marriage - it's not just for straight masochists!

LA does everything big. Right now, even two mountain ranges away, I can smell the smoke from the Sayre Fire, one of three major areas still burning outside of Los Angeles. The winds have died down a bit, but the destruction is massive and hundreds of people newly homeless. Some sites estimate up to 40,000 people have been evacuated in the three fires combined. If you're reading this while the news is still happening, check here for the latest fire maps. If you follow the 405 or the 5 south, I live between them in West Hollywood. It's strange to live in a place with almost no rain, humidity hovering in the single digits, and such extreme weather when it does come. This is Santa Ana wind season - hot, fast, dry. It's November and it was nearly 90 degrees yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday... Yesterday a group called Join the Impact helped organize cross-country protests against proposition 8 (and other recent legislation) that is attempting to impose discriminatory and unequal rights eliminating the recently won right to marry for gays and lesbians. In the midst of a historic and awe-inspiring election, it was one giant sour note for Prop 8 to pass here, even if by a slim margin. To imagine the rationale of people willing to remove the constitutional right of fellow humans is beyond my comprehension. So, the cause of the week this week is, generally, equal rights, more specifically gay equal rights, and most specifically the newly developed Join the Impact. Check out their website. Volunteer, join a protest, post your support. And, then, check out this list of supporters of the 'Yes on Prop 8' campaign (Thanks, Tim!) and use the power of your dollars to peacefully choose to go elsewhere.