Laura's Detroit Blog

According to the Associated Press, the California Supreme Court this week overturned a state law that banned gay/lesbian marriage, thrusting the issue once again into the national spotlight. According to an editorial in the Detroit Free Press, the introduction of a proposal that would amend the California Constitution -- a move already undertaken by Michigan in 2004 -- limits the viability of the Supreme Court ruling, making it an empty exercise. That's true, however, only if the proposed amendment to the California Constitution is in fact adopted. California often breaks new ground. For instance, California was the first state to strike down a ban against inter-racial marriage in Perez v. Sharp in 1948, and the rest of the nation eventually followed.

Even if California adopts an amendment and the ruling only has a temporary effect, in the wake of so many states taking action to ban gay marriage, it reminds us that there is another point of view -- and we may need the reminder.

Last week, the Michigan's Supreme Court made a ruling of its own that interpreted Michigan's marriage amendment, finding that it went well beyond defining "marriage" in the state. In fact, the Michigan Supreme Court found that the amendment barred public employers from providing health care benefits to partners of gay and lesbian employees. The Michigan Supreme Court relied on the amendment's prohibition of a "similar union [to marriage] for any purpose" language for its decision.

Given the fact that Michigan's governor supports gay marriage, the 2004 amendment passed by a relatively narrow margin (59 percent), and the long-reaching effect of the amendment as demonstrated in the recent Michigan Supreme Court decision, do we as a state have any regrets? The ruling makes Michigan one of the most conservative states on the issue. Is this who we really are?

Would you vote for the amendment today knowing it went beyond defining marriage and would be used to bar civil unions and partners and children of gays/lesbians from receiving health care benefits?

Candidate visits and the text-message drama make the Detroit Metro Area a hotbed of politics these days. If you need a break, Canada provides some great alternatives for a weekend trip or driving vacation. Of course, there are some information you should know when traveling to Canada, including currency, identification requirements and tourist attractions.

Tuesday was a day of drama in the scandal surrounding Detroit and its mayor. Facing a vote by the city council that went well beyond the hollow gestures they’ve limited themselves to in the past, Kilpatrick allegedly considered resignation for the first time.

The moment, however, passed.

Unfortunately, there is no good option to the drama that keeps Detroit in a negative spotlight and the mayor and council submerged in muck:

• Innocent until proven guilty: A key principle that gets lost in the media coverage and drama is that Mayor Kilpatrick is innocent until proven guilty. This means that the process, like it not, must play out. Unfortunately, the process plays out to the detriment of the city, both in terms of image, revitalization momentum and time.
• Ouster by governor: An option often mentioned in articles about the text-messages scandal is that the Governor has the power to remove the mayor. Even so, it is rarely explored as a realistic alternative. The city council’s 5-4 vote to make a formal request to the Governor, however, puts more pressure on her regarding the situation. Frankly, a move to oust him on her part would open a Pandora’s box. Some of the principles at issue are Due Process and the state’s power over local governments. According to a Detroit Free Press article, city residents are split anyway about whether the governor should take a short cut through the process.
• Forfeiture proceedings: Up until now, the city council’s response to the scandal has been more about talk than action. Of course, it was the general consensus that the council had no real authority to oust the mayor anyway. Apparently, they found a loop hole in the form of forfeiture provisions in the city charter -- think impeachment. According to an article in the The Detroit News featuring the opinion of Larry Dubin, a law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy, the council has the authority to oust the mayor on the basis of his violation of city charter provisions. The problem is that the forfeiture provision is untried and the procedure nonexistent. The proceedings will also keep the council and mayor tied up in the scandal and will be open to attack from the mayor on appeal.
• Voluntary resignation: Councilwoman JoAnn Watson said it best after a long day of resolutions and drama. According to an article by Rochelle Riley in the Detroit Free Press, Watson is quoted as saying, “He said [resignation] would look like he was giving up,” she said. “I said no, it would look like he was stepping up. It acknowledges that the city is bigger than you.”

More information:

• Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's Track Record

Last May, Candidate Barack Obama spoke at Cobo Center to the Detroit Economic Club. His speech took aim at auto executives for delaying progress toward fuel efficiency –- remarks that were met with a luke-warm smattering of applause and criticism in the press.

For the first time since the fateful remarks, Obama returns to Michigan to campaign. His visit includes a tour of a stamping plant in Sterling Heights and a town-hall meeting at Macomb Community College. The audience will be workers invited to talk about economic issues.

