"I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."
That was the week that was. Also:
Virginia Democrats saw the worst campaign since Al Gore’s put out of its misery by a wide, wide … Oh baby could the campaign have really been that bad? Oh yes it was! … wide margin. On the upside, while he’s going to do incalculable harm, at least Bob McDonnell is not going to lie Virginia into a war.
New Jersey voters turned out their most embarrassing governor since Bill McGreevy. It was no mean feat to be both embarrassing and dull. At least McGreevy’s crash and burn had some tawdry juice.
Voters in New York’s 23rd Congressional District are still writhing on the ground, rending their garments and crying out to an implacable god, “Why us, Lord, why us?”
Gay men, lesbians and bisexuals who are starting to make up their minds are also troubling deaf heaven with their bootless cries. The good citizens of Maine passed Question 1, a referendum overturning their state’s law recognizing same-sex marriages. More than any election closer to geographic home, this result gave me a sense of my world and my options becoming a bit more constricted.
But was it a surprise? After prop 8 in California? After going down in flames in every state (31 in all) in which gay marriage has been put before the generous spirited electorate? This time it was going to be different? Because it was New England? Boy are we headed for more painful wake-up calls in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Let’s face it, beyond the thin gruel of domestic partnership (Can it be said enough? “Separate but Equal is inherently unequal.”), we can’t expect much from our fellow citizens. No more than African-Americans could. Or women. One shudders to consider the result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965 being subject to a plebiscite. Every act of enfranchisement, of providing the rights incumbent upon simple humanity, never mind citizenship, since the founding of the republic has come from legislation or through the courts. The actions of a mob whether wielding ropes or tea bags or ballots are an ugly thing to behold.
Oh yeah, that Christian is Barack Obama.
Barack Obama who was the keynote speaker at this year’s annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, “America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.” Much to the shock, shock of all, Christian Obama’s remarks contained reassuring platitudes without a word about implementation.
Evidently the Human Rights Campaign was taking the same approach as the Norwegian Nobel Prize committee, recognizing promise without waiting for accomplishment. I assume that each holds the unspoken fear that promise is all they will ever see.
I've been contemplating starting a movement, "Support Traditional Marriage: Beat Your Wife." People seem to forget that until very, very recently (in the grand scheme of thousands of years of tradition), wives were considered property of the husbands - so they could beat them. And rape them. In fact, there used to be a spousal exception to the rape laws. "I do" meant "anytime you want it, even if I don't." Maybe "Rape Your Wife" would have a better ring to it. Which would look better on the t-shirt and novelty styrofoam bats?
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder if it was coincidence or an act of repentance or cleansing that the Sunday morning after his Saturday night speech to the HRC that POTUS publicly attended church (there is no knowing if he attends when ensconced at Camp David) for the first time since Easter.
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