If this were another year, this issue would be huge. If it were 2004, it would be all over the news.

But in 2008 our economy is tanking, houses are being foreclosed upon at an alarming rate and the Iraq war drags on and on. Not to mention the abuses of government, Katrina, etc, etc.

Too many life and death issues are smacking us all in the face. I don't think that gay marriage is going to be the make-or-break issue it was four years ago.

But that still doesn't mean I'm not elated by the results! :)

This is your opinion only. And your opinion is not a legal arbiter.

And neither is mine.

That is why, on this issue and in many others, we have the courts.

For me the desire for the legal equivalent of marriage is having the same legal equality granted to straight couples. For instance, the right of survivor to my partner, the right to make medical decisions, estates, wills, etc.

That's where my desire lies with the issue. I understand your aversion to the process based on your experiences, but I would imagine that divorce is a mess and a nightmare regardless. However, it's not a valid reason to deny marriage to anyone just because there is a possibility that it might break up.

In regard to changing the laws that benefit the married over the single, I think it is probably easier to modify the current framework based on the current precidents, rather than tear it all down and start over.

Imagine if you were your father. You've remarried, you started it with the best intentions and then you realize you're being leeched off of.

Maybe this woman did love him, but probably not. Love, in my experience, is not parasitic. He was hurt, and lonely and this woman came along. She probably picked up on his vulnerability. Then she and her vulture family bled him dry.

That's a hard thing to admit. It's a hard thing to say "Guess what, my new wife is taking me for everything I have."

So yes, get a lawyer and help your father fight like hell for whatever he can get, for whatever he has left. Then when all is settled you can give his wife that blistering phone call you've been dreaming of.

Clicked the photo link and it basically shows the demographic makeup of Portland, which is:

The racial makeup of the city is 77.91% White, 6.64% African American, 6.33% Asian, 1.06% Native American, 0.38% Pacific Islander, 3.55% from other races, and 4.15% from two or more races. 6.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Which of the two Democratic candidates would the GOP love to run against? The one who would make Republicans rise from their graves to vote? The one who would erase Independent crossovers?

Take a wild guess...

More BS Spin from Turdblossom.

Actually, it seems pretty standard. Think of how many RNC talking points passed off as news stories have hinged upon things like an "unnamed senior official".

Just once I'd like to hear an actual quote from an actual named source. Journalists should care about this too, because then it doesn't seem like you pulled the whole article out of your ass.

The Graves ad looks like a cheap and cheesy infomercial you would see at three a.m. Not only that, but the adolescent mindset it demonstrates is overwhelming. Usually, as a gay man I take offense to gays and lesbians being used as a political football - but this ad was so ham-handed and ridiculous all I could do is laugh out loud. I love that cowboy hat by the way, great touch.

Barnes response is, I imagine, the way most Americans will respond to this tactic during this election. There is too much at stake this time to worry about the gay marriage issue. The ruling from California has practically dropped out of the media cycle already, and this is less than a week later.

We've got an economy in the toilet, a war in Iraq that seems like it will never end, a corrupt and overly politicized government, health care issues, a worsening environment, etc, etc. Gay marriage is hardly going to be a make or break issue this time around.

Grow up and calm down. The kid is obviously passionate about his sport. That is obvious by the way he has dedicated himself to practicing for hours on end. And despite your derisive and dismissive tone, that's what the NBA greats had to do- practice for hours on end. That's what anyone who wants to excel has to do.

You live in a community. That means that you are surrounded by other people living their lives and -GUESS WHAT!- They are not there to comfort your every yuppie whim. If you don't like the noise, and don't like being around other people- go buy some damn land out in the country so you can sit on the porch and watch squirrels without disturbance.

You sound like some crotchety old grump who's "gonna squirt you kids with the hose!" Pathetic.

Do your neighbors a favor and move away. As for the kid- I hope he'll be in the NBA someday and you'll see him on TV and eat your words.

Is he also a pasty, overfed, juvenile, masochistic, hero worshiping closet homosexual too?

1) Fuck up everything you do.

2) Keep going as though everything is perfectly fine.

I'm glad that Joe Biden is standing up to this rhetoric, and I'm glad that Obama is doing the same. Democrats need to come out swinging this time- we've got all the ammo and the GOP only has their usual tired bullshit.

Al Gore's endorsement.

Will make Friday, National Casual Friday

And will give free candy and puppies to children everywhere...