Davodd.com

HOW OBAMA SUPPORTERS ARE SAVAGING NEEDED ALLIES

As a life-long democrat (well, like Hillary, I was raised republican but saw the light in college and switched parties before my first presidential election), I am desperately looking forward to a Democratic Party administration after 8 years of George W’s idiotic foreign and domestic policies.

Looking at the numbers, barring a miracle, Barack Obama looks to be the Democratic Party nominee in 2008.

That scares me; but not for the reason you may think.

I’m afraid of Obama’s supporters; not the man himself. Many – and perhaps most – of those supporters are newcomers to politics. And of them, a very vocal few are pulling no stops in belittling and demonizing Hillary Clinton and her supporters.

Horrid videos on YouTube have compared Hillary to everything from Hitler to the whore of Babylon. Of course, last year Obama’s staff started it all off on YouTube by throwing a hammer at Hillary’s face.

That is a fool’s game. If and when Obama clinches the nomination – he will need the vast majority of Hillary’s supporters to fight back the Republican onslaught that awaits him between now and November.

But here is where supporter inexperience can kill a Democratic victory in November. Like every other primary victor in the past, Obama – if he gets the nomination – will have to reach out and absorb his toughest opponent’s base. He also must be able to convince Hillary’s 50-state get-out-the-vote network to work for and to support him.

From personal experience, that will be a tough sell. For the past 4 months, as a fairly vocal Hillary supporter, I myself have been the target of personal attacks via email and the Internet by (supposed) teens and 20-somethings who use personal attacks in an attempt to demoralize me all in the name of their leader. I know they are doing the same to others.

Having faith that Obama is at heart a decent man, I have no doubt that he neither would condone nor agree with these tactics. But the onslaught is painful to watch.

These Obama-inspired political newbies walk in and dismiss tried-and-true politicking as “out of date” or insignificant as “that time has passed.” They thumb their noses at “old people” and those without college degrees (usually blue-collar union workers).

The life blood of the Democratic Party – along with racial minorities, women and gays – are unions and retirees.

Let’s face the truth, shall we? A big chunk of the under-30 crowd inspired by Obama fall into the same demographics and tastes (and political ideology) as the under-30 crowd that elected George W Bush in 2000. They, by and large, aren’t voting for him because they believe in his issues.

For these “me too” supporters, they fight for Obama because it is the popular thing to do. It’s what all the cool kids are doing. It’s mindless peer pressure, plain and simple.

They view the primary as a sport. And are demonizing Hillary and her supporters as the “other team” who must be crushed to make it to the playoffs.

The problem – to use a better sports analogy – is that we are not at that level of competition yet. Just now, we are just in the try-out stage for picking our team and deciding on the team captain.

These newbie Hillary-bashing and Obama-frothed fools are attacking members of their own team before the first game against the only real opponent – the Republicans – has been played.

Obama supporters MUST stop attacking Hillary and her supporters now, if not for the sake of our country, civil rights, and the Democratic Party; then for their own candidate’s fate in November.

Here’s what I mean: after news organizations started reporting Hillary’s win in West Virginia Tuesday night, the Obama attack machine started churning out the hate:

Obama supporter’s posts on a Facebook page for Hillary Supporters:

Ape Smith (New York, NY) wrote at 7:25pm You guys are dummies!! Obama’s win in North Carolina completely offset her wins in PA, WV, and IN!!!!! Oregon also offsets Kentucky.

Taylor Lee (Madison, WI) wrote at 6:50pm Why haven’t they taken this group down yet? I thought she was finished…

Kenny Williams wrote at 6:13pm “I believe that I’m the strongest candidate” No Hillary,my 9 year old brother could crush your skull.

Matthew Mufasa Alexander (Hampden Academy) wrote at 6:09pm …..lauren…..god hates dykes

David Wayne wrote at 5:55pm NO WONDER THE WHITE UN-EDUCATED SUPPORT HILLARY stoooopid !!!

From CNN.com:

HOW HILLARY SUPPORTERS ARE REACTING:

From CNN.com

Hillary supporters on her Facebook Page:

Jaret Hodges (Texas A&M) wrote at 6:00pm To Obama supporters: Reality is, Obama has the nomination. However, instead of being negative and isolating Hillary and her supporters, you should acknowledge her strengths; appeal to rural white voters and people without a college degree. Democrats CAN NOT win the White House without these categories. Be patient. To Hillary supporters: Instead of trying to work against the system and claiming you’d rather chose McCain, you should reflect on what this vote would mean. Without you, Obama can’t win the General Election. Before you get excited and agree, think about who is going into the White House if he [Obama] doesn’t. Are you ready for more WAR and more recession? To DEMOCRATS: Again, divided we fall…

As a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, I am excited about the upcoming election.

