Wednesday, October 20, 2004
vote for love, not hate
Why is it that every couple of years a bunch of people get together to put an initiative on the ballot promoting bigotry, discrimination and hate of gay people? What do they fear so much?
Do they really think that they or their children are in danger if gay people get the right to marry? Or is it just that gay marriage takes them one step further away from their goal of banishing gay people from our state and from our country?
I would hope that in the 21st century we might be past the witch-burning stage and would be able to act with dignity, reason and tolerance toward our fellow citizens. But between hate-backed initiatives like Measure 36 and the freeper outrage over Kerry mentioning the L word last week, I guess some people are still in the dark ages.
Here's a quote from an article in Village Voice about an anti- gay marriage rally in DC.
Wonderful. So it's ok for Bush to put corporations above families as long as he puts traditional families above gay families? What kind of crazy logic is that?
Maybe I misread the bible. Maybe the 10 commandments said it's ok to steal and kill if you are president of a democratic country. Maybe the golden rule is actually "love thy neighbor as thyself but prevent them from having the same rights that you have".
A friend recently told me that although she is firmly against Measure 36, she can't put a yard sign out because she is the member of a conservative Christian church and her family would be ostracized if church members knew her thoughts on this matter.
This is what happens when fascism starts to set in. Corporate control of the state, and people afraid to speak out to protect the rights of others. I know there were Christians in Nazi Germany who wanted to speak out for their Jewish friends and neighbors but didn't out of fear for the repercussions.
As an antidote for hatred, please check out the Oregon website Marriage Matters. And please, please, please... don't vote for hate in Oregon. And speak out - our democracy depends on it.
¶ 10:27 AM
Why is it that every couple of years a bunch of people get together to put an initiative on the ballot promoting bigotry, discrimination and hate of gay people? What do they fear so much?
Do they really think that they or their children are in danger if gay people get the right to marry? Or is it just that gay marriage takes them one step further away from their goal of banishing gay people from our state and from our country?
I would hope that in the 21st century we might be past the witch-burning stage and would be able to act with dignity, reason and tolerance toward our fellow citizens. But between hate-backed initiatives like Measure 36 and the freeper outrage over Kerry mentioning the L word last week, I guess some people are still in the dark ages.
Here's a quote from an article in Village Voice about an anti- gay marriage rally in DC.
"I'm voting for Bush," said a kindly middle-aged woman from Pennsylvania, who said she was "too cowardly" to give her name. "I don't like his corporate policies, but I believe in his family values."
Wonderful. So it's ok for Bush to put corporations above families as long as he puts traditional families above gay families? What kind of crazy logic is that?
Maybe I misread the bible. Maybe the 10 commandments said it's ok to steal and kill if you are president of a democratic country. Maybe the golden rule is actually "love thy neighbor as thyself but prevent them from having the same rights that you have".
A friend recently told me that although she is firmly against Measure 36, she can't put a yard sign out because she is the member of a conservative Christian church and her family would be ostracized if church members knew her thoughts on this matter.
This is what happens when fascism starts to set in. Corporate control of the state, and people afraid to speak out to protect the rights of others. I know there were Christians in Nazi Germany who wanted to speak out for their Jewish friends and neighbors but didn't out of fear for the repercussions.
As an antidote for hatred, please check out the Oregon website Marriage Matters. And please, please, please... don't vote for hate in Oregon. And speak out - our democracy depends on it.
¶ 10:27 AM
