SCOTUS marriage cases began today

I think the odds are good for Team Love in the marriage equality cases, but let's be clear about the stakes:

No matter what the Court does, DOMA's expiration date is coming up fast, and we can expect not only federal rights but full faith and credit being extended to marriages entered into in any state.

What we can't bank on is that gay Americans in every state will have the right to marry without sneaking across the border to somewhere more accepting. Without the Court extending constitutional protection to the right to marry, there may, for the rest of our lives, be states that refuse to treat gay and lesbian citizens equally.

You can look at national polls supporting marriage equality and say that gays and lesbians are now powerful enough to get what they want through the democratic process, but that's a very bird's-eye view of the landscape. Take a look at individual states, and you'll understand that in many of them, gay citizens are still viewed as second-class. Unless the Court acts to protect those Americans, this inequality could remain for generations to come.

Hey, Towson University has a Nazi Club!

College boys at Towson U. Went in dumb, come out dumb too.

I'm sure the people of Baltimore will be just thrilled to have white supremacist vigilantes wandering around.

We don't know for sure if George Zimmerman is a racist*, but ain't no doubt that his mama raised at least one.

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(* - Yeah, we do.)

146 Reasons to Support Labor Unions

146 people died on March 25, 1911, in the infamous Triangle Shirt Waist Fire. Two of them were only 14, three were only 15. Most were young women who had come to the US looking for better lives. All were victims of unchecked business interests trampling the rights and safety of workers.

RPG after-action report

The gang of adventurers managed to (mostly) survive yet another delve into the ruins of the Tower of Magic in Castle Greyhawk. Not so lucky with the plucky band of investigators in "Call of Cthulhu." I'm sorry to report that I went insane and attempted to walk into the waiting arms...err, tentacles, of an ancient beast released upon the earth who devoured our minds and bodies. Humanity is doomed. My bad.

RPGs: Not just explosive small arms!

Looking forward to a Sunday filled with an almost unreasonably large amount of role-playing games. Pathfinder for the first part, Call of Cthulhu for the second part. I somehow managed to avoid RPGs as a kid, but over the past two years or so, I've started playing D&D pretty regularly, thanks to a couple of friends from theatre who got me into it. So far, I've been a rogue from the Pirate Isles, a paladin of Iomedae, and a ribald Bard. Yes, it's nerdy as hell. But you know what? So am I.

Well THAT didn't take long.

Three days ago I'm saying that I'm stuck on the couch looking for something to do. Then yesterday an old colleague offers me a senior position in his consulting firm, and just like that, I'm back to work. Granted, I'm still on the couch. But at least now I'm not bored.