Voting

Any recommendations on how to vote on the Propositions??

Proposition 1A

Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act

NO - It won't be completed until 2030 and we already have airplanes that can get us from LA to San Francisco in less than 3 hours. In my opinion not worth the taxes.

Proposition 2

Standards for Confining Farm Animals. Initiative Statute.

Not Sure - I'm for animals having larger cages but we import our food from all over the world and that don't have the same regulations. I think we might be hurting our own CA farming economy by putting more restrictions on our farmers which will cause higher prices and less demand.

Proposition 3

Children’s Hospital Bond Act. Grant Program. Initiative Statute.

Not Sure - I think it is a worthwhile investment (children) but I'm not sure about the $64 million a year for 30 years. I wish our government could run on a postive cash flow instead of allows going into debt for programs.

Proposition 4

Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Yes - If parents have to give consent to go on a field trip; they should be notified prior to their daughter getting an abortion. I hate the commercials that make people feel bad for the abused girls that can't tell their parents. I hate that they are talking about the smallest minority (pregnant abused girl) rather than the norm; that most girls are not abused by their family.

Proposition 5

Nonviolent Drug Offenses. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation. Initiative Statute.

NO - because my sister said so......allows drug addicts to get out of jail early and mandate of shorter parole for certain felons

Proposition 6

Police and Law Enforcement Funding. Criminal Penalties and Laws. Initiative Statute.

Not Sure - I like the idea of allocating a set amount to law enforcement but our state is almost bankrupt.

Proposition 7

Renewable Energy Generation. Initiative Statute.

NO - I don't want to pay more for my utilities. If going to renewable energy was best business practice the companies would already do it. I think using renewable resources is an excellent goal but when the government mandates and subsides the movement they cause more damage than good. You can research the effects ethanol fuel has had on the farmers and why wheat and corn cost a lot more.

Proposition 8

Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

YES - already posted my views, an update listed below.

Proposition 9

Criminal Justice System. Victims’ Rights. Parole. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Yes - Victims should be informed when hearings and releases take place.

Proposition 10

Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy. Bonds. Initiative Statute.

NO - I don't believe in subsidizing ideas/programs that won't be self-sufficient. If you want to buy a hybrid do it because you feel it is the best car for you not because the government will give you additional money.

Proposition 11

Redistricting. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Yes - Changes authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to 14 member commission. I think elected officials are about themselves and don't create fair and impartial boundary lines.

Proposition 12

Veterans’ Bond Act of 2008.

No - I appreciate and acknowledge the service veterans provide for my freedoms but I'm against running a government on a deficit. I would be for it if we weren't going bankrupt.

The truth about Prop 8 - Protect Marriage

Claim One: Proposition 8 has nothing to do with schools.

Truth: A few weeks ago children in a 1st grade class attended their teacher’s gay wedding in San Francisco on a school-organized field trip. The principal called it a “teachable moment.” That sure sounds like same-sex marriage instruction in schools.

This week kindergartners at Faith Ringgold School of Arts and Science in Hayward, CA, were asked to sign pledge cards saying they would not use anti-LGBT language. Parents who felt their children were far too young for such a discussion, most at an average age of 5 who are just learning the basics of reading and writing, were not permitted to opt-out, but instead had to keep their children home from school.

As we have clearly demonstrated, California Education Code Section 51933 states schools “shall teach respect for marriage and committed relationships.” According to the California Department of Education website, 96% of schools teach this curriculum. And under the Supreme Court’s ruling, current California law means teaching about marriage includes instruction on gay marriage. Thus, gay marriage is already part of the curriculum. Perhaps because of these simple facts, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell refuses to debate..

Claim Two: Proposition 8 would have no effect on a church’s tax-exempt status.

Truth: The No on 8 campaign used a classic lawyer trick, rolled out a group of lawyers yesterday to falsely state our concern about the impact of same sex marriage on religious freedoms, and then saying our concerns are false. For the record, the Yes on 8 campaign has never said that churches, acting as churches, would be forced to perform gay marriages. However, it is clear that where churches interact with the public square, in providing social services or even conducting business, their tax exempt status is at risk.

