Jon Stewart on McCain not supporting New GI Bill

Ten states ask California court to delay same-sex marriage

The attorney generals of ten states are urging the California Supreme Court to delay finalizing its ruling to legalize same-sex marriage.

The attorneys general say in court documents filed Thursday that they have an interest in the case because they would have to determine if their states would recognize same-sex marriage for residents who wed in California.

They want the court to stay its ruling until after the November election, when voters likely will decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. California Attorney General Jerry Brown is urging the court not to grant the stay.

The states involved are Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.

"'This historic litigation is now concluded,' wrote Senior Assistant Atty. Gen. Christopher E. Krueger in a brief filed with the high court. 'It is time for these proceedings to end.' In the brief, Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown said he plans to enforce the court's May 15 ruling 'with no less vigor' than he previously sought to defend state laws that limited marriage to opposite-sex couples. California's change of heart came as 10 other states, including Florida and Utah, filed a brief in support of a request by gay marriage opponents to delay the effective date of the court ruling. The offices of attorneys general of Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah protested that their states, which restrict marriage to unions of a man and a woman, would be inundated by litigation seeking to have them recognize same-sex nuptials in California."

True Majority Comes Out in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage

You might have heard that the Supreme Court of California ruled that marriage is a fundamental civil right and must not be restricted on the basis of sexual orientation. Now, on June 17th, California is poised to become only the second state in America to practice full marriage equality. Over the past decade the public has rapidly been embracing equal rights and with this clear ruling we finally have an opportunity to put equality over the top. Now we're coming out. We support full marriage equality.

We all have our own issues: budget priorities, labor rights, reproductive rights, election integrity, telecom immunity, anti-war, pro civil rights, this list goes on and on. But, this is bigger than that. Marriage equality comes down to human rights. That's why we're circulating this open letter for all progressives to take a second to step back from our respective corners and come out in support of same sex marriage.

Sign this open letter for equality today:http://www.TrueMajority.org/Equality

Signing this is a first step. Right now, politicians on all sides are falling all over themselves with excuses to avoid talking about the issue. Well we've had enough! We need to show that the progressive movement is united on this issue. We'll deliver this open letter to Governors across the country who are currently considering referendums or legislation regarding marriage equality.

Let's celebrate equality in the most populous state in the union by showing the unity of the progressive movement. Between fighting hateful referendums in California and Florida and making a positive case for marriage equality nationwide, we've got a lot of work to do.

Help The Planet

GO VEGETARIAN ONCE A WEEK

One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. You will also also save some trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed.

LARRY CRAIG WRITING TELL-ALL BOOK ABOUT MEN'S ROOM ARREST

Craig, 62, is retiring in January after 18 years in the Senate and a decade in the House. He told KTVB-TV in Boise, Idaho, the book will focus on "the state of politics" in Washington, but also will review his career, including his arrest by an undercover officer in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport. 'There will be a bit of what's happened in the last year and the way it evolved,' Craig said. 'I think that's important for Idaho and those outside Idaho who are interested to know.'"

“You don't remove the word 'Coca' from Coca-Cola and just leave 'Cola'; we can't do it in this case. It's ludicrous.”

ARYE BARAK, spokesman for an Israeli movie distributor, on requests from religious authorities to remove the word "Sex" from Sex and the City movie posters

Thoughts from Georgia on Same-Sex Marriage in California

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HANG DRY

Get a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes by the air. Your wardrobe will maintain color and fit, and you'll save money.
Your favorite t-shirt will last longer too.

First Comes Love...

"First comes love. Then comes marriage. And now it's a milestone every couple in California can celebrate."

This is part of a full-page ad taken out today by Macy's in both the L.A. Times, and New York Times.

Million for Marriage

Do you want to live in a country that legalizes discrimination? Despite the recent California Supreme Court decision that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is unconstitutional, efforts are underway throughout the country to take away rights from same-sex couples.

