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To: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
I, myself, and many Californians I know are disgusted with the hatred that the passing of proposition 8 brought. I am asking you to read this over, THE FACTS, not the propaganda. Open your mind for a minute, and realize that this is terrible for future generations as well. How do you know that your future children or grandchildren won't come to you and tell you they are homosexual? Wouldn't you want your child to live a life in which the love they found was supported? Plain and simple, if you are an American, you should believe in preserving the constitution. Proposition 8's passing took away the 14th amendment for a group of people, and I would like to give it back.
Facts v. Fiction
Proposition 8 would eliminate fundamental rights for a group of Californians. It’s unfair and it’s wrong.
Fiction: Prop 8 doesn’t discriminate against gay people.
Fact: Prop 8 is simple: it eliminates the rights for same-sex couples to marry. Prop 8 would deny equal protections and write discrimination against one group of people—lesbian and gay people—into our state constitution.
Fiction: Teaching children about same-sex marriage will happen here unless we pass Prop 8.
Fact: Not one word in Prop 8 mentions education. And no child can be forced, against the will of their parents, to be taught anything about health and family issues at school. California law prohibits it.
California’s top educators including Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell and California Teachers all agree: Prop 8 has nothing to do with education.
Fiction: Churches could lose their tax-exemption status.
Fact: The court decision regarding marriage specifically says “no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs.”
Fiction: A Massachusetts case about a parent’s objection to the school curriculum will happen here.
Fact: California gives parents an absolute right to remove their kids and opt-out of teaching on health and family instruction they don’t agree with. The opponents know that California law already covers this and Prop 8 won’t affect it, so they bring up an irrelevant case in Massachusetts.
Fiction: Four Activist Judges in San Francisco…
Fact: Prop 8 is about eliminating a fundamental right. Judges didn’t grant the right, the constitution guarantees the right. Proponents of Prop 8 use an outdated and stale argument that judges aren’t supposed to protect rights and freedoms. Prop 8 is about whether Californians are willing to amend the constitution for the sole purpose of eliminating a fundamental right for one group of citizens.
Fiction: If Prop 8 isn’t passed, people can be sued over personal beliefs.
Fact: California’s laws already prohibit discrimination against anyone based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This has nothing to do with marriage.
Fiction: Pepperdine University supports the Yes on 8 campaign.
Fact: The University has publicly disassociated itself from Professor Richard Peterson of Pepperdine University, who is featured in the ad, and has asked to not be identified in the Yes on 8 advertisements.
Fiction: Unless Prop 8 passes, California parents won’t have the right to object to what their children are taught in school.
Fact: California law clearly gives parents and guardians broad authority to remove their children from any health instruction if it conflicts with their religious beliefs or moral convictions.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
Two things I want to share with you:
When it was widely announced that Barack Obama is the president elect, for the first time in my life I can honestly say I am proud to live in The States. America. USA. For once my faith in humanity isn't self-propelled and isn't deflated. It was restored. My phone, email, and facebook were flooded with calls and texts from friends and family all around the world. I could hardly believe that some of them were awake (that's you guys in Spain, the UK, and Sweden) and cared so much. (Thank you) Some of those calls and text messages were from friends in Chicago's Grant Park. One of whom is one of my closest and dearest friends Maria. She put together some pictures of the historic Obama rally, and in viewing them I got chills, and I smiled, and cried. Again.
a note on this election from my die hard conservative republican friend....
"It's not a secret to those of you who know me -- in real life, that is, and not just through these emails -- that I'm a generally conservative person, both in my politics and in my personal choices. I've voted Republican more often than not, and helped cause lot of conversations to deteriorate into invective and argument. If I examine individual issues, I probably disagree with President Obama on more things than not.
But today I spent about fourteen hours in Englewood, where as part of my duties with the Attorney General's Office, I had to monitor polling places to prevent voter intimidation and fraud, and ensure that everyone who wanted to cast a ballot had the opportunity to do so (for those of you who don't live in Chicago, you should know that Englewood is inner-city, incredibly poor, and overwhelmingly African American). Toward the end of the day, with about fifteen minutes left before the polls closed, an old man, in very bad shape, was carried in by his family. He couldn't walk on his own, and needed a lot of assistance -- someone carried his walker for him, another helped him read the ballot, and another held his colostomy bag. He was probably around eighty-five years old.
Sitting there, watching this occur, it dawned on me: This voter was a man who spent his entire childhood, and much of his adult life, living in a segregated society where he was looked down upon, physically intimated, and treated as less than human. But today -- in that same lifetime -- he was casting a ballot to help elect an African American to the highest, most prestigious, most awe-inspiring office in the world. That's no small thing.
Today our country elected a man who 150 years ago could've only come to these shores in chains; we elected a man who grew up well outside the traditional corridors of power and influence; we elected a man, who by dint of nothing but hard work and ambition, rose from a broken family and ordinary existence to earn the greatest laurels we as a society can offer. Again, that's no small thing.
There's a little over four years until the next presidential election -- about 1600 days. I have no doubt that I'll probably spend 1599 of those days disagreeing with Obama. But for today, at least, I'm just goddamned proud to call him our President."
It's been a little over an hour since they announced Obama the President elect! Here's 30 minutes of victory updates:
Mark has immense gratitude for all the phone callers, door knockers, and everyone else who made this happen.
Noah I've really never seen a reaction like this to a presidential election. It's like he won the national championship.
Fred is very happy about the future.
Mark is proud.
Katrina has had some faith restored in humanity. Thankfully.
Rana says YES WE CAN!
G Scott is moving forward and can't wait for Thanksgiving. Eating Tom the Turkey with my McCain family is going to be sooo sweet.
Miles Yes we did!
John would like to congratulate Pres. Obama and everyone that did their part to get him there. WE WON!!!!
Christopher couldn't be any happier. GO OBAMA !!!!!!
Cary Yes we can and yes we did!
Chip is so hopeful and proud!
John is what a country!
Jeana obamaaaaaaa.
Gia hopes to stop crying by tomorrow.
Andi is SO HAPPY!!! Yes We Can!!!
Io is proud to be an American.
Eddie is ready for change!
Simone is speechless.
Chris is can we party! yes we can!
Dan is very happy to be able to breathe again... ahhh.
Jason is inspired, excited and going to sleep very well tonight....AND...going to feel like way less of a dick the next time I have to travel over seas.
Scott is so proud of Barack.
Jonny is not going to move out of the country for at least the next four years.
Trey is happy.
Amy is goddamned happy.
Michael is happy to be an American - a great moment in time!
Gregg is reading from his poetry collection, Protection, on Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. at the Cal Student Store on the UC Berkeley campus.
Scott is proud to be an American today. Thank you to all who voted for Obama and took the first step to restoring our nation's greatness.
Jeremy I totally called it.
Matt is moved to tears.
Corey is proud to be American again.
Lori Yes, yes, yes!
Mahmood We are 338!
Benjamin is cheering.
Kurt feels so awesome to say "President OBAMA!!!!!".
Ever I hope Palin kept her snow suit...
Simone is drunk and celebrating. Thanks McCain for his fine concession speech.
Cindy can hear people yelling and screaming in joy out on the streets of San Francisco from inside her apartment.
Danny is dazed.
David Bowie (but performed by The Cure) - Young Americans
Seu Jorge - Changes
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
Bjork - Violently Happy
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Shuffle Your Feet
Jarvis Cocker - Running The World
Talking Heads - Life During Wartime
Blur - Look Inside America
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