Fresh in from the tip line...

On Saturday of this week, the Board of Trustees at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville will meet in public session at 2 pm. On their agenda, among other things, is the question of extending employee benefits to same sex couples on the faculty.

The issue has been fairly quiet but in the last three days or so, there has been an increasingly outspoken and rabid email campaign starting up about how terrible this will be if it is passed, how people will stop supporting the university with their donations, will boycott businesses , etc...all the same old stuff. My source tells me that the Trustees of the University are only getting these negative messages and no one is contacting them in support of the new policy.

The feeling is that Board members are not strongly enough in support of the policy change to support it simply because it is the right thing to so, especially at a public University, or to support it because it is critical to maintaining their competitiveness in attracting the best faculty and students in the years ahead...the Board is possibly going to feel very pressured to take the more conservative role.

You can contact USI President Ray Hoops at hoops@usi.edu or by calling 812-464-1756. The Evansville Courier-Press is running an online poll asking if the benefits should be approved. "No" is currently winning. Go vote.

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the state's same-sex marriage amendment prevented public schools and universities from extending domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples. Waymon posted on this story yesterday, but I thought it deserved a second look because the ruling reveals important things about how courts decide what the law means.

Continue reading "More on the Michigan Marriage Ruling" »

Now that the presidential primaries have whizzed through Indiana, Hoosiers are starting to talk amongst themselves. Here's what they're saying:

• What the hell just happened?
• I voted for a woman/black. You can't call me sexist/racist anymore.
• I'm a good Republican, but I voted in the Democrat primary because...
• The presidential race was darn close and the governor's race was almost a tie. Why do people think we're indecisive?
• Hey! The car commercials are back!

There may be a silver lining in the recent decision of the Michigan Supreme Court to erase domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples under its new "Marriage Protection" constitutional amendment. Before it passed the folks of the Rightous Right told everyone in state wide ads and elsewhere that such benefits wouldn't be touched. Then after passage they flipped 180 degrees and argued the opposite in court.

That silver lining is that it's waking up people to the fact that such "bait and switch" tactics work. Gary Welsh writes about this in Advance Indiana, and I cover the same territory for Indiana Equality here. If and when a successor to SJR7 in Indiana comes back next year, don't say we didn't warn you.

Before I forget about all of these smaller items, I wanted to put them down so ya'll can check them out too.

• Almost 6,000 Hoosiers voted for Tony Zirkle, the Republican candidate who praised Hitler at a recent neo-nazi dinner and blamed Jews for the "Great Porn Dragon."
• The Woody Myers congressional campaign has publicly apologized for threatening to sue me over Bilerico-Indiana content.
• A picture of my friend Lori and I from last year's Pride festival was used as an illustration for a GO Magazine article about the LGBT community and blogs. I don't really know why.
• A dozen elderly nuns were disenfranchised when they went to vote Tuesday. The Sisters didn't have drivers licenses or state issued ID. None of them drive since they live in a convent; most of them are in wheelchairs and can't go to the license branch to get the required ID.
• I'll be appearing on BloomingOUT Radio tonight. You can listen in online.

Justin and Ron:

Well, so much for worrying about a blog comment. All those legal fees and the guy wasn't even close to winning. Take a look at the Donna Edwards election in Maryland...It's proof of what happens when y'all sit down and work with bloggers with a bit more respect.

Of course, when the real goal here is billable hours you can always count on a lawyer to move ahead on a baseless complaint -- You guys should have told the candidate to focus on, say, running for the position he coveted.

Continue reading "That's what they call 'moot,' right?" »

I'm breaking a Bilerico rule by posting the larger video, but so many of you complained that you couldn't read the type on the smaller video player we normally use. My thoughts on the mini-documentary after the jump.

Continue reading "Bilerico visits Obama and Clinton campaign headquarters" »

You all know I am a die hard Clinton supporter. I was hoping for a close race in North Carolina and a blow out in Indiana.

No luck.

And now? It's time. It's time for Clinton to concede.

The fat lady is singing.

Let's get together people and win in November.

So here's the Indiana primary election day roundup:

• Barack Obama stomped Hillary Clinton in North Carolina.
• They more-or-less tied in Indiana, but Obama conceded gracefully.
• Andre Carson defeated all primary challengers to his Congressional seat.
• The Indiana gubernatorial race is still too close to call

In the most important race for Projectors, contributor Jim Neal lost his primary race to his opponent Kay Hagan. He's a winner in our book!

Politics is a family affair for us. Jerame and I went to vote this morning. Paige took today as a vacation day from school and came along as our camerawoman. Indiana's primary hasn't mattered in the presidential primaries in 60-odd years; it felt good to know our votes meant something this year.

iPhone users: Click to watch

Voter turnout seems to be quite a bit higher than normal today. When Jerame and I went to vote we were numbers 173 and 174 respectively to cast ballots. I think in the last general election we were something like 22 and 23... The poll workers said there had been a small line at one point, but nothing major.

As I run around town though, I'm seeing plenty of those "I VOTE I COUNT" stickers. I got screwed though - they didn't give me one. How am I supposed to show off without a sticker?!? *grins*

Watch for video of Jerame and I voting soon!

Isn't this interesting? You know it doesn't bode well for Republicans when poll workers are having to beg them to take a R ballot... From the Indianapolis Star's ongoing election day coverage:

Sales represtantive Bob Rose selected a Democrat ballot with the general election in mind.

Rose said he voted for Hillary Clinton and Jill Long Thompson, the other Democrat running for governor. Rose said he supports Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and things Long Thompson will be a weaker opponent.

It was clear that voters in this staunch Republican area were crossing over in the primary.

Precinct inspector Rose Hinesley implored Republicans at the middle school to pick a GOP ballot.