I just joined thousands of others in showing my support for marriage equality for all. But recently, proponents of bigotry and hate collected even more signatures in an attempt to invalidate the California Supreme Court decision. And they won't stop with California—extremists are even trying to add a same-sex marriage ban to the U.S. Constitution.

We are at a turning point in our nation's history and I'm hoping you'll join me in standing up against discrimination. Please sign the Million for Marriage petition and get us one name closer to showing that Americans overwhelmingly support marriage equality!

http://www.MillionForMarriage.org

Every committed couple deserves to enjoy the privileges and responsibilities conferred by marriage. Add your name to the petition and be a part of the movement to fight for marriage equality for all.

Majority In Norwegian Parliament Agrees On New Law Allowing Gay Weddings, Adoptions

Two Norwegian opposition parties on Thursday backed the rights of gay couples to marry in church, adopt and have assisted pregnancies, effectively assuring the passage of a new equality law next month.

The ruling three-party government proposed a law in March giving gay couples equal rights to heterosexuals but disagreements within the coalition cast doubt on whether it would receive enough votes to pass.

But two opposition parties announced Thursday they were backing the proposals, a move welcomed by gay rights groups, which should ensure a parliamentary majority and allow the law to be passed.

''This is a historic day,'' said lawmaker Gunn Karin Gjul of the Labor Party, which is part of the ruling coalition along with the Socialist Left and the Center Party.
''A universal marriage law allows homosexuals to marry, be considered as adoptive parents and have assisted pregnancies, just like heterosexuals. This means we're removing all discrimination of homosexuals.''

The new legislation would replace a 1993 law that gives gays the right to enter civil unions similar to marriage, but did not allow church weddings or adoption. Gjul said lawmakers will vote on the law on June 11 and if passed as expected will go into force next year.

''We are very, very happy.... This is a historic victory,'' said Jon Reidar Oeyan, leader of the national Association of Lesbian and Gay Liberation.

Under the proposed law, gay couples can marry in a church, but only if a majority in the congregation agree and clergy cannot be forced to take the service.

About 85 percent of Norway's 4.7 million people are registered as members of the state Lutheran Church of Norway, although far fewer are active. The church is split on the issue of gay marriage, and is likely to allow each congregation to decide on whether to conduct homosexual weddings. It did the same last year in allowing parishes to decide whether to accept clergymen living in gay partnerships.

New York Must Recognize Out-Of-State Same-Sex Marriages

Gay couples who were legally wed in Massachusetts, California and Canada will be afforded same rights as 'any other legally performed union.'

One day before California became the second state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, New York Governor David Paterson directed all state agencies to begin updating their regulations to recognize same-sex marriages that have been legally performed in Massachusetts, California, Canada and elsewhere.

According to The New York Times, Paterson issued the directive on May 14, less than 24 hours before the Supreme Court of California struck down that state’s ban on gay marriage. The new rule in New York, which came from the governor's legal counsel, David Nocenti, tells state agencies that gay couples married outside the state "should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union." The revisions to the code could cover more than 1,300 regulations in New York on everything from joint filing on tax returns to the transfer of fishing licenses between spouses.

Paterson delivered a videotaped message to gay community leaders at a dinner on May 17, in which he described the decision as "a strong step toward marriage equality." Gay-rights advocates and opponents both see the measure as the first step toward the state fully legalizing same-sex unions.

"Very shortly, there will be hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, and probably thousands and thousands and thousands of gay people who have their marriages recognized by the state," said Democratic Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, who has pushed for legalization of gay unions, according to the paper.

For now, Massachusetts and California are the only states that have legalized gay marriage, though Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont allow civil unions. Forty-one other states have passed laws limiting marriage to unions between a man and a woman. It is expected that the new regulations in New York will take effect by mid-June, unless a court grants a stay.

