http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/community/members_rss The following posts were created from our member blogs. Back in the February budget battle, notorious right-wing SoCal talk show hosts John and Ken put the heads of Republican legislators who voted for the tax increases on sticks as a threat of grassroots wingnut revolt. Their primary enemy became GOP Assemblymember Anthony Adams (AD-59), who they targeted with a recall effort , gathering and submitting signatures to put a recall on the ballot. It was to be the biggest demonstration yet of the power the KFI duo have over California politics - and the Republican Party. Except they failed. We learned today that the recall effort will fall 11,000 signatures short of qualifying for the ballot, according to the random sampling projections. John and Ken turned in 58,000 signatures but the sampling projects less than half - about 24,500 - will be valid, short of the 35,825 they needed to make the ballot. Chalk this up as a pretty big FAIL on the part of John and Ken and their own SoCal version of the teabagger movement. Armed with one of the West Coast's most powerful radio signals and one of the highest rated shows in the region On Twitter I noted that if they couldn't get the recall on the ballot, maybe John and Ken aren't so powerful after all . Anthony Adams agrees . Once again, the great anti-tax revolution of 2009 is a mouse that failed to roar. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zr http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zr/commentary#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:02:05 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zr Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zr/ Senator Barbara Boxer emailed our 700,000+ members today asking them to stand with us to fight for women's health and stop the Stupak Amendment. Sen. Boxer has become a very strong, compelling voice against this odious amendment, which would make it very difficult for women to access their right to reproductive choice. It's going to take a strong show of force by the California progressive community to ensure that this is taken out of the final bill. Please join us by signing the petition . Below is the email Senator Boxer sent to our members. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zc http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zc/commentary#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:35:30 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zc Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zc/ Sometime next month Time Magazine will announce their "Person of the Year," and it should be obvious by now who best personifies 2009: Herbert Hoover. 80 years after he helped the nation slide into Depression with his austerity budgets and refusal to use government to help provide relief and recovery, his basic approach to political economy is enjoying quite a renaissance. Alongside Sacramento, one of the most prominent places to embrace the new Hooverism has been the United States Senate. Now it looks like they're moving to up the Hooverite ante, and two of California's powerful federal politicians are at the center of the debate. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is joining 6 other Senators to demand that Speaker Nancy Pelosi approve a commission to recommend cuts to Medicare and Social Security - or else they'll refuse to vote to increase the US government's debt ceiling: Congress is under pressure to raise the cap on what the federal government can borrow by mid-December. If the debt ceiling is not raised above its current $12.1 trillion mark by then, the government will exceed its borrowing limits and will be forced to default on the debt. Economists have warned that the inevitable result would be a lowering of the U.S. credit rating, triggering substantial increases in the interest rates the government is already paying. But before Tuesday's hearing was over, Sens. Conrad, Gregg, Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) publicly vowed to vote against raising the debt ceiling if a budget reform commission bill doesn't come along with it. Chris Bowers at Open Left called this a national suicide pact , an apt description for this truly reckless demand: Let's review the threat that these five Democrats are making: * They will allow the United States to default on its debt, which will vastly increase the overall amount we have to pay on our debt UNLESS * Speaker Nancy Pelosi turns over Congressional power on Social Security and Medicare to an unelected commission that will almost certainly propose deep cuts in Social Security and Medicare entitlements. Keep in mind that deep cuts to Social security and Medicare that pass under a Democratic trifecta would doom the party at the ballot box for years to come. This is completely insane, and there is no choice but to call this bluff. Bowers goes on to point out the obvious fact that if these Senators did cause the US to default on its debt (the practical effect of refusing to increase the debt ceiling) their political careers would all be over, so we have nothing to lose by calling their bluff. And he is right. Cutting Medicare and Social Security benefits would be a truly insane, reckless, and radical act. At a time when the US economy is entering a period of long-term high unemployment , the very last thing you want to be doing is further undermining the ability of Americans, particularly the aged, to make ends meet. Cuts in Social Security and Medicare will not only ripple through the economy in the form of reduced spending, they'll also ripple through younger generations, who will fill the gap lost by the cutting of government benefits with money out of their own pockets to help their elderly relatives make ends meet and get the treatment they need. Feinstein is embracing Hooverism, putting Democratic gains at risk, and threatening to make our economic crisis permanent. Of course, in doing so she's merely going with the flow in both DC and Sacramento, so it's not like she's some kind of outlier. Still, this kind of insane policymaking has to be stopped. Pelosi should call Feinstein's bluff. Anyone here who thinks Feinstein would actually enable a debt default, please raise your hands. Didn't think so. Pelosi already got rolled once this month by a block of regressive Democrats willing to risk future elections in order to roll back rights and screw the poor and the middle class. She shouldn't let it happen again. