New York Governor David Paterson will reportedly introduce legislation this week which would legalize same-sex marriage in New York.
Its passage is not remotely a sure thing, but I like the idea of striking while the same-sex marriage iron is hot. That's some good Radical Gay Agenda strategery, right there.
Feel the homomentum!
The Ubiquity of Marriage
News from Shakes Manor
So, lots of people don't know how to pronounce McEwan.*
It may not be one of those zany Chinese names that gives Betty Brown a case of the vapors, but it nonetheless causes much confusion among people who don't speak, uh, Scottish. Or something.
The most common mispronunciation is mick-ee-wan, followed closely by mick-wee-in, and the best mispronunciation until now had been massey-wan, which I thought made very creative use of that "c" by turning it soft.
But I just got off the phone with a telemarketer who asked to speak to "McWeenut."
To which I could only reply, "Are you looking for Iain or Melissa McWeenut?"
------------------------
* For the record, it's mack-yoo-uhn.
Grade 10 Government Class
As you might expect, the Iowa Supreme Court ruling overturning the state's ban on same-sex marriage didn't sit well with the wingnuts in the Hawkeye State. Gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats says that if he's elected, he'll issue an executive order overturning the court's ruling.
Several lawmakers and Phil Roeder, a spokesman for Gov. Chet Culver, said the governor doesn’t have that power.Um, that would be the Iowa Constitution. Remember that thing you swore an oath to uphold? It was in all the papers.
“Governors in Iowa do not have the ability to prevent or overturn a decision of the Supreme Court through an executive order,” Roeder said. “It’s disappointing that some people, especially politicians, would try to mislead the public into thinking that governors do have such power.”
Vander Plaats said in a telephone interview he would try the executive order approach anyway - and thinks Culver should try it now.
“Who is to balance the courts?” he said. “Who says the courts get the final say?”
And then there's the matter of whether or not the ruling of the Supreme Court is anything more than an opinion.
Co-founder of Everyday America, Bill Salier, told the crowd that state lawmakers need to thank the Supreme Court justices for their opinion but say it's merely opinion and the law is still on the books.I don't know about a "magic eraser" -- is that anything like the "magic sky faerie"? -- but the Iowa Constitution is pretty clear that yes, the state Supreme Court does have the power to do just that:
Salier said: "(Lawmakers) can face down the court and say, 'We passed DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. You claim that it is stricken. And yet unless some magic eraser came down from the sky, it's still in code.'"
The supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction only in cases in chancery, and shall constitute a court for the correction of errors at law, under such restrictions as the general assembly may, by law, prescribe; and shall have power to issue all writs and process necessary to secure justice to parties, and shall exercise a supervisory and administrative control over all inferior judicial tribunals throughout the state.And by that I assume the court has the right to enforce the state's Bill of Rights, which includes Article 1, Section 1:
Rights of persons. SECTION 1. All men and women are, by nature, free and equal, and have certain inalienable rights - among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness.I know a couple of people who teach in the public school systems in the state of Iowa, and they are great teachers, so I'm sure they would have covered this basic information in high school. There's no excuse for anyone running for the office of governor in that state not to have a basic grasp of the state's foundation of law. The same goes for Mr. Salier, who presumes to speak for "everyday America."
So either these people are too stupid to not understand the basics of government, in which case they have no business running for any public office beyond village idiot, or they are willfully ignoring the rulings of the state court. In either case, they should be kept as far away from the levers of power as possible, and it might not be a bad idea if they went back to high school.
HT to Steve Benen.
Cross-posted from Bark Bark Woof Woof.
This Is Awesome
Not only do I speak for all feminists*, but apparently, I'm also an invincible empire.
Rod Dreher: Maggie, you and I are on the same side of the gay marriage issue, but I am pessimistic about our chances for success. You, however, are optimistic. What am I missing?Holy Jebus, I'm just seconds away from my Zeppelin Flying Death Machine. I knew I should have worn my black turtleneck, sport jacket, and eyepatch ensemble today. KNEEL BEFORE ZERO!
Maggie Gallagher: Vaclav Havel mostly. "Truth and love wlll [sic] prevail over lies and hate." On that basis Havel took on the Soviet empire. Where is that invincible empire now?
(*Clarification in comments. Thanks, Dutchmarbel!)
Tuesday Puppy Growth Explosion
Miss Rosie is nine weeks old today! Just ten days ago she was about the size of Sam's head.
