It doesn't matter how you feel about it, whether you think it's ok, whether the thought of it repulses you, whether your god tells you it's ok or not, whether you think your kids will be negatively or positively affected by it. As United States Citizens, we don't have a choice on whether to accept or tolerate it or not. This is not about your choice or your vote, it's simply about the Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states the following;

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.


That's right, all citizens have the right to equal protection, it doesn't say all straight citizens and it doesn't say all gay citizens, it simply says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, in other words all citizens. Now some people might argue that marriage is a church ritual that should not change to accommodate what they view as a sin, well the minute that marriage was given all the federal and state benefits that it now holds, was the minute it stopped being an exclusive right of the church.
Once rights are given to even just 1 person, those rights must be given to the other citizens as well, equal protection of the laws. If the government wants to restrict the rights of a certain group of citizens, or even 1 single citizen for that matter, then the only fair thing to do is to restrict the rights of all citizens that are currently enjoying the benefit of said law. In other words, take away all the federal and state benefits and protections currently afforded under the law regarding marriage and make it only a church ritual, only then can they call it their own.

        

The Republicans just don't get it, It really makes it easy to decide on who to vote for when you have someone such as Steele leading the party.

        

From CNN:

The Department of the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23rd. I will not lie to you; the letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers.

My subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professional.

Read it all.

I guaran-fucking-tee you that this kool-aid drinkin’ Obot will tear the Messiah to pieces if he doesn’t do the right thing with Lt. Choi. This is wrong on so many different levels. [hat tip Ripley]

MORE: Via Allan, you can contact the White House about this here. I strongly encourage everyone to do so.

This article and links were taken from Rumproast in it's entirety, I couldn't have put it better than Kevin did above. This is your chance to pay us back Obama, let me add that if this is allowed to stand I will not vote in 2012. I suggest everyone write to the White House and let them know how you feel.

        

Taken from the ed and deb's post at the Huffington Post
 Tonight, for the first time in history, our First Lady will attend a Passover Seder in the white House with her two daughters, as the President honors the Jewish people. For the last week she has been electrifying Europe with her warmth and her fearlessness in showing that she cares. She is adored wherever she goes for one simple reason: She brings hope. The hope that the world can be a caring and compassionate place, and the hope anyone of any color or background can fulfill their dreams.

It brought tears to our eyes when the children at the school Michelle Obama visited in London jumped up and down and hugged and hugged her and she hugged them back. We could see in their faces that, because of her, they too felt they had a chance. Her charisma and confidence make others feel comfortable in her presence. Deb, being English, was delighted to finally see someone arm in arm with the Queen!

A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things that renew humanity. -Buddha

When we read this quote we thought Buddha could have been saying this about Michelle Obama! She is setting an extraordinary example by doing things her own way and being true to herself. From having bare arms, to serving lunch to the homeless in a soup kitchen, to planting a vegetable garden at the White House, she is making us take a fresh look at the role of the First Lady, and at our own prejudices and opinions about what we think is right and wrong.

A person who gives freely is loved by all. It's hard to understand, but it is in giving that we gain strength. But there is a proper time and a proper way to give, and the person who understands this is strong and wise. By giving with a feeling of reverence for life, envy and anger are banished. A path to happiness is found. Like one who plants a sapling and in due course receives back shade, flowers, and fruit, so the results of giving bring joy. Through continuous acts of kindness the heart is strengthened by compassion and giving. -Buddha

Michelle Obama's combination of honesty and kindness is the essence of maitri--a Sanskrit word that means unconditional friendship with oneself, and from there the feeling of unconditional friendship with all others. This is the basis for compassion, the feeling of being at home in your own mind and body so that you are at home with everyone. She expressed this in her interview with Oprah, when she said, "My happiness is tied to how I feel about myself."

A great shift has happened in the U.S., as if we have emerged from a dream (that for some was a nightmare). We all know we are living in trying times, but we also have great karma as we lucked out by electing a First Couple who are showing the world that America is again cool. Between them, the Obama's have brought down the barriers so that we are no longer an isolated nation. "We are now" as our friend Barry says, "a more humane country."

With all that Michelle Obama doing she is not without her critics, however, and dealing with criticism is one of the burdens she will have to bear if she is to stay true to herself, for there will always be those who disagree with her.

