Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Protect Marriage... by voting No on 8

In the state of nature...all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law. Charles de Montesquieu (1689 - 1755)

It's been difficult for me to write about Proposition 8, because I just can't wrap my head around the idea that some people think America should amend our federal and state constitutions to discriminate against an entire group of people. It shocks and horrifies me to think about those who think it's OK to actually write injustice into the constitution, corrupting the foundational documents of democracy. Will the next step be repealing the 14th Amendment that states "no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States... nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.?" Isn't that what they'd have to do to make Proposition 8 stand? Deny equal protection under the laws?

Proposition 8 makes a mockery of American democracy. How can it be right or just for a government to tell adult citizens who they can or can not marry?

Not only does it blow my mind that there are actually Americans who don't understand or appreciate the importance of the basic democratic concept of equal protection under the law, but how do these people who think of themselves as Christian rationalize the bigotry and hatefulness inherent in what they're trying to do? I try not to pick on any religion too much because I know that leads to over-generalizations, but that's who's funding this hateful bigotry. The majority of the financial support has come from the Mormon and Catholic churches, but sadly, Proposition 8 is manifestly un-Christian. It worries me that some churches apparently have the money and the soapbox to take away fundamental American rights and values that conflict with their church dogma.

How can anyone try to deny other people the love, commitment and security of marriage, and still think of themselves as messengers of God's love? How can any person who considers themselves Christian deny the sanctity of love? The sacredness of marriage is not found in any church or in any ceremony, nor is it granted by another person. That's an incredibly shallow notion. The love that leads two people to marry is what's sacred, and no person has any right to judge the appropriateness of another person's love. This is not just about the law...it's about protecting the sanctity of ALL marriages. Even the marriages of people you don't personally like or approve of. That's the American way, and that's the Christian way. Proposition 8 is un-American and un-Christian, and I urge everyone to VOTE on November 4 and to vote NO on Proposition 8.

Yes indeed... protect marriage....everyone's. This video was made by a co-worker who was married this past September, and he's asking you to vote to protect his marriage too. It's a more than reasonable demand.

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