Gay Marriage

The Dangers Of Proposed Amendment One In North Carolina Constitution: Denial Of Equal Rights Returning To The South!

Ronald 3 Comments

There is great fear that the majority of voters in North Carolina tomorrow will institutionalize discrimination, prejudice, and hate in the state constitution with the expected passage of Amendment One, endorsed by Franklin Graham, and his distinguished father, the Reverend Billy Graham, who should be totally ashamed of themselves!

North Carolina and other Southern states used to deny racial intermarriage, and institutionalized hate, prejudice and discrimination in the state constitutions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

One would think we are beyond this in the 21st century, and that we should not allow the ignorance of people to become law!

It is shameful to let people VOTE on basic human rights, including gay rights and gay marriage rights.

When it comes to personal human rights, there should NOT be any vote, as those personal human rights should be guaranteed in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

If we had a vote on whether women should be denied the right to vote; blacks should be segregated; job discrimination against Jews, Catholics, and others should be reinstituted; workers should be denied collective bargaining; and many other social advancements that people gave their “blood, sweat and tears” for, it is possible that the masses would vote to deny basic rights.

But that is not what a democracy is, to allow prejudice, hate, and discrimination to rule the day!

We have come too far in our national history to allow this to happen, and to sit idly by!

If North Carolina adopts Amendment One, we all should hold our heads in shame and weep!

Joe Biden, Arne Duncan And Gay Marriage: The Successors To Hubert Humphrey, Harry Truman And Civil Rights!

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In 1948, we had President Harry Truman running for a full term as President, and under constant attack by the Republicans, who controlled both houses of Congress. We also had Mayor Hubert Humphrey, later Senator, Vice President, and Presidential nominee, who had the courage to fight for a civil rights plank at the Democratic National Convention of that year. This put the Democratic party and Harry Truman ahead of the Republicans in that regard, and it was the Democratic Party which fought within itself, against the Southern Democratic segregationists, and finally brought about civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

Now, we have a Democratic President, Barack Obama, facing a hostile House of Representatives controlled by the opposition Republicans, and we have the controversial issue of gay marriage, as well as promotion of full rights in every way for gay men and lesbians. And we have a courageous, principled Vice President, Joe Biden, and a gutsy Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, who have now aggressively promoted the issue of gay marriage as a human rights issue, and there is a push on to get President Obama to take the next step in what he has himself called his “evolution”, and publicly endorse gay marriage. And there is a movement now to make it a plank in the Democratic Party platform that will be adopted at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, this September.

This will, of course, make it a clear cut issue with the opposition Republicans, but it is time to mount the fight for equality, just as Humphrey and Truman did it two thirds of a century ago.

In the long run of history, Humphrey and Truman look like statesmen for promoting what they believed, as Biden, Duncan, and ultimately, Barack Obama, will look in the future writing of American history in the 21st century!

Ironic Turn Of Events: British Prime Minister David Cameron Endorses Gay Marriage Rights While Billy Graham Promotes A North Carolina Ban!

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It is extremely ironic that we find out that British Prime Minister David Cameron has endorsed gay marriage, although not requiring churches to administer them, while the revered Reverend Billy Graham, now 93 years old, did not have the courage and guts to defy many Christian haters of gays, including his own son, Franklin Graham, and endorsed a ban on gay marriage in the North Carolina Constitution in a vote coming this November.

Why is it that the British and other Europeans, and Israel as well, have no issue with gays,while America is so uptight and regressive on this human rights issue? And why does a Conservative Prime Minister endorse gay rights, while conservatives in America bitterly oppose them?

And one must keep in mind that Billy Graham, as revered as he is, has now come out as favoring discrimination against gays, but if one looks at his career, we know that he also has been very anti Semitic, including on the Richard Nixon Watergate tapes, and was not a leader in promoting African American civil rights in the 1960s.

So in a way, Billy Graham is just following his forgotten belief in prejudice, hate, and discrimination in his old age, instead of being a statesman, and helping to promote unity and tolerance in the future! What a disgrace!

