A Moment Of Silence

Every up has its down. We need to take a second to lament the passing of California's Proposition 8 (and other similar measures across the country). Some places, like Massachusetts, refused to vote on the measure because YOU CAN'T FREAKING VOTE ON FUNDAMENTAL CIVIL LIBERTIES THAT'S WHY THEY'RE FUNDA-EFFING-MENTAL.

Evidently this country is still light years away from the promise of its founders. The fact that one of the nation's most ideological states just passed an amendment denying marriage, and thus a FUNDAMENTAL CIVIL LIBERTY, to a large group of citizens is appalling, reprehensible, and saddening.

Obama may have taken a few large steps forward, but this represents a massive step back.

Gay Marriage

My girlfriend got married the other day:



As an example of guerrilla theater, the proposal (as well as other ones occurring on Stanford's campus this week) was meant to raise awareness for Prop 8. If you dig that kind of activism, check out STAMP, the student group that set it up.

If proposition 8 is passed in California on election day, it will change the California constitution to prohibit gay marriage. In other words, we at JJ vote NO ON PROP 8. My argument is simple: Choosing who you want to marry is a fundamental human right. Denying gay marriage is therefore violating a personal liberty.

There is still time to register to vote in Cali, so if you live there please register and educate yourself on the issues. Besides prop 8 and the general election, there's also prop 4, which would require parental notifications for abortions.

Obama likes to say that this election is the most important since 1932. I don't know about that, exactly, but I do know that this is a critical election in American and global history. We have the chance not only to reform the political system in Washington and regain America's esteem abroad, but we can also preserve fundamental human rights in states like California.

In other words, it's go time.