It looks like we have a very good shot of taking back the White House from the Republicans after 8 years of tyranny under George W. Bush.

There is the smell of electricity in the air in the Democratic Party … but it’s tinged with something a little sinister and creepy. A weird stink that’s following around the Barack Obama campaign.

It’s the result of Mr. Obama’s careful cultivation of a rabid personality cult around himself. It’s a cause taken up by his followers; they are transforming their devotion to him from mere admiration and hero worship … to … REAL worship.

They never talk about issues – actual solutions to problems. Instead, they focus on the “experience of Obama,” of their internal transformation when they decided to “come to Obama,” and the cryptic and scary self-affirming prophesy ”we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” 

Truly frightening stuff. 

They are treating him like he’s the new and improved Jesus – all shiny and new and recommended by Oprah, herself.

I’m not sure if the American public realizes the full extent and danger of this, but a good number of his followers are converting to a new religion – and are dead set on indoctrinating others into this new Obama cult mindset.

It’s an invasion of the mind snatchers.

I’m not the only one to notice this.  As New York Times columnist David Brooks points out with a dry cynicism:, comparing Obama supporters to the Hare Krishna cult.

Obama’s people are so taken with their messiah that soon they’ll be selling flowers at airports and arranging mass weddings

Have you noticed that he’s actually carried into his rallies by a flock of cherubs while the heavens open up with the Hallelujah Chorus? I wonder how he does that.

Commenting on Obama’s Super Tuesday speech, Time magazine columnist Joe Klien observed that Mr. Obama’s speech writer may be playing into this religious fervor:

… there was something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism — ‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for’  

It gives me chills. The bad kind.

This type of cultish behavior is even freaking out Obama supporters, like Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein, who wrote about his experience with Obama supporters knocking on his front door like Jehovah’s witnesses or Amway salesman:

Obamaphilia has gotten creepy. I couldn’t figure out if the two canvassers who came to my door Sunday had taken Ecstasy or were just fantasizing about an Obama presidency, but I feared they were going to hug me.

And don’t think that Obama himself is not aware of this disturbing trend. As Men’s Vogue reported on a recent Hollywood fundraiser:

When Morgan Freeman comes over to greet Obama, the senator begins bowing down both hands in worship. “This guy was president before I was,” says Obama, referring to Freeman’s turn in Deep Impact and, clearly, getting a little ahead of his own bio. Next, a nod to Bruce Almighty: “This guy was God before I was.”

Wow. 

This is the real deal, folks. The following is a real conversation I had this past week:

Obama Zealot: You should listen to his teachings. His word gave me purpose!

Me: Really?

Zealot: Yeah. Think about it. He’s like the true son of mankind. He transcends politics and race. He’s post-race. He transcends the flesh!

Me: Transcends the… what? Are you serious?

Zealot: Yes, I am. It may sound silly, but once you experience him; once he touches you, you’ll change inside. I should know, it happened to me. Come listen to this speech I have on my laptop.

Me: I support Hillary. I just don’t think Obama has what it takes.

Zealot: I can’t believe you’re using such racist code words.

Me: What are you talking about?

Zealot: You know, I thought I knew you. You’ve really disappointed me.

Me: What? You’ve gotta be kidding. Obama is not the messiah. He can’t walk on water and his farts don’t smell like roses, either.

Zealot: You need to stop playing the race card.

Me: Whatever.

Zealot: That’s OK, you’ll support him once he gets the nomination.

You know, that’s not the way to convince me, by acting like the Borg from Star Trek. In American politics – resistance is not futile.

Sorry, but I’m not interested in joining a cult.

Life in Cartoon Motion is the debut album by Mika, a 24-year-old Lebanese American with a gift for crafting music that seems to mix the talents of Freddie Mercury, Paul McCartney, Lou Reed, David Bowie, George Michael, Prince and the Scissor Sisters into one very contemporary package.

The genre-defying result could best be described as Electropop meets Alternative Rock.

If this freshman effort is any gauge for future promise, Mika (pronounced MEE-kuh) could be for 2008 and afterward what Depeche Mode and The Cure were two decades ago - a semi-serious commentary on modern culture wrapped around a funky beat.

