Bittersweet.

[GreenFiles]

I should be really happy today but I'm not. I'm very glad Obama was elected, but I can't express how disappointed I am with FL an CA voters.

We've got a lot of work to do. This damage must be undone.

[shireen]

1. if there had been a referendum on the 1965 Voting Rights Act,

would it have passed or failed?
Thank goodness it was never put to a referendum.

So why the hell was question 8 put to a vote? Was the CA state government too chicken to pass legislation that would make it legal for gays to marry?

There are some things that must become law of the land, simply because it's the right thing to do. It must be done to protect the rights of a minority even when the majority are against it. There has been precedence for this, in the history of our country: the right to vote for Blacks and for women, for interracial marriages, for affirmative action laws. During those times in history, in many parts of the country, there was strong opposition to granting those rights. But some courageous and principled legislators stood firm, and would not buckle under public pressure, simply because it was the right thing to do. Time passed, and eventually, those rights became accepted by the majority of the population.

Gays are a minority who deserve the same rights as all citizens: the right to marry. What will it take to win that right?

How did Question 8 appear on the ballot? Does anyone know the history?