If we go back in history traditional marriage was a great way of owning a slave, that is if you consider owning a slave great. Back then wives were considered property. They had no rights, no vote, could not own property, or even speak for themselves in court. It was left up to the husband to take care of the things that a woman had no right to participate in. With the Suffrage Movement women began the journey towards equality.
This November you can get involved in the fight for human rights, the birthright of every American – black, white, gay or straight. Whenever the human rights of any person are cast-off, weakened or denied by the government, the human rights of all are at risk. You can make a enormous difference by helping to enforce human rights.
When it comes to same sex marriage, we find a major disconnect in opinions and belief from both sides of the issue. People who are against same sex marriage base their arguments on the definition of marriage being a religious act that should be defended only as a union between a man and a woman, even though by law and throughout history marriage is considered a contractual issue. Those who are in support of same sex marriage argue that people in same sex relationships are humans also, and deserve the same right to marriage as anyone.
You wouldn't have picked up on it during the debates, but John McCain and Barack Obama actually concur on some issues. One of them is same sex marriage. Both candidates oppose the idea, preferring instead the non-equal alternative of civil unions. In my opinion anything that consenting adults choose to do for pleasure and not bring harm to anyone is nobodies business. People try to hide their prejudices, and insecurities about their own temptations.
According to the L.A. Times supporters of the constitutional amendment, under which marriage would be defined as only between a man and a woman, contend that if Proposition 8 does not pass, same sex marriage will be taught in public schools. "We are already seeing that happen," said Frank Schubert, campaign manager for Yes on 8. All of this is based on fear, lies, and self loathing.
The opposing side insists that this is fear-mongering and notes that there is no mention of schools or curriculum in the language of the proposition.
To support their case, Proposition 8 supporters point to a legal decision out of Massachusetts, where same-sex couples have been able to wed for a number of years now. After a teacher in Lexington read a book to her second grade students that was about two princes marrying, the parents of a child in the class sued the school district.
The parents who oppose same sex marriage, claim that the teacher had read the book to her class "for the express purpose of indoctrinating them into the concept that homosexuality and marriage between same-sex partners is moral." This, they said, intruded on their "right to direct the moral upbringing of their own children."
A federal court through out the case, finding it “without merit”. Later the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the dismissal, letting the lower court's ruling stand. Note the “without merit”, just as the fears, and reasons of those in favor of Proposition 8.
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) conducted a survey in 1999 of 496 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-gendered (LGBT) students from 32 states. This survey found that more than 90 percent of LGBT youth reported that they sometimes or frequently heard homophobic comments in their schools. That is what is being tought in our schools.
I hope that we don't get to the point were the LGBT community are forced to drink from different water fountains, or made to sit at the back of the bus. History has proven that separate but equal does not work.
Among straight adults who have been married, a study by the Barna Group discovered that one-third (33%) have experienced at least one divorce. Does this show where the threat to marriage lies?
The study showed that the percentage of straight adults who have been married and divorced varies from segment to segment. For instance, the groups with the most prolific experience of marriage ending in divorce are downscale adults (39%), Baby Boomers (38%), those aligned with a non-Christian faith (38%), African-Americans (36%), and people who consider themselves to be liberal on social and political matters (37%).
Other groups with high divorce rates are Catholics (28%), evangelicals (26%), upscale adults (22%), Asians (20%) and those who deem themselves to be conservative on social and political matters (28%).
Remember my blog page has a new address: www.AricIsomsBlog.com (Aric Isom's Blog). As always let's make this a two way conversation. As always please post your comments and opinions in the comment section at the bottom of the article on the blog page (http://www.AricIsomsBlog.com/). You can also post to past articles in there proper location at the bottom of each. I look forwards to your feedback. Please take note of the added features, such as the daily news feed, video clips, visitor polls, outside links, and Java games.
What about Prop. 8?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 POST COMMENTS (Click Here):
Paul Brenton wrote this
Proposition 8 needs a summation. Proposition 8 is absolutely not about homosexuality or homosexuals. Proposition 8 is not about same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 is about discrimination, human rights violations and malice.
DISTRACTON
The neoconservative wing of the Republican Party wants this proposition not because it has any value but because it is a distraction from the real issues facing the American public this coming election day. The more that attention is focused on same-sex marriage, the less that attention is focused on the damage done to the American fabric by the neoconservative movement.
The conservative wing of the Republican Party and the blue dog Democratic Party, (Republicrat), wants this distraction as well. It meets their criteria for involving social conservatives. The hope is that social conservatives will turn out in droves to vote for Proposition 8 and, while there, vote for other conservative issues and politicians.
THE TERROR OF DEMOCRACY
The founding fathers and mothers of the United States intentionally crafted a democratic republic, not a democracy. The basic reason they expressed for opposing democracy was that they viewed it as mob rule. The lynching of Blacks by KKK groups is democracy. The burning of Catholic churches by the “Know-Nothings” of the 19th century is democracy. The application of chattel slavery is democracy.