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZW http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZW/commentary#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:50:27 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZW Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZW/ This weekend's Camp Courage in Sacramento was a good tonic for the loss in Maine and part of our collective path forward to restoring marriage equality to California. The heart of Camp Courage is learning how to craft your "story-of-self" a personal, emotional version of who you are and why this issue matters so much to you. The goal is to empower activists to use their personal narrative to bring about political change. Stories-of-self can be used to recruit volunteers, to inspire a crowd or to change a persons' vote one door at a time. It isn't easy to have people open up and share the most painful, scary, raw parts of their lives. But those are the stories that are the ones that need to be told the most. The power of Camp Courage comes from people risking sharing their stories of pain thus forming community and strength. Adam Bink over at Open Left quotes Harvey Milk's famous "come out come out" speech and writes: The same tactic Milk used for school employees everywhere must continue to be used in these communities. We have to encourage people in these towns to come out of the closet and say they want the right to marry. State Representative Mike Carey, who represents heavily Catholic downtown Lewiston and voted in favor of marriage equality in the legislature, pointed out to me that in these kinds of votes, the default vote is for fear, and it is a huge barrier to reach one's conscience if they have no personal knowledge of the issue. For all the "gay marriage will be taught in schools" ads our opponents ran in Maine and will run in other states that tap that fear element, we have to counter with people who can give voters that kind of personal touch on the issue. It isn't just gay people that we need to come out and tell their stories, it is all of our wonderful straight allies. No, there is no application to become a straight ally, just start telling everyone you know your personal story of why you support equality for all. One of our amazing volunteers that helped put together Camp Courage Sacramento Chris Huack brought his parents to Camp. He blogged about the experience at the Courage Campaign. Here is Chris relaying the three reflections his dad had about Camp. (more on the flip) 1 – He had no idea the pain that LGBT people had felt over discrimination and losing initiatives like Proposition 8 and Question 1 until he saw people speaking about them openly and honestly at the Camp. See, I have always been a more stoic, let’s “focus on what we can do in the future” type of person, so for my Mom and Dad, they had never truly appreciated the pain this had inflicted on our community until they heard the stories of personal pain from others. 2 – My Dad shared with me his “Story of Self.” He had a gay cousin who had died of AIDS when my Dad was in his 20s. He had a lesbian sister who had come out to him and was now married with her wife. And he had me, his gay son, who was fighting for equality and who he hoped could one day get married in front of friends and family. LGBT issues had slowly intertwined their way thought his life and had always handled them decently (very supportive of me and his sister), but now realized his previous actions had been woefully inadequate and that he could no longer sit on the sidelines while people he cared about suffered and were discriminated against. 3 – He needed to get involved today. He wanted to sign up to canvass and to join California Faith for Equality, provided they had a means for him to contribute to meaningful action. As stoic as I may be, I found myself fighting back tears as my Dad related this to me and my Mom agreed with him. Then at dinner, as my Dad related to other family members what he had learned and why it was so important for us to proactively work for change – I fully understood the importance of Camp Courage. Yes, it is a great experience for LGBT leaders and organizers. However, I missed an important opportunity in East LA, when I went to Camp but neglected to recruit my straight friends and family in LA to attend with me. This experience is not just a meaningful skills training for gay people - it is an opportunity to teach, empower and share ourselves and our struggle more fully with friends, straight allies and family. It is an opportunity to bring new faces and perspectives into the fight for equality. One by one we are building an army to repeal Prop 8. It is not easy, or fast, but it is absolutely critical to our success. The best way we change hearts and minds is having everyone supportive of equality speaking from their hearts. We have to be vulnerable. It is wrenching to know that as a gay person that the best path to earning the right to get married some day is if I share my most painful moments of my life with strangers in order to win their vote. It shouldn't be that way, but that's what it takes and it is what I will continue to do. Will you join me? http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZZ http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZZ/commentary#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:52:36 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZZ Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZZ/ Camp Courage Sacramento “Camp Courage Sacramento was and inspirational and transformative weekend for me.” Hearing that statement from a Camp Courage attendee is nothing new. However, for me, it carries an entirely different meaning as this was not my first Camp. After attending the Camp Courage in East LA and seeing a number of my friends share the experience with their families, I immediately ran home and signed up to come to the Camp in Sacramento with my Mom and Dad. See, I grew up in Sacramento and moved to LA for college and have stayed there ever since. When I first came