Join the Impact - Protest Prop 8 on November 15th!

A nationwide event is being organized to protest the passage of California Proposition 8 on November 15th. I'll be attending in Seattle, and there are protests planned across the nation. You should go too!

California's Own Jim Crow History

In the wake of Prop 8, it's interesting to look back at California's proud, bigoted history, which apparently went over just fine with Californians at the time.

From Wikipedia

In California, concern about Asian immigration produced more legislation against Chinese immigrants than against African Americans. From 1879 to 1926, California's constitution stated that "no native of China" shall ever exercise the privileges of an elector in the state." Similar provisions appeared in the constitutions of Oregon and Idaho.

1870: Education [Statute] African and Indian children must attend separate schools. A separate school would be established upon the written request by the parents of ten such children. "A less number may be provided for in separate schools in any other manner."

1872: Alcohol sales [Statute] Prohibited the sale of liquor to Indians. The act remained legal until its repeal in 1920.

1879: Voter rights [Constitution] "No native of China" would ever have the right to vote in the state of California. Repealed in 1926.

1879: Employment [Constitution] Prohibited public bodies from employing Chinese and called upon the legislature to protect "the state…from the burdens and evils arising from" their presence. A statewide anti-Chinese referendum was passed by 99.4 percent of voters in 1879.

1880: Miscegenation [Statute] Made it illegal for white persons to marry a "Negro, mulatto, or Mongolian."

1890: Residential [City Ordinance] The city of San Francisco ordered all Chinese inhabitants to move into a certain area of the city within six months or face imprisonment. The Bingham Ordinance was later found to be unconstitutional by a federal court.

1891: Residential [Statute] Required all Chinese to carry with them at all times a "certificate of residence." Without it, a Chinese immigrant could be arrested and jailed.

1894: Voter rights [Constitution] Any person who could not read the Constitution in English or write his name would be disfranchised. An advisory referendum indicated that nearly 80 percent of voters supported an educational requirement.

1901: Miscegenation [Statute] The 1850 law prohibiting marriage between white persons and Negroes or mulattoes was amended, adding "Mongolian."

1909: Miscegenation [Statute] Persons of Japanese descent were added to the list of undesirable marriage partners of white Californians as noted in the earlier 1880 statute.

1913: Property [Statute] Known as the "Alien Land Laws," Asian immigrants were prohibited from owning or leasing property. The California Supreme Court struck down the Alien Land Laws in 1952.

1931: Miscegenation [State Code] Prohibited marriages between persons of the Caucasian and Asian races.

1933: Miscegenation [Statute] Broadened earlier miscegenation statute to also prohibit marriages between whites and Malays.

1945: Miscegenation [Statute] Prohibited marriage between whites and "Negroes, mulattos, Mongolians and Malays."

1947: Miscegenation [Statute] Subjected U.S. servicemen and Japanese women who wanted to marry to rigorous background checks. Barred the marriage of Japanese women to white servicemen if they were employed in undesirable occupations.

This is, of course, not an exhaustive list, but gives you an idea of how backwards things like Prop 8 will be viewed in the future.

Something to Ponder...

When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent;

I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.

-Pastor Martin Niemöller

No on Proposition 8

The Los Angeles Times editorial board today wrote about their opinion on Proposition 8, which would take away the existing right of same-sex couples to marry.

The latest polls show support for Prop 8 increasing in California, going from an 8 point lead in August for opponents of the amendment to, most recently, a 4 point lead in favor of the amendment. Sadly, the the greatest shift was among younger voters. Obviously I am disturbed and disheartened by these numbers, not only because I am living outside of California and feel like there is little I can personally do, but also because I am feeling more and more like my native state and my peers are turning their backs to equality in favor of ignoring the equal protection clause of the California Constitution and, in that same document, creating a distinct second-class citizenry. Please take a few minutes to read this note while I therapeutically vent about the situation.

