Since the person who started those topics won't let me respond to them even though I don't really disagree with him :)
The Oklahoma case most likely will be merged with the Utah case since both are in the 10th Circuit, and the Denver court is going to hear the Utah case later this year. I'm a little more conservative than some on predicting how the Supreme Court is going to rule when it gets there (and it will). We only have a one-vote margin on the issue in the current court, and who knows if Justice Kennedy will be comfortable enough to force same-sex marriage on all 50 states. He may, but I just don't want to count our chickens before they hatch. I'd sure like to get another "friendly" judge before the Supremes tackle the issue.
On the abortion issue, while I think it's a positive thing that the court passed on taking the Arizona case, eventually they are almost certainly going to have to confront the 20-week issue. So many states are passing these right-wing trendy laws that conflicting federal court rulings are almost bound to occur and force them to rule on it. In fact, abortion-rights advocates have actually been avoiding challenging these laws because they aren't ready to test the Supreme Court yet. A Texas case that is going through the courts challenged other elements of the Texas law, but not that one.
So there!!! :)
Virginia to fight same-sex marriage ban
By Robert Barnes, Wednesday, January 22, 9:00 PM
Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring will announce Thursday that he believes the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and that Virginia will join two same-sex couples in asking a federal court to strike it down, according to an official close to the attorney general with knowledge about the decision.
The action will mark a stunning reversal in the state’s legal position on same-sex marriage and is a result of November elections in which Democrats swept the state’s top offices. Herring’s predecessor, Republican Ken Cuccinelli II, adamantly opposes gay marriage and had vowed to defend Virginia’s constitutional amendment banning such unions, which was passed in 2006 with the support of 57 percent of voters.
Full post here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/virginia-t … print.html
I always thought Texasss would be in the final 10 states to allow gay marriage along with NC, SC, MS, AR, IN, AL, UT, OK and KY. Then UT and OK cut in line, go figure. It is inevitable that within the next few years the ban will be lifted nationally as the courts do what the legislatures won't. The reasons are varied but the most important thing any of us can do is COME OUT. Research has shown that once people formerly anti-gay find out someone they know, love, respect is gay their attitude changes. This is why the percentage opposed to gay marriage is dropping like a rock. The more people who come out and let their friends, relatives and acquaintances know that we aren't the stereotype they would love to hang around our necks, the more attitudes will change. And for goddess's sake VOTE.
And Toole, you're right about just listening to one point of view. That's one of the problems with today's Republican Party. They have become so enamored of their own echo chamber that they have lost touch with what is going on outside it. For example, many Republicans were absolutely convinced that Mitt Romney was going to win in 2012, and were stunned when he didn't. But anyone who was paying objective attention to the election knew that he was probably a slight underdog, and, at best (from a GOP perspective), was in for a close race.
There is a developing concept that the programming of Google presents. Related topics are presented to you are based upon the topics you previously searched for. The result is that you are connected with ideas based upon the ideas you already have. Unless you are dedicated to seeking out opposing opinions as defined by those who have contrary lines of thought- you become a clone who’s only original ideas will come from someone else. Those points of view may be right or wrong. A blanket of belief from only one perspective will more than likely be wrong in total or in the larger slice of complete truth.
The floodgates towards equal rights are now open. I assure you that there are engineers trying to close them. Consider the following:
“Four years ago, a bill was introduced in Uganda's parliament that would criminalize same-sex relations. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill has not yet become law, but it has drawn international attention to the animosity against gays in the African nation.
In the documentary ‘God Loves Uganda,’ director Roger Ross Williams traces the bill's origins to the American evangelical missions in Uganda.
"American evangelicals have done a lot of great work," Williams tells All Things Considered weekend host Arun Rath. "But it's a certain type of fundamentalist evangelical ideology that came in there and basically instilled in a lot of the young people in Uganda this message that biblical law is above any other law."
There is still the possibility that there will be a backlash and we can become a state under Christian sharia law. It is important to see and understand opposing points of view. There is safety in numbers, therefore, we will need to understand the opposing generalizations and half truths in order to make educated and logical argument continuing the growth of our side of the issue.
BTW, I agree with you, but am a bit more pessimistic.