"The most consistent and smartest thinking and writing about progressive politics isn't happening in Sacramento, but being churned out day after day on sites and by organizations like Calitics, Orange County Progressive, and the California Budget Project." - CalBuzz
One year ago, I was depressed. I was shell-shocked. I was angered. I was just starting to find my voice as an LGBT civil rights activist.
And fortunately, OCEC was there for me and for many other soon-to-become equality activists who were horrified (and rudely awakened) by Prop H8. OC Weekly has a great story this week on not just OCEC's amazing growth last year, but on the continuing evolution of OC's LGBT community.
It may have been just over eight months ago, but it still feels like yesterday when I organized the first little get-together in my neighborhood park that flourished and ultimately became what Team Courage OCis today. I may not be on the ground here any more, but I still feel so proud whenever I notice their latest canvass successes, their big events, and just all the momentum they've picked up since I was pulling my hair out and trying to figure out who else was interested in going door to door in Orange County to talk about marriage equality.
I may have moved on since those early days after Prop H8 passed, but it still gives me hope today to see how the beautiful struggle for equality has progressed since those dark and scary early days. If you feel like properly commemorating one amazing year of activism since the pain of Prop H8, check out these events happening this weekend. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is tomorrow at 6:30 PM at The Center OC, and OCEC's One Year Anniversary Celebration will be Saturday at 5:00 PM at Tia Juana's in Irvine.
There have been many ups and downs in the last year, but it's great to see that OC's LGBT civil rights movement hasn't just weathered the storms of the past year... But has actually risen above them to thrive.
Yes, California already bans discrimination by sexual orientation and gender identity. However, LGBT workers in other states aren't as fortunate. While Nevada prohibits workplace discrimination by sexual orientation, this state offers no protections for transgender workers. So if you're trans and live in The Silver State, you're always at risk of being fired just for being who you are.
And even worse, 29 states offer no anti-discrimination protection on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. And yes, our next-door neighbor Arizona happens to be one of those 29 states.
This is why we should care so much about ENDA... And this is why Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) needs to care as well. She's likely to vote for it, but she hasn't signed on as a cosponsor. And in order for this bill to break through the delays and gain enough momentum for final passage, HR 3017 needs more cosponsors.
This is why Loretta needs to hear from us. Please send her an email, call her office, and/or write to her. Ask her to join her sister Linda (who already IS an ENDA cosponsor) in stopping the wrongful discrimination against LGBT workers.
Way too many people live at risk every day of losing their job, losing their livelihood, becoming societal outcasts just for being who they are. We can't allow any more of it, and we have the power to get ENDA passed.
I was heartbroken to hear of Senator Ted Kennedy's passing and my deepest sympathies go out to Vicki, his children and the entire Kennedy family.
I will always think of Senator Kennedy as the lion of the Senate. From his seat in the back of the beautiful Senate chamber, he used his powerful voice to speak out for the voiceless. He could always be counted on to champion justice, fairness and compassion - and to challenge all of us to do the same.
Personally, I will miss Senator Kennedy's warm and engaging presence, his bellowing laughter and the way he reached out to all senators in friendship.
No one will ever be able to fill his shoes, but we must honor his extraordinary legacy by continuing his life's work. The most fitting tribute we could give Senator Kennedy is to carry on his fight for a quality education for all our children, affordable health care that families can rely on, an economy that works for everyone and equal rights for all our citizens.
In his honor, I collected some of my favorite "YouTube moments" from the late Senator. I just hope his legacy lives on. And btw, you can help make sure it does by joining this Facebook group. Thanks.
In case you haven't yet heard, none other than Rick Jacobs of Courage Campaign will be in Orange County this week to talk about the future of the California campaign for marriage equality. Can Prop H8 be repealed next year? And if so, how will it work? And what needs to be done?
Come on over this Thursday and get your Repeal Prop H8 questions answered! Here are some more details on what will happen and how you can join in:
We are very happy and excited to tell you: Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage Campaign, is coming to Orange County!
Rick will be speaking to us about the elements of a successful campaign to repeal Proposition 8. We will also discuss specific first steps and ways to get involved on the ground floor.
As a member of Team Courage, you are invited to join us. Help us welcome Rick and show that Orange County has a great local activist community!
A cake raffle to benefit Team Courage Orange County will be held. Light refreshments will be provided.
Please RSVP by sending an email to TeamCourageOrangeCounty@gmail.com or by clicking here.
Any questions? Contact Alex Gorman at (949) 573-0846 or alexgorman1@gmail.com
Directions: Take the 22 / Garden Grove Fwy to the Garden Grove Blvd Exit, head East on Garden Grove Blvd., it will be on the first block on the right. Here's the Google Map link.
If this is really what they're up to, then the Obama Administration will have hell to pay.
The Obama administration sent signals on Sunday that it has backed away from its once-firm vision of a government organization to provide for the nation's 50 million uninsured and is now open to using nonprofit cooperatives instead.
Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, said on Sunday morning that an additional government insurer is "not the essential element" of the administration's plan to overhaul the country's health care system.
"I think there will be a competitor to private insurers," she said on CNN's "State of the Union." "That's really the essential part, is you don't turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing. We need some choices, we need some competition."
Her less-than-forceful insistence on a government insurance organization was paralleled by Robert Gibbs, the president's press secretary.
If they give up on the public option, then I give up in trying to make sure Obama gets a second term. It's really as simple as that. He already gave up on passing a strong climate and energy bill. He already gave up on putting real effort into repealing DOMA & DADT. He already gave up on passing the Employee Free Choice Act AND the Freedom of Choice Act. And supposedly, we needed to accept that these sacrifices had to be made this year so that we could see a health care bill passed with a strong public option and other pro-consumer reforms.
