excellent news in the north

Congratulations, Canada! You've become only the third nation on the planet to legalize same-sex marriage. One gigantic WHOO-HOO for you.

ALPF noticed the strange coincidence of the vote in Ottawa and the speech at Ft. Bragg:
Last night at the exact same time "W" was "BS"ing his way through another speech live on TV our MP's were passing historic legislation. It was very funny to flip back and forth from one to the other!
That about sums up the difference between the two countries for me. No more flipping channels, I'm tuning in permanently.

And with that, the countdown begins: 62 days to go.

Comments

  1. Anonymous29 June 2005 at 06:16

    Yeah, I watched ten minutes, found I was cursing too much at the TV, and switched to the ball game. What I've gathered so far is I didn't miss anything we haven't heard before. A few "freedoms" and a bunch of "terrorists" and a whole lot of "democracy" ... and other Bush Buzzwords repeated 22 times that have also lost all meaning.

    Sigh ... at least the Jays won in extra innings. And same-sex marriages are now legal. At least there was good news to cheer for.

    ReplyDelete
  2. laura k29 June 2005 at 06:19

    I have a policy of never watching or listening to him - ever. I did the same with his father. If I'm watching something else and or flipping channels and he appears, I hit MUTE as fast as possible.

    I need to cut down the nauseau and revulsion in my life. Plus it's part of not recognizing him as a legitimate authority.

    And besides, as you said, it's baseball season!

    ReplyDelete
  3. zydeco fish29 June 2005 at 11:32

    Mute only does so much - you still have to see his face, which I find to be kind of mesmerizing, in the way a train wreck or car crash might be. There are times when I am convinced he is descended from Muppets - but only in the way he looks. The average muppet has a far greater IQ, I believe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. barefoot hiker29 June 2005 at 11:53

    Rob must be having some mixed feelings today. I gather he's not opposed to the measure, but it's his guys who just took the pie in the face, Harper's working hard to solidify his rep a nitwit, and Rob's surrounded by Albertans who must be lighting the torches as we speak. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. barefoot hiker29 June 2005 at 11:59

    you still have to see his face... There are times when I am convinced he is descended from Muppets...

    I hate to say this, but he bears almost no noticable resemblance to GHW Bush. George I was a tall, sharp-featured, rugged looking guy; aptly patrician. George II is a short, squat, doughy-faced guy who looks like less like he should be weighing the fate of empire and more like he'd be mucking the villa's latrines while thinking about sandwiches.

    ReplyDelete
  6. laura k29 June 2005 at 12:38

    Mute only does so much - you still have to see his face

    Well, I only use mute for short appearances on news clips. Speeches don't make it in at all.

    Rob must be having some mixed feelings today. I gather he's not opposed to the measure

    In Rob's absence, I'll say he definitely supports same-sex marriage. The rest we'll leave to him, post-vacation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kyle_From_Ottawa29 June 2005 at 13:03

    Once people see the sky isn't falling, then the debate will fall to a dull murmur, just like abortion.

    Of the people who are against (and who are pro), I would guess only a small percentage would switch their vote because of this one issue. Of the people I know who are opposed to it, nobody would actually switch their votes to the conservative party because of this one issue.

    I mean, considering in 1999 the government voted 216 to 55 in defining traditonal marriage in law, and here we are a mere 6 years later and they voted 158-133 to redefine marriage to support same-sex couples shows how fast attitudes are changing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. barefoot hiker29 June 2005 at 13:08

    Kyle's right; I think it's one of those watershed moments in history. People are ambivalent about something for a long time... voting rights for women, civil rights for non-Europeans, etc. And then comes the confrontation, and the ideas and ramifications really get discussed. And when people come to understand that fairness can be achieved and that the world they know won't be plunged into chaos, most of them accept it, and even quietly embrace it. It becomes a facet of being Canada (or American, or Japanese, or what-have-you). For Canada, this is one of those moments. And though it seems startling now, I honestly believe in a generation it will be as accepted as interracial marriage is today.

    ReplyDelete
  9. laura k29 June 2005 at 13:14

    I very much agree with you both. I didn't know there about that 1999 vote - the rapidity of change speaks volumes.

    I also believe, despite the present situation, that full gay rights will be achieved in the US, too. It will take a prolonged battle, just like civil rights for African-Americans did, but it will happen. It's the only thing I'm optimistic about regarding the US.

    ReplyDelete
  10. laura k30 June 2005 at 04:55

    I have a problem with those chimp pics: I love chimps!

    And please apologize to dildos everywhere. Silicon penises across America are cringing at the comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  11. barefoot hiker30 June 2005 at 06:24

    Silicon penises across America are cringing at the comparison.

    I bet even a lot of the real ones are pretty uncomfortable.

    ReplyDelete

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