Yesterday in addition to the presidential elections, California voters had to express their views on a variety of "Propositions". Questions that can be put to the vote if one million signatures are gathered to support them.
One of those propositions was Proposition 8 which was originated by Christian organisations and aims to ban gay marriage from the Californian constitution after the Hight Court of the State allow it back in June. 18,000 couples got hitched since then, thanks to this change in the law.
The battle generated by the amendment was quite high-profile and much more heated than they normally are for these things. Many celebritries (such as Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg) and even companies (Apple and Google) "came out" against the Proposition, some even donating money.
In total close to $70 million were spent by both sides of the argument to promote their views ($32m for the supporters and $38m for the opponents).
The results of last night's elections were truly exhilarating. The fact that Obama won by such a margin and all the possibilities that that opens is really fabulous.
But what happens in California is there to remind us that the battle for freedom in the "land of the free" is not won yet. In the first place, it could be argued that the fact that the country is still grappling with race issues is not such a positive sign.
In any case, Proposition 8 won and gay marriage will be explicitly banned in the Californian constitution. It passed last night by 51% to 48%...
The (tiny) good news is that the constitutional change can’t be backdated, so the couples already married will remain so even if it is a curious legal limbo. Apparently, officials are also saying they won’t stop issuing licences until directly instructed, which could take months.
Similar bans were also voted in Arizona, Florida and Arkansas.
And to add insult to injury, the Californian voters also voted for Proposition 2 which prohibits the confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.
Californians obviously care more about farm animals than their fellow human beings. That's true Christian charity for you.
One of those propositions was Proposition 8 which was originated by Christian organisations and aims to ban gay marriage from the Californian constitution after the Hight Court of the State allow it back in June. 18,000 couples got hitched since then, thanks to this change in the law.
The battle generated by the amendment was quite high-profile and much more heated than they normally are for these things. Many celebritries (such as Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg) and even companies (Apple and Google) "came out" against the Proposition, some even donating money.
In total close to $70 million were spent by both sides of the argument to promote their views ($32m for the supporters and $38m for the opponents).
The results of last night's elections were truly exhilarating. The fact that Obama won by such a margin and all the possibilities that that opens is really fabulous.
But what happens in California is there to remind us that the battle for freedom in the "land of the free" is not won yet. In the first place, it could be argued that the fact that the country is still grappling with race issues is not such a positive sign.
In any case, Proposition 8 won and gay marriage will be explicitly banned in the Californian constitution. It passed last night by 51% to 48%...
The (tiny) good news is that the constitutional change can’t be backdated, so the couples already married will remain so even if it is a curious legal limbo. Apparently, officials are also saying they won’t stop issuing licences until directly instructed, which could take months.
Similar bans were also voted in Arizona, Florida and Arkansas.
And to add insult to injury, the Californian voters also voted for Proposition 2 which prohibits the confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.
Californians obviously care more about farm animals than their fellow human beings. That's true Christian charity for you.
The bizarre side to this is that a large percentage of people who voted for Obama and his liberal politics must also have voted against gay marriage, which is hugely disturbing if Obama counts Christian fundamentalists among his 'supporters'.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is quite right. Don't know if you heard his speech. I found it slightly unnerving that people kept repeating "we can do it" (or something to that effect) after him. It felt like the beginning of a new cult.
ReplyDelete