This article points out the heavy Church involvement in the Prop 8 effort, points out Bro. Ashton’s large donation to protect marriage and in effect says that Church members were the key factor in making sure Prop. 8 won.
Also, please note this release from the Church, which says “people of faith have been intimidated for simply exercising their democratic rights.”
M* is proud to welcome prolific Bloggernacle commenter Ben Pratt as the newest permablogger. Interestingly enough, Ben has ties to the original Millennial Star (see Ben’s bio for details).
Ben and I served together as Youth Guides at the Arizona Temple Visitor’s Center prior to our missions and I am thrilled that he has consented to join us at M*.
Here is how Ben describes himself:
I am married to a brilliant and lovely woman. Our union has produced two brilliant and lovely daughters! We enjoy reading, going for walks and bike rides, and Friday night pizza picnics in the family room. Descended from Parley P. Pratt (founding editor of this blog’s namesake), Charles Henry Wilcken, Zachariah Bruyn Decker, Jesse N. Smith, Frederick G. Williams, and a host of farmers, missionaries, colonizers, businessmen, and pilots, I was raised in Chandler, AZ. I have degrees in physics from both Brigham Young University (BS) and the University of Washington (MS). Currently on leave from the UW physics PhD program, I live in south King County, WA, where I am (for now) a stay-at-home-dad. My recently rediscovered dream is to work on fundamental theoretical physics where quantum mechanics and general relativity collide.
I encourage everybody to listen to this interview with Orson Scott Card, the LDS author of “Ender’s Game” and many other books. He has written a sequel to “Ender’s Game” called “Ender in Exile.”
OSC never ceases to surprise me. He is a Democrat, a self-described “communitarian” who favors the Iraq war, opposes SSM and opposes Mitt Romney. He also says something very profound: African-Americans and women can aspire to be the president of the United States, but a Mormon cannot because of the smears of Mike Huckabee and his ilk. Interesting stuff.
Some people may have noticed that the market has tanked even more since Obama was elected. The Dow has lost 14 percent since the election, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are also sharply off.
The Wall Street Journal points out that many investors are paralyzed by the idea that Obama will raise taxes in a down market, about the worst thing you can do for an economy. But I still have hope Obama will be pragmatic. When I think about Obama, I keep on thinking about Lula, the popular president in Brazil who started out as a wild-eyed radical and became a moderate, business-oriented centrist once he faced the realities of governing.
Take a look at this article. Apparently Prop. 8 opponents are upset with African-Americans for overwhelmingly voting (70 to 80 percent) for Prop. 8 in California, which will amend the state constitution to only allow one-man, one-woman marriage. The following took place at anti-Prop. 8 rallies.
It was like being at a klan rally except the klansmen were wearing Abercrombie polos and Birkenstocks. YOU N*, one man shouted at men. If your people want to call me a F*, I will call you a n*. Someone else said same thing to me on the next block near the temple…me and my friend were walking, he is also gay but Korean, and a young WeHo clone said after last night the n* better not come to West Hollywood if they knew what was BEST for them.
[…]
Three older men accosted my friend and shouted, “Black people did this, I hope you people are happy!” A young lesbian couple with mohawks and Obama buttons joined the shouting and said there were “very disappointed with black people” and “how could we” after the Obama victory. This was stupid for them to single us out because we were carrying those blue NO ON PROP 8 signs! I pointed that out and the one of the older men said it didn’t matter because “most black people hated gays” and he was “wrong” to think we had compassion. That was the most insulting thing I had ever heard. I guess he never thought we were gay.
[…]
“I have received several phone calls from Blacks, both gay and straight, who were caught up in Westwood around the time of that march. From being called ‘niggers’ to being accosted in their cars and told that it was because of ‘you people gays don’t have equal rights and you better watch your back,’ these gays have lost their d* minds.”
UPDATE: PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE FROM A POLICE OFFICER AT THE LA TEMPLE. Peaceful young women trying to remove hateful signs from around the temple were beaten by anti Prop. 8 protesters.