Saturday, September 18, 2010

Have a safe trip, see you next fall!


It has been a busy couple weeks in the House of Trevor. For those of you that aren't familiar with the industry Labor Day weekend is like the "High Holidays" for the hotels. That is to say for those in the hotels that rely on the summer vacation season for income. Financially the hotel seems to be doing better this Labor day than we did over the two prior. That's not saying much since we're still not doing as well as we could or should be. Worries about the economy ruined our season last year. Worries about the rediculous $5.00+ "NOOOOOOO we can't explore alternative energy sources or the terrrists win!" gas prices ruined us the year prior. Still its a source of cautious optimism for me.

Labor day it seems, is also the time of year I start to reflect on the previous year's events both personal and in general. This is likely due to the almost immediate change in the weather and the start of the seasonal changes that occur, quite reliably, after labor day. There is much to reminisce about.

For one thing it occurs to me that Ben and I will have been together as a couple since January 2006. As I count it, this January will be the start of our 4th year together assuming my math is correct (and I was never very good at math). This is quite a milestone to be sure, but it blows the top off my previous record for a relationship which was one off-again, OFF-again year with an immature butthead. It seems until I met Ben there were very few guys who would be willing to tolerate my nonsense, and even fewer of those I could stand. I think that it is safe to say that Ben and I have a future together. What our future legal status as a couple might be is a matter of some conjecture.

Currently there are five states in the United States that give legal recognition to same-sex marriages as well as the District of Columbia. The big story on the Gay Marriage front this year was the case brought against Proposition 8 in California. Federal Judge Vaughn Walker ruled Prop 8 (which banned same-sex marriage) was unconstitutional. This ruling is significant for two reasons. For one it is the first time a state constitutional amendment has been challenged under the Federal Constitution and was successfully overturned. Second, it establishes the legal framework for overturning ALL such state amendments and the Orwellianly named "Defense of Marriage Act" in the US Supreme Court.

The Prop 8 trial was controversial in other ways as well. Did you know: many of the national level Gay-rights groups were opposed to bringing the case to court so soon after Prop 8 was passed? Groups like the HRC ostensibly opposed the court action fearing a possible backlash against GLBT citizens. It now appears that these caviar and champagne swilling "respectable" gays actually only feared losing their invitation to Whitehouse parties. Those uppity peon-gays in California should just be pleased they have a black president who pays them lip-service now and then and invites wealthy gay snobs to parties at the Whitehouse. If average gays ever did win full equality the lobbyists would be out of a job. They certainly didn't expect the gays to actually win the case.

Deliciously this early and unexpected victory also confounds the Fundamentalist idiot crowd at the same time. Regardless of the outcome of the original Prop 8 trial it was a foregone conclusion that there would be an appeal to the 9th Circuit court. But this puts the Fundies in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. IF they had not appealed Judge Walker's ruling to the 9th Circuit it would have been very likely that same-sex marriage would have become legal in California by the end of September. That is anethema to them of course BUT the "outbreak" of homosexual ""marriage"" would have at least been contained to California. However they also can't NOT challenge it to the 9th Circuit because in their warped little minds this means they tacitly approve of same-sex marriage.

As incovenient a plebian-gay victory might be for the Tea and crumpet crowds' endless cocktail party of campaign contributions, it would be a DISASTER for religious fundamentalists who would be facing the dismantling of years of their bigoted "Marriage Protection" amendments at the hands of the courts. To think? All those years wasted! All those squandered church donations that could have gone to feed and clothe the poor instead, rendered utterly meaningless with one court ruling? Why I almost feel sorry for them...not. Folks like Maggie "the Hutt" Gallagher and fukwits like James Dobson made their bed years ago and now they blow it out their ass.