Activist Judges?

Yesterday in New Jersey, we had another activist court issue a ruling that raises doubts about the institution of marriage. I believe that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and I believe -- (applause) -- and I believe it's a sacred institution that is critical to the health of our society and the well-being of families, and it must be defended. --from a speech by President Bush while stumping fr a candidate in Michigan

I often wonder what people who use the phrases "activist court" or "activist judges" feel that a court is for. In the New Jersey case that he sites, the court affirmed that the rights should be equal. They leave it to the legislature to determine whether this will be marriage or as civil union. Seems to me that these courts are guarding our rights. Isn't that what courts are for?

Posting

Why am I writing a blog? That's a question that I have asked myself a couple of times since reviving this blog back in early October. As you can see, I haven't written much. Mainly, my reason for doing it was to provide myself a platform for writing whatever comes to mind. Whether it is a posting on some recent event in the news that I feel is important enough to justify a post by me, or a joke I heard that was funny. Sometimes there may be poetry, and sometimes photos. I don't know what it will be, and it may be nothing. There is no regular posting schedule or topic. Whole weeks may go by with nothing. If you visit, maybe you will find something of interest. Mostly, it's for no one but me. I reserve the right to back off or quit at anytime.

Let's see what turns up, shall we.

YRUU LDC

Got back yesterday from the YRUU LDC event in Houston. I took two youth with me, K. and P. We had a good time. It was an intensive 15 hour training. It was also fun. YRUU is Young Religious Unitarian Universalists, and LDC is Leadership Development Conference. While one would initially think that this was an event only training the youth, you would be incorrect. It is also for the advisors.

As my first District YRUU event, I must say I really enjoyed it. This weekend, twenty -five individuals, both advisors and youth, plus two trainers spent time focusing on building new leaders out of those present. While all day classes tend to be draining, there was an energy in the group that kept me going all weekend. This was a great group. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to seeing them, both youth and adult, at other events.

Oops...Administrative Dump

It seems that while trying to edit this blogs settings and delete a companion, I accidentally deleted this one. I have recreated it, but lost the articles. Hopefully I will be able to recover soon.

Updated: It seems that I was able to recover all but the first two posts. I think they are irretrievably gone, but they were just a hello and note that Yassar Arafat had died.

Texas Proposition 2

I owe the kids a quarter. I sat down at the table to eat a late dinner. My wife had just gotten back with sandwiches from Subway. It's about 7:30 PM on Friday and I decide to pull up the Secretary Of State's web site and get the returns on Proposition 2. Before I can even navigate to the site, the msnbc home page pops up with a big bar across the top - "Breaking News: Texans approve ban on 'same-sex' marriage" or something to that effect. That's when I said it. The 'D' word, and not quietly under my breath, but in a loud exclamation that shocked my wife and kids.

I am not gay. You might have gathered this from the mention of my wife above. I do have gay friends, but that isn't why I oppose this proposition. Quite simply, it is wrong. It is hate.

When I was growing up, my parents tried very hard to instill in me a sense of right and wrong. At times I could see that it was very hard for them, because the racism that they did not want me to learn had been such a prevalent part of society when they grew up. I once overheard my dad chastising my mom when the merest hint of a racial stereotype had crept into something she had said or done. I was so proud of my parents. For many many years after that I would swell up with pride when I thought of that. My parents loved me so much that they fought to raise me better then they had been raised, to become an adult without that evil seed of hate for someone different from myself.

It's 11:09 now. With 82.42% of the precincts reporting, Proposition 2 has passed by 76.14% to 23.86%. Over 3 to 1. My state, the state that I was born and raised in, has decided that hate is the right way to go. And my parents, those divinely inspired people who taught me that hate is wrong, sit there with the majority. And I don't know which is worse. The disappointment from hoping, expecting even, to win, or the loss of something that you hold dear. Something that you have cherished throughout your adult life.

Maybe I do know which is worse.

Wilderness Site May See Oil Drilling

Unbelievable: "The memo also made it clear that energy companies would no longer be automatically required to provide the park service with a formal drilling plan. That exemption has the potential to save companies time and money. It allows them to avoid being specific about drilling methods and cleanup procedures, and excuses them from filing a costly federal bond that pays for land remediation after wells are abandoned or stop producing, according the park service's geology office in Denver."(emphasis added)

Poll: U.S. divided on same-sex marriage - Politics - MSNBC.com

Poll: U.S. divided on same-sex marriage - Politics - MSNBC.com

Reading through this artile, I was still depressed to see that so few support gay marriage. But what caught my eye was a quote listed most of the way down:

46 percent of those surveyed said they support civil unions that would provide gay couples with “some, but not all of the legal rights of married couples.”




So I wonder what legal rights they support only for heterosexual married couples?