Gay Marriage in the Midwest

And Riverside, Iowa is the future birthplace of James T. Kirk (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside,_...). That, despite Starfleet HQ being at the Presidio in San Francisco.

Sorry, "birthplace or childhood home" depending on your continuity, that is.

Gay marriage is not inevitable. California voters voted against gay marriage, so stop writing worthless columns about something that is illegal, you left-wing liberal nut job.

I bet you hurt her feelings with your rapier wit, TomAnderson:

I think you may want to stick to writing your normal fluff articles Starshine.

Every time you write an article about prop 8 and same sex marriages, you end up looking like a total moron. And then I find myself asking how you have a job writing in a publication for adults...

There goes 5 minutes I'll never get back.

bronc:

That fact that it took you 5 minutes to read the article speaks volumes.

Doubtless your lips were really movin'!

Starshine is absolutely right. gay marriages will be allowed in California - it is just a matter of time. The younger generation is overwhelming in favor of gay marriages and not even the Good News Club will be able to change their minds. My bet is 10 years from now gay marriages will be legal in California by a vote of the people.

Yves: Could you tell us where Kirk ended up living?

Starshine is entitled to think and write as she likes. Trust a narrow-minded person to tell her what to say, and what topics to choose. And like the freedom touted by many on the right, gay marriage will be legal and will allow those involved to celebrate their freedom to marry whom they choose, as well.

"All civil rights battles end badly for bigots"

I'm not so sure: We have had two presidents who support the Patriot Act and the so-called "progressives" aren't saying a word about Obama's pro-Patriot Act 2006 vote.

Progressives celebrate gay marriage as the cause-du-jour on one end, and turn a blind eye on the fact that Big Brother is creeping in on our lives on another.

Funny how the civil rights battles under one given admininstration take a back seat when the support of these battles would make the succeeding adminstration look bad.

Check out this link about Ashton Lundeby, the 16-year old who has been in jail for the last two months (at the time this story broke) who cannot be defended thanks to the Patriot Act.

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/618.htm...

Where Kirk ended up living is complicated.

Whether same-sex marriage will come to be allowed is less so. Nate Silver, with whom I wouldn't try to disagree with on statistics, calculated that "Marriage bans ... are losing ground at a rate of slightly less than 2 points per year. So, for example, we'd project that a state in which a marriage ban passed with 60 percent of the vote last year would only have 58 percent of its voters approve the ban this year."

See http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/04/w... for his predicted years in which each state will have majority support for same-sex marriage. California is 2010.

Sorry Starshine, you're pretty funny usually, but this time the comments have you beat.

"stop writing worthless columns about something that is illegal, you left-wing liberal nut job."

Gee. I wonder if that works. Let's try:

Stop telling Starshine to stop writing about something that is unjust, you right-wing conservative nut job.

"Gay marriage is not inevitable."

Only stupid people think so.

"California voters voted against gay marriage"

65% of those under 35 voted against Prop 8. Bigots die off.

"so stop writing worthless columns about something that is illegal"

Perhaps "stupid" is too kind. Marriage between whites and blacks was once illegal. Women voting was once illegal. That some freedom is illegal is no reason not to write about it.

"you left-wing liberal nut job"

"left-wing" and "liberal" are antonyms of "stupid".

"Progressives celebrate gay marriage as the cause-du-jour on one end, and turn a blind eye on the fact that Big Brother is creeping in on our lives on another."

Yeah, Bill, I'm sure you're the expert on what progressives are concerned with.

For your enlightenment, you should google "Glenn Greenwald".

JayB: Thank you for the compliment about my expertise on progressives, not that I ever claimed to have such knowledge.

I took your advice and googled Glenn Greenwald, and yes, I concur that he doesn't run with the sheep and good for him that he is questioning the status quo.

Now let's get back to my original point: For whom did most progressives vote, and who do they plan to vote for in the next election? If the answer is someone outside the two-party system, then I will consider myself duly chastened.

Bill: We're still not asking or telling.

I love it, anyone who disagrees with same sex marriage is a bigot/racist/right wing/ or some other derogatory term now. That's one way try and scare people to think the way you do with hate.

Think like me, or you're a ______.

Oh wait, isn't that almost the definition of the word bigot? Hello. Kettle. Black.

For anyone who had done ANY research into the CA Supreme Courts case with Prop 8 would have know that it had a snow balls change in hell of being over turned in court. Even Jerry Brown knew they didn't stand a chance, but people went on wasting money and time and really doing an injustice to the gays out there by giving them a false sense of hope. (And for those less inclined to research the topic they write on out there, another soap boat to stand on *cough*Starshine*cough*)

At least the papers in SF base their articles on something called facts, and not calling people names, making fun of others and putting down people who disagree with your views.

bronc: Hm, I re-read her column, and I didn't see any name calling. And I don't see how 'right-wing' can be called a derogatory term, at least not any more than 'left-wing'.

I agree there's no place for name calling, but from what I've seen, both 'sides' seem equally guilty of it.

And yes, I did some name calling, but I'd defend it as meta-name-calling.

