Court rulings elevate sexual identity over race: Column

Court takes up gay rights, Obama unlikely to follow : Photo Gallery

Supreme Court Unlikely To Deliver Gay-Marriage Mandate - Forbes Supreme Court Unlikely To Deliver Gay-Marriage Mandate - Forbes Supreme Court Unlikely To Deliver Gay-Marriage Mandate - Forbes	Gay rights advocates hope for unlikely message from Obama - NBC ... Gay rights advocates hope for unlikely message from Obama - NBC ... Gay rights advocates hope for unlikely message from Obama - NBC	Supreme Court Unlikely To Deliver Gay-Marriage Mandate - Forbes Supreme Court Unlikely To Deliver Gay-Marriage Mandate - Forbes Supreme Court Unlikely To Deliver Gay-Marriage Mandate - Forbes	Most Americans think gay marriage is inevitable, survey finds ... Most Americans think gay marriage is inevitable, survey finds ... Most Americans think gay marriage is inevitable, survey finds
In Second Day on Gay Marriage, Supreme Court Takes Up DOMA | PBS ... In Second Day on Gay Marriage, Supreme Court Takes Up DOMA | PBS ... In Second Day on Gay Marriage, Supreme Court Takes Up DOMA | PBS	Obama promise to fight for gay marriage: Public opinion changing ... Obama promise to fight for gay marriage: Public opinion changing ... Obama promise to fight for gay marriage: Public opinion changing	o-GAY-MARRIAGE-RULING-facebook.jpg o-GAY-MARRIAGE-RULING-facebook.jpg o-GAY-MARRIAGE-RULING-facebook.jpg	r-GAY-MARRIAGE-OBAMA-large570. ... r-GAY-MARRIAGE-OBAMA-large570. ... r-GAY-MARRIAGE-OBAMA-large570. ...
When court takes up privacy, Scalia finds himself with unlikely ... When court takes up privacy, Scalia finds himself with unlikely ... When court takes up privacy, Scalia finds himself with unlikely	PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights - Salon. PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights - Salon. PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights - Salon.	Gay rights advocates hope for unlikely message from Obama - NBC ... Gay rights advocates hope for unlikely message from Obama - NBC ... Gay rights advocates hope for unlikely message from Obama - NBC	PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights
PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights	Will Obama Join Republicans in Filing a Supreme Court Legal Brief ... Will Obama Join Republicans in Filing a Supreme Court Legal Brief ... Will Obama Join Republicans in Filing a Supreme Court Legal Brief	Obama May Ask Supreme Court To Overturn California's Ban On Gay ... Obama May Ask Supreme Court To Overturn California's Ban On Gay ... Obama May Ask Supreme Court To Overturn California's Ban On Gay	Supreme court gay marriage hearings: Doma and Proposition 8 go on ... Supreme court gay marriage hearings: Doma and Proposition 8 go on ... Supreme court gay marriage hearings: Doma and Proposition 8 go on
COURT TAKES UP GAY RIGHTS, OBAMA UNLIKELY TO FOLLOW COURT TAKES UP GAY RIGHTS, OBAMA UNLIKELY TO FOLLOW Activists for same-sex marriage could use a master grass-roots campaigner as they take their fight from the Supreme Court out into the states – but they're not going to hold their breath for Barack Obama to lead the charge. Obama's style on gay rights ...	Court rulings elevate sexual identity over race: Column Court rulings elevate sexual identity over race: Column This week the U.S. Supreme Court issued a series of opinions defining civil rights that could portend a dramatic change in American culture, but it's probably not the one you've heard the most about. Despite all the bluster, the reality is Wednesday's ...	FP Passport: Whatever Happened to Obama's Global Gay Rights Agenda? FP Passport: Whatever Happened to Obama's Global Gay Rights Agenda? On the heels of Wednesday's gay marriage rulings at the Supreme Court, a farcical piece of political theater played out on MSNBC. As the plaintiffs in the Prop 8 case ... (The men were released following an international outcry.) The story in many ...	Supreme Court Gay Marriage Rulings Still Ahead As Justices Convene ... Supreme Court Gay Marriage Rulings Still Ahead As Justices Convene ... There are many possible outcomes, ranging from a broad decision proclaiming a fundamental right for gays to marry, which most experts say is unlikely, to more narrow decisions that are limited in scope. Both cases came ... Obama is the first sitting ...