TRACKS

Grace Kelly  [watch video]
The album’s first track is this delightful tune. The vocal and musical style is a quirky mixture of late 70s Queen and late 80s George Michael. The theatricality in presentation and repeating lyrical phrases betray Mika’s classical training and operatic study with famed Russian Opera coach Alla Ardakov.

Lollipop  [watch video]
The song first appears to be a very thinly veiled reference to oral sex wrapped in a bubble-gum beat, once again sounds like the kind of music Queen would be creating in the 2000s. But upon listening more closely to the lyrics it’s about the trials and heartbreak lessons of young love. And the bridge and hook of the melody are infectious. The skill behind this song shows Mika’s roots writing jingles for Mentos commercials before he was snapped up by a record label.

My Interpretation
In a cursory listen to this song, it feels like a mild pop ballad that could have felt at home on any turn-of-the-century Boy Band album. But the chord progressions and complicated key changes belie an artistry that rises above that generic wasteland of cookie-cutter crap of a few years ago. Nonetheless, it along with “Stuck in the Middle ” are the weakest tracks on the collection.

Love Today  [watch video]
A catchy tune that feels like what  the lovechild of Prince’s Paisley Park and Andy Warhol’s Factory would sound like.

Relax (Take it Easy)  [watch video]
The most dance-club friendly of the tunes on this album. I challenge anyone to listen to this song and not have the chorus, “Relax, Take it Easy” re-playing in their head for a few hours. If the rest of this album was junk (and it’s not) – this song alone would make Mika worth noting.

Ring Ring
Here, Mika seamlessly moves from the clubby beat of “Relax” into an authentic Alternative Rock sound without losing any of the catchy melodic momentum of the previous tracks. For a first-time listener of this album, by the time you get to this track on the album, you realize that Mika is a huge talent.

Any Other World
This song starts out with a simplistic minimalism that hearkens an early David Bowie without the depressing stark nihilism of the 1970s. It quickly transcends the Bowie-esque flavor and evolves into a wry commentary of an untrusting and jaded soul.

Billy Brown  [watch video]
Ever wonder what it would have been like if a Sgt. Pepper-era tune written by The Beatles  resulted in a catchy little pop ditty about a man who cheats on his wife – with another man? That’s what this song is. Mika explores and mocks the life of a closet case and the result is a quaint type of commentary. It is obvious that this Gen-Y rocker views societal sexual taboos surrounding homosexuality as odd and outdated.

Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)  [watch video]
This addictive dance song feels like a cross between Lou Reed and Queen. It is a paen to plus-sized women. But it’s unclear whether Mika is celebrating the life of chubby chasers – or if he is singing on behalf of his overweight friends to potential mates. In the end it doesn’t matter – as it is a celebration of women with “curves in all the right places.”

Stuck in the Middle
This track in style would be at home on any Scissor Sisters album. A lament to being the middle child and dealing with parental disapproval of one’s life. With the hook of the chorus being memorable and paired with jazzy elements, the song is saved from what could have been a fate as a very weak track. 

Erase
Every good album needs a breakup ballad full of self-affirming anger. This effort is successful in delving into original territory with an age-old situation.

Happy Ending  [watch video]
Of course the last track would have to be this one by the title alone. It also makes a great companion piece to “Erase” as it deals with the acceptance of life after love has ended and the acknowledgement of the authenticity of past affection and the impossibility of a future together in a doomed relationship. If every good album needs a good self-affirming break up song, well guess what, this one has two. Oddly, “Happy Ending” has a happy ending, albeit is bittersweet celebration. Like a jazz band at a New Orleans funeral it starts out as a dirge of despair and ends with an upbeat message – a celebration of the love that was before things turned bad with acceptance of the future.

This album also includes the beautifully depressing hidden track, “Over My Shoulder.”

I’ve told this story a few times to a few people, but usually in passing and not with as much detail as I’m about to go into now.

I met Hillary Clinton briefly – very briefly – back in 1992 when she was just the wife of then-candidate Bill Clinton. I think it was at a rally in the Detroit area — but it could have been in Illinois. There were so many last-minute events I attended that year that they are starting to blur together into one big happy memory of when things were going right for the United States.

Anyway… back to the point.

Along with being active for LGBT rights in Indiana and at Ball State, I was one of the leaders of the University Democrats at Ball State and as a result spent many weekends (and some week days) traveling to cities all around the Midwest working for and meeting candidates.