In one well publicized case, Catholic Charities in Boston ran adoption facilities that managed 700 cases since 1987, most involving children with special needs. Catholic Charities placed such children into parents in traditional marriages, according to their faith. After gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, the state told Catholic Charities it had to place children with gay marriage couples as well. Faced with such a decision, Catholic Charities reluctantly decided to stop providing adoption services.

Another religious non-profit, Ocean Grove Campground in New Jersey, lost a portion of its tax-exempt status on a rental pavilion because it refused to rent the facility to a lesbian couple for a civil commitment ceremony.

Claim Three: Proposition 8 discriminates against gays and lesbians.

Truth: Under California’s current domestic partnership law, (Family Code Section 297), gay couples are awarded the same legal rights and privileges as married couples. California has the strongest civil union/domestic partnership law in the nation, and Proposition 8 does not take away any of those rights.

Claim Four: If Proposition 8 passes there will be a brain drain to gay-friendly Massachusetts.

Truth: Gay marriage has been legal in Massachusetts for five years and California still remains the epicenter of technology, biomed and other science-based industries. If a “gay brain-drain” was going to happen, shouldn’t it have started 5 years ago?

“The claims being disseminated by the No on 8 campaign are preposterous,” said White, “and have no basis in fact. We realize the No on 8 has a new team that has to justify their hiring, but cheap campaign stunts and false claims do not serve the public.”

Soccer

I went to my niece's soccer game. She decided perform for me before we left. We went to breakfast afterwards along with her brother.

Emily Quotes: "If I score a lot of goals my coach will let me play goalie (all the girls want to be goalie)." "I hope someone gets hurt so I can play and not sit out."

Freedom of Religion and Speech

Prop 8 is a hot topic if you live in CA ( my students even talk about it). My friend Emily did a great posting about her feelings. She sited an article by NPR (National Pubic Radio) which stated all the lawsuits pending or decided relating to gay marriage. I was amazed by the effects one proposition could have in CA.

Issues from around the states relating to gay marriage:

Adoption services: Catholic Charities in Massachusetts refused to place children with same-sex couples as required by Massachusetts law. After a legislative struggle — during which the Senate president said he could not support a bill "condoning discrimination" — Catholic Charities pulled out of the adoption business in 2006.

Housing: In New York City, Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a school under Orthodox Jewish auspices, banned same-sex couples from its married dormitory. New York does not recognize same-sex marriage, but in 2001, the state's highest court ruled Yeshiva violated New York City's ban on sexual orientation discrimination. Yeshiva now allows all couples in the dorm.

Parochial schools: California Lutheran High School, a Protestant school in Wildomar, holds that homosexuality is a sin. After the school suspended two girls who were allegedly in a lesbian relationship, the girls' parents sued, saying the school was violating the state's civil rights act protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. The case is before a state judge.

Medical services: A Christian gynecologist at North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in Vista, Calif., refused to give his patient in vitro fertilization treatment because she is in a lesbian relationship, and he claimed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. (The doctor referred the patient to his partner, who agreed to do the treatment.) The woman sued under the state's civil rights act. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in May 2008, and legal experts believe that the woman's right to medical treatment will trump the doctor's religious beliefs. One justice suggested that the doctors take up a different line of business.

Psychological services: A mental health counselor at North Mississippi Health Services refused therapy for a woman who wanted help in improving her lesbian relationship. The counselor said doing so would violate her religious beliefs. The counselor was fired. In March 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with the employer, ruling that the employee's religious beliefs could not be accommodated without causing undue hardship to the company.

Civil servants: A clerk in Vermont refused to perform a civil union ceremony after the state legalized them. In 2001, in a decision that side-stepped the religious liberties issue, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that he did not need to perform the ceremony because there were other civil servants who would. However, the court did indicate that religious beliefs do not allow employees to discriminate against same-sex couples.