A Forecast Of The Future? Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley Vs. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell

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Yesterday, the political website POLITICO sponsored a debate between Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell over the controversial social issues that have come to the forefront in the past few weeks.

Martin O’Malley came to the strong defense of President Barack Obama, and hailed the successes of the administration, while being critical of the Republicans, led by Virginia’s Governor Bob McDonnell, who became embroiled in a controversy over an invasive vaginal ultra sound bill to undermine abortions by women.

O’Malley at the same time defended the decision in Maryland to make that state the eighth state to legalize gay marriages.

Bob McDonnell was on the defensive, as he explained his change of heart on the invasive ultra sound bill, after much outrage by women and the news media and others who believe in the right of privacy and women’s rights.

As one watched this debate, one could imagine the scenario of a possible 2016 Presidential debate between the two men, governors of neighboring states, with totally opposite views, and both strong defenders of their viewpoints.

Martin O’Malley is already seen as a top tier Presidential candidate for 2016 in the Democratic Party, and Bob McDonnell has obvious ambitions on the Republican side, and has made it clear that he is interested in a Vice Presidential slot with Mitt Romney, if Romney were to choose him. That is the obvious, although denied, reason for his backing off on the invasive ultra sound bill that he seemed ready to sign.

O’Malley has showed evidence that he would be a hard, aggressive campaigner if he ran for President, as he has become one of the major defenders of President Obama’s record, and a critic of the governors of not only Virginia, but also Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida, all hard line conservatives, who he accuses correctly of presiding over very poor employment growth, while Obama, by intervening in Michigan and other Midwestern states, has promoted a revival of the auto industry and the general economy, along with the general progress in decline of the unemployment rate.

Not only is Martin O’Malley demonstrating that a Catholic can have an open mind on issues such as abortion and gay marriage and labor rights, but also Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, is showing the same on these issues, and both are certainly to be considered front runners for the Presidential nomination in 2016.

Not all Catholic politicians allow their faith to dominate their politics, although Rick Santorum, particularly, and convert Newt Gingrich, both seem to feel that their religious views should be dictated to the population at large, even though we were founded as a nation on the concept of separation of church and state, which John F. Kennedy so clearly enunciated as the first Catholic President of the United States!

Maryland And Virginia: Two Different Worlds Politically, From Different “Planets”!

Ronald 1 Comment

There seems to be no comparison of two geographically neighboring states quite on the level of Maryland and Virginia, two diametrically opposite governments, seemingly from different “planets”.

Maryland, one of the most prosperous states, has a Democratic dominated state government and Congressional delegation, and has a Governor, Martin O’Malley, who comes across as a national leader of the future. Maryland has become the eighth state to legalize gay marriage. It has dealt with the issue of the Great Recession and its aftermath in a socially responsible way, and is seen as a model of progressive viewpoint and outlook.

Virginia, on the other hand, while it has the Northern Virginia suburbs, which are more progressive, has an extremely conservative and Republican state government under the leadership of Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who makes McDonnell look moderate, not an easy task!

Virginia was moving toward requiring vaginal exams of any woman who wanted to get an abortion. The ultrasound law would have allowed the state to invade women’s bodies in the name of fanatical religious zealots who wanted to stop all abortions, even though it is allowed by Supreme Court decisions. But McDonnell, seen as on the short list for Vice Presidential nomination, came to the conclusion yesterday that such a law would harm his chances of moving ahead politically, as the Virginia Governorship limit is one term. So he suddenly backed off from a pledge to sign such an invasive, insulting bill as this one.

The likelihood of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, an extreme right winger, succeeding McDonnell in November 2013, as Virginia Governor, is a horrifying thought to many, particularly women and gays, as Cuccinelli is a hardliner on the social issues that are dominating the GOP race for President right now!

So a world of difference exists between Maryland and Virginia, an amazing manifestation considering their being in the same “neighborhood”!

The Advancement Of Gay Marriage Rights In California And Washington State

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Events of this week are very promising regarding the expansion of gay marriage rights.