out to my parents, they were very supportive. However, I, like many young LGBT people was still either too nervous or too ashamed to fully share my life with them. It took me a good 3-4 years before I was comfortable enough with myself to share the details of my life, my cause, and my relationships with those I was close to. Slowly, that changed for me as I started to fight for LGBT rights and that shame dissipated. The result is that I am now as closer to my family than I have ever been and the culmination of this was brining my parents to Camp Courage. The weekend played out as most Camp Courage’s do – effectively teaching hard and soft skills, educating participants on where the movement stands and inspiring action. Having been through Camp before, the main focus for me this weekend was on my parents and how they were feeling and what they were learning. And they genuinely seemed to enjoy themselves and were really engaged in the materials. However, for me, the crowning moment came on the car ride home. My Dad told me he had three reflections on Camp and what he had learned there that I will share with you now: 1 – He had no idea the pain that LGBT people had felt over discrimination and losing initiatives like Proposition 8 and Question 1 until he saw people speaking about them openly and honestly at the Camp. See, I have always been a more stoic, let’s “focus on what we can do in the future” type of person, so for my Mom and Dad, they had never truly appreciated the pain this had inflicted on our community until they heard the stories of personal pain from others. 2 – My Dad shared with me his “Story of Self.” He had a gay cousin who had died of AIDS when my Dad was in his 20s. He had a lesbian sister who had come out to him and was now married with her wife. And he had me, his gay son, who was fighting for equality and who he hoped could one day get married in front of friends and family. LGBT issues had slowly intertwined their way thought his life and had always handled them decently (very supportive of me and his sister), but now realized his previous actions had been woefully inadequate and that he could no longer sit on the sidelines while people he cared about suffered and were discriminated against. 3 – He needed to get involved today. He wanted to sign up to canvass and to join California Faith for Equality, provided they had a means for him to contribute to meaningful action. As stoic as I may be, I found myself fighting back tears as my Dad related this to me and my Mom agreed with him. Then at dinner, as my Dad related to other family members what he had learned and why it was so important for us to proactively work for change – I fully understood the importance of Camp Courage. Yes, it is a great experience for LGBT leaders and organizers. However, I missed an important opportunity in East LA, when I went to Camp but neglected to recruit my straight friends and family in LA to attend with me. This experience is not just a meaningful skills training for gay people - it is an opportunity to teach, empower and share ourselves and our struggle more fully with friends, straight allies and family. It is an opportunity to bring new faces and perspectives into the fight for equality. And perhaps within this there is a greater lesson for our movement. Winning true equality in CA and beyond is going to be complex and will take a lot of hard work. It is not something we can win on our own, but we will need the help of those people who love and support us. And much the same way, my Dad now realizes that his response to his LGBT family was good, but inadequate – I realize my work during Proposition 8 was the same. I was happy to call voters, fundraise money and talk to strangers – yet I neglected to have real conversations with the people I could most easily move on the issue. The Briggs initiative was largely defeated by LGBT people “coming out” and talking to their friends and family. Winning marriage equality will require us to do the same thing. No longer can we be afraid that we might cause some discomfort with friends, family or strangers by having candid conversations about why we NEED equality. That discomfort is not because of anything that is wrong with us, but is because of a lack of knowledge or familiarity on the part of others. And if we are too scared or too ashamed to push through those difficult moments and make this an issue that can be a normal and comfortable part of conversation, then we are doomed to keep failing at the ballot box no matter how good our commercials are and how flawless our field campaign is. So thank you again to Courage Campaign for all they do with these Camps. They are giving us the skills and the keys to gain full equality in California and beyond. And now, it is up to us to use them. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/chrishauck/C2Zq http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/chrishauck/C2Zq/commentary#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:27:02 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/chrishauck/C2Zq User from Los Angeles, CA User from Los Angeles, CA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zq/ I think we did a lot of good in Maine. I really do. But I'm left wondering how long it will take to change enough hearts and minds that we win one of these ballot initiatives? I talked to dozens and dozens of voters over GOTV weekend and the Yes on 1 folks are not bad people. They really believe that it's not about gay rights. Many of them are for making civil unions/domestic partnerships equal to marriage--even at the federal level. And they really believe that they are called by their god to protect traditional marriage. They aren't trying to be bigoted. But they are. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/mitchelloster/C2ZX http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/mitchelloster/C2ZX/commentary#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:58:39 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/mitchelloster/C2ZX Mitchell Oster http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/599de39f3442a34e05_a69mv26xu.jpg Mitchell Oster 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZX/ (Closing speech I delivered at Camp Courage Sacramento at 4:45PM today. Camp Courage Sacramento burst forth with warmth, embrace and power. What great folks!) This past Monday morning, I found an envelope in my front yard. It was addressed to “Courage Campaign.” A year ago, in the wake of Prop. 8, I was afraid to open some of those envelopes, not sure if they’d contain hate mail or something worse. People on the other side were unhappy that we had called them to account for their lies during the campaign. But this note was very different. Let me read it to you: “Courage Campaign, I just turned 3 and I told my friends that I didn’t want any presents. Instead, I asked them to make a contribution to you. My Dad tells me that you give a voice to those people that don’t have one and what you do changes the world. I hope that more of my friends contributed on line. Love, Libby.” http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2Zt http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2Zt/commentary#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:09:08 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2Zt Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zt/ I'm in California, so I'll admit I didn't see all of the ads from both sides in Maine. But I did see a sample that I bet is representative. The pro-equality ad was sweet and soft and showed a nice gay couple and some kids. The other side's ad was mean and harsh and essentially said that if same-sex couples were allowed to marry, we would immediately set about the task of turning all their kids gay. For Prop. 8 here in California, the first and most widely-shown equality ad showed a heterosexual bride running through a parking lot and some bushes and breaking a heel before arriving at her wedding. I like to think I'm pretty tuned in to the issue, and even I didn't understand the point of that one. Did we really think Joe Straight Voter was going to get the obscure metaphor and vote accordingly? The ads from the other side--not surprisingly--claimed that if marriage rights for same-sex couples were allowed to continue, we would immediately set about the task of turning all their kids gay. We keep losing because we keep playing softball while they're playing hardball. Sure, their claim is a lie, but it's a damn compelling one: even gay parents would prefer--given a choice--that their kids not turn out gay. So we have to get out in front of them instead of playing catch-up. We have to tell the voters: here is what they're going to tell you, and it's a damn lie! Marriage rights are just about marriage rights, not about what your kids are taught in school. We have our own ammunition, and it's not sweet gay families bathed in sepia sunlight. THEY have a hidden agenda that we need to expose. They want control. Once they get this taste of power, will they be satisfied with denying same-sex marriage rights? Hardly. Next to go will be domestic partnerships. But the other side is not just anti-gay. They're also anti-abortion, anti-anysexualpracticeotherthanmissionarypositionforprocreation, anti-anythingotherthanChristian, anti-progressive, and yes, you know it's true, many of them are also racist and sexist. So they may be coming for us first, but we need to let Joe Straight Voter know that he too is likely in their long-range crosshairs. Then maybe he'll vote our way. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rustynichols/C2Zh http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rustynichols/C2Zh/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:43:31 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rustynichols/C2Zh User from San Diego, CA User from San Diego, CA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zh/ Hello everyone. Since you're on this site, I'm sure it will come as no surprise that California is in trouble. California, the richest state in the Union, also has the worst credit rating, has asked for a bailout from an equally crippled federal economy, and now sits on a 12.2% unemployment rate, as I write this. Who knows, as you read this, it may be more. I'm not hear to be the voice of doom, but rather yet another voice of action. Our country has been dragging us down an economical death spiral since Milton Friedman and the Chicago School. Corporations have been ravaging economies, leaving in their wake thousands of jobless, homeless and hopeless citizens. Aren't we supposed to be a government of the people, for the people and by the people? If you see what I see and notice as I do, the state of our state, you can tell, that's not been the case. I'm here to act, with you all, concerned people that want to change things. Unfortunately, not all people see the need or desire to work for a healthy government and economy. Let's change this state from a crippled shadow of what it once was to a new, modern splendor that can once again be looked at with pride by its inhabitants. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eleanorg/C2ZR http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eleanorg/C2ZR/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:08:43 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eleanorg/C2ZR User from Los Angeles, CA User from Los Angeles, CA 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZR/ A year ago I knew what went wrong and I knew how to fix it. A year later, I don't know what went wrong. I don't know how to fix it. We had the money. We had a stable campaign. We had the a robust well-oiled field campaign. We had a strong campaign manager. We had the turnout we wanted. We had great coordination between the netroots and the campaign. We had a not particularly religious state. We neutralized the church issue. We had a manageable voter universe. We had an opposition with an inferior media and field operation. We had TV ads with gay people in them. We responded to their attacks swiftly. And we still lost. Our campaign wasn't perfect. But it was damn good. And that's why this loss is so hard. The lessons to be learned are not as obvious. Not knowing how to fix it makes it tempting to throw our hands up in the air and say at 0-31 we just can't win marriage rights at the ballot box. Or we have to wait a decade until we can. But that would be letting them win. That would be giving up. That would be accepting inequality. We can't. I won't. We