Spitzer Plans to Introduce Gay Marriage Bill
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: April 23, 2007
Gov. Eliot Spitzer will introduce a bill in the coming weeks to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, his spokeswoman said Friday, a move that would propel New York to the forefront of one of the most contentious issues in politics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This should mark one of two things; either a landmark, or a target, depending on how you look at it.
For those of us who support a person's right to marry whomever he or she may choose, this is a momentous occasion; New York will be paving the way for personal liberty and setting a precedent for others to follow.
However, for those of you who are against same-sex marriage, I'm sure this will fall under attack and begin "target-practice" as protesters of this bill, and any resulting influences.
I say kudos to New York for the guts to at least try this.
Whichever way it goes, it's nice to see someone actually try to pass this through; and I have no doubt that pass or fail, we will be seeing the results of this bill for years to come...
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
It will become a target, the Christian Right and other organizations will rant and rave, with their usual rhetoric about how homosexuality is against God's ordained natural order, that homosexuals are perverted and disqusting, a threat to children, society, and family values, and a big threat to Christians. "The lifestyles of gays and lesbians is intolerable to the Christian Right because their existence is a threat to the movement's chain of command, one its leader insist was ordained by God" (Hedges, 2006)
Because the majority deems that something is intolerable does not make their opinion right, accurate, or true.
It is a momentos occasion, and hopefully the bill will pass. Let's say it does pass, and New York, like Mass., allows gay marriages...how many states will follow? How long will it take the SOUTH to figure out they are behind the times and repeatedly showing how prejudiced and discriminatory they are?
"A prime part of the history of our Constitution...is the story of the extension of constitutional rights and protections to people once ignored or excluded." ~US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The full legalization of same-sex marriages in this country is Constitutionally inevitable. Let the religites rant and rave all they want. It won't change anything. Heck, even they know this to be true. That is why there the religious right is so desperate to see the Constitution amendmended.
percivale
So to wave it around as the gaurantee to rights that you do not have is a straw man.
Additionally, it is hateful and bigoted to scapegoat Christians simply because some perverts want benefits. Buddhism says nothing about the subject of homosexuality. Yet in Japan where it is the primary religion homosexuality is even more taboo than here. So to try and marginalize Christians shows who the real hatemongers are.
In this country we have a body called the Supreme Court, whose job it is to interpret the Constitution. Here is what THEY had to say about marriage...
"The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men." ~ Loving v. Virginia (1967)
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=388&invol=1
Marriage is a fundamental right of the adult citizens of this country, and the law does not recognize the subjective opinions of religious fruit-cakes who think they have a right to insert their purely religious opinions into the body of our Laws.
As for Japan (which I am not sure why you think is relevant), it is interesting to note that the taboo of homosexuality in Japan did not originate until after Western Culture became a social force in that country. Historically, homosexuality was not a taboo in the society prior to the 19th Century. Even in modern Japan, the supposed taboo is essentially meaningless. Japan has no laws again homosexual activity, and actually has a more liberal legal policy that many states in the U.S.
As for the Buddhist perspective, I think the Dahli Llama said it best...
He is reported to have said regarding homosexuality, "If the two people have taken no vows [of chastity], and neither is harmed, why should it not be acceptable?" He has repeatedly affirmed his belief that gays and lesbians should be accepted by society, although he has also stated that for Buddhists homosexual behaviour is considered sexual misconduct, meaning that homosexual sex is acceptable for society in general but not in Buddhism or for Buddhists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenzin_Gyatso,_14th_Dalai_Lama
Isn't it interesting how the leaders of SOME world religions are able to separate their religious doctrines from the role of the state?
percivale
"Additionally, it is hateful and bigoted to scapegoat Christians simply because some perverts want benefits."
Additionally, it is hateful and bigoted to scapegoat gays because some Christian want benefits.
Goes both ways.
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
LOL, this is one of those times when I read something and just bust out laughing. Go Fallon! :)
---------------------------
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
I aim to please! ;)
Why should gays be punished and ostracized because some Christians want the benefit of their religious beliefs on the morality (or lack thereof) of homosexuality and marrage taking precedence over the beliefs on the morality of homosexuality and marriage that other religious groups hold?
Like I said, it goes both ways, to not take that into account before going of on a semi-tirade against gays is ridiculous to me.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
A statement from the Major Superiors of Religious Men came in reference to the comments by the Vatican concerning homosexuality...
"We view ("Some Considerations Conerning...Homosexual Persons") as a hindrance to the Church leaders fo the United States in the most difficult and sensitive area of human living. It is particularly open to misrepresentation and confusion during the present political campaign in the United States...We are shocked that the statement calls for discrimination against gay men and lesbian women. We find the reasoning for supporting such discrimination to be strained, unconvincing and counterproductive to our statements and actions to support the pastoral needs and personal dignity of such persons. Far from a help to the Bishops and other religious leaders in the United States Catholic Church, the statment complicates our already complex ministry to all people. Moreover, we find the arguments used to justify discrimination based on stereotpyes and falsehoods that are out of touch with modern psychological and sociological understandings of human sexuality. We regret the actions by the CDF and we reaffirm our support for the human rights of all our brothers and sisters."
Not all religious people support the outright discrimination and exclusion of homosexuals.
"A prime part of the history of our Constitution...is the story of the extension of constitutional rights and protections to people once ignored or excluded." ~US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
I know. I said some Christians for that very reason. :)
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
Add proof to your pudding...;)
Since they were soooo sure that everyone believes the way they believe...
"A prime part of the history of our Constitution...is the story of the extension of constitutional rights and protections to people once ignored or excluded." ~US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
mmm... pudding.
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
? Pudding! ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
She said add proof to your pudding... made me think of chocolate pudding. It sounded pretty good yesterday after she said that :)
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
Oh yea, hence the perkiness to my ears today when I read it... :)
LOL, difference is I made some, neener neener :)~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
That's okay, I took it a step further and made chocolate pie.
Best. Dessert. Ever.
:)
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
Awww, damnit...
Outdone again...
Mmm, chocolate pie. I'll bet I could find a recipe for that too :)
LOL, this blog should have come with a disclaimer..."Warning, comments may make you hungry".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
Chocolate pie is easy. Just follow the pie filling recipe on the instant pudding package, make (or buy) crust, and pile whipped cream on top. 10 minutes to heaven lol!
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
:(
I don't buy instant pudding, and the only recipe I have for pudding is a homemeade vanilla pudding. But I'll bet if I look somewhere in this mess of cookbooks I can find a recipr for chocolate pudding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
Instant pudding is a life saver around here when Kaia wants chocolate.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolatePudding.html
Has a pretty good homemade pudding recipe.
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi
Oooh, thanks!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
Welcome dear!
Mmmmm...chocolate pudding...even better...
perci :)
LOL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
It's not so much a belief that everyone believes as they do, but that everyone should believe that way, and most certainly any true Christian must believe that way. And that is a belief that is truly unfortunate. Universal conformity of belief isn't all it's cracked up to be.
You know that quote...
"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note"
"Subject opinion to coercion: whom will you make your inquisitors? Fallible men; men governed by bad passions, by private as well as public reasons. And why subject it to coercion? To produce uniformity. But is uniformity of opinion desirable? No more than of face and stature." ~ Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782
"Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one-half the world fools and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth. ~ Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-82
Enjoy!
percivale
By a man who had forethought and intelligence.
Guess I'll be making pudding tonight...cause now I'm hungry.
"A prime part of the history of our Constitution...is the story of the extension of constitutional rights and protections to people once ignored or excluded." ~US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
lol. Welcome the Pudding'O'Holics R Us.
:)
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi