Thursday, November 13, 2008

Tomorrow: Stop H8


Today’s early post was a rather light-hearted look at some tasty Bay Area restaurants. Tomorrow’s post—Caveat #1 here—won’t be a carefree epicurean romp, tho it will address an issue I’ve thought about before, during, & after my trip to the Golden State—namely, the recent passage of California’s Proposition 8, which actually redefined (or attempted to redefine, since I expect this to be challenged) the California constitution to ban any possibility of same-sex marriage.

Now you may ask: Why would a straight blogger from Idaho concern himself with this issue? Is it any of my business what folks decide in California? My answer: since we obviously live in “a country where nobody minds his own business” (to quote William S. Burroughs & based on the passage of Proposition 8), I figure I can meddle in other folks’ affairs just as well as the next fellow.

So anyway, Caveat #2: It’s possible that what I’m about to say is going to rile some folks; I’ll say up front that I’m not looking to offend anyone, at least anyone with a reasonably open mind. However, I’m steamed about Proposition 8 & similar measures throughout the country over the past few years, so I’m going to take advantage of the blogger’s bully pulpit. In my opinion Proposition 8 is—in the words of Christa Faust, one of my favorite bloggers—“a shambling undead horror.” To my mind, it’s clearly a product of fear that’s fed by some antiquated notions, & this is never a good thing or even a neutral thing—it’s simply wrong, to use mild language.

To quote comedian Wanda Sykes, “If you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, then don’t marry someone of the same sex.” This goes back to my earlier point about minding one’s own business; a gentler way of saying this is “Live, & let live.”

So, I’ll just say to my loyal Robert Frost’s Banjo readers—who in all seriousness mean lots to me—if you believe this topic will be disturbing, perhaps you’ll want to skip tomorrow’s post. While I believe this is an important issue for folks to think about, I don’t want folks feeling compelled to read something
upsetting.

Caveat #3: It’s long….

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