GOP finds itself in a tighter spot on gay marriage after rulings GOP finds itself in a tighter spot on gay marriage after rulings Follow @mpoindc. Republicans issued varying reactions to Wednesday's historic Supreme Court decisions on gay marriage, highlighting the party's challenge in navigating an issue that has growing public support but remains deeply unpopular within much of ...	After DOMA: What's Next For Gay Married Couples After DOMA: What's Next For Gay Married Couples The court's decision does not embrace a national constitutional right to same-sex marriage, but would make married gay couples living in states where their unions are legal eligible for federal benefits already enjoyed by married heterosexual Americans ...	What it means for Michigan: Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, not same-sex ... What it means for Michigan: Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, not same-sex ... For Kent and Diego Love-Ramirez, who are raising an adopted child and recently celebrated Father's Day at the White House upon invitation from President Barack Obama, the DOMA decision will not require Michigan to recognize their marriage. ... Gay and ...	US gay marriage supporters now prepare for fight to extend it nationwide US gay marriage supporters now prepare for fight to extend it nationwide But the court's rulings have no direct effect on the constitutional amendments in 29 states that limit marriage to heterosexual couples. In a handful of politically moderate states such as Oregon, Nevada and Colorado, those amendments could be ...
US high court hands win to gay couples US high court hands win to gay couples IN a huge victory for gays and lesbians, the US Supreme Court has struck down a law denying federal benefits to homosexual couples and cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California. Cheers rang out among the estimated 1000 supporters of ...	Prop. 8: Supreme Court ends California ban on gay marriage but fight remains Prop. 8: Supreme Court ends California ban on gay marriage but fight remains In a ruling that assures further legal battles, the high court found that backers of Proposition 8 did not have the legal right to defend the voter-approved gay marriage ban in place of the governor and attorney general, who have refused to appeal a ...	Illinois Leaders React To Supreme Court Decision Illinois Leaders React To Supreme Court Decision Because Illinois only allows civil unions and doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, most gay and lesbian couples in the state are unlikely to see their status in the eyes of the federal government changed by today's decision, Lambda Legal attorney ...	First Thoughts: Restarting the climate-change conversation First Thoughts: Restarting the climate-change conversation As for the House, according to our reporting, Boehner has three options once the Senate passes its legislation: (1) Immediately take up the Senate bill; (2) Send the Senate bill to the House Judiciary Committee to be marked up; And (3) Have the House ...
For nationwide gay marriage, more battles ahead - News9.com - Oklahoma City ... For nationwide gay marriage, more battles ahead - News9.com - Oklahoma City ... More >>. Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday called a second special session of the Texas Legislature to pass widespread abortion restrictions, after the first attempt by Republicans died overnight following a marathon one-woman filibuster.More >> .... NEW ...	Veteran congresswoman hammers IRS contractor's questionable veterans ... Veteran congresswoman hammers IRS contractor's questionable veterans ... “You know my right arm was essentially blown off and reattached. I spent a year in limb salvage with over a dozen surgeries over that time period and in fact we thought we would lose my arm and I am still in danger of possibly losing my arm. I can't ...	Joe Scarborough, Al Sharpton battle over voting rights court decision [VIDEO] Joe Scarborough, Al Sharpton battle over voting rights court decision [VIDEO] Sharpton insisted the “patient,” which are the states covered under the Voting Rights Act, is still sick and rolling back those provisions of the law were taking away the “medicine.” “Why are you going to take the medicine out now?” Sharpton argued.	The Long Walk to the Altar Continues The Long Walk to the Altar Continues Because California's governor and attorney general declined to defend the law's constitutionality in court, supporters of the measure took up the task; the Justices found they did not have the proper "standing" to do so. Practically, the decision ...

