Glenden BrownIt’s impossible not to weep
Amidst the joy of an Obama win is the bad news - truly bad, depressing, despairing news. Proposition 8 in California - stripping the rights of gay and lesbian Americans to marry has passed.
I’ll let Autumn Sandeen from Pam’s House Blend say it for me:
And in California, we had Proposition 8. As of this moment, with 89% of precincts reporting, the constitutional amendment to the California State Constitution limiting marriage to one man and one woman is ahead 51.8% to 48.2%. The constitutional amendment hasn’t yet been called — but the amendment needs just 50% plus one vote pass — the state itself has been called for Obama.
Here in my odd world of California, there is a weird comparison of initiatives between California initiatives can be made between Propositions 2 and 8.
Proposition 2 is an initiative that was described in the initiative as follows:
The purpose of this Act is to prohibit the cruel confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.
So in my mind, perhaps the saddest commentary on “liberal” Californians sense of equality and fairness is to say that in my home state where, to this point, 63.3% of its voters found the mistreatment of farm animals something worthy of being legislated against, and 52.8% of voters believed eliminating the fundamental right of gays and lesbians to marry worthy of a state constitutional amendment.
Whether or not Proposition 8 ends up being defeated or being approved by California voters, one way to look at the Prop 8 vote is in light of the Proposition 2 vote. And that is that a larger percentage of Californians are against mistreating farm animals in hoow these animals are caged than are against mistreating gay and lesbian human beings by eliminating their fundamental marriage rights. Put simply, If one evaluates by the votes cast and the percentages of the votes cast, the rights of farm animals appear to be more important to Californians than the rights of gay and lesbian human beings.
Prop 8 hasn’t been called as yet, but I’m too tired to stay up for the final votes to be counted to find out. But, I’m not hopeful that Prop 8 will be defeated, and the freedom of all Californians to marry whom they love looks to be in real jeopardy. And, the big picture is that even if Prop 8 ends up being defeated, when that initiative is coupled with the lost initiatives and constitutional amendments in Arizona, Arkansas, and Florida, gays and lesbians in the affected states lost big. With the possible exception of California, LGBT people lost big wherever their civil rights were directly voted upon. And in California, we may lose small, but still lose.
Ezra Klein from the American Prospect’s blogs:
Out in the Golden State, on a night when Barack Obama won with more than 60 percent of the vote, the proposition to amend the Constitution and legally restrict the rights of gay Americans, passed. Last night, Obama said that this election represented “the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.” He was wrong.
’nuff said for now.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Look at the bright side. The success of Prop 8 stands as a reminder that in stark contrast to the rising up by good Americans by electing The African Prince by the widest margin ever in the history of American politics, there remains and ugly, cruel core of bigotry deep in the belly of this nation.
We must be relentless and call it for what it is.
There can be no more patience with ugly Americans. No more listening to their opinions because everyone is entitled to one.
The last decade has ushered the ugliest people America has too offer into the spotlight where we can see them…and destroy them.
The people have spoken!
November 5th, 2008 at 11:11 am
This will be the civil rights issue of the new century. KSL reports:
November 5th, 2008 at 11:21 am
The prop 8 and prop2 comparison is really apples and oranges. First, prop 2 is about granting farm animals rights to move around in thekir containment areas. Gays and lesbians already have that right. In fact, involuntary containment of gays and lesbians is already against the law. Farm animals have not yet won that right.
Second, prop 8 was about marriage, a right that farm animals don’t even have.
You could make the claim that Californians respect farm animals more than gays and lesbians if
1. Californians approved propositions allowing involuntary confinement of gays and lesbians without granting them the right to move freely within their containment area.
2. Californians grant farm animals the right to marry.
Even after yesterday’s vote, gays and lesbians still have more rights than farm animals.
Regards,
Elsie the Cow
November 5th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Cliff, I’ll admit that Old white guys with such names as bush, cheney, rumsfield (you get the picture), haven’t done too well in representing the masses, but, er… your ‘African Prince’ hoodoo is, maybe just a tad corny?
No hard feelings, from one old cracker to another.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
California may be a liberal state and you would think because of that proposition 8 would have gone down in flames but with the huge Latino population it isn’t surprising. Latinos may tend to be liberal in many issues. but where it comes to social and family issues they tend to be very conservative. This explains why a liberal state like California would elect a liberal President but vote for proposition 8.
You may want to blame the LDS church for Proposition 8, and the opponents made a big deal about LDS backing but the LDS Church was but a small participant compared to the huge Catholic population.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Cav,
Hoodoo? Corny? Do you really think so?
I think African Prince is the most honest description of our president-elect.
He is after all:
1. African born and raised
2. Not a US citizen
3. Manchurian candidate (hired gun)
4. Hollywood celebrity in the order of Paris Hilton
I dunno. Can you think of a more honest nom de jeur than Our African Prince?
Old Cracker (with Socialist leanings)
November 5th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Not a US citizen? Where did you get that?
November 5th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Cuz Ken, Bob S, Casey and cmadre said so.
Pay attention David! :)
November 5th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Oh, that settles it then with
twofour totally unbiased sources to reference ;-)I must have missed that in the midst of all the other inconsequential fluff that passed for an election dialog this year. (My mind must have started wandering to other matters during the interminable race.)
November 5th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Cliff,
You are lying again.
The link you gave under my name points to this comment
# Anonymous Says:
October 17th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
The term African would not be used in the year of 1961 on a birth certificate , The person(s) that forged this phoney document are as fake as Barack himself.
I did not post that.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Cliff, I guess ya got me there.
Bob, has the election cost you your shiny edge?
November 5th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Cav,
Nope it hasn’t cost me my “shiny edge”.
Was the election stolen, nope. I believe there was election fraud, I don’t think it was rampant enough to steal the election.
Was violations of the Constitution, nope. The election was held as required, the people voted, the electoral process will happen and power will change hands peacefully.
Am I going to whine and cry and call Obama names like some have done to Bush, Nope. Didn’t do it before won’t do it now. The office of the presidency deserves respect. So far, Obama hasn’t even done anything to show my he doesn’t deserve my respect.
I may disagree with most of his policies and work to prevent them from happening, but that is what our country is about.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Glenden:
There may still be hope.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Bob S,
I don’t think anybody has called Bush names that were not accurate characterizations of him personally. I don’t see the connection between Chimpy and respect for the office. I respect the office.
But I am highly suspicious of Bush and people who do not call him names.
Have you called Bush names, or should we be suspicious of you?
November 5th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
California’s black and Latino voters, who turned out strongly for Barack Obama, provided key support for Proposition 8.
California will become increasingly Latino in the foreseeable future.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
BobS. Good then. I’m looking forward to more of your astute, informed (while contrary) comments and opinions.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Yikes, you’re TERRIBLE at math, Cliff.
The widest margin EVER in the history of American politics?
George Washington won 100% of the Electoral Vote.
Ronald Reagan (1980) won 489 Electoral Votes.
In ‘84 he won 525.
Monroe won by 80% of the popular vote.
Harding won by 26% of the popular vote.
I’m convinced. You’re either retarded or, like Richard, you just throw out the amazing blockbuster falsehoods and hope that no one checks them.
Please, Man…have some self respect.