More Anti-Mormon Proposition 8 Hysteria

Reed Cowan, a Miami film maker has produced a documentary on the Church and it’s involvement in the Proposition 8 campaign, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.  It apparently premiers today at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT.

 

Proposition 8 Proponents Ask High Court To Ban TV Coverage Of Trial

The Los Angeles Times reports that proponents of Proposition 8 have filed an emergency appeal to the United States Supreme Court to enjoin the federal district court trying the lawsuit challenging Proposition 8 from showing the trial on You Tube after the day’s proceedings:

Reporting from Washington – The lawyers defending California’s Proposition 8 and its ban on same-sex marriage urged the U.S. Supreme Court today to block video coverage of next week’s trial in San Francisco.

They filed an emergency appeal with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and argued that their client’s right to a fair trial would be jeopardized if each day’s proceedings were put on YouTube.

The trial “has the potential to become a media circus,” wrote attorney Charles Cooper. “The record is already replete with evidence showing that any publicizing of support for Prop. 8 has inevitably led to harassment, economic reprisal, threats, and even physical violence. In this atmosphere, witnesses are understandably quite distressed at the prospect of their testimony being broadcast worldwide on YouTube.”

I’m not sure I agree with this analysis.  The trial isn’t going to be the typical trial in the sense one might think.  There likely will be many experts and academics testifying as witnesses rather than the run of the mill voters who participated in the election in November 2008.  There’s less likely to be a media circus in a federal court room like the one we saw in the O.J. Simpson trial.  Those who think that will be the case haven’t spent much time inside a federal court room.  Most federal judges run a pretty tight ship, and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and other local court rules, including the judge’s ability to run his courtroom like his own personal kingdom will keep the media and others in order.

Frankly it just looks bad for the Proposition 8 proponents to want to hide this trial from the public.  I think the federal challenge to Proposition 8 has an uphill battle.  But, regardless, I’m a big believer in open and public access to our judicial system.  I think cameras in the courtroom are not only appropriate, but more and more likely in the future.  Let’s let the world see the finest judicial system at its best, particularly in this case when the arguments are going to be ground breaking, unique, and critically important.

The Mercury News has a good article overview on the upcoming trial.   Should be interesting.

 

New Jersey Senate Defeats Gay Marriage

The New York Times reports that the New Jersey Senate defeated the gay marriage bill today.  It is good to see this issue come before legislatures where it is better suited than the courts.  It is even better when the voters themselves get to express their views, since it is such an important issue that essentially redefines civil marriage.  Fortunately for gay couples in New Jersey they do have in place civil unions which grant the same rights to gay couples that straight married couples enjoy.  Therefore, no rights are lost:

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s state Senate has defeated a bill to legalize gay marriage, leaving it unlikely the state will have a gay marriage law in the very near future.

The bill needed 21 votes to pass; only 14 senators approved the measure Thursday.

Gay rights advocates had pushed hard to get the bill passed before Jan. 19, when Republican Chris Christie becomes governor. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine promised to sign the bill if approved by the Legislature but Christie has said he would veto it.

New Jersey offers civil unions that grant the legal rights of marriage to gay couples. Five states — Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont — allow gay marriage.

This is another democratic defeat for the gay marriage movement, which in the recent past has been buoyed by judicial opinions creating gay marriage rights where none have existed and redefining civil marriage laws.

 

Mormon Care for the Poor Will be Accelerated

[Admin Note: The following Guest Post was written by Warner Woodworth, who is a  Professor of Organizational Behavior and Strategy in the Marriott School, Brigham Young University.  Of course his post expresses only his personal opinions and thoughts.  It does not in anyway reflect any official position Brigham Young University, or its Board of Trustees, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He is also an author or co-author of a variety of articles and books, including “Working Toward Zion” and “United for Zion,” among others.]

 

The Spirit of Christ . . . Merry Christmas

 

Big Love Returns–Just In Time For A Christmas Gig . . .

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If you’re a Big Love Fan, you’ll get a kick out of their Christmas Album A Juniper Creek Christmas

As much as Big Love distorts and outright lies in its portrayal of the Church at times in its episodes–it’s an entertaining series.  The “carols” on this album are actually pretty funny–a different and light heartded polygamous take on the Christmas Season with Roman Grant and his wives at Juniper Creek.

 

179th Semiannual LDS General Conference Sunday Morning Session

This morning’s session of the 179th Semiannual LDS General Conference will begin shortly. Warming up for the Prophet’s Seers and Revelators will be the World Famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the longest running radio program in the United States, Music and the Spoken Word.

 

LDS General Conference

I traditionally live blog all sessions of the LDS General Conference.  This year, I will be out town on Saturday, October 3, 2009 the first day of the conference.  I hope to be back in time for Sunday’s Sessions.  There are other great resources on various  LDS Blogs for conference.  Check out The Mormon Archipelago for threads covering conference.  The Church’s website has links to Internet coverage. See LDS Media Talk for additional links. Those who will address the world during this General Conference are modern day living Prophets and Apostles.  They are called to be special witnesses of Jesus Christ and His message.  I urge all to listen to their words and give them great weight.

 

Do Ye Even So To Them–A Renewed Torture Debate

Nearly three years ago, when I originally posted on this topic,  America and torture were prevalent in the media.  Over the course of the last several months more details of America’s flirtation with torture in the Bush/Cheney Administration have been exposed to further light. In that original post, many opined the instances of torture, if any, were just limited to a few bad apples in Iraq at Abu Ghraib.  The most recent reports suggest otherwise, here, here, here. If you have the time and want to read the original recent CIA report and not just excerpts, you can find it here.

 

LDS Newsroom Launches Official Blog

Let me be one of the first to Welcome the Church, to the Bloggernacle–well, maybe not the ‘nacle, but certainly to the wide world of Blogging.  The LDS Newsroom launched a new official Blog today.  It doesn’t look like it will be quite as interactive (probably a good thing too) as we are used to in the ‘nacle.  But, I applaud the Church’s use of this technology to get the official word out regarding Church news releases and the like.  Welcome Newsroom Blog.  See also the official announcement from the Newsroom.  Steve Evans has also commented over at By Common Consent.