MCCAIN/PALIN FAN FLAMES OF RACIAL HATRED AMID CALLS FOR VIOLENCE

The McCain campaign is getting more and more desperate with each new poll. In a frenzied attempt to regain lost ground, they've unleashed their designated pit bull, Sarah Palin, and the rhetoric she's using has taken a seriously dangerous turn.

At rally after rally Palin continues to use inflammatory, hate-based catch phrases whenever she refers to Barack Obama.

The throngs of supporters that surround both McCain and Palin are, at best, beginning to sound like ancient howling mobs at a beheading. At worst, they're starting to echo the fevered pitch of Klu Klux Klan and white supremacists rallies.

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Frank Rich said saturday, "At McCain-Palin rallies, the raucous and insistent cries of “Treason!” and “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!” and “Off with his head!” as well as the uninhibited slinging of racial epithets, are actually something new in a campaign that has seen almost every conceivable twist. They are alarms."

I remember having a conversation with a friend last January about how impressed I was with Barack Obama and that I thought he could have a real shot at becoming the first black President. His first response was that if he does win the nomination, he won't live long enough to become President. Unfortunately, I knew instantly what he meant. As much as most of us, including my friend, didn't want that to be the case, we knew that it was a very real possibility.

We weren't alone in that mindset. Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, consulted with Congress and then gave Obama a Secret Service detail earlier than any presidential candidate in our history. The detail was assigned in May 2007, eight months before the first Democratic primaries.

At the end of his op-ed piece, Frank Rich also said, "We’re not at Election Day yet, and if voters are to have their final say, both America and Obama have to get there safely.The McCain campaign has crossed the line between tough negative campaigning and inciting vigilantism, and each day the mob howls louder. The onus is on the man who says he puts his country first to call off the dogs, pit bulls and otherwise."

If anything does happen to Obama between now and November 4th, John McCain and Sarah Palin would have to shoulder the bulk of responsibility for it. And, in my opinion, they should both be held legally accountable for their actions. One of the few accepted exceptions to freedom of speech is the parable about yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre when none exists.

SURPRISE! GAY MARRIAGE NOW LEGAL IN CONNECTICUT!

In a stunning and unexpected announcement at 11:30 am (est) this morning the Connecticut Supreme Court voted to legalize same-sex marriages.

The court ruled that civil unions were discriminatory based on the equal protection clause of the state constitution. In a 4-3 decision, the court's majority wrote that the state's "understanding of marriage must yield to a more contemporary appreciation of the rights entitled to constitutional protection."

"Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice. To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others."

According to the Hartford Courant:

Unsatisfied with the civil unions, eight same-sex couples had brought the case, Kerrigan v. the state Commissioner of Public Health, after they were denied marriage licenses in 2004 by the Madison town clerk, who was following instructions issued by the state attorney general's office.

The state, arguing that civil unions already provide all the rights and protections of marriage, prevailed in a Superior Court ruling in July 2006. The couples appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which heard three hours of arguments on the case in May 2007.

The GLBT community in Connecticut and the rest of the country has been waiting for over 16 months for the court's decision. When it was finally handed down this morning it caught most of us by surprise.

Governor M. Jodi Rell released a statement just minutes after the ruling was announced. The Governor said that she disagreed with the decision but would uphold it. She added that she was proud to sign the country's first state civil unions law in 2005 and thought it was "equitable and just."

She went on to say,

"The Supreme Court has spoken. I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision -- either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution -- will not meet with success. I will therefore abide by the ruling."

Defeated, the opposition will now concentrate their efforts on the November election when voters will be asked whether or not the state should convene a constitutional convention. But, as the governor said, that effort doesn't seem likely to succeed.

With Massachusetts and California, this now brings the total number of states that have legalized gay marriages to three...and counting.

UPDATE... Governor rell said: "The Supreme Court has spoken. I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut."

She was wrong!

According to the Hartford Courant a poll was taken by the The University of Connecticut following the State Supreme Court's decision. It found that 53% of Connecticut residents agreed with the court.

In the Governor's defense, the poll does seem to support her belief that any attempt to reverse that decision doesn't seem likely to succeed.

Well Governor, at least you were half right.

Lest we forget however - the Governor and the state of Connecticut are still to be highly commended for being the first in the nation to lead the way with Civil Unions.

UPDATE... The Waterbury, Ct Republican-American reported that gay couples won't have to live in Connecticut to get married there and they won't have to wait either.

All that potential gay marriage couples have to do is complete a marriage license application, provide identification and make a sworn statement that the information they provide is true.

Connecticut doesn't have a residency requirement and doesn't impose a waiting period like two dozen other states do.

Congratulations to all of you who are about to be married there.

ABC REFUSES TO AIR CLIMATE AD ATTACKING OIL COMPANIES

The ABC television network has, in recent years, demonstrated a very positive, diversity inclusive approach in their programming. For that, they deserve to be commended.

Unfortunately, their recent decision not to air a climate change ad produced by Al Gore's We Can Solve It organization is seriously jeopardizing the positive image they've worked so hard to create.

Although the climate change crisis has been pushed to the background, it is still certainly a monumental issue that affects all of us. And it will continue to grow more serious everyday.

The network has yet to issue a public statement explaining their action but it does seem that the ad's strong attack on the oil companies' insanely powerful and disproportionate influence over governmental policies and regulations is probably the reason.

Watch the ad below and decide for yourself:

I personally see nothing else in the ad that could possibly be considered objectionable enough to justify their refusal to run it. If that IS the reason then ABC should be ashamed of itself...as much for their action as for their apparent assumption that no one will notice or care.

We Can Solve It is mounting a petition campaign on their website. If you would like to participate, go to: wecansolveit.org