Essentially, if hysteria can be mustered by push-button issues, then democracy becomes mob rule. In 2000, religionists pushed the hysteria button hard to arouse religionists. They succeeded. The religious mob voted overwhelmingly in favor of opposing same-sex marriages. This was expected because of the misrepresentations of the religious groups. For Proposition 8, the very same buttons were pushed to arouse the religious right.
The bottom-line is that democracy works only in those cases in which all voting parties can approach the topic with reason, common sense and an honest presentation of facts. There has not been an honest presentation of facts, nor significant use of reason and minimal common sense by the religious communities.
THE DANGER OF PROPOSITION 8
The real danger of Proposition 8 is extraordinarily simple. If Proposition 8 is voted into law, it will automatically deny an inalienable to a group of people because of their identity. That opens a panoply of doors to justify denying inalienable rights to other groups of people, including religious groups.
If Proposition 8 is entered into the Constitution of the State of California, it will canonize discrimination against one group of people because of who they are. Legal canonization can become the precedent for other forms of discrimination. In states where there has been overwhelming democratic support for opposing same-sex marriages, there has also been strong attempts to deny same-sex couples the right to establish any type of contract, including business contracts. There are also attempts to not only deny them the right to adopt children but even the right to retain custody of their own children.
If Proposition 8 is canonized in the constitution of the State of California, it will set a precedent for active discrimination against other groups of people because of their identity. The discrimination could be racial, ethnic, sexual, religious, political, etc.
If Proposition 8 is canonized in the constitution of the State of California, it will set a precedent for a common interpretation which will justify the execution of legal, social, political, economic, and/or physical violence against a group of people because of their identity.
The rationale for this is very simply that once discrimination against a group of people is canonized in law, it in effect defines that group of people as “less than”. Namely, they become, in the mind
Paul Brenton wrote this
Proposition 8 needs a summation. Proposition 8 is absolutely not about homosexuality or homosexuals. Proposition 8 is not about same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 is about discrimination, human rights violations and malice.
DISTRACTON
The neoconservative wing of the Republican Party wants this proposition not because it has any value but because it is a distraction from the real issues facing the American public this coming election day. The more that attention is focused on same-sex marriage, the less that attention is focused on the damage done to the American fabric by the neoconservative movement.
The conservative wing of the Republican Party and the blue dog Democratic Party, (Republicrat), wants this distraction as well. It meets their criteria for involving social conservatives. The hope is that social conservatives will turn out in droves to vote for Proposition 8 and, while there, vote for other conservative issues and politicians.
THE TERROR OF DEMOCRACY
The founding fathers and mothers of the United States intentionally crafted a democratic republic, not a democracy. The basic reason they expressed for opposing democracy was that they viewed it as mob rule. The lynching of Blacks by KKK groups is democracy. The burning of Catholic churches by the “Know-Nothings” of the 19th century is democracy. The application of chattel slavery is democracy.
Essentially, if hysteria can be mustered by push-button issues, then democracy becomes mob rule. In 2000, religionists pushed the hysteria button hard to arouse religionists. They succeeded. The religious mob voted overwhelmingly in favor of opposing same-sex marriages. This was expected because of the misrepresentations of the religious groups. For Proposition 8, the very same buttons were pushed to arouse the religious right.
The bottom-line is that democracy works only in those cases in which all voting parties can approach the topic with reason, common sense and an honest presentation of facts. There has not been an honest presentation of facts, nor significant use of reason and minimal common sense by the religious communities.
THE DANGER OF PROPOSITION 8
The real danger of Proposition 8 is extraordinarily simple. If Proposition 8 is voted into law, it will automatically deny an inalienable to a group of people because of their identity. That opens a panoply of doors to justify denying inalienable rights to other groups of people, including religious groups.
If Proposition 8 is entered into the Constitution of the State of California, it will canonize discrimination against one group of people because of who they are. Legal canonization can become the precedent for other forms of discrimination. In states where there has been overwhelming democratic support for opposing same-sex marriages, there has also been strong attempts to deny same-sex couples the right to establish any type of contract, including business contracts. There are also attempts to not only deny them the right to adopt children but even the right to retain custody of their own children.
If Proposition 8 is canonized in the constitution of the State of California, it will set a precedent for active discrimination against other groups of people because of their identity. The discrimination could be racial, ethnic, sexual, religious, political, etc.
If Proposition 8 is canonized in the constitution of the State of California, it will set a precedent for a common interpretation which will justify the execution of legal, social, political, economic, and/or physical violence against a group of people because of their identity.
The rationale for this is very simply that once discrimination against a group of people is canonized in law, it in effect defines that group of people as “less than”. Namely, they become, in
Post a Comment