" ... and it breaks my heart"

With all the division in this country the California Supreme Court has today managed to create one more divide.

18,000 couples who were married in the brief shining moment between the legalization of gay marriage and the vile vote for Prop 8 will remain married BUT ...

The California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8.

Imagine explaining to your child that his friend's parents are married but you are not and you're not allowed to.

The decision just came down a few moments ago but I have already heard some talking head from some "Christian" group belching forth about how the court had no choice but to uphold the "overwhelming" voice of the people.

Asshat - it was 52%. Get your head out of your - uh - hat - and do some 3rd grade math.

And I wonder what the vote would truly have been had the measure been clear. How many didn't get that in order to support gay marriage you had to say No to Prop 8? As a nation we're not exactly famous for our reading the fine print skills. Plus there were reports that elderly and English as a Second Language voters were intentionally misled. I experienced this phenomenon first hand during the Presidential campaign when I sat in a synagogue and listened to a rabbi tell the mostly elderly worshippers that Barack Obama was a "Muslim" who would do "all he can to undermine the safety of Israel" and "compromise the safety of Jews in America".

So says the word of God?

How many were frightened by the lies spread by groups like the Mormon Church, The Roman Catholic Church, The Knights of Columbus and all those loving, caring, giving "values" oriented groups that pop up during elections like pimples on a teenager.

I can't believe this is where we still sit as a nation. As allegedly free and equal people. It is shameful and hateful, ignorant and unconstitutional.

The Courage Campaign has plans to air an ad to keep the word out. You can read more about it HERE

HRC has tons of information about the next steps and about the state of equality throughout the nation.

I had no plans to post today but this travesty demands the light of day.

I remain firm in my belief that not one of us is equal unless we are all equal. No one's rights are guaranteed unless everyone's rights are guaranteed.

It's not over ...

my post title comes from the song in this VIDEO

When The Universe Speaks

Anger is a powerful emotion, rage is “hawt” and a good rant is almost as good as good sex.

But …

Woman can not live by rage alone. In responding to comments on yesterday’s post I mentioned the unholy trio of humor and irony and snark - and trust me – I love them and I’ll never forsake them.

But …

Sometimes the universe sends you a signal. Actually the universe is always sending signals; we’re just too busy to receive. I woke up really early this morning and decided to watch The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He’s always on my DVR. Expecting the usual hilarity I was a bit disappointed to see his guest would be Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I thought I wasn’t in the mood for any serious talk. How silly of me to underestimate both of them.

Their conversation was wonderful. Craig proved again that he can talk to anyone about anything and I was reminded once more that Desmond Tutu is a lovely man. He has a wonderful giggling laugh and tells fantastic stories.

At one point in their conversation Craig was rewarded by Father Tutu with a gentle pat on the hand and a brilliant smile for this quote …

“Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die”

I have seen this quote attributed to author and all around rascal Malachy McCourt.

Craig and Archbishop Tutu continued their conversation about the balance of good and evil, about the resiliency of the human spirit and about the grace required to achieve true freedom.


In a complete full circle moment, as Oprah would say, a friend called me to remind me that today was the day Ken Starr was going to court to continue his assault on gay families. He was planning on watching live feed with his husband and children and was just touching base with me since he claims that, in the past, I have made him feel calmer and given him something to hold on to. I told him about my rant from yesterday and then told him I had just watched Craig and Archbishop Tutu.

He loved that I mentioned Tutu since it reminded him of this …

Archbishop Tutu has vocally challenged discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In a 2004 article in The Times (London), he condemned persecution on the basis of sexual orientation, comparing it to apartheid. "We struggled against apartheid in South Africa, supported by people the world over, because black people were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about—our very skins," he wrote. "It is the same with sexual orientation. It is a given. I could not have fought against the discrimination of apartheid and not also fight against the discrimination that homosexuals endure, even in our churches and faith groups."

And that made him - and me - feel stronger.

If you would like to see the Craig and Archbishop Tutu episode go HERE

If you would like to help protect my friend’s family and all the others from Ken Starr and people like him you can sign a petition HERE

While there click on the ‘Launch The Wall’ button – the lies and ugliness there needs to be drowned out. The darkness there needs to have a giant light shining down upon it.

And on we go …

the photo of Craig and Father Tutu is from The Late Late Show site linked above
the photo of that beautiful family is from The Huffington Post

It tells a story and I can sing along - and Jesus shows up!! - I give it a 10

This delights me on so many levels …

First of all – what a collection of talented people.

Then - it addresses one of my favorite pet peeves – people who use the Bible to fit their own agenda.

And it brings up how, if it makes money, it usually ends up being as American as apple pie. In this case I pray that’s true.

Enjoy.
I could not get the embedded version to work

PROP 8 – THE MUSICAL

Hats off to LAVENDER LILY. I found this on her blog.

Please check out the HRC and Join The Impact links on my sidebar. This ain’t over until gay marriage is legal in all 50 states.

An E-Mail from The HRC

Here are parts of an e-mail that all members of the Human Rights Campaign received last night.

I thought I would post a few pieces from it since it exhibits the care and restraint I have been searching for.

In the face of JUSTIFIED anger toward those who campaigned to take away basic human rights and those who voted overwhelmingly to support obscene laws the HRC says ...

But as the LGBT community and its allies exercise our uniquely American right to protest, I hope we will remember that our actions in the streets will set the tone for the ongoing debate about marriage equality.

In responding to the Mormon Church and the Catholic Church and the African-American community (among many others) the HRC says ...

As we ask communities of color and religious communities to engage and partner with us, we must, in turn, demonstrate our commitment to the people and issues they care about. We must show that we will not turn away from the forty-seven million uninsured once we have domestic partner benefits, and that non-discrimination laws are not complete justice when legions of children are denied equal opportunity due to failing schools, violence, and racism.

And so every member of HRC has been asked to sign a pledge ...

I pledge today to:

* Model love and justice, even as I feel anger and pain.

* Show leadership by publicly investing in the well-being of others, including those who do not yet understand our cause;

* Demonstrate my commitment to communities of color and religious communities and issues they care about;

* Help others who have experienced discrimination understand that putting the rights of one minority up for a vote puts everyone's rights at risk; and

* Confront my neighbors with my love - especially my neighbors who come from backgrounds different from mine.

I hope we all learn a little about grace. I did.

You can visit the HRC by clicking their icon on my sidebar.

I found these photos HERE