Help The Planet

DIAPER WITH A CONSCIENCE

By the time a child is toilet trained, a parent will change between 5,000 and 8,000 diapers, adding up to approximately 3.5 million tons of waste in U.S. landfills each year. Whether you choose cloth or a more environmentally-friendly disposable, you're making a choice that has a much gentler impact on our planet.

Clovis High School Yearbook Features Gays

Clovis High School students are defending their inclusion of photos and interviews with gay couples in the yearbook after criticism by a former New Mexico lieutenant governor and Christian groups.

Student editor-in-chief Maggie Chavez and staff member Jessie Hardison said Thursday the decision to feature gay couples was made after much consideration and discussion by the staff.

"We just wanted to show that there is a diversity. There (are) gay and lesbian couples in the school and they have a right to be in the yearbook just as much as anybody else does," Chavez said.

Former Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley, who described himself as a parent and concerned Christian member of the community, said he is upset.

"I think it's highly inappropriate to place that in that venue," he said. "That is no place for that type of negligent exploitation of our kids. I do not in any way believe this reflects the attitudes and values of this community."

Photos of two lesbian couples, along with narratives describing their relationships, were included in a features section titled "Do you want to go out?" Also pictured on the two-page spread were nine heterosexual couples.

School staffers routinely monitor the yearbook for obscenity, libel and other matters of legal concern before it is published, but supervisor Carol Singletary said it is a student-produced publication.

She said the content featuring gay students wasn't censored by administrators.
"It didn't violate privacy. It wasn't obscene. It wasn't libelous. ... It didn't violate any of the district policies," Singletary said.

Chavez and Hardison said they hold strong Christian values but the issue involves discrimination. Chavez said openly gay couples can be seen at Clovis High School, often walking hand-in-hand.

"This is in the community. (Students) are going to have to deal with it in their lifetime," Chavez said.

“It was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president's advantage.”

SCOTT MCCLELLA, former White House press secretary, in his new memoir, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception

[It's not like we didn't know everything he said was already true... he is just the first insider to say it. Love it!]

Dueling Polls in California

Poll says majority of Californians back gay marriage

More California voters now support allowing same-sex marriage than oppose it, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

The results mark the first time in over three decades of polling by the Field Poll that more California voters have approved of extending marriage to gay couples than have disapproved, said Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo. The survey of 1,052 registered voters was conducted over the phone.

"I would say this is a historic turning point or milestone," DiCamillo said. "We have speculated in the past there would be some time in the future when a majority would support same-sex marriage. Well, the lines have crossed."

The poll found that 51 percent of respondents backed legalizing same-sex marriage and 42 percent opposed it, DiCamillo said.

In 2006, when participants were asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of California allowing homosexuals to marry members of their own sex?" 44 percent said they approved and 50 percent objected. In 1977, the first year Field posted the question to voters, 28 percent approved and 59 percent were opposed.

The poll was conducted from May 17 to May 26 in the days after the California Supreme Court handed down its historic ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the nation's most populous state. A smaller percentage of respondants- 48 percent - said they agreed with the court's decision and 46 percent disagreed.

DiCamillo said the jump in support for same-sex marriage indicates that voters were "influenced in some way by the judgment of the high court."

"I am left to surmise that had some impact on voters who might have been on the fence or marginally opposed," he said.

Voters were similarly divided on the subject of a proposed ballot initiative that would overturn the court's ruling by putting a gay marriage ban in the state constitution. Field asked respondents about it two ways - once referencing the specific measure a group is seeking to get on the November ballot and once talking about a marriage amendment more generally.

Fifty-four percent opposed the amendment when presented with the issue generally, a figure that dropped to 51 percent when respondents were told they might have the chance to vote on a specific measure in November. Support for the amendment stood at 40 percent and 43 percent.

DiCamillo said the numbers could change once the amendment qualifies for the ballot, but the early results indicate "the concept itself is not widely embraced."

