Wednesday, May 06, 2009

maine becomes fifth state to recognize marriage equality

Another day, another state.

Today, same-sex marriage is now legal in Maine, the fifth state in the U.S. to recognize marriage equality. After both houses of the state legislature passed a marriage bill, Gov. John Baldacci signed the bill within an hour.

"I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage," said Baldacci, a Democrat.

But he raised the possibility that the residents of the state would overturn the law, saying, "Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people."

Three other states -- Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa -- allow same-sex marriages. Vermont has passed a law making gay and lesbian marriages legal that takes effect in September. New Hampshire lawmakers are close to passing a similar bill.

On Tuesday, the Washington City Council voted to recognize same-sex marriages from states that allow those unions. Mayor Adrian Fenty has indicated that he will sign the measure. It will become law if Congress fails to overturn the measure during a 30-day review period.

Congratulations to those that worked hard for this victory in Maine, and we encourage other states on the verge, such as New Hampshire and New York, to come to similar conclusions. If conservatives really consider marriage equality to be a states' rights issue, then they won't mind if states continue to rule in favor of marriage equality.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

neil durrance announces campaign for congress

Chairman of the Denton County Democratic Party Neil Durrance has announced his intention to run for U.S. Congress in the 26th Congressional District in Texas.

Read the press release below.

Neil L. Durrance, an attorney and Chairman of the Denton County Democratic Party, today announced his campaign for Congress in the 26th Congressional District.

“For too long, Rep. Burgess has voted against the best interests of Texans. We need real leadership in Washington that puts partisanship aside to find solutions to the challenges we face. I will work with both Democrats and Republicans to turn the economy around, improve access to quality, affordable health care, and invest in the next generation of leaders by strengthening education.”

Mr. Durrance’s campaign will focus on bringing fiscal responsibility to government, creating jobs in the district, making educational opportunities available people of all ages, and improving health care.

Neil Durrance has practiced law since 1981, served as a City Council member, and was elected Chair of the Denton County Democratic Party in 2007. Filing with the FEC allows Mr. Durrance to begin the fundraising phase of the campaign. During this phase the organizational structure of the campaign, including staff, will be put in place. A formal public announcement is expected in late fall 2009.
Questions should be directed to durranceforcongress@gmail.com.

joe the plumber needs to go away

We've got a memo for Joe the Plumber.

The 2008 presidential election is over, John McCain lost, and nobody cares about you anymore.

Samuel Wurzelbacher, known affectionately during last year's campaign as Joe the Plumber, has decided to try and get another fifteen minutes in the spotlight. This time, he slurred gays and lesbians, saying he'd never allow "queers" near his children.
"Queer means strange and unusual. It's not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do--what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we're supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they're people, and they're going to do their thing."
It's alright, Joe. Honestly, I understand that there are ignorant, prejudiced, redneck assholes out there and they're going to do their thing, but I wouldn't want them around the kids.

(P.S. We apologize that our site hasn't been updated in a while. Hopefully that'll change.)