prop 8

I talked to my best friend KC on the phone today and we discussed election things. He told me that there was a surprising amount of McCain supporters in Humboldt County. He also told me about the intense campaign between both sides of the Proposition 8 thingie that revokes the legal gay marriage in California. I forgot how polarized issues like this are in California, the unyielding, thick-skinned gays versus the people that God speaks through. Quite an epic battle. Things like this are much more diluted in Seattle, but I suppose everything is, isn't it?
I looked up some Prop 8 ads on Youtube. When approached with an amount of logic, the pro-8 ads (that would be in favor of revoking the right to same sex marriage) are simultaneously ignorant and mean, as well as taking on the "The right is so oppressed" tone. One of their angles is basically "If you allow same-sex marriage, we'll have to acknoledge that you exist." They argue that adoption agencies will have to allow gay couples to adopt babies and things like that, but my favorite is when they don't understand how they're supposed to talk to their kids about it. This one was good:

REALLY?! Are you serious? This couple went through all the trouble of adopting a child and raising her and they never thought about how they would explain it to their kid? She totally blind-sided them! "You should spend less time at Megan's"? Really? They think ignoring the problem will make it go away? Maybe they're conservative Gays. Even better is when straight couples don't want to explain it to their kids. Comedian Louis C.K. had a bit about when a parent asks "How do I explain this to my child?" His reply is "I don't care, it's your shitty kid, you fucking tell them. Two men can't get married because you don't want to talk to your ugly child for five minutes?
Unfortunately, the um...gay side doesn't seem to have ads that are quite as powerful.
That's the problem when you want something (even rights), you can't use fear tactics, you have to tug at the heartstrings. Kind of a bummer that the gays cant use their ability to be bitchy and cut-throat. All they can do is be on the defensive, which they do well enough by addressing and countering the details of their attacks like in this series of ads, which most likely weren't on TV:

Vote No On Prop 8 - Icky
by VoteNoOnProp8

When California got the o.k. on gay marriage I thought "Maybe that place isn't as bad as I make it out to be," but seeing these ads and hearing what the climate is like, both political and, uh..weatheral, gives me that ucky feeling that I now recall a little better.
Good luck, California homos. Happy voting day everyone.

erection day

It's the day before the big election. Lord knows I don't pay a whole lot of attention to politics and don't get visibly excited over much. However my paramour has, in recent days, said things like (I'm paraphrasing) "Can you believe we're going to have a new president so soon?" and "Isn't this exciting?" As the day draws nearer I can feel it. This is some big, crazy shit. Many will celebrate. Many will be angry. This election has captured the attention of many people who otherwise don't care much for politics, myself included. During the last election I was homeless so I didn't really give a shit. The election before that I voted for Gore without really thinking about it. Now I'm on the literal edge of my figurative seat. I really can't wait to see what happens, how things will change, how things will stay painfully the same. While I voted for Obama (duh), I will still wear my "Fonzie for President" pin on Monday and Tuesday.

Well, it's after midnight. So with a picture of a dude who clearly tried to color-coordinate with my blog, I wish you all a happy Erection...er, Election Day.