Our rights: "it is often necessary to force the hand of even your allies"

Link to an interesting article by William Jelani Cobb: He is associate professor of history at Spelman College and author of the forthcoming "Change Has Come: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Progress." Cobb posits "Ultimately, the gay rights movement will have to learn something that the civil rights movement learned again and again during the 20th century -- it is often necessary to force the hand of even your allies to achieve your goals.".

Full article here

Diane Denish for NM govornor...er...Guverner...er.... leader

Our crazy election cycles now require every current and potential candidate to campaign endlessly for funding. I get it. However, it's really no good sending me an email that says essentially "I'm a democratic candidate, so send me money". First, you need to tell me what kind of candidate you are. What are your views on the issues that are important to me? That's particularly important in NM, where the Democratic party has no control over who runs as a democratic party candidate. This is why, with a solid 'democratic' majority in the state legislature, the Domestic Partner legislation once again failed. Yes, the Governor backed it; yes, the NM Democratic party adopted it as part of their platform; but no, rural so-called democratic senators would not vote for it. According to the the chair of the NM Democrats, there's nothing he can do about it. In rural areas, the candidates are almost all republicans; but because there is no law saying you can only run for the party you align with, both the Republican and the Democratic candidates in elections are actually Republicans. Duh!

So back to Diane, who sent me a link to her website www.dianedenish.com and a request for a donation. My reply was predictable; put up a statement of your views on marriage equality, domestic partnerships, immigration and other major state issues, and I'll think about it.

Meanwhile, I was amused by this paragraph on the importance of education:

Diane knows that New Mexico's education system is the key to our state's economic strength, and the key to making sure that every New Mexican in every community has the chance to succeed.  She will fight to build an educational system in New Mexico that gives each of our children a chance -- from,  a new focus on pre-kindergarten, to giving teachers the tools they need throughout the school year, to a real commitment to adult learning.  Our educational system needs to give our students the tools and values they need to win jobs in the 21st century economy, start their own businesses, and fulfill their dreams.

Proof-reader anyone?