So. Conflicted again.
I'm becoming one of those people who doesn't post until I get so full of outrage and angst and craziness that I just have to - leading people to think I'm angsty and crazy and outrageous (in the second or third definition sense of the word). Hell, it might even be true.
I'm unbelievably thrilled that Obama won. I expected it, hoped for it, voted for it, etc., but there was that little part of me that just couldn't believe people could get over their innate prejudices to vote for a young, inexperienced black man. Of course, it's possible that they were just more afraid of McCain than said black man - but I'm choosing to believe that it's because we've all decided that it's time for a change.
It's things like Prop 8 that feed that little voice about prejudice. I know we're all sick about it, so I'd like to share a "hope tree" that I've created:
It isn't over. There's a 4.4% / 500,000 vote discrepancy, but 2-3 million uncounted absentee and provisional ballots. Absentee ballots tend to be more liberal, so there is a rational, albeit slim, hope. Plus I had to vote provisionally, so this means my vote would count. :)
2. The ACLU, EQCA, NCLR, and Lambda Legal filed a suit in June challenging the process by which Prop 8 was to be (probably) approved. (http://www.nclrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_challenge062008) It's still working its way through the system, but if it comes out the way I'd like, the whole Prop 8 mess will just go away.
3. Various other lawsuits were filed today, contesting the constitutionality of the Amendment to the California Constitution on various theories. Frankly, some of the theories are better than others and some of those others barely pass the sniff test - but you never know what'll happen.
4. Whatever we've done as voters, we can undo. Let's qualify a new proposition guaranteeing marriage equality for all; getting rid of 'marriage' altogether (any two consenting adults can get a civil union, and any couple can get a church marriage if they want and the church allows, too); reaffirming the California Constitution's equality for all; or whatever. Point is, if we qualify a new proposition, the "Yes" vote would mean "Pro-Equality", we could get a better message out there, fewer people would be confused, we could get some dedicated centralized leadership and get the right message to the right people, and people wouldn't not vote because Obama would win anyway.
The guy who killed my friend, by driving 80 mph the wrong way down the freeway with a BAC 3 times the legal limit and colliding head-on in his cousin's uninsured vehicle - that guy - his sentencing hearing was today. He changed his plea to guilty a while back, so he was eligible for a sentence of between 16 and 18 years. After a 3 hour hearing, he got 18 years, no parole, and immediate deportation to Mexico at the end of his incarceration (he's an illegal alien, too). After stressing about it all day, even though I knew that 2 years one way or the other wouldn't make the difference of a hill of beans, I got the news, and am now calmer. Still angry, depressed, angry, nostalgic, angry, and all the rest of it, but certainly calmer. I guess it's just the symbol of it: he got as bad as he could get, and that's worth something.
So, not a whole lot of productivity at work for me today. I think I'm going to head home early and see if I can't get 4-5 good hours of work in while surrounded by warm fuzzies (and a good friend) and maybe a fire in the fireplace. If not, at least there's lots of shit I can throw around the house to make me feel better!
I'm unbelievably thrilled that Obama won. I expected it, hoped for it, voted for it, etc., but there was that little part of me that just couldn't believe people could get over their innate prejudices to vote for a young, inexperienced black man. Of course, it's possible that they were just more afraid of McCain than said black man - but I'm choosing to believe that it's because we've all decided that it's time for a change.
It's things like Prop 8 that feed that little voice about prejudice. I know we're all sick about it, so I'd like to share a "hope tree" that I've created:
It isn't over. There's a 4.4% / 500,000 vote discrepancy, but 2-3 million uncounted absentee and provisional ballots. Absentee ballots tend to be more liberal, so there is a rational, albeit slim, hope. Plus I had to vote provisionally, so this means my vote would count. :)
2. The ACLU, EQCA, NCLR, and Lambda Legal filed a suit in June challenging the process by which Prop 8 was to be (probably) approved. (http://www.nclrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_challenge062008) It's still working its way through the system, but if it comes out the way I'd like, the whole Prop 8 mess will just go away.
3. Various other lawsuits were filed today, contesting the constitutionality of the Amendment to the California Constitution on various theories. Frankly, some of the theories are better than others and some of those others barely pass the sniff test - but you never know what'll happen.
4. Whatever we've done as voters, we can undo. Let's qualify a new proposition guaranteeing marriage equality for all; getting rid of 'marriage' altogether (any two consenting adults can get a civil union, and any couple can get a church marriage if they want and the church allows, too); reaffirming the California Constitution's equality for all; or whatever. Point is, if we qualify a new proposition, the "Yes" vote would mean "Pro-Equality", we could get a better message out there, fewer people would be confused, we could get some dedicated centralized leadership and get the right message to the right people, and people wouldn't not vote because Obama would win anyway.
The guy who killed my friend, by driving 80 mph the wrong way down the freeway with a BAC 3 times the legal limit and colliding head-on in his cousin's uninsured vehicle - that guy - his sentencing hearing was today. He changed his plea to guilty a while back, so he was eligible for a sentence of between 16 and 18 years. After a 3 hour hearing, he got 18 years, no parole, and immediate deportation to Mexico at the end of his incarceration (he's an illegal alien, too). After stressing about it all day, even though I knew that 2 years one way or the other wouldn't make the difference of a hill of beans, I got the news, and am now calmer. Still angry, depressed, angry, nostalgic, angry, and all the rest of it, but certainly calmer. I guess it's just the symbol of it: he got as bad as he could get, and that's worth something.
So, not a whole lot of productivity at work for me today. I think I'm going to head home early and see if I can't get 4-5 good hours of work in while surrounded by warm fuzzies (and a good friend) and maybe a fire in the fireplace. If not, at least there's lots of shit I can throw around the house to make me feel better!