Court takes up gay rights, Obama unlikely to follow : Videos

NRA Stand and Fight: One Simple Question - YouTube NRA Stand and Fight: One Simple Question - YouTube Visit www.nrastandandfight.com to sign up for important updates. ... Law Enforcement ... Duration: 61 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:58:31 -0700	The End of WASP Rule: The GOP Convention ... The End of WASP Rule: The GOP Convention ... It is so hateful and anti-Obama that you'd expect to read a call for the banning ... the center ... Duration: 134 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 23:34:05 -0700	Same-sex marriage bill defeated in New Jersey ... Same-sex marriage bill defeated in New Jersey ... The vote was a blow to the gay rights movement in New Jersey. ... announced they would take ... Duration: 276 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:55:05 -0800	Ukraine: no pardon for Tymoshenko - YouTube Ukraine: no pardon for Tymoshenko - YouTube ... visiting Ukraine said it is unlikely there will be rapid progress on free ... poisonous letters ... Duration: 21 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:39:01 -0700
Online News Update - Transport Apartheid ... Online News Update - Transport Apartheid ... Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT ... And this comes at the right time also ... Duration: 154 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Sat, 09 Mar 2013 21:15:16 -0800	George Zimmerman's Bond Revoked - YouTube George Zimmerman's Bond Revoked - YouTube President Obama's Belfast Waterfront Hall speech in full: Michelle Obama ... dress right ... Duration: 413 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:39:08 -0700	GOP Trying To Keep Elderly Voting Base Alive Until ... GOP Trying To Keep Elderly Voting Base Alive Until ... Republicans are reminding seniors to take their blood pressure medication, hoping they ... Duration: 165 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 09:00:35 -0700	I Hold Islamophobia is Real - YouTube I Hold Islamophobia is Real - YouTube The following things do not count as Islamohphobia. 1 - resisting and pointing out sharia law does ... Duration: 147 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Sun, 15 May 2011 16:18:22 -0700
TYT Episode 10-20-09 (Insane Healthcare Denials ... TYT Episode 10-20-09 (Insane Healthcare Denials ... Watch more at http://www.theyoungturks.com Follow us on Twitter. ... It would take a massive ... Duration: 2706 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:44:28 -0700

Court takes up gay rights, Obama unlikely to follow : Latest News, Information, Answers and Websites

US and World News | NBC New York

Getty Images In a landmark decision for gay rights, a divided Supreme Court ... President Barack Obama said he "applauded" the win for gay rights. ... not take up a challenge to Proposition 8, California's voter-approved ban on gay marriage  ...

Gay Marriage Ruling Seen As Unlikely To End Debate

Jun 13, 2013 ... Any right to gay marriage will come only if the Supreme Court ... By and large, the justices typically keep an eye on the states as they take up major social-policy dilemmas. ... Because of Democratic President Barack Obama's appointments in ..... it will just cause turmoil and a tidal-wave of lawsuits to follow.

Supreme Court Unlikely To Deliver Gay-Marriage Mandate - Forbes

Dec 8, 2012 ... The Supreme Court agrees to hear two cases over gay marriage, but is ... The cases leave the high court plenty of escape hatches from taking a big step the ... The Obama administration has refused to enforce the law, so there is a legal ... Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down .... Follow Comments.

Obama's Statement on Court's Gay Marriage Ruling - ABC News

17 hours ago ... Obama's Statement on Court's Gay Marriage Ruling. ... Obama issued the following statement Wednesday in response to the Supreme Court's ...

Brekkie Wrap: Key victory for gay marriage in US; the world's take on ...

But they build on the momentum of the gay rights movement in America, with President Barack Obama and a host of celebrities advocating for gay rights. "The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that ...

Obama denounces Supreme Court voting-rights decision | The Daily ...

“I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision today,” Obama said. “For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act … has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans,” he said in a statement about the ...

Supreme Court Will Rule on Constitutionality of Obama's NLRB ...

Setting the stage for a major constitutional showdown over the scope of presidential power, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed this morning to hear the case. ... Under the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the president may make temporary appointments to "fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next .... Gay Marriage at the Supre… Damon W. Root | 06.24.2013 ...

Gore: Obama should use 'bully pulpit' on climate change | The Daily ...

Obama's address featured three main initiatives: reducing carbon emissions in the U.S.; persuading other countries to follow similar steps to “Address Global Climate Change”; and preparing for future natural disasters that the ...

Roberts Blows Gay Marriage - The American Spectator

A federalist take on the two cases before the Supreme Court would have been to strike down both the Defense of Marriage Act and the Ninth Circuit's overturning the decision on California's Prop 8 (which banned gay ...

What do you think the next move for opponents of gay marriage will be if Prop 8 ultimately fails?

So, the presumption right now is that Prop 8 passed, insomuch that its got the majority of the vote. However, there are still two "outs" that could cause it to fail.

The first and most obvious is that the absentee vote could contain enough "no" votes to keep it from ending up with a majority vote (which is unlikely, but not impossible).

The second way it could fail hinges on a subtle distinction California law makes between a constitutional amendment, and a constitutional revision.