And now we won't even get that? The Administration now thinks we'll sit back and accept what now looks like a government bailout of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies? HELL, NO!
So are you as angry as I am? If so, then we must take action NOW to stop the "health care compromise" train wreck from getting any worse! First, send a message to President Obama that any health care "deal" with no public option, no prescription drug price negotiation, and no pro-consumer reforms is completely unacceptable and is will not be defended by us. Secondly, tell Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein not to accept this "compromise" as a done deal and work to make sure that the final Senate bill looks more like the HELP Committee (Kennedy-Dodd) bill with real pro-consumer reforms. And if you're lucky enough to be represented by Loretta Sanchez, ask her to support HR 3200 if and ONLY if it has a strong public option and other meaningful pro-consumer reforms. Otherwise, ask her to only support HR 676 and stop the HMO/drug companies bailout.
Get it? Got it? Good! We still have time to get real health care reform passed, so let's not let some weak-kneed politicians pull us down!
You can see EQCA's new plan for 2012 here. You can see Love Honor Cherish's (another pro-marriage-equality in 2010 group) plan for 2010 here. And if you want to help Courage Campaign build the campaign for marriage equality in California AND help the "No on 1" campaign preserve marriage equality in Maine this fall, you can go here.
Included after the flip is the latest Courage email from Rick Jacobs and Obama campaign veteran Steve Hildebrand. Oh, and I'll also include the latest EQCA email from Geoff Kors. And again, I just want to say I hope this means we can all at least agree to stop fighting each other and get working so we can at least win back our civil rights some day. I just hope that day will be in November 2010. ;-)
Getting in a woman's face, tearing up her poster of Rosa Parks, then laughing as the police escort her away? This isn't debate. It's extremist hate.
This isn't even about health care any more with these radical righties. For them, it's all about racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia... To sum it up in one word, hate. And how sick are the GOP & sick care industry to actually use this thinly veiled hate to rile up these people and encourage them to start violence!
I actually don't mind debating the merits of universal health care with rational conservatives that want to talk about the economics of health care. Where are they? Has today's Republican leadership scared them all out of the party? Are the GOP, the HMOs, and the pharmaceutical companies so afraid of rational discussion of health care that they have to resort to this?
Violence should NOT be condoned, and xenophobia should not be celebrated. If the GOP wants to debate us on health care, then I encourage it. I'm not afraid or making good arguments, and I know many more progressives who feel the same. However, I am afraid of this "teabagger/birther/deather" cult, fully funded by the GOP and the sick care industry, becoming increasingly violent.
I must say it's been interesting seeing "what happens in Vegas" in the last month. However, I don't really get this.
Are California's lawmakers pigs?
A new video campaign designed to draw businesses unhappy with California to relocate to Southern Nevada portrays lawmakers as morphing into pigs.
It is being launched by Nevada Development Authority, which has tried other ad campaigns in the past with the same goal, but not featuring the actions of the California Legislature.
The NDA says it's sure many California businesses are considering relocation due to the state's current troubles.
The campaign stresses that business owners pay no corporate or personal income tax in Nevada and have much lower workers' compensation rates.
It's just too bad that we can't expect more stimulus to help us soften the blow. Thanks to Arnold's "stimulus killer" budget, most of the economic benefits from the federal stimulus that are helping the rest of the country bottom out and turn around will be offset by the draconian state budget cuts. So once again, California will be losing out at the very least... Or may even hurt recovery efforts for the rest of the nation.
Now I know the corporate media haven't been talking about it lately, but just because they're not talking about it doesn't mean it's not happening. Rather, it's quite dangerous that it's falling under the radar. Believe it or not, the climate crisis is getting worse.
Our LGBT community in California has waited far too long. Our allies have waited far too long. The people most affected by the discriminatory marriage ban have waited far too long. It's unfair to any one concerned about Prop H8 to have the decision on when to return to the ballot left in limbo. A decision really needs to be made on when to return to the ballot and win marriage equality.
I have the full letter from Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs after the flip. If you agree with him (and with us), then please take the next step if you can. Thanks.
It looks like the wingnut wackos will be out with a vengeance this month! Here's a preview of what to expect.
So as soon as Loretta Sanchez announces her community town hall for this month, local progressives need to show up en masse to counter the wingnuts. Their sole purpose this month is to disrupt what are supposed to be community meetings where we interact with our elected officials. But instead of letting the community communicate with our representatives, all they want to do is (mis)use these town halls to parrot "sick care" industry talking points and follow whatever marching orders Boss Limbaugh gives them.
Let me know if you find out about any CA-47 town halls coming up this month. And for that matter, we should also give them a little taste of their own medicine. I definitely don't think we need to be disruptive and obnoxious at John Campbell's, Ed Royce's, Dana Rohrabacher's, Gary Miller's, or Ken Calvert's town hall (if any of them bother to do one in the district), but local progressives in each of these districts should remind these "Party of No" Republicans just who they're supposed to be working for. But anyway, we will post about local Congressional town halls and make sure you know so that we the (real) people of Orange County are there to let our voices be heard.
We all now know that Arnold topped off the "budget of misery" with even more misery, cuts that may not even be legal. These cuts will literally kill thousands of HIV-positive Californians. These cuts will throw thousands of working families off their health care programs, and may ultimately kill a number of them. Don't be fooled, these cuts are lethal and we're only starting to feel the pain.
However, a few good progressives haven't given up yet. Courage Campaign is responding by calling on the Legislature to return to Sacramento ASAP to vote to override Arnold's additional line-item veto cuts. Included after the flip is the full letter from Courage Public Policy Director (and friend of OC Progressive) Robert Cruickshank.
