Sunday, June 12, 2011

Cain We Have An Honest Discussion On Marriage Rights?

 "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right." ~Thomas Paine

In a conversation with my friend on the subject of gay marriage, I mentioned a man whom I highly respect, had said something that really disappointed me. I'm referring to Herman Cain and his statements on Homosexuality being a "sin" and a "choice". While I consider Mr. Cain to be my frontrunner pick to go against Obama, I strongly disagree with him. Don't get me wrong, Cain is entitled to his own opinions on the issue of Homosexuality and gay marriage, but I feel it is a devastating position shared among many Conservatives and I feel it will ensure the Democrats will continue to get the support from the gay community solely on the empty promises they always campaign on.

First let me say that I personally believe Homosexuality is a birth trait and that it is not a choice. As my friend put it perfectly, "you can't help who you're attracted to and you can't explain it". He's right. You can't help if you're attracted to tall, short, skinny, curvacious, blonde, or brunette- you just are. It's an objective view that only you can hold and there isn't a right or wrong way to go about it. One shouldn't be discriminated because of their own preference in what they like. This also includes what gender you prefer. And choosing a mate based on what one prefers, doesn't make them any less smart, good looking, or moral.

Mr. Cain along with Conservatives and Tea Partiers claim to be defenders and protectors of the constitution, believe that all men are created equal, and are entitled to rights given to them by God. So, shouldn't this include equal rights when it comes to gays?
On my Facebook I asked people's opinion on whether the government or the church should decide who gets married. A few responded but their beliefs were based on a religious perspective and failed to make the argument. My position on marriage is that it is a contract between 2 consenting adults, their church, and their god. I believe that if a couple wants to be considered "married", it would be left up to the church. In other words, I believe the word "marriage" is religious in nature and can hold different standards depending on the religion. The government shouldn't be the arbitrator of what constitutes a marriage. I also feel that any relationship officiated or not should get the same recognition when it comes to taxes (complete with loopholes and credits until the tax code is changed), insurance, and kinship. No one should be granted special rights or privileges based on religious beliefs or religious affiliations. Marriage as currently defined as one woman and one man, creates a protected class that is given special privileges and should not have its legal definition reliant on a religious foundation. We are not a theocracy. We live under the constitution, not Leviticus.We obey the rule of law, not a priest.

Rights are not contingent on personal moral convictions. Most people who oppose gay marriage do so because they are morally opposed to Homosexuality in general. But personal disgust and visceral reactions are not moral positions- they are mere reactions and they shouldn't be an influence on public policy. Show me an example of Homosexuality harming society and I will give you 10 examples showing how theocratic beliefs have harmed society.

I'm not gay but I do believe in equal rights for everyone and I also believe people should be able to do what they want as long as they don't interfere or violate the rights of others. It's time the Tea Party, Mr. Cain, and anyone else who lives in America and loves our freedoms to start considering the real meaning of individual rights.
  


*follow up will be on marriage licenses

Monday, June 6, 2011

Double Standards, It's A Liberal Thing

Today during Representative Anthony Weiner's press conference a woman who makes me have respect for Alex Jones tweeted this:


Karoli
gotta say, I’m pissed at . Not for tweeting his junk, but for legitimizing Breitbart.
2 hours ago via Echofon
It doesn't surprise me really. This woman is known to come up with crazy conspiracy theories and is wrong on virtually everything. We all know that the left hold their own to a completely different standard than we do on the right. Remember Chris Lee and his shirtless photo? Yeah, not quite the same affect that a picture of bulging pair of underwear has but Lee resigned from his position almost immediately. Or what about Mark Foley, John Ensign, Mark Souder? You get the point. All of these Republican elected officials couldn't keep it in their pants and ended up resigning. Why is it that we on the right are willing to hold elected officials accountable for their actions but the left excuses the guilty and goes after the messenger? We've seen this repeatedly especially when Andrew Breitbart is behind the breaking news. Are they so ideologically driven that they are willing to ignore the facts when it comes to their dear leaders mistakes or is it that they have no standards when it comes honor or integrity as long as the district, state, or white house continues to have a Democrat in position?

We have many serious problems in this country that extend beyond the fidelity of politicians. Sure, we on the right have had fun with the Weinergate scandal all week because he's one of the most arrogant politicians in office and because for once it's not a Republican. But the underlying issue with this case is that Weiner lied and actually tried to blame first a hacker and then Breitbart, thus giving professional smear merchants like Eric Boehlert and Markos Moulitsas reason to call the whole thing a hoax and further the lie. By Weiner not being honest about his mistake he allowed this story to continue for over a week (and of course the media didn't blink) when we could have been having more serious discussions. Trust me the last thing I want to do is get to the bottom of lewd photos sent to college co-eds by one of the most repulsive men I've ever seen.
Much to my and many others disappointment Weiner did not resign today. Should a politician resign for being a sexting, unfaithful jerk to his wife? That's not really any of my business nor is it for me to judge if this had not gone public. What is my business though is a sexting, unfaithful elitist who thinks he can LIE to the public and get away with it. It's time the left feel the same way.

~whoever is careless with the truth in small matters, cannot be trusted with important matters.- Albert Einstein