The Field Poll's finding conflicts with a Los Angeles Times/KTLA poll of 705 voters released last week that found 54 percent backed the proposed gay marriage ban and 35 percent opposed it. The Field survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points on the general amendment question, and plus or minus five percentage points on the more specific question.

Andrew Pugno, legal adviser for the coalition of religious and social conservative groups sponsoring the measure, said the Times poll is more consistent with his group's internal polling.

"We could acknowledge there has been increasing acceptance of the idea of gay relationships over the last 10 or 20 years, but we think when it comes to marriage there is still a solid majority who want to see it reserved for a man and a woman, and that is all this initiative is about," Pugno said.

Times Poll: Californians narrowly reject gay marriage
Voters also back a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex unions, a new Times/KTLA survey shows.

By bare majorities, Californians reject the state Supreme Court's decision to allow same-sex marriages and back a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at the November ballot that would outlaw such unions, a Los Angeles Times/KTLA Poll has found.But the survey also suggested that the state is moving closer to accepting nontraditional marriages, which could create openings for supporters of same-sex marriage as the campaign unfolds.

More than half of Californians said gay relationships were not morally wrong, that they would not degrade heterosexual marriages and that all that mattered was that a relationship be loving and committed, regardless of gender.

Overall, the proportion of Californians who back either gay marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples has remained fairly constant over the years. But the generational schism is pronounced. Those under 45 were less likely to favor a constitutional amendment than their elders and were more supportive of the court's decision to overturn the state's current ban on gay marriage. They also disagreed more strongly than their elders with the notion that gay relationships threatened traditional marriage.

The results of the survey set up an intriguing question for the fall campaign: Will the younger, more live-and-let-live voters mobilized by likely Democratic nominee Barack Obama doom the gay marriage ban? Or will conservatives drawn to the polls by the amendment boost the odds for the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain?

Either way, the poll suggests the outcome of the proposed amendment is far from certain. Overall, it was leading 54% to 35% among registered voters. But because ballot measures on controversial topics often lose support during the course of a campaign, strategists typically want to start out well above the 50% support level."

Although the amendment to reinstate the ban on same-sex marriage is winning by a small majority, this may not bode well for the measure," said Times Poll Director Susan Pinkus.

The politically volatile issue leaped into the forefront last week after the court made its judgment in a case that stemmed from San Francisco's unsuccessful effort in 2004 to allow gay marriage in the city. The court's decision, on a 4-3 vote by judges largely appointed by Republican governors, came eight years after Californians overwhelmingly banned gay marriage through a ballot measure, Proposition 22.

The court's verdict threw the issue forward until November, when Californians are expected to be asked to amend the state Constitution to prohibit gay marriage. An affirmative vote on the amendment would reinstate the ban and lead to more litigation over the issue.

Before the court took action, opponents of same-sex marriage already had submitted more than 1 million signatures to the secretary of state's office to put the matter on the November ballot. Secretary of State Debra Bowen has said she will determine its fate by mid-June, but the backers are believed to have collected enough signatures to qualify.

Asking for a delay

Thursday, supporters of the proposed amendment asked the court to place its decision on hold until after the election. Failure to do so "risks legal havoc and uncertainty," lawyers for the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund argued, noting that same-sex marriages entered into between now and November would be under a legal cloud if voters approved the ban. Court experts, however, say it is unlikely the justices would agree to such a lengthy delay in implementing their ruling.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has vetoed two bills sanctioning gay marriage, has said that he respects the court's decision and that he will not support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Californians were split on his stance, with 45% agreeing and 46% disagreeing.

The governor, who in his nearly five years in office has often butted heads with his GOP colleagues, was once again on the opposite side of most in his party: Nearly 7 in 10 Republicans disagreed with his views on the court decision and the amendment.

Becky Espinoza of Kerman, an agricultural town west of Fresno, said that if the amendment made the ballot, she would vote for it. But she acknowledged some ambivalence about the matter coming before voters at all."

