March 29, 2013

Justice Alito: Same-Sex Marriage Is ‘Newer Than Cell Phones Or The Internet’

During Tuesday’s “Prop 8” oral arguments, Justice Alito compared same-sex marriage to modern technology saying, it is “newer than cell phones or the Internet.” I don’t know about you, but I find statements like this unconvincing, and actually in this case, just bizarre. Because the whole point of the “Prop 8” and “DOMA” cases is that gays and lesbians are being denied equal rights. If you’ve been denied equal rights for decades or centuries, but only started to gain those rights (state-by-state) in recent years, how can that be used against you? Same-sex marriage is new because it was illegal until recently. Same-sex marriage is not new because it’s the latest trend, fad or what all the cool people are doing.

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March 27, 2013

DOMA: The Indefensible Defense Of Marriage Act

Signed into law in 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of restricting federal marriage benefits to heterosexual marriages only. But what exactly does DOMA defend? I mean, the very name of this act implies a profound protection of the institution of marriage, so it must make great strides to defend the institution.

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March 26, 2013

Justice Scalia Got Served By Ted Olson During “Prop 8” Arguments

During today’s oral arguments on California’s gay marriage ban (Prop 8), Justice Scalia asked Ted Olson, the lawyer challenging Prop 8, “When did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage? 1791 [Bill of Rights ratification]? 1868, when the 14th Amendment was adopted?” Olsen answered Scalia’s question with his own question responding with, “When did it become unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages?”

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March 26, 2013

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness: Marriage Equality is Inevitable

There are times when it feels like we are taking one step forward, two steps back. There are times when advancing freedom and liberty takes a backseat to narrow-mindedness and bigotry. But over the past decade, on the issue of gay rights, Americans have made great strides in social acceptance. And regardless of bumps in the road and hurdles yet faced, for those of us who are not guided by prejudice, bigotry and dogma, we see what is inevitable — that all 50 states will some day recognize same-sex marriage, and afford gay and lesbian couples the same rights.

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March 25, 2013

Poll: When It Comes To Drones, Most Americans Say ‘Fight Them Over There’

A new Gallup poll shows a strong majority of Americans (65%) support drone “airstrikes in other countries against suspected terrorists.” President George W. Bush was wrong about a lot of things, but he tapped into a sentiment that many Americans feel (right or wrong), that they would rather take out perceived enemies on foreign soil. Bush famously said we would fight the terrorist “over there” so we don’t have to fight them “over here.” And who wouldn’t want their enemies vanquished in some far away land, out of sight, out of mind? As for collateral damage — well, we are at war, right? A one-state war against a tactic, not a nation or an army, but that’s just semantics, right?

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March 24, 2013

The Legal Argument For Marriage Equality

Marriage, as recognized by the state, requires a license and is a legal contract between two people. It should be of no consequence if this legal contract is between a man and a woman or two men, or two women. Because it is administered by the state, that state must abide by the U.S. constitution. Or in other words, a marriage license and the legal contract that goes along with it must not discriminate.

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March 24, 2013

Tea Partiers: Fox News Isn’t Conservative Enough

Remember when Fox News couldn’t stop talking about Benghazi? It was Benghazi-gate, 24/7. OK, maybe that’s somewhat embellished, but there is little debate over whether Fox News provided ample coverage of a supposed Benghazi cover-up — well, except for some Tea Party nuts. They believe Fox News is not conservative enough, and they point to their perception of a left turn for the “news” network in the aftermath of the 2012 election.

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March 22, 2013

Rachel Maddow: Obama Receives Israeli Award, Fox News Runs ‘Enemy Of Israel’ Hannity Commercial

Last night Rachel Maddow pointed out that both CNN and MSNBC covered a ceremony where President Obama received the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor. What was Fox News doing at that time? — They were running a “Hannity” promotional commercial about Obama’s lack of support for Israel, and how it strengthens enemies of Israel. Oh, and this commercial told the captive Fox News audience to expect “expert insight.”

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