When I met the Clintons, at one such event, Bill was dutifully schmoozing with the big shots. Somehow in my hovering at the periphery, I ended up in a group of people that included Hillary.

If I remember correctly, I was wearing some random “practice Safe Sex” shirt that day. She read my shirt, and looked me in the eye like I was an old friend and introduced herself, as she did everyone else in the group. Then she started talking about issues to the group of people I was in – real substantive issues. This was a shock to me. As a semi-veteran of political events, even in my early 20s, I was quite familiar with candidate’s expected “wifey” behavior roles.

The candidate wives were and probably still are a Stepford-type of semi-robot who smile and nod and compliment the city/state/region you are in. That’s it. Nothing else that mattered came out of their faces, like marshmallow fluff – sweet and leaving you with a slight icky feeling once they left.

But not so with Hillary. She listened to us intently and took particular interest in hearing the ideas of even the people who normally didn’t speak up. And when the topic of gay and lesbian rights came up, Hillary didn’t shy away or try to change the subject to AIDS prevention. She dove right in with a message that has stayed consistent to this day.

To her, women’s rights are basic human rights. Gay rights are basic human rights. She said in so many words, we need to fight for what we believe in in a systematic an logical fashion to eventually whittle the bigots down in order to claim victory.

I was surprised by her depth of understanding on the topics people brought up and her realistic approach to how to get incremental, permanent change in an all-too-conservative world.

I left that brief meeting impressed with the Clintons – and more than slightly disappointed that quite possibly the wrong Clinton was running for president in 1992.

I know there is no way Hillary could remember me, I was but one of a group of people. But she still took the time to make each of us feel important enough to have an opinion that deserved to be heard. So, I will never forget her.

Ever since then, I have been a big fan of hers and the glee in my household with her come-from-behind win in New Hampshire Tuesday was palpable.

And that’s why, when I got my absentee primary ballot earlier this week, within 5 minutes, I skipped past Obama, Edwards and the rest and voted for Hillary with a fond smile.

PHOTO CREDITS: HillaryClinton.com

Next week, a corporate neighbor of mine will be trekking up 45 miles to San Francisco to make some pretty big announcements. That neighbor is Apple; the announcement is Macworld 2008, which starts in a little over a week.

It is rumored that CEO Steve jobs will announcing some new laptop computers – and possibly a re-vamp and upgrade of his company’s AppleTV product line.

Apple TV Rumors:

• The product will have a built-in Blu-Ray high definition disc player. (New York Times)
• People will be able to not only purchase, but to “rent” high-def movies by download from the iTunes store directly to the AppleTV from their HDTV set. No more need to return movies to Netflix – or worry your DVD is scratched when it arrives. (BusinessWeek)

How I would change AppleTV:

• I would make AppleTV a real TV. Look, Apple already makes some nice big monitors. And Apple already is expert at making all-in-one computer-in-monitor combos. Is it really much of a stretch for Apple to produce a big screen HDTV – and pack in the components of the Apple TV into the case? Think of it: a TV that you plug into the wall and viola – instant wireless access to your iTunes videos. No plug-in box needed.
• Yes, add that Blu-Ray player. I’d also make it be a CD/DVD burner that allowed you to store those purchased downloads for later retrieval. And I would use Apple’s DRM so you would be able to take that burned DVD to a friend’s AppleTV or Internet-connected Blu-Ray player (like a Sony PS3) and play it at their house – after entering your iTunes user name and password.
• AppleTV should have a CableCARD slot to allow you to use it as your primary cable or satellite TV decoder – to allow you to eliminate one more box from your entertainment center.
• Finally, the cable/satellite-controller AppleTV should be a full-fledged DVR with a bigger hard drive. Already, there are more AppleTVs in people’s homes than TiVos. It would make sense to take this step and make the AppleTV a fully-functional part of the entertainment center.

Then again, I usually ask for way more than I’ll ever get.

[IOWA CURSE: The Democrat who wins a contested presidential caucus in Iowa will not win the general election.]

After spending millions of dollars on commercials, touring with Oprah Winfrey and convincing scores of university students to cut their Christmas vacations short with their families in their home states in order to trek back to Iowa to vote, Barak Obama walked away with a win in Iowa Thursday night.

He deserves congratulations.

He joins the long list of other Democrats who fought off opponents to finish first in Iowa:*

1. 2008 OBAMA
2. 2004 KERRY
3. 2000 GORE
4. 1992 HARKIN
5. 1988 GEPHART
6. 1984 MONDALE
7. 1980 CARTER
8. 1972 MUSKIE

* 1996 was uncontested, 1976 highest vote was “uncommitted”

Like I said it is a long and distinguished list. The only problem: none of these men went on to serve as president after the general election. They either failed to get the nomination or saw their Republican opponent ascend to the White House.