Assvertising
Apparently, this advert has been airing for awhile, but Iain and I only saw it for the first time last night:
If you can't view the video, a series of screencaps is here, and the brief description is a Scottish dude—whose Scottishness is noted not just by his accent, but by his (obviously fake) ginger beard and matching tartan hat and necktie—runs around finding people who say that all synthetic oils are the same and smacking them with a dipstick while shouting the catchphrase, "Think with your dipstick, Jimmy!"
When we saw this, I looked at Iain expectantly, the same way he looks at me when we've just seen a blatantly misogynist advert. "What did you think about that, babe?" I asked him.
"It's insulting," he replied, with the same sort of terse annoyance that greets any mention of the Green Ogre Who Shall Not Be Named, which is likely to set off Iain on a rant about its having been formulated from a collection of negative stereotypes of the Scots—grumpy, penny-pinching, misanthropic, hulking oafs. The dour Scots. For some reason, Iain doesn't find amusing a movie about tolerance whose main character reinforces an ugly stereotype most of its viewers are too ignorant to realize even exists.
He's so touchy. Always looking for things to get mad about, that one.
One of the, ahem, interesting things about this country's history of treating race as a binary—white and nonwhite, with who is (and isn't) white determined by a constantly (and still) fluid definition—is that the lines between "white" cultures and disparate "white" ethnicities get blurred in service of the idea of a single "white" race. But stuff like this advert makes quite evident the strained seams of that false construct.
[Assvertising: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty-Two, Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five, Forty-Six, Forty-Seven, Forty-Eight, Forty-Nine, Fifty, Fifty-One, Fifty-Two, Fifty-Three, Fifty-Four, Fifty-Five, Fifty-Six.]
May First is Blogging Against Disablism Day
Diary of a Goldfish is hosting Blogging Against Disablism Day (BADD) once again on May 1st, 2009. BADD is an opportunity for bloggers worldwide to raise awareness about disability discrimination. People with all kinds of disabilities or none at all are welcome to participate.
Diary of a Goldfish's complete instructions for getting involved are here. The bottom line: Post a comment at Diary of a Goldfish announcing your intent to participate. Then, let as many people as possible know about BADD in advance. Finally, get down to work:
Write a post on the subject of disability discrimination, disablism or ableism and publish it on May 1st - or as close as you are able. Podcasts, videocasts and on-line art are also welcome. You can cover any subject, specific or general, personal, social or political. In the previous three BADD, folks have written about all manner of subjects, from discrimination in education and employment, through health care, parenting, family life and relationships, as well as the interaction of disablism with racism and sexism. Every year I have been asked, so it's worth saying; the discrimination experienced by people with mental ill health is disablism, so naturally such posts are welcome too.Diary of a Goldfish provides banner codes and links to BADD archives from the past three years. Check it out.
H/T to Anna and Hoyden About Town
Interesting
A nice catch by Steve at NMMNB:
It's a thin little paperback put out by the sci-fi publisher Baen (which also published a couple of Gingrich's books). Much of the book is in comic-book format. The plot concerns various folks who've been brutalized by the horrific Clinton tax increases (remember the suffering?) and who mount a grassroots campaign -- with, curiously, the help of Grover Norquist -- to unseat Democratic incumbents and prevent further national nightmares, like universal health care. Rush Limbaugh (on TV -- this was back when he wasn't just on radio) is a movement muse; Newt Gingrich gets a name-check.Images at the link. Yet more evidence that the Republican party has no. New. Ideas.
Yes, tea bags are mailed to targeted members of Congress.
Senator Al Franken
So sayeth a three-judge panel in Minnesota. Sayeth Norm Coleman: "I'm totes gonna appeal, bitchez!"
And thus our democracy flourishes in a courtroom once again.
Question of the Day
What is the best dream or worst nightmare you've ever had?
The Fucktology and Time-Traveling Super-Agents dreams were pretty good ones. I'll have to think about what's my best dream ever, though.
Worst is any one of hundreds in two recurring series about: 1.) Being in a high-rise apartment building that's engulfed by a tsunami; or 2.) Being in a rickety elevator on a track that curves and swoops and swings the carriage from side to side in a way that makes me feel extremely unsafe.
Limbaugh: Still an Idiot
In other news, water still wet.
On Friday's show, Limbaugh read from an article about the association between breast enhancements and confidence in female attorneys, asserting that if it "gets wide distribution, [it] will set feminism back 50 years"—thereby proving yet again that he has no idea what feminism even is. It's not going to come as a surprise to any feminist that women feel obliged to conform to a particular beauty standard, nor that there exists a relationship between body image and confidence—and evidence of the existence of these things doesn't "set feminism back." Feminism is a series of strategies to address stuff exactly like that. Maude on high, he's a dumbass.
