Go to the 4:00 mark for the moonwalking bit. What a great piece of staging. How someone figured this out, I can’t imagine.
Ohio State Marching Band does moon-walking Michael Jackson
Ohio: John Arthur, who sued for the right to be buried next to his husband, dies at 48
Cincinatti.com has reported that John Arthur, who in July flew to Maryland with his partner of 20 years, Jim Obergfell, so that they could marry on the airport tarmac before Arthur’s ALS, a progressive neurological disease that robs patients of their ability to walk, talk and eventually breathe, became too difficult, has died at the age of 48.
My sincerest condolences go to Jim Obergfell, and their friends and family. John Arthur’s courage to fight for his rights, in the face of his ongoing terminal illness, made a big difference for many Ohio couples.
Mr. Arthur was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2011, and his terminal illness played a prominent role in the couple’s decision to marry and in the ensuing legal battle. He and Obergefell had been a couple since 1992 but decided to marry after the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 decision striking down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Several days after their marriage, they filed a lawsuit in federal court in Cincinnati against the state and the city of Cincinnati, claiming that failure to recognize their marriage violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, because Ohio recognized other marriages performed outside the state that Ohio itself banned, such as marriages between first cousins or minors.
Mr. Arthur’s terminal illness allowed the case to move more quickly through the court. It also allowed Gerhardstein to argue that the couple would face “irreparable harm” if Mr. Arthur was listed as single on his death certificate. Additionally, Mr. Arthur’s family plot at Spring Grove Cemetery is limited to direct descendants and their spouses, so the question of recognizing their marriage also was likely to influence where he was buried and whether his partner could someday be buried next to him.
In July, Federal Judge Timothy Black issued a temporary order requiring that Arthur be listed as married on his death certificate and Obergefell be named his surviving spouse.
(via Towleroad)
Ohio lawmaker wants judge impeached for recognizing same-sex couple’s marriage
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| Rep. John Becker |
Ohio Rep. John Becker wants to impeach Judge Timothy S. Black, who in July ordered the state to recognize the marriage of John Arthur and Jim Obergefell.
Back in July, I wrote about Arthur and Obergefell’s journey to Maryland with the help of friends, family, and social media, so that they could marry because Arthur is terminally-ill with ALS, and married on the airport tarmac. They also filed a lawsuit challenging Ohio’s ban on same-sex marriage. Judge Black ordered the marriage recognized so that the couple could be buried together.
Now, Becker wants Black impeached for “malfeasance and abuse of power,” and is calling on Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) to start the proceedings, Cincinatti.com reports:
“I am writing you today to express my concerns about the federal government’s ever growing propensity to violate state sovereignty,” Becker wrote Friday in a letter to Wenstrup, a Columbia-Tusculum Republican.
Federal judges are appointed for life. The only way to remove a federal judge is for the House of Representatives to impeach the judge and the Senate to vote to remove the judge from office.
“Judge Black has demonstrated his incompetence by allowing his personal political bias to supersede jurisprudence,” Becker wrote. “This will begin the process of restoring state sovereignty back to the original intent of the US Constitution.”
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| John Arthur and Jim Obergefell traveling to Maryland to marry in July |
(source)
Ohio: Why marriage matters
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| Graphic via Memeographs |
Can you imagine fighting in court just for the right to be laid to rest next to the love of your life?
From Think Progress, read “Ohio Plans Unspeakably Cruel Appeal Of Dying Man’s Last Wish”
Ohio: Gay couple seeks to have state recognize their marriage
Two men who traveled from Cincinnati to Maryland last week to marry, John Arthur and Jim Obergefell, are now asking Ohio to recognize their marriage based on equal protection:
The suit, filed by the couple, states the way the law treats marriages between opposite-sex couples is unfairly different from the way it treats marriages between same-sex couples.
“It’s blatant discrimination,” said the couple’s attorney Al Gerhardstein. “It’s a denial of equal protection.”
The suit points to an example of a marriage between first cousins. In Ohio, it is illegal. But if first cousins go to another state and marry where it is legal, Ohio will recognize their out of state marriage as valid.
“Equal protection demands that opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples should be treated the same,” Gerhardstein said in a release. “John and James were validly married in Maryland. If they were an opposite sex couple, Ohio would recognize their marriage. Being a same-sex couple is no longer a good enough reason to deny them equal rights.”
Gerhardstein says the suit filed Friday has importance beyond the law. The couple is running out of time.
Two years ago, Arthur was diagnosed with ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. There is no known cure or treatment today that halts or reverses ALS.
Ohio: Former GOP Attorney General Jim Petro supports marriage equality
Jim Petro, former Attorney General for Ohio, said Monday that he supports an effort to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, contending the prohibition fosters intolerance and creates a roadblock to diversity.
The Ohio Republican says banning same-sex marriage sends a bad message to companies that might look to hire employees who could be LGBT:
Ohio’s economic well-being “will depend on its welcoming nature,” Petro said at a news conference with officials from FreedomOhio, the group collecting signatures to put the issue on the Nov. 2014 ballot. “More and more public officials will recognize the need for true equality.”
Petro said when he was asked to support gay marriage, he “quickly and without hesitation said ‘I’m all for it.’ ” He said he will be active in the 2014 campaign and hopes more Republicans join him
385,245 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters from at least 44 of 88 counties on a petition by July 3, 2014, to qualify for next year’s general election ballot.
