NO on 8

It's been a long time since my last post. I was sick, and then there was my aunt's funeral (really lovely, actually), and then I got sick again. I'm planning to put up some new pictures of Kid A really really soon, 'cause there are some great new ones, but tonight's post is political.

I know I'm in the suburbs now, because tonight I saw something I never would have seen in our old neighborhood. Driving home from what will be my new office, I saw a group -- a large group -- of people holding up signs. Yes on Prop 8 signs. The signs had slogans on them that read things like "Yes on 8 = religious freedom" and "Yes on 8 = freedom of speech". I'm a long long way from Berkeley, where I was never confronted with conservatism the way I'm confronted with it now. I've seen Prop 8 signs at a ratio of about 10 yes for every no. It's disheartening. It's pretty sickening. It boggles my mind that there is a large segment of the population that thinks it's okay to try to deny people their civil liberties, simply because they are morally opposed to homosexuality. It disgusts me that there are people who oppose same-sex marriage because it would somehow defile the sanctity of marriage, and yet many of these folks have gotten divorces, or cheat on their spouses, or are secretly gay themselves. In addition, those who support Prop 8 are often the same people who advocate for smaller government, and more freedom to make one's own choices (with their money, with their children's education, etc).

I'm not writing this very well, because it's late (for me, anyway), and I'm tired. What I really want to say is that an amendment to California's state constitution is not something to be taken lightly. If we were to change the operational definitions, and deny the right to marry to any other group within the population -- banning marriage between religions, or between races, for instance -- it would be clear as day that such an idea should go down in defeat. Proposition 8 denies fundamental human rights to a segment of the population and, as such, it is wrong. If you live in California, vote NO on Proposition 8.