Once Again, DOMA Declared Unconstitutional

From Lambada Legal

"This ruling, the first to come after the Justice Department announced it would no longer defend this discriminatory statute in court, spells doom for DOMA."

Read Judge White's order HERE.

With all of the positive progress States are making on Marriage Equality, The Defense of Marriage Act being declared unconstitutional once again is great news.  

The question that is on all bi-national Same Sex couples minds is this:  What does this mean for us?  Right now, it means nothing.  As soon as we hear from Lavi Soloway or Out 4 Immigration, I will update this page.

To make things crystal clear, I believe our best bet is to get the Uniting American Families Act passed.  We need to be actively contacting our Congress officials and asking them to pass the UAFA.

Today, 2/22/12,  The Ballot Book reports the following:  

Advocates, Officials gather in LA to discuss immigration reform

 KPCC: Congress members, advocates, officials gather in LA to discuss immigration reform

Congress members, immigration advocates and officials from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services all met Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles. The group has gathered to support President Barack Obama’s recent attempts at immigration reform.

Again, make your voice heard and contact your Congress Members and let them know that we need the Uniting American Families Act passed.  We are a small group, we need to band together and speak up for our families. 

GOP Immigration Reform Ideas

@Song1964legislation mandatingthat illegals don't get jobs or benefits blocked by Dem Senate & Obama. No jobs or benefits=illegals leave

— Dana Rohrabacher (@DanaRohrabacher) January 14, 2012

Representative Lamar Smith from Texas, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has not allowed any Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill to come up for a vote in the committee.  As a matter of fact, The Orange County Register reports that the GOP called the president's action another move to grant “backdoor amnesty to” people who are in the country illegally. 

Over and over again the GOP has mentioned that any sort of Comprehensive Immigration Reform like the "Dream Act" is nothing but granting illegals amnesty.  The GOP current leader for the President of the United States nomination has taken the position, that all undocumented immigrants should be deported.  As a matter of fact, his stance is so strong and negative that the GOP is doing damage control on Twitter by starting the @GOPLatino outreach.  I believe that it is too little....and I hope it is too late.  Again, I hope that this crumb that these GOP Leaders are throwing to the Latinos .... won't dupe them into voting for these prejudiced bigots.

We need the DREAM Act with the Uniting American Families Act to pass.  It is amazing to me that we are told that we have to wait our turn, stand in line.  Whereas there might be a line for some of these people, the wait is 10 to 20 YEARS (this is no exaggeration).  For most bi-national same sex couples, there is not a line to get into.  There is NO LINE for us.  When I have mentioned this to some of our Honorable Elected Officials, I have been told (by those bothering to answer me) that we are not normal "nuclear family"

We need the Uniting American Families Act passed. We need DOMA repealed. We need to be treated like we are EQUAL.....because we are. While the Government ponders why our LGBT youth are dying from bullying and suicide, it is no mystery to me. They are taking their cue from our government who fights against giving us Equal rights, fights for religious rights to persecute the LGBT youth, who try to get bills like the Tennessee "Don't Say Gay" bill passed. It is because of this United States Government sanctioned hate, that our LGBT youth are dying. I urge all of us to vote! Vote for our best hope in getting the Uniting American Families Act passed.... Vote for our best chance of getting DOMA repealed. In my conservative life, I have never voted Democrat (Yes, I voted for McCain in '08), I am voting for Barak Obama in 2012. It is our best chance for EQUALITY.

Tyranny - Our United States Congress!

tyr·an·ny

   [tir-uh-nee] noun, plural -nies.

1. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority.

2. the government or rule of a tyrant or absolute ruler.

3. a state ruled by a tyrant or absolute ruler.

4. oppressive or unjustly severe government on the part of any ruler.

5. undue severity or harshness.

You cannot live with your spouse or your life partner. You cannot sponsor them for a green card or United States Citizenship. You cannot marry them and have that marriage recognized.

Does this sound foreign. Does this sound like a despot who will not even allow people to surf the internet. Does this sound like a government with the power to even limit how many children a couple has? Yes it does.

Unfortunately, it is not. It is our US Government. Time and again, the Speaker of the House, John Boehner says that they will deal with the Respect for Marriage Act, by not bringing it up for even a hearing. Time and again Lamar Smith, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee has made it well known that he is anti-immigration reform/anti-immigrant and will not allow the Uniting American Families Act or really any Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act out of the Judiciary Committee.

This is nothing but an abuse of power. This is nothing but tyranny. It is unAmerican, unDemocratic, and against everything that has made the United States successful and great. To not even allow these bills to come up for hearing or votes, to discriminate against a certain group of people, to oppress ...well that is the definition of tyranny and the United States Congress.

For those who think I am over reacting, know that I have been waiting for over 10 years to be able to sponsor my wife for immigration. When you have been forced to endure such stress, torture and discrimination, then you can say I am being harsh and over reacting. I hold to my belief that our Congress is behaving like tyrants.

United States of America: Citizens Rights Denied!

Why should it matter to Republicans and Democrats alike? Why should Congress care if they pass the Uniting American Families Act? I can answer this with one sentence:

We are citizens of the United States of America, we should have and deserve the same rights as all citizens of the United States of America.

That should be and really is the bottom line. People have all kinds of reasons to disagree with why I should be able to sponsor my same sex spouse for immigration, but what they are saying is that as a lesbian citizen of the United States, I do not deserve the same rights as heterosexual citizens of the United States.

They can put all kinds of pretty words, Bible verses, morality, and bias to their argument. I can do the same for my side, with Bible verses, morality and equality to my argument, but it all boils down, it all comes down to, the bottom line is:

As a lesbian citizen of the United States, I do not deserve the same rights as heterosexual citizens of the United States.

Is that what you believe? Do you believe that a group of people are less because of whom they love? I do not agree with that stance. I believe that as American Citizens all should have the right to live with whom they want to live; love whom they want to love and sponsor their spouse for immigration....as all citizens of the United States do. Let's try this exercise:

1. As a Christian, I believe I should be able to sponsor my spouse for immigration.

2. As a citizen of the United States, I believe I should be able to sponsor my spouse for immigration.

3. As a woman I should be able to sponsor my spouse for immigration.

4. As a lesbian United States Citizen, I should be able to sponsor my spouse for immigration.

A Gallup poll shows that the majority of Americans support same sex marriage. Most people do not know that couples are cruelly being separated by immigration law. That is because such discrimination is something that they didn't realize was actually happening in these United States. What is your stance on the rights of ALL citizens of the United States of America?