Iowa has beaten California and New York...

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Can’t believe that the Supreme Court in Iowa of all places has passed the same sex marriage law. Iowa has addressed a law that more “liberal” states still can’t seem to realize?
The thing that bothered me about the recent California constitutional ban of same sex marriages is that quotes are often used to state that 60% (or more or less) of the people polled in the state are against same sex marriages so therefore they shouldn’t have them.

This on an emotional level perhaps works for people but on a legal level should be a civil rights issue. Do gay people have the same rights as straight people in this country?
If not, why not? Are they lesser citizens, inferior to others and therefore not to be afforded the same rights to be happily/unhappily married as everyone else, to live and work where they choose?
This very discrimination has been used in the past to segregate other groups to prevent them from exerting their rights in this country.
Even if it’s an unpopular legal issue in some quarters that doesn’t make it right or appropriate to discriminate against a group of people then sanction against them with laws.

If public opinion of some states or the federal government was that there should be no civil rights for blacks, children, elderly or women in this country would we have ever passed the necessary laws to protect their respective rights as a nation? Even the right to practice different religions is upheld and protected by the laws and government.

I’m sorry but whatever I personally think on the subject doesn’t matter in the sense that the group consensus is not always right legally. We cannot allow prejudice to rule the laws of our land any more than we can condone a mob with pitchforks that takes justice into its own hands.

So come on California, New York and elsewhere, the issue isn’t really the definition of marriage, if gay people are allowed the right to get married it won’t lessen my marriage or anyone else’s.
It’s about civil rights and who controls or gets to have them over others.

G’night.
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Obama laughs too much: quick get Rahm to pass that pissy look down.

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I watched President Obama on 60 Minutes last night and thought it went okay.
He seems to understand the issues and is willing to talk to the press and public about what’s going on.
This is something we haven’t seen in a president in a very long time.
And after eight years of a president that couldn’t seem to answer a question without confusing whatever it was he was trying to say (and sometimes we never quite knew what he was going for) it’s nice to have a president that can complete a thought without a teleprompter.

However when I got up all I heard about was how Obama laughed too much, it’s inappropriate, he’s not serious enough, and spending too much time talking to the public.
It seems absolutely impossible to please anyone these days.

There are so many things going on in the world and all that you could find were various clips of Obama laughing that were showing up everywhere all day and into the night. Discouraging.
I guess he needs to practice looking serious and pissy in the mirror more. Surely Rahm could help with that.




Far more interesting is the underwater volcano near Tonga in the Pacific. Amazing photos.



Also now Alaska’s Mount Redoubt, 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted.
I bet Bobby Jindal wishes he hadn’t criticized money going towards volcano monitoring in his republican rebuttal speech now.

Some of AIG’s folk gave their bonus money back, but not all of them.

Bernie Madoff’s accountant David Friehling was charged with securities fraud… now how about that bookkeeping wife of his?

My thought of the day: Perhaps Dick Cheney would shut up and stop fear-mongering to deliberately undermine the President of the USA if he was being prosecuted on the criminal charges warranted for torture as he should be under our laws. Why after the Clinton debacle do we turn our eyes from true crimes?

On the lighter side: two marriages:
Bruce Willis (54) married a thirty-two year old model what a surprise… Hmm.
The interesting one is David Letterman. He finally married his long term mate Regina Lasko. They began dating in 1986 and have a five year old son.
Congrats and good luck!
And speaking of marriage: Politico reported that Senator Chuck Schumer of NY has changed his mind on same sex marriage. This might mark a broader change in thought towards equality and human rights. We shall see.

G’night,

Laura