I just don't believe a man and a man should be married," said the 57-year-old Republican. "How can I put this -- it's just not right. I was brought up very old-fashioned."

Even within her own family, however, there are differences of opinion. A younger daughter, she said, feels "there's nothing wrong with that."

"To kids nowadays, it's like 'Oh well.' Maybe it is 'Oh well.' They see it. We didn't see it. It was one of those in-the-closet things."

On the opposite side is Lena Neal of Perris, who said she supported the court's decision and would vote against an amendment. Neal, a Democrat, based her views on the experiences of an elderly family member, who she said was part of a decades-long same-sex partnership. When one of them entered the hospital, she said, the other was not allowed to visit -- that benefit was restricted to family members.

"It's their right," she said of gay marriage. "They're humans."

Gay Mormons to church: Don't fight California court ruling

A support group for gay Mormons is urging church leaders to stay on the sidelines after the California Supreme Court said same-sex marriage there is legal.

The church has expressed disappointment in the May 15 ruling. Some critics want to overturn it through a constitutional amendment.

In a statement Wednesday, leaders of the gay group Affirmation are asking The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints not to meddle in politics that harms gay families.

Instead, the group wants Mormon leaders to help people who are hurt by the church's teaching that homosexuality is a sin.

The church believes God only sanctions marriage between a man and a woman. In 2000, it actively supported a California ballot measure similar to that stance.

[The Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Catholic Church were two of the main supporters ensured same-sex marriage would not happen in Hawaii. Both churches pored money into Hawaii against sam-sex marraige.]

“Hillary Clinton, as I've said many times, is the drunk party guest who won't go home, the cab's idling out front, and she's opening a new bottle of wine.”

TUCKER CARLSON, MSNBC host, criticizing the Democratic presidential hopeful for remaining in the race despite calls to concede victory to rival Barack Obama

[I am not saying that I agree, I just thought it was funny and well-said.]

Official: Gay weddings could commence June 14

Same-sex couples in some California counties will be able to marry as soon as June 14, the president of the California's county clerks association said.

Stephen Weir, who heads the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, said Monday he was told by the Office of Vital Records that clerks would be authorized to hand out marriage licenses as soon as that date, which is a Saturday and exactly 30 days after the California Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage should be legal.

The court's decisions typically take effect after 30 days, barring further legal action.
Weir added that the state planned to give California's 58 counties advice this week for implementing the historic change so local officials can start planning.

Help The Planet

RECYCLE GLASS

Recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. If it isn't recycled it can take a million years to decompose.

“Wounded people never asked me about my sexual orientation. They were just glad to see me there.”

Maj. MARGARET WITT, an Air Force flight nurse who was discharged for being gay. A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that such discharges are unconstitutional.

Help The Planet

DO NOT PRE-HEAT THE OVEN

Unless you are making bread or pastries of some sort, don't pre-heat the oven. Just turn it on when you put the dish in. Also, when checking on your food, look through the oven window instead of opening the door.

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DON'T RINSE

Skip rinsing dishes before using your dishwasher and save up to 20 gallons of water each load. Plus, you're saving time and the energy used to heat the additional water.

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TURN OFF COMPUTERS AT NIGHT

By turning off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode, you can save 40 watt-hours per day. That adds up to 4 cents a day, or $14 per year. If you don't want to wait for your computer to start up, set it to turn on automatically a few minutes before you get to work, or boot up while you're pouring your morning cup 'o joe.

Judge may rule soon on challenge to state's gay marriage ban

Last week, as the California Supreme Court was making national headlines for overturning California's gay marriage ban, local attorney Tamara Packard was putting the final touches on the final legal brief on behalf of her client, William McConkey, who is challenging Wisconsin's gay marriage ban.

Packard and lead counsel Lester Pines filed the brief Monday, a little less then two weeks before they are due to appear before Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess for oral arguments. Lawyers for the state Department of Justice also are scheduled to appear on May 30.

