I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving. This is a pre-written entry, because I won’t have high-speed internet access at my parents’ house. Today, I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. My sister and I decided to relieve my mom of the task and let her relax and enjoy the holiday. I will also be stressing out as this is the first holiday I’ve ever taken a boyfriend home to meet my parents. I’m sure it will go well, but I get nervous about things like this.
I am thankful to have a family who is so open and supportive of me. Who welcomed my boyfriend without a second thought. For my sister and her boyfriend who were avid opponents of Prop 8. For my adorable niece who is such a firecracker. For my boyfriend who is helping me learn what it feels like to love again. For my friends who provide me with such a wonderful grounding. These may be tough times, but I have so much to be thankful for.
The notion of keeping Obama’s youth movement activated and engaged is all over the nets today. It’s an interesting topic that I’m particularly interested in. I think only time will tell whether today’s “kids” will continue to shed their apathy and engage the political world. I hope they will.
What was the final vote on Prop 8?
How does this compare to the final vote on Prop 22?
How did various counties vote on Prop 8?
What do we know about who voted to pass Prop 8 and repeal the right to marry?
What is happening with the lawsuits?
What was the structure of the No on 8 campaign?
Who were the No on 8 campaign professionals?
How did the campaign decide what kind of ads to run?
Why didn’t you use any LGBT people in your ads until the last week?
Why did the Yes side run so many more ads than the No side?
What did the campaign’s internal polling show?
Why have some post-election protests and/or rallies focused on the Mormons?
Did the Mormon Church violate IRS rules by getting involved with the Yes on 8 campaign?
What lessons have been learned?
What should our next steps be?
I’ve always loved plant and flower photography. In fact, when I was a kid my dad used complain that I’d wasted rolls and rolls of film taking essentially the same picture of a flower or a cloud. I would argue, of course, that they were all slightly different — framing exposure, angle, etc.
Today I saw these photos and was absolutely amazed at the use of water droplets as framing prisms. Check out the rest at Flickr.
Kos has a great post on how the backlash and protests over the passage of Prop 8 have made a difference:
Of the those adults who tell SurveyUSA they voted FOR Prop 8, 90% of them told us recent rallies held by “No on Prop 8″ Protesters have not changed their minds about the issue. 8% say protesters have changed their minds.
“Turning eight percent of marriage equality opponents around in a few short weeks is remarkable, and likely stems people realizing what exactly they had voted for.
Remember, the proposition lost by only three points. If eight percent of the 52.1 percent who voted for it have changed their minds, that’s a 4.2 percent swing in favor of equality. Or, put another way, you’re looking at a 52-48 vote in favor of gay marriage.
I would say that thus far, the backlash against Proposition 8 has been wildly successful.”
