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I've got a proposition

A Boy Named Seo Nov 02 2008 02:30 PM

Any good propositions to vote on in your hood? We've got 12 state ones, the biggie is Prop 8, which seeks to amend the California Constitution to ban gay marriage. What you got?

themetfairy Nov 02 2008 02:35 PM

Public Question #1 is Voters to Approve State Authority Bonds Payable From State Appropriations. Public Question #2 is Provides That Method Of Selection And Appointment of Certain Municipal Court Judges Be Set By Statute Rather Than By The Constitution. Nothing nearly as meaty as what you have in Cali. If this were a game of Poker, I'd be holding a pair of threes.

Edgy DC Nov 02 2008 03:04 PM

We got nothing. A few years ago, DC passed ballot initiative to legalize pot, but the courts boinked it, so I think folks have lost faith in that sort of democracy.

Willets Point Nov 02 2008 03:26 PM

1. End state income tax, or not. 2. Decriminalize owning small quantities of marijuana, or not. 3. Ban greyhound racing, or not. Soon Massachusetts will be a tax-free haven of potheads with out-of-work greyhounds.

A Boy Named Seo Nov 02 2008 03:45 PM

Damn, G. I'm movin' to Massachusetts. We do have some meaty ones then, including one having to do with meat. Prop 2 calls for legislation that would "prohibit the confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs." It reads like such a California thing to vote on, but there's been videos released and reports of animals at food farms being crammed into tiny cages on top of other animals, some of dead, some of 'em beaten with tools and such, some of 'em crapping all over eachother. Our food supply. Pretty disgusting. Probably a good, common sense thing, but too bad it does nothing about some of the a-holes dealing directly with the animals. President here isn't so up for grabs, so instead of those ads, we're getting lots of "Yes on 8" ads telling us how gay marriage is an attack on traditional marriage is needed to protect our kids. I read this editorial about the gay marriage proposition in our local Long Beach free news and entertainment paper, The District. Here's an excerpt I thought was funny, written by a straight, married guy who officiated a gay marriage. He interviewed his fiesty kid daughter, Emma, to see how it would screw her up. Emma below in bold. ]I’ve been married for 11 years. More than most straight marriages, ours ought to be really T-boned by gay marriage—given my active participation in at least one of those marriages. But it’s not. I know this sounds weird but I stood up in the George G. Golleher Alumni House on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, held the joined hands of David and Randy and I felt . . . just joy, like this sense of rightness that these two guys, loyal to one another over the course of a quarter century, were at last granted the rights my wife and I have enjoyed since 1997. And I didn’t feel the slightest bit, what, ready to leave my wife for a dude? Or another woman? Felt only that we (my wife and I) had two more allies in the struggle of all couples I know to strengthen that slender filament of romance that’s supposed to support all the other crap that comes with marriage—the fact that we’re roommates with two sometimes competing aesthetics with regard to say interior design, separate (but compelling and workable) philosophies about money/thrift/risk and childrearing, crap, as I say, which is sometimes corrosive to the intense commitment at the center of the relationship and which is sometimes almost undetectable to us as the source of our anguish in that union—sometimes but not always, thanks in part to the reminders of friends (like Randy and David) who without words but by their actions tell us that we stay married and in love for just one reason: because we said stood in front of at least one witness and said we would. There’s only one person who threatens that marriage, and he’s not gay. He’s me. So I’m not buying that my marriage needs protecting from anything but myself, is my point here. And on the issue of children—and their needs where the marriage of gay men and women are concerned—I went to District Weekly Child Expert Emma Swaim, my aforementioned daughter: You know what gay marriage is, right? It’s when a boy and another boy get married. How about a girl and a girl? That’s lesbian marriage. They’re actually both called ‘gay marriage.’ Oh. So, you know that some gay people are already married. Yeah. What impact has that had on your life? [ . . . ] You understand ‘impact’? Like ‘effect’? Yes. What ‘effect’ has gay marriage had on your life. Um, nothing. Any effect on our marriage—mommy’s and mine? No. Do you think our marriage would be better if gay people couldn’t get married? No. So why do some people say that? I don’t know. Because they’re stupid. That seems a little harsh to me. Well, you asked me. You didn’t ask you. [Emma’s mother intervenes at this point to agree that maybe “stupid” is harsh.] There has to be a better reason. Because they’re jealous. Why are they jealous? Because they’re not married. What if they are married? Because it’s not in their beliefs. Isn’t belief a good reason to make a law the keeps gay people from getting married? Their beliefs? No. Adults should be able to marry whoever they want. ‘Whomever.’ Yeah. Whoever they want. The word is ‘whomever.’ Who cares. [Emma’s mother intervenes at this point to argue for greater precision in language.] What if it’s just your belief versus somebody else’s belief? Who gets to be right about gay marriage? I’d just say gay marriage is fair. What if some people say they don’t like it anyway? That’s their problem. This is America. People who don’t like gay marriage say it’s bad for children. How? That’s why I’m asking you. I’m not sure. I guess because they’re worried their children might become gay. I suppose it’s possible, but that’s not very likely. Why? Because people who like boys just like boys. Gosh. Don’t be stupid.

DocTee Nov 02 2008 03:49 PM

Don't forget, Seo, we've also got one requiring parental notification for abortions.

