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Proposition 8: Three Questions for its Supporters
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Proposition 8: Three Questions for its Supporters

If you'd like to skip the video above, the three questions are:

1) Can you describe how any individual straight marriage has been harmed or devalued due to any gay marriage?

2) What is the secular justification for banning gay marriage?

3) What would be the constitutional basis for banning gay marriage?

It disheartens me that the biggest supporters of Prop 8 were religious groups and highly religious people: Californians Against Hate: Dishonor Roll. Religion, if anything, is supposed to be a force broadening and deepening our love for one another, particularly for those different from ourselves. How does preventing gay couples from getting married spread love?

More importantly, gay marriage being recognized by the government would NOT in any way force churches to perform gay marriages. (That's what's neat about the whole separation of church and state thing.) It's one thing for a church to say that they do not want to support gay marriage. If that's your religion, fine. But what right do you have to impose that religious belief on those who aren't in your religion? What right do Mormons or Catholics or evangelicals or any other group have to prevent gays of other religions from getting married? This is the grossest interference between church and state I've ever witnessed. As an American, I find this shameful.

But if I can't convince you that gay couples have a right to get married, perhaps a black gay woman and a white straight man can:

Wanda Sykes Comes Out at the Las Vegas Equality Rally

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Prop 8

Or what about a gay couple who needs the legal protections of marriage in order to protect a developmentally handicapped boy (a younger brother to one of the couple) from being put back into the care of his absentee father or horrendously abusive mother in case his brother should die?

Or what about the words of Mildred Loving, the woman who was arrested for miscegenation (mixing of the races) in Virginia but, as a result of the landmark Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case, ultimately won her right to wed the man she loved. She said this on the 40th anniversary of the decision:

"Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

"I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about."

"On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right." -- Martin Luther King, Jr., "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution"

Push Poll (What a Drag!) Sale; or, Better Voting By IGNORING People
Thursday, January 24, 2008

If you're not familiar with a tactic known as "push polling", there's a great explanation of it on Wikipedia (Push Polls). The quick 'n' dirty definition is that "push polling" = telling people you're conducting a poll about their political views and candidates they might support in order to trash a candidate you don't like, often using misinformation (ie. lying). Hence, John McCain's "illegitimate (non-existent) black baby" helped derail his campaign back in 2000. Similarly, rumors went around not long ago about Barack Obama supposedly being a member in a Muslim, Black Nationalist religious group (the Nation of Islam, perhaps?) Of course, this is no more true than the slander leveled against John McCain (and, interestingly, adds a touch of religious bigotry along with its racism). When people vote with such "information" in mind, both the candidates and the democratic process get screwed.

Of course, no candidate benefiting from the lies spread about their job competitors can admit having a hand in the deed. That level of stupidity and duplicity are (I hope) more than the American electorate would stand for. But how can we stop this from happening? How can we protect citizens from such dishonest hacks?

It's very simple; we, the electorate, choose to quit listening to them.

You see, the First Amendment is a sword with only a single edge. Yes, you have the right to free speech (though even that doesn't protect outright lying, especially for political gain), but you don't have the "right" to be heard. Being capable of speech alone doesn't make you worth taking seriously. If we as a culture insist on ignoring so many people with great ideas, then I say it's high time we ignore the deceitful idiots conning their values into our minds too.

But, but, what if they don't lie? What if they use true statements to influence our vote, huh? Shouldn't we at least give them a listen, just in case?

First of all, the fact that they're pretending to be pollsters when they're not automatically means they're untrustworthy. Secondly, true or false, they exploit prejudice, pettiness, and the gossip-hungry passions, none of which are good standards for voting decisions. Thirdly, if you can be swayed by last-minute gossip, then you're neglecting your responsibility as an American citizen and should exempt yourself from the voting booth. Finally, if they have anything of value to say that actually is true, then I guarantee you can find out about it from a much more reliable source on your own time.

But, but, without the latest candibrity/celebritate news, how will I know who to vote for!?

You look at their voting record, you visit their website, and you listen to them in debates. Just make sure to turn off the television IMMEDIATELY after the debates too, because pundits are there to entertain your emotions and skew your thinking just as much as the fake pollsters are. DON'T DEPEND ON PUNDITS TO THINK FOR YOU. They're not even that good at it anyway. Consider your own life, your values, the lives of your fellow-citizens, the poor and the rich, the Earth's environmental fate, our international agenda, commerce and trade, providing job security, health care coverage, etc. THINK about these things for yourself, consider what the various candidates would do concerning these issues, then vote for the one who most closely matches your values *according to their voting record and their plans for the future*.

And keep in mind, democracy only starts in the voting booth; it doesn't end there. Electing someone to public office doesn't give them a free pass to do whatever they like. Keeping active in politics *beyond* voting is, in my opinion, the sign of a thoughtful and mature adult. Politics affects all our lives; we need to keep tabs on it, no matter who's in charge.

"Fear of serious injury alone cannot justify oppression of free speech and assembly. Men feared witches and burnt women. It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears." -- Justice Louis D. Brandeis

BigThink - A website dedicated to hosting videos of people, both experts and common folk, who think they have provocative ideas. It's a fun site to browse.
Civil Libertarians Warn of 'Patriot Act Lite' - "Civil libertarians are worried that a little-known anti-terrorism bill now making its way through the U.S. Congress with virtually no debate could be planting the seeds of another USA Patriot Act, which was hurriedly enacted into law after the al Qaeda attacks of Sep. 11, 2001."
Keeping tabs on the "Thought Crime Bill" - Since the mainstream media hasn't picked up this story *at all*, various internet sites are picking up the journalistic slack. Here you can find updates on this VERY important and dangerous legislation known as "HR 1955: The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act."
Lincoln's Crackdown - Why Lincoln's (VERY reluctant) decision to suspend habeas corpus and try citizens in a military court does NOT justify those actions today.
IN OPPOSITION to H.R. 1955 and S. 1959: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 - A petition you can sign if all this bothers you.
Free Rice - By combining education with feeding starving people, this site has become a staple of my Internet diet. I encourage anyone and everyone to visit and play this delightful, brilliant, important game.

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