California’s Ninth Circuit Court has declared Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in 2008 as unconstitutional, upholding a district court ruling, and this makes it likely that gay marriage will be on the Supreme Court docket very soon, possibly even this year, already full of turning point cases on the Obama Health Care plan, voting rights, and illegal immigration restrictions in Arizona and Alabama.

Additionally, the state of Washington is about to become the seventh state to allow gay marriage, after passage by the state legislature and a soon to be signing by the governor of the state.

So Washington joins Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Iowa as states that allow gay marriage, along with Washington DC, and hopefully, it will return to California where it was legal for a period of time before being overturned.

Twenty to thirty years from now, when gay marriage is a normal thing, many will wonder what was the fuss back in the early part of the century, much like when one looks back to before 1967, one wonders why the big deal over racial intermarriage, which was not legal until a Supreme Court decision in 1967.

Marriage cannot be forced on any religious group, but there is no legal reason why gay marriage cannot be done outside of religious institutions that reject change. It is a question of basic human rights, and equal treatment under the Constitution!

The Republican Motivation For Power: Take Away Human Rights Already Granted!

Ronald 1 Comment

America has developed over the past two centuries into a republic promoting democratic values and the advancement of human rights.

The Republican Party of 2011-2012, however, is making clear its desire to TAKE AWAY human rights already won over the past two centuries, with blood, sweat and tears!

We have seen the acquisition of voting rights in the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th Amendments, as well as with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and yet now, the Republican Party in many states is working very hard to LIMIT the right to vote by unreasonable limitations that particularly affect African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, college students, the elderly and the poor of all races!

Women have gained the right to control their own privacy, including control of their own bodies, through a Supreme Court decision in Roe V. Wade in 1973 and other Supreme Court decisions and legislative actions, and yet now in many of our states, the attempt to take away women’s rights, including the right of abortion, is being fiercely waged, including encouragement of violence against abortion providers and closing down of locations where a woman can pursue her reproductive rights.

Gay men and lesbians have gained the right to serve in the military openly, be married in several states, adopt children in most states, and have other basic human rights, but now the move is on to take away these rights so hard fought for!

Working people, both immigrants and those born in the US, have fought for labor protection and representation through formation of labor unions, which have now been undermined for decades, and the attempt to impoverish workers by corporations and their Republican allies is in full development!

This has been a land of immigrants, and yet the Republican Party of today believes in polarizing Americans against undocumented immigrants who they would support deporting in the millions, even with the fact that 98 percent of them have committed no crime beyond entering the nation in an illegal manner, and just want the opportunity to work toward eventual citizenship through learning English, paying fees, and waiting patiently in line for the “American Dream”, and yet now work at low wage jobs that no Americans wish to fill, particularly in agriculture, retail, and home and hotel services.

Americans in general have been able to see improved educational opportunities, better health care, and opportunities for better housing and safer environment and consumer protection due to past Democrats and moderate Republicans working to better conditions for the middle class and the poor, but now the goal of the GOP is to take away these advancements and simply promote the interests of the top one percent and the corporations that sit on money, refuse to hire, and instead use government money that saved them to give bonuses to overpaid, under worked executives, and to lobby corrupt politicians who do their bidding!

Will the nation at large continue to accept an opposition party that works to DENY all of the progress on voting rights, women’s rights, gay rights, labor rights, immigrant rights, and the advancements for the middle class and poor gained over two centuries?

Only if the people are appealed to based upon ignorance, emotion, prejudice, and manipulation! For the future of America, this cannot be allowed to happen, as it will undermine the social fabric of America for the long haul!

The Full Scale Assault On Gay Rights By GOP Presidential Candidates

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As we get closer to the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary, we are witnessing a full scale assault on the rights of Gay Americans.

The effect of the Religious Right on the Republican Party is revealing itself as candidates take pledges from extremist Christian groups to fight tooth and nail against gay marriage, gay adoption, gays in the military, and every other move to equalize rights for those who are a minority of the American people.

