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Obama Administration Drops Defense of DOMA!

Just when I am feeling really down about the fact that Wisconsin and Indiana are attempting to take away workers' right, about the fact that people are still listening to Beck, and Limbaugh is calling my First Lady FAT, just when I realize that may Canada won't be too cold.. something good happens.

It's another baby step, but according to this quick story from the Human Rights Campaign, it is a step in the right direction.. another step toward equality.

We have to appreciate the little steps, since the big ones aren't happening!

Let's Face The Facts

I believe that I have posted on my belief that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional before, but I only have a few minutes, so I am not going to hunt it up right now.  There is a long list of reasons that people should be allowed to marry whomever they choose (yea, sorry, even bigamy doesn't freak me out as long as it CONSENSUAL among ADULTS), but I was just reading an article on The Huffington Post and I realized that my reasoning for declaring it unconstitutional is different than that of the author's.

Professor Stone says that DOMA is unconstitutional due to the 14th amendment's Equal Protection Clause which was put into place after the Civil War to try to ensure equality for those who had been slaves.  But I have always felt that Article IV Section 1, aka, the Full Faith and Credit Clause should be called into action first. That article states that each state must give credit to any acts, records, or judicial proceedings of any other state. It is the reason that DSD and I are married everywhere we go. It is also the reason that, if I moved out of Florida, I would still be responsible for paying the mortgage on my house here. Or the mortgage company could come after me. No matter where I live.

So when ONE state made marriage between same sex couples legal, then every other state is LEGALLY bound to recognize that marriage. A same sex couple should be allowed to marry in Hawaii (great place to get married!!) and return home to Montana and set up housekeeping, be covered on each other's health insurance, file taxes, and fight like every other married couple.  They should also be allowed to divorce. In Montana. According to Article IV Section 1.

So between me & Professor Stone, we should have this sorted out in a few hours and we can get back to the issues with the economy.* Sweet.


*Allowing same sex couples to marry would be a HUGE boost to the economy, wouldn't it? One of my friends is getting married in a couple of weeks. Over $22,000. On one day. And I thought the $5,000 we spent was a little over the top!

Completely Ready For Spring

Just a few random things I wanted to share.

**I seem to spend a great deal of time on Facebook arguing with the right.  It makes me tired. Especially when I post a link explaining why I am boycotting Chik-Fil-A and a friend from high school starts posting links to their Valentine's Party.**

**My instructor for my Biology Lab opened up all of the quizzes for the rest of the term, so I have finished that class already. I managed an A by the hair of my chinny chin chin.**

**I have a healthy A in my Administrative Law class. I am Facebook friends with one of the women in the class. We had another class together, back in the fall, and we really hit it off.  She seems to spend a lot more time than I do on her homework and projects.  Don't get me wrong, the class is A LOT of work, but I have never taken 6 hours on a quiz. I am not positive that I spent a full 6 hours on the (take home) mid-term, although DSD did pull me off the computer 2 nights during the week before the Super Bowl and said, "GO TO BED."  Does that make me smarter than she is? Just able to grasp it easier? I don't know. She seems very intelligent. I wonder about these things.**

**I am doing a lot more cooking at home using fresh (well, store bought) ingredients and I can tell a difference in the food. There is a new Farmer's Market here locally and I think I am going to head up there next Saturday.**

**I hope that my garden does better this year. I have everything planned beautifully, from the time to start plants from seed, to when to transplant them, and which ones to start in the ground. Unfortunately, those tomatoes & peppers I started last month didn't do anything. Why? Well, we turn the heat down at night & 60 is a bit too chilly, especially for peppers. Who knew? The onions are not a healthy bunch either. But the peas and the spinach I started in the raised bed two weeks ago are just peeping their little green heads up this afternoon. I almost peed my pants I was so thrilled!**

**I heard my state Representative Marti Coley saying that the Education Committee was not happy with Governor Scott's budget recommendations and that they would have some budget suggestions of their own. (Scott is SLASHING education, prison, and police budgets to name a few while cutting property taxes and corporate taxes). I agreed with her and called her office to tell her staff that. I thought the young man I spoke with was going to cry. "Really? You called to say you were happy with the Representative?" It was funny and sad. If your Senator or Representative has done something you agree with, TELL them.**

**I also called my Senator Bill Nelson to tell him I was NOT impressed with budget coming out of the House and that I did NOT want the budget to public broadcasting cut. And I volunteered to help out on his re-election campaign next year.  The people who are going to run against him are as right wing as they come.**

**There is probably more, but it is time to start the potatoes, make the salad, and then work on the pork loin.  I don't know this Betty Crocker me has come from, but I am loving it!**

Y'all be safe out there and keep up the great work!

And In a Supportive Stand

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Chik-Fil-A

I do not believe there is a better breakfast in all the land than a deep fried piece of chicken tossed onto a homemade buttermilk biscuit (except for WhatABurger's because there biscuit is also covered in butter and honey), but I cannot/will not eat another Chik-Fil-A meal until they understand that they must not support an anti-homosexual agenda.  They must not donate time, food, or money to anyone who supports an anti-gay agenda.

