Saturday, September 08, 2007
come on
i hate going to funerals. in fact, i think most people hate going to funerals. so WHY must we air them on TV. LIVE. why? someone famous dies. sad. have a nice memorial program. but really, the funeral on CNN, come on! THERE IS SHIT GOING ON IN THE WORLD! WARS! FAMINE! lots of stuff we need to know about. don't spend all evening on an opera singer's funeral. sure, great guy. well known. will be missed. but his funeral on tv? not needed.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
frick yeah, IOWA
in the Jordan, Jesse go keep it up or hang it up game... i give this a KEEP IT UP!
SUMMARY: A minister marries two men outside his Des Moines home Friday morning; then the judge who threw out Iowa's gay marriage ban stays his ruling.
Two men sealed Iowa's first legal same-sex marriage with a kiss Friday morning in Des Moines, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa's ban on gay marriage and about two hours before he put that ruling on hold.
It was a narrow window of opportunity.
Polk County Judge Robert Hanson temporarily cleared the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses in the county when he ruled Thursday that Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued.
County attorney John Sarcone promised a quick appeal and asked Hanson to stay his ruling until that appeal was resolved.
A dozen gay and lesbian couples were waiting at the county recorder's office when it opened at 7:30 Friday morning.
"This might be our only chance," said Katy Farlow, who waited in a lawn chair with fellow Iowa State University student Larissa Boeck.
Just after 11 a.m., about 20 gay couples had finished applying for marriage licenses when Recorder Julie Haggerty announced she could no longer accept applications. Hanson told The Associated Press about an hour and half later that he had formally stayed his ruling.
The stay meant the recorder's office was not permitted to accept any more marriage applications from gay couples until the Iowa Supreme Court rules on the county's appeal.
Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan were among the lucky few to get their application through.
The marriage license approval process normally takes three business days, but Fritz and McQuillan took advantage of a loophole that allows couples to skip the waiting period if they pay a $5 fee and get a judge to sign a waiver.
Friday morning, the Rev. Mark Stringer declared the two legally married in a wedding on the Unitarian minister's front lawn in Des Moines.
"This is it. We're married. I love you," Fritz told McQuillan after the ceremony.
Fritz explained their hurry: "We're both in our undergrad programs and we thought maybe we'd put it off until applying at graduate school, but when this opportunity came up, we thought maybe we wouldn't get the opportunity again."
Republican House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, said the ruling illustrates the need for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
"I can't believe this is happening in Iowa," Rants said. "I guarantee you there will be a vote on this issue come January," when the Legislature convenes.
Gov. Chet Culver left open the possibility of state action.
"While some Iowans may disagree on this issue, I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman," the governor said.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, and nine other states have approved spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples. Nearly all states have defined marriage as being solely between a man and a woman, and 27 states have such wording in their constitutions, according the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Dennis Johnson, a lawyer for the six gay couples who sued after being denied marriage licenses in 2005, said Iowa has a long history of aggressively protecting civil rights in cases of race and gender. The Defense of Marriage Act contradicts previous rulings regarding civil rights and is simply "mean-spirited," he said.
Roger J. Kuhle, an assistant Polk County attorney, argued that the issue was not for a judge to decide.
Hanson ruled that the state law banning same-sex marriage must be nullified, severed and stricken from the books, and the marriage laws "must be read and applied in a gender neutral manner so as to permit same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage . . ."
"This is kind of the American Dream," said plaintiff Jen BarbouRoske of Iowa City. "I'm still feeling kind of shaky. It's pure elation. I just cannot believe it."
Kate Varnum of Cedar Rapids, another plaintiff, said she was elated but expected more legal battles: "I don't expect this to be the last one." (Henry C. Jackson, AP)
Unfortunately, this is going to be an issue for some time. HANG IT UP, PEOPLE. if people want to get married, let them. why NOT?! Love, baby, LOVE.
SUMMARY: A minister marries two men outside his Des Moines home Friday morning; then the judge who threw out Iowa's gay marriage ban stays his ruling.
Two men sealed Iowa's first legal same-sex marriage with a kiss Friday morning in Des Moines, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa's ban on gay marriage and about two hours before he put that ruling on hold.
It was a narrow window of opportunity.
Polk County Judge Robert Hanson temporarily cleared the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses in the county when he ruled Thursday that Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued.
County attorney John Sarcone promised a quick appeal and asked Hanson to stay his ruling until that appeal was resolved.
A dozen gay and lesbian couples were waiting at the county recorder's office when it opened at 7:30 Friday morning.
"This might be our only chance," said Katy Farlow, who waited in a lawn chair with fellow Iowa State University student Larissa Boeck.
Just after 11 a.m., about 20 gay couples had finished applying for marriage licenses when Recorder Julie Haggerty announced she could no longer accept applications. Hanson told The Associated Press about an hour and half later that he had formally stayed his ruling.
The stay meant the recorder's office was not permitted to accept any more marriage applications from gay couples until the Iowa Supreme Court rules on the county's appeal.
Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan were among the lucky few to get their application through.
The marriage license approval process normally takes three business days, but Fritz and McQuillan took advantage of a loophole that allows couples to skip the waiting period if they pay a $5 fee and get a judge to sign a waiver.
Friday morning, the Rev. Mark Stringer declared the two legally married in a wedding on the Unitarian minister's front lawn in Des Moines.
"This is it. We're married. I love you," Fritz told McQuillan after the ceremony.
Fritz explained their hurry: "We're both in our undergrad programs and we thought maybe we'd put it off until applying at graduate school, but when this opportunity came up, we thought maybe we wouldn't get the opportunity again."
Republican House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, said the ruling illustrates the need for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
"I can't believe this is happening in Iowa," Rants said. "I guarantee you there will be a vote on this issue come January," when the Legislature convenes.
Gov. Chet Culver left open the possibility of state action.
"While some Iowans may disagree on this issue, I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman," the governor said.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, and nine other states have approved spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples. Nearly all states have defined marriage as being solely between a man and a woman, and 27 states have such wording in their constitutions, according the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Dennis Johnson, a lawyer for the six gay couples who sued after being denied marriage licenses in 2005, said Iowa has a long history of aggressively protecting civil rights in cases of race and gender. The Defense of Marriage Act contradicts previous rulings regarding civil rights and is simply "mean-spirited," he said.
Roger J. Kuhle, an assistant Polk County attorney, argued that the issue was not for a judge to decide.
Hanson ruled that the state law banning same-sex marriage must be nullified, severed and stricken from the books, and the marriage laws "must be read and applied in a gender neutral manner so as to permit same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage . . ."
"This is kind of the American Dream," said plaintiff Jen BarbouRoske of Iowa City. "I'm still feeling kind of shaky. It's pure elation. I just cannot believe it."
Kate Varnum of Cedar Rapids, another plaintiff, said she was elated but expected more legal battles: "I don't expect this to be the last one." (Henry C. Jackson, AP)
Unfortunately, this is going to be an issue for some time. HANG IT UP, PEOPLE. if people want to get married, let them. why NOT?! Love, baby, LOVE.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
free!
I am free of one student loan as of today. I paid off stupidass wells fargo. YEAH!!!! it feels good, friends. it feels good. it's the smaller of my two loans but the one with the highest interest and biggest monthly payment. i won't be able to pay the bigger one completely off this year but i will be able to pay off enough so that beard and i are equal in our debt and still put some away towards some sort of retirement. coming back to korea for a second year was definitely a good idea financially.
i've been wanting to put a few thousand towards retirement for a few years now but it seems things keep coming up. i was going to put money for this loan into an IRA but i really really really wanted to get rid of it. but now, by my not-at-all strict calculations, i'll be able to get even with beard and still have enough to invest and travel in november/december and move back to Bellingham.
recently i was in a funk and wanting to move back/quit my job/change everything. a big funk. i felt like i was working my ass off and was unappreciated and tired. but then a couple of days ago, i got over it. paying off this loan helped. it made me realize WHY i'm working my ass off. And really, I like working. True I get SUPER sick of teaching at my hogwan. But the kids in general are still really cute and continually surprise me.
on a different note: today is mine and beard's 8 year anniversary. Eight years is a LONG time. I can't believe i'm not sick of him yet. OK, not really. We work well together. Rosaleen bought us each a choco muffin and put a candle in it at work on Friday. She put a note underneath that said to write 7 things we liked about each other. At first I scoffed at it, joked (i can maybe think of three) but really it was nice. (i just asked beard and he said he though it was cool but if asked again later he would scoff at it). It was nice to take a minute and think about why we like each other. And really, it was a minute, Rosaleen was waiting.
i've been wanting to put a few thousand towards retirement for a few years now but it seems things keep coming up. i was going to put money for this loan into an IRA but i really really really wanted to get rid of it. but now, by my not-at-all strict calculations, i'll be able to get even with beard and still have enough to invest and travel in november/december and move back to Bellingham.
recently i was in a funk and wanting to move back/quit my job/change everything. a big funk. i felt like i was working my ass off and was unappreciated and tired. but then a couple of days ago, i got over it. paying off this loan helped. it made me realize WHY i'm working my ass off. And really, I like working. True I get SUPER sick of teaching at my hogwan. But the kids in general are still really cute and continually surprise me.
on a different note: today is mine and beard's 8 year anniversary. Eight years is a LONG time. I can't believe i'm not sick of him yet. OK, not really. We work well together. Rosaleen bought us each a choco muffin and put a candle in it at work on Friday. She put a note underneath that said to write 7 things we liked about each other. At first I scoffed at it, joked (i can maybe think of three) but really it was nice. (i just asked beard and he said he though it was cool but if asked again later he would scoff at it). It was nice to take a minute and think about why we like each other. And really, it was a minute, Rosaleen was waiting.
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