(http://www.dogfacts.org)

Since the end of the election race, I’ve heard a good deal about Barack Obama’s first press briefing, his frist meeting with President Bush (which took place earlier today), and who will make up his Presidential Cabinet.  Perhaps the most disturbingly prominent story, though, has been the forty forth first family’s selection of a…first dog.

The Obamas needn’t fret, though – the good people of Peru have offered them a Peruvian Hairless puppy, the national breed of Peru (pictured above).  I think it’s kind of cute…?

I’ve even heard talk that two dogs might be headed to the White House in January.  I hope the Peruvian government is feeling generous.

At least the Obamas can let Peruvians down easy – Malia is allergic to most breeds, so they have a good excuse if they decide to refuse the chance to own one of these precious South American pooches.

One has to wonder, though: can you be allergic to a hairless dog?

“Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

That’s prop 8.  That’s it.  That’s the whole thing.  With the exception of the presidential race, there was no one piece of legislation or any one campaign in the 2008 election more costly than prop 8.  Its proponents and opponents together raised well over seventy million dollars, more than 9 million of which were from sources outside the state of California, evidence that prop 8 truly grabbed the attention not only of Californians, but of Americans from coast to coast.

As of December 9 of this year, prop 8 will be officially included in the state constitution of California, and will overturn the California State Supreme Court’s May 2008 decision to allow same-sex marriage.

So what exactly does prop 8 mean for…

Californians?  It means the most culturally, socially, and economically influential state in the USA, which had the chance to propel the worldwide gay rights movement forward (way, way forward), failed to do so.  It means that Californians chose to limit a family to what is currently the only accepted definition: one father, one mother, and x number of children.  Does this necessarily mean that opponents of same-sex marriage hold some unreasonable prejudice, though?  Or can a good argument be made that the current definition of a family is, in fact, the best definition?  Those in favor of prop 8, largely religious groups, generally support a ban on same-sex marriage for one of three reasons: One, they truly believe it is necessary for a child’s development for him to grow up with one father and one mother; Two, they fear what they do not understand, and they simply don’t understand the mentality of a homosexual; or Three, because the Bible says it’s wrong.

For the gay rights movement?  It means fights elsewhere in the US – in places like Washington, DC, which had wanted to start marrying same-sex couples as soon as April of 2009 had prop 8 failed – will be a steep uphill climb.  Whoever has California on their side has the support of the most powerful state in the US.  

For same-sex couples already married in California?  That’s up to the courts.  The California Supreme Court will ultimately decide what happens to the well over ten thousand same-sex couples already married in California.

So by deciding that the current, “traditional” definition of marriage is, in fact, the only one good enough for them, Californians have preserved the monopoly heterosexual couples have on marriage in pretty much every US state.  The question now is, was choosing to preserve that definition worth it if it means stripping ten percent of the world’s population of their equal rights?

]]> http://julianmorris.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/prop-8-in-plain-english/feed/ 1 julianmorris http://julianmorris.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/a-brief-introduction/ http://julianmorris.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/a-brief-introduction/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:20:44 +0000 julianmorris http://julianmorris.wordpress.com/?p=3 ]]> BLOG.  (as defined by the infinitely useful Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

Main Entry: blog

Pronunciation: \ˈblȯg, ˈbläg\

Function: noun

Etymology: short for Weblog

Date: 1999: a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.

I guess I buy that.  I might have steered away from the personal journal bit – after all, we have the internet to thank for the end of personal anything – but, by and large, the above is what I’m aiming for.

My goal is not to shove my opinion down your throat.  It is not to spoon-feed you information and expect you to agree with me one hundred percent of the time.  It is rather to lay out the facts, tell you where I stand, and help you make the educated choices it is your right as a human being to make.  My goal is to share with you the passion I have for understanding the world around me as best I can.  I know that, at least for me, the very reason we exist will always remain an anomaly, and unlocking the meaning of life is not what I strive to do.  All I want is to understand and accept the views of others, and to share my own with those willing to listen.

”Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions – it only guarantees equality of opportunity.”

-Irving Kristol