LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A same-sex marriage ban prevents governments and universities in Michigan from providing health insurance to the partners of gay workers, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

The 5-2 decision affects up to 20 universities, community colleges, school districts and governments in Michigan with policies covering at least 375 gay couples.

Gay rights advocates said the ruling was devastating but were confident that public-sector employers have successfully rewritten or will revise their benefit plans so same-sex partners can keep getting health care.

The ban, a constitutional amendment approved in November 2004, says the union between a man and woman is the only agreement recognized as a marriage "or similar union for any purpose."

The court ruled that while marriages and domestic partnerships aren't identical, they are similar because they're the only relationships in Michigan defined in terms of gender and lack of a close blood connection.

Voters "hardly could have made their intentions clearer," Justice Stephen Markman wrote, citing the law's "for any purpose" language.

Dissenting Justices Marilyn Kelly and Michael Cavanagh countered that statements made by backers of the measure before the election suggest they only intended to prohibit gay marriage, not take away employment benefits.

The dissent also noted that gay partners who qualify for health care aren't given other benefits of marriage — equal rights to property, for instance. [...]

At least 27 states have passed constitutional bans, mostly since 2004 in response to gay marriages being performed in Massachusetts. At least 18 of those states, including Michigan, have broader amendments that also prohibit the recognition of civil unions or same-sex partnerships.

"It's a sad day in Michigan when we decide which children and which families are valuable enough to cover," said Tom Patrick, 50, who gets health insurance through his partner, Dennis Patrick, a professor at Eastern Michigan University. (source)

Well.............................

It's been awhile since I felt the urge to write about "marriage equality". But I felt that this was at least worth a mention because of how nasty it is. I've distanced myself from this fight considerably. Not because of all the energy it takes out of me, but because I'm so extremely disappointed in the majority of people in this nation. I mean, what kind of nation separates out one specific group of people for this kind of scrutiny. Yes, I know... we have done it before with other groups. But don't we ever learn?

To the gay couples in Michigan who are losing their health benefits because of the sanctimonious self righteous bastards who passed the so-called marriage protection amendment, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you live in a state populated by people who can let this happen to supposedly "protect marriage", while many of them are out getting divorces and what not.

I honestly think that if this happened in Connecticut and one of us lost our health benefits because of this, I think we would start looking for another place to live. Losing your health benefit coverage is no small deal. You can talk to me all day long about how you want to protect marriage from the likes of me, but when you start taking that to the level of cutting people off from health coverage... well, it becomes quite personal.

I say leave the state. They've made their point. For the people who want to stay and put up the fight for change, my hat is off to you. I just hope that you are young and in good health, because with the cost of medical care these days, you are playing a dangerous game.

In a larger sense, this is a black eye on the state of Michigan. I'm sure that the state will lose people because of this, and those who are considering jobs at one of the universities or state agencies there will think twice before agreeing to have no access to medical benefits for their partners.

I suppose everything equals out in the end.

I usually take a two mile walk around Founders Plaza, in East Hartford where I work. I do this around noon. But today, when I got to work around 7 a.m., the air was so fresh and clean, that I decided to put on my head phones, grab my camera, and take my walk then (I also took one at noon). These are just a few of the things I came across.

The first is simply the path I took this morning, followed by a flowering dogwood tree, and some leaves.

I love Spring!

Now I know I've changed a great deal. I received what I would call a rather hate-filled comment last night from, you guessed it, a religious conservative. It was from an older entry. It's not new. Every once in awhile I will get them. What is new is that I no longer engage them. I read the comment, and let her go on and on about what a pervert I am, etc.... and I then hit the delete button. That's what has changed.

A couple of years ago, I would have posted the comment, then responded to the comment. But I've learned a few things. One, she's not open to hearing about what I have to say. She's made up her mind. Two, it's no longer worth the effort for me to acknowledge or react to her comment. What was really interesting is that I read it without emotional reaction. Sometimes, you have to compare yourself to a couple of years back to realize the change in yourself. At any rate, I'm happy with the change. If anything, I feel sorry for people who are so filled with anger (I used to be one of them) that they miss life. You can spend your whole life fighting and fighting and fighting, and be left looking back on your life and all the energy you spent fighting. I'm not saying there aren't things worth fighting for, but you have to balance it.

