One more thing...and I just thought of this, wouldn't it be great if equality wasn't something we had to vote for, but rather common sense?
Wouldn't it be great if Americans looked at their own freedoms and happiness and then thought, hey, who am I, as a free individual, to impose my religious (or otherwise) beliefs on other free individuals?
Wouldn't it be great if people stopped looking into the lives of strangers to determine/judge/denounce their lifestyles, and instead concentrated on their own? What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. The US is a big, unique, melting pot of a gander. Not one goose is like another. Somebody smart once said:
"…whence came all these people? They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes... What, then, is the American, this new man? He is neither a European nor the descendant of a European; hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. . . . The Americans were once scattered all over Europe; here they are incorporated into one of the finest systems of population which has ever appeared." − J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, Letters from an American Farmer.
Now here are some different, less smart quotes by supporters and leaders of Proposition 8, "People believe in the institution of marriage," said Frank Schubert, co-manager of the Yes on 8 campaign. "It's one institution that crosses ethnic divides, that crosses partisan divides. ... People have stood up because they care about marriage and they care a great deal."
I would go as far as to say that the 18,000 gay men and women that were married in California more than likely cared about marriage "a great deal" too. Another said,
"This is a great day for marriage. The people of California stood up for traditional marriage and reclaimed this great institution," said Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com — Yes on 8. "We are gratified that voters chose to protect traditional marriage and to enshrine its importance in the state constitution. We trust that this decision will be respected by all Californians."
Wouldn't it be great if the institution of marriage crossed not only a partisan divide, or an ethnic divide, but also a sexual orientation divide? After all, you can't discriminate against a person interviewing for a job based on their sexual orientation, but for some insane reason, the US (and it's voters) can discriminate against gays and lesbians entirely based on their sexual orientation? Really?
And "Yay" for you Frank Shcubert and Ron Prentice, for leading the way and snatching marriage away from them as if you, heterosexual, white males (typical) living in the year 2008, somehow own the institution of marriage. Nice job, way.to.go.
Wouldn't it be great if Ron Prentice stopped using the word "traditional?" What is traditional marriage? There's no such thing. If there was, why on Earth could you go through a drive-through chapel in Las Vegas to get married? Thousands of people do it every year. Some people have the craziest traditions. Also, on that note, I once heard of a traditional marriage that lasted for "52 hours." I think we all know what that was about. But back to the earlier quote,
"He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds..."
Wouldn't it be great if we, too, left our ancient prejudices and manners (i.e. Bible-toting, religious zealots) behind? The bible was written a long time ago. It doesn't reflect a modern culture in any way. You can't denounce or choose the lifestyles of U.S. citizens based upon your religious beliefs. Religion is not a law. Marriage is not exclusive to religion. It's for everybody. But, in respect, gay marriage doesn't break a single commandment out of the ten we (some of us) live by. Also, we now have an interracial President who, for some people, thought never could exist since slavery wasn't that long ago. Yet at the very same time, a dominating group of African American and Latino Proposition 8 supporters have the audacity to say/discriminate that gays and lesbians are undeserving of the same constitutional rights given to every American citizen? What??!! How?! WHY?!
Wouldn't it be great if homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation was given a fraction of the attention, denunciation, and elimination that racism, sexism, or religious freedom is given?
Put it under a microscope: discrimination is the unfair treatment of one person or a group because of prejudice.
If you still can't see that banning gay marriage is absolute discrimination in its simplest form...and that it's insanely wrong...if you still can't see that, you must be blind and in a vegetable state, which is the only reason you can't do anything about it to reverse it. Or you're homophobic and you don't want anything to be done about it. You live in ignorance and are OK with that.
It's one or the other. You either choose to discriminate, or you don't.
I don't.
