I know Blue Blood members are from all over the world, so this won’t apply to everyone. But, if you are an American, it is your patriotic and civic responsibility to vote. Please don’t forget. With the current state of the American economy, how you vote for both candidates and issues will impact you directly. This is not an election where you can just think one vote does not matter or assume that the outcome will only impact strangers in foreign lands. Whether you will be able to take care of yourself personally is on the line.

This year, in addition to the much bally-hooed presidential race, there are many really important referendums on many state ballots. In California, the fight over Prop 8 has been a more expensive campaign than any other campaign in 2008, except for the presidential race. This includes senate seats and everything. Proposition 8 is “Shall the California Constitution be changed to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry providing that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California?” Personally, I tend to be opposed to just about anything which includes anything about changing the Constitution of either the USA or California. I do not believe the government should be involved in defining the spiritual aspects of civil unions, so I think, as far as the government is concerned, all legally-binding romantic partnerships should be civil unions. Whether specific couples are a particular combination of genders or religions should be none of the state’s business. Nonetheless, one has to vote on the referendum one is offered.

Get your ballot! Street Address: Zip Code: Your address is confidential. From the League of Women Voters of California

If you live in a state other than California, New York, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, key in just your zip code or state postal code and it will return information about election information for your state. If you live in California, New York, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, use the Smart Voter form above. Zip code:

Please read your local referendums carefully. Sometimes, it may be obvious to you what your position is on a hot-button issue like abortion or animal cruelty, but you need to parse out whether that means you want to vote NO or YES. If, like me, you fervently support the right of same-sex couples to marry, for example, then you need to vote NO on Prop 8.

You can confidentially type your street address and zip code into the box at the right to find out what is on your local ballot. The League of Women Voters have provided a site which lists off what is on each ballot. By looking at this site, and also reviewing more sites with information on issues important to you, you can determine how you wish to vote before you arrive at the polls today. Most polls are open from 7am to 8pm in your local time zone’s time. Don’t forget about daylight savings time having happened over the weekend. You can find your voting location via a link off your ballot page on the Smart Voter site provided by the League of Women Voters. For states not listed on the Smart Voter site, Vote Smart has a lot of state referendums listed on their useful ballot measures page too.

When the feminist publications like Feministe and the rock publications like AntiQuiet, and the news overlords like MSNBC all agree on something, it is safe to assume the topic is something as definite as the sky is generally blue. In this instance, pretty much everyone agrees that famous homophobe Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” video is a lot like a tremendously sucky version of a Girls Gone Wild set up.

More than a decade ago, Jill Sobule sang a bouncy tune, of the same name, about a woman who is titillated and unsure and excited about the new experience of having kissed another woman. Neither video shows a lot of lip-locking because both were intended for MTV airplay and, as a society, we tend to still view same sex kisses as potentially unsuitable material for kids. I think there will come a time when the idea of two women kissing being scandalous is as quaint as the idea of two people with different ethnic or racial backgrounds kissing is now. Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal, recently had to work on their legislation because they had some old laws on the books to prevent black/white couples from other states from using Massachusetts to legitimize their otherwise illegal unions.

Because progress really can and does happen on so many fronts, the lameness of third wave feminism never ceases to disappoint me. If Katy Perry thinks it will turn guys on to tell them that she had a dream about kissing a girl, but, like, ew, not that she’d ever really do that . . . well, it probably will turn guys on.

Most guys I know, who would freak if their girl made out with another guy, think they will be just fine with it if she makes out with another girl. In real life, guys often beg to see this and then get really upset when the opportunity actually arises. Like it never crossed their minds that the chicks might actually be into each other, so then they get belatedly jealous. Personally, I think the swinger relationship model is at least internally consistent, but it is just silly to have the notion that it is totally cool for your girlfriend to kiss other girls, so long as she doesn’t like it. The idea of chicks kissing chicks because they really want to kiss a guy and need to get his attention . . . well, I guess I just think it is better to be more goal-directed towards what you really want.

Gentlemen, before your girlfriend starts kissing girls, decide whether or not you are cool with swinging. In most cases, the other party having a vagina doesn’t really mean it does not count, unless you are making your darling do something she hates. Of course, there is also the possibility that your girl is indifferent one way or the other to whomever she fools around with. To her, getting down with anyone may not be worthy of a musical anthem because it is a matter of some indifference and just really no big deal. This may include doing it with you.

Ladies, do not ever plant your beautiful sexy lips on anyone who would sing a song which manages to be sexist, male-bashing, and homophobic like “Ur So Gay”. Katy Perry does not deserve your kisses.