First off, I think it might be helpful to view this issue keeping in mind the 1948 California Supreme Court ruling that recognized the right of interracial couples to marry, which occurred just before many of our parents were born. The parallels are striking. In Perez v. Sharp, the court ruled that "...marriage is a fundamental right and that laws restricting that right must not be based solely on prejudice. The court held that restrictions due to discrimination violated the constitutional requirements of due process and equal protection of the laws" (source: wikipedia). At the time, Californians complained about activist judges who ignored the will of the people. They said that interracial marriage was immoral, that it was against God's will. These SAME EXACT ARGUMENTS were flung from the right after the California Supreme Court handed down its ruling in favor of gay marriage in its decision, In re Marriage Cases, earlier this year. Back in 1948, opinion polls showed 95% of Californians opposed to interracial marriages. To me, that seems disgusting. How were those who were not in an interracial marriage even remotely affected by this? It simply affirmed the right of people who had been the victims of prejudice to live in an equal state of marriage to others. This was nearly 20 years before the U.S. Supreme Court made the same ruling as California, in favor of interracial marriage.

Fast forward to 2008, where we have a chance to make a statement that we are not a state ruled by ignorance and religious dogma. It disturbs me that so many people want to put a purely religious issue--a discriminatory one, at that--into law. When religious authorities, like the Church, control lives through the state, you have a theocracy, just like in countries such as Iran. Proposition 8 is something I'd expect approved in Iran, not California. The fact of the matter is that marriage, in the sense that it is dealt with in Proposition 8, IS NOT a religious issue, but a legal issue. Long ago, when the government decided that it would treat married couples differently from the unmarried, marriage became not a religious contract, but a LEGAL CONTRACT. The legalization of gay marriage had NOTHING to do with the Church. The pro-Prop 8 crowd is trying to argue that churches will lose their tax exempt status if they oppose or do not recognize same-sex marriages. When was that last time that the Catholic Church was sued because it wouldn't recognize a Jewish marriage, or Atheists sued because their marriage wasn't recognized by the LDS Church? THE ARGUMENT HOLDS NO WATER! Since the state is not controlled by the church and vice versa, neither should have a say in the other's affairs!

Radical Ideas to Combat Climate Change

Artificial clouds to reflect away sunlight, creating colossal blooms of oceanic algae and the global use of synthetic carbon-neutral transport fuels are just three of the climate transforming technologies in need of urgent investigation, according to leading scientists. These scientist argue that with governments failing to grasp the need for new methods to combat climate change, radical – and possibly dangerous – solutions must now be seriously considered.

This is some chilling news, especially considering how little is currently being done. It's hard to imagine that, rather than adopt smart policies like a cap-and-trade program for carbon, we might have to institute more drastic programs.

Same-Sex Couples Offer Insight Into Gender and Marriage

Same-sex couples may be the target of ridicule from some conservative activists who claim that they are not worthy of marriage or raising children. But according to the New York Times, a growing body of evidence shows that same-sex couples have a great deal to teach everyone else about marriage and relationships. Most studies show surprisingly few differences between committed gay couples and committed straight couples, but the differences that do emerge have shed light on the kinds of conflicts that can endanger heterosexual relationships.

Notably, same-sex relationships, whether between men or women, were far more egalitarian than heterosexual ones. In heterosexual couples, women did far more of the housework; men were more likely to have the financial responsibility; and men were more likely to initiate sex, while women were more likely to refuse it or to start a conversation about problems in the relationship. With same-sex couples, of course, none of these dichotomies were possible, and the partners tended to share the burdens far more equally.

California Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage!!!

Well, despite having a state supreme court made up of 6 republicans and 1 democrat, the California State Supreme Court today ruled 4-3 in favor of overturning California's gay marriage ban, effectively legalizing gay marriage in the state.

This is an amazing day for all Californians, and the day we've all been waiting for. Who would have thought that such a conservative court would legalize same-sex marriage in California? But as stated in the majority ruling, we must protect the minority from the tyrrany of the majority.

LA Air Quality

Today I looked outside and noticed it was a bit smoggier than normal. Gone are the nice, crisp, clear days of winter as the summer fog and smog season approaches. Since I was recently diagnosed with asthma, air quality has been on my mind quite a bit. If you ever wonder about the current air quality or forecast for Los Angeles, you can find it here thanks to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

An interesting fact I found on the website is that the long term air quality trend in Los Angeles has been one of improvement, especially thanks to technological advances such as catalytic converters. Contrast this with global CO2 averages, which have of course been trending upward.

2008 Expected to Be Among Top 10 Warmest Years on Record

Well, we're only a few months into 2008 and already scientists are saying that this year could end up among the top 10 warmest years on record. This doesn't really come as a surprise when you consider the rise in global temperatures over the last half century. Barring any statistical anomaly, why should 2008 be any different?

