Julie in a box

Lobbying for Education

Check out Becka's article about their trip to the Senate.  You can also view her photos.

Watching history be made at work

Don't forget about Obama

I am trying to not let Prop 8 passing completely ruin my election mood, but it is not easy.  I need to post something positive about President Obama to help lift my gloom.

Let's start with, SWEET!  SCORE!  RIGHT ON! HELL YA! and so on.  I voted for Hillary, but I had no reservations about voting for Obama this time around.  I have always believed I would see a black man as president before I saw a woman elected and I think that had a lot to do with my vote for Hillary.  Not because I didn't want a black man as president, but because I felt it was a longer road for a woman to make it there and I wanted to be able to say, "I tried ladies".  I also believed that in my lifetime I would see a black president and here he is.  I am optimistic about Obama in office and I almost forgot what that can feel like.  I can't comprehend the depth of the importance of Obama as president as much as the 2 generations before mine can, but I still get it and I am glad that it happened before I had kids so they can comprehend why it's a big deal, even less than I do.  I am still hopeful that I will see a woman reach the high office someday, but for now, I will continue to breath my large sighs of relief every time I remember Obama is about to kick dumb ass out of the office.  As Katy said last night, "Now we don't have to be embarrassed by our president anymore."

A letter from the Human Rights Campaign

Dear Julie,

Unfortunate news has dimmed the exhilaration of this historic, life-changing election.

I am deeply disappointed to report anti-LGBT marriage bans passed in Florida and Arizona, and in Arkansas voters voted to bar all unmarried people, LGBT or straight, from adopting children or serving as foster parents.

Meanwhile media outlets have begun to report bad news for marriage equality in California. However, the Human Rights Campaign just participated in a conference call with our coalition partners and we firmly believe that all votes should be counted before calling the race. Several million votes in California have yet to be counted. Now is not the time to speculate on somebody’s fundamental rights. So we are waiting to see the final results from those ballots and will be issuing a statement after the race has been called. Please stay tuned.

While this news certainly put a damper on such a historic election, we should celebrate the fact that our movement came together in an unprecedented way, and worked tirelessly to defeat these amendments, and millions voted with us yesterday.

It is indeed a bitter pill to swallow. But we cannot allow distorted facts or shallow tactics – the foundation on which our opponents built their campaigns – to break our spirits. We are on the right side of history – and we will continue this journey.

Let us not forget that we saw many glimmers of hope for LGBT equality across the country last night. We increased the ranks of pro-equality lawmakers in both the House and the Senate. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), ringleader of the campaign to write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution, was soundly defeated. Jared Polis (D-CO) became the first openly gay man ever to be elected to Congress as a non-incumbent. Democrats took the New York State Senate, giving us our best chance ever to pass a same-sex marriage law in a legislature. We beat back a ballot question in Connecticut that could have threatened our recent victory there. In fact, marriages begin next week. And we elected Barack Obama as our next President, ending eight years of anti-LGBT policies. I truly believe that despite these setbacks, our nation is moving in the right direction.

After fighting for years, so many victories are now within reach. And thanks to yesterday’s victories, we can now pass critical LGBT equality measures like the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and begin unraveling the damage of the last eight years.

I vow to you today that HRC will not give up, nor will we retreat. Moving forward, HRC will:

• Continue our efforts to win incremental victories for relationship recognition, so that legally married lesbian and gay couples in Massachusetts and Connecticuthave full standing under federal law; the same holds true for civil unions and domestic partnerships in places like New Hampshire, Vermont and Oregon.
• Use amendments and other legislative vehicles in Congress to establish growing equality for LGBT Americans under federal tax, Social Security, pension, insurance and other laws – piecing together as many of the rights of marriage as we can until the full victory is achieved in years to come.
• Work with our allies in New York to make good on the extraordinary opportunity presented by the election of a new fair-minded majority in the State Senate, which paves the way for the nation's first-ever legislatively achieved marriage equality victory. We are also simultaneously working on marriage equality in New Jersey.

Together, like we have done some many times before, we fought the good fight until the bitter end.

In Florida, HRC contributed $120,000 to Florida Red & Blue (backers of the SayNo2 campaign), including $50,000 of early seed money that allowed the campaign to raise significant additional funds and provided high-level fundraising consulting for the campaign. We started building an early base for campaign operations by sending staff to Florida and conducting volunteer trainings during the January Presidential Primary. We held a Camp Equality election skills training in Fort Lauderdale and mobilized hundreds of volunteers. And in the final weeks, four additional HRC staffers and a Campaign College participant were sent to work on the ground in Florida.

In Arizona, HRC contributed $50,000 to Arizona Together for media production and air time. We had three HRC staffers and one Campaign College participant on the ground. We also held a Camp Equality election skills training in Phoenix and mobilized the participants to work on this issue.

In Arkansas, HRC provided half of the funding necessary for the Arkansas Families First campaign to hire a campaign manager. We deployed a Campaign College participant to work on the campaign for 12 weeks, and an HRC staffer to work on the campaign during the final push.

And in California, HRC participated fully as a member of the marriage coalition executive committee, with unprecedented on-the-ground support, and extensive voter mobilization efforts. I am proud that HRC was the second largest funder of No on Prop. 8, behind Equality California, in what ended up being the most expensive campaign in the nation next to the presidential race. When all was said and done, HRC and our members invested nearly $3.5 million directly to the efforts in California. But our messages of fairness and reason were met with appalling messages of fear, distortion and downright hate that our opponents put forth on television, on radio, across the Internet, and in Sunday sermons.

