America, Love It Or Leave It
From an Opinion Piece...
If majority rule determines what’s best, then I guess the losers never get a chance in life. At least not in America. And certainly not in Tennessee. I guess you can move to San Francisco or Massachusetts or Denmark. That’s America? If you don’t like it, leave?
Yes, it would seem so.
Years ago, when asked why he left the Democratic Party, Ronald Reagan stated, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. They left me.” That is exactly how I feel today about my country, America. I thought that we were all Americans. You know, “United We Stand”. Well boy, have I learned a thing or two. We are not united at all. So much so that many gay Americans are leaving America and moving to places where it’s less hostile - much like many of our original immigrants (we can call them refugees, I suppose) fled England to come to America to avoid religious persecution.
So, what does that make gay Americans fleeing to other lands where they can live a more productive and open life? Are they now refugees fleeing from the tyranny that is being imposed by the majority via voter referendums that effectively put us into a second-class status?
Random Thoughts On Gay Marriage
posted November 11, 2006As a child of divorce, I really have no respect for the institution of heterosexual marriage. As far as I can tell, the bonds of marriage are easily sealed on a whim, and legally broken with great cultural consequence.
Marriage, family…those are just words that hold meaning on an individual, case-by-case basis. The institution has no legal responsibilities, no legal ramifications, no social boundaries.
Our culture is passé when it comes to marriage in general. The greatest advantages it offers is tax relief, cheaper insurance, adoption rights, and certain employment benefits.
There is nothing sacred about commitment in our culture. It doesn’t exist any more unless two people actually decide to stick it out through thick and thin.
Many argue that adoption rights is a big reason why gay marriage shouldn’t happen. They’ll quote surveys about it being healthier for children to be in a male/female family unit. I wonder where I fit in to their paradigm? I wonder how abused children are better off as long as they have a mom and a dad to beat them.
I do believe that a healthier balance for children exists when there are male and female role models in their lives. But who exactly are these role models in today’s families? And why do so many modern parents willingly medicate their children when they’re already being raised in healthy homes?
I’ve never met a gay man who made a choice to be gay. Believe me, I’ve asked them when they decided to be gay. A friend once remarked to me, “Why would I choose to be gay? Society hates who I am. What rational person would make this kind of decision?” For some reason, I just can’t get my head around gay people knowing more about being gay than I do. Call me stupid.
I’m a Christian. A liberal one, but a Christian nonetheless. I believe in the teachings of the Bible. I believe Jesus when he said that the second greatest commandment is to love other people as you love yourself. I also believe that our country protects people of all faiths and beliefs. That one person is not greater than another. That all men are equal in the eyes of our government. That I can practice my religion as freely as a Muslim. That I can marry a person to my choosing as can a homosexual.
People talk about our country being founded on Christian principles. There is no disputing this fact: justice, mercy, grace, and charity.
I doubt that the founding fathers envisioned a time when gay people would want to marry. Who knows what their solution would have been to this issue. In the early days of our country, slavery was legal and women couldn’t vote. So clearly, the founding fathers (as much as I respect them) got it wrong from time to time.
I believe Jesus when he said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what belongs to Him.” And the authors of our Constitution thought that the separation of church and state was kind of important too. I guess in today’s political climate, the separation of church and state is upheld until gay marriage becomes an issue.
Ultimately, gay marriage doesn’t affect me. If I had to marry a dude after it passed, I’d probably have a problem with it. In an ideal world, gay people could get married to one another and I could marry a girl. I think that’s a pretty good deal. You live your life and I’ll live mine. As long as you don’t inflict me with your gayness then I won’t inflict you with my straightness. Deal?
If majority rule determines what’s best, then I guess the losers never get a chance in life. At least not in America. And certainly not in Tennessee. I guess you can move to San Francisco or Massachusetts or Denmark. That’s America? If you don’t like it, leave?
David Morton
david@safeguy.net
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: America, Love It Or Leave It.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://billandkent.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2143
1 Comments
Leave a comment
As a psychologist working in fostring and adoption, child protection within the UK I am shocked that the public show this horror of gay adoption. I have placed three children with same sex couples, all of whom are extreamly happy.In this country you do not have to be married to adopt just show that you are in a committed relationship. All couples go through a strict asssessment which goes on for months. It is very intrusive but designed to find out who will be a suitable parent for a child in care. If so much effort has been put in to design such a tool and the worker spends time and does his or her job to a first class degree then a child can be placed safely with an adoptive family whatever the sexuality of the parents. We need to focus on what the couple (or single person) can bring to a childs life not what they do in the bedroom with there long term partner or spouse.