Recent News Nuggets

Art Fettig – The old Sears Roebuck Catalog used in so many outhouses in the 1930’s often had three different models of products listed in price as Good, Better and Best.

Plaintiffs Attending the Wedding of Suzanne Cummins and Holly Mitchell

“I personally think eventually this will be very positive for the state of Arizona,” Pochert said. “If we win this case, I think our real work begins, and that’s that process of healing. I think it’s going to take a couple of years or even longer for people to realize the impact of the decision. I think people will realize nothing has really changed. We’ve created another layer in society that’s a little more stable.”

Art Fettig – I ran into a lady at Walmart’s I hadn’t seen for a while and she said to me, “What do you think, Art, do you think we will survive 2018?”

Art Fettig – As I typed out “January 1st, 2018” I had a sort of historic feeling. I began my job with the Grand Trunk Western Railroad early in 1948 and worked for them until 1983.

Art Fettig – As I typed out “January 1st, 2018” I had a sort of historic feeling. I began my job with the Grand Trunk Western Railroad early in 1948 and worked for them until 1983.

Art Fettig – “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”  I keep thinking about how I prayed for peace when I was on the front lines in Korea.

Art Fettig – “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”  I keep thinking about how I prayed for peace when I was on the front lines in Korea.

Art Fettig – As I look out my office window here in Hillsborough, North Carolina I see a Winter Weather Land. It is beautiful.

Art Fettig – Did you ever look back on your life and ask yourself, “What if I had done things differently?” I just looked at what I had written and started snickering to myself.

Art Fettig – I guess you could say that Father Skiffington, S.J. was my first Mentor. He was my English teacher in my junior year at the University of Detroit High School. 

Art Fettig – One of my fondest memories as a speaker was the time I was called in by General Foods Management Club to substitute for Ewell Gibbons, a natural food TV celebrity. I lived right there In Battle Creek, Michigan where the meeting was to be held.

A 1950 black  Ford Tudor, loaded with extras. A radio, heater and white wall tires. I bought it on my 21st  birthday, July 5, 1950 and paid cash for it, $1,200.

“America’s worst poet” – that’s how Hillsborough’s Art Fettig once heard himself reviewed on a radio show with Earl Nightingale.

Art Fettig – When I was in my Junior year as a student at the University of Detroit High school, I was the Staff Poet for our student newspaper called The Cub.

Art Fettig – We live about where Interstate 40 joins Interstate 85 and they move along together for a bit.

Did you ever dip into the meaning of the word “Synergism” synergism (noun) the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.  Ever so often when I encounter that word I have a flood of good memories gushing into my mind.

Art Fettig – Hymn sing. Yes, at our little church on a recent Sunday Morning we celebrated a good old fashioned Hymn Sing. No sermon. No preachin’.

Art Fettig – We’d experienced a memorable cruise of the Caribbean and we were spending a few days in San Juan.

Greg Brayton – Talk about synergism!-the act of taking two elements and creating something else-, it was like my teaming up with Greg in a joint effort and doing magic math.

Art Fettig – You can say a lot about occupations and their worth but some days I’d trade you five lawyers, three doctors, forty seven psychiatrists and at least one nuclear scientist for just one strong, seasoned plumber.

Art Fettig – Sitting here in our peaceful home located in Hillsborough, North Carolina half way between the Blue Ridge mountains and the Atlantic Ocean watching weather reports recently as I have gone through varying degrees of interest

Art Fettig – Once again there seems to be a whole lot of anger and hatred traveling around this nation of ours.

Art Fettig’s Monday Morning Memo  August …

Once again there seems to be a whole lot of anger and …

On February 17, 1998 I was a guest speaker at the Florence Crane Women’s Facility, A Maximum Security Prison. This story that follows is about that day.

Art Fettig – I saw it listed in a senior’s programs booklet. “Share Your Songs”. I drove over to Chapel Hill to their Senior Center and met two young (by my standards but old by most’s,) gentlemen with guitars.

Art Fettig – In 1973 I had my first book published.  I went to church one morning and they had a guest speaker who was endeavoring to sell us subscriptions to Liguorian Magazine.

Although not currently available on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s website, there are nine cameras that now monitor traffic along the critical route into the City of Maricopa.

Art Fettig – I made a presentation yesterday afternoon and this morning I am still examining how I put that talk together.

This program allows citizens and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the Maricopa Police Department. When a crime occurs, we will be able to identify the locations of video surveillance systems and enlist the assistance of citizens to help us collect video evidence.

Art Fettig – I was just sitting here thinking of the bosses I have had in my life. I guess you might say that every person I ever worked for was, in a way, a boss.

Art Fettig – Did you ever do anything really stupid?  Things that cost you dearly?  Maybe you lost a friend or a lover or a job or a career because of your stupidity.

Anchor, reporter. References: Facebook…

Jean and I will have been married over 90 years as you read this. (Not all of those years to each other.) I was married 39 years previously and she was 35 years. May 19th we will have been married 16 years together. We met online.

Jean and I will have been married over 90 years as you read this. (Not all of those years to each other.) I was married 39 years previously and she was 35 years.

