The LA Times’ Meghan Daum takes a crack at the “gay indoctrination in the schools” thing the right-wingers are trying to convince Californians.  Funny thing here, the real world and our popular culture pretty much made that moot:

And, wait a second: If gay marriage would have to be taught, is heterosexual marriage already in the curriculum? Do teachers say “Today, boys and girls, we’re going to learn about passive aggressive behavior related to laundry”? Are there workbook exercises called “Ten things I’m accusing you of that really have to do with my own insecurities”? And don’t those lessons already cross over to gay marriage?

As it turns out, the only thing in the education code related to marriage has to do with teaching “the legal and financial aspects and responsibilities of marriage and parenthood.” Moreover, it’s only a requirement for school districts seeking state funds for health education, which not every school does.

***

As for the Proposition 8 supporters who apparently fear that such discussions would be tantamount to promoting gay marriage — how can I say this without hurting your feelings? Perhaps your invitation to the popular culture’s collective and ongoing celebration of same-sex matrimony has been lost in the mail, because I don’t see how you could think that kids haven’t already been “indoctrinated.”

As she points out, any Californian, or really any American, would have to be blind to miss the changes of the past few months.  While it probably goes back to 2004 and the Massachusetts ruling, when it happened in California, the center of creativity and popular culture, it became nearly impossible to miss. You see it on daytime tv with Ellen. You see it in the aisles of the grocery store. It’s not indoctrination, it’s people simply living their lives.

So, at some point, these people will take their heads out of the sand.  We’ll be waiting for them, cocktail in hand.

Prop	Yes %	No %	Undecided %
Prop 2	72	10	17
Prop 4	52	36	12
Prop 8	44	49	8
Prop 11	27	25	49

With a kind hat tip to Shane at  CapitolAlert, we have some new data from SurveyUSA on a few of the propositions.  Keep in mind that I’m not in love with the data from SurveyUSA, and proposition numbers can be particularly volitile.  So, here they are.

For the good news, we see Prop 8 trailing, and Prop 2 leading.  That 62 point lead for Prop 2 is actually quite staggering. It’s rare to see such agreement on any issue, let alone one that has been blocked by big farming interests for so long.  Other polls have showed 8 trailing more substantially, but this again confirms what we’ve been seeing.

On the not so good side, we have Prop 4.  While we’ve beaten this twice before, it’s been close both times.  And there’s nothing in this version that is any better than Props 73 or 85.  One hope is that the turnout model that S-USA used for this poll has under counted youth voters.  And that may be true for many of these polla, but a lot of work will (and $) will need to go to Prop 4 if we are to beat this once again.

Finally, Prop 11.  Oh Prop 11, does anybody have a clue what you are? Not so much, as almost 50% of voters are undecided.  I’d expect there to be a bunch of voting-day decisions on this one as many voters just don’t have the time to analyze these things.  

By the way, NO ON 11! It’s fake reform opposed by minority organizations and labor that simply gives too much to Republicans that haven’t earned it at the ballot box. Just in case you haven’t heard that enough around here…

This past weekend the Yes on 8 campaign had talked up passing out ONE MILLION lawn signs.  It was going to be their big splash event, something big and bold to get a bunch of earned media.

To counter that push, the No on 8, Equality for All campaign organized a bunch of visibility events for the media and to raise the public face/profile of the campaign.  Then shuttled the the volunteers back inside to do the work that will bring this election home: calling undecided voters.  

But a funny thing happened….  There were no lawn signs, no big events from the Yes side.

I started hearing rumors that they had trouble with their vendor.  It turns out they were stuck in China.  Yes, China.  Here is an email from a one Gena Downey, producer of the cult hit Mormon film (I’m joking about the cult and hit thing) God’s Army.

The YES on Prop 8 yard signs have been delayed in route from China. We expect to distribute them within the next two weeks. I will email you as soon as they arrive so we can make sure you have one immediately. In the interim, please continue to take note of any friends or family who would like one as well.

So, the Yes campaign, rather than purchasing some good old fashioned union made in America lawn signs, they went to some cut rate producer in China who blew the delivery date by at least three weeks.  What, they couldn’t afford traditional American signs?

That seems to have worked out well.  Why does the Yes on 8 campaign hate America?

Love America. Volunteer for the No on Prop 8 campaign.  

Donate via the Calitics ActBlue page, so we can make up ground on the Yes campaign, which is beating us, the $100k from Speilberg to the No on 8 notwithstanding.

[UPDATE] by Julia Aravosis has more.

Meanwhile a friend emailed Gina to inquire about the signs and she responded back excitedly.  I guess she hasn’t figured it out that her email has been forwarded around.

The signs are not in yet. They are coming in from China and have been delayed but as soon as they arrive I will have them at my place in Burbank. That’s great news and I can get them up to you as soon as they land. Wow, so good to hear this!