Ohio passed it’s constitutional amendment, which limits marriage to one man and one woman, in 2004 by 62 percent of Ohio voters.
Freedom Ohio announces plan to place marriage equality on 2014 ballot
Confusing news coming out of Ohio today regarding marriage equality plans.
Earlier today from FreedomOhio came word of an impending plan to place marriage equality on the November 2014 ballot.
FreedomOhio co-founder Ian James said in a statement:
“We have decided to be on the ballot in 2014 to allow for a continuing dialogue with voters across Ohio about why marriage matters. We will continue to build upon the hundreds of thousands of conversations we’ve had already, to identify supportive voters, and to raise the resources necessary to mobilize a full-on campaign.”
“We are also excited to announce that the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Ohio, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, National Freedom to Marry, the Gill Action Fund, the American Unity Fund and the BISC met today and discussed how to become involved in the campaign to bring marriage equality to Ohio in 2014.”
HOWEVER, it seems Ian James may have jumped the gun in releasing any statement that included the national LGBT organizations. From Chris Geidner:
A representative of one of the organizations in the meeting, however, said no agreements had been reached as to the timing of going to the ballot and no plan was discussed regarding the news release issued by FreedomOhio on Wednesday. Another person confirmed that characterization.
The release did include a quote from Equality Ohio, the group formed in the aftermath of the 2004 ballot fight.
“Today’s meeting was only the beginning of the effort to chart a strategic plan to achieve marriage equality in Ohio,” said Elyzabeth Holford, executive director of Equality Ohio. “We all recognize our responsibility to Ohioans to make sure we get this right. And I know that together, we will. When we do move forward it will be with the same strong partners as the other successful states.”
And then came this statement from Freedom To Marry addressing their reaction to the press release from FreedomOhio:
A group of state and national organizations leading the fight to win marriage for all families in Ohio and across the country sought to clarify misleading characterizations put forward by Ian James’s Freedom Ohio following a meeting to discuss a strategy for winning the freedom to marry at the ballot box in Ohio.
However, contrary to the assertions made by Ian James in an unapproved statement, there was no agreement reached to put forward a ballot initiative in 2014 or any other specific date. Instead, all of the groups in attendance, including Freedom Ohio and nearly a dozen other leading organizations, agreed to work together to talk to Ohio voters about why marriage matters and strengthen our coalition in the months ahead, reserving judgment on the timing of a ballot initiative until a clear pathway to victory could be determined and carried out.
“Ohio families deserve to win marriage as soon as possible. And our national partners have won marriage equality in 13 jurisdictions. We are putting together a strong, honest coalition and a responsible plan to win,” said Elyzabeth Holford, Executive Director of Equality Ohio. “We intend to win and will do everything necessary to secure fairness for same-sex couples and their families.”
“We are committed to winning marriage in Ohio as soon as possible, and to developing the kind of robust campaign that has helped us achieve historic victories across the country,” said Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director for Freedom to Marry. “What we need to do now is to engage in the real work to increase public support so we can win on the ballot—in 2016, or if possible sooner.”
“Ian James must have attended a different meeting than the rest of us,” said Marty Rouse, National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign. “Representatives from 11 state and national organizations participated in today’s meeting. Ten of them came away with a clear understanding that we would refrain from deciding on timing until it was responsible to do so. We’re perplexed as to how Freedom Ohio came away with a different understanding.”
At the invitation of Equality Ohio, representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio, national ACLU, the Equality Federation, Freedom to Marry, the Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the American Unity Fund and Gill Action convened for today’s conversations to discuss strategy, timing and a plan to win marriage in Ohio.
Ohio: President Obama leads by 5 in new poll
President Obama remains on in the lead in the all-important bellwether of Ohio, according to the latest round of polls from Quinnipiac University, CBS News and the New York Times released early today.
The polls reflect a late theme in this year’s campaign: even as the race tightens or tilts in Mitt Romney’s favor elsewhere, Ohio remains stubbornly in the president’s column. Wednesday’s poll of the Buckeye State shows Obama earning 50 percent support among likely voters there, while Romney trails with 45 percent — identical to the previous Quinnipiac/CBS/NYT poll of Ohio a little more than a week ago.
As in earlier polls, Obama draws an enormous advantage among women and early voters in Ohio. Women in the state prefer Obama over Romney 56 percent to 39 percent. The president’s lead among Ohio voters who have already cast a ballot is comparably large: 60 percent to 34 percent.
Additionally important for the Obama campaign, Romney’s edge with white voters and independents is markedly smaller in Ohio than in other battlegrounds.
(source)
Ohio: The Toledo Blade endorses President Obama
Campaign ad: “Made In Ohio”
Mitt Romney famously advocated letting the auto industry go bankrupt. President Obama led the charge to save the auto industry.
In Ohio, 1 out of 8 jobs is connected to the auto industry.
Mitt Romney now says what he “meant” was that the auto corporations should have gone through bankruptcy proceedings and let private industry money come in and save them. The problem is: no one with that amount of money was willing to step up to the plate.
President Obama made the right call, saved thousands of jobs, and the US auto industry is again on top.
We have a clear choice this election.
The guy who saved the auto industry, got us our of Iraq, is ending the war in Afghanistan, got Osama bin Laden, repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and whose policies helped lead the stock market to almost double in four years and saw new home building starts jump 15% last month.
Is this hard to figure out, America?
p.s. that was not a trick question.