Adoption services: A same-sex couple in California applied to Adoption Profiles, an Internet service in Arizona that matches adoptive parents with newborns. The couple's application was denied based on the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The couple sued in federal district court in San Francisco. The two sides settled after the adoption company said it will no longer do business in California.

Wedding services: A same sex couple in Albuquerque asked a photographer, Elaine Huguenin, to shoot their commitment ceremony. The photographer declined, saying her Christian beliefs prevented her from sanctioning same-sex unions. The couple sued, and the New Mexico Human Rights Commission found the photographer guilty of discrimination. It ordered her to pay the lesbian couple's legal fees ($6,600). The photographer is appealing.

Wedding facilities: Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of New Jersey, a Methodist organization, refused to rent its boardwalk pavilion to a lesbian couple for their civil union ceremony. The couple filed a complaint with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. The division ruled that the boardwalk property was open for public use, therefore the Methodist group could not discriminate against gay couples using it. In the interim, the state's Department of Environmental Protection revoked a portion of the association's tax benefits. The case is ongoing.

Youth groups: The city of Berkeley, Calif., requested that the Sea Scouts (affiliated with the Boy Scouts) formally agree to not discriminate against gay men in exchange for free use of berths in the city's marina. The Sea Scouts sued, claiming this violated their beliefs and First Amendment right to the freedom to associate with other like-minded people. In 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled against the youth group. In San Diego, the Boy Scouts lost access to the city-owned aquatic center for the same reason. While these cases do not directly involve same-sex unions, they presage future conflicts about whether religiously oriented or parachurch organizations may prohibit, for example, gay couples from teaching at summer camp. In June 2008, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asked the California Supreme Court to review the Boy Scouts' leases. Meanwhile, the mayor's office in Philadelphia revoked the Boy Scouts' $1-a-year lease for a city building.

PS It annoys me the Yes on Prop 8 signs are getting stolen. What you can only have free speech if your liberal but not conservative!!

On the way to work an Assryian Church has about a dozen new signs out every morning because they keep getting stolen, now only the plastic is being taken and not the wire frames.

Last Game

I'm sad that the Dodgers aren't in the World Series but it was a fun season. It was fun seeing Steve Garvey and Tommy Lasorda get eh stadium excited during the 5th inning even though we were losing.

My friend got pre and post game party passes. Fred "The Hammer" Williamson's Super Bowl I ring. He is a slimy person but it was cool to see the ring with a one!!

Orel Hershiser and I (his son was there and he plays for USC)

Steve Garvey and I

Nancy Bea (Dodger Stadium Orgnaist) and I

I can't wait for next season!!

Relay for Life - A Breast Cancer Event

My family has participated in the Relay for Life for the past several years. The event starts with a Survivor Lap that is very emotional. A teenage girl sang the song and she broke down crying. It was a very emotional event. The lady in the pink hat is battling breast cancer right now with two young children at home. It is a a very emotional event and made me very greatful for good health.

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2001. She had two surgeries, chemptherapy and radiation. She is very diligent about her health and following the doctors orders. I still get a little nervous when she has follow up appointments with her doctor even though she hasn't had any relapses.

My mom's cancer is estrogen recpetive which means she has to avoid all soy products. The estrogen-like substances (isoflavones) in soy may stimulate the estrogen receptors of breast cancer cells and make them grow. It's this potential danger that makes many doctors warn their breast cancer patients against eating soy products. It was surprising to find out how many products have soy added to them.

Protect your Ta Ta's, check them regularly!!

Go Dodgers!!

The beast game ever!! My friend got tickets to the Dodger Sponser Suite, which was awesome. They gave each of us a gift bag and we got to take pictures with some Dodger greats.

Tommy Lasordo and I

Feranando Valenzuela and Jaime Jarrin

Latimes.com

Here is a photo from last Thursday's game when the Dodgers won the division. Notice the girl in the front row with a blue jacket(just left of the spray)!! Hopefully tonight's game is another huge celebration or traffic will be horrible leaving!!
I'm hoping we get Dodger Dugout passes again but I doubt it since we have box seats.