Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, January 14, 2009
News Today in California
Posted by David Schmader on Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 10:29 AM
First, the good news that a huge coalition of California labor organizations have urged lawmakers to overturn Prop 8. From the Oakland Tribune:
A coalition of more than 50 labor organizations representing more than two million Californians filed a friend-of-the-court brief Tuesday urging the state Supreme Court to overturn the voter-approved constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The labor groups' brief argues that "any change to the California Constitution that takes away fundamental rights or that divides citizens into suspect classes must be accomplished by a 'revision' of the Constitution, and not the simple 'amendment' employed in Proposition 8." "If a simple majority of voters can take away one fundamental right, it can take away another," the brief states."We believe Prop. 8 is improper and it's immoral and it's also legally invalid," Art Pulaski, executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO, told reporters Tuesday. "We have an interest not only in defending the rights of our members, but we have an interest in defending the constitution of California." Agreed UHW-West President Sal Rosselli, "Us defending the right of gay people to marry, us defending this civil right is fundamentally important because ... there's a slippery slope and wealthy bigoted people could organize votes of the electorate to take away other civil rights."
Then the even better news that the Bay Area police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man in the back on an Oakland train platform (previously discussed here) has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Potentially damning video below.
Thank you, Slog tipper Brad.
1
What, no link to that video where the Brit rocker girl goes "Bang! Bang! Bang!" after singing "All I wanna do ..."?
(grin)
Good news on the Prop 8 front tho.
(grin)
Good news on the Prop 8 front tho.
2
"suspicion of murder"!!! the fucker murdered him and it's on camera. i hope he doesn't get a manslaughter charge instead of murder in the 1st or 2nd degree.
3
Most cops do good work, some cops are pigs with guns, that BART cop is a motherfucking pig.
If there was any justice in the world, if and when convicted, he should be released into the general population in San Quentin or Pelican Bay. I would love to see that motherfucker walk the yard. But, this being a pig's world, he will be convicted of assault and manslaughter and sent to a prison camp to serve 10 years in protective custody.
If there was any justice in the world, if and when convicted, he should be released into the general population in San Quentin or Pelican Bay. I would love to see that motherfucker walk the yard. But, this being a pig's world, he will be convicted of assault and manslaughter and sent to a prison camp to serve 10 years in protective custody.
4
i've been trying to parse what upsets the jeezoids so much about gay marriage and i think i've found it: they say they are fine with gays having all the protections and perks of marriage with one exception--they don't want it to be called "marriage". so i propose changing the language of what you want in order to get further with this cause. do i think you have the right to call it "marriage"? of course! and someday it will be, but a good interim solution might be to just take the semantic road right now. when i talk about making compromises with these people, slog tends to jump all over my shit, but i just think it's pragmatic. sticklers usually get nowhere.
5
or maybe lobby for equal rights for everyone - make up a bunch of boilerplate union agreements and let people sign up as they wish - take marriage out of the state leave it for the church - want the state to recognize your union then sign a contract
6
On Prop 8 - wouldn't it be better to just run the campaign in the next election cycle and do it right this time? The Yes vote went from 61% to 52% in just 8 years, and we know a competent campaign would've at least made the last margin closer, if not reversed the outcome.
My politics are generally polar opposite to George Will, but at least he strives for some intellectual honesty (and also unapologetically revealed himself on Colbert as an agnostic.) His latest column calls out the pitfalls of turning to judicial fiat when the votes are not in your favor. Over the long term, this approach could cause more lingering resentment and prejudice than educating, campaigning and winning a popular vote on the issue.
The facts are on our side, let's do it again in 2010.
My politics are generally polar opposite to George Will, but at least he strives for some intellectual honesty (and also unapologetically revealed himself on Colbert as an agnostic.) His latest column calls out the pitfalls of turning to judicial fiat when the votes are not in your favor. Over the long term, this approach could cause more lingering resentment and prejudice than educating, campaigning and winning a popular vote on the issue.
The facts are on our side, let's do it again in 2010.
