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.

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.