Witchy Woman

"COLMES: Why do you think you’ve been unable…[to] close the deal with the people of Georgia in terms of what happened on Election Day?
CHAMBLISS: Well, listen, we have, for the first time in the history the our state, a 30-day advanced vote period, and let’s give the Obama people credit. They did a good job of getting out their vote early. There was a high percentage of minority vote, and I am tickled to death that as many Georgians as did examined their right to vote. That’s what make our election process the envy of the whole free world, but we weren’t able to get enough of our folks out on Election Day."

"Exit polling shows most Obama voters supported him because they are worried and
angry about the economy. That fear overrode ideology, Obama's dubious associations, and his very liberal voting record. So there is no question Americans want Barack Obama to concentrate on improving the economy first and foremost.
With a very unpopular Bush administration and disaster for Americans who honestly invested in stocks and bonds, McCain had only one chance to win: become a crusader for the folks, promise to punish those who have perpetuated this massive financial fraud. But Senator McCain would not take that position. So he lost to a man who simply ran on one word: change. Yes, but what kind of change?"

"Plenty of politicians reinvent themselves, but few do it quite like Mayor-elect Stu Rasmussen.
Rasmussen has been a fixture in Silverton politics for more than 20 years, and had twice before been mayor of the small city 45 miles south of Portland. Those terms, however, were before Rasmussen began earing dresses and 3-inch heels in public, receiving breast implants and beginning to transitioning.
Silverton has made Rasmussen the country’s first openly transgender mayor, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that works to help openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people win elected office."

"When all is said and done, the only legal leg that civil rights defenders of any sort can stand on is constitutional, whether it be state or federal. The Founders went out of their way to guarantee as many rights as they could to their successors, even deliberately stating that we have rights that they hadn't even THOUGHT of.

So legislatures and congress can and do make anti-civil rights laws out the wazoo, and they'll stick until two things happen: someone challenges the law in court, and a Court rules that the law infringes on constitutionally guaranteed rights, which in the case of
the Federal Constitution is absolutely everything not expressly treated in the document.

However, while the entire purpose of a constitutional democracy is to shield us from the fickle whims of a tyrannical majority, it can't protect us entirely. Constitutions can and must be modifiable to retain relevance, and it is always possible that that
modifiability will be hijacked by demagogues, especially after they are defeated again and again by a Court system that refuses to let unconstitutional laws stand. So really, what choice did they have? By going straight to the very, very top, they remove the courts' ability to strike down these prejudicial laws.

What surprises me is that in California, apparently, a simple majority vote on a citizen-initiated ballot is enough to modify the state constitution. As I stated earlier, the entire point of HAVING a constitution in a democracy or republic is to make it difficult to change the founding principles of the state; for example, changing the US constitution is very difficult, requiring that 2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of state legislatures approve the change! In other words, it only takes thirteen states to veto an amendment, which is why I am not expecting a "Defense of Marriage" amendment to get through any time soon at the national level.

But in California, it is apparently as easy to pass an amendment as a law! That leaves me wondering why the hell the Prop H8ters even BOTHERED with a law in the first place. This indicates, to me, that Calfornia's constitution is DEEPLY flawed, and the only bright point here is that it will be just as easy to remove the amendment as it was to create it. I'm sure that that will occur, eventually, although this success has really emboldened the religious fanatics, and with their political power on the ropes they will have little to do in the coming years but pursue these sorts of measures elsewhere."

"In an interview with the Washington Times, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)– who is the policy committee head for the House GOP— said of the conservative movement: “We’re rock bottom.” He added, though, that losing has its advantages. “We are now free to start thinking again, acting again, and doing the right thing by what our constituents and our country need.” "

"What will it mean for those who are being disenfranchised from the very nation purchased by the blood of their forefathers? It could mean an awakening of our spirit and blood. Every time the television shows an image of Obama it will be a reminder that our people have lost power in this country. We actually lost that power 40 years ago, but with a white president people would go to sleep thinking at least white people were still running things."

"We have said that there is a growing subtle hatred for our people. "

"As more and more non-whites come into this country the hatred for the founding people will grow."

"A US Congressman, the Oregon Secretary of State, the sheriff of Dallas County and two members of the Orleans Parish School Board are among more than 70 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates who won election to public office in the US yesterday.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that financially support LGBT candidates of all parties, endorsed a record-breaking 111 candidates in 2008 and more than 70% of them have won their races...

Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the US, and the second-highest ranking elected official in the state of Oregon. Brown is openly bisexual."