When people speak badly of you, you should respond in this way: Keep a steady heart and don't reply with harsh words. Practice letting go of resentment and accept that the other's hostility is the spur to your understanding. Be kind, adopt a generous standpoint, treat your enemy as a friend, and suffuse all your world with affectionate thoughts, far-reaching and widespread, limitless and free from hate. Buddha

Trusting and believing in ourselves is perhaps the greatest gift the First Lady could offer to each of us. When we don't then we belittle our own intelligence. By offering maitri -- compassionate friendship -- to ourselves, then we all get to live in a more caring and friendlier world.

        

Kalpen Suresh Modi or Kal Penn or Kutner from House is the new membe of the Obama Administration.  He is going to be the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. 

Penn was a surrogate for Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008 and a member of Obama's National Arts Policy Committee.[8] He appears in the Barack Obama video "Sí Se Puede Cambiar" by Andres Useche[9] and appeared with comedian George Lopez on January 18, 2009 at "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial."

In early 2009, Penn was offered the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in the Obama administration, which he accepted. This necessitated his character Lawrence Kutner being written out of the TV series House

I don't know how many of you watch the tv show House. But it came as a big suprise to a lot of us.  His leaving the show was a sad hour, but I think if we were going to loose a character to something we would want to loose him to Obama. 

I think this was a great gain for the Obama Admin.  If Kal Penn is as dedicated to Obama(which I believe he is) as he is to his acting(he was great on House) he will be a great asset to this country.


Information came from Wikipedia. Search under Kal Penn

        

Check out these idiots — or at least actors pretending to be idiots — from the comically named “National Organization for Marriage,” warning everyone that the fucking faggots are coming to eat and smash and feel up your christened conservative babies in Iowa and places! “There’s a storm gathering. The clouds are dark, and the wind is strong. And I am afraid.” Well maybe you shouldn’t stand in an open field during a lightning storm DUH.

A Rainbow Coalition against Gay rights?! WTF?  Please check out the You Tube comments, priceless!

*all content courtesy of jim newell at wonkette

        

After swimming an incredible 5 miles, living on a diet of baby goats for four months on a nearly deserted island, this pampered house puppy was reunited with her family. Check it out!

        

Vermont shows the other 46 how to do the right thing.


thanks to betty cracker at RR for the link

        

From The NY Times:

Iowa became the first state in the Midwest to approve same-sex marriage on Friday, after the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously decided that a 1998 law limiting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional.

The decision was the culmination of a four-year legal battle that began in the lower courts. The Supreme Court said same-sex marriages could begin in Iowa in as soon as 21 days. [...]

“The Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution,” the justices said in a summary of their decision.

And later in the ruling, they said: “Equal protection under the Iowa Constitution is essentially a direction that all persons similarly situated should be treated alike. Since territorial times, Iowa has given meaning to this constitutional provision, striking blows to slavery and segregation, and recognizing women’s rights. The court found the issue of same-sex marriage comes to it with the same importance as the landmark cases of the past.”

In a hotel in Des Moines, several of the same-sex couples who were involved in the suit wept, teared up and embraced as they learned about the decision from their lawyers. “I’d like to introduce you to my fiancee,” said Kate Varnum, 34, reaching over to Trish Varnum. “Today I am proud to be a lifelong Iowan.”

In honor of Iowa and just for laughs, here are a few cartoon favorites....enjoy!

        

The GOP "Road to Recovery" budget alternative, unveiled today by John Boehner, has been criticized by everyone for its lack of detailed specifics and its promise to eliminate the national debt while significantly cutting taxes. 12009.org, however, has received an advance copy of additional details prepared by the Minority Leader's office. Although some elements of the proposal are still under consideration -- Eric Cantor is said to want to eliminate South Dakota rather than Delaware, while Thaddeus McCotter has suggested using the balance of TARP funds to purchase scratch-off tickets -- the final plan can be expected to contain most or all of these components. Personally I think they should just shut up for the next 4 years while they devise another evil scheme to take back the White House. Anyways, here is the proposals under consideration, Go Repubs!...




***Special thanks to Nate Silver at 538.com for the graphic and above paragraph inspiration.


UPDATE!*********** I FOUND MORE GRAPHS FROM THE RETHUGS!