I asked Dax shortly after the election, “Who is going to be our new president?” He smiled and said, “John McCain!” So I explained to him that John McCain did not, in fact, win the election and that our new president is going to be Barack Obama. He continued to insist that, despite the “lection” that just took place, John McCain is going to be our new president.

A couple days later we were driving home and Dax said, “LOOK! The man in the moon!” I wondered aloud what the man in the moon’s name is and he told me it was John McCain. So I said, “Oh, since he’s not going to be president he’s going to become the man in the moon?” And Dax said, “No! He IS president. He is president of Arizona!” “But Dax,” I said, “I thought you just said he was the man in the moon.” My hair practically blew into my eyes from the force of his sigh. “Mommy. The moon LIVES in Arizona!”

I have so much to learn.

I never write about politics. To be honest, I’m shamefully apathetic about most political issues and I’m woefully uninformed half the time. In fact, that was the case until fairly recently when I finally pulled my head out of my heiny with a resounding POP and realized that, hey, there are some things going on around here that I feel fairly passionate about.

Of the many things I have actually decided to care about I am going to only write about one because I know not everyone enjoys a good romp through someone else’s political views. This one I feel strongly about, though, so….let’s just get right to it.

I think Proposition 8 sucks.

Proposition 8 states: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” This proposition would amend the California state Constitution to eliminate the rights of same-sex couples to marry. That’s right. Voting for Prop 8 means voting to ELIMINATE someone else’s Constitutional rights.

I read somewhere that, if passed, these words would be written between our equal protection clause and the guarantee of nondiscrimination in business. Huh. Well, ain’t that a black fly in your chardonnay?

I drive through an intersection nearly every day where every corner is covered in Yes on 8 signs, frequently being waved about by supporters. The signs say that voting for Prop 8 means religious freedom and parental rights. While I am all for both freedom of religion and the right to parent your children as you wish I am having a hell of a time understanding what rights and freedoms are being taken away from us heterosexuals. Letting same-sex couples wed does not take anything away from me or any other married heterosexual couple but Prop 8 very clearly takes something away from many Californians who, quite frankly, do not deserve to be discriminated against.

Speaking of discrimination and my heterosexual marriage. Did you know that it once would have been illegal for my husband and I to get married? That’s because he’s Filipino and I’m white and the California constitution stated that such a union could not legally exist. Fortunately, we’ve evolved past such blatant discrimination. Oh, wait. Maybe we haven’t.

Look. I’m talking to you now. The California voter who intends to head to the polls and vote in favor of Prop 8. Maybe you buy into the stuff about your kids being taught about gay marriage in school or that your church will suddenly be forced to let The Gays ruin Holy Matrimony for you and all good Christians. Allowing same-sex couples to get married does not require you to teach your kids that Being Gay is A-OK! The California Teachers Association and the California School Boards Association both maintain that Prop 8 has nothing to do with teaching in public schools. And when the California Supreme Court ruled that barring same-sex couples from getting married is unconstitutional it said the government may not discriminate against same-sex by barring them from civil marriage. Religious groups are still free to recognize or refuse to recognize marriages within their religion as they wish.

So, let’s review. Allowing homosexual couples to marry takes nothing away from anyone. Your religions freedoms? All good. Your parental rights? Not impacted. And that’s good, right? Because if your rights were being taken away that would really be egregiously unfair and wrong, wouldn’t it?

Yes. It certainly would.

So please vote no on Prop 8.