need to learn how to neutralize the schools issue better than we did this time. We must continue telling our stories, one by one, person by person, door by door. Nate Silver as usual has some smart thoughts: I certainly don't think the No on 1 campaign can be blamed; by every indication, they ran a tip-top operation whereas the Yes on 1 folks were amateurish. But this may not be an issue where the campaign itself matters very much; people have pretty strong feelings about the gay marriage issue and are not typically open to persuasion. There's going to be an effort by many on the left to blame Barack Obama for his lack of leadership on gay rights issues; I think the criticism is correct on its face, but I don't know how much it has to do with the defeat in Maine. A more popular Democratic governor, for instance, who had been a bit quicker on the trigger in his support of gay marriage, might have helped more. Persuading voters to change their minds about marriage equality is extremely difficult, but it is possible and it happens every single day. It just takes a lot of resources and is most effective on a one-to-one level. That means we must continue to invest in grassroots organizing, training new leaders to work in their communities and supporting their efforts over time. We need to continue to build connections and relationships with faith communities. We can organize in churches. We can even organize in Mormon Temples and Catholic Churches. It has happened. It is happening. There are lessons to be learned out of Maine and the No on 1 loss. We know that we can build a massive GOTV operation. We know how to build a model where a campaign invests in the netroots and reaps the rewards. The church issue can be neutralized. It's possible to set aside differences and focus on a common goal. We can build a campaign to be proud of as a community. What we can do now is have experts in Maine politics analyze the results to understand better how we lost. We need talk to the No on 1 campaign leadership/consultants to get their advice like they did from our Prop 8 loss. We can win marriage back in California. We will win marriage back in California. We can win marriage in Maine. We will win marriage in Maine. I am not quitting. You better not be either. This weekend I am picking myself back up and getting right back to work, training hundreds of activists in Sacramento how to organize at Camp Courage . They will and I will come in with heavy hearts, but leave empowered. We will leave and fight the next fight together. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZN http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZN/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:18:37 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZN Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZN/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ULdaSrYGLQ An advert in support of gay marriage has won critical praise – a move all the more surprising since it comes from the Roman Catholic bastion of Ireland. The work was recently released by marriageequality.ie, an initiative that works for civil marriage rights for gay and lesbian people in the Emerald Isle. In the ad, a man is seen knocking on the doors of various households asking their occupants for permission for ‘Sinead’s Hand’ in marriage. From country lanes to city tower blocks, the smartly dressed man in the suit covers them all. And each time he asks his question, he’s told “Yes.” The work closes with the line, “How would you feel if you had to ask 4 million people for permission to get married? Lesbians and gay men are denied access to civil marriage in Ireland.” FYI The 4 millio is in reference to the population of Ireland http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/johncarroll/C2Z5 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/johncarroll/C2Z5/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:18:18 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/johncarroll/C2Z5 User from Los Angeles, CA User from Los Angeles, CA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Z5/ http://www.marriagequality.ie/ http://www.marriagequality.ie/download/pdf/its_no_joke.pdf ... well worth the read ..this research was done in conjuction with Lansdowne Market Research(one of the largets Market research co's in ireland) between 15th-30th October 2008 http://www.utalkmarketing.com/pages/Article.aspx?ArticleID=15743&Title=Gay_Marriage_advert_from_Catholic_Ireland_earns_critical_praise http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/1020/1224257055137.html?digest=1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/johncarroll/C2Zp http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/johncarroll/C2Zp/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:11:07 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/johncarroll/C2Zp User from Los Angeles, CA User from Los Angeles, CA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zp/ Note: this email was sent to our members this morning from Mike Bonin, one of the founders and now Program Director of Camp Courage. Dear friend -- I never could have imagined it. As a kid growing up scared and closeted in New England in the 1970's, I never could have imagined that the issue of gay marriage would ever be seriously debated, let alone hotly contested. I never could have imagined a day when gay people would have been in television ads, when WWII veterans emotionally spoke out in favor of their gay children, when people of faith stood up for LGBT rights, when armies of people -- gay and straight alike -- would descend into a small New England state to say gay people should be equal. I know that the news from Maine is depressing. But it is not the end. It is just another bump in a long road. Let's not forget how far we've come as a country, while recognizing how far we need to go to achieve full federal equality, fighting for it at every level: in the courts, at the ballot box and in Washington, DC. Equality will be ours, but we will have to fight for it. And I can't imagine a better opportunity to learn the secret to our future success than Camp Courage -- an experience that graduates say is one of the most powerful and transformative events of their lives.. If you want to join more