WASHINGTON - President Bush will promote a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on Monday, the eve of a scheduled Senate vote on the cause that is dear to his conservative backers. The amendment would prohibit states from recognizing same-sex marriages. To become law, the proposal would need two-thirds support in the Senate and House, and then be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures.
As if preaching a doctrine of hatred, ignorance, and pre-emptive war wasn’t enough, now Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader is attempting to enshrine hatred and marginalization of an entire class of Americans in our Constitution. How else could one explain away the proposed anti-Gay Marriage amendment? Are those who live and think differently than the White Christian majority REALLY such a tremendous threat to Our Way of Life? Or is Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader feeling the need to throw a bone to his rabid, hate-fueled, Right-wing base?
Apparently having solved all of the other problems facing this country, Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader is turning his attention to creating an American that any Conservative White Christian would be proud of. This from a President who promised to be a uniter and not a divider? So, how are those abject, bald-faced lies working out for you??
It’s not that I have any great love for the GLBT community; it’s just that I think “live and let live” is a pretty good philosophy to live by. Then again, if you’re as philosophically bankrupt as most of the far Right-wing is, there’s nothing quite like focusing your hatred and desire to deflect attention away from your failed agenda and channelling it into hating and oppressing a minority class.
Here’s the problem with this proposed amendment, though: one should not blithely undertake amending the Constitution. There is a reason that the Founding Fathers made the process so onerous- they knew that down the road, the temptation for zealots and bigots would be to attempt to amend the Constitution to creat a system more suited to their ignorance and prejudices. Man, were those folks prescient or what??
It stands little chance of passing the 100-member Senate, where proponents are struggling to get even 50 votes. Several Republicans oppose it, and so far only one Democrat — Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska — says he will vote for it.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the amendment on May 18 along party lines after a shouting match between a Democrat and the chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. He bid Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., “good riddance” after Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment and his intention to leave the meeting….
A slim majority of Americans opposes gay marriage, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press from March. But the poll also showed attitudes are changing: 63 percent opposed gay marriage in February 2004.
Those poll results don’t reflect how people might feel about amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage.
In November, initiatives banning same-sex marriages are expected to be on the ballot in Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
In 2004, 13 states approved initiatives prohibiting gay marriage or civil unions.
Hmm…perhaps hatred IS an American value, eh??
My word of caution (like anyone is actually going to pay attention) would be to beware of the “slippery slope” potential of attempting to amend the Constitution. If zealots and bigots succeed in using it to marginalize Gays and Lesbians, how long before the use it to marginalize Democrats, squelch dissent, and just generally require that everyone think, act, live, and believe along the same narrow lines? Think it couldn’t happen? If you feel that way, you’re clearly NOT paying attention, and any thinking, open-minded person should be WAKE UP AND SMELL THE CAT LITTER!!!
WE DESERVE BETTER….
