The Granola State

Sun City Surf Club

Today the California Supreme Court ruled the state's marriage law unconstitutional. That law, passed in a referendum by 61% of California voters, defined marriage exclusively as a union between one man and one woman. So, in 30 days gays and lesbians will be able to legally marry in the state of fruits and nuts. (We lived there for 15 years.)
That judicial decision raises several significant issues, including the relationship between the judiciary and the majority of voters. But when I heard the news I thought about the impact it might have on the current presidential race.
We'll probably never know what Barak Obama really thinks of the California court's ruling. As someone raised in church it's possible he disagrees with it. But as the democratic nominee (OK, it's not official yet but it might as well be) he must hew the party line and endorse full rights for all people regardless of their sexual orientation. Even if he did personally disagree with the decision it would be political suicide to say so.
John McCain is in the same place; no matter what he thinks about the court's action personally he, too, must profess alignment with his party's platform which opposes same-sex marriage. However, based on his position on other issues I suspect that McCain agrees with the Republican position.
Expect to hear a lot about today's news in election politics in the weeks ahead. This will undoubtedly become a defining issue, setting the two candidates in clear relief. And I suspect Obama is not happy about that. Remember, a surprising 61% of California residents, a state not known for traditional values, voted for a narrow definition of marriage. If Obama says he agrees with the decision and McCain denounces it, 61% of Californians - never mind citizens of places like Kansas - will find themselves agreeing with the Republican candidate. That doesn't mean they will vote for him because of that one issue, but it's a very important issue to a lot of people!

Yes, I missed posting last night. I was so exhausted by the time I got home I knew anything I wrote for a blog entry would be nonsense, and maybe ruinous to my already fragile reputation.
If anyone ever asks you to install vinyl in a 45-year old double-wide, RUN the other direction. Especially if it involves a bathroom and removing a toilet with frozen shutoff valves and mounting bolts incorrectly installed. Today I did the other bathroom and spent 10 minutes removing the toilet instead of the hour it took yesterday. There's more, but I won't bore you.
(Too late, you say?)

Remember that I shampooed the carpets at that rental? That got me to thinking. Why do they call it shampoo? Is that to differentiate it from real poo?

I spent 20 minutes on the phone with the help desk for Sam's Club. Their web site wouldn't recognize the membership card I got for Pathway 6 days ago. They had me down for two cards, but not this one. I've never had a Sam's Club card before.
We eventually got it all straightened out. And after that phone call I reminded myself that Sam's Club is connected with WalMart. 'Nuff said.

I listened to an NPR story about the situation in China. The reporter was allowed to follow and record a couple whose child had been left with the grandparents while mom and dad went off to their jobs. The building in which the grandparents lived collapsed in the earthquake. It was heartbreaking to listen to the parents as they traveled to the building, begged for news and finally learned that the bodies of the three had been discovered.
The grief of parents is especially intense. But I appreciated their agony more when I was reminded in an article online that China has a one child per family law. That means that parents didn't lose a child, they lost the child, their only child. For many, they lost the only child they will ever have.
It reminded me of the line from Genesis 22: "Take your son Isaac, your only son, whom you love, and sacrifice him on a mountain I will show you."

We're adding words to our language at an amazing rate and part of that involves turning nouns into verbs.
Text
That used to be a noun describing words on a page. Now we text (verb) someone using a cell phone.
When we turn nouns into verbs it can create some odd extensions. I had to stop and think when I read the text (n.) of a recent news article that included detail about an individual who texted (v.) someone. It didn't seem correct, but I couldn't come up with a better past tense form for the new verb. I think I like the longer, "sent a text message." It preserves text as a noun and doesn't require torquing one more word.

Steve & Michelle have asked me to make a list of 52 verses that every Christian should know. Then they'll memorize one a week.
What a great idea! As soon as they said that it got my mind working on what verse (or pair of verses, like Eph. 2:8-9) should be included. I think the best way to proceed is to come up with a longer list - say, 75 verses - and pare it down to 52. Do you have submissions?

I think I just over compensated for no post last night. I'll save the rest for tomorrow.
Elvis has left the building.