7
louie is exactly right - this cop will not suffer anything resembling the consequences a civilian would face for a similar offense. sad but true.
also, i second McG - ALL unions should be civil unions, carrying equal weight in the eyes of the law. anyone who wishes to take that union to their church for a blessing or a ceremony or what have you, they certainly can do that, but such a rite should have no more legal bearing than a baptism, christening or a bar mitzvah or any other religious rite.
i won't get very far if i go around saying, "down with marriage!! civil unions for all!" but i'd like to. i mean, what the hell sense does it make? i got hitched in a hotel room with nobody even remotely religious anywhere in sight. how could anyone argue that my union is any more or less right or holy or legit than the unions that would be entered into by the gays? because of the body parts we have? fucking ridiculous.
also, i second McG - ALL unions should be civil unions, carrying equal weight in the eyes of the law. anyone who wishes to take that union to their church for a blessing or a ceremony or what have you, they certainly can do that, but such a rite should have no more legal bearing than a baptism, christening or a bar mitzvah or any other religious rite.
i won't get very far if i go around saying, "down with marriage!! civil unions for all!" but i'd like to. i mean, what the hell sense does it make? i got hitched in a hotel room with nobody even remotely religious anywhere in sight. how could anyone argue that my union is any more or less right or holy or legit than the unions that would be entered into by the gays? because of the body parts we have? fucking ridiculous.
8
@ 3 They are all fucking pigs.The well intentioned few usually get disenfranchised or held back from promotions because most cops are jerk offs.It all boils down to times like the WTO protests here.When they are at the front line and got the order to shoot us with rubber bullets and beat the shit out of us NOT ONE of them said no.Nor did the ones who felt it was wrong do anything about it.They were just "following orders" not taking responsibilit for their actions.Fuck the Pigs.
This cop will get off easy.They always do.I can't remember the last time a cop that ended up in one of these situations actually even got charged.Usually it's just a paid vacation while the desk pigs make it look like their actually doing something about it.
Good to hear this little piggy got arrested but I don't have high hopes about him doing hard time.
This cop will get off easy.They always do.I can't remember the last time a cop that ended up in one of these situations actually even got charged.Usually it's just a paid vacation while the desk pigs make it look like their actually doing something about it.
Good to hear this little piggy got arrested but I don't have high hopes about him doing hard time.
9
COMMENT DELETED: Threatening
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11
That video is really shocking. At the risk of sounding naïve, it makes you wonder how a person gets to the point where they can do that.
12
@7 You are 100% right on. GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE MARRIAGE BUSINESS!!!!! If government feels the social need to oversee contracts between people, then fine. Make it a "civil union" Leave spiritual concepts like marriage to the religions.
13
If you're using that standard to determine whether someone is a good person, then no one is. The Milgram experiment proves that virtually everyone will do what they're told, especially when given instructions by an authority figure.
When they are at the front line and got the order to shoot us with rubber bullets and beat the shit out of us NOT ONE of them said no.
If you're using that standard to determine whether someone is a good person, then no one is. The Milgram experiment proves that virtually everyone will do what they're told, especially when given instructions by an authority figure.
14
I don't doubt that BART cop comitted a very serious crime, but I'll be dammed if I can tell it from that grainy cell-phone video. I hope they can bring better-quality video and a heap of eyewitness testimony into court.
16
#6 is right. A lot of us (including myself) donated to Obama but not against Prop 8. I will donate time and money if it goes to the ballot in 2010. Religious radicals are right that gay marriage has never won a statewide vote. Once we win in California (or better yet, Washington if can legally be done here), it will spread elsewhere. We won't let another Prop 8 happen in a progressive state.
Does anyone know if anyone is working on this?
Does anyone know if anyone is working on this?
17
My brother called those two cops onto the BART platform to deal with a couple guys fighting that day. May or may not have been the same incident. Kind of freaky.
There are other videos with clearer angles, btw. Apparently, the cop actually tried to... um... a little unclear on the lingo, but to cartridge a round? Immediately before that - kind of blows a whole in the thought-it-was-my-taser theory.
There are other videos with clearer angles, btw. Apparently, the cop actually tried to... um... a little unclear on the lingo, but to cartridge a round? Immediately before that - kind of blows a whole in the thought-it-was-my-taser theory.
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