Art Fettig – I was looking through some of my older poems just recently and came upon the following. Somehow it sounded like something we might think about today.

Art Fettig – On a scale from one to ten how would you rate your lifetime achievements so far?

Art Fettig – Recently I looked at the date on my computer and it read April 9th. Memories came gushing into my mind.

Art Fettig – My daughter, Nancy was on the phone today from California and I was at my computer and the small drawer on my computer table was open.

Art Fettig – Squirrels climbed up under the hood of my Ford Escape and chewed up a mess of wires again. AAA sent out one of those long, long hydraulic flatbed rigs to move it to a repair shop. It looked like overkill to me.

Art Fettig – I went to prison last night here in Hillsborough. It took about fourteen months to get me through that gate but it was worth it.

Art Fettig – I’ve been on a binge for over a month now and it just beginning to show some positive results. I’ve been working on a booklet tentatively titled “Stuff I Wrote”.

Art Fettig – Watching the squirrels recently was such a treat for wife Jean that I asked her to share with you what was going on. Here is her wonderful, in depth report.

Adam Polaski from Freedom for all Americans writes, “Carl Mangold is something of an expert in helping people better understand themselves, their feelings, and the world around them.

Vince Wade – Martin Scorsese’s new gangster film epic, “The Irishman” would seem to be a slam-dunk winner. It has an all-star cast, featuring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. It showcases state-of-the-art special effects which have “de-aged” De Niro and Pacino. And Scorsese is widely regarded as one of the best directors in Hollywood. But the film has one big problem. The film story line is not true.

Alia Beard Rau writes for the Arizona Republic and AZCentral.com, “U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick has ordered Arizona to pay $200,000 in legal fees in one of the two cases that challenged the state’s ban on same-sex couples marrying.

U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick has ordered Arizona to pay $200,000 in legal fees in one of the two cases that challenged the state’s ban on same-sex couples marrying. And the costs for Arizona to defend its law defining marriage as between only a man and a woman could get much, much higher. The order came in the Connolly vs. Roche case, which attorney Shawn Aiken filed in January 2014 on behalf of several individuals and couples, including Joe Connolly and his husband Terry Pochert.

Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes from KTAR …

News-Herald – Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Diandra Markgraff and Michelle McManimon from the Arizona Daily Sun wrote, “There was excitement in the Flagstaff air after the U.S. Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry in all 50 states.

June 26, 2015, ended up being a great day for the kids as well. Kids celebrate with their Dads and Moms, knowing their relationships are firm and solid. There is nothing better than to see families rejoicing in this SCOTUS decision.

Today the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States decided marriage equality cases before them from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Today is a victory for same sex couples. Same sex couple relationships are equal to and deserve the same treatment as opposite-sex couples.

Cummings and Mitchel Wedding Suzanne Cummins (left) …

After the courts ruled that Marriage Equality is legal in Arizona as of October 17, 2014, Mason and Chris who were also among the lead plaintiffs in that lawsuit now fight to make sure they have complete and equal rights as adoptive parents to their three children.

In January of 2014, Joseph Connolly (above right) and Terry Pochert (above left) were the first couple in Arizona to file a lawsuit to remove the state’s ban on same-gender marriage. In October of that same year, U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick did just that, declaring Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, immediately ordering the state not to enforce it.

Our lawyer, Shawn Aiken, received the Human Rights Campaign Arizona’s Corporate Equality Award on behalf of his firm, Aiken Schenk Attorneys at Law. Shawn and his team fought tirelessly for Marriage Equality here in Arizona.

Fair warning: these blogs won’t be a “quick read.” In a world accustomed to 140-character tweets and 160-character text messages many, perhaps most, of these blogs will exceed a thousand words, sometimes a lot more. Thanks to the exponential growth of mass media, 24/7 news coverage and the endless short-burst chatter on the Internet we’ve become a society with the attention span of a gnat on amphetamines. If that describes you, this blog isn’t for you.

Moving Arizona Forward was the theme of the 2015 HRC Gala held in Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands attend to celebrate achievements of those of supported many of the LGBT issues through the past year including Shawn Aiken, the lawyer of filed the first lawsuit to bring marriage equality to Arizona.

With Attorney Heather Macre, David Chane, Clark Rowley, Chris Devine, Mason Hite and their children.

Document 93 References: 2:14-cv-00024 #93 (PDF …

Joe Connolly and Terry Pochert are a Valley couple whose legal 2008 California marriage formed the cornerstone for one of the two cases that brought marriage equality to Arizona on Oct. 17. Their marriage is now considered valid in the eyes of Arizona’s laws, and the lawsuit for which they were the lead plaintiffs (Connolly vs. Jeanes) was based on secular arguments.

Defendants Michael K. Jeanes, Maricopa County Superior …

It’s time to vote for equal rights

Notice of Withdrawal of Co-counsel

References: New Times, October 23, 2017, Ashley Cusick …

Terry Pochert and Joseph Connolly are Among Those Who Changed History – At 10:36 a.m. on Friday, October 17, Michael Jeanes tweeted his followers: “Welcome All to the Clerk’s Office. Your marriage license awaits, and we are ready to serve you!”