According to the California Supreme Court, a constitutional amendment "implies such an addition or change within the lines of the original instrument as will effect an improvement, or better carry out the purpose for which it was framed". On the other hand, in California the "revision/amendment analysis has a dual aspect, requiring us to examine both the quantitative and qualitative effects of the measure on our constitutional scheme. Substantial changes in either respect could amount to a revision." Its also been found in California law "even a relatively simple enactment may accomplish such far reaching changes in the nature of our basic governmental plan as to amount to a revision also."

While amendments to the California Constitution require only a simple majority to pass, constitutional revisions require a 2/3 majority.

The California Supreme Court found last summer the California Constitution is intended to extend equal rights to all its citizens, and that marriage is one of the fundamental rights it guarantees (their finding is one of the cruxes of the objection made by the people who supported Proposition 8).

To make a long story short, the same supreme court which found the California Constitution protects the rights of same-sex couples to marry could also potentially invalidate Proposition 8 based on the idea its contrary to the intention of the California constitution, and is therefore a failed revision, not a successful amendment.

The ACLU and gay rights groups have already begun the process to have the proposition invalidated on those grounds.

If one of those two things happens and Proposition 8 is subsequently struck down, what do you think the next move for opponents of same-sex marriage will be?
Before the question arises, I asked this question in R&S because over in the politics section not a single person braved it far enough to give an opinion on it (being the politics section, youd think someone would have at least equivocated on it). The R&S section contains more people who are committed, or at the very least more people who should be.
To quote Winston Churchill:

"The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter."

Answer: I counter the premise of your question, only because I believe that Prop 8 is going to pass, and that we, as gay rights activists and advocates, are going to have to find another way to convince our fearful straight counterparts that we homosexuals are not bogeymen out to make people gay or to invade the sanctity of heterosexual marriages.

I think that the success of Prop 8 is evidence of our failures to properly represent ourselves and our failures in convincing people that we mean no harm. Some of the anti-Prop-8 commercials were very provocative, and even a bit offensive. In a time when Obama was winning by going positive, I think the gay-rights movement could have benefited by following in kind.


But you ask what the next move will be for gay-rights opponents if Prop 8 fails, so let me try to answer your actual question.

I honestly do not know. You'd probably need to look at Connecticut and Massachusetts to see what is going on there with the anti-gay rights movements, in order to get an idea. I have great suspicion, however, that at least in Massachusetts, a lot of the social-conservative movements are losing traction, given that in the last 5 years, they've legalized gay marriage, socialized health care and now decriminalized marijuana possession (under 1 ounce).

My thinking is that the trick to appeasing all groups is going to be to change the language. I think that in the next 50 years, we're going to see "marriage" become equivalent with a religious-sanctioned union of x-number of people of x-gender-distribution, as per the requirements of whichever religious institution is performing the ceremony. That is to say, I believe that "marriage" will become a strictly religious concept. It will essentially become a meaningless term with regard to legal recognition and associated rights (currently 1,138 privileged rights ascribed to married couples at the federal level).

Civil unions, like those allowed in Vermont, will become the new legally recognized union between 2 people (probably just 2, because unions of more than 2 are potentially able to use business law - establishing L.L.C.'s for example - in order to get legal recognition for their relationships), regardless of gender. I think this is going to happen, because you're going to see governments wanting to divorce themselves from the religious rhetoric that is exclusively dominating the anti-gay rights movements, and wanting to serve populations in a secular way that is consistent with their civic mandates.

Civil rights movements take time, and historically they've taken a very long time, but I honestly think this particular movement is going to reach its zenith in the next decade and wind down in the decade following that. We live in a global society that is rapidly changing in favor of civil rights. People in Little Rock, Arkansas, can't presume that the rest of the world thinks like them or that their beliefs will forever remain unchallenged like they could 100 years ago. Just because they made a terrible decision yesterday doesn't mean that it's going to be allowed to stand in 2 years.

The situation with Prop 8 is a price we've had to pay in getting out the vote for Obama. A lot of the people who have been oppressed in generations past, and came out to vote yesterday in order to symbolically end their oppression are unable to see the connections between their own fight for civil liberties and the fight of their fellow GLBT humans. It's part of the psychology of the oppressed that they tend to become oppressors themselves, or at least sit idly by as other groups are oppressed. It's not good, but it's a reality of the human psyche as far as we know.

It's really depressing and demoralizing to know this... and to see anti-gay rights measures passing in Florida, Arizona, Arkansas and California all in the same day that our nation's first black president was also elected makes the contrast especially jarring. It's terrible. But it's not the end of the story. We, as a civil society, will always move toward greater liberties for our citizens, provided those liberties do not harm or infringe upon the rights of others. It's just the most ethical way we can move, and as long as there are thinking people, we will continue to move in that direction.

