Mmm, chocolate.

I have been such a bad, bad kid today, foodwise. Not only did I ignore my free, healthy lunch packed away in the refrigerator in lieu of running off to chinese buffet with my coworker, but I have now used some of my chinese buffet change to procure a Hershey bar from the machine downstairs. All I can say is this: Being bad tastes so frickin' good. Mmmmm.

I have a lot of aggravation over the President and his State of the Union Address. However, I would rather diffuse this angry energy by trading ridiculous emails back and forth with my coworkers. The three of us have spent the last two days mocking one of the Guardians Ad Litem at the family courthouse. Let me tell you, when you're irritated about the state of affairs in your world, it helps to glut your agency's email system with poems about Hair Helmets. [dr. evil]In the spring, we made meat helmets.[/dr. evil]

I have to meet a client for the first time in half an hour. I suppose I should go get all of the necessary forms. After I eat this delicious chocolate and send another email...

Ohio Senate Approves Gay-Marriage Ban

Ohio Senate Approves Gay-Marriage Ban
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a measure banning gay marriage and prohibiting state employees from getting benefits for domestic partners.

The bill is considered among the most far-reaching in the nation because of the benefits ban, which applies to unmarried heterosexual and homosexual couples.

The Senate passed the legislation on an 18-15 vote Wednesday. The House has already approved the bill and Gov. Bob Taft has said he will sign it, pending a legal review.

The measure says same-sex marriages are "against the strong public policy of the state," and aims to counter a 1934 U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring states to recognize marriages from other states in most circumstances.

Thirty-seven states have passed laws recognizing marriage as a sacrament between men and women.

Ohio is the second state, after Nebraska, that would prohibit benefits for state employees' unmarried partners, said Seth Kilbourn, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based gay and lesbian lobbying group.

Ohio lawmakers struggled with the issue for seven years, when then-Rep. Jay Hottinger introduced a bill in the House. Hottinger, now a senator, said the bill was not an attack on homosexuals but rather meant to protect a traditional definition of marriage.

"Ohio must be able to clearly establish and define our own laws rather than have another state or country define something as important as marriage," said Hottinger, a Republican.

Sen. Eric Fingerhut, a Cleveland Democrat, said the bill will hurt Ohio by limiting the ability of businesses and universities to attract talented people.

"If we pass this bill, get up tomorrow and look in the mirror," Fingerhut said. "Smiling back at you is someone who has slowed Ohio's progress by putting up a sign to people that says, 'We don't want you here.'"

The vote came despite opposition by some large companies. Dayton-based NCR Corp. sent a letter to lawmakers Dec. 12 saying the bill could hurt the company's ability to attract and retain employees.

Similar bills have been introduced in each session since Hottinger first introduced the legislation. But former Senate President Richard Finan, a Republican, blocked its passage. He said state law already took care of the matter.

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I guess I can stop writing letters. Nearly four years after I moved here, the asshats have finally won. :(