California, WTF? You used to be cool.

[Dark]

I mean, you're right next to the ocean. You make some killer movies, good jobs and have always been on the top of the pack.

Plus, you had the best green this side of the Atlantic.

WTF? What happened? You're broke. You voted for the Kindergarten Cop. And now, with your accounts in shambles, you're going around telling people who's allowed to be with who?

This, from one of the best things about America? California, you had gay marriage. You had it -- you let people get married. Then you snatched that right away in an electoral clusterfuck (and believe me, us Ohioans know a lot about electoral clusterfucks) that somehow left 18,000 GLBT people married while claiming that gay marriage is illegal. Seriously, Cali, have you just been smoking too much?

C'mon, where's the Cali we know and love? The one that's all about free spirits and love. The one that fights for good values of tolerance, understanding, liberty and compassion.

I mean, hell, even Iowa's acting cooler than you now. Fucking Iowa.

Get your collective shit together.

[Booster]

1. I'm totally embarrassed by my state.

:cry:

[Dark]

2. Don't worry. Ohio's been embarrassing me for a while. But, i mean, Cali was always the cool place.

It was the state that other countries pointed to and said "See, not all Americans are fucking nutjobs with guns, bibles, a persecution complex and fear of anything whose skin is darker than an apricot."

[Booster]

3. And we're still pretty much like that. IMO, the problem with

Prop 8 was that the Yes on 8 people ran a much better campaign that the No on 8 people did. Of course, they had the benefit of all that money from the Mormons so that helped, but the No people should have hammered home the "equal rights for all" meme and I don't think they did. Hope someone else runs the next campaign, and there will be another for sure. You can't give some gays rights that you don't give the others just because their timing was off. Stupid.

[Nikki Stone1]

4. I'll second the embarrassment.

Did all the cool people move to Seattle?

[mackerel]

5. "California, WTF? You used to be cool."

Talk about it!

[Dark]

7. I don't know. They certainly didn't come here. n/t

[dana_b]

24. hey - you and I are still here!

and we're cool!

Seriously, I think a lot of people have moved here who aren't "as cool" as us. There are a lot of people where I live now (Contra Costa County" that are very conservative and this is in the Bay Area. The population has grown significantly and attitudes have changed. We, as the cool kids, need to change their thinking. The gays aren't going to invade their homes and make all their little kids gay or break up their marriages. We aren't going to keep them from church. We won't even take their legally obtained guns.

[MsUnderstood]

6. fucking Iowa. . .exactly

Hey I'd go there to get married but I'm one of those lucky 36,000 who said I do during those magic midsummer days.

I feel so seperate and gosh darn it not so equal.

[DrToast]

23. Let's see Iowa pass gay marriage thorugh a ballot initiative

California was the second state to legalize gay marriage.

[bemildred]

8. Not really. Read "Grapes of Wrath".

What happened in the 60s was never generic California. Reagan was generic California, as were the Duckman, Pete Wilson, and Ahnuld, to name a few.

[HarryTrumanDem]

13. Important point

California was never really a leftist paradise, except around the college towns like Berkeley, UCLA/Westwood, Santa Cruz. The Central valley remains as conservative as like the dirty south.

Arnold's victory in the Recall farce provided a fairly good indication of what most Californians really value: power, money, celebrity juice, airheaded spouse, so forth.

That said, Steinbeck's vision is a faded memory. Tom Joad's like in the CDC.

[bemildred]

22. Steinbeck's vision may be faded, but it was accurate, then and now. nt

[bridgit]

9. Well bless your heart

[Howardx]

10. we are now totally uncool

stay away.

[JuniperLea]

11. It sucks here; don't come

Nothing to see... move along... surfing sucks too... the beach in general just sucks... nothing cool here... stay out or you might catch it!

[dana_b]

25. right...

smog, fog, earthquakes, shark attacks - stay out!! oh, and we eat tourists.

[Independent_Voice]

12. Unfortunately, the Left Coast has its share of nutcases too

And enough of them convinced the wishy-washy soccer moms and NASCAR dad to go along with Proposition 8.

I still remember watching "the YES on 8" demonstrators holding their little signs along Reseda Blvd. back in October. They reminded me of zombies with indignant, sanctimonious facial expressions of silence plastered on their faces.

[Gulftrout]

17. California is still cool

California impressed me in a good way. Muir Woods, Golden Gate Bridge, Wine Country, Giants game, Saucilito etc. were part of a first vacation to your state. An uncool election result does not take away your coolness. Believe it or not there are cool people here in Texas. We're sorry that an AWOL, alcoholic, privileged, party boy became President and ruined our states image.

[junior college]

14. Please don't call it Cali

[ourbluenation]

15. Born and raised in in Cali...

and I call it Cali. No biggie.

[Throd]

16. No, please stop.

[LuckyLib]

19. Born and raised in California and never even dreamed of nicknaming it "Cali"!

[Caliman73]

21. How about Califas...?

People have different ways of names for the state they call home. To each there own.

[David Zephyr]

18. Love your post. It's spot on and needs to be said, but please...it's California.

Other than that, I love your OP.

--DZ

[mackerel]

20. I call it Cali, or Norcal if I'm being specific.

[mp9200]

26. I agree

We are true idiots for voting that meathead Arnie in.