Sunday, November 9, 2008

What Stella Said

Stella said...

On behalf of California, I apologize. We have a lot of non-Californians in our state that don't understand our culture and values. Of course I voted against banning gay marriage.

Attorney General Jerry Brown, who was our governor and may be running again in 2010, said that he would stand by the voters' choice, but anyone who got married when the California Supreme Court sanctioned gay marriage would continue to be recognized married. He was against the measure.

Ghost dancing is absolutely correct perhaps the issue of Church-State separation is what truly needs to be examined here. What got voted in were Christian values. Our Founding Fathers were Deists, particularly Thomas Paine, George Washington, and James Madison.

So, I am particularly angered by this proposition and consider the entire matter unconstitutional in violating the Fourth Amendment. The wonderful Margaret Cho stated: I am totally disgusted and furious that now there is a ban on gay marriage in California. So my happiness about Obama is tempered by my anger about Prop 8. Still, we cannot give up on the struggle. This is just a reason to fight harder to make gay marriage legal again. We can overturn the ban. We lost this by such a narrow margin. It was only a few votes. We could take it back.

I feel the same way.

There is already a lawsuit pending by the ACLU and LAMBDA, among others, appealing the vote. Last night, there were 3,000 people in the streets protesting the Yes on 8 win and strong support to overturn this mess: Numerous public figures have spoken out against Proposition 8, including President-elect Barack Obama, Vice President-elect Joseph Biden... It's not over.

And then Stella said this...


Blogger Stella said...

Last decent Republican:

At 85, after a life in politics spanning five decades (he retired from the Senate in 1987), Mr. Conservative has found himself an unlikely new career: as a gay rights activist. While that's not his sole pursuit – he returned to Capitol Hill yesterday to testify in favor of scenic overflights of the Grand Canyon – in recent years he's championed homosexuals serving in the military and has worked locally to stop businesses in Phoenix from hiring on the basis of sexual orientation. This month he signed on as honorary co-chairman of a drive to pass a federal law preventing job discrimination against homosexuals. The effort, dubbed Americans Against Discrimination, is being spearheaded by the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the influential gay lobbying organization.

"The big thing is to make this country, along with every other country in the world with a few exceptions, quit discriminating against people just because they're gay," Goldwater asserts. "You don't have to agree with it, but they have a constitutional right to be gay. And that's what brings me into it."

Her comments were in response to this post by me:


I'm furious that in a moment when we made history by proving to ourselves and the world that we have overcome our racism enough to elect a black President, we want to rescind the civil rights of gay Americans who live in California, a state we like to think of as progressive. I know there were several other states that passed similar measures to prohibit the marriage of gay couples, but they are not states with the reputation for tolerance and inclusion that Californian has. Rachel Maddow pointed out that there were also measures on many states ballots that made the use and possession of small amounts of marijuana legal. But not gay marriage. We are now more afraid of "the gays" having the same civil rights as the rest of America's citizens than we are of the pot smokers. We have a long way to go baby.

I remember a time when it was not legal for a black person to marry a white person in many states. This is no different an issue. It is an embarrassment and shame to all of us that we tolerate this kind of intolerance in our state constitutions.

19 comments:

jmsjoin said...

I am a Christian but I am so sick of hearing that we are a Christian Nation. We were founded to get away from the Godless Brits so we could have Religious freedom not Christian values! We are a melting pot not only racially but Religiously. Those that practice a perverted form of Christianity want to ignore that!

Ghost Dansing said...

that's a pretty kewl website on Deists.....

The Cunning Runt said...

I really hope the head-to-head comparison of Biden to Palen causes us to consider what the rise of religious fundamentalism might mean to our standing in the world.

I mean, if we're gonna teach our kids that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, we're fuckin' doomed.

Stella by Starlight said...

Average Patriot, I'm with you. The "Christian Nation" nonsense is simply untrue, otherwise why would the very First Amendment deal with Separation of Church and State.