In 2000, a similar marriage ban in California was passed by a margin of 61% to 39%. So the closeness of this race and the positive shift in public opinion underscores that it is only a matter of time before we add more states to the march for marriage equality. As Obama said last night, “That's the true genius of America – that Americacan change.”

Yesterday, an unfortunate majority of voters stood with the most extreme and negative elements of society to deny the rights of loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. But it’s not the first time that has happened to us, and it won’t be the last. It doesn’t change the fact that we are married. It doesn’t change the fact that we have families. Make no mistake. We are bowed, but not discouraged. We are sad, but not disheartened. We grieve, but not as those who are without hope.

Today we will mourn the losses in Florida, Arizona and Arkansas, but tomorrow let's resolve to lift one another up, and continue our march forward.

Remember, our marriages didn’t begin with a decision of the court, and they will not end with a vote of the people.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President

Lost + Democratic Race

Link in case the video isn't working for you.

Car + phone

The new California cell phone driving law takes effect July 1, 2008.  Click link for the DMV Wireless Telephone Laws FAQs, but here is a condensed version:

• 18 and over must use hands free device or speaker phone.
• Texting while driving is not included in law, but you can be pulled over and fined if an officer thinks you were driving crazy.
• Fine is $20 for the first time and $50 each additional time you get caught.  Fine can be tripled if they feel like being a jerk.
• Out of State drivers also suspect.
• Under 18 no phone use while driving, no exceptions.

Politics

I've been putting off writing about the presidential race because I'm not big on "talking politics" for the same reason that I don't like to "talk religion".  I enjoy speaking with people in small groups or one on one, but I try to avoid it with co-workers, large family gatherings, and in an open blog format.  People tend to loose it when it comes to discussing politics and religion when too many people are involved in the conversation.  It seems to alwasy turn into chaos unless someone steps in as a neutral mediator.  I don't want to turn my blog into a great debate where I find out someone I love is an asshole or they find out I'm an asshole because in the end, someone always is.  Now, obviously I'm exaggerating.  If I knew more about politics and didn't want to come across as a completely ignorant voter I probably would have posted a long time ago on where I stand and who I stand with.  The thing is, I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to politics, national or world news, and pretty much anything that is going on outside of my bubble.  This always bites me in the ass come voting time when I scramble to get some research in so I feel like I'm making a slightly educated guess on what or who to vote for.  This year, I took an on-line quiz that compares where I stand on "the topics" with where the presidential candidates stand.  It told me I have more things in common with Clinton than the other candidates.  Is this a smart way to vote, of course not, but it's better than my back up plan of voting for Clinton just because she is a Democrat and a woman.  The few people I have talked to about this who did not vote for Clinton were disgusted by my choice stating she is a liar blah blah blah.  I'm sure if I was an educated voter I might care, but since this is my blog I guess it's as good of a place as any to admit that I don't really care if she is a liar because deep down I think she is a good person who wants to do good things.  Politics breads liars and I think there are good liars and bad liars.  The good liars lye to get good things done, the bad liars lye about weapons of mass destruction so they can trick the people and bomb countries.  Maybe there is really no difference and realistically that kind of thinking is probably one of the reasons why things are so messed up with our government and it's people.  I can't pretend to understand what it is like to be in a position with that much pressure from so many different sides, so many people trying to stop you from getting done what you believe is right for everyone.  In the end, if the person has a good heart and is really trying to do good things, I am willing to look the other way if some semi-shady business has to go down in order to accomplish something great.  I just don't think politics are built in a way where that can be completely avoided.  Now I'm sure some of you are reading this thinking I'm the asshole, others who realize I have no idea what I'm talking about, and possibly one other person who may even agree.  Any way you look at it, I'm an American who doesn't care about who is in office all that much as long as the people we elect do what they are meant to do and that is serve the people.  Right now I do not feel like our government is serving it's people.  I do not feel that any politician who first looks to serve a certain class, religion, or race over another is truly serving the people.  Maybe this too is built into poltics, I don't know.

CA State Ballot Measures Results

I don't think these are the final results, just where it is at so far.

State Ballot Measures	100.% ( 23109 of 23109 ) precincts reporting as of Feb 7, 2008, at 8:20 a.m. County Returns   Other Contests
Statewide Results

Name			Yes Votes	%	No Votes	%
91	N	Transportation Funds.	2,746,630	41.9%	3,795,170	58.1%	Map
92	N	Community Colleges. Funding. Governance. Fees.	2,883,920	42.7%	3,855,602	57.3%	Map
93	N	Limits on Legislators' Terms in Office.	3,164,251	46.4%	3,649,743	53.6%	Map
94	Y	Ref on Amd to Indian Gaming Compact: Pechanga	3,862,887	55.9%	3,047,708	44.1%	Map
95	Y	Ref on Amd to Indian Gaming Compact: Morongo	3,860,216	56.0%	3,041,154	44.0%	Map
96	Y	Ref on Amd to Indian Gaming Compact: Sycuan	3,841,321	55.8%	3,043,903	44.2%	Map
97	Y	Ref on Amd to Indian Gaming Compact: Agua Caliente	3,842,474	55.9%	3,039,548	44.1%	Map

Whatever this means

Your political compass

Economic Left/Right: -3.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.41

I'm not exactly sure what this tells me, other than I'm kind of close to where they show Gandhi.  I should also let you know that I didn't fully understand each question and you either agree or disagree with each statement/question so I may have inadvertantly answered incorrectly due to lack of understanding.  It was just like voting on propositions.  Interesting test though, if you take it, come back and let us know where you lie.

   

A Tribute

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