So we see Rick Perry speaking out against gays in the military. Rick Santorum condemning families with gay parents. Michele Bachmann continuing to advocate, through her husband, that gays can be transformed into straight; Mitt Romney confronting a gay veteran who is married and tells him it is against the Constitution; and Newt Gingrich speaking out about the historic tradition of a man and a woman in a traditional marriage.

Only Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman avoid speaking out on the subject in a discriminatory manner, and focus on other issues.

Hard to believe that the original party of civil rights in the Abraham Lincoln era has become the party of hate, discrimination, prejudice on the subject of gay rights in the 21st century!

It makes one really wonder how the “Log Cabin” Republicans can remain supportive of their party which kicks them in the rear end constantly. How much disrespect and insult can one take and be loyal to a party that denies them equality and human rights?

The Ultimate Reason Why The Republican Party Will NOT Win The White House In 2012: Their Promotion Of Nativism, Prejudice, Bias, Fear, And The Interests Of The Super Wealthy!

Ronald 1 Comment

When all is said and done, the Republican Party will NOT win the White House in 2012, no matter what the economic situation is next year, because of their promotion of nativism, prejudice, bias, fear, and the interests of the Super Wealthy!

The Republican Party promotes nativism against Hispanic and Latino immigrants with their advocacy of deporting 12 million undocumented immigrants, almost all law abiding, tax paying, and living here for many years, who just want the “American Dream”, and are willing to work hard.

The Republican Party advocates prejudice against gay people by advocating against gay rights, gay marriage, and gay parenting, due to their slavish connection to religious influence in government.

The Republican Party supports bias against women by denying them their human rights, including the decision when and how they can have children.

The Republican Party promotes fear of all people of Islamic heritage by their depiction of all people from that religious heritage as being potential terrorists.

The Republican Party supports the interests of the super wealthy by refusal to consider any tax increases on the top two percent, who have seen their wealth multiply in recent years, while everyone else saw their income stagnate or decline. They will do anything to support the rich and the corporations.

Has a political party ever won the White House with promotion of nativism, prejudice, bias, fear, and the interests of the wealthy? The answer is NO, with the borderline closest cases being Richard Nixon in 1968 and George W. Bush in 2004, but even they did not advocate these ugly concepts on the level of Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney in the campaign now being waged!

Notice that the only GOP candidate who has NOT promoted the above ideas is Jon Huntsman, by far the best and ONLY decent choice they offer the voters in 2012. Again, IF Huntsman were the nominee, it would be the most legitimate and closest race for the Presidency, but apparently, very unlikely to happen, as the author writes.

Right Wing Religious Zealots Connect Pedophilia To Homosexuality: Totally False And Unjustified Bigotry!

Ronald 1 Comment

For anyone who believes in the basic human rights of gay men and lesbians, it was predictable that right wing religious zealots would launch an attack on homosexual rights after the arrest of Jerry Sandusky in the Penn State scandal involving his inappropriate sexual contact with young boys.

The fact is that there is absolutely no connection between pedophilia and homosexuality, as the vast majority of pedophilia cases involve adult men with young girls, followed by adult women with young boys.

Pedophilia is a crime, and involves the reality of young people being victimized by adults.

Homosexuality is not a crime, and involves consenting adults male or female, who have a natural inclination toward people of the same sex.

No adult male who is normal wishes to engage in sexual conduct with a child, who is being forced into activity that is non consensual, and even if a child believes he or she is interested in such conduct, legally he or she is not able to consent because of age restrictions in state laws.

It is a tragedy that pedophilia is being seen as an excuse to attack the gay community, which has no desire to promote such sick behavior, and if any individual is involved in such activity, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

It is also sad that gay parenting, gay foster care, and gay adoption is being targeted, when there is absolutely no evidence of inappropriate behavior by gay parents, and yet there is much evidence of heterosexual fathers who abuse their own daughters!

This kind of discrimination and bigotry must be exposed for what it is!