Anyway, once he's done babbling nonsensical nonsense about how the feminist movement is somehow being set back by evidence of the patriarchy, then he whips out the old "feminism is for ugly chicks" canard. Yes, Shakers—the '80s really are back!
This is a strange piece, but, nevertheless, this piece, if it gets wide distribution, will set feminism back 50 years.Before you have at him in comments, let me just issue a reminder to be better than him: His weight and addiction have nothing to do with his diarrheic vitriol.
It's a story from a website called BitterLawyer.com—BitterLawyer.com: "Law professors won't tell their female students this, but one method some women use to get ahead in the corporate world has nothing to do with grades, or professionalism, or hard work—just fake boobs. In a recent Bitter Lawyer poll, 58 percent of those asked said that boob implants could only help a woman's career; the remainder of respondents were split on the matter. Just over 23 percent of those polled paid—said that such cosmetic changes were 'irrelevant'." [reads more of the article, which is, in actuality, largely about the relationship between subtle breast enhancements and self-esteem]
"…In other words, if she feels sexy, she'll be more confident (in the bedroom and at work), and success will likely follow." Can I redirect you to feminist truth number 24—undeniable truth of life number 24—written by me in the mid-80s? Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society. It's proved practically every day in our modern culture.
Done Deal?
James Kirchick, an assistant editor of the New Republic and a contributing writer to the Advocate, suggests that it's time for the gay rights movement to think about hanging it up.
Just in time for spring wedding season, gay marriage activists are celebrating a triumphant few weeks. Last Tuesday, the Vermont legislature effectively legalized same-sex unions in that state. Days earlier, the Iowa Supreme Court had ruled that a statute barring gay marriage was unconstitutional. And here in the nation's capital, the D.C. Council voted unanimously to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.In the first place, "the notion that we are always and everywhere oppressed" isn't just a notion. It's a fact, both in state, federal, and local laws and in large segments of the majority religious faith -- Christianity -- in this country. It's not just a notion when the state of Florida still bans adoption by gay couples for no other reason than they are gay. It's not just a notion when 46 states can still discriminate against same-sex couples getting married. It's not just a notion when members of Congress can still advocate amending the Constitution of the United States to specifically target a significant portion of the citizenry of the country based solely on an innate trait such as sexual orientation. And it sure wasn't a notion to Matthew Shepard or any of the other countless gays, lesbians, bisexual, transgender and others who have faced brutality, cruelty, demonization, and terrorism, sometimes at the hands of their own family. It's all too clear that oppression, real or perceived, is out there.
But amid all the history being made, one gay rights organization did something really historic: It announced that it would shut its doors at the end of the year, because its mission was complete.
Formed in 1999 to lobby for the right of gay couples to adopt children in Connecticut, Love Makes a Family was the lead organization advocating for same-sex marriage in that state. It successfully lobbied lawmakers to pass a civil unions bill in 2005, but fell short of achieving its ultimate goal until last October, when the state supreme court ruled that the Connecticut constitution endows same-sex couples with the right to marry.
"Mission accomplished" is one of the most difficult things to say when your organization depends on working toward a cause, but Love Makes a Family did it. And other gay groups may soon need to follow suit. If the gay community truly wants to achieve equality, it will have to overcome a victim mindset that is slowly becoming obsolete.
[...]
Once the goals of an organization with a specific mission are achieved, as Love Makes a Family's were last October, it should relish its victory, cease operations and move on. This is the sign of communal maturity. The continued operation of a gay rights organization in the state that was the first to institute marriage equality and that has the most progressive gay rights laws in the country reflects a sense of eternal victimhood.
[...]
This is a realization that comes easier to younger gays like me (I'm 25) than to older ones. For people who grew up in a time when being open about one's homosexuality could result in being fired or thrown into prison, it's harder to move out of a mindset that sees the plight of gay people as one of perpetual struggle. This attitude is all the more pronounced in those who hold leadership positions in the gay rights movement, as their life's work depends upon the notion that we are always and everywhere oppressed.
It's in the culture of any institution to justify its existence. This is especially so with civil rights groups, which thrive on a sense of persecution, real or perceived.
It's not as if passing laws or achieving a victory means the battles are over. Melissa and I were discussing this via e-mail today, and she noted that "the National Organization for Women was founded in founded in 1966 as a general women's advocacy organization, but, by virtue of the politics of the time period, had a heavy focus on Roe -- which they've STILL got to defend today, almost 40 years after its passage. Is there any reason to expect that same-sex marriage will just be a 'done deal,' given what's happened in California?!" Absolutely not.
