vicarz | (no subject)

(no subject)

While the measure didn't pass, the 48 votes it did receive vs 50 do not ring like a true 'victory' to my ears.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=1&u=/nm/20040714/pl_nm/rights_gays_congress_dc
Why is gay marriage even a question? You don't like gay marriage? Well then don't marry a gay guy / girl! Duh?

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Give it time. This IS a victory, and I think with time the view of more and more people WILL be exactly that. But real change is never a quick thing.

Just remember, something doesn't have to even pass through congress in order to become a Constitutional amaenment. If 2/3 of the state legislatures call for a convention, they can propose an amendment, and to ratify it, it has to be passed by 3/4 of the legislatures. Considering exactly 3/4 of the states already have some kind of statutory or constitutional ban on gay marriage, that doesn't bode well.

Of course, an amendment has never been proposed, let alone ratified, in this manner, but it's a reminder that local elections matter too. Those idiots in Richmond are 1/38th of what it would take to change the whole constitution.

See my LJ for a link to the roll call ( buggered the url before )

I mentioned in another LJ today they had the bigot - i mean delegate - from crafted the recent VA ban on same sex contracts. Seems he had tried to pass a law that would have summarily debarred any judge who found the law unconstitutional. .

The shows not up on the web yet, I'll post a link when it is.

Oh yeah - and there was something I linked ages ago about a fellow who was trying to pass an ammendment to allow congress to overrule supreme court decisions - again focussing on perceived judicial activism as it relates to gay issues.

I'm pretty pissed off for a guy that never seems to fuck a guy, huh?

This whole distrust of the court system because it didn't agree with you trend is really rediculous. We NEED the checks and balances of all three parts of our government. I mean that's actually one of the biggest reason I vote for presidents instead of just congress. Because they have the power to appoint judges for the supreme court.

Sigh I could actually rant about this for hours, but I'll spare you.

I've been listening to public radio today. I was struck with how blatantly unsuccessful the pro-measure people were at making any actual arguments for their position. The politician guy who sent you that form letter (umm...I'd remember if I lived in VA) was on Kojo's Virginia Politics Hour and all he would say about it was "a marriage just has to be between a man and a woman, that is what marriage is." And people asked him a lot of different questions from a lot of different directions, and honestly nobody even bothered to come out and ask what two gay men who have lived together for 40 years in Fairfax has to do with his marriage to his wife, or why he feels that marriage is an issue which the state can really have a valid opinion on.

Anyways, the lack of even sensical rhetoric that the christies have to make their case on this one is interesting, I think if wee just keep calmly asking them to explain themselves while reassuring them that they won't notice any difference in their quality of life when gays and lesbians get marriage, logic will prevail.

I still don't see why it's even an issue... I hate to be redundant here, but the government should stop looking at this as a gender issue so much as a constitutional issue.

In all I have read about various Christian beliefs, I haven't seen any sect straight out say that it is part of their faith to force others to follow their ways. They're supposed to lead by example, or they're supposed to actively teach their beliefs, or proselytize until they're blue in the face...but they can't force. If somebody converts at gunpoint, it's not a conversion, it's a lie. Of course I have not read every bit of propaganda that I've ever been handed on the street, so I could be wrong. I wouldn't actually be surprised if there are some specific churches that figure forcing people to play along will eventually re-educate them.

The only thing I can think of that really explains this is that these people really believe, as Falwell said, that the gays and lesbians brought down the wrath of god on 9/11, and that they have to force everybody back in line or we'll all be doomed when the rapture comes, or whatever the hell they call it.

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