Until they can show me they believe in equality for ALL, I will have to eat breakfast bars at my desk.

Are You Spreading Love or Hate?

I have been very annoyed by the fact that Blogger lost my really awesome post about hate, and I have not had much time to do anything except get through last week's mid-terms (I know this is college and all, but don't you think 2 quizzes, a mid-term, a discussion board post, and a project rough draft due all on the same day.. which was Super Bowl Sunday.. was a bit much for ONE stinking class?).

But several weeks ago, my ex-husband's new wife (who is a Facebook friend, and someone I normally enjoy IRL) posted a link to a free book written by Dr. James Dobson.  It was titled, "Daddys and Daughters" and she is ordering this for her little girls, or maybe for their father, and, trust me, he could use the help with his parenting skills. I mentioned that I was pretty certain that Dr. Dobson spreads hatred about homosexuals and that he was the one who want after that poor Teletubby (I was wrong, it was Spongebob he didn't like), and that I was not certain that she wanted that sort of information around her girls. (BabyBoy's 2nd little sister was born Thanksgiving weekend, so there is now a 3 year old and a 2 month old).

The conversation did not go well from there. She asked for proof, I provided links. A friend of hers told me that I didn't know what I was talking about, and she (BabyBoy's step mother) explained that she had been raised reading Dr. Dobson, and that he didn't HATE gays, he LOVES everyone, he just believes that homosexuality is a sin. Then came the $64,000 question, "I believe that homosexuality is a sin," she typed, "do you believe that I am spreading hate?"

I admit it. I chickened out and just didn't answer her.

Because yes, telling others, especially young children, that homosexuality is a sin IS SPREADING HATE. While the Bible tells us that we should hate the sin, but love the sinner, most of us are a little too human for that. So being told that a person's lifestyle (one that I believe is NOT CHOSEN) is something that God disagrees with gives others the right to disagree with it. Being told that homosexuals are going to hell is spreading hate. And if the person that you are explaining all of this to just happens to realize that she is gay one day, now you have spread fear.

I don't believe there is a parent in any land who has a child and looks down into its sleeping face and prays that that child will be gay. I would almost bet that homosexuals do not pray that their children will be gay. It is a difficult life fraught with uncertainty, and, sadly, at times danger.

We have come a long way in this country toward accepting homosexuality as normal, but not far enough. And will never be truly equal, or truly free, if people continue to raise their children to hate and the hatred is continuously being spread.

Even if that hatred is as innocuous as labeling a person's lifestyle as a sin.

Equal Rights are NEVER Wrong

And Why Not?

I'm glad someone is getting it right. I wish we would!

STRAIGHT COUPLE SEEKS GAY RELATIONSHIP IN THE U.K.

Why didn't I think of that???

Love Thy Neighbor

H/T to TrueBlueTexan

Dear Mr. President,

"Don't Ask/Don't Tell" - Unconstitutional!

Well, duh.

But it has been ruled so again. And there has been an ordered entered to immediately stop kicking people out of the military if they are homosexual. YAY!!

So now the Dept of Justice (DOJ) has 60 days to appeal the order, but, of course, they won't because the President opposes.... Wait. What?

The DoJ can do what it wants? Even if President Obama supports the repeal, the DoJ can still appeal this decision?

Dear Mr. President,

Man up. Your health care bill is barely adequate (ask my 21 year old son who does not have coverage) and Gitmo is still open. We will be in Iraq until long after I am dead. There is no more transparency than there was 4 years ago. Business as usual in the Capital. AT LEAST let's repeal this law that even a baby can see is unconstitutional. PLEASE do something before the mid-term elections and if that means firing the DoJ, don't you have that right? Aren't they part of your cabinet? Don't they work for you??

Thank you very much,
The Lefts

PS
Could you PLEASE lean a little more my way? That reaching across the aisle bulls&%( ain't working!

News From Around the World

***Florida's ban on allowing homosexuals or homosexual couples to adopt has been declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL again. Maybe we are on the right track here.

***I heard this morning on NPR that if ALL of the Bush era tax cuts were allowed to lapse, it would put the US super close to a balanced budget. Why isn't that being screamed about elsewhere?

***Today mark's the beginning of the new Health Care Law. While many of us (and I mean me) think it didn't go far enough, there are many who will be helped and that has to mean something. So I want to take a minute to be thankful for that. And for a President who continues to care, even when he is constantly vilified.

***The Republicans have a plan. Why didn't they have a plan when they had control? Why do they think a list of "wants" constitutes a "plan?" Why do I torture myself with really stupid questions?

