Non-Scientific Poll from The Orlando Sentinel

From the Orlando Sentinel poll I just found today online.

I know it's unofficial, but it's till so surprising to me! Just as an FYI, even though we are going to have a referendum in November regarding marriage equality rights, in our state, 60% of those voting have to approve any amendments to the Florida constitution. I know it will be a tough fight, but it sure made me smile to see these preliminary results from the beating "RED" heart of Florida....

Should gay marriage be banned in Florida?

Yes (4471 responses)

48.5%

No (4550 responses)

49.4%

I don't know (195 responses)

2.1%

• 9216 total responses (Results not scientific)

"...an individual's capacity to establish a loving & long-term committed relationship with another person...does not depend upon...sexual orientation"

"Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation..."

California Supreme Court Ruling S147999

Even the Governator of California says, "I respect the court's decision and as governor, I will uphold its ruling...and, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this (ruling)."

Apparently the same infamous US Supreme Court that installed Dubya as President of these United States 7 long, long years ago may still yet be able to undo the right thing done today by California's Supreme Court with an appeal of today's ruling, but for today, at least, the Golden State has never been more golden!

WARNING: Expect to hear the "liberal media" talk about how badly this will damage Obama's chances in November. This old line has just been done to death! Call me overly-optimistic, but, ever since John McSame's home state of Arizona narrowly rejected the "Gay Marriage Ban" in 2006, I have begun to suspect that the fear-mongers of the RRR (Radical Religious Right) have begun to run out of juice, as they say, on the subject of marriage equality. They just can't scare most people now with talk of the great threat people like me pose to the "sanctity of marriage". Most folks nowadays have too many threats that are more real & more tangible to them than the monster called GAY MARRIAGE: like the cost to fill their gas tanks & the war-without-end in Iraq & a government that has become the enemy of the governed & is slowly squeezing the life out of the same rights it says it’s fighting to protect & what happens if they or a family member gets sick or hurt & doesn't have health insurance or if the health insurance they have won't even cover their particular situation & wondering how to they can afford their prescriptions and their groceries & how they can pay for college for their kids, etc., etc., etc., etc.

MSN story here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24649689/

Califormia Supreme Court ruling here:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/080515_CA_SC_Marriage_Ruling.pdf

Truth, Justice & The American Way...

Martin Luther King Jr.: January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lotta people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he's gone

Didn't you love the things that they stood for?
Didn't they try to find some good for you and me?
And we'll be free
Some day soon, it's gonna be one day

"Abraham, Martin and John" by Dion & the Belmonts

Today, April 4, 2008, is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King died that day, the victim of a bullet to the head, on the 2nd floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee while visiting in support of striking sanitation workers.

Jesse Jackson, who was with Dr. King at the time of the shooting, confirms that the last words spoken by Dr. King were to his friend & musician Ben Branch, who was to perform at a gathering later that evening. Those words, according to the 2006 book, At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68, were "Ben, make sure you play Take My Hand, Precious Lord in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty." It was his friend, the great, Grammy-award winning gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, who sang the song, his favorite hymn, at his funeral at Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he is buried.

James Earl Ray subsequently confessed to Dr. King's murder on March 10, 1969.

Below is a couple of clips of speeches given by Dr. King. The first one is part of the final speech that Dr. King gave the night before his death at the age of 39. Next is a clip of an anti-war speech given by Sen. Robert Kennedy, who also assassinated in 1968--2 months & 2 days after Dr. King's death. Another shorter clip of Dr. King follows that.

Dr. King helped to introduce hope & the very concept of freedom to people of every different color & every walk of life, many of whom may have known the literal meanings of the words "hope" & "freedom", but who had never been personally familiar with the ideas that the words represent.

In the song, "America The Beautiful," I am reminded of the man who set all of us free:

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!

There is no way to properly describe what this world lost when Dr. King was taken from us. For so many--then & now--he was the very symbol of the potential our country had/has to be so much more than we think we are.

Even in death, he still reminds us today that what the world sees on the outside is the least of who we really are as beloved children of God.

Because of all he did for the Kingdom of God on earth while he was still here, he still speaks of his dream & of his undying hope for his beloved country & of his eternal belief that it is right that will make might...one day.

In his historic refusal to give up fighting the good fight, he still gently prods all who care about equality & justice to keep seeking the Promised Land.

Sometimes, it seems we still have so far to go, but, in Dr. King's honor, & because we really have no choice but to do the right thing, we must never allow ourselves to tire, and we must never take our eyes off the prize that Dr. King & so many others have earned with their precious blood. We must gently, yet steadfastly, continue that good fight even when we feel we have no fight left. It's what Dr. King did & it's what any lovers of liberty must do.

Dr. King: "All we say to America is, 'Be true to what you said on paper.' If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions; maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the Freedom of Assembly. Somewhere I read of the Freedom of Speech. Somewhere I read of the Freedom of Press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for rights. So just as I say, we aren't going to let any dogs or water hoses turn us around; we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around."

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead, but it really doesn't matter with me now because I've been to the mountaintop, and I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain, and I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So, I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy: "I don't think any of us will be satisfied in the United States until that war is brought to an honorable end and American soldiers are brought back here to the United States."

Dr. King: "One day we will have to stand before the God of history and we will talk in terms of things we’ve done."

"It seems that I can hear the God of history saying, 'That was not enough! But I was hungry, and ye fed me not...'"

In the interest of complete historical accuracy, the remainder of Dr. King's last quote follows here: "...I was naked, and ye clothed me not. I was devoid of a decent sanitary house to live in, and ye provided no shelter for me. And consequently, you cannot enter the kingdom of greatness. If ye do it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye do it unto me.' That’s the question facing America today."