Lawyers who helped win marriage equality in the State of Arizona with Terry Pochert and Joseph Connolly.

Joe Connolly and Terry Pochert, the men who sued the state last December to recognize their 2008 California marriage, released a joint statement Friday morning.

Sara Ruf writing in the Casa Grande Dispatch on October 18, 2014, “…In the end, it all came down to Judge John Sedwick, a visiting judge from the U.S. District Court in Alaska. Sedwick ruled Friday morning that the recent Ninth Circuit Court decision to strike down gay marriage bans in Nevada and Idaho also applied to Arizona.

An amazing thing happened back in October, 2014.  Marriage Equality became a fact here in Arizona making families really happy.

Couple robin (from left) and Renee Reece listen to Joe Connolly and Terry Pochert speak to a crowd of gay-marriage supporters in Phoenix on October 17, 2014, after gay marriage was legalized in Arizona.

A portion of the letter says, “Pursuant to an injunction issued by the United States District Court for the District of Arizona in Connolly v. Brewer, 2: l 4-cv-00024-JWS, I am writing to inform you that Arizona courts can no longer treat marriage exclusively as “a union of one man and one woman” under Article 30 of the Arizona Constitution .

A federal judge in Phoenix has struck down Arizona’s gay marriage ban, calling it unconstitutional, paving the way for same-sex marriages in the state.

In a brief order made available Friday, a federal judge considering challenges to the Arizona ban said he’s all but convinced that Arizona’s laws and constitutional provision against gays being able to marry are illegal.

Amazing Part of Arizona History – Thank You Terry Pochert and Joe Connolly

Doc 85 – Submit Supplemental Briefs – JUDGE SEDWICK TEXT ORDER re: 47 MOTION for Summary Judgment AND 58 MOTION for Summary Judgment.

Press Covering Marriage Decision in Arizona – With Terry Pochert and Joe Connolly along with David Chaney and Clark Rowley

In October 2005, George Takei figured his long, successful Hollywood career would screech to a halt.  His reasoning? Then 68, the actor best known as Star Trek’s Hikaru Sulu came out as a homosexual.

Declaration of all the Plaintiffs in the Arizona Marriage Equality Law Suit

“If I could marry you, I would ask you right now,” Joe Connolly said from across the table to Terry Pochert. The two men exchanged onion rings at that very moment, a silly gesture that meant much more. Despite how much they loved each other, it was 1995, and the thought of same-sex couples having the freedom to marry was a distant dream. Instead, Terry and Joe made a promise to one another that they would live their lives together in love.

he first case filed with the State of Arizona, Connolly v. Roche, is now being requested by Lambda Legal to have their case transferred into the first case filed Connolly v. Roche

Now that the revised complaint has been filed with the …

Arizona SB1062 Defeat

I have walls of books in my office and upstairs in my music room and some days I just pull out a book at random and open it up and start reading.

…

Terry Pochert and Joseph Connolly – Across the country the legal landscape for same-sex marriage is changing, and fast.  In the Southwest in recent weeks, courts in New Mexico and Utah have delivered victories to gay marriage proponents.  Now in neighboring Arizona, some gay and lesbian couples are challenging their state’s definition of marriage.

Back on January 24, 2014, Terry Pochert and Joe Connolly made Arizona Equality history by challenging the State of Arizona’s marriage discrimination laws.

The attorney representing four gay couples challenging Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriage in federal district court said he hopes that there will be a decision in the case this year.

This Order addresses challenges to state and federal laws relating to same-sex marriage. The Court holds that Oklahoma’s constitutional amendment limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Court lacks jurisdiction over the other three challenges.

Luis Ortega plans to spend Father’s Day with his son, Robert, at their favorite park – where they will honor the memory of Luis’ late partner and Robert’s other dad, Christian Barco, who died suddenly last year.

The suit filed Monday claims a voter-approved ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. It seeks to allow same-sex couples to be married and recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.

Suzanne Cummins was raised in Mesa, Arizona and Holly Mitchell was born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas. Suzanne and Holly met on the job and began dating in 2007. They would like to marry but Arizona laws discriminate against same sex couples.

Photographs and Biographies of Plaintiffs and Attorneys

Clark Rowley was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He left Iowa to attend Arizona State University. David Chaney was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and moved with his family first to Tucson, Arizona and later Sierra Vista. David also attended Arizona State University and the University of Arizona earning degrees from both institutions.

Over ten years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States recognized that the federal constitution protects the choice to have an intimate relationship with a same-sex partner “without intervention of the government.” Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558, 578 (2003).

Joe Connolly was born and raised in Munhall Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb. Terry Pochert was born and raised in the “thumb” of Michigan on the family farm near Port Hope Michigan.

University Lutheran Church, Tempe Arizona – Delegates from the Church attended the Youth Gathering in San Antonio, Texas.

Art Fettig’s Monday Morning MemoMarch 12, 2012 …

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, the Dalai Lama answered, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”