than 200 people who have signed up for Camp Courage Sacramento this weekend, you have less than 24 hours to do so. On Friday at 12 p.m., registration will close. Click here now to sign up: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento While marriage equality did not come to Maine, it will surely come to America, and when it does, events like Camp Courage will be where the seeds of equality were planted. On Saturday morning, Camp Courage Sacramento will begin. Within minutes, the room will be buzzing with energy, as participants learn how to tell their "story of self" -- the foundation of changing the hearts and minds of our friends, family and neighbors. By the end of Camp Courage on Sunday, lives will be changed, powerful friendships will be forged, and a community will be connected. Time is running out. If you want to experience this transformative event, sign up now for Camp Courage Sacramento before it's too late: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento When I was a kid, I never could have imagined a day in America when full equality would be the law of the land. But one day, from sea to shining sea, that change will come. Come to Camp Courage Sacramento this weekend and learn how to be that change. Mike Bonin Camp Courage Program Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:58:46 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zn/ It stings, deeply, to have witnessed another close defeat for marriage equality. We fought a hard battle in Maine, and it is heartbreaking to have come so close and not won a victory. And yet, we're not going to let this defeat discourage us. After the passage of Proposition 8, a new movement emerged to fight for and win full equality for LGBT Americans. That movement is a grassroots, bottom-up movement. The Courage Campaign has been empowering that movement ever since. That movement helped us fight to a near-victory in Maine. That movement appears to have fought to an actual victory in Washington State. And with your support, that movement will fight for victories in California and at the federal level. The Courage Campaign is going to redouble its efforts to win. We're going to continue organizing on the ground. We're going to continue to do the research to learn from the experience in Maine and to learn how to win in California. And we're going to continue to fight for full equality at the federal level as well. To do that, we need you to organize with us. Click here to make an investment in the movement for equality. Help us power the repeal. Help us win. Below is the email Julia Rosen sent to our members today from Maine, where she had worked for the last week for equality. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZS http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZS/commentary#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:14:54 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZS Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZS/ As I write this, we are beginning to hear results from Maine’s version of Prop. 8 and will soon enough hear about right wing attempts to quash freedom in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Washington state. How well we all remember election night here in California last year, that flash of impossible joy and elation at the election of Barack Obama juxtaposed with the horror of the loss of equal rights. How could both be true? How could we elect Barack Obama and simultaneously watch our fellow Californians vote away our rights? A year later, regardless of the outcome of these elections tonight, the progressive movement is much broader, more determined and smarter. We know what must be done to change the way people think. We know that multiple tactics, ranging from court fights to ballot box battles to marches to push for federal legislation all must happen simultaneously. We also know that those who invest in repression, in damaging families and in singling out LGBT people (or other minorities) for discrimination must be called on their actions and their investments. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ZV http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ZV/commentary#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:40:28 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ZV Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZV/ How many of us have been asked the questions, “Mommy, which of us is your favorite? Who do you love more?” As parents, we know there is only one answer to questions like these…"We love you all, equally." The truth is we may love each child equally, but they are not all the same. And, at times, we may like one child’s behavior more than the other’s…the good student, the good athlete, the good manners…sometimes we can’t help ourselves, they are a reflection of the best in us, or so we hope. Other times, they are insecure, selfish, withdrawn…and they seemingly reflect the worst in us, or so we fear. Our constant challenge is to recognize the good and the bad in our kids and parent accordingly. If we expect our kids to be exactly the same, we’re just setting ourselves up for disappointment. If we expect our kids to be “perfect” in our eyes, we’re setting them up for a lifetime of therapy. We must accept that they are going to be different and love them unconditionally...and equally. Although we’ll certainly have different opinions about the paths our kids travel in pursuit of their own life, liberty and definition of happiness, our responsibility as parents is to help shine a light for them…to help them find their own path and send them post cards of encouragement on their way. The American ideal of “liberty and justice for all” applies to all our kids, not just our favorites. In California, we had a ballot initiative that allowed the public to vote on the civil liberties of a minority group. The majority voted for Prop 8, which banned gay marriage and restricted gay rights, thereby requiring the state to amend its constitution to prevent that minority group the same liberties as the majority under law. In essence, Californians said “why can’t you be more like your brother?” Oops, we picked favorites. Today, Maine residents are voting on same sex marriage equality. Opponents used the same ads and the same