Standard day today. Ednel cooked some farfalle in a light tomato basil sauce. Dave from Kimaya stopped by in the evening for a visit.
My mother was writing the other day about how she takes her little puppy out for walks and describes a happily prancing, well-heeled dog walking straight down the street.
It was always so impossible to get Tyson to heel on a leash... even after a year of trying. It's a simple reason really: A Filipino street has to be, to a dog, the most fantastic-smelling place on the planet. My mother's little dog — on that empty street where no food has fallen, no strange animals have scatted, no bitches in estrus have piddled, no lower orders are decomposing — has nothing to pull along to reach for, nothing to plant all fours against tugging and bury the snout into. On Tyson's walks, his canine olfactory sense has an embarrassment of riches. I'm quite sure that Tyson passes over 20 or 30 potential sniffs before settling on something worth dwelling upon... 20 or 30 things all of which my mother's Gracie would just kill to get a whiff of on that empty street.
For the third night now, I've taken Tyson for a walk without a leash. He does remarkably well... although he did fire off a quick bark when he was surprised by some fellows sitting down low on a dark patio. He doesn't leave the street, which was my main concern: When he was younger and got out one time, I had to run and get him out of some poor scared family's living room (where he had followed another dog).
Lots of other dogs bark at Tyson, and some even come into the street to try to menace him. But Tyson just does his usual overture of friendship: He pauses, panting, wagging, staring; then he does this purposeful Tyson-patented doggy saunter over to the growling/barking newcomer; then he does this funny pronk, coming down with his furiously-wiggling butt in the air and his front elbows and chin on the ground. That's usually the point where the newcomer decides that Tyson is a bit touched in the head and runs off.
I think if I were to summarize Tyson in comparison to other dogs I've been familiar with in my life, I would have to say that Tyson is by far the most happy and care-free dog I have ever known.
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3 comments:
"nok nok" ... "Hey -- Wake up in there!" (see my comments at the bottom)
Just an FYI, I suspect you are already aware of it but, just as you predicted some time ago, Federal Judge Walker has released his ruling on Perry v. Schwarzenegger, stating:
CONCLUSION
Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis,the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.
REMEDIES
Plaintiffs have demonstrated by overwhelming evidence that Proposition 8 violates their due process and equal protection rights and that they will continue to suffer these constitutional violations until state officials cease enforcement of Proposition 8. California is able to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, as it has already issued 18,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples and has not suffered any demonstrated harm as a result,see FF 64-66; moreover, California officials have chosen not to defend Proposition 8 in these proceedings.
Because Proposition 8 is unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, the court orders entry of judgment permanently enjoining its enforcement; prohibiting the official defendants from applying or enforcing Proposition 8 and directing the official defendants that all persons under their control or supervision shall not apply or enforce Proposition 8. The clerk is DIRECTED to enter judgment without bond in favor of plaintiffs and plaintiff-intervenors and against defendants and defendant-intervenors pursuant to FRCP 58.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
VAUGHN R WALKER
United States District Chief Judge
Nota Bene: The Pro-Prop. 8 forces in this trial made a remarkably weak showing. In fact it almost looks like they wanted to lose.
Why would they do that? Because now -They- can appeal this ruling to the Supreme Court giving them two theoretical advantages:
#1 - Because they are doing the appeal they get to set the agenda. They will be slightly better positioned to define what points/issues will be used to decide the ruling. Because they are appealing the issue, they will be putting forth their "why this is wrong" logic, which the con-prop. 8 forces will have to attack. In a sense, they get to choose the battle field which suits them best.
#2 - They can mobilize the entire part of the nation which is uncomfortable with homosexuality and the passage of Prop. 8 in fairly lifestyle liberal California, shows that the majority of Americans are uncomfortable enough with homosexuality that they can be persuaded to try to make aspects of that lifestyle illegal. In Cali. 53.2% voted for Prop. 8. I believe many other states with less urban populations, that majority would have been much higher. Expect a nationwide fear-mongering campaign from the Prop-8ers. See the findings of fact in Judge Walker's ruling dissecting the Prop 8 campaign ads.
#3 ( of 2 :) - Underdog status. In apparent paradox, Americans, who have clearly shown that they love authority figures (Bush 2 ), also love to see the underdog win against authority, at least in the movies. :)
So this isn't over yet, in fact the main event is just getting started.
PS: someone over on the complaint board says you owe them a couple of grand for the K of coke he sold you. He's not impressed by your collection efforts on the second graders... :-)
PSS: notice how much prop-8ers sounds like "prop haters"?
Of course, your post certainly needs a comment from Gracie's family. Gracie is a six month old papillon. Gracie does NOT heel, but she's on one of those springer leashes and knows how far she can go, and no farther. She doesn't push it. But then, Gracie weighs almost 4 pounds. She knows where the dogs congregate at the end of our dead end street, and has a lot of interesting smells there that she loves. I guess that, to her, it's doggy heaven. It's all about how/where you're raised. She doesn't know any better. Good thing. She also does that funny pronk thingy. She licks the heck out of anyone whom she comes in contact with. Dog, human. whatever.
Grumfan,
Yes, the outcome of the Prop 8 trial was hardly a surprise.
What is actually surprising is that the people who fought for Prop 8 would be dumb enough to take the case to the Supreme Court: A loss there would totally preclude any future possibility of a state-wide ban on gay marriage, and would possibly overturn existing statutes in about 20 other states as well.
The foes of gay marriage are fighting a running retreat and they know it; I'm surprised that they would risk everything on a Supreme Court challenge that is all but a foregone conclusion.
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