CPAC gay-basher's past: Domestic violence plus...

By GottaLaff

Remember this guy?




Well now, via TPM, we find out he has quite a past:

The man who cited natural law in an off-script anti-gay rant at CPAC has had two run-ins with the real law in the past decade, including a restraining order for domestic violence, according to court records in California.

Ryan Sorba of California Young Americans for Freedom, who is a longtime anti-gay activist, in 2001 had a restraining order brought against him by a woman in a San Bernardino County domestic violence case, according to case records.

What a guy. How inclusive of the GOP to give him a platform.

He was also ordered to move out of the "family dwelling" in Highland, a small city outside San Bernardino, according to records. Sorba was 19 at the time and did not appear in court for any of the proceedings.

In an interview with TPMmuckraker this morning, Sorba declined to provide a detailed account of what happened, but dismissed the matter as "the stupidest thing you could ever imagine."

"I got in a fight with a kid in my neighborhood. And the mother did not want us getting in any more fights," he said. "And so the mother filed a restraining order. And then nothing else ever happened."

He says they're all pals now. And he says they were pals then. With friends like Sorba....

But wait! There's more!

In 2008, Sorba pleaded guilty to a noise violation for a disturbance at a polling place on election day. He told TPMmuckraker that he was handing out pro-Prop 8 flyers when "some homosexual guy came up and I guess he called the police and they gave me a ticket."

Asked how he knew the man was gay, Sorba said "because he looked gay, he sounded gay -- it was evident."

"I'm proud of that ticket. I look at that ticket as if it's a trophy," he said.

Welcome to The Big Tent GOP.

H/t: Harborguy

Prop 8 Watch: The ideal marriage test

By GottaLaff

The L.A. Times had an editorial about the Proposition 8 trial that is underway as we speak. It addresses what they call "the marriage test", challenging the reasons for getting/staying married, and why they should be irrelevant in this landmark case:

In what ways would same-sex marriages be the same or different from heterosexual marriages? Answer: It's nobody's business. [...]

Same-sex couples shouldn't have to prove that their marriages would be as "normal" as those of heterosexuals or meet some kind of artificial bar -- a bar that many heterosexual couples fall short of -- for an ideal marriage. [...]

Some people wed for money or health benefits. In this town, some of them enter short-term marriages for the publicity. (You know who you are.) Teenagers barely old enough to vote marry despite the higher likelihood that they will divorce. Serial monogamists wed. There are couples who swap spouses, and those who live apart yet maintain their sense of affection and responsibility toward each other. Many a marriage, even those begun in love, ends up quirky at best and dysfunctional at worst. [...]

[H]omosexuals, who have long faced unreasoned hatred and abuse in many forms, are being singled out for the withholding of this basic societal right.

This was a long overdue argument that doesn't seem to be too prevalent on the Tee Vee Machine. The Times nailed it. The double standard is beyond ridiculous.

The idea that we have to take this case all the way to the Supremes is even more ridiculous. But take it we will.

I also ran across this piece, called "Into the Closet":

Has anyone noticed that now that lesbians and gay men have left the closet to assert their equal rights as citizens, their adversaries seem to be running for a closet of their own?

My observation is, of course, prompted by the success that opponents of same-sex marriage had this week in persuading the Supreme Court to bar cameras from the San Francisco courtroom where Proposition 8 is now on trial.

This case has more layers than The Boehner's spray tan.

Prop 8 Trial Watch: Gay marriage generates millions, expert tells court

By GottaLaff

Maybe Prop 8ers will understand dollar signs, since they can't seem to appreciate, you know, love and commitment:

Legalizing same-sex marriage would generate millions of dollars for San Francisco, the city's chief economist said Thursday, as a trial on California's gay wedding ban entered a fourth day.

Edmund Egan, who directs San Francisco's Office of Economic Analysis, said legalization of same-sex marriage would increase the intake of real estate, payroll and sales taxes and would slash the number of uninsured. [...]

Further, because married people amass more wealth than unmarried individuals, they are likely to spend more, spurring sectors of the economy.

Dep't. of Unlikely Consequences: Prop 8 edition

By GottaLaff

I can't believe I'm on the same side as Ted Olson...

"I do not believe that our society can ever live up to the promise of equality, and the fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, until we stop invidious discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation."