All of the Republicans running in the Coachella Valley bill themselves as moderates, Gary Jeandron and Mary Mack are two prime examples.  Yet here’s Jeandron’s latest literature being dropped at the Catholic churches in Brawley.  Note the absence of any mention of jobs, affordable healthcare, schools, or water:

Reaching back into the culture warrior bag of tricks.  Such a moderate!  30 years in Palm Springs, and this is how Jeandron treats the gay community.  And hey, way to protect our kids – denying the most vulnerable young women any chance at professional healthcare in a crisis.  Compassionate conservatism, again.

For Perez, the problems in our state are jobs, schools, healthcare, and sustainability.  That’s what our families need, not a California version of the Ministry of Virtue and Vice.  Please help Perez teach Jeandron what values we share here in the 21st century:  Manuel Perez’ Act Blue page.

Here’s his “Values” piece in Spanish.  A tip for the GOP:  religious people have do have values, and they cover more than issues of sex.  This election matters to every family thanks to Republican incompetence on taxes, the budget, schools, the environment, and our very lives due to the lack of affordable healthcare.  Perez has respect for everyone’s religious views, but opposes these propositions in accordance with his beliefs.  

In what is sure to be an important component of the campaign, No on 8 started airing a TV spot in markets across California.  It is a strong commercial featuring a married couple of 46 years with three grown children, one of whom is gay. Here’s the words from the commercial, video to the right:

SAMUEL THORON: Julia and I have been married for 46 years.

JULIA THORON: Together we’ve raised three children – who are now adults.

SAMUEL THORON: My wife and I never treated our children differently, we never loved them any differently and the law shouldn’t treat them differently either.

JULIA THORON: If Prop 8 passes, our gay daughter and thousands of our fellow Californians will lose the right to marry. Please don’t eliminate that right – for anyone’s family.”

SAMUEL THORON: Don’t eliminate marriage for anyone. Vote No on Prop 8.

You can help get this commercial on television more frequently at the No on 8 Website. Here at Calitics, we’re hoping to have some fun activities for you as well soon…

[UPDATE] by Julia: The Thorons signed the ballot argument against passage of Prop. 8.  This is a good, solid ad carefully calibrated to move undecided voters.  The more you donate, the more they can get ads up on the air.  The other side had booked TV earlier than us, but with this ad we have beaten them to the punch.

By Autumn Sandeen from Pam’s House Blend.  Reposted with permission.  Original here.

I don’t always connect dots in the ways others do, so it’s usually interesting to me when someone connects dots in a way I never thought about — especially when it’s a particularly interesting character who makes the connections.

On September 8th, a Jewish, conservative Republican — David Benkof — wrote a piece entitled Right-wing nonsense, where he questioned the Yes On 8 – Protect Marriage Campaign‘s use of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) as their legal defense team:

I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, so I supported the man-woman marriage Proposition 8 in California – until I discovered the Proposition 8 campaign tolerates discrimination against Jews. ProtectMarriage.com‘s legal counsel, the Alliance Defense Fund, has in effect a “No Jews Need Apply” policy for legal and even secretarial positions. They say they’re not a law firm, they’re a “ministry” and thus have a right to discriminate against Jews and other non-Christians. But even if that’s true, Proposition 8 had hundreds of law firms to choose from. The fact they chose one that refuses to hire a Jew like me is very disturbing. Interestingly, Jesus himself was a Jew, so when a group has a policy that would lead them to refuse to hire their own Messiah, you know something’s seriously wrong.

I wanted to check to see if the employment policies of the ADF were as Benkof described these policies, and he’s correct on the facts, in that the ADF doesn’t hire anyone but those who ascribe to the ADF’s vision of Christianity:

[Below the fold: The employment policies of the ADF, and the interesting personal history of David Benkof]

The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian organization, employs talented and dedicated team members who work together to defend the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding and litigation.

Before reviewing currently open positions, please review our Statement of Faith and Guiding Principles and indicate your acceptance and agreement of the principles contained therein.

During working and non-working hours, ADF Team Members, as part of their duties as Team Members, shall: (i) be ready, willing, and able to participate in public and private prayer, chapel or other similar Christian services held or sponsored by ADF, including prayer with and for friends and allies of the ministry; (ii) refrain from statements and conduct that detracts from the biblical standards taught and supported by ADF; (iii) be spiritually ready, willing, and able to fulfill such other ministry functions and requirements as may be requested by ADF; and (iv) abide by the practices and policies of ADF, including without limitation, those that pertain to corporate religious activities, beliefs, and practices.

