Moving beyond discussion

[grantcart]

There is a strong working consensus at DU that has gone beyond support of same sex marriage.

There is a consensus that even if you agree with cross aisle civil discussion that Warren is not the type of person that should be engaged with.

Even those of us that remain President Elect's most optomistic supporters see it as an unfortunate misstep.

In talking with average liberal voters (people who don't blog or follow the events hour by hour) I haven't found any that really are aware of who Warren is and what the issues are.

Additional threads on Warren are unlikely to have much more impact here as the discussion has been so enthusiastically thrashed out.

There may be some more research pieces on Warren that will be of interest but it seems like rehashing our bitter feelings on this is not going to be constructive.

We need to channel it into specific action.

I assume that there are going to be future protests at Saddleback after the holidays. Wouldn't it be great to have all Southern California DUers that can get there to join in one of the demonstrations ? It would give us a chance to actually do something that can influence people outside of the world of DU and we would have a chance to meet each other.

What other creative ideas do people have on how we can work together to express our solidarity with the GLBT community and make the fight for full equality our fight? As our President Elect has explained to us - this has to be change from the bottom up. The more that we do and the more visible we get the easier we make it for our politicians to do the right thing.

Please add your suggestions.

Thank you.

[Engineer4Obama]

1. Donate

I posted this last weekend. Donate to a Marriage Equality organization and do it in Warren's name. And do it when he starts praying.

http://marriageequality.org is a good one

[grantcart]

2. good idea - for those that can

alot of us cannot at this time.

[Adsos Letter]

3. If finances allow it...

....donate to an organization such as "American's United for Separation of Church and State."

And kill multiple birds through one stone...

[Starry Messenger]

4. I will help keep this kicked too.

I feel really helpless and I want to do something. What I'm not sure. Is there something we can boycott? The movie "Milk" references the Anita Bryant/Florida Orange boycott. In this economic climate it seems a boycott would be really effective. But I'm not sure Warren is involved with any products the way Anita was. I'm just throwing that out there.

[Adsos Letter]

5. I don't know about boycotts...

I am sure they can be effective, but I am at as much a loss as you to know what to do in that direction.

For me, financing organizations that fight, through the courts, to keep religion out of government (and vice-versa) strikes at the root of the problem.

[Starry Messenger]

6. I agree.

This is going to take a lot of money. It's hard to combat the church funding apparatus when you are secular.

[AntiFascist]

7. Here's an interesting Time Magazine article from 2005....

about "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America":

http://www.time.com/time/press_releases/article/0,8599,1022576,00.html


Each one is given a label, notice that Rick Warren is called "America's People's Pastor"

"Many believe Warren is the successor to the Billy Graham's role as America's minister."

Note also that Warren's neighbors, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson, are called "The Financiers". They were also the largest contributors to the Yes on 8 campaign. They also head the Home Savings banking empire, which is likely deeply invested in California Real Estate, you know, a bank that might be sensitive in the current California economic climate (just thinking aloud).

[BeFree]

8. Home Savings Bank....

Looks like a target to me.

[Marrah_G]

9. Might be to late

To heal the wounds here. The exodus is beginning. We've lost some posters who have been here 6,7,8 years now. The last week has just been the straw that broke the camel's back for many. My sense is that they no longer find DU to be a safe haven. It's far more about how fellow DUers have been behaving and less about Obama.

I think it is a great loss to DU.

BUT: I am right there with you on finding ways outside of DU to help. Donating is probably the best thing we can do.

[grantcart]

13. I know that I have an unusual viewpoint but I think that the anger at DU

is good and I am as positive and hopeful about Obama as ever. The greatest Presidents still have made big mistakes and while I think it is still a class A fuck up atleast he is fucking up trying to open communications rather than trying to divide people and hasn't backtracked on policy.

I think we are going to have a great year for full equality and for our President.

[Starry Messenger]

10. kick.

[Balderdash]

11. Thank you!

I'm a lesbian that has felt pretty hurt by the Rick Warren thing but even more hurt by some of my fellow Democrats here on DU. Thank you for not belittling my feelings and trying to think of ways to help. This post actually made me cry, so again, thank you!

[grantcart]

12. I am very optomistic

We are in the last stage of full equality.


We have moved beyond the full civil right's now what's your beef to seperate is never equal.


Its an issue that just takes time for people to see the logic of it.


I like to ask folks if they think that it is logical that people like Drew Peterson (the man who has been married 4 times with two wives gone under highly suspicious circumstances) can marry (he's engaged again) while people who have been committed in a happy family for decades have to be stigmatized.


California is going to go full equal rights and the rest of the states will follow.

[EFerrari]

14. I like the idea of donating when Warren starts "praying" and a lot of us can't

right now. If anything comes to me, I'll add it.

For now. :kick:

[Umbram]

15. Jesus...just imagine...

what if some of the energy gone into angry keyboard thrashing here at DU went towards fighting for progress towards marriage equality.

Unlikely. I think now that we don't all have a Rethug administration to be outraged at we are just going to turn on each other because most of us are simply vicious snipers and not progressives at all.

[Umbram]

16. Thread focused on solutions...sinks like a brick. (nt)

[EFerrari]

19. Remember this is the day before the Christmas holiday

and a lot of people are involved in that.

We can keep this kicked. :)

[Umbram]

20. So long as the thread about Biden's alleged plastic surgery isn't on top (nt)

[EFerrari]

21. LOL! Maybe that's all some folks can do today.

:)

[Umbram]

22. Better to be pondering Biden's face

than having to do any holiday shopping right now.

:scared:

[ieoeja]

17. Are there any lawsuits working their way to the US Supreme Court?

While I'd love to see laws against intragender marriage overturned by a sudden wave of enlightenment, Rights should not be subject to a vote. Otherwise, we'd see our Rights change with every election. A court ruling on its constitutionality would settle the thing once and for all.

[Umbram]

18. "A court ruling on its constitutionality would settle the thing once and for all. "

Unfortunately that's not the case. A constitutional amendment would always be looming. The rights of the people will always ultimately require some degree of popular support.

[grantcart]

23. In California an ammendment that makes substantial changes and not a mere revision

requires legislative action as well.


For that reason the peoples referendum will most likely be found to have passed waiting for legislative confirmation - which will never ever be passed.