The fight for equality goes on...

[deborahjross]

The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court today urging the court to invalidate Proposition 8 if it passes. Equality California announced today.

From the article: The petition charges that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians. Proposition 8 also improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities. According to the California Constitution, such radical changes to the organizing principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first.

For more discussion, see the statement by the ACLU.

Comments

[midnightwriter.livejournal.com]

It didn't matter which of the 2 main party's won as they are both backed by the same corporate elite. The 2 party system is a paradine in which each hold each other up. Follow the money trails. The only true party's were the 3rd party's like the Constitutional party or Green Party among others. As long as the corporate owned media keeps them out, then most people will not hear about them as they are too lazy to research them. Very few people in the 2 mainstream party's are worth their salt as they care nothing about the common person. As we are nothing but slaves to the Banksters and Corporate Elite. After the honeymoon watch out for the North American Union and the police state we are entering into.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

A number of people near and dear to me hold similar sentiments (although I'm not sure they'd agree on there being any parties that genuinely represent the interests of the ordinary person, not because of difference with any specific philosophy but because of the coercive nature of any political power structure).

While I recognize the exhilaration and idealism in those dancing the dance of victory, I remain skeptical of the ability of any politician to deliver changes of that magnitude -- for the reasons you cite, and others. I'm particularly leery of the combination of a landslide-elected President and a Congress dominated by his/her party. Been there, saw that, tired of being disappointed, enraged, frustrated, disillusioned.

Better at the moment to work on what I can change. I'd love to dance at my daughter's wedding.

[janni.livejournal.com]

Yet again I'm grateful for the ACLU ...

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Me, too. I parted company with them for a time, quite a while ago, over their opposition to mandatory HIV testing for suspected rapists. Their position at the time was that since there was nothing to be done to treat a woman if she had been exposed, the violation of the suspect's rights took precedence. I vehemently disagreed, and now we know that early intervention can significantly decrease the risk of contracting HIV after definite exposure (I sat through enough OSHA lectures on needlestick exposure to blood-born diseases). But I got over it, and set aside that difference because of how much else they do that is so valuable.

Post-election euphoria aside, we are going to need folks that defend our civil liberties more than ever.