The Compassionate Conservative

"This is another chilling example of the disingenuous but brilliant tactic of the Bush Administration -- the President speaks in kind and gentle language while what is really being encouraged is divisive and ugly."

A national LGBT rights group says an analysis of the conservative groups sponsoring the so-called 'Marriage Protection Week' show they are less interested in building strong healthy marriages than they are in gay bashing. The analysis, released by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute shows the groups disproportionately focus on homosexuality compared to issues with far greater impact on marriage and family life. NGLTF also says that the resources of these organizations dwarf those of the supposedly "rich and powerful gay lobby".

"The hypocrisy of the organizations sponsoring this so-called 'Marriage Protection Week' is stunning," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the Task Force. "They feign commitment to strong marriages and families. In reality, they are fixated on attacking gay and lesbian people while largely ignoring the real problems facing married couples and American families."

Very well said. It's sad that they don't recognize the real problems facing American families today. I'm no expert, but from what I see, a few of those issues would be...

drug abuse; What effect does the use of drugs by one or more members of the family have within the immediate family itself, not to mention other members of the larger family?

intolerant attitudes; I don't know about your experience, but my family life as a child was less than optimal. My father died when I was six. That sent a clear message to me that "people you love will leave you". That's how a six year old interprets death, especially when no one explains to you what happened.

A couple of years following that, my mother married a man who was quite abusive to my brother and me. My brother left for the Navy, I think mainly to escape life at home. I was a teenager then. My mother was in her second marriage to the same man. When he came back, he was even more resentful than before. This was during the time that I was 13-17 years old.

For that entire period of time, it was one thing after the other. I could never do anything right. When he would have an outburst, it would be me who received the beatings. His percodan addiction probably had some to do with it. If I ran, it would be my mom who received the beatings. So, I stayed and took it from him. I would show up at school with a black eye, a split lip, or some other bruise. In gym class, everyone could see the bruises. The coach laughed and asked who I kept getting in a fight with. From there, my life got worse. The other kids started thinking that I was an easy target because apparently, I wouldn't fight back. The teasing started.

school bullying; This is a huge problem with gay kids today, but you won't hear that from all the "Christian" groups talking about how compassionate they are. Many kids, gay and straight are bullied in school and this has a direct negative impact on the family. So, where are the Christian groups in all of this? They are nowhere to be found.

everything else matters but family; Everyone is busy today. There are so many preasures in life that it's easy to take your family for granted. I don't take family for granted because it was never really there for me. So now that I'm middle-aged, I work very hard at keeping my family together. Granted, that's really Kent and myself these days, but not because of my choosing.

People need to take the time to spend time with their families and to take a genuine interest in what everyone in the family is doing. I see so many of my co-workers talking like it's such a pain in the ass to have to go to their son's soccer tournament, or some other function. What they don't see is just how much that would mean to their son and how much closer that would bring them all together. It seems obvious to me, but you would be surprised at how most people just don't see it.

teen suicide; This is a huge problem today but you only hear pockets of concerned citizens worrying about it. Occassionally, when some depressed teen shoots up a school, it makes headline news. Other than that, it's out of site, out of mind on this subject.

As far as gay teens are concerned, studies on youth suicide consistently find that lesbian and gay youth are 2 - 6 times more likely to attempt suicide than other youth and may account for 30% of all completed suicides among teens (source: Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989).

Does anyone care? Do the Christian groups who are so concerned about gay marriage give a damn about these kids? If they do, they have a very poor media campaign about it because I don't recall hearing about their concern even once?

All of this erodes families. Perhaps the most damaging issue in all of this is the lack of any recognition of gay families by most religious institutions or our government. In their efforts to stop gay people from being able to get married, they add to the difficulty of being able to maintain our families. Do they not realize that many of these gay families have children as part of that family?

President Bush is an absolute moron! He has done nothing to strengthen familes. His interest and ambition is to get elected again. To do that, he would have sex with farm animals if the Christian right told him too. HE HAS NO INTEGRITY.

As for the conservative Christians... they have become a group of people with one thing in mind; stop the homosexuals from getting married. And, while you are at it, throw in a few other pieces of legislation (to be determined) to keep gays in their place as second-class citizens. The possibility that we will look as normal as anyone else scares the hell out of them. The only tool they have left is to try to marginalize our segment of the population as much as possible. Right now, they are using marriage to accomplish that. Tomorrow, who knows?

They love to quote the Bible, but to them, the Bible has become a menu on what kind of hatred and intolerance they wish to dish up. I've read the Bible, cover to cover. It condemns many groups of people, depending on what book you are reading from, at various times in history. There are few references to homosexuality, but a whole slew of other things that get condemned in the Bible. They never preach about such "sins" such as:

For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. Lev. 20:9

And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. Lev. 20:10

And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death. Lev. 24:16

And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. Lev. 24:17

Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. Lev. 24:20

A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. Lev. 24:14

You get the picture I think. I bet you didn't know that if you wear make up, you are considered a "harlot" in the Bible. So, all you women who wear make up, well, I won't say it.

My point is, you will never hear them mention these other sins. Why? Because 98% of Americans are guilty of these sins every single day. It would not help their cause to mention this. If they are true to their cause, they would have to mention this. That is why their "ministry" has become one of simple gay bashing.

Just in ending, this is what Jesus said about homosexuality and homosexual relationships, "                                                        ". Of all the rhetoric from the Christian Right against homosexuality, the message of love that Jesus spoke of time after time, has been lost in all the noise.

From all the backstepping from our President, I'm also left wondering if there is any such thing as a "compassionate conservative".