Read more here

The Gay Joke

is not funny

lacks sophistication

is offensive

reveals your own insecurities

promotes misunderstanding, ignorance, and hate

So you're not funny, and you go for the easy laugh? You're not so popular with the ladies and you need to feel like you're better than someone? You're in a fraternity and that's just the way people talk in your particular organization? I love it when ugly guys freak out thinking about gay guys in the locker room oggling them. Hey, you're ugly, if girls think you're ugly, what makes you think guys would be so desperate? I swear it's only the ugly ones that say that! (come on think about the last person you heard that from, and if that person was you uhhhh awkward....) You know why its ok? Cuz even though you can't find the few obscure references to the sinfulness of promiscuous homosexual acts in the Bible, you cling to calling it a sin because YOU are uncomfortable with it, because YOU have your own insecurities, because YOU feel like God somehow empowered you to judge His people, because the speck in your neighbor's eye bothers you more than the plank in your own. Don't try to hijack my Faith, if you've ever read a page of the New Testament, you'd know that He reserves His harshest criticism for the Pharisees, (you know, the scripture-thumping hypocrites who had a little too much to say about who they thought were good Jews or bad Jews)... well who's the Pharisee now?

I have digressed from probing the gay joke. Confused yet? Please consider the consequences of your off-color, poorly conceived gay joke. It's not even about propagating stereotypes, it's about ridiculing a group of people. It's about reinforcing the message that being who you are is not always the right thing to do. Because if you happen to be gay, you may be laughed at. If you happen to be gay, you may even be killed. And if someone who is gay makes the mistake of confessing to you that they're crushing on you, you may be under the impression that you need to do whatever it takes to disassociate yourself from that person, lest others think that you too are gay. Are you gonna be a part of this process? Are you gonna make it a little harder for someone to figure out who they are? Are you gonna make it a little easier for someone to pull that trigger to defend their masculinity? Is it a leap to say that your gay jokes are somehow connected to Larry's death? Maybe. But maybe not.

Source: My roommate, Scott Sia

Ellen DeGeneres Discusses The Recent Tragic Death of Middle School Student Lawrence King

Here's Ellen DeGeneres's reaction to the death of Lawrence King, which I had posted on earlier. As Ellen mentions, it really is sad that people are motivated to kill just because someone has a crush on them. Can you imagine if Lawrence had been told by a female classmate that she had a crush on him and reacted by shooting her? Unimaginable. And, yet, incidents like this one happen far too often.

Middle School Student Killed in Hate Crime

So, as children come out at earlier ages, apparently the homophobia surrounding these newly out youngsters is intensifying at a younger age as well. Lawrence King, a 15 year old student in Oxnard, was openly gay at his middle school. This apparently did not sit well with his classmate, Brandon McInerney, shot Lawrence to death in a school computer lab in front of their other classmates and teacher.

Apparently Larry had told Brandon that he had a crush on him, which, you know, is the worst thing anyone could ever want--a GAY person crushing on them. Larry had already come from an abusive family and was living in a foster home. Quite sad indeed.

Carbon Footprint Calculator!

OK, so this is pretty exciting. In my Atmospheric Modeling class, our professor required us to calculate our carbon footprint using this cool, free online calculator. The website also has an advice page for how you can reduce your CO2 output.

I think that ALL college students, not just those in Atmospheric Sciences electives, should be required to calculate their carbon footprints. It's really amazing how much just a few flights can add up.

Heart-wrenching Story About Why Gay Rights are Important

This is an absolute tear-jerker. Four months ago, Lacey resident Janice Langbehn, her partner Lisa Pond and their children Katie, David and Danielle, ages 10 to 13, were set for a relaxing cruise from Miami to the Bahamas. But Pond, Langbehn’s partner for nearly 18 years, was stricken in Miami with a brain aneurysm and died. Langbehn, a social worker, said officials at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital did not recognize her or their jointly adopted children as part of Pond’s family. They were not allowed to be with her in the emergency room, and Langbehn’s authority to make decisions for Pond was not recognized.

Can you imagine NOT BEING ALLOWED into the hospital room to be at your partner's bedside during his or her last moments? THIS is why we need legal recognition that is EQUAL with heterosexual couples. This is a horrible tragedy.

More, from the Olympian in Olympia, WA.