CT Becomes Third State To Legalize Gay Marriage

In a stunning defeat to the religious right and a victory for those that believe in equal rights for all Americans, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ruled to give full rights to gay couples who wish to get married. Obviously the Court used some good common sense and did not allow religious fundamentalists to deny rights to people with a different sexual orientation than themselves.

From The Washington Blade:

"Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice," the ruling says. "To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others.

"The guarantee of equal protection under the law, and our obligation to uphold that command, forbids us from doing so. In accordance with these state constitutional requirements, same sex couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry."

Eight same-sex couples sued, claiming their constitutional rights to equal protection and due process were violated when they were denied marriage licenses.

Connecticut becomes the third state in the nation (following Massachusetts and California) to recognize gay marriages and the right that all people are equal under the law. The State Supreme Court made the right decision today. Of course, this does not mean that the fight for equal rights are over just yet.

Currently in California, a movement spearheaded by the Mormon Church is trying to pass a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriages. They have gobs of money and will stop at nothing to sway public opinion and get that proposition to pass. Do not think for one second that they will not try something similar in Connecticut. Help equal rights advocates in California and send a message to these backward bastards that in America, everyone deserves to be equal.

The Difference Between The Rich And Everyone Else In NYC

If the economy has gotten better for anyone, it has been the wealthiest among us. You may feel it when The statistics back up the feeling that many people have as they see gas rising to $4 dollars and the wealthy show off their toys on America's magazines and whatnot. Tax reports show that the top 1 percent of earners in the city now make more than a third of all income.

From The NY Times Cityroom:

An analysis provided by the Fiscal Policy Institute [pdf] on New York showed that the average income of the top fifth of New York families is 8.7 times as great as that of the bottom fifth. That means for every dollar earned by the top fifth, only 11.5 cents is earned by the bottom fifth. This is the biggest gap in all the states, and like those in the rest of the country, it has been growing for the last 20 years. (Though the disparity is growing fastest in Connecticut, as an article noted today.)

Of course, the income disparity is even more pronounced in Manhattan, which as Sam Roberts has previously noted, was comparable as of 2000 to that of Namibia, in that the poorest fifth of families made only 2 cents for every dollar made by the richest fifth of families.

The top 1 percent of New York City tax filers, 32,000 tax returns representing 82,000 New York City residents, received 37 percent of the city’s adjusted gross income — which includes wages, business income and capital gains, among other earnings. They earned 20 percent of wages, 59 percent of dividends and interest, 70 percent of business income and 86 percent of capital gains.

Yeah, whenever someone tells you that people own a corporation, it really is only a wealthy few that truly hold power in the board room. It is a fact that wealth is being concentrated into the hands of a few and directed there by policies crafted by those few.

Being compared to Namibia should not be taken as a compliment by anyone. The income gap is a real problem for New York and the entire country. While a few enjoy the riches, the fact is that while most people's boats continue to sink, eventually the rich will suffer. Call it economics, call it karma, call it whatever you want. What we can't avoid is that if we do not change this corporate, feed the rich culture, we are all in trouble.

Oh and if New Yorkers want any kind of bright side to this, at least we aren't as bad as Connecticut.

Lieberman Gets Stripped

Finally the Democratic establishment mustered the stones to strip Lieberman of his super delegate status in Connecticut. This two-bit traitor has been nothing but a farce for several years now and this is a good first step in extricating him from the Democratic party. It is great to see the shearing of his sheep costume begin.

From The Hartford Courant:

Thanks to Zell Miller, there is a rule to deal with Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman's endorsement of Republican John McCain disqualifies him as a super-delegate to the Democratic National Convention under what is informally known as the Zell Miller rule, according to Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo.

Miller, then a Democratic senator from Georgia, not only endorsed Republican George Bush four years ago, but he delivered a vitriolic attack on Democrat John Kerry at the Republican National Convention.

The Democrats responded with a rule disqualifying any Democrat who crosses the aisle from being a super delegate. Lieberman will not be replaced, DiNardo said.

I wonder if Harry Reid is reading this same article, because it should give him some clue on what to do with Lieberman the Senator. Lieberman may caucus officially with the Democratic party, but he by no means votes as a Democrat. I know that Reid claims to keep him on to retain the razor thin majority we have in the Senate. Nonetheless if he doesn't vote with the caucus or the will of the people of Connecticut, then he has no business being allowed to have committee assignments. Memo to Reid, finish the stripping of Holy Joe and banish him to Indy land or the Republican dominion if he so wishes, but just get him outta there now.

