It's "go" time.

Hey folks, it's me again. I've been staying pretty busy, as if that wasn't obvious by the gap since the last time I posted. My back is holding up well. Work is keeping my occupied. My wife is busy and stressed out but still liking her new job better than the last one.

I'm writing today on the offhand chance you will read this, and you are still undecided about the election next week. I don't think it's hyperbole to say this is the most important election of my lifetime, and I wanted to elaborate a little on a couple of issues.

I have been on the Barack Obama bandwagon since March. This is not news. Nothing I say will make you switch your vote if you are in McCain's corner, and I suspect most of my readers are already in Obama's, so I won't get into the rationale.

What I will say is this: we Obama supporters cannot afford to get cocky. The polls have our guy leading, but they are just polls - we have to get out there and vote for the man. If the projections on TV have Obama running away with it, don't be complacent and stay home, because your candidates and propositions in state and local elections will suffer.

Which brings me to my second concern: the controversial Proposition 8. People have strong religious beliefs about homosexuality, and I can understand that. But contrary to what Prop 8 proponents would have you believe, this law is not about protecting marriage or our children. It's about discrimination, plain and simple.

Look, I'm Catholic, so I'll use the Catholic Church as an example. The Catholic Church does not allow gay marriage, even if the state of California does. In the eyes of the Church, any marriage that doesn't take place in the Church doesn't count - whether the couple is gay or not. So Prop 8 is not going to change anything in that respect.

As far as schools go, what happened in Massachusetts (and what is exploited in the television ads) can't happen in California. Sexual education, including talking about marriage, is voluntary. Parents can ask to have their kids excluded from such instruction.

Sure, gay couples have civil unions. Isn't that the same thing as "separate but equal"? Why are people so threatened by civil wedding ceremonies between people in love? I just don't see what the big deal is.

The reason I feel so strongly about voting No on Prop 8 stems from my education at UC Berkeley. As a person of mixed racial heritage, I learned about anti-miscegenation laws used to prevent people of different races from getting married. Throughout history, Americans have created laws to discriminate against people who are different from themselves. In this case, I really don't see a difference. Proposition 8 is about denying basic rights to a group of people based on their sexual orientation, and that is just wrong.

Prior to this year, I had never contributed to a political campaign. But in this important election, I contributed to both these causes, as well as a third: our friend Dillon Delvo, who is running in Stockton as an incumbent on the school board. I have never been this excited about an election, nor as nervous - I've literally been praying for these causes for the last three weeks.

On Tuesday, vote Obama/Biden. No on Prop 8. If you live in his district, Delvo for SUSD. Let's make this happen.