“When Did It Become Unconstitutional to Exclude Homosexual Couples From Marriage?” – “May I Answer This in the Form of a Rhetorical Question?”

Click on this image to see a post about why it might not be such a bad idea to allow gay parents to marry.

 

With the rulings of both Proposition 8 and DOMA in front of the Supreme Court going in favor of gay marriage equality I have found myself reflecting on the debate as I’ve remembered it over the last few months and years. I personally wish that my home state of Oklahoma would come out of left field and ‘stick it to the federal government’ by legalizing same sex marriage, as a way to say that the government needs to stay out of people’s business and allow them as much freedom as possible, and as a channel to capitalize on the economic benefits that would surely come from being the only state in the area to take such an action. I mean, it is a very pro business state…

On March 26, 2013 during an Oral Argument in Hollingsworth vs. Perry (the supreme court case about the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which banned same sex marriage in California) Justice Antonin Scalia made a statement that I have heard repeated multiple times by conservative pundits as the big ‘zinger’ in this hearing season on this issue. They seem to repeatedly forget to mention the response that immediately followed Justice Scalia’s comment. The exchange went like this:

 

JUSTICE SCALIA: I’m curious, when did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage? 1791? 1868, when the 14th Amendment was adopted? Sometimes after Baker, where we said it didn’t even raise a substantial Federal question? When did the law become this?

MR. OLSON: When – may I answer this in the form of a rhetorical question? When did it become unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages? When did it become unconstitutional to assign children to separate schools?

 

What Mr. Olson was referring to in the case of interracial marriage was the case of Loving vs Virginia, which there has been much news and media about since ever since it happened in 1967. I would imagine that the stories that we will be hearing over the next few days, weeks, and years might look something like this to our children and grandchildren. Ultimately whether it feels like it or not this seems to be the civil rights/liberties issue of our time, so think long and hard about what it means to you to desire a discriminatory government.

 

Just a Reminder That Letting Gay Parents Get Married is Maybe Not So Bad…

 

History was made today, twice in fact, as the United States Supreme Court struck down DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act, poorly named in my opinion), and the standing for Proposition 8 in California (which was a democratically lead initiative to make same sex marriage illegal). A lot of people are going to be very upset, and a lot of people are going to be very excited. And honestly there are going to be a lot of people who don’t really care… I think that in these times of administrative scandal and executive mistrust we might want to come together and agree in lessening the governments roll in certain aspects of our lives.

A couple of years ago Zach Wahls had the chance to speak in front of his representative body in the Iowa Congress to talk about Gay Marriage, and he told a short but sweet story. So sweet in fact it ended up getting him a speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention. But you know what? That speech could have very well been at the Republican National Convention if Republicans would’ve claimed this issue as a way to tell the government to back off… It’s not too late to feel that way, and to get on board the at least somewhat libertarian bandwagon. Well, I’m not quite as well spoken as Zach, so I’ll let his infamous speech do the talking

 

A few months ago I blogged about Proposition 8 specifically in regards to those who are a part of religious organizations who oppose marriage equality from the bully pulpit of public opinion. This day might be a lesson to some of those members of society, but maybe not. Feel free to read it by CLICKING HERE.

“Brainwashed by Westboro Baptist Church” – VICE

 

There are multiple reasons why Westboro Baptist Church is disturbs me, but most of all because of the way that Children are bullied. I would actually love to sit down with these guys and see what all they think about the world, because I’ve had some ideas before that might be considered a little crazy. I used to find myself in hour long conversations with the people who came to our campus in college to tell everyone that they were going to hell. Usually the conversations would be pretty fun, and would end on a good note where I would tell them that I thought there were better and more articulate ways to get their point across.

Well anyway, I think that this video is fascinating. I still do not understand how they feel warranted to speak so hatefully, but they do seem to really mean it, so as long as they are being honest I want to hear what they have to say – which is how I ended up getting Mormon missionaries stopping by my house every week in the summer of 2010.

 

“Retaking the Initiative” – Bill Maher on State’s Rights / Special Interest Groups

I thought this was pretty well put, especially considering that idea that he is arguing for a preservation of the 10th Amendment (state autonomy), and a large number of his harshest critiques have to respect that, as it is one of their great causes. What do you think?

 

BILL’S BLOG

Retaking the Initiative

March 14, 2013

By Bill Maher

Recently on Real Time we talked about Prop 37, a California ballot measure that would have required labeling of genetically modified foods. Monsanto, Coke, Pepsi, Kraft, General Mills and others formed a nutritional axis of evil and spent 45 million dollars to successfully defeat the initiative. And this is not the first time large outside interests have butted their noses — and wallets — into the state of California’s affairs. The same thing happened with Proposition 8, the initiative to ban gay marriage, which was on the ballot in California in 2008. Backers and opponents of the bill donated 83 million dollars in total. Donations rolled in from all 50 states and, ironically, the US Virgin Islands.

Those supporting the bill to ban gave 39 million dollars. Those against the bill gave 44.1 million dollars. Of the 39 million spent to pass the measure, 27.7 came from California; 11.3 million came from out of state. Of the 44.1 million spent to defeat the bill, 30.9 came from California; 13.2 million came from out of state. Prop 8 passed and gay marriage — which had been legal in the state for the previous five months, thanks to a California Supreme Court equal protection ruling — was no longer legal.

It’s time someone put an initiative on the ballot banning donations to state ballot initiatives from people who don’t live in that state.

Obama is hoping for a Democratically-controlled House in 2014, but it doesn’t really matter; special interest groups have figured out how to bypass the federal system and enact their agendas into law through state ballot initiatives. It’s also why Congress can get away with not working anymore.

Why should powerful wealthy groups and individuals be allowed to interfere with the way of life in an area where they don’t live? Isn’t that how America got started in the first place — to put an end to that sort of thing?

When are we going to stop allowing corporate interests or the Mormons or the Koch Brothers or Sheldon Adelson to get all “King George” on us every election year?