The Buck and Mike Blog

If you live in California, please ask yourself: How would you feel if your government invalidated your marriage?

If you vote yes on Proposition 8, you are telling your legislators that civil marriage is an unnecessary privilege, not a necessary right, and that no one will suffer if civil marriage is rescinded.

Amendment XIV, Section 1 of the United States Constitution states, in part, “No State shall…deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

If, in order to comply with Proposition 8, all civil marriages in California are rescinded so that all people are treated equally as required by the U.S. Constitution, will you feel that justice is done? If recognition or consecration of marriage by the government is repealed for everyone, will you miss the more than 1,000 federal rights, benefits and privileges of marriage that unmarried couples (including those in domestic partnerships and civil unions) do not receive?

If you truly believe that your opposite-sex California marriage is still in working order after July 16th, when the California Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex couples to marry went into effect, VOTE NO ON PROP 8!! If your opposite-sex marriage is NOT working because same-sex couples have been allowed to marry, you’ve got problems that are well beyond legislation, and you need to see a marriage counselor. In that case, voting yes on Prop 8 won’t help you, it will just hurt others, so either vote NO or don’t vote at all.

We all make mistakes, and campaigning politicians have to speak so often it’s no surprise that they get confused. But still, this one from John McCain wins as the weirdest since Sarah Palin’s interview with Katie Couric. Even poor Cindy McCain looks baffled in the background.

John McCain, Sarah Palin, Cindy McCain

Sarah Palin is an easy target because she is so wrong. Someone on “The View” this morning asked the question: “If she hates Washington so much, why is she so anxious to live there?” Of all the amazingly intelligent, thoughtful, articulate, and experienced Republican women leaders in the country, I still don’t get why John McCain chose her. Your thoughts?

Will you be as glad as me to have this election over?

Sarah Palin, The View, John McCain

Just for fun, some of my favorite humor of the season. Biased? You betcha, Sarah.

California’s Proposition 8 is spoken of in TV ads as if it were about “those people,” as if gay and lesbian people were fundamentally different from everyone else. The truth is, “those people” are me. So this entry is a personal explanation of what Proposition 8 means to me and my family.

My husband and I were legally married in Canada over four years ago. Our marriage is fully recognized by several countries and U.S. states, including California. The California State Constitution says that marriage is a fundamental civil right and courts have agreed that denying same-sex couples marriage equality violates the state’s constitution. Proposition 8 seeks to take that civil right away from us. It is the first time in the history of the state that the public has chosen to vote whether to take rights away from a group rather than to extend them.

I’m not here to argue the merits of the proposition, though I strongly oppose it. Rather I’d like to share the personal pain it has caused me and the resulting damage to my family and my church.

Because California law mandates open disclosure of all political contributions, it’s easy to see who has donated. A quick review shows that friends and relatives—including my previously-supportive brother—have donated a lot of money. It hurts me deeply to know that people I know and care about are donating money and voting to invalidate my marriage. They know my husband and I and know that we pay taxes, are good parents and grandparents, volunteer in our community, attend church, and uphold our family obligations. But my family members—who have never donated to any political cause, candidate, or party in their entire lives—are donating money in an effort to invalidate my marriage.

Why do my family members want to invalidate my marriage?

I’m not really sure. It certainly isn’t a personal vendetta. It is something they really believe in.

Do they think my marriage is a bad example of what a marriage should be, but Britney Spears’ 55-hour marriage, Pamela Anderson’s repeated marriages to an abusive husband, or Elizabeth Taylor’s eight marriages are examples of a sacred institution? I doubt it very much.

Do they not understand the difference between a civil marriage contract and a religious marriage rite? Possibly, but they are all very smart and thoughtful people.

Do they fear that my marriage somehow threatens the strength of their own marriages? Surely not.

Do they believe that I am incapable of caring as much for my husband and family as they do for their spouses and families? I don’t think so.

I think they donate because of strongly-help personal beliefs based on our shared Mormon heritage that, upon serious consideration, outweigh the needs of their family members or friends.

Of course it is also a big deal that the Mormon Church has pushed Proposition 8 so strongly. Many friends and family members who have never donated to a candidate, party, or proposition are donating thousands this time. Whether by pressure or not, they wouldn’t have become so involved otherwise.
» Read the rest of this entry »

Proposition 8, civil marriage, religious marriage

Today the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriages, making it the third state with full marriage equality. (Massachusetts and California also also allow same-sex marriage, though California’s Proposition 8 seeks to amend the state constitution to take away the right to marry.)

Here is the Associated Press article from the Washington Post:

By DAVE COLLINS
The Associated Press
Friday, October 10, 2008; 12:12 PM

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions.

The divided court ruled 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry under the state constitution, and Connecticut’s civil unions law does not provide those couples with the same rights as heterosexual couples. » Read the rest of this entry »

Connecticut Supreme Court, Massachusetts, California, same-sex marriage

October 11, is National Coming Out Day, an annual reminder that gay people help themselves and others when we are completely open about our identity. Founded in 1988 by Dr. Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary in celebration of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights the previous year, the day is a chance to think about the areas of our lives where we have not been fully honest with others. If our families don’t know, then we are not allowing them to be close to us. If we permit our employers to assume things about us that aren’t true, then we are being dishonest with them. Further, it is an opportunity to present a human face of the LGBT community to the public. We have all seen that is harder to dismiss us as a group if people know us as individuals.

The video below was produced by the Human Rights Campaign.

» Read the rest of this entry »

National Coming Out Day

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Action Fund is the foremost nonprofit, non-partisan advocate for our nation’s returning warriors and their families. The 2008 Veteran Report Card, based on the key veterans’ legislation that came to a vote during the 110th Congress, grades every Senator and Representative on their level of support for our troops.

The ratings reflected votes on 22 key bills before congress. They covered the entire range of issues facing new veterans, including veterans’ health care, the new GI Bill, mental health, and support for homeless veterans.

You would think by his rhetoric that John McCain would be top of the list, but you would be wrong. In fact, he scored among the bottom four of all 100 senators.

Read or download and study the entire report card here.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veteran Report Card, John McCain

We have never had an actual yard before moving to Portland. We enjoyed not watering, weeding, or worrying about any yards.

But we missed out on a lot of wildlife. Here in Portland we have squirrels, neighborhood cats, Otis the next door dog, naked next door neighborhood children, and more bugs and spiders than I thought could exist in a small yard.

Best of all, we have birds. There are many kinds, but these four are the ones I have identified.

Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
American Plastic Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber plasticus)

The photographs of the hummingbird and the jays are by photographer Tom Grey. See many more examples of his incredible work at http://www.pbase.com/tgrey/ .

Portland, Western Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma californica, Steller’s Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri, Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna, Tom Grey

Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to them, as well.

Then click http://maps.google.com/vote to find your voter registration information.