Prop 8

Nov 12, 2008 02:16

Taken directly from Wikipedia:
Proposition 8 is a California State ballot proposition that would amend the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. It would overturn a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized same-sex marriage in California as a fundamental right. The official ballot title language for Proposition 8 is "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry." The entirety of the text to be added to the constitution is: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 raised $35.8 million and $37.6 million, respectively, becoming the highest-funded campaign on any state ballot that day and surpassing every campaign in the country in spending except the presidential contest. The proponents argued for exclusively heterosexual marriage while claiming that failure to change the constitution would require changes to school curriculum and threaten church tax benefits. The opponents argued that eliminating the rights of any Californian and mandating that one group of people be treated differently from everyone else was unfair and wrong.

I found out from my good LJ friend
Stormy about how people nation wide are already rallying to protest Prop 8. I'd like to, because despite the fact that I'm no longer friends or family with any homosexuals (that I know of), I think the ballot itself is bullshit, and not just in California but all over the country. But for the moment, let's just look at that definition from the Wiki.
It would overturn a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized same-sex marriage in California as a fundamental right. A "fundamental right" that was just given to them this year, and now... taken away. Overturned. It's like offering a starving dog a slab of bacon and then right before he's gonna eat it, you kick him in the nuts. It's the epitome of bullshit.

Now... I'm sure you know that this so-called amendment to the California constitution is, for all intents and purposes, unconstitutional. It infringes on our basic religious freedoms. Governor Schwarzenegger expressed hope that the California Supreme Court would overturn Prop 8, urging the backers of gay marriage to follow the lesson he learned as a bodybuilder trying to lift weights that were too heavy for him at first, "I learned that you should never ever give up... They should never give up. They should be on it and on it until they get it done." He also predicted that the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who have already wed would not see their marriages nullified by the initiative. Many proponents of the Proposition say that regardless of what any politicians or protesters have to say, the amendment won't be overturned and all previous same-sex marriages will be nullified.
It's just more bullshit. But mostly because The State of California can't decide if the Proposition is a constitutional amendment or a constitutional revision.

As I've previously said, we're one of the most backwards assed nations in the world considering how fucking advanced we're supposed to be. I was looking over the states and countries that allow same-sex marriages and civil unions... I mean, my God. The United States is like inbred cousin at the family reunion no one wants to talk about... you know, the one that hits on your sister and your mom and his mom in line for the roast beef. Just listen to these statistics:
Marriage, as defined by the civil law, is currently available to same-sex couples in six countries. The Netherlands were the first country to allow same-sex marriage in 2001. Same-sex marriages have since been legalized in Belgium, Norway, South Africa, Spain, and Canada. Canada fer Christ's sake! When we call ourselves the Freest Country in the World and call Canada our retarded little brother, they have more fucking freedoms than we do, including same-sex marriages and free health care EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FUCKING DIME!!! Meanwhile, the only two states in the US that allow same-sex marriage are Massachusetts and Connecticut.So if you wanna move to New England and live in shitty weather for the rest of your life just so you can be with the person you love? Well then, so be it.
On the other hand, same-sex Civil Unions are allowed in Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oregon, Maine, Maryland, Hawaii, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, and Washington, D.C. So what's so different between a marriage and a civil union? Not much except God. You get all the same rights, responsibilities and benefits as a regular marriage. Hell, all of us normal married people will tell ya, even after your marriage under God you gotta go and get it made official by the court system of your state and all that is? Is a civil union.
But here's where it get's tricky. A lot of states don't recognize civil unions. Why? Because they're assholes. Don't believe me? Look it up; No they don't recognize the union and yes they are assholes. So it would stand to reason that if you and your same-sex partner went to Massachusetts to get married and then come back Cunt-Fuck-A-Fornia where the liberals are supposed to be, then they're not going to recognize your marriage, and perhaps they won't recognize their own civil unions for very much longer.

California isn't the only state that had a "Prop 8" - like revision this election year. Florida had Amendment 2. Arizona had Proposition 102.
Florida. Governor Jeb Bush.
Arizona. Senator John McCain.
But you didn't hear much of shit about either one of those as compared to California's Prop 8? Why? I dunno. Maybe because of the backing from ProtectMarriage dot com or the generous donations from the Church of Latter Day Saints. Or maybe because all the famous people live in California.
One of the problems in America is that we're complacent. We get everything the fuck we want and then... when what is considered a minority comes along and they say they are repressed, we laugh. How the fuck can you be repressed in this bountiful land of opportunity, enjoyment and excitement?!? Are we so stupid? Apparently. We're lucky that we have such freedoms to marry who we want and don't have to have arranged marriages like in the Middle East and some countries in South Asia. We're lucky we get to vote on such issues, we're lucky that women and blacks and Asians and Latinos get to vote and not only that, they can live here and have homes and jobs and children and interracial marriages and they can fucking DIVERSIFY, and maybe one day homosexuals will do that as well and we WILL have the ultimate melting pot of the world and God will forgive us for wiping out the Native Americans so many years ago because even if He believes that homosexuality is a sin... I doubt He'll think that all the harmony He'll see on His Earth will be wrong.

Prop 8... or any of the revisions for that matter, will most likely not be overturned. At least not until a new poll or vote or something is done in say, 20 to 30 years. Someone mentioned it was a "generational" thing... kind of like how blacks and other minorities are a part of our lives now. They didn't even have ANY rights until the early 1900's. Think that's unfair? Black males were treated better than white women because they were allowed to vote first.

[EDIT - The Next Day] -- I can't believe I forgot,
Veazey just reminded me, and I did bring it up a little bit... but a major factor in the whole anti-gay marriage vote is religion, religion that these people who voted for things like Prop 8 really don't even practice.



Now am I saying they're Christian or not? Of course not! Certainly not the Mormons, WHOA. They're crazy, they might come after me. But the fact is that gay marriage isn't impeding on your faith or the so-called "sanctity" of marriage! That's ridiculous. That's like saying because two men LOVE each other, then LOVE is fuckin' ruined forever. No fuckin' fat house politician would say that if he saw two women LOVE each other, now would he?

I have faith in God and I'm a Christian, albeit not a very good one. The people on Earth aren't running around Sodom and Gomorrah-like, fucking each other in the street willy-nilly. Everyone's trying to do this legally, the right way, the proper way, a way to be happy, to have a family, to raise children even in some cases. If He thinks it's wrong for people to be happy? Well then maybe we've been praying to the wrong fuckin' deity for a long time.

I leave you tonight with a clip that Brian posted from Keith Olbermann talking about Prop 8. There's nothing he says that I haven't already,but he has a special way of verbalizing everything, I'm sure it makes all those voters feel like special kinds of assholes.

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