There will be setbacks and obstacles along the way, yesterday tossing up several... but ultimately, we will shall all veer toward freedom for all.
Category: Religion & Spirituality

US and World News | NBC 7 San Diego

President Barack Obama said he "applauded" the win for gay rights, as did the ... for same-sex marriage to resume in California, saying it could not take up the case ... Windsor had challenged DOMA in court after she was billed $363,000 in  ...

Liberal journalists tweet outrage after Supreme Court's Voting Rights ...

Liberal journalists and lawmakers were incensed Tuesday following the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key section of the 1965 Voting Rights act. The Court nullified Section 4(b) of the law, ruling 5-4 that the ...

In Second Day on Gay Marriage, Supreme Court Takes Up DOMA ...

Mar 27, 2013 ... In Second Day on Gay Marriage, Supreme Court Takes Up DOMA ... was summed up as exceedingly unlikely by a number of court-watchers Tuesdays ... Americans favorably view President Barack Obama and the Supreme Court. ... Service looks to rebuild its image following last year's prostitution scandal.

Scarborough, Sharpton battle over voting rights decision [VIDEO ...

'Morning Joe' host says voter ID laws and ending early voting far different from literacy tests, poll taxes, taking a baseball bat to the side of people's heads. ... “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough and his MSNBC colleague, “PoliticsNation” host Al Sharpton battled Wednesday over the Supreme Court's Tuesday decision to strike down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Sharpton ... Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, clears way for gay marriage in California ...

PROMISES, PROMISES: Gay rights - The Big Story - Associated Press

Apr 22, 2013 ... It seems unlikely the court will order gay marriage to be legalized in all 50 ... of how the court rules, gay-rights activists generally feel Obama has kept his ... yet many other states seem unlikely to follow suit unless forced to by ...

The 0we-Blama admin has spent NOTHING on "Interplanetary Defense"! Why is he setting us up for Invasion?

0we-BlahBlah, the Marxist Messiah, has left our planet Earth wide open for any alien invasion to just glide in and install an intergalactic XenoSocialist haven where our human rights are ignored, we will all be probed at will, and you know where Probing is public policy then Gay Marriage will soon follow!
Just follow this chain of events!!!
1st...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091996/Newt-Gingrich-promises-permanent-US-base-moon-hes-elected.html Newt Gingrich promised a permanent lunar base if elected, and the Socialist Left sabotaged his campaign.

NEXT... Obama personally goes to NASA and bans any more manned space flights by slashing the budget... clearly so that nobody can give advanced warning of the invading fleet. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/31/AR2010013101058.html

THEN... The 0blamah campaign spends 250 million dollars to produce and market "The Dark Knight Rises", priming an MK-ULTRA operative by the name of James Holmes (code name Joker) to storm the theater and create a media frenzy to justify total gun control, and decrease sympathy for the 1% who lovingly give us jobs and rainbows and sunshine and all they ask in return is just a teensy weensy fewer taxes to pay and laws to abide by...http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/367020/20120726/james-holmes-court-colorado-shooting-barack-obama.htm

And last, a Poll is released asking the American public who they would trust in the "unlikely event" of an ALIEN INVASION, of course doctoring the results as if he would come out ahead over Romney, an observant Mormon who obviously knows far more about interplanetary diplomacy...http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/27/entertainment/la-et-st-obama-alien-invasion-20120627. lulling us all into a False sense of security when the skies turn black with the FIRST WAVE INVASION FLEET!!

And dont even get me started on the Birth Certificate >cough cough forgery<

We all know he hates America, but the whole planet? Did you know this? Of course not. It takes a razor sharp Conservative mind to put these pieces together.... it all fits...

What can we do about this???

Answer: I think we are all going to have to keep an eye on this and people like yourself to keep us informed.
Category: Politics

US Supreme Court poised to rule on gay marriage - Rappler

The US Supreme Court is poised to issue a historic ruling on gay marriage this week -- but it is unlikely to legalize the practice country-wide. ... Follow @rapplerdotcom. Related topics you can follow: LGBT issues•US Supreme ...

US and World News | NBC Chicago

Windsor had challenged DOMA in court after she was billed $363,000 in estate ... President Barack Obama said he "applauded" the win for gay rights, as did the ... for same-sex marriage to resume in California, saying it could not take up the ...