The most important bit from the 138 page ruling:

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.

Just a note, the court order has been stayed so no one can get married. This decision is likely to be appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court. So while the fight is long from over, we’ve won the battle this time around.

More later. Time to party tonight!

A few minutes before the speech, some of us had met with Reid’s staffers and delivered 20,000 petition signatures collected by national advocacy organizations, asking Senator Reid to take action on the DREAM Act this year. On Sunday morning, we had breakfast with Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas — Linda Chavez Thompson. I don’t have anything to say about either encounter. Politicians and their aides move their lips but I don’t hear words. I hear a deafening silence.

I’m also doomed by my successes and accomplishments when it comes to lobbying. I’ve been told by aides on several occasions that I look like a success story on paper and I happen to be more educated than them. In their minds, that makes it alright for me to not have papers. The consensus is: “you seem to be doing just fine.” Heck, I’ve been told that I’ve more opportunities than most people so I should stop complaining. The problem is that I am not fine, to say the least and my family is not doing fine.

I know people are frustrated, irritable and desperate. During the immigration caucus at Netroots, I tried to get that across when Joshua Hoyt from Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) told me that I had to see the bigger picture and know that despite the wait for justice, we are on the right side of history. I let on that I may not have that time — I had been on suicide watch and undergoing therapy. We’ve lost countless others to deportation and tragic accidents, and a particular loss combined with other problems at home has taken a harsh toll on my mental health. It was hard to admit that but he offered to take me to breakfast and tell me some bad jokes. I agreed and the end result was some good conversation, good advice and homework. He sent me a copy of Parting the Waters, which is apparently about the civil rights movement of the 1960s and how the level of divisiveness makes the immigrant rights movement today look rather tame.

We also played mock ICE agents. That was quite fun. My write-up is here.

At this point, I am rather cynical so I don’t foresee any movement on incremental reform pieces before the midterm elections. (I also predicted this last year in a post that has over 40,000 views). While it may be one of the best tools we have on our side, the legislative campaign led by the Reform Immigration for America campaign has set us back a few years by downplaying the human side of the debate in favor of the harsh enforcement language. Now Democrats don’t necessarily have a moral compass on immigration whereas the GOP has been hijacked by the more racist elements of its base due to the election of Barack Obama as President. I also think forcing a vote on the issue when the votes are not assured is a stupid idea that would hurt the legislation more than the loss in 2007.

After witnessing the harsh political climate that allows a majority of Americans to support SB 1070 even while they want comprehensive immigration reform, I do believe that passing incremental reforms like the DREAM Act presents a very real possibility of backlash that would make future legalization harder to achieve. There’s also the reality of a compromise DREAM-AgJOBs package that comes with an E-Verify mandate and increased border security. So, the real work would actually begin once something gets passed. But I’m not against calculated civil disobedience, especially heckling to draw attention to any issue or keep it in the media.

Dialectics is supposed to get us closer to truth but I’m tired of fighting allies and watching others burn bridge after bridge for no particular reason. Be it Dreamers vs. CHC, Dreamers vs. RI4A, Dreamers vs. Dreamers — each one can be its own book. Some of it is irresponsible behavior that I have enabled by taking the lead on calling out people and building the infrastructure for it but I no longer feel any pride but embarrassment about it. I’m blessed to not be a part of it anymore and hopefully, I can put the negativity of it squarely in the past and if given the chance, make amends.

There’s something that I don’t regret — calling out RI4A at the LGBT Immigration summit this past February. The pushback and subsequent lobbying from Immigration Equality helped to bring about the concept of comprehensive inclusive immigration reform. We need each other to win and I will always be glad to be a part of any effort that builds bridges between and within our various disenfranchised communities.

I’m starting at a fantastic law school this month. We might not get the DREAM Act this year or a favorable ruling on the nationwide class action lawsuit for the Child Status Protection Act yet, but I’m still carrying out some of my dreams by resuming college after a three year lapse. I will chalk that up as a personal win for now. But once again, my ability to forge ahead and write a success story for myself despite not having any paperwork does not mean that I deserve relief less than anyone else. It also doesn’t mean that others should be expected to do the same.

