Wed Ed

Pushing aside the sad news of Ted Kennedy's tumor, and other bad news, here's more Cali Gay Marriage stuff:

California gay-marriage fight could propel issue to U.S. Supreme Court
t was 1964. Conservative groups across California, angered by a new law aimed at discriminatory housing practices, mobilized to wipe the law off the books by amending the state constitution.

The initiative was a hit at the ballot box. Two-thirds of the state's voters approved the change in the constitution. But the new law didn't stick - both the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down, finding that it violated federal equal protection rights.

More than four decades later, that scenario could unfold again in California. This time, however, the issue is gay marriage, and California - because of its situation - may end up being the battleground that ultimately propels this modern day civil rights battle into the U.S. Supreme Court.

With social and religious conservatives moving to erase Thursday's California Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage with a fall ballot initiative, California is in a unique position. While dozens of states have enacted gay-marriage bans, none has done so after a state Supreme Court found a legal right for gay couples to wed.

"We'd be in uncharted legal territory," said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, a lead attorney in challenging the gay-marriage ban.

The 4-3 state Supreme Court ruling found the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, and declared that gay couples have the same legal right to marry as heterosexual couples.


LA County Staff Ready For June 16 Rush In Wake Of Marriage Ruling
- Los Angeles County will be ready to meet the increased demand for civil marriage ceremonies and license applications on June 16, when the recent state Supreme Court ruling overturning a same-sex marriage ban will take effect, acting County Clerk Dean Logan said Tuesday.

"Our staff is busy going about the process of preparing to implement the court's decision in concert with all the other services we provide, and we believe that we will be able to do that in a timely and efficient manner," Logan said.

I don't know if this is bad or just superfluous:
Cranky Old Drag Queen Ex-Nazi Hates Gay Marriage
Pope Benedict yesterday restated the view of the Catholic Church that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Despite not referring to the ruling of the Californian Supreme Court in favour of gay marriage, Vatican City watchers believe the restating of the Church's position was a reaction the ruling.

"The union of love, based on matrimony between a man and a woman, which makes up the family, represents a good for all society that can not be substituted by, confused with, or compared to other types of unions," he said.

(Says the unmarried man in a dress who helped cover up the largest child molestation conspiracy in world history.)

And the bottom line for Republicans, Money!
"“I’m wishing everyone good luck with their marriages and I hope that California’s economy is booming because everyone is going to come here and get married.” - CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.