Mr. Kirchick is correct in saying that some civil rights groups -- or at least elements of them -- tend to perpetuate their own existence and could conceivably outlive their usefulness, but that may be more a problem within the group, not the cause itself. And at the risk of taking a page from Benjamin H. Grumbles, this young whippersnapper wouldn't be able to come out with an article like this if it hadn't been for old farts like me and the people who stood up at Stonewall in 1969, or going back further, who literally risked life and fortune to form the Mattachine Society and advocate for gay rights in 1950, two years before I was born. At the tender age of 25, he has benefited from the work -- not to mention the pain and suffering -- of a lot of men and women, gay and straight, who worked to give him a world where he can sit there are blithely say, gee, thanks, you made your point, now shut up and go away.
It's understandable that a civil rights organization's decision to shut down would induce nostalgia for struggles gone by. But the underlying reason for the move represents a step forward. Arriving days before Iowa and Vermont legalized gay marriage, it points to the day, hard as it may be to imagine now, when civil rights groups will no longer be necessary.Yeah, wouldn't that be nice; I'd like to see that day, too. I also like to see an end to world hunger, peace everywhere, a cure for AIDS, a chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage. But you don't get those by just wishing for it, and as far as civil rights are concerned, there are always going to be those who think that not everyone is entitled to the same rights as everyone else. And as long as they're out there, we'll need to be there, too.
Phil Spector: Guilty
This just in: Phil Spector found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Lana Clarkson at his mansion six years ago.
Second-degree murder carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison.
Happy Blogiversary...
...to Feministing, celebrating five years of patriarchy-smashing and flaunting their tittays in front of former presidents as part of a feminist conspiracy to drive Ann Althouse to the brink of sanity.
Here's to another five, grrls!
Number of the Day
180. The degrees spun by Obama on habeas corpus between "trying to convince Democrats to make him their nominee and then their President" and actually being their President.
Candidate Obama described "abducting people and imprisoning them without charges [as] (a) un-American; (b) tyrannical; (c) unnecessary to fight Terrorism; (d) a potent means for stoking anti-Americanism and fueling Terrorism; (e) a means of endangering captured American troops, Americans traveling abroad and Americans generally; and (f) a violent betrayal of core, centuries-old Western principles of justice."
President Obama, however, "safely ensconced in the White House, fights tooth and nail to preserve his power to do exactly that."
Bill's got your relevant blogaround here.
Daily Kitteh
Tils has important business to take care of in her office chair.
Livs is on All Mice Who Enter Won't Leave With Their Lives Watch.
Sophs surveys all from her favorite loft perch—and is duly pleased.
Assvertising
[Trigger warning.]
These images are from a new campaign for Hansaplast condoms (which are not sold in the US):
[Full images available here and here. Possibly NSFW.]
See, it's funny because the women so clearly didn't give their consent to be groped, as evidenced by the respectively surprised and annoyed looks on their faces! Haw haw!
Men—they're incorrigible! *shakes head; grins wryly* Boys will be
This is, of course, not the first time we've had occasion to look at implied or overt sexualized violence in the Assvertising series. I can think of few things that would make me more disinclined to purchase a product being advertised than the suggestion of sexual assault, even in one of its "benign" incarnations.
[Assvertising: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty-Two, Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five, Forty-Six, Forty-Seven, Forty-Eight, Forty-Nine, Fifty, Fifty-One, Fifty-Two, Fifty-Three, Fifty-Four, Fifty-Five.]
Oh Yoko
I'm listening to my iPod and "Oh Yoko" by John Lennon comes on and it gets me thinking. You know what I hate? That tired fucking meme about how Yoko broke up the Beatles.
Discuss.
I 
Reed Johnson
And not just because he's got an awesome gay porn name.*
Yesterday in Milwaukee, bottom of the 5th with no outs, the Cubs up by 4, the bases loaded, and the Brewers' awesome slugger Prince Fielder on the plate, Dempster throws a fat one over the plate. Fielder whacks the everloving shit out of it, and it's a goner—he's going to get the first grand slam of his career.
Enter Reed Johnson with some major-league pwnage.
UPDATE: The video can also be seen here if that one's no longer available.
Cubs' left-fielder Alfonso Soriano called Johnson's catch over the 8-foot wall "unbelievable...the best catch I've seen in my career."
It's almost bittersweet for me, because, although I'm a diehard Cubs fan, I really like Prince Fielder a lot—and did even before he "saluted Johnson with a tip of his batting helmet as he walked off the field."
Wow.
-------------
* But not even the best gay porn name in the Cubs organization. That honor goes to Mr. Richard Harden.
