Obama Wins

[Ran]

When I was in, I heard how much things sucked when Carter was in charge. Most enlisted guys were living close if not below the poverty line. All the old guys I worked with said how great things became when Regan took over. Those guys were truly thankful for Regan as president and many of them were sad when he passed.

I joined right when Clinton took over. We got a couple good raises when there was a Republican Congress. Things got much better financially when W. took over.

[side rant]By the way, Carter can still suck my balls. When we were in Guyana for that humanitarian project, he happened to be in the country at the same time. They said he might stop by, but instead, he drove right by us on the way to the airport. And when I say right by, he could have seen us from his car window. Anyway, the Guyanese President and the US Ambassador did come by the job sites. The Ambassador even let us hang out at this house on the 4th of July.[/side rant]

[Rollo Tomassi]

Thanks for putting voice to my frustrations on the Prop 8 bullshit, anarky. I keep hoping all the absentee ballots will be counted and be enough to push it over the top, because all the intelligent, forward thinking people have the foresight to vote ahead of time. But thats partly wishful thinking. I realize I live in a world of ignorant hate-mongers and no amount of patient discussion and explanationon my part of why they are ignorant hating douches will change that. The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off. Like wanting to punch somebody pissed off. The entire misdirection campaign of the "Yes on 8" people bringing schools into it and all that crap.

All the people that voted Yes, if they had lived in a different time, would be the ones who vote to keep slavery intact, or refuse women and blacks the right to vote. And they can refute that all they want but its true. Hatred and non-acceptance is hatred and non-acceptance no matter what bullshit you drape over it. (I say non-acceptance because I can't stand the phrase 'intolerant/tolerant'. It implies you are tolerating another person's way of being and implies you are somehow superior to them). What I really don't get is how other minorities, who have been subjected to persecution for centuries, all the sudden, very easily slip on the hypocrisy coveralls and find the fit to their liking.

The only solace I can take comfort in is that eventually this WILL happen. 10, 20, 40 years from now people will look back and wonder what the issue was, and why were so many people ignorant assholes. Gay rights are inevitable. Just like other minorities. So you can either be one of the closet haters hiding behind your dogmatic hypocrisy, or you can be an example of charity and benevolence akin to the ideals of the figure you claim to cherish.

[anarky]

I can't say I fully blame anyone who voted yes. The pro-8 groups put a lot of money into airing bullshit. People, sadly, don't read their ballots. Last night on one LA channel, a reporter was commenting how odd it was that props 7 and 10 were defeated when people claim to be in favor of strengthening environmental standards. Never mind that one was a prop created with good intentions and was so flawed it would never work, and the other was really a sham funded by T Boone Pickens that would give money to T Boone Pickens. If even someone whose job it is to report on these things is so clueless, you can't expect Average Joe the Plumber to read and understand the propositions.

I really don't like to think this way, but I read last night that turnout in San Francisco and the other Bay Area counties was quite low. (Alameda was something like 18%.) Not to toss around stereotypes lightly, but there's a pretty huge gay community there. Same thing in Palm Springs. Maybe they all voted early and don't show up in those numbers. If not, though, (back to the "don't like to think this way" bit) it's tough to feel bad for a group that doesn't appear to have voted to preserve their own rights.

[Ran]

So they spent $58M arguing over amending the state constitution when they could have just kept the money and started collecting revenue from the marriage licenses?

He is a politician, of course, but I think that any lack of pay raises for the military would be due to the same reason my wife probably won't get a raise for a few years--the economy is in the shitter and governments don't have much money.

He hasn't been inagurated yet. Isn't it a little early to start making excuses?

[anarky]

Apparently, there are a few million votes (absentee?) left to be counted, and the secretary of state hasn't issued a statement. It doesn't look good, though.

However, I found this on a news article on Google when looking for specifics about the uncounted votes. How can you see this and vote against it?

(Okay, it's tame, but it was attached to a news article not posted by Newsbot, which is what I found surprising.)

[Slicker]

I don't understand how you could not want that. Although most of the females that do do that sort of thing look like Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

[Diabolical]

Although most of the females that do do that sort of thing look like Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

And thats being kind...unless its porn.

[Ran]

I don't understand how you could not want that. Although most of the females that do do that sort of thing look like Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sleazer]

HOOOOOOOOOOOOO !

[anarky]

Did you guys see that the state of Arkansas passed a ban on adoption by unmarried couples, which was intended to keep kids away from gay couples (who cannot be married in Arkansas), but cleverly is worded to ban any adoption by any unmarried couple so as to not violate a 2006 Supreme Court ruling?

Yes, in a world where there are not enough adoptive and foster parents, let's keep kids in the care of the states instead, and then say it's not against gay adults, but to protect the children!

It boggles my mind the depths of stupidity and hypocrisy these people will sink to. How many kids will grow up in state care, which is fucked up no matter where you are, instead of being placed with loving parents of either sexual persuasion. Given that this is the religious uber-right, isn't it funny that they're opposed to abortion but are making it harder to adopt?

[Rollo Tomassi]

I heard some dickbag on the radio mouthing his ignoramus views on gay marriage stating that "a marriage is a union between a man and woman for the sake of propagating the species." Which made me want to call in and say, "so barren women and infertile men aren't allowed to be married? And childbirth should then be MANDATORY. If you get married and don't spit out a baby, then its OFF TO PRISON WITH YOU deviant non-conformists!!"

The best/worst part is that its an argument over wording. It's just a word. Marriage. They should just dissolve any reference to marriage, civil unions, etc in the law books and everyone can get finkledrummidged.

[Ben Reilly]

Marriage is sacred! If you want to ruin marriage, the next thing you know, Stegron the Dinosaur Man will rule the earth!!

[anarky]

It looks like the California Supreme Court is going to side with the Proposition 8 supporters, making comments that they can't simply overrule the will of the voters.

So, I hereby propose that, ballot initiatives are placed on the California ballot to one by one take away rights from ALL minorities. First, one proposing blacks can no longer own houses. Then one that Latinos can no longer drive on interstate highways. Asians cannot use the same water source as others. Women must receive 3/4 or less of the pay of a man in the same job. Vegans must wear a hat proclaiming their vegan diet at all times and have no recourse if someone force-feeds them hamburgers.

Trouble is, I doubt the message would get through, and most people would not get the satire and think I was being a bigot for bringing it up.

[vynsane]

Trouble is, I doubt the message would get through, and most people would not get the satire and think I was being a bigot for bringing it up.

or, y'know... agree with it all, like our very own ben reilly.