"Le coeur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connaît point."
From the Houston Chronicle, via Politico:
Only two weeks after being elected to serve his fourth term, Mayor J.W. Lown of San Angelo submitted his resignation letter Tuesday from an undisclosed location in Mexico.Mayor Lown was, per the Chronicle, a very popular mayor. Popular enough to stay in office? Hard to say. (Color me skeptical.) It's kind of a moot point, as he has decided to be with his new love in Mexico.No, being mayor of San Angelo is not exactly the same as being the King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India, but the reason for Lown’s abdication is the same as Edward’s.
Love.
What made it stunning wasn’t the status of Lown’s office, which pays $600 a year, but the status of his lover.
Lown fell for an illegal Mexican immigrant.
A man.
Lown did not give the name of his lover, but said he planned to stay in Mexico to try to obtain a visa so that his partner can return with him if “the people of San Angelo will welcome me back.”Not to quibble, but the federal government doesn't recognize same-sex marriages, full stop.It could be a long wait. According to former Houston city councilman Gordon Quan, an immigration lawyer, Lown’s partner faces two problems in seeking a visa that would permit residency in the U.S.
One involves restrictions caused by his having been in the United States illegally. If he had a student visa and overstayed it more than six months but less than a year, he is not eligible for a visa for three years. If it was more than a year, he must wait 10 years, even for a tourist visa.
The other problem, said Quan, is that he would require a blood relative or a spouse to sponsor him.
And it wouldn’t matter if Lown went to Iowa and married his partner by proxy. The federal government doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages for immigration purposes.
I wish Mayor Lown and his unidentified beloved the very best, and I salute him for his integrity in declining to live some kind of double life. I hope one day our government will stop treating him and his (and me and my) relationship as second class. In the meantime, maybe he'll have better luck in Mexico.
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Not to quibble, but the federal government doesn't recognize same-sex marriagesHey, how about a deal? You guys support a federal CCW permit, good everywhere, and consistent with the RKBA. I'll work on my side to support a federal SSM, good everywhere, consistent with equal protection.
ReplyDeleteWe are both supporting causes that are gaining public approval, and which show good results from real world experience. What's not to like?
Forgive my ignorance. CCW? RKBA? Fill me in, and I'll tell you what I think.
ReplyDeleteCCW == carrying a concealed weapon
ReplyDeleteRKBA == right to keep and bear arms
Today, each State can choose how to regulate CCW; Vermont, for example, doesn't require a permit, any legal gun owner can carry a concealed weapon. At the other extreme, Illinois does not permit any concealed carry. Only two States (and DC) completely forbid CCW. 39 have "shall issue" laws, and the remaining 9 have "discretionary issue" laws. Reciprocity between States is a bit of a mixed bag.
THe RKBA should not be confused with the right to arm and keep bears.
good lord that is ridiculous, bartering freedom and rights. How about you treat each matter individually and judge them on their merits? And to place love of guns at the same level as love between two consenting adults is just deranged.
ReplyDeleteWhat is not to like? I would say just about everything.
D.F. allows gay marriages, so he is free to marry there.
charo
Hey, charo! I am proposing that we treat these matters on their merits. I was simply taking advantage of the fact that lots of people have not considered CCW and SSM on their merits but rather on kneejerk reactions from misinformed positions. Oddly enough, it tends to be the SSM side that is misinformed about CCW, and the CCW side that is misinformed about SSM. So, why not find reasonable people who can work to bring everyone together?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm not the one placing love and guns on the same level. You are the one making that comparison. I will note that the main reason I carry is because I love my family and want to do everything in my power to protect them from harm. Remember, when things go wrong and every second counts, the police are just minutes away.
