Congress reflecting America

Some newsy items from the last week.

Last Sunday the Free Press had articles about leaders of Michigan and Detroit who have died, but would be wonderful leaders in the current situation. One of them was Frank Murphy. He caught my attention because the Freep suggested he might have been gay. So I looked him up (yeah, Wikipedia has its problems, but it is so easy). Murphy, who lived 1890-1949, served as Mayor of Detroit at the start of the Great Depression, Governor General of the Philippines, Governor of Michigan, Attorney General, and Justice of the Supreme Court. Quite a resume. Then on to his personal life. Murphy was a "lifelong bachelor" and "for more than 40 years, Edward G. Kemp was Frank Murphy's devoted, trusted companion." But Murphy's biographer wouldn't "stick his neck out" and declare Murphy to be gay. Perhaps we've had a gay Supreme, but in the 1940s that was probably grounds for impeachment.



A Rasmussen survey found that only "11% of Adults believe Congress is a good reflection of the views of the American people."



Oakland County has some of the high-price suburbs of Detroit, including Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills. Even though it also contains poverty-stricken Pontiac, the county government is mostly Republican. So this is a bit of good news.

Jayne and April Rowse, a lesbian couple living in Oakland County, have filed suit to allow both of them to adopt the three children they are raising. GOP Gov. Snyder, GOP Attorney General Schute, and GOP Oakland County Clerk Bullard filed motions to dismiss the case. But Bullard was defeated in November and replaced with Democrat Lisa Brown. She has withdrawn the county from the motion to dismiss, which means the county wants the case to go to trial. Rather courageous for Oakland County.



The deadline for filing briefs in the Calif. gay marriage case before the Supremes is fast approaching. The justices will hear oral arguments at the end of next month. So a couple days ago, Olson and Boies, the primary attorneys on our side filed their brief. The introduction is (as expected) wonderful. One of its major points is that our opponents see marriage as something the state has an interest in regulating for the benefit of children that might result. But that definition completely ignores such things as love, commitment, and intimacy.

Much to the delight of lots of gays and gay organizations, Obama has filed a brief (written by the Justice Dept.) in the case against the Defense of Marriage Act saying that preventing the federal gov't from recognizing same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. It appears he is following through on a promise made in his Inaugural Address. Thank you, sir.