Originally Posted By Sara Tonin Just saw this and thought it could use the widest disemination... <a href="http://signforequality.com/" target="_blank">http://signforequality.com/</a>
Originally Posted By BlueDevilSF I can't sign it, but I'm, of course, fully behind it. My friend Matt (named at the bottom of the page) is heavily involved in this.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy While I support the fight for equality, I continue to shake my head at how resources are being dumped into these state-by-state marriage campaigns while there are significant federal issues that are not receiving the same level of attention. Members of our Congress feel very little pressure to address quality concerns on the national level because they know that all the activity and resources are still being spent at the local level on marriage referendums. I think I read an article earlier this week where the Congress delayed action on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act once again. Senate hearings on Don't Ask Don't Tell that were supposed to take place this fall have now been put on hold indefinitely. The federal Defense of Marriage Act prevents same-sex couples who may have a legitimate marriage in a state like Massachusetts from being recognized at the federal level. Until the federal issues are resolved, the state-by-state campaigns are pyrrhic victories at best. Winning issues in the federal government garners an immediate 50-state victory for equal rights while the state-by-state campaigns create a patchwork of unequal rights across the country. I also think the California activists need to do some considerable research on their efforts to get a new referendum on the ballot in 2010. It's a mid-term election cycle that historically will have less voter turnout than a presidential election cycle. The progressive base that turned out to elect Barack Obama will not be present in the numbers that existed in 2008. Additionally, an anti-incumbent sentiment due to the economy will favor conservative turn out at the ballot box. If progressives could not get a Prop 8 defeat in 2008, it will be even harder in 2010 given the nature of the election cycle. What happens if equal rights goes down in a second voting propostion in 2010? How many more resources will be required to get another proposition back on the ballot? I would like to be 100% supportive of these efforts, but I can't justify all of the energy that is going into this local approach to equal rights when the federal government holds the biggest prize that will grant the greatest benefits to all citizens across 50 states. I also fear that our government politicians breathe a sigh of relief every time they realize that the activists will be off their backs for another year while they concentrate all of their energy on local ballot results. The end result is a protracted struggle for equal rights that will not be solved for decades.