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And then people wonder why Indian kids are either OCD overachievers or lack self-confidence and underperform.

I’ve been in Washington D.C. for several days now thoroughly detesting the humid weather in this swampy city while checking out housing.

It was a daunting task — I’ve no official credit history even though I’ve never defaulted on a payment. I’ve no record of employment even though I am an entrepreneur with a limited liability company to my name. Getting an apartment on my name would have been next to impossible even though I could pay an advance of 6-months in rent. The other option was room-shares and I had nailed down several I needed to check out. Luckily (or unluckily), the housing counselor assigned me to on-campus housing, which had been unavailable prior to coming to D.C.

I jumped at the chance to live on campus although now I think about it, law school will feel all too much like high school or being a “freshman” in college.I’m not sure I necessarily want that “experience” but it’s fun to slip into another role and place where practically no one recognizes you. It’s a chance to re-invent myself and figure out what I really want outside the pressures of family drama and “movement-building.”

There’s no need to act like a martyr, step on the sacrificial pyre, and give myself stress about anything that does not directly concern my life.

Nearing the first week of DC living, I can say:

• The French bistros and urban hipster places feel equally comfortable though we certainly need way more ethnic food.
• I don’t particular know how I feel about the Foggy Bottom area where I’m residing but I do love the quaint Eastern Market, U-street, the gay-borhoods and Columbia Heights.
• DC is still a particularly soul-less city for me with way too many kool-aid drinkers. I’m a critical thinker and deconstructionist. It’s like the worst fit for me, intellectually and politically. We know I’d rather be at UCLA if I could get the benefits of their David Epstein public interest program, but lets not start on that now.
• The monsoon type rains are fantastic in the summer (and deserve a completely separate blog post)

Today I went shopping at the GW bookstore and bought myself some gear. I’m a GW Colonial working on my second graduate degree this Fall. It’s like living an alternative reality. But I plan to enjoy it while it lasts.

Go Colonials!

I reach out fondly,
only to jerk my hand away.

They say it’s untouched by civilization,
They say it provides jobs,
They swear to carbon-free emissions,
Then why does my body break down in sobs?

Water that leaves my people dehydrated and dead,
Water that kills,
Water that props up an illegal military regime,
Who knew it could have so much power?

Your colonial thirst for a taste of my paradise,
Highly dense and hyper-sexualized,
Life reduced to an exotic merchandise,
The blood of my people actualized.

This plastic bottle is all I have left of a place I’ll never see
With some half-forgotten memories of a country that doesn’t remember me

Far away from any colonized setting, glittering and shimmering, sitting on a river of lights next to Lake Michigan, with brand name outlets, world-renowned tourist spots, historical architectural designs, the buzzing energy of a lively place that never rests, this is Chicago, as urbane and metropolitan as it gets in the United States. At first glance, the city does not resonate with any pain, tragedy, or buried untold stories; it seems like a great vacation spot and escape from my own traumatic life. The city, half-imagined, returns to me each night.

Caught in a snow blizzard, I hurry past someone carrying a sign that read “I am just homeless and hungry. God gives to those that give to others.” Almost instantly, blurred images of a distant past flash through my mind. Homelessness is a part and parcel of every city and suddenly, I am not away from home, on any sort of vacation. I freeze, unable to escape my reality. This is not history yet, it is memory—intimate, painful, joyful, personal and nostalgic. Jolted out of my consumerist shopping spree, I realize with strange awe that tragedy, violence, a sense of belonging are not stuck in geographical space; they come with us in our memories, our intimate personalization and self-definitions.

Shaking off the feeling almost instantly, I walk into a convenience store to get some water for my sore throat. Staring at me through the sliding glass doors is a bottle of water from the Fiji Islands. Face to face with my reality, I stand there gazing at the tiny bottle as my mind once again loads and runs a cinematic reel. Half-remembered and half-forgotten memories from another place and time, now encompassed by this beautiful luminescent blue bottle, conjures up an entire history.

It’s problematic to hold a bottle of FIJI water with such nostalgic tenderness and pride, especially since it is owned by an US company, and yet we do it. When I discussed this with a friend from Canada, she admitted that she went into a gas station on her way to Los Angeles and bought a bottle of FIJI Water, because it is a Kai-India (Fiji Indian) thing to do. I pay for the FIJI water bottle and hold it as if I am holding Fiji and the history of my people in my hands, and coincidentally, realize that even the rights to FIJI water is owned by an ‘Other’; I am holding colonialism in my hand.

Indentured laborers from India crossed the Kala Pani (Pacific Ocean) in the late 1800s to come to Fiji. They called themselves girmitiyas, derived from the English word ‘agreement,’ which referred to the labor contract, while the British called them ‘coolies.’ The girmitiyas were supposed to simply serve as a working population, but by 1970, not only was Fiji independent of British rule, but the now free descendants of the girmitiyas were a majority population. However, as the 1900s came to a close, many more Indians (more properly referred to as Indo-Fijians) once again crossed the Kala Pani to seek refuge due to ethnic tensions at home.

I drink every drop of the water in the tiny bottle. My thirst quenched, my throat feels better. But my eyes water up.

Real tears aren’t the ones that flow easily. They are the ones hiding behind hooded eyelids, stinging with permanence. And the heart cries.

Initially, I was just going to post a series of our gorgeous female immigrant youth and allies in DREAM attire, but there’s always time for that later.

You should check out my hilarious first-try at a Buzzfeed on Israel here.

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The Israeli Navy has killed and wounded dozens of brave humanitarian aid activists who were aboard ships that were carrying humanitarian aid to the 1.5 million people in Gaza who are living under an Israeli-imposed siege.

Even after strong and widespread international condemnation, Israel still holds that it acted well within its rights and did nothing wrong. This is unacceptable and as long as the United States continues to support such a violator of international human rights, Israel will continue to act like a stubborn child and bear no responsibility for its morally despicable and illegal actions.

Here are some actions that can be taken in response to this atrocious action:

1. Obama must stand up Nobel Peace laureates and strongly condemn Israel. For too long, the international community has been two-faced about condemning Israel. Instead of expressing outrage at an attack on civilian ships in international waters, Obama issued a tepid statement saying he “deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained” and wen on to say that Israel is best suited to investigate itself! Please sign this petition calling on Obama to condemn Israel’s assault as a first ste. Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and request that the President:

* Condemn Israel’s attack of Gaza Freedom Flotilla and support a fair and impartial international investigation of it.
* Find Israel in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and immediately end all military aid to Israel.
* Pressure Israel to end its illegal blockade of the occupied Palestinian Gaza Strip.
* End U.S. support for Israel’s illegal 43-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.

2. The United States Congress must immediately cut off aid to Israel. Request an emergency meeting with your Members of Congress during this week’s Memorial Day recess. Clearly, Israel has become a liability state for the United States. Currently, Congress is in the process of appropriating a record $3.2 billion in military aid to Israel. U.S. State Department figures show Israel received $2.55 billion in U.S. aid last year, with levels to ratchet up to $3.15 billion by 2018. This aid must be frozen while a fair, impartial investigation of this crime is conducted. Ask Congress to not fund the request the FY2010 request for more military aid to Israel.

3. Organize in your local communities to hold demonstrations at Israeli embassies. See the latest list of actions and locations here.

To add your protest to the list, please email flotilla@gazafreedommarch.org or register your event here.

4. Time for boycott, divestment and sanctions. Support the BDS movement: The ongoing blockade and occupation of Gaza is in direct violation of international law. Let aid into Gaza and boycott Israeli products such as AHAVA made from occupied Palestinian territory. For more information, see End the Occupation.

5. Demand that Israel allow the safe passage of the Rachel Corrie flotilla: The MV Rachel Corrie, named after the 23-year-old American peace activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003, is still headed for Gaza. The Irish government owns the ship and has requested that Israel allow safe passage but Israel states it is prepared to block the ship. Send a letter to the Israeli embassies now, demanding safe passage of the remaining flotilla delivering humanitarian aide to Gaza.

Stay tuned for the latest actions, including media talking points, from the US Campaign to End the Occupation. And remember to follow hashtags #freedomfotilla, #fotilla and #rachelcorrie on Twitter for up to the second information.

Crossposted at Alternet

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