-- Ted Olson, making the conservative case for gay marriage in Newsweek.

BREAKING: Court blocks video coverage of Prop. 8 trial

By GottaLaff

Breaking via an L.A. Times news alert:

Court blocks video coverage of Prop. 8 trial

The Supreme Court today blocked video coverage of the trial in San Francisco testing the constitutionality of California's Prop. 8 and its ban on same-sex marriage.

The court acted on an emergency appeal filed Saturday by the lawyers defending Prop. 8. They said their rights to a fair trial could be jeopardized if the proceedings were put on YouTube.

More soon at: http://www.latimes.com

Banging head on nearest wall.

Justices block broadcast of gay marriage trial

Hmph, actually what they're worried about is that the witnesses will sound and look like bigoted neanderthals.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a broadcast of the trial on California’s same-sex marriage ban, at least for the first few days.

The federal trial is scheduled to begin later Monday in San Francisco. It will consider whether the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban approved by California voters in November 2008 is legal.

The high court on Monday said it will not allow video of the trial to be posted on YouTube.com, even with a delay, until the justices have more time to consider the issue. It said that Monday’s order will be in place at least until Wednesday.

Opponents of the broadcast say they fear witness testimony might be affected if cameras are present. Justice Stephen Breyer said he would have allowed cameras while the court considers the matter.

Pastor Rick Warren's church reports shortfall

By GottaLaff

Aww, $784892379237 isn't enough to keep the big guy afloat?

Evangelical pastor Rick Warren appealed to parishioners at his Orange County megachurch Wednesday to help fill a $900,000 deficit by the first of the year.

[...] "Dear Saddleback Family, THIS IS AN URGENT LETTER."

"With 10 percent of our church family out of work due to the recession, our expenses in caring for our community in 2009 rose dramatically while our income stagnated," the letter reads.

"Stagnation". What a perfect word to associate with Rev Ricky.

"On the last weekend of 2009, our total offerings were less than half of what we normally receive - leaving us $900,000 in the red for the year," the letter reads.

I guess the invisible man upstairs didn't feel someone who doesn't love some of his fellow men as much as others was worth it.

Look who's uniting to launch federal challenge to Prop 8

By GottaLaff

I looked up to the sky, and zomg! What did I see? I saw a piggy with wings:

Oh boy, now the Obama administration will have to take its head out of the sand as the stakes have been raised by an outfit called the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Two of the nation's top litigators who opposed each other in the Bush v. Gore election challenge in 2000 have joined forces to seek federal court intervention in California's gay marriage controversy.

Theodore B. Olson and David Boies have filed a U.S. District Court lawsuit on behalf of two gay men and two gay women, arguing that the California constitutional amendment eliminating the right of gay couples to marry violates the U.S. constitutional guarantee of equal protection and due process.

The LAT:

Their suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court in California, calls for an injunction against the proposition, allowing immediate reinstatement of marriage rights for same-sex couples.

...Legal scholars have observed that proponents of gay marriage have avoided taking the issue to federal court so far because of the dominance of conservative judges and justices on the federal bench after the eight-year tenure of President George W. Bush.

The Advocate begs to differ:

As for the timing of the suit, Olson said that recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court "make it clear that individuals are entitled to be treated equally under the Constitution. I'm reasonably confident that this is the right time for these [injustices] to be vindicated."

...Olson said his law firm and others also are contributing resources pro bono. [...] Olson and his representatives declined to specify who was funding the campaign.

You say potato, I say po-tah-to....

VIDEO-- Prop 8 decision protest: "Civil rights put on the ballot and taken away"

By GottaLaff

We will eventually correct this irrational equality deficit. It's inevitable:

VIDEO: White House reacts to Prop 8 decision by not reacting

By GottaLaff

The non-reaction reaction:

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was asked if he had any response to the California Supreme Court's decision on Proposition 8.

Said Gibbs: "I have not talked to the President about it. I think that the issues involved are ones — you know where the President stands."

Less is not always more.

Pelosi promises efforts to restore marriage equality for Californians

By GottaLaff

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Keep this promise, okay, Nance?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) deemed the California Supreme Court's decision today to uphold Proposition 8 as "deeply disappointing" in its stripping of marriage rights from same-sex couples.

"I have long fought for equality for all of California's families and will strongly support efforts to restore marriage equality in California, so it can join the ranks of states such as Iowa and Vermont,” said the California Democrat.

