This decentralized, informal, grassrootsy approach has been fun, but it's also increasingly confusing -- and, we worry, irrelevant. Dan Savage observed last week that the movement is still crippled by its lack of clear, attainable goals; and, he pointed out, "Not every idea is a good one." Meanwhile, Rex Wockner found weak messaging at a candelight vigil ("the pretend nuns in face paint likely added to the confusion") and Peter Staley loves Join The Impact's verve but laments that their disconnectedness and slowing momentum is leaving them with barely any impact to be joined.

The bottom line: all that post-election post- momentum is running out of steam as the crowd gradually drifts away from the movement, leaving only the hard-core activists behind.

So, those upcoming protests? We predict that they'll be attended by ever-fewer people as they drag into February and "regular people" find new things to care about. Rex Wockner says that "the method by which it was organized (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blogs, e-mail, text-messaging) can be reactivated in minutes whenever the moment strikes," but that doesn't strike us as being accurate. You can try to reactivate the network, but the shrinking attendance at events since the election seems to indicate that response, over time, will diminish.

It was over a month ago that we observed a fatal aimlessness to the protests. The SF protests in November ended with a band of misguided weirdos blocking traffic in the Castro, and we hate to say it, but it looks like we're seeing the same thing happen on a national scale.

So what's the solution? Go back to Dan Savage's, Rex Wockner's, and Peter Staley's posts -- they've got all the information you need. To sum up:

- Agree on some clear, attainable goals.
- Make it clear to everyone what you're doing; and provide status updates.
- Shoot down the bad ideas.
- Write honest postmortems -- and don't pat yourself on the back every five minutes.
- Drop the nationwide, one-size-fits-all-communities actions in favor of specific, targeted, customized campaigns that can push the ball forward.
- Focus on states where gay marriage is attainable in the next five years: California and the northeast.
- Get off the web and organize in real life.

That last one, we feel, is the most vital point; without real-life organizing, none of the other points can happen. See you at Equality Camp!

Disclosure: SFist_Matt is the creator of Stop8.org, does a bunch of behind-the-scenes marriage-equality organizing.

This news is, of course, insane, but a new poll indicates that Prop 8 is pulling ahead. If it wins, then a group of Utah Mormons will have seized control of the California Constitution, giving themselves the power to veto any California marriage they want. Like we said: it's insane.

So, what can you do? Plenty. Start by calling everyone you know RIGHT NOW to tell them that this is the big one. This is the election in which anyone who cares about civil rights absolutely MUST vote. You have until October 20 to register -- do it now. And make sure every person you know is registered, too.

And when you tell them about Prop 8, here's some talking points: Namely, that Prop 8 is a bunch of lies.

- They say it'll protect kids from learning about gay marriage in schools, but it won't.

- They say it'll protect churches from lawsuits, but it won't. (Marriage bans actually restrict free exercise; California clergy call them "excessive government entanglement.")

- They say it'll strengthen marriage, but it won't -- you can't "save" marriage by giving control to one religious group so they can arbitrarily withhold it. Prop 8 means more unmarried couples, and less protection for the 52,000 California families with kids.

- They say that Californians supported a marriage ban in 2000 -- but this is different. Unlike last time, Prop 8 introduces a brand new limit on marriage. And this time, the marriage ban had to come from out-of-state because Californians don't want it.

So. There you go. Get to work.

Disclosure: SFist_Matt is hard at work on a website and some videos that explain just how awful Prop 8 is. So, he's not exactly neutral on the subject.

While Sarah Palin held her own last night during last night's debate, more or less, and Joe Biden shed an effeminate tear that touched millions, both team McCain-Palin and team Barack-Biden bit it hard when it came to human rights. Take, for example, their stances against same-sex marriage, which both candidates, it seems, are 100% against. (But Palin doesn't mind the queers doing her hair and makeup; she's very "tolerant" of people, you see. All of them.)

And what with those cheap Yes on Prop 8 commercials bashing Mayor Newsom -- featuring Pepperdine University law professor Richard M. Peterson, who, according to his bio, "has more than thirty years experience working with adolescents and teenagers in a variety of capacities including service as a director of youth organizations for his church, athletic coach, adult leader for various troops of the Boy Scouts of America, and has taught numerous religious classes." What? Just saying is all. -- we think this is a perfect time to revisit efforts to strike down Proposition 8, the anti-marriage Constitutional amendment. Because, in the words of Mattymatt, "Who knows what kind of 'impure' unions they'll target next? This is an important showdown for all of us: gay, straight, and whatever."

How can you help? Find out after the jump. Please.

Prop 8 would stop healthy, committed couples from marrying, and it sucks. Fortunately, everyone knows that it sucks -- its opponents include the Governor, various mayors, elected judges, school boards, Democrats and Republicans, city councils, Jews, Mormons, Anglicans, oh and also a majority of Californians. So where are the yes-on-8 people getting their money? From out-of-state interlopers.

A group called "Californians Against Hate" released a list of the major donors to the "Yes on Proposition 8" organization. Of the top ten donors, $4,478,381.43 came from non-Californians; only $1,168,000 came from within the state. Of all the nerve! Imagine if we wandered over to their states and spent four million dollars to vote on THEIR marriages. Check out Californians Against Hate to see which of our neighbors are trying to take away marriage.

And have you heard about how one of Prop 8's big backers was accused of being a shady "charity" with its hands all tied up in tax evasion, spending most of its donations on its leaders' own salaries? Why are we not surprised.

So what can you do? Vote, for fuck's sake. Give to the No On 8 campaigns. And give lots. It's important. Also, SFist_Matt's Stop8.org project is still looking for photos of people holding "no on 8" signs -- gay or straight, anywhere in the world. Because as we've learned, you don't have to live in California to take an interest in California politics.