Maryland House PASSES Marriage Bill

The Maryland House of Delegates has passed its marriage equality bill by a vote of 71-67. The bill now goes to the state Senate. Gov. Martin O'Malley has pledged to sign the bill should it reach his desk.

EARLIER: The chamber has reconvened and the feed is live now.

EARLIER: Here we go again. Listen live here. Things are supposed to start up at 12:30pm Eastern and you'll have to refresh the page to get the "play" button once they turn the feed on.

Christie Vetoes Marriage Bill

Lambda Legal

"We are disappointed that Governor Christie did not do what is right for New Jersey families, but we are not discouraged," said Hayley Gorenberg, Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director. "There are many roads to justice, and Governor Christie's veto is an unfortunate detour to marriage equality for New Jersey's same-sex couples and their families. We'll continue to make our case for equality with our plaintiffs in court. We also stand by our colleagues at Garden State Equality, working to gain support for a veto override in the legislature."

GLAAD

“Today, Governor Christie abandoned a majority of New Jersey voters, as well as the officials elected to represent them, who believe that every committed couple should be able to marry the person they love,” said Mike Thompson, Acting President of GLAAD. “As public support for marriage equality continues to grow, however, we are hopeful that the state legislature will continue its work to provide loving gay and lesbian couples with the vital protections that only marriage can afford.”

Freedom To Marry

By vetoing the bill that would ensure that all loving, committed New Jersey couples and their families can share in the freedom to marry, with all its protections and meaning, Governor Christie planted his feet firmly on the wrong side of history. Fortunately, his ‘no’ will not be America’s – or New Jersey’s – last word. It is simply an obstacle we overcome as we continue on the road to liberty and justice for all. Freedom to Marry will work steadily over the next months – and throughout the entire remainder of the legislative session, as necessary – supporting local families, leaders, and advocates as they make the case to their lawmakers and win the extra handful of votes needed to override the veto and do right by all families.

BREAKING: DOJ Won't Defend Laws That Block Benefits For Gay Military Couples

Talking Points Memo has a major scoop from the DOJ.

The Obama Justice Department has concluded that legislation banning same-sex couples from receiving military and veterans benefits violates the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment and will no longer defend the statute in court, Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a letter to Congressional leaders on Friday.

“The legislative record of these provisions contains no rationale for providing veterans’ benefits to opposite-sex couples of veterans but not to legally married same-sex spouses of veterans,” Holder wrote. “Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Veterans Affairs identified any justifications for that distinction that would warrant treating these provisions differently from Section 3 of DOMA.”

Obviously this latest move will cause an immediate firestorm of condemnation and wailing from the enemies of civil equality. HURRAY!

EL PASO: Hate Group Loses Bid To Recall Mayor Over Domestic Partners Law

A coalition of anti-gay Christian groups headed by Pastor Tom Brown (above) has lost their bid to recall El Paso Mayor John Cook over the domestic partners insurance provision he ordered reinstated. The reason that the haters lost? They cheated.

The Eighth Court of Appeals on Friday unanimously ruled that the recall group had violated the law in its petition drive. The court ordered Municipal Clerk Richarda Momsen to decertify the recall petitions and ruled that no recall election using them can be held. The order states, "Having instructed the City Clerk to decertify the petitions, no election thereon may be called or held." The court also ruled that County Court 3 Judge Javier Alvarez abused his discretion in denying Cook's request for an injunction. "The trial court was required to apply the law to the facts. We find the trial court failed to do so here," the order states. Pastor Tom Brown, Word of Life Church and others are trying to recall Cook and City Reps. Susie Byrd and Steve Ortega because all three officials voted to restore health benefits for gay and unmarried partners of city employees after voters passed a ballot initiative in November 2010 repealing them.

The 2010 ballot initiative was so badly worded that it not only rescinded domestic partners provisions, it ended such benefits for retired police and fire department employees.

Nuke Your Nabe

Via NPR here's a handily terrifying interactive map where you can test-bomb nukes on your neighborhood.

The explosion creates a series of concentric circles, color-coded to show the zone where everything is incinerated, the space where most things get emulsified or crushed, the space where radiation is lethal, the space where people are poisoned by radiation, the space where they are badly burned — concentric circles of destruction. The effects are chilling and fascinating. When I tried out some of the more powerful bombs, I was stunned by their destructive power. I had no idea.

When it comes down to it, I've always been in the "the living will envy the dead" camp. I'd rather be instantaneously vaporized than live without expanded cable. So to speak.

#1 Twenty Years Ago Today

Neil Young probably never envisioned having a #1 dance chart hit, but two years after its initial 1990 UK release, America met a pre-Sarah Cracknell Saint Etienne via their cover.

Birds Of A Feather

The evil mayor of Troy, Michigan loves Frothy.