Skip to main content

What a week...

Been rather hectic for me this week, but even so, yesterday's ruling by the California Supreme Court was a big net positive.

From the majority opinion, written by Chief Justice George (pp. 120-121)

"Accordingly, in light of the conclusions we reach concerning the constitutional questions brought to us for resolution, we determine that the language of section 300 limiting the designation of marriage to a union ³between a man and a woman² is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available both to opposite-sex and same-sex couples. In addition, because the limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples imposed by section 308.5 can have no constitutionally permissible effect in light of the constitutional conclusions set forth in this opinion, that provision cannot stand. Plaintiffs are entitled to the issuance of a writ of mandate directing the appropriate state officials to take all actions necessary to effectuate our ruling in this case so as to ensure that county clerks and other local officials throughout the state, in performing their duty to enforce the marriage statutes in their jurisdictions, apply those provisions in a manner consistent with the decision of this court. Further, as the prevailing parties, plaintiffs are entitled to their costs. The judgment of the Court of Appeal is reversed, and the matter is remanded to that court for further action consistent with this opinion."


Of course, the fundies are up in arms -- but that's why they keep trying for constitutional amendments... they know that time is not on their side.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

More On Energy: Supply, Demand and the Not-so-free Market

Speculators in the market have, rightly, been targeted for thier use of the Enron-loophole to basically compete (unfairly) in a market that is mixed between highly-regulated (see integrated oil companies) and unregulated players (see commodity brokers). This imbalance of power has led to the free flow of capital to a market from sources that a decade ago largely abandoned investment in oil companies -- in favor of the speculative bubble of the dotcom boom. That lack of capital infusion -- and the capital-intensive nature of the oil & gas business -- led to the mega-mergers of 1999 - 2001. Bear in mind that even with all that merger activity among the multi-nationals, their true competition is with national oil companies -- basically branches of their nation-state governments: Pemex (Mexico), Petrobras (Brazil), Pedevesas (Venezuala), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Cinoco (China) ... you get the picture. On the one end, you have national oil companies -- either in OPEC or non-aligned ...

Looking back...

It being "the thing to do" on New Years Eve, here are some of the things that came to my mind about the last decade: Houston & the Weather Tropical Storm Allison flooded Houston causing more than $5.5 B in damage and 41 deaths -- as usual, the story was overlooked by the national media because a) it was happening in Houston and b) they were manically covering the Timothy McVeigh execution countdown.  Were it not for 9/11, Allison would have been the largest disaster of 2001. Hurricane Katrina devasted the central Gulf Coast, flooding New Orleans with water and Houston with evacuees.  While the nation watched the Bush Administration fail in its duties, Mayor Bill White and the people of Houston stepped into the void -- providing shelter and a path forward for countless "new" Houstonians. Hurricane Rita taught us that our own hurricane plans were inadequate. Hurricane Gustav taught us how quickly a major storm could develop. Hurricane Ike showed how re...

Recipe Friday: Pecan-crusted Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce

3 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1 teaspoon garlic powder Egg whites from 2 large eggs 1 cup crushed pecans 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (about 6 oz. each) Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves, plus extra for garnish Preheat oven to 325°F. Use three shallow bowls or pie pans. In the first, mix flour, poultry seasoning and garlic powder. In the second, beat egg whites until frothy. Place pecans in the third. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Turn in flour to dust the breasts, then turn in egg whites, then press breasts into nuts on both sides. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet, over medium-high heat. When the oil has coated the pan, add the tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted & golden brown, add the chicken. Brown on each side for about 2 minutes,then transfer the pan to the oven and finish cooking through (about...