You're all doing such a good job of staying on top of the MANY developments in the marriage equality arena that I've been having a very difficult time figuring out how to get back into the stream of diaries. And now that I've seen a number of really good images that cover this issue, and some of the Russian issues, what I guess is a few (I'm not sure there's enough to call it a "grab bag" but maybe . . .) images that can help us understand the issues at stake and maybe have a good laugh about some of them
First up, marriage equality in Arkansas. Something wonderful about that - all these blue states like California and Minnesota and Massachusetts (TEN YEARS!) and Arkansas, which I suppose I should mention gave us J. William Fulbright and the first images of how ugly segregation was in 1956. The Washington Post had an interesting article about the main Little Rock newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and its marriage license column (printing the banns, it used to be called). Usually, a few (this is May 8).
Now, more like this:
It's called "pent-up demand." But that's not what I REALLY wanted to show you. Here's the front cover of this week's
Arkansas Times, the state's alternative weekly newspaper (which, incidentally,
is reporting that the University of Arkansas, because of Judge Piazza's decision, is offering benefits to the same-sex spouses of its employees):
I think images like that one really frighten the NOM people because they AREN'T scary, although who knows what Matt Barber
might do to that with Photoshop.
Then, with a h/t to Joe.My.God, some news from Russia. Putin is still being a sore loser over the results of this year's European Song Contest in which Conchita Wurst from Austria won the grand prize. In case you forgot:
The usual stuff from the Prime Minister's office:
The above-linked report notes that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted this week that Conchita Wurst's win at Eurovision "showed supporters of European integration their European future - a bearded girl."
But THEN, there's Joe's Tweet-of-the-day:
"The ROC [Russian Orthodox Church] categorically opposes bearded men in dresses!" - Popular Russian blogger Rustem Agadamov, reacting to the church's denouncement of Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst.
I know, we shouldn't make fun of them like this, but it's really too easy.
So here we are, and, as soon as I finish grading these 80 term papers (they all have to be done in six days), I'll be more serious about things.