After posting some lighter fair, I happy to share my next diary entry. This isn't so much about the failure of the gay marriage bill in the New York Senate, although like you, I am of course disappointed, and hopeful the bill will get another chance.

Instead, this diary is about surprise. It is about a new friend, hero and true American. Her name is Sen Diane Savino. And now, whenever I am nauseated by the conservative mad-lib boilerplate speeches and verbal salad of wing-nut women like Palin, Bachman or Coulter, I will only need to look at this clip to remind myself that all is not lost.

Watch as I did, in the following clip, as Sen. Diane Savino rips the whole right-wing anti-gay marriage agenda apart, point by point. That she does this will such passion, such conviction, such intelligence, not to mention a great New York sense of humor, makes it all the more amazing. I hope you'll agree.

I'm still digesting the failure of the gay marriage bill in the New York Senate. Shock and anger mingle with resignation. I mean, I know it's going to happen some day. But, on balance, I'm more angry than I am resigned. And even though, obviously, this is not an issue that has a personal effect on me, there are a million reasons to feel irate about it. I'm not going to list them here, because this speech by Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island) is an amazing summary of almost every reason why this bill should have passed.

In 2004, she was elected to represent the 23rd Senatorial District, encompassing the North Shore of Staten Island and portions of Brooklyn, including Borough Park, Coney Island, Bensonhurst, and Sunset Park.

In their endorsement of the Senator Savino, the New York Times described her as “scrappy and effective”. Her dedication to her constituents, earned her the Staten Island Advance’s “strongest endorsement for a third term”, saying “no lawmaker works harder and no lawmaker commits herself to the fight for her constituents more than Ms. Savino".

Senator Savino has passed important legislation, including a law that ended the 5-year statute of limitation on sexual assualt, a bill establishing a task force for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer, the Olive Oil Labeling Bill, which prohibits additives in virgin olive oil, the Prompt Pay Bill, which ensures prompt payment to construction contractors and their employees, a cost-of-living increase in the death benefit for widows and widowers of police officers and fire fighters killed in the line of duty.

And while we are on the subject of gay marriage, I thought this would be the perfect place to share this clip of Portia de Rossi. The last time de Rossi was on The View, a fire alarm saved the actress from having to talk about her personal life. You know, with the ladies. That was important, because she was still in the closet. This time around, she's an out actress — who still has tons of appeal among the straight male set. For obvious reasons. But because she's a gay actress, and a married one at that, she's a natural spokeswoman for civil rights. And she's a natural spokeswoman for the Elisabeth Hasselbeck Tries Making Points From a Place of Ignorance cause.

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