My new campaign

OK, here it is: replace the word "marriage" in all state law with "civil union."

Please, let's not waste any more time and money arguing over semantics. I don't care if the religious people get to keep the word "marriage" for themselves. (Note to religious LGBT's: I wish you luck as you carry on the fight for marriage equality in your churches, mosques and synagogues. But your religion is none of my business -- as long as your religion doesn't interfere with my life. I want civil rights, not religious rites.)

What I care about is having my relationship regarded as legally equal, under state law, to any other monogamous partnership between two consenting adults. If bigots want to say my relationship is not morally equal to their heterosexual ideal, fine. I disagree, but we will always disagree on that. I certainly hope a majority of Californians would agree that church teaching on homosexuality should stay in the church and out of the constitution.

Here's my campaign slogan: "Draw the line between church and state, not between gay and straight."

Great Ideas for 2010 Initiatives

I was just thinking, regardless of how Prop 8 does at the polls today, the fight to save traditional marriage and the American way of life will be far from over. Won't you join me in gathering signatures to amend the California Constitution to:

• Ban divorce
  If we don't, divorce will continue to be taught in our kindergartens.


• Put minors in foster care if one of their parents dies
  Because children have a right to have a mother and a father


• Ban interspecies marriage
  Because if we don't specifically ban it, activist judges will try to make it legal for a man to marry his dog.


• Ban domestic partnership laws
  Because we can no longer allow homosexuals to redefine "loving, committed, monogamous relationship" for everyone.


• Ban Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and all other non-Christian belief systems
  Because their adherents' refusal to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is religious intolerance and bigotry at its worst.

There will be more, obviously, but this is a good start.

Just to be clear: No on 8!

Here's what the Orange County Register, one of the most conservative newspapers in the state, writes in recommending its readers vote No on Prop 8:

"Guarantees of individual rights are included in constitutions precisely to ensure that such rights cannot be taken away, by majority vote, legislative enactment or administrative decision.

"In an ideal world, the state would have little or no role in defining or regulating so intimate a relationship as marriage. However, the state has inserted itself into all too many aspects of our private lives. Given that it has done so, it is only fair that it afford equal protection to all. Vote 'no.'"

How's that for a conservative take on the matter?

I started reading the letters to the editor on the Register site, which was a bad thing to do. A law professor from Yorba Linda, bemoaning the lack of reasoned debate from the No on 8 side, opines, "...We are taught that nontraditional sexual orientation is the epitome of enlightened behavior," and, "Traditional marriage probably has less respect and dignity these days than does domestic-partnership status." While the generalizations are unsupported in his piece, and seem ludicrous to me, at least they don't come off as hysterical. In contrast, there's the Villa Park resident who decries the "judicial tyranny" and "intolerance for traditional marriage" behind the push for equality. She says what this is really all about: "indoctrinating children" and stripping parents of their rights.

For a progressive take on the legal battle over Prop 8, you need look no further than... the OC Register. And I refuse to look further than the OC Register, because I could get stuck here all day reading about this, and that wouldn't do anybody any good.