A Crowd Gathers in San Francisco

By GottaLaff

You ain't seen nothin' yet:

Advocate reporter Sue Rochman snapped this photo of the scene outside the courthouse in San Francisco moments before the supreme court justices announced their decision on Prop. 8.

L.A. is preparing for large demonstrations, security is up. This is only the beginning of a long, tough fight, that we will eventually win, just by the way.

H/t: Ana Marie Cox on Twitter

VIDEO response to Prop 8 ruling: "Fidelity"-- Love and let love

By GottaLaff

I just got this video in an email from the Courage Campaign. I wanted to get it around asap:



Marriage equality hasn't hurt my relationship yet. I don't see any Rushpublics or homophobes rushing to divorce court either.

Love and let love. How hard is that?

BREAKING: Prop 8 upheld

By GottaLaff

Per MSNBC, the California Supreme Court upholds Prop 8. Existing same-sex marriages to stand.

This is exactly what I, among others, predicted.

Rick Warren canceled TV date due to "inhalation of fumes from the newly refurbished pulpit "

By GottaLaff

Yesterday I posted about Rick Warren's sudden cancellation of his appearance on George Stehanopoulous's Tee Vee show. It seemed he did so to avoid a confrontation over his latest flip-flop over Prop 8 and same-sex marriage.

Not so fast, says his spokesperson. The abrupt cancellation was due to much more urgent reasons than some piddly controversial topic that affects millions of lives. A Warren aide e-mailed the following:

“I received a call from a Saddleback colleague (Pastor Rick’s chief-of-staff) [Saturday] morning that Dr. Warren awoke ill. He had already preached the first four services, beginning Thursday night (two of the Friday services were taped for broadcast six times over the weekend on the Fox News Channel.) I was informed that he would have to clear his schedule of interviews and preaching appearances yesterday in order to regain his strength to get back in the pulpit on Easter Sunday.

“My understanding was that Dr. Warren’s condition was related to fatigue and exhaustion — which affected his voice — exacerbated by inhalation of fumes from the newly refurbished (but still drying) pulpit used in the televised services the previous night. After initially informing George Stephanopoulos of his inability to pre-tape on Saturday, I put him directly in touch with his chief-of-staff after doctor consultation to pursue the remote possibility of an early [Sunday] AM pre-tape. That turned out to not be a possibility as he had to cancel half of his sermons today, though he was able to preach several of the six services at which he was scheduled to preach.

“There has been a lot of blog chatter trying to connect the dots with the interviews this weekend and comments Dr. Warren made on CNN Larry King Live, but his cancellations were related to health and fatigue…. I was looking forward to the opportunity for him to clarify his position with Messrs. Stephanopoulos and Huckabee (the latter with whom he was to interview live at 2:45 PM EDT on Saturday) to reframe the picture for television viewers the way we had been trying to do on a per-inquiry basis with print outlets by sending out the statement below:

“Throughout his pastoral ministry spanning nearly 30 years, Pastor Warren has remained committed to the biblical definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, for life — a position held by most fellow Evangelical pastors. He has further stressed that for 5,000 years, EVERY culture and EVERY religion has maintained this worldview.

“When Pastor Warren told Larry King that he never campaigned for California's Proposition 8, he was referring to not participating in the official two-year organized advocacy effort specific to the ballot initiative in that state, based on his focus and leadership on other compassion issues. Because he's a pastor, not an activist, in response to inquiries from church members, he issued an email and video message to his congregation days before the election confirming where he and Saddleback Church stood on this issue.

“During the King interview, Pastor Warren also referenced a letter of apology that he sent to gay leaders whom he knew personally. However, that mea culpa was not with respect to his statements or position on Proposition 8 nor the biblical worldview on marriage. Rather, he apologized for his comments in an earlier Beliefnet interview expressing his concern about expanding or redefining the definition of marriage beyond a husband-wife relationship, during which he unintentionally and regrettably gave the impression that consensual adult same sex relationships were equivalent to incest or pedophilia.”

Unfortunately, I don't have time to get snarky or pull up contradictory quotes. Let me just say that I found it hilarious that Rev. Rick canceled due to pulpit inhalation. I do wish him a speedy recovery, though.

