Iraqui Monument to Shoe Thrower - Artistic rendering erected in Saddam's home town

Eat Veggies 1 day/week instead of buying local

From the Jan/Feb '09 issue of Sierra Magazine:


Recently many concerned eaters, worried about the number of "food miles" their meals have to travel between farm and fork, have sought to eat as locally as possible. While there are many fine reasons for doing so, the transportation of food turns out to account for only 11 percent of its greenhouse-gas emissions. According to Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews of Carnegie Mellon University, food production is a much greater factor--especially that of red meat, because of the high energy and fertilizer use required. Switching from beef to veggies one day a week, the researchers figure, would reduce your carbon footprint more than if you bought all of your food locally.

The graph above measures various foods by metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per household annually. Non-CO2 gases include methane, which cows burp, and nitrous oxide, released in the growing of cattle feed. —Paul Rauber

Levi Johnston's Mom busted in drug Alaskan drug sting

The paternal grandmother-to-be of Sarah Palin's soon-to-be-born grandchild was busted on drug charges - how do you like them family values.

Play Sock and Awe - Pretend you're an Iraqui journalist and test your shoe-heaving skills, to express your membership in a "free society"....

Daily Show - 12/9/08 Mike Huckabee thinks being gay is a lifestyle choice, not an attribute like race, and therefore not worthy of protection

As soon as we can ditch the bullshit tact that "it's a lifestyle choice", we win - all other arguments fall by the wayside and it becomes a true civil rights issue.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Sarah Palin Turkey Carnage!

Unbelievable - Pardon a Turkey, then give an interview while they're being slaughtered and blood-drained right behind you? Sheer genius! (of the idiot-savant category), you're a maverick alright - you refuse to conform to the basic tenets of human intelligence!

Not Changey Enough For Ya?

Get a grip! After 8 years of baffling incompetency, ignorance, demagoguery, and constitutional obliteration, all the change that was talked about for so long is now becoming manifest in cabinet and advisor picks that are the best of the best, based on intelligence, competence, and experience. That's the the change we need, and the change we deserve. Obama is selecting the best people for the job, based on his criteria for getting the job done. Whether or not they served in the current, Clinton or Bush-senior administrations is irrelevant - as long as they're smart, qualified, and not ideologues or "graduates" of Bob Jones or Liberty university...we'll be just fine.

California Supreme Court to Hear Arguments Against Prop 8

San Francisco—The California Supreme Court today denied requests to stay
the enforcement or implementation of Proposition 8, and at the same time
agreed to decide several issues arising out of the passage of Proposition 8.

The court’s order, issued in the first three cases that had been filed directly in
the state’s highest court challenging the validity of Proposition 8, directed the
parties to brief and argue three issues:

1. Is Proposition 8 invalid because it constitutes a revision of, rather than
   an amendment to, the California Constitution?
   
2. Does Proposition 8 violate the separation-of-powers doctrine under
   the California Constitution?
   
3. If Proposition 8 is not unconstitutional, what is its effect, if any, on
   the marriages of same-sex couples performed before the adoption of
   Proposition 8?
   

In its order, the court established an expedited briefing schedule, under
which briefing will be completed in January 2009 and oral argument potentially
could be held as early as March 2009.

Obama on 60 minutes

Watch CBS Videos Online

No on 8 protest pics from Join the Impact in Monterey 11/15/08

Courtesy Frizt Leiss' Flickr archive...photos from the Nationwide "Join the Impact" protest from last Saturday (11/15/08)

Join the impact - Nationwide protest today

Continuing info on actions taking place against prop 8 at:

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/

The court battle against prop 8 solidifies

From the Lambda Legal website:

"The California Constitution makes clear that a major change in the roles played by the different branches of government cannot be made by a simple majority vote through the initiative process, but at the very least must first go through the state legislature. Changes to the underlying principles of the constitution must be approved by two-thirds of both houses of the legislature before going to voters. That didn't happen with Proposition 8, and that's why it's invalid."

Keith Olberman's Special Comment on Gay Marriage and Prop 8

It's a question of love...Thanks Keith, we love you - you're the hero of the 4th estate.

Map of Prop 8 Results by County

The coastal counties from Santa Barbara north, with the exception of San Luis Obispo, and Del Norte at the top of the state held the line against discrimination and propagation of hate, along with Mono, and Alpine along the eastern center of the Sierra. While abysmal Tulare county had the most haters with 75.4% voting yes on hate.

Words of wisdom, from a forgotten age...

In 1948, the California Supreme Court recognized marriage as a fundamental right when it became the first state court in the country to strike down a law prohibiting interracial marriage. The California Supreme Court held that:

Marriage is thus something more than a civil contract subject to regulation by the state; it is a fundamental right of free men. There can be no prohibition of marriage except for an important social objective and by reasonable means. No law within the broad areas of state interest may be unreasonably discriminatory or arbitrary.... The right to marry is as fundamental as the right to send one’s child to a particular school or the right to have offspring. Indeed, “We are dealing here with legislation which involves one of the basic civil rights of man. Marriage and procreation are fundamental to the very existence and survival of the race.” (Skinner v. Oklahoma, supra, at p. 541.) Legislation infringing such rights must be based upon more than prejudice and must be free from oppressive discrimination to comply with the constitutional requirements of due process and equal protection of the laws.

Dissembling Sarah - Fox Noise is Nalin' Palin...

Latest in Palintology - Africa: Country or Continent?

Lamda Legal and ACLU file petition against Prop 8

Lamda Legal and the ACLU have filed a petition in the California Supreme Court on behalf of Equality California and six same-sex couples urging the court to invalidate Prop 8 if it passes.

Prop 8 - Hate won out, but now comes the hard work

First, it's important to understand what happened: Paul Hogarth has a compelling commentary on the Calitics blog.

Then, we have to look at what happens next:

Jerry Brown said in August that Prop 8 will not be retroactive

The SF City Attorney is filing a lawsuit challenging the validity of the proposition

Gloria Allred is representing the first lesbian couple who got married in LA, and is also filing a lawsuit

There are still 3 - 4 million ballots to be counted according to the official No on 8 Election Statement

At least 47% and possibly up to 70%, of yes on 8 contributions came from the LDS (Mormon) Church, with much of it coming from out of state

Call the Secretary of State voter hotline, or CNN to report voting problems

Sec'y of state: 800-345-8683
CNN: 877-462-6608 (877-GOCNN-08)

Here's how I'm voting:

OBAMA!!
Sam Farr
Bill Monning
Todd Hornik
Measure Z - YES

Prop1A - YES
Prop 2 - YES
Prop 3 - NO
Prop 4 - NO
Prop 5 - YES
Prop 6 - NO
Prop 7 - NO
Prop 8 - NO!!
Prop 9 - NO
Prop 10 - NO
Prop 11 - NO
Prop 12 - YES

Now go out and Vote!