Packard and Pines, of Cullen, Weston, Pines & Bach, say they would not be surprised if Niess issues his ruling that day.

"The newer judges, because of the way they are trained these days, do tend to rule from the bench," said Packard. That's great for litigants, she added, "because we then keep things moving, we know what's going on and we don't have to sit around waiting."

If Niess does not rule from the bench, he would likely have about 90 days from the hearing date -- or any subsequent legal action concerning the case -- to issue a decision.

While the California Supreme Court ruled that the California ban did not pass constitutional muster, the issue before Judge Niess is much more narrow. McConkey also had originally claimed that Wisconsin's constitutional amendment violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, but Niess ruled in September that McConkey did not have standing to sue on that issue.

Niess did, however, allow McConkey to proceed on the question of whether the referendum on the fall 2006 ballot asked two questions rather than one -- whether to ban gay marriage and whether to prohibit anything "substantially similar" to marriage. Significantly, a provision in the Wisconsin Constitution, known as the single subject rule, prohibits referendum questions from asking multiple questions.

The Department of Justice argues in its brief that the marriage amendment is constitutional because its parts relate to the same subject matter and are designed to accomplish the same thing.

But if the judge agrees with McConkey that the referendum did pose two questions to voters, the state's constitutional amendment, which was approved by 59 percent of voters, would be overturned.

Church to begin same-sex nuptials

All Saints Church in Pasadena, one of the largest and most liberal Episcopalian congregations in the country, announced Thursday it will begin performing wedding ceremonies for gay couples starting June 16.

In what All Saints Rector the Rev. Ed Bacon called a "historic vote," church officials adopted the "Resolution on Marriage Equality" unanimously Thursday, after a special meeting of the 3,500-member congregation's lay leadership.

The church's action came in response to the California Supreme Court's May 15 ruling overturning the ban on gay marriage approved by voters in 2000.

All Saints has performed blessings for same-sex couples for the past 15 years.

But Bacon described the church vestry's vote as showing "stirring courage to move beyond lip service" to the church's commitment to equality by extending marriage rights to gay members.

"Today's decision is consistent with All Saints Church, Pasadena's identity as a peace and justice church," Bacon said in a statement Thursday. "It also aligns us with the Scriptures' mandate to make God's love tangible by `doing justice and loving mercy' (Micah 6:8) and with the canons of our Episcopal Church that forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation."

Those against same-sex marriage have vowed to overturn the appeals court's decision by putting a constitutional amendment initiative on the November ballot.

New bishop at odds with boss over gays

AUSTRALIA'S first woman bishop didn't take long to find herself at odds with her boss, the primate of the Anglican church.

On her first day in her new role as Assistant Bishop of Perth, Kay Goldsworthy was asked whether women had shared the same experiences as homosexuals in their battle for recognition. She was also asked if she would like to see homosexuals represented in the Anglican clergy.

"I think these are two different matters,'' she replied. "We are, as an Anglican church, at the moment engaged in a long process of listening carefully and attentively to the experience of homosexual Christian people, and that's where we're up to. "We're searching for the heart of God and the mind of Christ.''

Shortly after, the Australian Anglican primate, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, was asked his own views on the same issue. Dr Aspinall said he believed the homosexual issue would need to be dealt with in "the same kind of way'' as the ordination of women.

"It is a set of issues that will need to be dealt with in the same kind of way as the ordination of women questions has,'' he said. "It requires long-term deep study of the scriptures, international theological reflection and a lot of prayer and talking with each other.

"Questions of human sexuality run very deep in peoples' lives and sometime when they're raised there's a lot of kind of personal angst associated with it and it's not easy to get a clear objective discussion about the issues involved. "

So it will take time and will require a lot of patience.''

[Seriously, how does SHE not get it?]

California marriage opponents seek 5-month delay

A conservative legal group asked the California Supreme Court on Thursday to put off finalization of its decision legalizing same-sex marriage until voters got a chance to weigh in.

