Okay... I admit I have been neglecting the blog for the past few weeks, I don't really have a good excuse , other than I just wanted to take little break and see how the world unfolded while I wasn't paying direct attention. While I've been away from the keyboard there are been a few interesting developments...
Delaware, Rhode Island both legalized same sex marriage, and as I write this, the Minnesota State Senate is in it's final debate on the legalization of marriage equality in that state. Meanwhile the right wing nuts of the American Taliban have pretty much slouched in to petulant depression over the forward march of the civil rights of people they don't like. Clinging to the hope that States with anti-gay constitutional amendments will form a firewall for the preservation of bigotry.
Matt Baume in San Francisco brings us up to date...
Which of course brings us to the other front in the Marriage equality fight, where pretty much Everyone is in waiting mode... Waiting for the United States Supreme Court to issue rulings on two key cases. The Perry Case, which will decide the fate of California's anti-gay Proposition 8, and the Windsor Case, which deals with the constitutionality of sction 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Both rulings are expected by the end of June.
All of which has groups fighting for immigration rights for bi-national same sex couples hopeful that the demise of DOMA will help clear at least one path for couples like us to sponsor our spouses for immigration to the United States. The other path is the comprehensive immigration reform effort currently in mark up with the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill is intended to provide for increased border security, added immigration enforcement resources, a pathway to legal status for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, and lastly, provide for immigration rights for the non-american partners in bi-national same sex unions.
All good things right? Who could have a problem with that? Certainly not the Republicans, who after getting seriously trounced in the 2012 election, couldn't possibly want to further alienate Latino voters by trying to kill the first real effort at immigration reform since 1986, just so they can appease what is left of their base? Or do they?
Cue Rachel with the oh so predictable and inevitable spectacle of GOP bigotry.
Meanwhile my two favorite delusional wing nuts Senators "Grampa Simpson"John McCain, and "Waylon Smithers" Lindsey Graham, have respectively, gotten off his lazy-boy, and poked his head out of his deep dark closet, to claim that any provisions for immigration rights for same sex couples would "kill immigration reform".
Really?.... So just to be clear. John McCain and his gal-pal Lindsey are willing to throw 11 million Latinos and Asians under the political bus, effectively ending any hope the GOP has of ever winning another national election, just so they can show how much they hate same sex couples.
Wow... good luck with that one kids. Oh wait, here's the kicker. That may actually work out for them, and get them what they want; Immigration Reform without any rights for same sex couples because... (wait for it....) the Democrats have once again seemingly forgotten they won the last election. Now it is Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and MY own Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) who are all too willing to trade rights for same sex couples in return for GOP playing nice. John A, over at Americablog brings us all the gory details.
Delaware, Rhode Island both legalized same sex marriage, and as I write this, the Minnesota State Senate is in it's final debate on the legalization of marriage equality in that state. Meanwhile the right wing nuts of the American Taliban have pretty much slouched in to petulant depression over the forward march of the civil rights of people they don't like. Clinging to the hope that States with anti-gay constitutional amendments will form a firewall for the preservation of bigotry.
Matt Baume in San Francisco brings us up to date...
Which of course brings us to the other front in the Marriage equality fight, where pretty much Everyone is in waiting mode... Waiting for the United States Supreme Court to issue rulings on two key cases. The Perry Case, which will decide the fate of California's anti-gay Proposition 8, and the Windsor Case, which deals with the constitutionality of sction 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Both rulings are expected by the end of June.
All of which has groups fighting for immigration rights for bi-national same sex couples hopeful that the demise of DOMA will help clear at least one path for couples like us to sponsor our spouses for immigration to the United States. The other path is the comprehensive immigration reform effort currently in mark up with the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill is intended to provide for increased border security, added immigration enforcement resources, a pathway to legal status for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, and lastly, provide for immigration rights for the non-american partners in bi-national same sex unions.
All good things right? Who could have a problem with that? Certainly not the Republicans, who after getting seriously trounced in the 2012 election, couldn't possibly want to further alienate Latino voters by trying to kill the first real effort at immigration reform since 1986, just so they can appease what is left of their base? Or do they?
Cue Rachel with the oh so predictable and inevitable spectacle of GOP bigotry.
Really?.... So just to be clear. John McCain and his gal-pal Lindsey are willing to throw 11 million Latinos and Asians under the political bus, effectively ending any hope the GOP has of ever winning another national election, just so they can show how much they hate same sex couples.
Wow... good luck with that one kids. Oh wait, here's the kicker. That may actually work out for them, and get them what they want; Immigration Reform without any rights for same sex couples because... (wait for it....) the Democrats have once again seemingly forgotten they won the last election. Now it is Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and MY own Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) who are all too willing to trade rights for same sex couples in return for GOP playing nice. John A, over at Americablog brings us all the gory details.
Gay advocates had hoped that any immigration package would include the Uniting American Families Act, a bill that sought to put gay and lesbian couples on equal footing in the immigration system with heterosexual married couples. However, on Sunday afternoon, Sens. Schumer, Robert Menendez and Dick Durbin convened a conference call with gay rights groups to inform them that the legislation — at least the initial bill — will not include language to address LGBT concerns, a source familiar with the call told POLITICO.
“They blamed it on the Republicans…. Schumer was very matter of fact about it, very Machiavellian,” said the source, who asked not to be named. Gay advocates were told that Senate Judiciary Committee Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) will offer an amendment in his committee to protect gay couples.
And in a classic first term-esque twister move, the Obama Administration tries desperately to speak out of both sides of it's mouth on this issue. Where words like "bi-partisan" and "compromise" once again seem to mean, "we are folding like a cheap card table, because we don't want the Republicans to be mean to us..."
To his credit, Senator Leahy did add two amendments the bill incorporating UAFA provisions into the bill. It nice to see at least one Democrat who is willing to call the GOP's bluff, and make them choose between electoral redemption and their own bigotry.
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