tactics as in California. This is bigger than the politics of Maine. We all need to be paying attention--gay or straight. This is a civil liberties issue. Whether or not you personally agree with the gay rights movement is really not the point...rather, do you believe you are entitled to certain rights that others should be denied? Do you support freedom of speech even if you disagree with what someone else is saying? Do you support freedom of religion even if you don't agree with the way someone else worships? Do you support someone's right to bear arms even if you don't like guns? Do you believe your child's gender, race or sexual orientation should preclude them from the same privileges under the law as someone else's child? Our nation has been here before…with civil rights, the women’s movement and now gay rights. So who better than America’s moms to let our kids know that black or white, girl or boy, gay or straight we are there, supporting them and loving them...no matter what anyone else says or does. We might not like our kids' behavior all the time, but it is our responsibility to love them all, equally. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/michelletingler/C2Zj http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/michelletingler/C2Zj/commentary#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:44:18 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/michelletingler/C2Zj O-MAMA http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8fdb16979500013123_avm6b95c9.jpg O-MAMA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zj/ “Listen to your mother!” We've all heard it a million times....it's an effective reminder that makes kids sit up a little straighter and pay attention. Yep, it's true, kids need constant reminders on how to behave, but unfortunately, it's the grown ups in this country that need to be reminded these days. You know, ”mind your manners,” “clean up your own mess,” “don’t be a poor sport” and on and on. So, who better to do it than America’s moms? We are the example our children see and hear every day, so America’s moms know that our “actions speak louder than words.” But, it is time that we hold other grown-ups accountable for their behavior, too. Our kids are watching and listening, so “do as I say, not as I do" doesn't cut it anymore. If congressmen can't "mind their manners" while the President is speaking, how do we expect a ten year old to be respectful when his teacher is talking? If professional athletes can’t “be a good sport” when they lose, how do we encourage a disappointed t-ball player to be one? If rock stars don't grasp that there are times when "the world doesn't actually revolve around them," how do we convince our teenagers of it? If we expect better kids, we all must be better examples. America’s kids are our future. Our President reminds us that they are the next generation of “risk-takers, doers and makers of things.” They are the next bankers and baseball players, teachers and technicians, police officers and policy makers, artists and astronauts, scientists and social workers…and they will be the role models for the generation after them…the next Presidents, Wall Street whiz kids, Nobel Peace Prize winners, curers of cancer, soldiers, parents…our kids are going to define the future of our nation…and we have the incredible job of shaping what kind of people, and citizens, they grow up to be. President Obama challenged us to usher in “a new era of [parental] responsibility.” At first, we thought it was about turning off the TV and making sure the kids were doing their homework. And, frankly, Deb and I thought we were doing a pretty good job, but then we realized we were missing the big picture. We aren’t just raising kids, we are raising the citizens who determine the future of our country. The country we all love. We can all rally around our kids and our country, right? We can find common ground on the issues that matter most to raising happy, healthy, well-adjusted citizens, can't we? Sure, we need to know how and why we see things differently, but that’s not where the conversation should begin and end. It needs to start at the kitchen table with some common sense and come full circle in parenting our kids through the social and political issues of the day…while using “indoor voices” and “nice manners,” of course! President Obama has the economy, health care, two wars, the environment, education and a few other things on his “to do” list right now…while America’s moms are the family banker, nurse, diplomat, general, gardener, teacher, etc. So, we get it. We are also responsible for making sure our kids are doing their chores, brushing their teeth, not fighting with their siblings, picking up after themselves and doing their homework, all while teaching them patience, manners, accountability, self-reliance, discipline, persistence, resilience, empathy, kindness...and the commitment and hard-work required to follow through on their dreams for tomorrow. Kind of like dealing with Congress!? President Obama and America's moms have parallel roles right now. President Obama is the leader of our country and moms are the leaders of our families. President Obama’s slogan is “change we can believe in,” so our slogan is “change begins at home.” He has an important job to do...but, our job is the most important. We are the "opinionated moms" who influence our kids, families, communities and, ultimately, the direction of our country. We are O-MAMA. Our kids and our country need us, so we need to work together to find common ground and really make a difference on the issues that matter most! If we keep in mind the simple lessons we’ve all been taught by our own mothers, then maybe the complex social issues that our country is facing will become a little less complicated. Maybe, if we stop second guessing every intention and start really believing the things we already know to be true--like "don't judge a book by it's cover," "practice what you preach," "live and let live", "leave it better than you found it," etc.