Many times something like Prop 8 in California will be passed by the majority of the voters and thrown out by the court. It gives those of us who understand equal rights, a sickening feeling in our stomachs, to think that any State, much less the people in it, would think that our role as Americans, is to ban the rights of another. The Court system or government was not established to legislate bigotry anymore than it was established to legislate morality.
For those of us that were alive another time in history, we see many similarities between the hate that is being preached against gay marriage as we saw preached against minority and white couples uniting in marriage. Interracial marriages were considered every bit as wrong and made illegal in 16 States prior to the 1970′s. If the rights of gay couples remain protected in our Constitution by the time Prop 8 runs the gamut of the appeals system there will always be those that yell that their right to legislate bigotry under the guise of “practicing their religious beliefs” is a God-given right in the Constitution.
The Constitution is about individual freedoms and no where is there any recognition of any one body,State, group, or religion having the authority to deny another group or individual their rights. In fact it is just the opposite in that they shall have no power to practice or influence the vote. Many of the Religions and the far right are screaming and will continue to scream about the freedom of religion to practice being crippled by the decision of the California judge that saw Prop 8 for what it was, and that is unjust.
For the rest of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, it is a time to celebrate. No one is infringing on religion. Religion is infringing on law and government. No one in government or law is telling anyone Church in America that they can not practice religion within the confines of their own Churches. The Churches themselves always have had and always will have , the right to determine who or whom they marry within the Doctrine of their Faith. This clearly is a, “pass the buck-blame”, issue that will be fed and kept alive for years to come while the confusion is spread through lies.
Already “Gay Judge” is part of the headlines. How simple are we that we cannot see that to deny the rights of any American the freedom to love and express that love through marriage is not for any of us to vote in favor of or against? If we as Americans deny anyone group the right to marry then shouldn’t we also have the power to deny people the right where they can be buried, where they can live,what religion they can practice, where they can work, or on what particular spot on earth they can breathe?
Isn’t it clear to most of us that as Americans the Constitution was formed to uphold the rights of everyone, including gay couples? Clearly it was not the intent of our forefathers that wrote the Constitution, to eliminate all marriages other than those that would gain approval in Salt Lake or Rome.
If you are one of those that think you should not or do not care then ask yourself.” if the judge had not of seen the obvious and ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional”, how close would you or your loved ones be to having your rights revoked? Where would your own family be, if another judge decided your right to make the decisions on the facts of your own life, did not fit the criteria?