For ever bit of energy you put into something, something else in your life will not receive that energy. So I pick my battles. I've spent my fair share marching for one cause or another and doing my due diligence in making the world a better place. It's time for others to take up the cause. As Cher would say, "I'm BUZY!".

And right now, on this rather dreary day on Saturday (misting outside), I'm sitting in my lazy chair upstairs listening to my iPod on my new Bose speakers that I bought this morning. They sound like a concert hall. And downstairs, I have some whole wheat sourdough bread rising in the oven. With a little luck, the whole house will soon smell of freshly baked bread. I love that smell.

I started playing violin again. God, it's awful. My cats always go downstairs when I practice my scales. I can't blame them. I sound almost like a beginner. I wonder if I should just stop. It feels so foreign to me. I'm trying to be patient.

I was going to go back to Idaho for a visit the first week in July. I would be there over the 4th, but that's not working out so well. Everyone has plans of course. It's just that, on July 4, 1968, my nephews passed away. So, this Fourth of July marks the 40th anniversary of their death. I wanted to be there. But it won't work out. I'll probably go in late June, or mid July.

Guess that's it for now. I'm off to work on scales.

Now what were we trying to accomplish again? I honestly still don't know.

We all get it. SPAM seems to be invading all of our INBOX's these days. Even with the best spam blocker out there, some will get through. I usually just delete them out. It's like a ritual of reading email anymore. You go into read your email, and as you are reading through, you will come upon a spam message, and almost like a reflex, just delete it without thinking. It would seem that spam has replaced those pesky phone calls from salesmen in the evenings.

But today, I read this one that came into my Inbox.

Hi Bill

I hope you don't mind the direct contact.

i have a question which always becomes nightmare for me
is it true that one day i will not be alive?

if it's true then why we are crazy to collect those things which will not go
with us

Please suggest me or will you forward this note along, or suggest to me who the
best person is to know this?

Thank you so much!

Rick Lombart

It even gave his mailing address. Which tells me that this man is crazy, or someone is playing a nasty trick on him. At any rate, the message gave me brief pause.

To answer Rick's question, yes, someday it is true that you will not be alive, although many people think that you have multiple lives. I, for example, clearly remember being Cleopatra. So I'm probably the last person you want to pose this question to.

Having said that, Rick's point about collecting things is a bit odd. Why do we do it? Why do I collect photos that I take almost on a daily basis, when they will probably be of little use in say, 30 years?

I think the answer is, it's not about longevity. It's about passion, and what brings pleasure to life. If you are always wondering why you collect things given that you won't be around forever, I think you are kind of missing the point.

Do things now, simply because you enjoy it.

Today's featured photo. Take it all in. It's Friday!

I really enjoy my lunch time walks. I usually put on my ear phones, grab my iPod, and I'm off on my walk. Today, I took my camera with me and took a few photos. It was so beautiful out. These were taken in the office park I work at.

Just a few photos taken on March 11, 2008. It was the first day we arrived in Sedona, Arizona and were able to capture a bit of this sunset.

I read about issues like this more and more. I read here and there that the gay couples who have opted to go ahead and get a "civil union", are now sorry that they made that decision. It supposedly gives you marriage equality in the state of Connecticut, IN EVERY WAY. At least, that's the bill of goods that we bought into when this state passed it's so called "civil union" bill. From the actual bill itself:

Sec. 14. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2005) Parties to a civil union shall have all the same benefits, protections and responsibilities under law, whether derived from the general statutes, administrative regulations or court rules, policy, common law or any other source of civil law, as are granted to spouses in a marriage, which is defined as the union of one man and one woman. (source)

We don't plan on getting a civil union. We don't plan on our state or anyone else forcing us into something that's just not equal. We are happy right where we are.