The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund wants the ruling stayed until November, when voters will probably encounter a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage. That amendment would overturn the justices' ruling.

In court papers submitted late Thursday, the group warned that the state would suffer "great public harm and mischief" if it began allowing same-sex marriages on June 16, when the court's decision would ordinarily become final.Defense Fund attorneys also said implementing the ruling in the meantime would be an unnecessary expense for the state and cause unneeded confusion for couples.

Many couples started planning weddings and making appointments to secure marriage licenses immediately after the justices overturned the state's gay marriage ban on May 15.

A cloud of uncertainty lingers over the pending unions, however. A coalition of religious and social conservative groups is in the process of putting a measure on the November ballot that would write a gay marriage ban into the state constitution.

County clerks have until June 18 to verify the signatures needed to qualify the amendment for the election, according to the Defense Fund. A preliminary count by 37 counties indicates that the initiative has a high chance of being put to voters, the group said in its petition. Defense Fund attorneys asked the Supreme Court to hold a hearing on when its decision should take effect or to amend it to prevent it from being implemented for now.

"The people of California have a constitutional right to vote on marriage, and we trust the high court will respect the democratic process," said Defense Fund senior counsel Glen Lavy, who argued before the court for maintaining the state's one-man, one-woman marriage laws.

Among the logistical nightmares the attorneys predicted are counties scheduling different start dates based on their ability to create new, gender-neutral marriage licenses and the question of whether marriages sanctioned during the five-month window would be annulled if the amendment passes. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said he would file a motion next week urging the court to reject a "delay tactic."

"To continue to postpone the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples for a moment longer, based merely on political speculation as to whether the constitution may be amended, would be both illegal and inhumane," Herrera said in a statement.

“So, you'll walk me down the aisle?”

Talk show host ELLEN DEGENERES challenging Republican presidential contender John McCain after he told her that while he opposes gay marriage he wishes her every happiness

Help The Planet

CHANGE YOUR LIGHT

If every household in the United State replaced one regular lightbulb with one of those new compact fluorescent bulbs, the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road.

Don't like the color of light? Use these bulbs for closets, laundry rooms and other places where it won't irk you as much.

Princess Cruise: Los Angeles to Vancouver

Sapphire Princess! Nelson, Juan, Sean and I took a three day cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver as a quick, relaxing vacation. Princess was repositioning the ship from Australia to Alaska. Some of the passengers started the trip from Sydney… 31 days later to Los Angeles, 3 days to Vancouver, and some continuing on for 7 days in Alaska. That’s a bit of a long time to me… I liked the 3 day cruise.

We went to the top of the bridge to watch the ship leave the port and then explored the ship a bit.

The week prior to the trip, we had some cold weather in Los Angeles. However, as we started the cruise, we had wonderful weather for the entire cruise and in Vancouver and Seattle.

The pool and jacuzzi was one of our first destinations. Okay, so we were there every day.

Nelson arranged for us to get a tour of the Bridge with Capt. Heikki (or something like that – from Finland).

Sean liked the cruise – eat, sleep, eat, sleep, eat, sleep. He was out cold here. I took a nap next to him, then got a refill on my diet coke and a danish from the buffet. He was still sleeping when I returned. Two of the ship’s staff were dressed as pirates and took a picture with Sean… Sean still doesn’t know that even happened.

We managed to eat a lot, always trying to get a table with a window to watch the sea going by.



We would have breakfast, then lunch a few hours later. Tea started at 3:30 and dinner later that night.

Sean, that last night, realized you could order two entrees. So, he created surf and truf - steak and king crab legs. Mind you, this is after the appetizer and soup... then entrees, then dessert.

After leaving Los Angeles on Wednesday, we arrived in Vancouver on Saturday morning. Vancouver is a pretty city (so much more than the Los Angeles harbor wher we left).

We were off to explore Vancouver for a little bit and then drive down to Seattle.