17 year old James testifies to Vermont Senate on LGBT Equality.

He nails the second class citizenship issue. Nails it. Please excuse my choice of words.

But forget al the abstract crap about civil unions etc. Here is the point: Are we equal or are we inferior?

This is how we need to campaign in California and across the country. And we need to have lots of

meals with other people and talk about it honestly.

My response to Huckabee's appearance on The Daily Show, below. I want a conversation and a world and certainly a legal system without pretendery. Come on Huckabee let's have a real conversation. I'll meet you anywhere.

This grotesque juxtaposition of robustly funded propaganda vs. cash-strapped social services is the perverse, inexcusable legacy of Proposition Hate and the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” and every related money-wasting act of gay-hostile social, political and emotional terrorism wrought by the American Taliban.

If you have ever used words like “sacred institution” or “redefine marriage” or “threat to family values” without irony or—worse yet—harbored thoughts or cast votes against marriage equality, you are not my friend. You are not welcome in my life. I honestly see you as intellectually compromised. And I don’t care what you think your god tells you to believe. Your mythology does not trump my reality. And if you try to defend your indefensible thoughts or words or actions to me, be prepared to have your vile, repellant opinions reduced to the vile, repellant garbage that they are.

And when I’m done with you, the domestic partner and I will calmly go back to caring for Thomas and working to repair the decades of damage caused by the celebrated heterosexuals who are apparently free to marry and divorce and have affairs and abuse and ignore their own children without generating interest a single constitutional amendment, television ad, campaign platform or even a godfuckingdamned T-shirt by the godfuckingdamned American Taliban.

 

Read all of Jake's brilliant post to know the story of he, his partner and Thomas on his blog NoFo. 

Then do something on the streets or online. And if you're gay, tell your story. Spell out your relationship and the indignities and legal vulnerabilities you've faced. In detail. Mine soon.

 

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper was re-elected with a minority government about a month ago. But he might lose his job any day now. He's managed, like George W Bush, to unite everyone else against him. At least that's my understanding after my brother explained it to me. Canada's politics has started to sound like a dramatic nerd reality show, with a special guest role starring President-elect Obama. The whole thing is crazy, which is why I was about the 8th person to ask my political wonk brother to explain it all to me in one of Canada's two official languages. I'm posting the answer so that other confused Canadians and bemused onlookers can get benefit. This way, Jordy doesn't have to explain it again.

Heads up for non-Canadians: In Canada the Liberals are the name of a political party and the Conservatives believe in national health care.

Here's the button-down versionwith reporting and stuff from Canada's best paper.

Prop 8 just passed. I have an angry moment. I am trying to follow the useful influenced insight of a passing busboy who suggested never comparing our hurt or struggle to that of another civil rights movement.

I'll be liveblogging the election coverage from 5-6pm EST / 2-3 PST at PBS' mediashift.org, which is PBS's site covering how the media is shifting. Mark Glaser has a great line up from 11am-9pm PST 1-midnight EST including all these people who know a whole lot about the Net and democratizing things: Micah Sifry, JD Lasica, Dan Gillmor, Henry Jenkins and purplestates.tv. Probably the most bullshit free election commentary you'll find today.

Email me or twitter me (@heathr) with your election + media experiences today.

I'm always curious about why stuff happens and why we are the way we are….regardless of whether or not I agree with outcomes or behaviours or judgements. Here's a recently blogged McCain anger story about McCain losing it at a craps table. At risk of it sounding condescending for me to guess, it sounds like McCain has some kind of PTSD.
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Mini Hockey Rink, originally uploaded by Paul Nicholson.

"Everybody says that / hell's the hippest way to go / I don't think so…"

I listened to Joni Mitchell at 6:30 on the phone line this morning and was immediately back in Toronto in gray days and the sharpening smell of fall. I was about to be part of a discussion on CBC radio about the US and Canadian elections, a conversation that only Canadians would have.

I felt myself move to a different place inside as I listened to Joni, a place that was cold and spacious and smelled of ice. Early mornings in Canada are rink times. And yes, in the rink, the ice-not just the locker room-has a smell.

All of this transpired in seconds and then I was in a cordial conversation with 4 infinitely reasonable and thoughtful people. One of the players, Jerry, went to the RNC and he compared the experience to a hockey arena. He acknowledged both how electric and exciting it was to be there when the new American "hockey mom" came in and how it didn't play well on television.

Immediately I felt the election itself as hockey game. "Drill baby drill" the crowd's chant when the team was breaking out into an offense rush. The back and forth of the candidates we've been sucked into as they've dropped their gloves and now try to pull each others shirts over their heads.

Yes the Republicans have some scrappy fighters. I'm not sure if they can win that way like the "Broad Street Bullies" who also had all kinds of heart, playing skill and phenomenal goaltending.

I just know from playing over the years that the fights are not the game. I did lead my team in penalty minutes at one time and found out the meaning of the cliche "you can't score from the box." The penalties came from frustration, and then they caused me more frustration. And when you act out of frustration, your not scoring or playmaking which is what is the most fun.

I'm hoping, like I said in the interview, that Obama plays his game and scores more goals, even if he can't brawl.


And I'm wishing even more, after my enjoyable conversation which included a Canadian conservative, that Americans would pick up a little Canadian tradition and play more hockey.

Canucks don't just watch hockey. They play. Often all their lives. With people who vote like them and with those who don't. Go play. If there are fights that come up, have em. But leave em in the rink.