I live in CA and spent a lot of time in Iowa as a child. The reason the Mormons can get away with their BS is that CA is very diverse — all colors, all races, all religions, etc. Iowa is white bread, by and large.

Hopefully, I am correct and if the Mormons try anything, they will be kicked out, quickly.

With special Guest Star Pete (”You can Thank ME for Don’t Ask/ Don’t Tell”)Williams.

Although, I have to wonder at the shock expressed by some of the commentary here and elsewhere – we’re a pretty blue state. Sure, we’ve got some crazy conservative types (Steve King & the people who voted for Huckabee) but I like to think that the vast majority of us are a little more humanistic. (The major exception to this is of course police/media racism against Blacks/Hispanics, which is sadly quite prevalent.) Hell, we have Maharishi University! And the low-cost women’s health clinic in Iowa City is named after Emma Goldman. We’re not Berkeley, but we’re sure as shit not Phoenix, either.

Forget California. As Iowa goes, so goes the nation.

As Iowa slowly slips into the Pacific we all wonder if California will follow.

As Iowa’s trade with Pacific-rim countries grows we all wonder if California might ever catch up.

As Iowan immigrants increase in number and use more and more health care and other social services we will all remember that after them comes California and their infamous immigrant Oregonians.

Could be could be.

Tomorrow, the fundie wingnuts will be frothing at the mouth, and shame will return.

The California case, for instance, is specifically drawn to exclude all federal interests; it’s only a state case, based on state law and the constitution, and there’s no foreseeable recourse to the federal level.

And that’s probably for the best until we have a Democratic president in a position to replace one or more of the wingnuts among the US Supremes.