You can now add “coward” to the continually growing list of accomplishments of Republican’t U.S. House Representative Allen West. He has decided that he will run away from his current seat in District 22 and will instead hide in the newly drawn District 18.
Out Politics – He Can Run, But He Can’t Hide
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the district.
You can now add “coward” to the continually growing list of accomplishments of Republican’t U.S. House Representative Allen West. He has decided that he will run away from his current seat in District 22 and will instead hide in the newly drawn District 18.
You see, currently District 22 (along the beach from Jupiter, Florida to Dania Beach) is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republican’ts with the Demos having a slight lead. The redrawn District 22 moves south and more west in some areas and will be heavily Democratic. The newly-drawn District 18 will be further north in Palm Beach County and will lean heavily Republican’t. So, West, who’s about as popular as failed butt enhancement injections, decided to abandon his District 22 in favor of redder pastures in District 18 where he has a better chance to win reelection and continue to be his “vile” and “disgusting” self for another two years.
Redistricting is required every 10 years as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution and uses information obtained by the U.S. Census. Due to a population increase in the 2000s, Florida gets two new seats in the House.
The good news is that it has been reported that West will be moving into his new district. Florida law only requires a candidate to live in Florida to be able to run in any U.S. House District he/she chooses. He wasn’t even living in District 22; he was living in District 20, represented by Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Judges Dump Prop. 8
By now, you have probably heard, in a 2 to 1 decision the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declared that voters do not have the right to withdraw the right to marry from same-sex couples in California. This decision was consistent with the court’s 1996 deciding that voters did not have the right to withdraw LGBT protection laws prohibiting discrimination in Colorado as noted by the court.
Before you run out and pick out your Winnie Couture wedding gown, keep in mind that the ruling does not cover the entire country, and it’s undecided if it even covers the entire 9th Circuit (which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington), it just holds true in California. Normally, a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals would include the entire area, but the ruling makes clear that since marriage equality was permitted in California, voters did not have the right to withdraw same-sex marriages. California permitted same-sex marriage for only five months before voters approved Proposition 8 which ended marriage equality in the state.
There is a stay on the ruling until February 28 giving opponents to the court decision a chance to appeal. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for their decision on the case and several Reich-wing groups have threatened to do so. And you can be damn sure they will try.
Gay “I Do’s” to Begin in Washington State
Marriage equality is becoming contagious, thank Buddha. The same day Prop. 8 was struck down in California, the Washington State House of Representatives voted to approve a same-sex marriage bill which has already passed the state’s Senate. The bill was almost signed into law almost immediately by Washington Governor Chris Gregoire who has been a supporter of marriage equality. This makes Washington the seventh state to offer full marriage equality.
More Marriage Equality News
– Illinois lawmakers filed a bill in the state’s General Assembly that would legalize same-sex marriage in their state.
– Measures to legalize same-sex marriage have advanced to floor vote to be approved in both chambers of the New Jersey State Legislature. Republican’t Governor Chris Christie, who has publicly vowed to veto any same-sex legislation, has called on state lawmakers to put the issue before the voters on the November 2012 ballot. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found NJ voters support same-sex marriage by a margin of 52 to 42 percent.
– Bucking the trend and threatening to take New Hampshire back to the 20th century; Republican’t State Representative David Bates is using his own money for a direct mail campaign to gain support of House Bill 437 which would restore “traditional marriage” between a man and a woman in the state. However, the House legislative leadership announced they will focus on the state’s economic growth and education initiatives in the 2012 session.
– The State of Florida has made no advances on the issue of marriage equality but the Republican’t state legislature and Republican’t governor do plan to raise college tuition rates in the state. Everyone knows that a better education will only lead to one thing… more democrats!
