based on my observations, you are apparently allowed to pick and choose the parts of the bible that you want to follow. and hey, i don't blame ya. i've been reading the bible myself lately and there is some crazy ass shit in there. but guess what? the constitution isn't supposed to work that way.
i saw this bumper sticker yesterday that said "the US constitution: annoying liberals since 1787*." i laughed. (*btw, the constitution didn't go into effect until 1789 and the bill of rights wasn't ratified until 1791, but hey, who's counting.) anyway, i'm liberal and i happen to be quite fond of the constitution. i assume this sticker was referring to the second amendment in particular? okay. fine. you can have your second amendment (even though, p.s., it says "well regulated" RIGHT IN MUTHER LOVIN TEXT.) but alright. whatever. i won't pry your guns from your cold dead hands. i will pray that it isn't your (or my) child who gets shot in their preschool class or your (or my) mentally unstable war veteran husband who eats his own gun. i really don't understand the problem with background checks and education/safety regulations and outlawing things like uzis and grenade launchers from the general gun-toting public but i don't even want to fall down that rabbit hole right now.
my point is, there are actually 26 other amendments (well 25 in effect), among which can be found some super duper useful personal rights and protections, including the guarantees that "no person shall be denied life, liberty or property without due process of law" and "no State shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws." and what about "ALL men are created equal?" (declaration of independence), and "liberty and justice for ALL?" (pledge of allegience). yeah, those apply too. or at least, they should. sadly, as a society, we're a little slow on the uptake... but bit by bit we are realizing that equal really does mean equal. not silent but equal. not separate but equal. not "sort of kind of but not quite" equal. just EQUAL. and today we came one step closer to this - let's call it the Platonic ideal of equality.
what strikes me as strange is that most of the supporters of DOMA are the same people who rail against "big government." you lose your freaking mind when the government suggests you use flourescent light bulbs, but it makes perfect sense for the government to tell us which consenting adults can lawfully marry one-another? allowing the federal government to legislate love? that's a slippery slope my friends. that's the same type of power that might allow the government to tell you you are raising your kids the wrong way, or praising your god the wrong way, etc... as far as i'm concerned, the government has no business dictating personal morality. as long as you're not hurting anyone else, and no one else is hurting you, WHY DO YOU CARE????????? I mean, I appreciate the concern and all, but if, according to you, my choices mean I'm going to burn in hell, isn't that my problem?
then there's the whole 'sanctity of mariage' argument. but unless you're gonna pass a constitutional amendment banning divorce and adultery and The Bachelor/Bachelorette and "who wants to marry a millionaire"/Rock of Love/Flavor of Love, and please for the love of god an everything holy do something about Tom cruise... Then no.
"the bible forbids it." okay. don't make me go leviticus on your ass. do you dig on swine? (Leviticus 11:7-8). toss around the pigskin on turkey day? (11:8). cut your hair/beard? (19:27). have a tattoo? (19:28). wear cotton-poly blends? (19:19). read gossip mags, or gossip yourself? (19:16) curse your parents? death! (okay i actually kind of agree with that one ;))(Exodus 21:17). are you divorced? (Mark 10:8). divorced and remarried? (Mark 10:11-12). do you ever work on the sabbath? death again! (Ex. 31:14-15) women speaking in church? the shame! (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). do you like shrimp? uh uh! (Leviticus 10-11) sex before marriage? (Deuteronomy 22:20-21). sex at "that time of the month?" sex too soon after giving birth? (Leviticus 12). what about this one? Genesis 38:6-10 "Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also." requiring a woman to marry and have sex with her dead husband's brother? alright! "Spilling your seed?" more death! and i'm sure there are countless other examples. again. not trying to be disrespectful here. i understand this is a sacred text to many and i'm not trying to make light of it. but you can't deny that some of this stuff is just ridiculous in this day and age and to argue that one sentence was and is the inviolate word of God and the next, for whatever reason, no longer applies DOES NOT FLY!
what about the more general "it's against my religion" - THEN DON'T. EFFING. DO. IT. it really is that simple.
