A hissy fit with consequences

We've had a string of beautiful days in Southeastern Michigan, cool overnight with highs around 70F. The trees are starting to turn color. It is great bicycle weather -- when I have time. Cloudless skies have meant no sunsets, though that changed this evening.

This is the time of the year when it is hard to photograph a sunset because the position of the house next door. So I ventured into what had been a golf course behind my house to get the shot. It is getting to be quite overgrown and a neighbor suggested it would require too much money to restore it into a proper course. So I guess I have a nature preserve behind my house.

While in the nature preserve, I saw a jumble of blue canvas or nylon. I didn't investigate closely, though thought it might be trash or a shelter for a homeless person. If it is the latter, there is certainly lots of privacy.

Now on to all the things I want to bring to your attention that accumulated in my browser over the last week.

The Freedom to Marry organization has a page that lists the 19 states (Michigan among them) where there are lawsuits seeking marriage equality. Some, like New Jersey, are likely to succeed. Others, such as Mississippi, not so much.

Speaking of New Jersey… A judge there has ruled banning gay marriage is unconstitutional and set a date for gay marriage to begin. Gov. Chris Christie asked for a stay of that ruling so he could take the case to the NJ Supremes. The judge denied his request. There are real harms to citizens that must be addressed.

So Christie has asked for an emergency stay from the NJ Supremes. Somehow it isn't right for one judge to rule in favor marriage equality, though one governor wielding a veto pen was appropriate to stop it. Will seven justices somehow be better than one judge? The NJ legislature is sitting in the wings waiting to see if their veto override is necessary.



A few days ago George Takei forwarded a Tweet of a quote from Barney Frank: "We are making progress. It's now more socially acceptable to be gay than a Congressman."



The Dean of the National Cathedral in Washington (the same guy who made lovely comments about rooting out privilege when I was there six weeks ago) has made a bold declaration: Homophobia is a sin.



Terrence Heath offers his view of the gov't shutdown. It is only a "Tea Party hissy fit" and childish in the extreme -- I'm losing so I will change the rules. Even so, there are real consequences. He lists some, though he is sure the list is not complete: Sick children can't get care, poor children lose Head Start, families lose food assistance, scientific research halted, food inspection suspended, toxic cleanup halted, no flood relief for Colorado, worker safety protections on hold, small businesses and black-owned business lose money, communities around national parks suffer, the economy loses $12.5 million an hour ($300 million a day) in wages not paid out.



Alvin McEwen of the blog Justice For All lists the six different ways in which our opponents attack us:

* Use junk or out of date science or distort legitimate science.

* Keep repeating a distortion even though it is disproven.

* Claim a conspiracy theory, such as claiming gays are really aiming to haul all good Christians into court.

* Claim dire consequences, such as the loss of religious liberty (progress -- they used to shout about the destruction of straight marriages and the downfall of Western Civilization).

* Use phony experts, such as a "sex expert" whose degree is in economics.

* Consistently us dehumanizing words, such as "radical gay agenda" and "sodomy advocates."