Misinformed? no I am quite well enough informed about gun nuts and the fact that many, many children die each year due to gun accidents. You go right ahead pretending you are at the OK corral and that you will come out the victor of a gun battle. Personally I would be pretty happy if the 2nd amendment were gotten rid of, concealed weapons, hell I don't want there to be any weapons (much less concealed) except in the hands of the law or licensed hunters, so you can damn well forget about thinking I will horsetrade. Misinformed my ass. I wish I could say the same thing about gun nuts, they choose to remain willfully ignorant out of a false sense of machismo. I have travelled all over the world, including some of the worlds roughest places (not to mention I lived in Newark, NJ, America's very own asshole) and in all my life I have never packed and still managed to live quite well.
ReplyDeletecharo
Hey charo. How exactly do you know what I am thinking? That's a really convenient gift you have, especially if you want to demonize anyone who holds a different opinion than you.
ReplyDeleteYou'll certainly know that, statistically speaking, a home pool is 100 times more dangerous to children than a gun at home. More children die of pool drownings than gun accidents. Would you let your child play at the home of someone who owned a pool? I will not even mention automobiles and the risk to children, because I'm sure your children were never allowed to visit friends whose parents owned automobiles.
swimming pools? cars? yeesh, talk about reaching. Cars are a necessity, swimming pools provide pleasure. (Might I also add there is a law to fence in a pool to protect children, I am sure to you that is an onerous obligation) There are a million things that are dangerous but without them life would scarcely be worth living.
ReplyDeleteNow if you want to go to a gun range and get your jollies making boom boom, that I got no problem with. But the thought of you carrying a concealed weapon and going into a bar, well that would give anyone pause. The notion you want that to be par for the course just goes to show how ridiculous you are.
Now here is an elemental truth, I would allow my children to visit people who have pools provided there is supervision at all times. Cars, of course, are an absolute necessity so I won't even go to rebutting the depths of that stupidity, yet how the hell can I protect my children from lunatics that are carrying concealed weapons. I would have no idea they have them. Doubtless you have no children so you can't fathom how scary that is that you want every adult carrying concealed weapons (or you support the right of everyone to ccw).
Yeah, and you want me to say, fine, lets all pretend to be Dirty Harry so that Gays can get married. You are one seriously scary dude, and you have no idea even why.
charo
Carrying a concealed weapon in a bar? Most localities ban concealed carry in any location serving alcohol, so only criminals are likely to be armed in a bar. But as an informed CCW opponent, you knew that, right?
ReplyDeleteProtect your children from legal CCW? An excellent proxy for responsible behavior is possession of a CCW permit and weapon. Crime rates go down when States permit CCW. As I said, misunderstanding is rampant among CCW opponents.
Pools, cars, and guns are all tools. Use them properly and carefully for best results. Misuse them, or use them carelessly, and significantly increase the chance of really bad outcomes. But all three are just tools. Don't be scared of human inventions, instead, make sure bad people are stopped from misusing them.
I'll now let you have the last word...
Yeah, I am sure every person who has a CCW permit is sure to take their gun out and put it away before they go for a brew. Do you even read the papers, how many gunfights occur inside or outside of bars. Actually, crime rates are much, much lower in places where there are no guns, much less CCW's, but you knew that too, didn't you? I lived in Asia for a number of years, you can walk down the streets of Osaka late at night with much less anxiety than in a place like New York. Japan is a free society, as is most of Europe and these countries have far less gun violence than the states, but as I am sure you never lived anywhere but the states you are woefully ignorant of the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteIf you love guns so much, why conceal them? Just strap on a holster and go walking down the steets like the old west. You know why we don't? Because it would freak the shit out of everyone, but you knew that too, don't you?
Don't be scared of human inventions? Yeesh, that is lame. Nuclear bombs are inventions, even in the hands of good people they are still terrifying. But as a gun nut I suppose you think people should be able to walk around with mini nukes (but only if you have a permit, right?)
Cars, swimming pools, these inventions were not made with the intention of running people over or for drowning children, they are unfortunate consequences, the whole purpose of guns is to shoot people, not exactly the same thing now is it? Gun fetishists really are demented and cowardly, too afraid to use their fists or minds and who imagine guns are the great equalizers, instead of takers of lives. Leave law enforcement to the trained professionals please.
charo