Political Quick Hits: February 3rd Edition

Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:

• In 2012 news, Mitt Romney won the Florida primary on Tuesday night, cementing himself as the GOP front-runner for the 2012 nomination. Up next are the Nevada caucuses on Saturday. The rest of February has some caucuses and primaries without many delegates at stake. Super Tuesday is on March 6, where seven states will have primaries and three will have caucuses on the same night is the next real big date in the 2012 primary season. Mitt Romney was also endorsed by Donald Trump on Thursday, which means you don’t have to worry about the Donald running for president as an independent.

Posted by:

Justin Burkhardt

Newark Mayor Cory Booker Slams Gov. Chris Christie

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been a perennial flavor-of-the-week for the Republican Party since winning his seat in 2009. The charismatic governor’s name was tossed around as potential Republican presidential nominee throughout the last year.

Since last week, his comments on marriage equality have him in hot water. When asked whether the New Jersey state legislature should pass a law legalizing marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples, the governor did what all politicians do best: he passed the buck.

Guess what Cory Booker had to say?

Posted by:

Sarah Stern

Church in Kentucky Refusing to Marry Straight Couples?

The Douglass Boulevard Church in Louisville, Kentucky is refusing to sign marriage licenses for straight couples, all in the name of marriage equality. The congregation unanimously voted to stop signing marriage licenses because they say marriage give benefits to heterosexual couples that are not available to homosexual couples. The church will still perform marriage ceremonies for both straight and gay couples, and will help straight couples find a civil servant to sign their license since they will no longer do it. (FULL STORY HERE)
Continue reading…

Posted by:

Justin Burkhardt

Prop 8 Overturned

According to the Twitterverse, Prop 8 has officially been overturned, on the basis that the anti-gay marriage proposition is unconstitutional. A sample from the judge’s ruling:

“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.”

I leave you with this:

prog·ress

1 a (1) : a royal journey marked by pomp and pageant (2) : a state procession b : a tour or circuit made by an official (as a judge) c : an expedition, journey, or march through a region

2 : a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal) : advance

3 : gradual betterment; especially : the progressive development of humankind

Posted by:

Sean Gardner

The Fight Against Love

If there’s something I personally hate, it’s when people abuse their power to accomplish their own personal vendettas. When TV hosts, politicians and famous people use their social standing to attack topics they have no right or basis to speak about. Especially when that topic is love.

This is why it makes my blood boil when discrimination about marriage or sexuality comes into play. When someone beats their definition of marriage as ‘it was in the bible’ into law, knowing this because they are religious and white, it undermines the progress towards unity that we’ve made over the past 50 years.

Frankly, some of these people know about as much about ‘traditional marriage’ as Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene knows about flying – basically nothing.

Nevertheless, bigots pushing their own dated views are nothing new. Let’s take a look at a Justice of the Peace who denies marriage licenses for interracial couples and a bunch of politicians who are calling for a Department of Education appointee to be kicked out because he is.. wait for it.. gay. Stay tuned, after the jump.
… Continue Reading

Posted by:

Steve Romain