--then, we can finally start tackling some of the issues we can no longer avoid and teach our kids the life lessons we can no longer ignore. Maybe, just maybe, these issues are not as difficult as we think they are? With a little humor and a lot of common sense, America’s moms can be a constructive voice in our country’s most important conversations. Can we do it? You betcha! http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/michelletingler/C2ZG http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/michelletingler/C2ZG/commentary#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:32:37 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/michelletingler/C2ZG O-MAMA http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8fdb16979500013123_avm6b95c9.jpg O-MAMA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZG/ Election day is finally here! I never expected the excitement and anticipation that I am feeling. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/phyllislozano/C2ZM http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/phyllislozano/C2ZM/commentary#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:38:41 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/phyllislozano/C2ZM Phyllis Lozano SoCal DFO http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/cead7838a7314d7fdf_58homv796.jpg Phyllis Lozano SoCal DFO 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZM/ Last Thursday the San Francisco Chronicle reported that under the current bills being considered in the House and Senate, 90% of Americans would not be able to pick a public health insurance option . The proposed rules would limit access to the Exchange, where the public option would be offered, to "individuals who cannot get insurance, or whose health care costs exceed 12.5 percent of their income." Not only would that mean most Americans wouldn't have access to the public option - it also means that public option would be weaker. For the public option to bring down costs and provide quality care, it needs to have a large base of paying customers to be able to negotiate good rates. Further, it needs to be able to attract healthy young people. If it can't, then the public option may suffer what is known as "adverse selection" where only the sickest people get the public option. That would drive up the costs of the public option, and make it less effective. In order to make the public option provide the most benefits for the most people, we need to open it up so that anyone who wants to buy into it may do so. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is offering an amendment to allow anyone to access the Exchange, where the public option will be offered. Senator Barbara Boxer has already indicated her support for the Wyden Amendment. It's now up to Senator Dianne Feinstein to join Boxer, Wyden, and the American people in demanding everyone be allowed to choose the public option. That's why we sent the following email to our members today, asking them to sign the letter to Senator Feinstein asking her to open the public option to everyone: http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zx http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zx/commentary#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:43:49 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zx Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zx/ We sent the following email out today about Camp Courage Sacramento - and telling a remarkable story about an experience one of our campers had at Camp Courage East Los Angeles back in August. Dear friend -- Before we see you at Camp Courage on Saturday, we want to share a story with you. Take a moment to read what Theresa Wang, a Los Angeles activist, said about her experience at Camp Courage and how transformative it was for her mother: My mother, Stella, has always been the stereotypical Asian woman, not drawing any attention to herself and for the most part keeping quiet. When I came out, she was devastated, but dealt with it on her own, prioritizing my happiness over her own discomfort. Eventually she grew to be completely supportive, even attending protests and on this particular weekend, attending Camp Courage East LA. The heart of Camp Courage is about telling your "story of self," and as I facilitated my group's stories, I peeked over to see my mother telling hers. She was crying. As this was an exercise completely foreign to her, I immediately began to question my judgment in bringing her to camp. Telling her story out loud appeared to be too much. After group sharing, a few people were asked to share their story on stage and I was surprised to see my mother getting up to tell hers. I watched in shock as my mom's group stood behind her as she talked about her coming-out process as the mother of a lesbian who was getting married. In that moment, I watched my mom turn into a storyteller on stage, grabbing the attention of the whole room. Near the end of my mom's story most of the audience was crying as well. As she finished, the entire room gave my mom a moving standing ovation while chanting her name -- "Stella!" "Stella!" "Stella!" -- in a moment of unbelievable joy. The people attending Camp Courage that day were not the only ones moved by my mother's story. A few weeks later, my mom wrote her story down and had it published in the China World Journal -- the most widely-read Chinese language newspaper in the United States. There are so many "Stellas" in our lives -- people who want to learn how to support us in our activism or become an engaged activist themselves. Do you know someone like Stella -- a friend, family member, co-worker or ally -- or anyone who would enjoy sharing Camp Courage with you? If so, please ask your friend to come to Camp Courage Sacramento. Just give them a call and tell them how important it would be for them to come with you on Saturday. Or forward this email to your friend or loved one and let them know that you want to share this experience with them and that you need their help in bringing marriage equality -- and full equality -- to California. Here's the link for your friends to RSVP: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento We all have a place in this movement. See you on Saturday at Camp! With gratitude, Daniel Segura and Billy Pollina Camp Courage Coordinators http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg/commentary#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:53:09 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zg/