Like you, I seem to recall our Founders fought a revolution for religious freedom.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Deist site, ghost dancing. The site defines this spiritual belief as One who believes in the existence of a God or supreme being but denies revealed [established] religion, basing his [uh, her] belief on the light of nature and reason.

Utah, thank you for posting my rantings. The Prop 8 issue infuriated me. The proposition was written in a confusing manner, so many people who thought a "Yes" vote meant they were agreeing to same-sex marriage.

We had numerous "Yes on 8" ads out here, supported by the Knights of Columbus and the Church of the Latter Day Saints [link].

I'm plain old disgusted.

Stella by Starlight said...

Cunning Runt, you mentioned the Killa from Wasilla? OMG, that's an infinite rant. Yes, she thinks the planet is 6,000 years old, didn't know Africa was a continent, hunts innocent wolves from helicopters, and doesn't believe in abortion in cases of rape or incest.

And the GOP thinks she's going to be a viable presidential candidate in 2012.

Off-topic: sorry, Utah.

Utah Savage said...

Hey honey, I'm giving this one to you. So you just rant away. You know I'll post your rant so let it rip. This is my new cause, but you have gotten the ball rolling for me. You and Ghost that is.

Utah Savage said...

And Cunning Runt, don't forget the Killa from Wasilla wants to take Polar Bears off the endangered list. Presumably to hunt them from a helicopter.

susan said...

an average patriot has said it all.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

"You don't have to be straight to shoot straight", said Barry.

Comrade Kevin said...

In time, but not yet. Here the generational divide between viewpoints on the matter is quite telling.

Unknown said...

I'm sick and tired of being told what I can and cannot do by the religious right.

Stella by Starlight said...

Something I found and posted on Swiftspeech:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

~~Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

SPEAK OUT!
SILENCE = COMPLICITY

jmsjoin said...

Stella
I have read that before but it is so true. Whether it affects me or not if it is wrong I speak up. My Ex hated it but oh well!

Utah Savage said...

Ex Pat, I'm curious, what was your ex's problem with this.

Naj said...

On behalf of California, I apologize. We have a lot of non-Californians in our state that don't understand our culture and values. Of course I voted against banning gay marriage.

This is prejudice too, Stella!

Naj said...

We have a lot of non-Californians in our state that don't understand our culture and values.

The prejudice of the liberals!

Sigh!

Utah Savage said...

We have a lot of Mormons in my state who don't understand my values and would impose the religious values restrictive as they are on me and those I love. I'm of the live and let live opinion. What you do in your life is your business and I won't try to impose my values on you. What I value or need in my life has no impact on yours. We can all be friends without denying anyones civil rights.

Naj said...

Utah, I think this is the pitfall of democracy! The majority rules. Imagine if someday all Californians migrated to Utah and started voting for abortion; would we be unhappy then? Answer's no! But won't we feel disdain is a Mormon decries "all these non-mormons have occupied our state"? I am sure we will.

I live in Quebec; which has a long history of struggle for independence. The separatist provincial government of the time held a referendum to separate from Canada in 1995. The referendum was lost to NO! The bitter separatist Premier of the province called the cause fo the defeat: "Money and ethnic vote!"

Sure, neither businessmen, nor the immigrants cared for or grasped the plight of the French Canadians. But the premier and his party got a GOOD spanking for making such a discriminatory comment in a "democratic" society. The party has never recovered from that blunder AGAINST democracy!

jmsjoin said...

Hi Utah
She did not like it that I expected everyone to tow the line and took everyone on when they negatively impacted my sons when they were around. Usually it was the girls who tried to start trouble but anyway to me there is a way to act in public and it is up to us to enforce it and I did.

I also habitually put others first and she didn't like that either calling me a martyr! I liked to cook and bake to as my sons now do and she did not like that the kids preferred my cooking and she didn't like me in her space the kitchen. Her inadequacy was the problem!
I have to laugh! One of my sons bakes pies a lot for people and they love it! I gave him my secret recipes and yesterday we were discussing the hit his homegrown Pumpkin Pie made. Love it!
My 4 sons and I had and have a relationship a son I hear has with his Mother buit not here!