So, now that tax season is upon us, we of course filed separately with the state and the federal government. It's not as if we have any options. But when Kent went to file with Tax Cut, the software we've been using for a few years now to prepare our taxes with, it had a button for information for those in "civil unions" in Connecticut. Basically, it simply stated that if you actually are in a Connecticut civil union and want to file jointly in Connecticut, you are welcome to do that, BUT, you first had to file a fake federal return pretending like you were married, so that you could indicate the federal calculation for the the state filing. You would then use that information to file the state return. Then, when you did your federal return, you would redo the whole thing separately and without the marriage calculations, since the federal government does not honor civil unions, or apparently marriage (Massachusetts) for that matter for gay couples.

Bottom line is, when Kent explained all the hoops we would have to go through to file a joint tax return in Connecticut under the civil union law, my reply was, "SCREW THAT!". Now, I'm more convinced than ever that I don't want a sham marriage that civil unions provides.

This morning, I came across this bit of information....

HARTFORD, CT – The American Civil Liberties Union sent a demand letter to H&R Block today demanding that it change its online tax preparation system to accommodate gay couples in Connecticut with civil unions. The ACLU is representing a couple with a civil union who attempted to file their taxes on the company’s website through their online service, TaxCut Online, but were told, “We don’t support Connecticut civil union returns.” Through its website, the company said the couple would have to work with one of their professionals, by phone or at one of their office locations, which would be more time consuming and substantially more expensive. (A PDF with screen captures of the messages is available at http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/relationships/34632res20080325.html)

“This is yet another example of the many ways that civil unions just don’t live up to marriage,” said Jason Smith of Hartford, who has been with his partner Settimio Pisu for six years. “It really stung when I realized it would cost an additional $150 dollars to have our tax returns prepared. We’re saving for a house and hoping to start a family, so every penny counts right now.”

According to the letter the ACLU sent to H&R Block, failing to provide gay couples with civil unions the option of filing their taxes online as it does for married couples is in violation of a state law that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and civil union status. The letter demands that the company adapt its website to accommodate couples with civil unions and to reimburse all couples who were forced to pay the additional charges due to H&R Block’s discriminatory practices.

“The civil union law has been in effect for nearly three years now, yet companies still aren’t taking it seriously,” said Andrew Schneider of the ACLU of Connecticut. “There is no excusable reason why the company that likes to claim it’s the world’s largest tax services provider shouldn’t make its products available to everyone.” (source)

This doesn't really effect us at all. We are not part of a sham marriage called a civil union or domestic partnership, or whatever the hell you want to call it. Marriage is simply not available to us. We have accepted it and moved on. We filed separately since we have no choice. It's not clear we would be at an advantage to file jointly, but it would be nice to have the option available to us. But I do understand that there are selfish pricks amongst us who don't want to see that. That's fine I suppose. We've moved on. I simply find articles like this interesting because it really proves what I've been saying all along.

We got a lot of yard work done yesterday. It was warm, around 75 degrees. We took the opportunity to get the patio furniture out on the deck for the summer. I spent the afternoon cleaning up around the year, washing down the furniture, and grill, in preparation for dinner. I bought steak, potatoes, and vegetables for grilling. We made everything in the grill. I love grilled vegetables.

Tonight, we are having grilled chicken breasts, grilled vegetables, and fresh sour dough bread that is rising as I type this. Some months ago, we made a sour dough starter. It's really coming into its own now, and giving us some really great bread. From start to finish, a loaf of sour dough bread takes 5 hours. It's not quite as bad as all that. I let the bread machine to all the heavy work.

Along with the grilled chicken, vegetables, and bread, I'm having a peach salsa with the chicken. And along with all of that, I'll be grilling pear. I know it sounds strange, but grilled pear is really amazing. The vegetables are grilled 10 minutes, tops. The pear will only stay on the grill for a few minutes. It intensifies the flavor.

And I think I will repeat what I did yesterday. After all the yard work, I was all sweaty and hot. I took a cool shower, dressed in to summer clothes (short sleeve shirt and cut offs), and made a tall, ice cold red grapefruit margarita. Grapefruit juice and tequila. I use top shelf tequila, sipping quality. I don't skimp on the quality of any drink. If it's worth making, it's worth the best ingredients.

Well, after two of those, I could swear that it was getting cooler. :-)

I also want to say to Jeff and Moe up in Massachusetts, who got married yesterday, CONGRATULATIONS. I wish you both all the best. You make a great looking couple.

Cheers! Have a nice day.