Washington '12: Getting Stoned at our Gay Weddings

[Grad Students are the Worst]

My problem is not at all with people who want a religion to give them guidance.  It is not my thing, but if it makes people happy, I could never bring myself to try to take it away from someone.  It doesn't matter whether I understand it or not.  I can understand why religious people are so fearful of being coerced to behave against what is, for them, a source of love and comfort.  I may not understand it personally, but that doesn't matter.  That's what the pursuit of happiness is about.

That is exactly why some of the Republican speeches were unconscionable to me.  Despite their arguments about religious liberty (which were really about other bills, not gay marriage) they immediately turned around and argued that their religious views precluded other religions' ideals of marriage and other people's ideals of love.  This really frustrates me.  Then, most of them spent speech time saying how they "did this out of love," and hoped others would respect their decision, etc.  It is like they were spending speech time reassuring themselves that everything is OK because they're good people, and good people wouldn't do bad things.  They do.  And that's the kind of thinking that lets them sleep well after they do.

Maureen Walsh could have spent four minutes up there talking about believing in the goodness and love in herself.  Instead, she spent it talking about the goodness and love in everyone, and at the core of the human experience.  I'm sending her a check once I have money in the bank.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Yikes, that was ranty.  Man, I'd be really annoying if there were more issues I felt non-ambivalent about.

[afleitch]

Maureen Walsh could have spent four minutes up there talking about believing in the goodness and love in herself.  Instead, she spent it talking about the goodness and love in everyone, and at the core of the human experience.  I'm sending her a check once I have money in the bank.

To me, it's probably one of the most influential speeches ever given on gay marriage by a legislator (and I do mean that) because of it's simplicity. Those who oppose gay marriage could at a time before there was gay marriage use any appeal to oppose it. As more gay marriages take place and there are no effects on anyone except a positive effect on gays who get married opposition is much more difficult.

Eventually you are left with people who oppose it out of nothing but spite. To them gay marriage is about everything but gays; it's about 'religion' and 'freedom' and the 'family' and 'tradition' and 'don't know know what gays actually do?'

Mrs Walsh essentially speared that argument very simply. As every married person will know marriage isn't all about sex, it's about much more than that. If you deny the 'much more than that' because of prudish views on sex then you actually demean what a marriage is about. To then deny the benefits of marriage to a group of people for reasons completely unrelated to those benefits is nothing more than spite.

[CultureKing]

Random side note:
I had a dream last night that Santorum was walking around Olympia (he will be there tomorrow) doing all of his anti-gay shenanigans. However in my dream he gets hit by "glitter cannons" which then renders him permanently glittered (my bizarre dream then fast forwarded to him, still sparkling, debating Obama on national television. For me this was an oddly relevant dream sequence, usually I am saving the moon from aliens or flying like superman around a volcano or something.

Question: Will there be significant counter-protests to Santorum's visit? His presence will outrage a good number of liberals and gay-rights activists. As an Olympia native I know that it may be one of the least friendly places for Santorum to visit...

[Fuzzybigfoot]

Santorum's coming to Olympia? 

[CultureKing]

Santorum's coming to Olympia? 

Yep! Basically he is going to be the cheerleader for anti-marriage equality forces. Really puts a sour note on what should be a great/historic day for Washington State.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017479338_santorum11m.html

[bgwah]

What a dick.

[bgwah]

Greg Nickels is running for SoS? What!?

I really need to pay better attention.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

John Milem, a Vancouver man who was basically the redistricting committee's vigilante roadie, was thanked by the commissioners after the process finished and is now petitioning for the Supreme Court to strike it down.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

The Gay has been signed.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/13/10398748-wash-governor-signs-gay-marriage-bill-into-law

[Ogre Mage]

The Gay has been signed.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/13/10398748-wash-governor-signs-gay-marriage-bill-into-law

Three cheers for the great state of Washington!  This is a landmark moment in our state history.

[Gass3268]

Congrats to Washington!!!

[Governor Scott]

[asexual trans victimologist]

Also noteworthy is that the New Jersey Senate passed gay marriage today. It doesn't have enough votes to override a possible Christie veto but it does have enough votes to be sent to referendum.

[Seattle]

Yay us(Washington)!!!!!

And New Jersey too!

[realisticidealist]

I'm sure there will be a referendum, so don't get too excited just yet.

[Nagas]

Civil liberties marches onward.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

[Senator MaxQue]

John Milem, a Vancouver man who was basically the redistricting committee's vigilante roadie, was thanked by the commissioners after the process finished and is now petitioning for the Supreme Court to strike it down.

Vancouver, WA?

[Grad Students are the Worst]

John Milem, a Vancouver man who was basically the redistricting committee's vigilante roadie, was thanked by the commissioners after the process finished and is now petitioning for the Supreme Court to strike it down.

Vancouver, WA?

Yep

[bgwah]

John Milem, a Vancouver man who was basically the redistricting committee's vigilante roadie, was thanked by the commissioners after the process finished and is now petitioning for the Supreme Court to strike it down.

Vancouver, WA?

Yep

Glad it's being challenged, though I'm not a fan of his proposed maps. The Highway 20 connection bothers me the most. Sure, it's technically a road connection, but it's closed for half the year! You can't even travel on that road during election season. It should not be used as a connection.

Furthermore, he may only have four counties split --- but he splits King County seven ways to do this, despite the fact that King County only has about 1.9 million people.

He's right about the commission ignoring the rules (they just used "community of interest" BS when necessary to justify their gerrymanders), but focusing on the goals as much as he did results in an equally silly map, IMO.

[ModerateCoward]

Oh wow, cross cascades district is really designed to protect the incumbent Republican.
http://www.spokanegop.com/component/content/article/353-washington-state-congressional-district-map-as-adopted-by-the-redistricting-commission-on-january-1st-2012
I think this is the right map? I am not sure how taking away king county instead of pierce county can be justified for a cross cascade county except for gerrymandering/incumbent protection. If it's an I-90 district, shouldn't it actually have areas near I-90 instead of random collection of rural areas? 4 Safe Republican seats isn't cool.

[bgwah]

That's the right map. And it's definitely an incumbent protection map, which was to be expected, though I was hoping it wouldn't be that bad.

[ModerateCoward]

That's the right map. And it's definitely an incumbent protection map, which was to be expected, though I was hoping it wouldn't be that bad.

Do democratic incumbents really need protection?

[bgwah]

That's the right map. And it's definitely an incumbent protection map, which was to be expected, though I was hoping it wouldn't be that bad.

Do democratic incumbents really need protection?

Rick Larsen did.

Party elder Denny Heck was also treated as a de facto incumbent.