****Jon Stewart ROCKS!! Let's all go to DC!!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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Repeal Don't Ask/Don't Tell and Move on to the REAL Issues

There's going to be a showdown on the Senate floor this week -- and we'll have a chance to do away with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" once and for all.
Right now, though, it's not clear we'll have the votes to win.
That's because moments after Sen. Harry Reid announced the vote, Sen. John McCain again threatened to stop the bill at any cost. He said he plans to filibuster not just a vote, but even the procedure to bring it up for debate.
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" isn't about politics -- it's about discrimination. And when Republicans defend discrimination of any kind, they need to know that their constituents are watching and ready to respond.
It is up to each of us to let the Republicans who are blocking this vote know that Americans want repeal.
Call Sen. McCain at (202) 224-2235 now, tell him America supports the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and ask him to stop standing in the way.
As the President has said, we must end this law "because it is the right thing to do." A majority of Americans agree that those who are brave enough to stand up and serve our country deserve to do so openly.
Call Sen. McCain today at (202) 224-2235 to tell him to end his filibuster threat and get out of the way of change.
Thanks for your help on this critical vote,
Mitch
Mitch StewartDirectorOrganizing for America

One More Tiny Step

Yesterday a federal judge ruled that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is unConstitutional.

Well, duh.

Let's get rid of it then.

Want in One Hand And....

As you may or may not know, this is the year for the election of Florida’s governor. The current governor, Charlie Crist (a Republican that I do not hate) is not running for re-election, but for the Senate seat recently vacated by Mel Martinez.. Oh, Mel, we absolutely do not miss you!

So that leaves the Governor's mansion WIDE open.

On the left there is Alex Sink, currently the state's CFO, and the Chiles boy, son of former Governor "Walkin' " Lawton. Apparently Ms. Sink is doing fairly well, because she was on track to win the whole she-bang in the last polls I saw, due to the fact that those on the right were spending more than the federal deficit to bash each other every 30 seconds on TV.

On the right (and this is where we were headed from the beginning) is Rick Scott. Who says, "Sure, I bilked the public for TONS of money, but I had to pay FINES. And I lost my job." I can not stand to look at his face on the TV, he makes me see RED. He touts himself as an "outsider" and claims that the other righty kept stealing a taxpayer's jet and had it drop him off in his front yard. Soooooo, wow, what a crook and a crock.

Yesterday, however, Bill McCollum (the other righty), who I was not voting for, but didn't think was a complete moron (he is allegedly against the Arizona law of oppression and hate) announced that "I think the best thing for children is to have a man and a woman, a mother and a father, not gay parents. I don't think that's the right kind of parenting. That's my personal views. Those are my religious views." Which is bad but then, "told reporters that foster kids should not be in the care of gays or lesbians."

Florida currently does not allow adoption by gay parents (STUPID!!), but does allow gay couples to foster. So Bill McCollum is saying that HE wants to take all of those children who are in happy, healthy, loving homes and raise them himself? What does he think we are going to do with those children?

Stupid bigot.

A Small Celebration is in Order

The first step in the demise of California’s illegal, immoral, and just plain WRONG Proposition 8 has been taken. It is only the first step on a very long journey through the courts of this nation and up to the Supreme Court where (hopefully) good sense, law & fact (NPR this morning said FACTS are the answers and that this decision was based on fact) will prevail and we can all get on with our lives on equal footing. I am not going to get into the specifics of this decision and how and why it is a good or how and why the entire thing could go wrong, I am just going to raise my glass in a toast to a job that is (so far) well done!

It Wasn't a Big Deal

My little brother played Little League baseball, basketball and a couple of years of football. We spent a lot of time at the city park when we were kids and most of the young boys (very few girls in those days) were the same from season to season and sport to sport. We were kids, they were kids, my brother played ball, I hung out with the older brothers and sisters of the kids playing and my parents sat with all of the other parents cheering for the kids. Well, my dad coached a lot so he was on the field.

One of the boys was my brother's age and played with him in baseball and basketball. We'll call him Chuck. He was an adorable kid, blond hair, blue eyes, freckles across the bridge of his nose. Chuck lived an all female household with his mom, his little sister and his Cindy. The four of them were a family. The mother (I have no idea what her name was) and Cindy were at every game, every practice. Sometimes Cindy (who was an excellant ballplayer herself according to my dad) helped out with practices.

Now I grew up in a small town in NW Florida, a place we lovingly call LA for Lower Alabama. Not the most sophisticated place in the world and this was the mid to late 70s and early 80s, but no one thought about the fact that Chuck had 2 moms. The women were not ostracized or ignored, the kids were not teased or taunted. I remember a brief moment of "Ewwww" when I found out the 2 women slept in the same bed, but I was older then and fairly self absorbed so I'm certain my thoughts went immediately back to self. And while I don't actually remember the conversation, I am positive my parents delivered the information in a straight-forward matter of fact way and moved on.

So a recent CNN article on children of homosexuals saddened me

Dealing with teasing from classmates and the community isn't so easy, same-sex children say. It's not unusual to hear children of same-sex couples say that they were teased by classmates, but some of that may depend on their age and where they grew up.

Maybe it was easier for Chuck and his sister because there had been a father in the picture somewhere, originally. Maybe it was easier because he had a mom and a Cindy and not 2 people wanting him to call them mom. Maybe it was easier because, for all our small town ways, we didn't seem really judgemental. Maybe I was kid and have no idea what those 2 women went through to be together. But, at the ballpark, they were always treated as just another family there to support their son.