As for the Prop 8/same-sex marriage/incest statements, we've posted about them often. Feel free to expand on those topics in Comments.

VIDEOS: Brokeword Mountain? Rick Warren backtracks on gay marriage

By GottaLaff

Via the Daily Beast:

When it came time to rally support for California’s Proposition 8, Pastor Rick Warren’s message was loud and clear: “Now let me say this really clearly: We support Proposition 8," the evangelical leader said via video message to his 22,000-member church the week before the anti-gay marriage measure went into effect in November. But now Warren may have changed his mind about gay marriage. In an interview with Larry King, Warren said he "never once even gave an endorsement” of the proposition, and that he was just “a pastor talking to his people” who, all of a sudden, was turned into the “poster boy for anti-gay marriage." “I wrote to all my gay friends—the leaders that I knew—and actually apologized to them,” Warren said. Leaders of the evangelical community and members of Warren’s church are bewildered at his turnaround on the issue. “He is being politically correct instead of biblically courageous,” one pastor said.

"I'm oblivious" to the Iowa same-sex marriage ruling? Oblivious? Really? He's completely unaware of a major, controversial media story about, of all things, Iowa's anti-Prop 8itude? One that goes right to the heart of his own public statements (see videos)? Wow, that takes some talent. I wonder if he sleeps through earthquakes.

Let's move right along to a glaring contradiction then. If Rev Rick never gave an endorsement to Prop 8, then what in the Sam Hill is this?

Court appears ready to uphold Prop. 8

By GottaLaff

This makes my blood boil. Watching Ken Starr today reminded me what a condescending ass he is:

Based on their questions and comments during three hours of oral argument Thursday, a majority of the California Supreme Court appeared ready to uphold Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that ended gay marriage in the state. [...]

However, it seemed equally apparent that the court was prepared to rule that the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in the state last year should remain valid.

That helped some, but not nearly enough.

More details here, where Pete Williams analyzes the arguments.

VIDEO: Live streaming of Prop 8 arguments

By GottaLaff

Rev. Joseph Lowery: "Obama is getting flack for keeping his word"

By GottaLaff

On 1600 right now, David Shuster is interviewing Rev. Joseph Lowery about President-elect Obama's choice of Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation:

Rev. Joseph Lowery: P.E. Obama is getting flack for keeping his word... and reaching across the divide....

On Prop 8: I've never said I support gay marriage. I support gay rights and civil unions. I have some difficulty with the term "gay marriage". I have a little cultural shock with that, but gays should have all the rights all the citizens have in this country.

Shuster: What about the pedophile equation?

Lowery: That's wrong. I condemn it. But I won't refuse to be on a program with him [Warrern] because we have opposing views. We can find common ground to serve the common good.

Melissa Etheridge Defends Rick Warren: He's No "Gay-Hater"

By GottaLaff

Via HuffPost:

On the day of the conference I received a call from Pastor Rick, and before I could say anything, he told me what a fan he was. He had most of my albums from the very first one. What? This didn't sound like a gay hater, much less a preacher. He explained in very thoughtful words that as a Christian he believed in equal rights for everyone. He believed every loving relationship should have equal protection. He struggled with proposition 8 because he didn't want to see marriage redefined as anything other than between a man and a woman. He said he regretted his choice of words in his video message to his congregation about proposition 8 when he mentioned pedophiles and those who commit incest. He said that in no way, is that how he thought about gays. He invited me to his church, I invited him to my home to meet my wife and kids. He told me of his wife's struggle with breast cancer just a year before mine.

When we met later that night, he entered the room with open arms and an open heart. We agreed to build bridges to the future.

Brothers and sisters the choice is ours now. We have the world's attention. We have the capability to create change, awesome change in this world, but before we change minds we must change hearts. Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise that are beginning to listen. They don't hate us, they fear change. Maybe in our anger, as we consider marches and boycotts, perhaps we can consider stretching out our hands. Maybe instead of marching on his church, we can show up en mass and volunteer for one of the many organizations affiliated with his church that work for HIV/AIDS causes all around the world.

Maybe if they get to know us, they wont fear us.

I know, call me a dreamer, but I feel a new era is upon us.

I will be attending the inauguration with my family, and with hope in my heart. I know we are headed in the direction of marriage equality and equal protection for all families.

What a sweet, positive message. I loved it and had to share.