i am not batman

nov 4th was quite an important day for me. deep down inside i had made a decision that if the election had gone the wrong way, i was going to push to get the hell out of here - new zealand seemed like a good place at the time (although there has since been an election there that brought in a conservative government, go figure). anyway there was no way i would have been able to continue to live in a country that clearly had no interest in changing for the better - im still not convinced that we are there yet, but at least i have some hope that change might happen whether people like it or not.

ive always thought that growing up and living in california had been a strong influence on my political views. there is a far more openness and an acceptance of diversity, and people tend to take more of a long term view on things. however on election day this year, california threw another knuckleball which it does from time to time (see the ban on affirmative action in 1997 and the recall of Gray Davis and election of Arnie in 2003). somehow the majority of the voters in california that day decided that it was a good idea to pass Proposition 8, amending the state constitution to take away the already established rights of a class of people to have a legally recognized marriage.

ive thought about this for almost three weeks now, and i still dont get it. why would someone want to deny someone else the legal recognition of their love for someone else? to all of those people in california (and florida and arkansas) that voted for this, i ask you - what the hell does it matter to you? it has nothing to do with you! this is not a statement on your own marriage! i must say that as much as i am proud of the fact that i grew up in california, this one event puts so much of that pride to shame.

as annoying and dramatic as keith olbermann can be, he has summed up many of my thoughts and feelings on this issue quite well. if you are one of those individuals that on nov 4th voted yes for any of the measures on your ballot that limited the rights of gay and lesbians, i ask you to watch this video and really ask yourself, why it is important to you to limit the rights of another person?

-b