Happy Birthday, Ted!

Today, Edward Moore Kennedy celebrated his 75th birthday!

I have long been a fan of the Kennedys, and most especially, Ted Kennedy!

One of the best things about Senator Kennedy is that--love him or hate him--you know exactly where he stands on just about any issue! He is my kind of Democrat! He compromises when he can, but he never compromises his principles! He fights for the elderly, the poor, the environment, women's rights, workers' rights and--yes--EVEN gay rights! Ted Kennedy is the voice for so many of us who have felt so forgotten or so demonized for so long. He stands as a living reminder that government has the power--and the moral obligation--to serve ALL it's people, not just those with enough luck to have been born to money and privilege. His brother, John's, inaugural speech in 1961, summed it up memorably:

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor,
it cannot save the few who are rich."

I also remember back before the 1980 election, when Senator Kennedy was competing against President Carter for the Democratic nomination. When Ted got to the convention & finally ended his candidacy, he gave a memorable concession speech, his voice breaking with obviously deep emotion. The last line in the speech that night still rings in my mind & in my heart today...

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives
and the dreams shall never die!"

Some of us still dare to dream, thanks, in large part, to the senior senator from Massachusetts.

Happy Birthday (and Thank You), Senator Kennedy!

Darkness finds its way to The Sunshine State

Got this email from Equality Florida today about the anti-marriage rights amendment which will appear on the ballot in Florida this November.

Here's the text of the email, if you're interested:

The day we expected has finally arrived.

A few hours ago, the Florida Department of Elections officially certified the deceptive "marriage protection amendment" to be on the November ballot.

Disappointing? Yes. Surprising? No.

After 4 years of signature gathering, the only surprise is how narrowly they reached the deadline.

Those pushing this onto the ballot hope to strip away rights from all unmarried Floridians by stoking anti-gay sentiments. Some of them are motivated by a desire to impose their particular religious beliefs on people through the Constitution. Others see this as tactic to help far right candidates in the November Presidential election. What this isn't about is "gay marriage".

Two state laws and a court decision already block access to marriage for gay couples in Florida. Now, this amendment would close the door to civil unions and any meaningful domestic partnership benefits for all unmarried Floridians - gay and straight.

Beyond the legal obstacles to taking care of our loved ones, this amendment is intended to deliver a dangerous symbolic blow by denigrating the lives of gay Floridians. It is the singling out, the idea that the majority should vote on the rights and the humanity of fellow citizens that makes today's news a particular and personal insult. And it is why in the wake of these amendment battles across the country, we consistently see an increase in anti-gay hate crimes.

I hope we give ourselves just a moment to grieve that this has been forced upon us. To feel the hurt , sadness and anger that are appropriate ways to feel in the wake of this news.

Knowing, intellectually, that we must face this challenge is one thing. Having it finally arrive in all its ugly spitefulness is another. It was difficult not to hold onto a glimmer of hope Florida would avoid this fight especially as the far right struggled to meet the deadline.

But now is the time to take a deep breath and allow that false hope to transform into the deep resolve to DO THE WORK that will DEFEAT this measure.

And we can DEFEAT it. Opposition to the amendment is broad, diverse and growing everyday. We stand with the NAACP, Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, Florida Consumer Alliance, Planned Parenthood, and more than 200 other civil rights, union, campus, faith, senior and social justice organizations who are part of the Fairness for All Families Coalition working to DEFEAT this amendment.

Polling shows we are within striking distance of beating this amendment if we are willing to do the work. Talk to your circle of influence, step outside your comfort zones and engage the people in your neighborhoods and the places where you shop.

Our job is to bring this message to millions of voters in Florida who are unaware and ill-informed about this measure. And experience has shown us our conversations matter. On Jan 29th, Equality Florida members were part of the Fairness for All Families Primary Day of Action that drew more than 500 volunteers out to talk to voters at polling places across the state.

Seasoned activist and first-time volunteers reported back with excitement how often a quick conversation had persuaded someone to vote NO on the amendment.

In November, your friends, family and co-workers will go to the polls and decide whether our families will be denied adequate protections, whether essential benefits can be stripped away and whether anti-gay political attacks are a good investment for the far right.

It is time for all of us to do something. Here's a good place to start: Sign the Pledge to Vote No and personally recruit 5 of your friends to do likewise. If everyone on this list did that today we would have nearly half a million more supporters by Monday.

We can't allow the people in our lives to go to the polls in November and make decisions about us without ensuring they hear the truth about this amendment and the harm it would inflict.

Working together we can DEFEAT this amendment.

Sincerely,
Nadine Smith
Executive Director
Equality Florida

Because Al Says So

I had heard that the real winner of the 2000 US Presidential election had spoken out for equal marriage rights for GLBT people on the network he owns (Current TV), but I just found the video of his statement today & I wanted to share it here.

Please check out the man who should have been President tell it like it is...

http://current.com/items/88817757_gay_men_and_women_should_have_the_same_rights

Transcript:

I think it’s wrong for the government to discriminate against people because of that person’s sexual orientation.

I think that gay men and women ought to have the same rights as heterosexual men and women, to make contracts, to have hospital visiting rights, to join together in marriage, and I don’t understand why it is considered by some people to be a threat to heterosexual marriage to allow it by gays and lesbians.

Shouldn’t we be promoting that kind of faithfulness and loyalty to one’s partner regardless of sexual orientation? Because if you don’t do that then to that extent you are promoting promiscuity and you are promoting all the problems that can result from promiscuity.

And the loyalty and love that two people feel for one another when they fall in love ought to be celebrated and encouraged, and shouldn’t be prevented by any form of discrimination in the law.