclear arsenal.

Bush ran on this ticket, now Palin is taking it. She's just a regular person like us. Ordinary people are great. But when it comes to serving as Vice President of the United States, ordinary is just not good enough.

Another gem.

What is so unnerving about the candidacy of Sarah Palin is the degree to which she represents—and her supporters celebrate—the joyful marriage of confidence and ignorance.

Some confidence in Obama restored

The debate never happened, but Barrack Obama has answered fourteen questions posed to him by the same people. It is an inspiring and reassuring read.

A major highlight for me:

I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations. As president, I will lift the current administration’s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001 through executive order, and I will ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight.

He goes on to add:

I am also aware that there have been suggestions that human stem cells of various types, derived from sources other than embryos, make the use of embryonic stem cells unnecessary. I don’t agree. While adult stem cells, such as those harvested from blood or bone marrow, are already used for treatment of some diseases, they do not have the versatility of embryonic stem cells and cannot replace them. Recent discoveries indicate that adult skin cells can be reprogrammed to behave like stem cells; these are exciting findings that might in the future lead to an alternate source of highly versatile stem cells. However, embryonic stem cells remain the “gold standard,” and studies of all types of stem cells should continue in parallel for the foreseeable future.

Why I have lost faith in Barrack Obama

This article says it well.

With less than a week to go until the Democrats officially nominate Obama at their convention in Denver, and with barely two-and-a-half months until the election, the candidate’s speech underscores a stark political reality confronting the American people. Once again this November, the two-party system will offer no means of expressing the massive popular opposition to war, but rather an empty choice between two big business candidates who are committed to the expanded use of militarism in pursuit of US corporate and financial interests.

On issues after issue, from Iraq to the economy, Obama has become a party parrot. Obama and McCain are no longer candidates, no longer men with opinions and beliefs. They are bags of meat, stuffed with the same old bullshit we've seen before. We do not have a choice in this election. We do not have a voice. We have only a familiar illusion--The Power Of The People--to comfort us from the harsh truth. Populism is dead. The voice of the majority means nothing without the cash to back it up. And with John McCain and Barrack Obama taking money from the same people, the next four years in this country will look the same no matter who wins. The fallout from eight years of mismanagement, reckless spending, and a foreign policy reminiscient of a five year-old in a sandbox will hit the country hard. And it won't be the CEOs on Wall Street or the Beuracrats in Washington who pay for it. The burdens of eight years of failure will fall squarely on us, the common people.

Obama promises Change We Can Believe In. But until he delivers change we can see and feel and touch, actual change, he isn't worth shit. The only thing about Barrack Obama that is any different from any other would-be President is the color of his skin. And although his candidacy is an important step forward for this country--as was Hillary Clinton's--it won't put food on anyone's table.

I'll still vote for Obama in November. Because when it comes time to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice, he is likely to nominate someone who won't try to overturn Roe V. Wade or undermine the Establishment Clause, the kind of people Bush put on the bench, and the sort John McCain is also likely to pick.

Is McCain another George W. Bush?

Yes.

The end is particulary adept. Frames the current shitstorm surrounding our country---Bush's legacy to the Union.

Saddleback

On Saturday, McCain and Obama met at Saddleback Church in the OC to answer Pastor Rick Warren's questions in a Civil Forum. It was an interesting exchange (you can see video of it here). Warren talked about worldview a lot. And those of you who know me can imagine how much I enjoyed that discussion.

The real gem for me had to be when McCain was speaking about marriage and said he was a federalist, he believes state's should decide issues like marriage, but that if his home state of Arizona decided to permit gay marriage (by the rights he just said they should have), he would then support a marriage amendment. In other words, "I'll leave people alone--until they do what I don't want them to do." The illusion of freedom strikes again. His comment "I don't believe in class-warfare" is perfect evidence of why I won't vote for him (even though, for the record, Obama doesn't thrill me). McCain, true to his party, refuses to acknowledge the realities of this country. Rather than admit the fact that every other industrial nation in the world has instituted universal healthcare and it has worked, he totes out the party line: "The government shouldn't take over healthcare", falsely equating universal healthcare to some sort of Stalinism

This whole exchange can't help but make me think of the debate that didn't happen. A debate that could not be more important to the present and future of this nation.

The only scientific issues discussed at Saddleback:
--stem cell research
--John McCain citing $3-million spent to study the DNA of bears in Montana as a misuse of taxpayer money. Of course, he never talked about what that research was doing. He simply dismissed it, affording no thought to the science at work, and took advantage of a cheap laugh line about bear paternity tests.

Matt Taibbi Articles

Recommended reading.

Candidates For Sale
It's a Class War, Stupid
Jesus Made Me Puke