Threats to Children and Marriage Mysteriously Linked to Yard Debris!

I have so many things to write about, I scarcely know where to begin. I still need to follow up on Metropolis, I want to explore the semantics of the I Pledge video, my pals and I went to 2nd Story last night, I have insightful observations about the Obama Nobel Prize Award, the Wordstock Festival is tomorrow, Professor X and I are joining the Society of the Blue Carbuncle...

But this jostled its way to the front of the line. The religious right in my state has produced an ad to encourage voters to vote no on Referendum 71. What's sort of interesting about the referendum is that it was the religious right who put it on the ballot in the first place. It's designed to encourage rejection of Washington state senate bill 5688 by the general electorate. SB 5688 asks voters to re-confirm the expansion of domestic partnership rights and obligations in Washington's originally limited domestic partnership legislation. The concern is not so much with heterosexual couples shacking up and getting benefits; it's fear that gay folks will. The referendum proponents - wait, not proponents of the referendum, proponents of holding the referedum - want the voters to weigh in on whether those who are not in traditional one man-one woman-one marriage license relationships get to enjoy the civil rights those who are do. Okay, that's not how they would phrase it, but to me, that's what it's about. Indeed, those who gathered the 120,000+ signatures to put the Ref. 71 on the ballot noted:

In truth, it will demolish the state's historical understanding and definition of marriage as that of uniting a man and a woman for life as Washington State will immediately become subject to litigation by same-sex partners demanding that the courts overturn the Defense of Marriage Act and impose "same-sex marriage" (as happened recently in California prior to Proposition 8).

The legislative process is a confusing, convoluted one, often compared to making sausage - it's messy and has some strange bits ground in before something palatable and nourishing emerges. Sometimes the populace is in danger of food poisoning and some sausage/legislation must be thrown out. But I think SB 5688 is worth keeping. The religious right want voters to toss it in the garbage, because they say that God and the Bible tell man not to eat of such sausage. Okay, I think the analogy has gotten a little out of hand. Let's regroup.

Earlier, I mentioned an ad. And you've probably been wondering what the hell the leaf pile references have to do with the subject of this post. Wonder no longer:






My second favorite comment at youtube on this video is from audiwadiwasabi:

::muttering:: "...and protect our children"... protect them! SAVE THE CHILDREN! Save them from the leaf-throwing queers! They just don't throw them right! They throw them WRONG! The queers are gonna teach our children how to throw leaves queerly! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

My favorite comment is from beetlebalm:

As a follower of Christ, I go by the golden rule. We are to love one another as we love our selves, and to love God with all our hearts. Nothing in Christ's words suggests we should marginalize people who have made lifelong commitments to each other and wish to have that commitment be recognized and honored by law. As a follower of Christ, I will vote in favor of R-71.

Amen.