My Take on the Marriage Amendment
Congress has been at work again on the proposed Marriage Amendment. I believe they are doing this to rally the so-called Christian Right (which is neither) on account of the very low approval ratings of the president and congress. Now the fundies and progressive groups are at war and regardless of the outcome the conservatives in power will win. Why do I say this? I say this because those that are not conservatives in power are being distracted from more important pressing issues (the war, the 911 debacle, the debt and health care crisis).
That statement may get me in trouble with some progressive thinkers, but please read on. The Marriage Amendment, like the other intentionally made disasters by the conservatives, is just that… a self-made disaster. Had the GOP left the gay marriage issue alone there would be no discussion on the issue. Progressive local governments would grant gay marriages on demand and areas that were not inclined to do so would not. Let’s face it, there are not a lot of applications for same sex marriages in rural Kansas. In San Francisco however, there are. Then again, even if there was an application for a same sex marriage in Kansas what would the big deal be? Would rural Kansas develop a large gay community? I think not.
Fundies will tell you that same sex marriage is a sin against God and that those that do are going to hell. How do they know? Have any of them ever been to hell much less had direct communication from God on the issue? (Insert Pat Robertson jokes here.) What proof do they have of this claim or any other aspect of Christianity? They don’t because there is none. This does not stop them from trying to force their way of thinking on others. Besides, even if the fundies were right, how would that impact their eternal reward? Is there something in the Bible that says that if same sex marriages occur that God will punish straights?
Those that are not fundies but claim to be responsible conservatives propose another equally weak argument. They assert that if same sex marriage were allowed that gays would flock to the alter and get divorced in a matter of weeks or months. Sounds like what straights have been doing in Las Vegas for decades. Should marriages be banned in Las Vegas? The other argument I have heard from conservatives is that many same sex marriages would occur just for the sake of getting heath care or other benefits. More simply put, one person would marry another because the other had health care insurance. First, we should all have heath care insurance. Second, what is there to stop straight people from getting married for this purpose? Nothing. It happens all the time.
Bottom line, the marriage amendment is diversion created by the conservatives in power to divert time and money from progressives. We are forced to fight a battle that even if we win we will loose valuable resources over. The arguments that fundies are propose are flawed at best. They have no proof they are right. Fiscal conservatives have equally weak arguments. The very thing they are trying to prevent gays from doing is not only legal for straights, but it’s commonplace.
That statement may get me in trouble with some progressive thinkers, but please read on. The Marriage Amendment, like the other intentionally made disasters by the conservatives, is just that… a self-made disaster. Had the GOP left the gay marriage issue alone there would be no discussion on the issue. Progressive local governments would grant gay marriages on demand and areas that were not inclined to do so would not. Let’s face it, there are not a lot of applications for same sex marriages in rural Kansas. In San Francisco however, there are. Then again, even if there was an application for a same sex marriage in Kansas what would the big deal be? Would rural Kansas develop a large gay community? I think not.
Fundies will tell you that same sex marriage is a sin against God and that those that do are going to hell. How do they know? Have any of them ever been to hell much less had direct communication from God on the issue? (Insert Pat Robertson jokes here.) What proof do they have of this claim or any other aspect of Christianity? They don’t because there is none. This does not stop them from trying to force their way of thinking on others. Besides, even if the fundies were right, how would that impact their eternal reward? Is there something in the Bible that says that if same sex marriages occur that God will punish straights?
Those that are not fundies but claim to be responsible conservatives propose another equally weak argument. They assert that if same sex marriage were allowed that gays would flock to the alter and get divorced in a matter of weeks or months. Sounds like what straights have been doing in Las Vegas for decades. Should marriages be banned in Las Vegas? The other argument I have heard from conservatives is that many same sex marriages would occur just for the sake of getting heath care or other benefits. More simply put, one person would marry another because the other had health care insurance. First, we should all have heath care insurance. Second, what is there to stop straight people from getting married for this purpose? Nothing. It happens all the time.
Bottom line, the marriage amendment is diversion created by the conservatives in power to divert time and money from progressives. We are forced to fight a battle that even if we win we will loose valuable resources over. The arguments that fundies are propose are flawed at best. They have no proof they are right. Fiscal conservatives have equally weak arguments. The very thing they are trying to prevent gays from doing is not only legal for straights, but it’s commonplace.
posted by AzLib at 8:30 AM
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