The scuttlebutt in the press about the visit is that Obama faces an up-hill battle in the state following his May of 2007 remarks. Personally, I hope he doesn’t pull his punches. The attitude against Obama for his remarks smacks of shooting the messenger. The message may be one we don’t want to hear, but the sooner we acknowledge the need to develop better fuel-efficiency and alternate-fuel technologies, the sooner we can move forward. After all, according to the Detroit Free Press, all of the candidates support stricter fuel-efficiency standards. The difference may be that Senator Obama isn’t candy-coating his stance to woo Detroiters.

Granted, spring and summer aren't the seasons historically associated with professional football; but one of the most important events of the season occurred last week: the NFL Draft. New talent shapes the team's hopes and direction, and the Lions' picks were predominantly linemen. Check out the Lions' picks round by round and comment with your thoughts.

Senator McCain comes back to woo Metro Detroiters this week after a two month absence. On Tuesday evening, he held a fundraiser with Mitt Romney, the former Republican candidate. On Wednesday, he hosts a Town Hall Meeting at Shotwell-Gustafson Pavilion on the Oakland University campus in Rochester. Doors open at 8 a.m.

It may not be too late to RSVP. McCain's website has an RSVP form, but no confirmation is necessary. Want a few questions to ask? Check out Senator McCain's position, as well as the Democratic candidates' positions, on key Michigan issues.

Instead of focusing on environmental dangers and global catastrophe, Plymouth turned "going green" into a good time. Showcasing products, educating consumers and providing entertainment on two days in May made for a pleasant day, a unique shopping alternative and a realization that Luna bars are pretty good tasting in addition to being good for you. The turnout for the Green Street Fair was pretty good, so maybe "green" will become the new theme in festivals around the Detroit Metro area.

More information:

• Profile of Plymouth's Green Street Fair

Take a free ride on the carousel, rent a bike from the new Wheelhouse shop and sample some of the culinary offerings from the new RiverWalk Cafe. While the free food and rides stop at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, RiverWalk stays open for the season. Two and one-half miles along the Detroit River provide endless entertainment and recreation opportunity throughout the summer. For more information, check out the RiverWalk Profile and Things to Do: May 2008.

Detroit plays host to several speaking events this week. On Sunday, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, notable pastor to Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, made a speech at the NAACP's Freedom Fund Dinner. The entire speech is available on hiphopmusic.com and the transcript of it is available on CNN.com. On Wednesday evening, comedian Bill Cosby will host a town-hall meeting in Detroit regarding education and the economy to be aired on the local ABC affiliate, WXYZ-TV.

According to Newsmax.com and Texas on the Potomac blog, both Cosby and Reverend Wright grew up in Philadelphia's Germantown and attended Central High School; yet the two men have two very different points of view regarding race relations. While Cosby advocates against African Americans embracing victimhood, many perceive Reverend Wright as ratifying it. Is this the case? Are their messages in opposition?

Reverend Wright speaks in a "different" way. He speaks in a sermon-type tone, calls for a response from his audience and utilizes sometimes shocking and definitely attention-grabbing examples that are immediately taken up by the media as sound bites. He does, however, repeat his main theme over and over again, so it is a real mystery how the media got hung up on some of the analogies used in Sunday's speech and managed to miss the point of what Reverend Wright was actually saying.

At the NAACP dinner, Reverend Wright pointed out that there are a lot of differences between people. He illustrated the differences in example after example as he explained, "It is just different. Different does not mean deficient." His speech probably served as the best example. While his manner and extreme examples are different from other speakers, they do not automatically make his underlying message wrong, racist or divisive.

Given the controversy Reverend Wright continues to stir and his recent speech in Detroit, it will be interesting to see if Bill Cosby will make comment on Reverend Wright during the Detroit town hall meeting. Considering their perceived differences, Cosby's take on Reverend Wright and his message could be illuminating. Listening to the different points of view of the two men, not just the sensational sound bites in the news, might just make us think in a new way about an old issue.

What do you think?

I opened Forbes list of the worst-selling housing markets with a sense of resignation. Detroit manages to make it onto most of the negative surveys and lists lately; and, given our recent history as foreclosure king, Detroit's presence on the list seemed inevitable.

Surprise. Not only are we absent from the list, we are not even referenced in the article. What does this mean? According to the article, it means that our housing market is not as sedentary as San Diego, Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami. Maybe things are looking up, including sale rates and housing prices.

That's not the only good news. Detroit and/or its suburbs ranks high on a lot of lists that measure more positive attributes, like best sports city and most generous.