"we don't want this godless behavior condoned/institutionalized by our government"... Okay. Here we go with that pesky constitution again! 1st amendment. Separation of church and state. Maybe your marriage involves God. That's your prerogative. Mine is between me and my husband and the good state of Nevada.
oh and my fave, the "oh we believe it's a sin and we don't want our children to grow up thinking/learning it's okay" argument. well. alright. first, you can dress it up in all the religious trappings you please, but what we're really talking about here is homophobia. but hey. i have an irrational fear of mariachis. it happens. i'm working on it. anyway, more importantly, if you really think it's so wrong, then teach your children accordingly (and raise a whole new generation of homophobes! it is a "free" country, after all.) there are over seven BILLION people in this world. that means there are lots and lots and LOTS of ways to be/think/live. i'm not going to agree with all of them and they're not all going to agree with me. nor is it my place or their business to do so. the only thing i can and should control is how I live, and, to an extent, how my children live, and even that only goes so far.
“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” - Paul Coelho
“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.” - Paul Coelho
this generally isn't a place where i want to get all political. for the most part, i intend to keep my posts within the purview of poop and pee and preschool. but in this case, the personal IS political. my little brother and some of my very best and oldest friends are gay. until today (and still, in many states) they were/are relegated to a "skim milk" version of marriage (per my old lady crush RBG), or treated like second-class citizens not entitled to marriage at all. this enrages me. it makes me want to cry and punch things. i'm a lawyer. i have been trained to see, and argue, both sides of of any case. on most issues i'm willing to admit that reasonable minds could disagree. but not this time.
i know that the people who agree with me aren't hearing anything new and the people who don't probably aren't even listening, but being the narcissistic newbie blogger that i am, i felt i had to put my piece on "paper". i'll put the soap box back in the closet. for now.
and, scene.
click here for some gay marriage videos and laughter and maybe a tear or two.
oh and my fave, the "oh we believe it's a sin and we don't want our children to grow up thinking/learning it's okay" argument. well. alright. first, you can dress it up in all the religious trappings you please, but what we're really talking about here is homophobia. but hey. i have an irrational fear of mariachis. it happens. i'm working on it. anyway, more importantly, if you really think it's so wrong, then teach your children accordingly (and raise a whole new generation of homophobes! it is a "free" country, after all.) there are over seven BILLION people in this world. that means there are lots and lots and LOTS of ways to be/think/live. i'm not going to agree with all of them and they're not all going to agree with me. nor is it my place or their business to do so. the only thing i can and should control is how I live, and, to an extent, how my children live, and even that only goes so far.
“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” - Paul Coelho
“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.” - Paul Coelho
this generally isn't a place where i want to get all political. for the most part, i intend to keep my posts within the purview of poop and pee and preschool. but in this case, the personal IS political. my little brother and some of my very best and oldest friends are gay. until today (and still, in many states) they were/are relegated to a "skim milk" version of marriage (per my old lady crush RBG), or treated like second-class citizens not entitled to marriage at all. this enrages me. it makes me want to cry and punch things. i'm a lawyer. i have been trained to see, and argue, both sides of of any case. on most issues i'm willing to admit that reasonable minds could disagree. but not this time.
i know that the people who agree with me aren't hearing anything new and the people who don't probably aren't even listening, but being the narcissistic newbie blogger that i am, i felt i had to put my piece on "paper". i'll put the soap box back in the closet. for now.
and, scene.
click here for some gay marriage videos and laughter and maybe a tear or two.
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| source: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1200776/thumbs/ o-SUPREME-COURT-PROP-8-DOMA-facebook.jpg |
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| source: live.usnews.com http://images.scribblelive.com/2013/6/26 /4c75ec31-67b9-4973-b3a4-47adbfd6a4b2.jpg |
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