This is a stimulating election to say the least, both on the National front and also here in San Francisco as some pretty hefty ballot measures are on the table in terms of civil rights. I’m only going to touch upon a couple of items. If you’re not yet decided and need a second opinion please allow me to point you towards the League of Pissed Off Voters and the always handy SF Guardian Voters Guide. (Got another trusty source? Let me know!) Tomorrow’s Today’s the day, though many of us have already mailed our ballots or got in line early to beat the crowds, and plan to eagerly watch as the results unfold. Here’s jut a few of my thoughts, and some photos just to make it a little more fun.   

NO on Prop 8

The biggest topic on my radar of friends and loved ones is NO on Prop 8, which if passed, would write discrimination against same-sex couples into the California State Constitution. I’m hopeful on this one, despite the fact that it’s received millions in funding from sources mostly outside the state. Recently Pink & White Productions and Comstock Films both held fundraisers to raise money to donate to the No on Prop 8 campaign and keep Shine Louise Houston married. The results of which have allowed the campaign to air commercials throughout the state to reach many misinformed citizens.

YES on Prop K

Another huge one is  Yes on K, a proposition created by Sex Workers to decriminalize prostitution. Though I nod to the League of Pissed Off Voters for helpful voting guidance, the League can kiss my ass on this one — they chose Not to offer any endorsement for fear that if it passes it might increase prostitution… (wait, come again?) Here’s what they said:

LEAGUE: Prop K – No Endorsement.
This was a tough call and a close vote. But ultimately, we couldn’t come to a consensus on this one. We support the community activists who busted their asses to put this on the ballot. But some of us are worried about what would happen if Prop K passes. Would it encourage prostitution in San Francisco? Would it help or hurt prosecution of human trafficking? We’re just not sure.

WTF? Sounds like they’re judging sex workers, and aren’t even listening to Prop K supporters who they’re endorsing. The way things are run in SF, cops are getting paid time and a half while there hasn’t been a single human trafficking conviction in over 2 years and countless women and minorities go unaided — subject to abuse on both ends. It made me sad that the League, or rather half of them, were a little ignorant on this endorsement. Fortunately, I got to tell this to one of the members who was fliering, and gave him a piece of my mind. One opinion turned, I hope.

UPDATE! Looks like the League of Pissed Off Voters decided to grow up a little. I’m glad they “got around to it” . Here’s what they UPDATED their guide to read:

UPDATE 11/4: Our original write-up of Prop K above wasn’t very good and didn’t reflect the full debate we had. We always meant to expand on this, but we never got around to it. Here are some of the other issues we discussed:
– We all support decriminalizing prostitution, but we split on whether or not Prop K is the right way to implement it.
– A strong argument for Prop K is that it will reduce the spread of STDs because currently, prostitutes are afraid to carry condoms because the police can use them as evidence against them.
– Some of us oppose Prop K because it doesn’t provide enough structure. They think that if we’re going to decriminalize prostitution we should do it Amsterdam or Vegas style with designated zoning areas for brothels, regulations, testing, taxation, etc. Legalizing street trade seems sketchy.
– We’re concerned about the human trafficking issue, but we get the feeling that Prop K’s opponents are using that as a scare tactic. We don’t feel like we have definitive information about how this will impact trafficking.

Please check out the comments below for more perspectives on Prop K. We’re sorry we didn’t do a better job of researching this one. If there weren’t 33 other propositions on the ballot, we’d like to think we would have. Our bad.

Yes, that was bad. But thank you for the clarification. And I’ll add something as well. For news about Prop K, follow boundnotgagged on Twitter or check out their blog deepthroated.wordpress.com.

Obama!

President – Barack Obama (Vice-President Joe Biden)
I’m fucking excited about Obama. I have to say. I wasn’t too stoked about his views during the debate on troupe serge in Afghanistan, but if it’s an effort for him to be viewed as more centralized in order to gain the votes, as I suspect with his current position on same-sex marriage, then I’m content to wait until January to see what really happens. I know that change doesn’t happen over night.

P.S. Do you know that there is a woman of color running for president with the Green Party? Cynthia McKinney has been doing a lot of work with very little media play for a number of years. Here she is in a 2006 video via YouTube handing Rumsfeld his ass. She and her running mate (Rosa Clemente, hip hop activist endorsed by Chuck D) are on the ballot in 32 states. Take a look at any videos posted of her on YouTube, and you’ll see she’s a strong black woman. Like I said… change doesn’t happen overnight. Here’s their website. I would have volunteered my web design services. Maybe in another 8 years?