Marriage....Why Some "Conservatives" are Losing their Minds...

I once blogged about how the arguments against Marriage Equality for Lesbian and Gay Americans were at best, seriously flawed and in all truth, nothing more than fear mongering driven by a warped and twisted mis-use of the Christian Faith.

With the passage of Marriage Equality in New York, the passage of Civil Union legislation in Illinois, and the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell"; 2011 has not been a good year for hating "the Gays". Yet with national polls showing that for the first time, a majority of Americans support Marriage Equality, the hate groups on the right, and far right who make their living on spreading that hate and homophobia are reacting to their recent setbacks in classic and all too predictable ways...

They are losing their frigging minds...

The ridiculously mis-named hate group the "National Organization for Marriage" has developed only what can be described as "twitter turrets syndrome". Their spokesbigot, Bryan brown has been blurting out random twitter postings vowing almost jihadist like political vengence on all the NY State Senate Republicans who supported Marriage Equality in the Empire State.


The good folks over at the Catholic League took time out from blaming the victims of Clergy sex abuse for what Priests did to them, to vent their rage and indignation that all people in New York were going to be treated equally under the law. Their proposed solution? Why write their particular brand of Catholic -Sharia Law into the United States Constitution of course... Cue spokesbigot Bill Donahue

"Standing in the way of a constitutional amendment is the legitimate reluctance on the part of federal lawmakers to decide what many believe to be a matter for the states. But given that we are left with the scenario of the people vs. the elites, we are quickly reaching a tipping point, and when that happens, chances are good that this issue will be resolved by a constitutional amendment." 

Nothing like taking a felt tip marker to the nation's founding documents when people you don't like get treated equally to you, is there Bill?   Not to be  left out ,  everyone's  favorite demented  hate monger,  Pat Robertson  weighed in with his  favorite tune.   "GOD WILL DESTROY AMERICA! 

 If you have a strong stomach for a bucket of extra crazy with a side order of hate, this video should make your day...

Interestingly enough  there is  one other  notable person who is on the record as  opposing  Marriage Equality  who we have not heard from.   President  Obama.

The President  says his view on Marriage  Equality is  "evolving".   I guess that might make sense if you define  evolution as  going  backwards.    In  1996  Barack Obama said he was in favor of Marriage  Equality.    Now in 2011, President  Barack Obama  has a problem.  In 2008  he clearly said he is opposed to  Marriage Equality for  Gay and Lesbian couples,  because  Marriage is  an issue  he says should  be decided by the States.   but  at the same time he says  he believes  those same couples  should have  equal rights.

Uh...   huh?

By  that logic   Barack Obama  feels  the  federal  government  should have  let  states  decide  voting standards and not pass the Voting Rights Act.    Racial integration  should have been left up to  individual States to decide, and  the Loving v. Virgina  court decision  that  struck down  laws  against  interracial marriage was an overreach by the federal  judiciary.

So  if   Presidents'  Truman,  Kennedy and  Johnson  had all  approached  civil rights  the way  Barack Obama does,   the Military,  public schools, and most  public services  would  still be  segregated in many parts of the  U.S.   His  own parents would not have been allowed to marry in  3/4 of the country.

And  in all likelihood,  rather than being  President  of the United States  Barack Obama  would  be  an underpaid  teacher at a small Black College, who would have to  pass a  test, and  pay a special "tax"  each time he wanted to vote.

The New York Times  on today's  Editorial Page  couldn't  help but comment on the  contradictions...

On Thursday night, when same-sex marriage in New York State was teetering on a razor’s edge, President Obama had a perfect opportunity to show the results of his supposed evolution on gay marriage.

Unfortunately, he did not take it, keeping his own views in the shadows. The next night the Republican-led New York State Senate, of all places, proved itself more forward-thinking than the president on one of the last great civil-rights debates in this nation’s history."

So clear and obvious is the case FOR Marriage Equality that today the American Medical Association issued a statement saying that Marriage Equality is even HEALTHY. Saying in a statement released today: “The AMA now joins every other mainstream public health organization in America in making the case for providing the freedom to marry – and the critical safety-net that comes with marriage – to loving, committed same-sex couples.”


So it begs the question.  Why are  social conservatives  hell-bent (pardon the expression)  on doing as much damage to  the lives of  Gay and Lesbian Americans  as they can?   Because the bible tells them so?  Not really.   The bible  says a lot more about  hatred of others, and about  loving your neighbor, and about  lying.   In fact the bible has  8 verses  that  mention homosexuality and  over  300 that condemn heterosexual behavior.   This isn't about  following the word of God... Not even  remotely.   

My favorite  television show,  "The West Wing"   tackled  that  issue head on in a story where  the White House was hosting  a reception for  Talk Radio hosts.  Including  one  not so loosely based on  "Dr." Laura Schlessinger.  Who famously  called  LGBT Americans   a  "biological error."

The American Right Wing's  opposition  to LGBT rights  is  very simple to explain.   It makes money.    The far right in the  United States  has nothing left to run for.   Their policies  don't work,  their ideas of;  "Let's tax the poor,  give that money to the rich and  everybody will be better off!"  Have failed,  and failed  miserably.    The last  four national elections in the  United States have been, for the  Republicans  about  two things, and  two things only. 

Anger and Fear.     

To win elections  the GOP  fully understands it needs  two things.   It's  rabid,  non-thinking  base, and enough  independent  voters  to  get  to  fifty percent  plus 1.   That my friends is the  Karl Rove  play book.   To do that they need their base out in full force.    The GOP base is a group that  is not  really  all that big on voting for things,  rather they are far more motivated to vote against things.    So  the Republican Party  and the rabid dog  social conservative movement that owns  it now,  is desperate to keep  one group in America it is  still safe to hate.  Still safe to vilify.  Still safe to say  "look out!  they are coming for you !".

For the  GOP those groups  used to be  Blacks and  Latinos.  But  the demographics of the  U.S. Population have changed in ways that make that  a losing proposition  nowadays.   You can't  bash women,  or  Jews anymore  (sorry Pat  Buchanon...)   The whole "every muslim is  a terrorist" ploy stopped working when it became clear  George W. Bush raised and lowered the terror alerts based on his poll numbers.  So  who's left?    Oh that's right.....The Gays.

Desperate Bigots...  

Someone once asked me  what would I ever do  if I won a huge lottery jackpot.    I'd file lawsuit after endless lawsuit against  these anti gay bigots  to make them pay for  the  harm  they have done to millions of Americans  all in the name of  politically expedient hate.