I don't mean for this blog to go all political, but I try to reflect what's going through my mind, and right now I'm thinking election. Check out the comments from the previous pithy entry...
I'm underwhelmed by both major candidates for president. I'm happy to give them both credit where credit is due, but there's some major issues I have with both. Obama's plans for small businesses are a sham. McCain's health care initiative is frightening to me -- particularly in light of my recent diagnosis.
And then, of course, there is the ultimate wedge issue of them all -- gay marriage. It riles up the loudest contingents of voters on both sides, though many people call it an unimportant, irrelevant issue in light of everything else going on. Accuse me of being biased all you want, but I think it may well be the most vital and relevant issue we are facing, and here is why:
Realistically speaking, if it were legal for me to get married, I doubt I ever would... so it isn't something I should be invested in, right? Wrong. It's a simple matter of equality. The yelling and screaming about religious morality and the like has no place in proper governance.
Gay men and women have as little control over their sexuality as black people have control over the color of their skin (Michael Jackson notwithstanding)... and as such, should not be denied the same rights afforded to the rest of the population should they choose to accept those rights. There are two arguments I've encountered when this comes up:
1) It's a state's rights issue.
Bull. Marriage is a federally recognized institution. Anything less is not equality, but mere pandering.
2) Marriage shouldn't be a federally recognized institution anyway.
Maybe you're right. But there's no major march to declassify it, and if there was it would never succeed. Marriage equality is the only other direction to go.
I accept civil unions as a transitional step, so long as the exact same rights and privileges are provided. But as the Supreme Court ruled years ago... separate but equal is not equal at all. Abolish marriage as a federal institution and make 'em all civil unions -- or don't do it at all.
In the face of all the millions of other things that are going on -- war, economic uncertainty, diplomatic strain, etc -- one may ask why I find this important or relevant at this juncture. Simply put -- the tenet of equality is what the United States was founded upon 232 years ago, and willful ignorance of that is dangerous. I'm not asking for special treatment. I'm simply asking for the same consideration provided to me and the person I love. When this is denied, our backs are being turned on the very foundations of what our country is supposed to represent. How can we uphold good standing in the other areas when we've gotten the fundamentals so wrong?
None of the major candidates running for president or VP pass this test. "Entering into a contract" does not equate tax breaks afforded to married couples, John McCain. "Hospital Visitations" is only a very small piece of the pie, Barack Obama. Someone needs to take the common sense, decent stance on this issue or I may have to run for office myself.
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4 comments:
You make some good points, Bro, but marriage is, in fact, a state regulated institution. The age of consent differs from state to state... one of the reasons that crossing state lines for immoral purposes is a federal crime.
I think that if you look, the constitution says nothing at all about marriage... unless you count the tenth amendment. Federal intervention is almost never a good thing.
Your power play is not equality, but money. The state that embraces gay marriage brings a great deal of financial punch into their economy. The Federal government can threaten to withhold funds to pressure a state into not recognizing gay marriage, but they cannot force them. State regulation is better for this, trust me. If a religious right nut got into power, stacked the Supreme Court, and actually got a decision to declare gay marriage illegal, then where would we be?
John
John
State regulated, perhaps, but still federally recognized as well. When you fill out a W4, you check a box that says Single, Married, or Widowed. This isn't for tracking demographics. Despite the varying definitions of marriage from state to state, they are still formally recognized by the federal government in the form of tax breaks, hospital visitation rights, inheritance simplification, immigration rights... the list goes on. It's an injustice that needs to be represented on all levels. Until then, it remains a miscarriage of what the country is supposed to stand for.
I get that you're on my side with this and see my point of view, which I appreciate a great deal... but you've got to admit that it's a sad day when the most convincing argument is the economic boon we can provide rather than the basic imbalance between equality and discrimination.
"the most convincing argument is the economic boon"
Not most convincing... most powerful. Regardless of what it says, money talks... and loudly. That is why campaign donation re so important. Bottm line is that the campaign with the most money wins most of the time.
I think your case will be won, but not the way it is currently being prosecuted. If you will tolerate a momentary diversion into race, I think I can draw a paralell.
Skin color is a benign physical characteristic, unconnected with intelligence, moral fiber, or level of hmss. Yet, many, many white people ae intimidated by blacks and see them as a crimnal class because of skin color. Why?
Because of an extremely vocal minority that runs around glorifying drug use, crime, keepin' it real, and "poppin' a cap in yo ass." These idiots have been allowed to define black culture to the mainstream, and the full integration of blacks into the American dream has suffered because of it.
Hohosexuality has only VERY recently become a topic that can be discussed by the light of day... and I mean within one generation. As with blacks, gays have allowed themselves to be defined by an extremely vocal fringe element which flaunts behavior that is very unsettling to Joe Sixpack. This will eventually be overcome, as it is being overcome by blacks. We are on the verge of perhaps having our first black President. Pretty high octane stuff.
Gays have a few huge advantages. First, you don't have to deal with whatever the gay equivalent of race pimps would be. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakan, and their ilk have done more damage to the cause of racial equality than Jim Crow laws ever did. Second, gays have more relative economic power than any other demographic because of disposable income. It is a weapon that is horribly under utilized.
To effect change, you have to use the weapon that works... not just the one that seems reasonable.
John
The gay community has
I have to say... this program is awful! It skips letters, moves sentences, and does all sorts of things that garble the message. From now on, I will write my messages in Microsoft Word and paste them in!
John
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