Congressman &$%#"^! Shays

It has to be hard to be one of the last Republicans in Congress from the Northeast. He barely hung on last year and he's a top target to be taken out next year in this highly liberal part of the country. But is it an excuse to yell obscenities at every other person you come into contact with?

From My Left Nutmeg:

The guy is losing has lost it:

According to sources familiar with the event, the outburst began after Officer Randy Cooper informed a staff member that he could not bring a tour through a lower west front door that has restricted access.

One source said that after Cooper informed the staffer that the family could not enter through the door, the staffer called Shays and tried to have the officer speak with him. When the officer refused, Shays himself came down to the post and proceeded to “scream obscenities” at Cooper before touching his nametag to read it in the rain and storming away.

Update: Other recent acts that might have caused a neutral observer to question Shays' mental state have included attacking NASA scientist James Hansen in a committee hearing, literally screaming at the widows of Blackwater contractors who had died in Iraq in a committee hearing, and dismissing Abu Ghraib as a "sex ring" and not torture, among others.

Looks like Chris is sliding down the hill of mental stability at a steadily increasing rate. I hope he gets some rest after we kick him out of Congress next year, for his sake and those around him.

NY And Now CT Fail To Pass Medical Marijuana Legislation

Last week New York tried to legalize medical marijuana after Governor Spitzer gave his approval to the State Assembly. Unfortunately, Senate Leader Joe Bruno killed the bill. Now in Connecticut both statehouses approved their own legislation, but their Republican Governor wielded her veto power on it.

From The New York Times:

Supporters of the measure were quick to express their disappointment. Gabriel Sayegh, a project director with Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group, called the governor’s veto “unconscionable.”

“It guarantees the continued criminalization of people who are trying to relieve pain and suffering,” Mr. Sayegh said.

The law would have allowed residents 18 or older suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS and other diseases to grow marijuana in their homes with a doctor’s recommendation and a state permit.

Governor Rell had expressed a few different reasons for her veto that reflect the national mood. First off I do not agree with her stating that this would send a bad message to Connecticut's youth. We are talking about the pain of sick people Ms. Rell, not about getting high for fun.

Now there are other reasons that have more merit, such as forcing people to seek out drug dealers for their marijuana. Those are problems that need to be fixed in the bill, as they were in California.

Lastly, her qualms over the difference between State and Federal law shows the changing opinion of marijuana's medicinal use. The Feds hate it because they don't regulate it and the pharmaceutical industry that has infiltrated Washington would have trouble profiting from it. From a revenue perspective, it is easier to sell their drugs created in the laboratory. However, when there is a change in the nation about a particular subject, the states tend to reflect the coming wave, often years before it has an effect on Washington. Governor Rell could have stood up for the people of Connecticut, but she chose to cower to Washington instead.

Stepford Bans School Play, Broadway Gives It An Audience

Back in April students at Wilton High School in Wilton, CT were cut off by their principal from performing a play that told the tales of our troops overseas. The play was based on letters that soldiers wrote home and how those soldiers lived...and sometimes died. Principal Timothy Canty barred the students from putting on the performance for fear of offending the community. Hiding from the truth is apparently the Wilton way, as Ira Levin opined that Wilton was the basis for his book "The Stepford Wives."

Thankfully not all of Wilton mirrors the book, and these budding thespians showed that when they put on their play this weekend. The theater was packed and the students received a standing ovation, but it did not take place in Connecticut, it happened right here in Manhattan. The off-Broadway Public Theater hosted the students and the tremendous audience that followed them.

From ABC News:

Although the students were silenced on their own stage in Wilton, Conn., they were given another -- Off Broadway in New York City.

Nick Lanza, a performer in the play, said it isn't about the war, it's about the troops.

"For us, it's pro-troops," Lanza said, "It's about the troops' feelings, what's happening to the troops, not whether or not war is an issue."

Telling the story of our soldiers should not be something to be silenced. The principal in Wilton may want to numb the minds of his community, but when a story needs to be told people will hear it. The funny thing is, because of his effort of censorship, the students got an even bigger audience, at the Public Theater in New York and across the blogosphere and even mainstream media.