However, it appears that telling people to stop writing actually works sometimes!

"I took your advice and googled Glenn Greenwald, and yes, I concur that he doesn't run with the sheep and good for him that he is questioning the status quo."

The point is, Greenwald is very popular among progressives.

"For whom did most progressives vote, and who do they plan to vote for in the next election?"

Someone who might win, of course. Greenwald voted for Obama and almost certainly will vote for him again.

"If the answer is someone outside the two-party system, then I will consider myself duly chastened."

Yeah, right, you'll only be duly chastened if progressives do something stupid.

JayB: Why did Obama vote for reauthorization of The Patriot Act in 2006?

Help! help!Some queers got married now my marriage is in trouble. I would like to see one cogent argument for why anyone with a brain cares one iota about whether some queers get married or not. I don't see anyone protesting that if they pay taxes our ability to pay taxes will be compromised in some way. Will letting them have drivers licenses damage my ability to drive? I don't know if homophobia is so much akin to bigotry as it is a sign of silliness and narrow mindedness. Why the hell they want to get married is beyond me but I say let em and let's move on to far more serious problems.

Noletaman: You should really think twice about the way you so casually use the word "queer". You know perfectly well that when you refer to a group of people, you are to capitalize the word. Remember always to capitalize all nouns, and nouns are a person, place, or thing. Now that you've been corrected, go in peace my brother.

Starshine, you ROCK! (as usual).... As for the disrespectful, very ignorant comments towards you. Eh, who cares. They're just a perfect example of why we shouldn't inbreed. Wow. They do that in California? Guess so.. In any case, Gay Marriage will be legal, it IS inevitable and lastly, all of you hateful Americans are all going to burn in a fiery hell for your evil and I might add, uneducated thoughts and opinions. Wash yourselves clean.. It's the very least you can do for the environment.

Have a great day Starshine!
PS. I just love how endearing some people can be.. "Some queers...." sigh...

As a conservative, you know what I like about this article? How Starshine manages to make this issue NOT about Right and Left politics, but about individual rights. That's what she chose to point out about Iowa. And I appreciate that. Too often Rights and Lefts pigeon-hole eachother - like a lot of you have done in the comments section - when the issue of gay marriage isn't about political self-identification.

I am socially conservative, and I think it's appalling that gay people aren't allowed to marry. I think it's tantamount to denying interracial couples the right to marry. It's so backward for this century and my generation that I can hardly conceive that it's an issue. Didn't we defeat this mentality 30 to 60 years ago?

I saw a bumper sticker today that said "marriage = man + woman" and I thought to myself that when my children are the age I am now (mid-20's), seeing something like that will be like seeing a "Whites only" sign on a water fountain today.

LV, that is the most offensive comment I've ever read.

Gay Marriage is morally wrong, against God, and now thankfully illegal. It should stay that way!

And guess what ? Here's a shocker:

THE MAJORITY OF CALIFORNIANS AGREE WITH ME.

Including your messiah, pres. Obama.

That must hurt

Gay marriage isn't 'illegal', it just doesn't exist. Nobody is going to be arrested for trying to get married, they just won't succeed in California if they are of the same sex.

TomAnderson: Are you suggesting that the president has been inconsistant? Just because he remained silent for 20 years while Jerimiah Wright preached what he preached and only when the press found out about it did he denounce Wright doesn't make him a hypocrite does it? Just because he's expanding the war and voted for the reauthorization of the Patriot Act while running on an anti-war pro civil liberties platform doesn't mean he's trying to appease all sides does it?

No, it doesn't hurt me a bit because I have my head in the sand and believe whatever the DNC tells me.

Of course to be fair, I also believe everything the RNC tells me as well.

@TomAnderson

"Gay Marriage is morally wrong, against God, and now thankfully illegal. It should stay that way!"

What you don't seem to understand, is:

1) Gay Marriage cannot be "morally wrong", just because *your* particular religious morals say it is.

and,

2) Gay Marriage *might* be "against God", but that relies on two things:

A) Everyone believes in the same God.
B) God intends for His Word to be enforced upon others--and not only as Rules to govern one's own life.

"And guess what ? Here's a shocker:

THE MAJORITY OF CALIFORNIANS AGREE WITH ME."

That is a classic case of "Tyranny of the Majority", while often lauded in the disguise of "Democracy", is actually counter to what American Government really is: A Democratic REPUBLIC--which was meant to be a "representative democracy" as opposed to a "direct democracy". A direct democracy is what is enacted, when Californians make use of Initiative and Referendum, which, like many things, fails greatly when it is abused.

There you go, equus_posteriori, confusing poor Mr. TomAnderson with nuance, empathy, and those pesky facts.

Some day you may realize life is so much simpler in black & white, dictated by an Ancient Authoritarian Figure based on medieval desert tribe lore. And hate... that's important too.

Thanks, binky--I'll that that first paragraph as a compliment!

Great article, Starshine! I, too, am dismayed that Iowa is more progressive than California, and not a little surprised. Way to go, Iowa!

equus_posteriori - you make a lot of sense to me!