At the bottom of the Alliance Defense Fund‘s employment webpage, they have an “I accept” button which has the following header:

Clicking this button indicates that you have read and understand ADF’s Statement of Faith and hold to spiritual beliefs which are not in conflict with ADF’s Statement of Faith. Clicking this button will bring you to the open position descriptions.

In other words, the Yes On 8 – Protect Marriage campaign employs a legal team that apparently won’t employ anyone who isn’t a conservative, evangelical Christian for any of that organization’s paid positions.

That would probably be interesting news to the Mormons who are volunteering time and have already donated approximately five million dollars (which is about 35% of the funds the campaign has raised) to the Yes On 8 – Protect Marriage Campaign — the legal team that the Yes On 8 – Protect Marriage organization hired for their campaign discriminates in its hiring practices against a large segment of the campaign’s faith-based donor base.

And to boot, David Benkof’s an interesting character to make this statement. Timothy Kinkaid, with whom I’ve worked previously at the Ex-Gay Watch, wrote a piece for the Box Turtle Bulletin entitled David Benkof: Behind the Mask. Benkof apparently is an ex-gay who was one of the founders of the Q-Syndicate (an LGBT publication), and contributed to the publication between 1995 to 2003. In recent years he’s been seeking to be influential in the restriction of LGBT rights and equality.

Two points, in summary:

– Discrimination is discrimination — the Yes On 8 – Protect Marriage Campaign hiring a legal team that in its hiring policies discriminates against Jews and Mormons is as wrong-headed as hiring policies that discriminate against LGBT people.

– David Benkof really is an interesting character to connect the dots on discrimination by evangelical Christians towards people of other faiths since he now appears to be for discrimination of LGBT people — it really seems that now he’s only against discrimination when it’s about how he currently identifies, not about how he previously identified. It kinda seems like he’s just an upscale version of a James Hartline archetype.

~~~~~

Further Reading:

* Washington Post (July 10, 2006): Bringing the Church to the Courtroom

~~~~~

Related:

* California’s Prop 8: Polling Showing Voters Moving To Defeat Measure

* PROP 8 ballot wording rewritten: to ELIMINATE RIGHT of Same-Sex Couples to Marry

* The Fundamental Freedom To Marry

* Pam’s House Blend tags: Proposition 8; Prop 8; Marriage Equality

Crossposted with permission from Pam’s House Blend

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• Sacramento Mayoral Candidate Kevin Johnson opposes Prop 8. Johnson takes the Obama-squishy approach of saying he opposes writing it into the state constitution, but personally prefers marriage as a man-woman thing.  Incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo, for her part, is a supporter of same-sex marriage, saying of Johnson, that he “made “a good move to oppose Prop. 8. Now we just need to convince him that marriage between gay people is in fact a good thing.”

Zing. This race appears to be quite tight, but a large Obama-friendly turnout in Sacramento would seem to make the former NBA All-Star Point Guard Johnson something of a favorite right now.

• SF League of Women Voters releases YouTube video channel for SF Supevisor candidates. You can get your fill of local politics. There’s literally hours of this stuff. Knock yourself out (and yeah, I’m talking to you Sweet Melissa).

• This is fantastic.  Yolo County residents are fighting the construction of a new prison.  It’s as damaging to build as a new coal-fired power plant for a local community.  No city should be turned into another Prison Town, USA.  There’s a little NIMBYism here, but the truth is that we cannot build our way out of the prison crisis – it begins with saner sentencing and a return to the traditional role of rehabilitation.

• Sheila Kuehl writes an open letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger asking him to sign SB840.  It’s very comprehensive.

• Meanwhile, in a rare bit of good news from the insurance industry, HealthNet will reinstate the nearly 1,000 dropped policyholders whose coverage was nixed after they got sick and tried to use it.  They’re also paying millions in fines and reimbursements.

• Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas on the subprime crisis and its effect on the state.

Yesterday, the six most senior bishops in California announced their opposition to Proposition 8, the anti-marriage amendment.

“We believe that continued access to civil marriage for all, regardless of sexual orientation, is consistent with the best principles of our constitutional rights,” said the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Bruno, flanked at a news conference by fellow clergy members and gay and straight couples, added: “We do not believe that marriage of heterosexuals is threatened by same-sex marriage.” (LA Times 9/11/08)

This is just another crack in the facade the Yes on 8 people are trying to put up. That somehow they own religion. Despite the fact that nearly all of their endorsements are tied to Dobson-esque quasi-religious right-wing organizations (and the Republicans that love them), they do not speak for all religious groups.  These Episcopal Bishops join other religious leaders like those from the National Council of Jewish Women and the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry Action Network.

Also, the LA Times has an interesting graphic on the donations to both sides on Prop 8 and where they come from. Yes on 8 still leads, with about $14.5 million compared to about $10.5 million for the no side. Let’s just hope the yes side squanders more resources.