Over the next few months, many will be watching to see whether or not Mr. Obama will fall victim to – or defy – the Iowa Caucus Curse.

Well, the day is finally here. Democrats will finally stop flushing money down the Iowa toilet - a state that will – by most people’s estimates – vote Republican in November anyway.

So, Hillary, Barak and John have spent tens of millions of dollars on a state with a population less than half that of the population of the San Francisco Bay Area – and for what?

Probably nothing.

Iowa has never picked a new Democrat president. Ever. Looking at history, it probably won’t happen this year, either.

For Iowa the caucuses are not about democracy – it’s about money for economic development in a small state with few other industries. According to the Gazette Online:

Iowa State University economics researcher David Swenson said that every $10 million spent in Iowa on advertising supports $4.8 million worth of labor income and 152 jobs, while every $10 million worth of accommodations spending supports $4.8 million in labor income and 217 jobs.

What is for sure: millions of democrat dollars have been wasted in Iowa TV and radio advertising – money that could be better spent in states that strategically matter to Democrats come November 2008: Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania - two of which need to vote for the Democratic candidate if we want to re-capture the white house from the GOP.

According to an article by Alexander Mooney on CNN.com:

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois far outpaces any other candidate when it comes to ad spending in Iowa, having spent more than $9 million on close to 11,000 spots. That’s about $2 million more than Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York has spent ($7.2 million), and about three times the amount that former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has shelled out ($3.2 million). Clinton has aired close to 8,000 spots while Edwards has aired 3,700.

The top three Democrats spent almost $20 million in Iowa, a red state. This is about as absurd as Huckabee, Romney and Thompson spending $20 million in the San Francisco area wooing the gay and green vote.

WHAT I WROTE A MONTH AGO:

1. Iowa will vote Republican in 2008, anyway.
2. In a contested race, the Democrat Iowa caucus winner has never gone on to win the general election. Ever. (see below)

Here is a breakdown of the winners of all the Iowa caucuses since 1972, when it first moved to become first in the nation:

• 1972 – Iowa Caucus winner: Edmund Muskie. He neither became the party candidate nor the President.
• 1976 – Iowa Caucus winner: No Winner, the largest vote went to “Uncommitted” (the eventual President, Democrat Jimmy Carter, only got 28% of the vote)
• 1980 – Iowa Caucus winner: Jimmy Carter – lost in general election to Ronald Reagan
• 1984 – Iowa Caucus winner: Walter Mondale – lost in general election as Ronald Reagan re-elected.
• 1988 – Iowa Caucus winner: Richard Gephart was not the Party’s eventual nominee.
• 1992 – Iowa Caucus winner: Tom Harkin in a landslide victory (eventual party nominee and next President, Bill Clinton only got 3% of the vote)
• 1996 – Iowa Caucus winner: Since Bill Clinton ran unopposed in the caucus, Iowa caucus-goers couldn’t help but vote for the eventual winner.
• 2000 – Iowa Caucus winner: Al Gore – did not become the next President of the U.S.
• 2004 – Iowa Caucus winner: John Kerry – did not become the next President.

So there you go. In a contested Democratic caucus, Iowa has NEVER picked the next president of the U.S.

Democrats should stop funding the economy of this red state, which is hurting our chances of winning in November.

Move along. Nothing original to see here…

I honestly didn’t think I’d pay to see a movie worse than Spider-Man 3 this year. I was wrong.

I plopped down $10.25 to see a little gem (if by “gem” you mean load of crap) called, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (or “AVPR,” for short).

Now, I have to say despite its many, many flaws, I still found myself amused – slightly. The film almost walked the line between campy spoof humor and kick-butt action. The special effects and the art direction were top notch. The cast was good – sometimes very good.

But, the main problem was that the sub-plot of humans in danger and the dialogue writing sucked big time.

Here, the main characters that draw the audience into the theatres are the acid-blooded Aliens and techie-savage Predators. The problem, neither of these characters talk – the most noise either of these makes is a clicking growl or screech.

This means the supporting humans must have interactions and dialogue worthy enough to draw in the audience enough for it to suspend disbelief in what is a pretty unbelievable concept. That just doesn’t happen.

