theSun | FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7 2008
news without borders
California bans same-sex marriage
SAN FRANCISCO: California and two other
states voted in Tuesday’s elections to ban same-
sex marriage, overturning a right given to gays
and lesbians in the liberal, trend-setting state
just months ago in state court.
But in an indication of the complex cultural
map drawn on Tuesday, voters also rejected
limits on abortion in South Dakota and Colorado
in a loss for social conservatives as the country
elected its first black president, Barack Obama.
Voters in Florida and Arizona joined California
in banning same-sex marriages, adding to the
list of dozens of states with similar laws.
Obama, won California and Florida. Rival John
McCain won his home state of Arizona, which in
2006 rejected a ban on same-sex marriage.
Tony Perkins, president of the conservative
Family Research Council which worked for anti-
gay marriage measures, said the votes showed
Obama’s mandate is for economic policy, “not a
radical social policy.”
Newspapers score
big on election day
WASHINGTON: It was a good day to be in
the newspaper business. The historic Nov 5
editions proclaiming Barack Obama’s White
House victory flew off the newsstands and
major newspapers struggled to keep up with
the demand for copies.
Those who didn’t rise early enough or
who lacked the foresight to keep up their
subscriptions to the print editions could find
them online, but at a steep price. By early
on Wednesday evening, nearly 800 sellers
REUTERS
A woman looks at a
newspaper with headline
story on Barack Obama in
central Stockholm yesterday.
briefs
US comedians sharpen claws
for Obama presidency
NEW YORK: They love him now, but America’s
razor-tongued, left-leaning comedians say presi-
dent-elect Barack Obama will soon be the butt
of jokes.
Satirical cartoonist Ted Rall said he couldn’t
wait to move on from Republican President
George W. Bush.
“Making fun of George Bush is so easy – it’s
just kindergarten stuff,” Rall complained at a post-
election comedy discussion panel on Wednesday.
“Doing Obama is going to be so much more
fun.”
Political humor enjoys something of a golden
age in the United States after a presidential
campaign where TV shows like Saturday Night
Live not only made fun of news, but made news.
Most comedians are strongly Democratic and
their juiciest targets were Republicans, especially
Sarah Palin, the Alaskan “ice hockey mom” cho-
15
“What lost last night was the Republican
Party, but it was not a rejection of traditional or
moral values, because you have two states that
voted for Barack Obama – Florida and California
– that also passed the marriage amendments.”
California’s Supreme Court declared same-
sex marriage a right in May, unleashing a flood
of weddings. But the state’s voters changed its
constitution to rescind the right after one of the
most expensive ballot campaigns in history in
which both sides raised roughly US$70 million
(RM204 million).
At least three groups on Wednesday launched
legal challenges to the California ban with the
state’s supreme court. Debates also erupted on
whether same-sex marriages over the last six
months would be recognised.
Backers of same-sex marriage said they
were consoled by the victory of Obama who has
reached out to the gay community and supports
civil unions, but not gay marriage. – Reuters
offered copies for sale on eBay.
Print newspapers have seen declining
readership in recent years, forcing cutbacks,
as more readers turn to Internet sources
for news. But on such a historic occasion,
traditional newspapers had their day.
“This kind of demand for our papers is
unlike anything we’ve experienced in recent
history,” Tribune Co chief operating officer
Randy Michaels said in a statement.
“This is a clear indication that people
continue turning to their local newspaper to
help them understand the news of the day,
and that is true with big events,” he said.
The New York Times and The Washington
Post put out special commemorative
editions when readers clamoured for more
– there just weren’t enough to go around.
Newspapers in San Francisco, Denver
and Chicago reported selling out and also
printed special editions. Thousands of extra
copies were printed in Baltimore, Hartford,
Connecticut, and Orlando, Florida.
Bids on eBay for The New York Times
with its headline “Obama” were up to
US$400 (RM1,194) by early Wednesday
evening. The Post’s “Obama Makes History”
edition was bid up to US$41 (RM147.60).
Meanwhile, more than 71 million
Americans tuned in to see Tuesday’s climax
to the historic US presidential campaign
on television, far more than watched
prime-time returns from the last two White
House races, figures released on Wednesday
showed. – Reuters
sen as vice president on John McCain’s defeated
ticket. Now Obama, who takes office in January,
is in the firing line. – AFP
Two ‘skinheads’ charged in
alleged Obama plot
WASHINGTON: Two white supremacists
have been charged with allegedly plotting
to assassinate Barack Obama and violating
federal gun laws, court documents said on
Wednesday.
Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman,
18, were charged by a federal grand jury in
the southern state of Tennessee on seven
counts, officials said.
They were arrested last month for plotting
a killing spree of African-Americans, including
now President-elect Obama, officials said.
“The indictment against defendants Cowart
and Schlesselman alleges several violations
of federal firearms laws and threats against
a presidential candidate,” said Lawrence
Laurenzi, acting US attorney for the Western
District of Tennessee.
The charges carry penalties of five to 10
years in prison. – AFP