DocTee Nov 02 2008 03:51 PM

A Boy Named Seo Nov 02 2008 04:03 PM

DocTee wrote: Don't forget, Seo, we've also got one requiring parental notification for abortions. That one's on the ballot every year, isn't it? That's a great ad for 'H'. This is my favorite 'yes on 8' ad. I don't have kids or anything, but if that was the law, I think I'd want my kid to know what it was and that it existed, whether I agreed with it or not. Then I'd, you know, talk to my kid about it and stuff. I blame all the pot-smoking Massachusetts people for this shit.

RealityChuck Nov 02 2008 05:13 PM

New York, OTOH, has the dullest, least controversial, and most trivial ballot initiative ever. It's a proposal to amend the state constitution to change all references of the "United States Veteran's Administration" to the "United States Department of Veterans Affairs." Eviently the VA was used to certify if you were a veteran for consideration on civil service tests. It changed its name, so the consititution needs to be amended. Though I would think they should add the line "or any successor agency," so they don't have to amend it again if there's another name change.

Edgy DC Nov 02 2008 05:26 PM

Makes me wonder what the California legislature is doing, that when a question has any risk they pass on to the ballot.

Methead Nov 02 2008 06:56 PM

Speaking of Prop 8... I don't know if you guys have seen this or heard about it but I have to give the Mayor of San Diego MAD PROPS as they say.

Rockin' Doc Nov 02 2008 06:58 PM

No referendums or propositions to vote on in North Carolina this year.

Frayed Knot Nov 02 2008 07:34 PM

Those direct voter prop things are much more popular out west than they are back east. They're also pretty much a chicken shit way for elected officials to avoid taking stands on things which is kinda what they were elected to do in the first place.

Number 6 Nov 02 2008 08:42 PM

RealityChuck wrote: New York, OTOH, has the dullest, least controversial, and most trivial ballot initiative ever. It's a proposal to amend the state constitution to change all references of the "United States Veteran's Administration" to the "United States Department of Veterans Affairs." Vote no, just to fuck with shit.

seawolf17 Nov 02 2008 08:46 PM

I've got a preposition... "between." I don't know what's crazier... that Prop 8 or the fact that it has any chance of passing. Disturbing.

Edgy DC Nov 02 2008 09:04 PM

To see how destroyed Sanders was is to know how rare it is that a politician actually stands up and takes a risk on a controversial decison. He was a cop, a brave guy who made life-and-death decisions, not without taking heat --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Sanders_(politician) --- yet the announcement that he was going to do what his conscience told him to do and risk his political career made it look almost like his wife was wearing the pants.

MFS62 Nov 03 2008 07:23 AM

Dullsville here in the Nutmeg state. The only proposition getting hype is one calling for a Constitutional Convention to be scheduled. This is already mandated, but not scheduled, in the constitution. Sounds like a repetitive redundancy to me. The only thing causing me to pause on this one is the list of organizations that are sponsoring the ads for it. They have positions on certain issues with which I don't agree. (e.g. - they are against a woman's right to choose.) Later

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 03 2008 07:28 AM

Methead wrote: Speaking of Prop 8... I don't know if you guys have seen this or heard about it but I have to give the Mayor of San Diego MAD PROPS as they say. ' I love my dead gay son!

Willets Point Nov 03 2008 08:34 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I love my dead gay son! All the people who never saw Heathers don't get this.

seawolf17 Nov 04 2008 07:59 AM

[url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2008/10/30/jeff-kent-doesnt-like-when-dudes-hold-hands/]Jeff Kent[/url] and [url=http://cbs5.com/politics/steve.young.prop8.2.853885.html]Steve Young[/url], voting no.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 04 2008 08:03 AM

Willets Point wrote: ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"] I love my dead gay son! All the people who never saw Heathers don't get this. I didn't get it. I thought it was about Spunky Lasorda.

DocTee Nov 04 2008 08:04 AM

Actually, he'd be voting "yes". Prop 8 limits marriage to man-woman unions

metirish Nov 04 2008 08:05 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 04 2008 08:06 AM

Kent is voting Yes....right?.....Just so we are straight here , a Yes vote is a vote against Gay marriage and a No vote is a vote for Gay marriage? That's a bit simplistic but youknowwhatimean.

OlerudOwned Nov 04 2008 08:05 AM

seawolf17 wrote: [url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2008/10/30/jeff-kent-doesnt-like-when-dudes-hold-hands/]Jeff Kent[/url] and [url=http://cbs5.com/politics/steve.young.prop8.2.853885.html]Steve Young[/url], voting no. Kent's voting yes (on banning it), but Young donated a lot of money toward the "no" cause. Good for Young, you fight that Mormons-hate-gays stereotype.

DocTee Nov 04 2008 08:09 AM

sfgate.com lists all donors to both sides of the Prop 8 debate-- see which of your neighbors are bigots! http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/prop8/

seawolf17 Nov 04 2008 08:17 AM

OlerudOwned wrote: ="seawolf17"][url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2008/10/30/jeff-kent-doesnt-like-when-dudes-hold-hands/]Jeff Kent[/url] and [url=http://cbs5.com/politics/steve.young.prop8.2.853885.html]Steve Young[/url], voting no. Kent's voting yes (on banning it), but Young donated a lot of money toward the "no" cause. Good for Young, you fight that Mormons-hate-gays stereotype. Thanks. I thought I read that wrong.