[NOTE: Matters don't get much better when the plot holes are so big that it's hard to follow the story because the audience is talking out loud asking valid questions such as, "now why didn't they just drive away in the tank?"]

With not-so-witty banter such as, “You’re too stupid to talk, shut up!” and “People are dying; we need guns,” screenwriter Shane Salerno is living up to his track record of writing really bad movies. He’s responsible for two other piles of bad dialogue in 2000′s Shaft remake and 1998′s Armageddon. I seriously wonder how he continues to dupe movie studios into paying him money to write.

It’s a shame.

The Alien franchise is one of the best in science fiction horror history. But now it has devolved to the level of self-aware bad camp. Sad.

Final rating: Horrible. 1 star out of 5.

(It gets the one star instead of zero for three reasons: 1. they avoid the save-the-babies for no apparent reason cliche of most horror films, 2. A laugh-out-loud scene when Daddy is telling his little girl there is no such thing as monsters, and 3. the creators put in little non-subtle but amusing nods to just about every famous horror movie made in the past 50 years.)

(The following was written on request for the Spring Newsletter for the Billy DeFrank LGBT Center)

By David Speakman

Typical of our Silicon Valley life, my recent marriage can be traded to an email. February 11, a note in my inbox said that San Francisco would grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Three days later on Valentine’s Day, my life partner Rich Bean and I were standing in line outside City Hall in San Francisco along with hundreds of other couples, patiently waiting our turn to say, “I do.”

The line was long – longer than your worst DMV nightmare. Four or five people thick, it stretched for four blocks. By 4:30 p.m. and closing time, Rich and I hadn’t even made it to the Van Ness side of the building where City Hall entrance is. But we were hopeful of getting married and having a Valentine’s Day anniversary. This despite rumors that were passing around that the city had begun turning away people since it was unable to handle the huge crowd.

Moments later, the rumors were confirmed. A city worker apologized and handed us a piece of paper which was to “guarantee” us a spot for the next day. Worse than us, they looked exhausted. These government workers volunteered to give up their three-day weekend, work full shifts all weekend without pay, overtime credit or even breaks for meals.

Still it was heartbreaking. Crestfallen like scores of other couples that day, Rich and I drove back to our home, unmarried. But we were more determined than ever to become husband and husband.

Too excited to sleep much that night, bleary-eyed, we got up early and drove back the next day and showed up four hours before the building opened. But the line at the front of the building had already stretched a full block. Some people had camped out all night to stay in line. Still, we dutifully took our place and settled in for another long wait and hoped for the best, checking (more than once) to make sure we still had our number from the day before – our guarantee.

Luckily we met some of the most amazing people while waiting in line. With 15 and 18 years of respective activism under our belts, Rich and I consider ourselves veterans of LGBT-related gatherings. But this was different; neither pride nor protest. The assembled crowd was not your stereotypical LGBT group, either. Mist of us were in the over-35 age bracket and it was the most orderly, well-behaved crowd of more than 1,000 gay and lesbian people I’ve ever seen.

The mood was that of quiet hopefulness with a light tinge of desperation. We were gathered there that day in fear that we would be sent home once again by overwhelmed city workers who, although marrying one coupe a minute on average, said could only handle 400 marriages that Sunday.

The relative silence of our assembly was only broken by the occasional honking in support or our own cheers as yet one more newlywed couple left the building, The cheers were two-fold, part in congratulations to the newlyweds and part in self-congratulations that the various newlyweds-in-waiting like us were one step closer to our own marriage ceremony.

at 10 a.m. we got the news for the day. The city said ti would process us in two groups of 200. Everyone else had to wait and come back the next day on a first-come first-served basis. We also were told we had to exchange our number from the previous day for fresh numbers which would tell us if we made the cut or not. I started to worry. Like the day before, there already were hundreds of couples in front of us in line.

But as city officials approached us, they were smiling. “You will get married today,” Assessor Mabel Teng reassured us as Rich was handed a numbered piece of paper that looked a little too much like a deli counter number.

He handed it to me and I held on to that little piece of paper like it was the Holy Grail. It said “B201.” Rich and I would be the second couple married out of the second group.

A few hours later, Rich and I were finally ushered into the city hall building to fill out paperwork and be married. Every step of the way, I made sure to thanks every volunteer worker I could. Not really for making history in the gay rights movement, but for working on a Sunday for no pay to allow me to marry the love of my life.

[[--Ed. note: Along with being newlyweds, David Speakman and Rich Bean are members of the DeFrank Center board of directors.]]