Amendment One

Just to share this 4 1/2 minute video following middle schoolers from Carolina Friends School sharing their views about amendment one.

From the intro of the video:

In a small school a little north and a little west of downtown Durham, N.C., a group of eleven-, twelve- and thirteen-year-olds has been busy organizing a field-trip.

Watch as a middle school's gay-straight alliance, GLOW, for Gay Lesbian or Whatever, embarks on an adventure in civic engagement with real consequences for many of the club's members.

"They don’t really see kids as having an idea of how they want their future to be like," said Sarah, a GLOW member, "but when we actually voice our opinion it really does make a difference."

As someone whose day job is that of an organizer, it might be that solutions to many problems in my eyes look like they require organizing, just as the craftsman whose only tool is a hammer starts to see all problems as nails. But I really do believe in the people power of organizing, especially as a tool for achieving civil rights. And so I wanted to take a moment to encourage people to find ways to stay plugged in after May 8th, whether we win or lose, to make sure that organizing for equality continues.

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS LIST TO DISTRIBUTE at the polls or check inside after the jump for the flyer info:

Today's Pilot Newspaper reports that over 250 anti Amendment One signs put out by a single individual have been stolen.

Thomas said the only other report of stolen signs was filed on April 6 by Michael Edwards, who reported that 50 of his anti-Amendment One signs were missing.

Sean Harris, pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Fayetteville, used his Sunday sermon to urge his flock to vote for Amendment One. But as he closed, he went off the deep end, giving the parents in his flock "special dispensation" to give their kids "a good punch" if they appear to be acting gay. Watch the whole thing here.

Apparently Harris knows he stepped in it, because now he's saying it was only a joke. No, Pastor. Child abuse is NEVER a joking matter. Tell Harris he needs to apologize.

Maybe this is a stupid question but I have no clue. I know that churches cannot advocate candidates for office and keep their tax exempt status. So why can every church I pass post signs and vans and such supporting Amendment One? Is it because it is state and not federal?

I know of at least one church that posted a sign to Vote Against. That sign was reported stolen. That said, I would prefer churches keep out of it either way. Just wondering what the law says and why it is different in this case.

How and where are you going to celebrate or protest after the amendment vote happening one week from today?

The nation's eyes are on North Carolina during this final week of the primary. Many marriage discrimination and equality battles are pending for November. We get to set the stage. If a southern state defeats this discrimination, then all the anti-discrimination campaigns will have a legitimate claim to viability, which is key for recruiting talented staff, volunteers, and donors. To steal a line from HKonJ, this is a movement, not a moment.

It's almost never a good thing when the New York Times features North Carolina politics on its editorial pages, and yesterday's commentary on Thom Tillis' Amendment One is no exception.

Opponents of marriage equality have never been able to show any evidence that any harm is caused to heterosexual marriages by granting all American adults the right to marry as they choose — because there is no such evidence. With little more than a week to go before the May 8 contest, and early voting already under way, North Carolinians need to consider whether they really want to inflict this gratuitous bigotry on their fellow citizens and their children.

To speak or not to speak, that is the question:

With a primary and a statewide referendum less than two weeks out, and a national election looming, Triangle employees have more to talk about than just work these days. “At the workplace, it’s a common misunderstanding among workers that they have an unfettered First Amendment right to say what they want,” McAtee said. “That’s not necessarily true.”

The truth is, we live in a "right to work" state. Which loosely translated means, "you have very few rights". No union rep to mediate or arbitrate for you, and the bar an employer must meet before letting you go is set so low you could step over it without breaking stride. I'm not trying to scare you silent, just raise your awareness.