A comprehensive list of things I don't understand..
..would prove impossible to be contained in all of cyberspace,so I'll just have to deal with one thing at a time.
Question: How did proposition 8 even get on the ballot,and once that was accomplished ,how the HELL did it actually pass??
As near as I can figure,a single group of religious fanatics,which shall remain nameless,gathered together in fellowship,and decided that their brand of theology should override one of the most dearly held tenets of our democracy,..Equal Rights for all.
Don't get me wrong..I will steadfastly defend their right to revolve their own lives around a book that some farm-boy-turned-con artist magically discovered under a tree,while stumblin' around down in the pasture one fine day happily listening to the voices in his head.
..Freedom of religion,and all that.
Freedom this,and freedom that.
The point is,that nobody has the right to usurp any one's Constitutionally guaranteed rights,..PERIOD!
Hence my confusion over the passage of a Constitutional amendment designed specifically for that purpose.
The fact that I'm not included in the exclusion,has no relevance whatsoever.
What is profoundly relevant to me,..to all of us really,..is that any segment of the population can be singled out by well-funded special interests,and deprived of their birthright under color of law.
The California Supreme Court has wisely decided to hear arguments in opposition to this travesty,tentatively scheduled for March of next year.
At that time,in my considered opinion,two things need to happen.
1) Proposition 8 will be overturned,on the basis of all things that a civilized democracy demands of itself,..and,
2) Subsequently,any religious organization that chooses to violate the Separation of Church and State, (another fundamental premise upon which this country was founded), by actively engaging in political lobbying,will be summarily stripped of it's tax-exempt status.
You wanna play?..You gotta pay!
It's Thursday,..and life is fed to the teeth with self-righteous assholes in Sling's Domain.
Labels: Say WHAT?
Make chex payable to §£ïñg 9:25 AM
18 Bootleggers
18 Comments:
I think Gavin Newsom had more to do with the passage than anyone.
I'm right there with you.. it's a HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE for cryin' out loud. And I'm all for yanking that tax ride out from under the feet of any so called religion that funds lobbying of any nature, but most especially in this mean spirited scenario.
I need a drink..
i think these prop 8 guys are stuck in the old testament somewhere.
yahweh wasn't much for compromise.
It is the FEAR OF GOD! That is all. People get sucked into stuff that really they have no business worrying about.
I hope the courts rule in the NO favor...that will make me happy.
I also hope these churches are forced to pay taxes...and anytime we hear a peep out of them tax them again.
Here is a really good write up on why prop H8 passed: http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2008/11/why_we_lost_in_california_an_a.php#more
Jan- You think maybe his 'Whether you like it or not' comment irritated the delicate sensibilities of the bible thumping homophobes?
Doralong- It's not like their trying to save the whales,or march on Washington to show loving support for their fellow sapiens after all..It's a seemingly ambiguous distinction I have no problem reconciling.
Billy P.- The Old Testament is much like a parent,cautioning his children not to stick beans up their nose.We're expected to grow up eventually,and behave like adults.
Sage- I'm no expert,but it's my impression that religion is supposed to comfort people,not threaten them.
Once they've crossed the line into the secular sphere,I say tax the shit out of 'em..They have the same right to pay taxes that we all do!
Lost- Thanks for the linkage kid! :)
i am going to copy what Jay Leno said to Bill Mahr (?spelling)last night....I have been married to Steve for 23 years. What business is it of mine to care/worry about/have an opinion about who else sleeps with who? It is not my business nor is it anyone elses business. bodys are bodys....they look good and feel good together no matter what the configuration. as far as the prop 8 assholes.....rot in hell
Michigan had a similar proposal pass a few years ago. You just shake your head and wonder. Don't you people have better things to do with your time than prying into other people's business all the goddamn time?
all I know is ..them christians are not good people..they are full of hate and it saddens me.
Whoever thought up that little nugget of church/state separation was pretty damned wise. Whoever thought of circumventing it pisses me off, particulary when the circumvention is done in service of meddling with state affairs.
(I bet that didn't make any sense, but I was typing too fast to worry one way or another. I know what I meant.)
rosemary- They can preach their twisted version of scripture to their hearts content.
Whatever floats their boat.
Just keep it outta my constitution.
Thinker- They're nothing but Pharisees,looking to elevate themselves by condemning others.
Yellerdawg- I think they make baby Jesus cry.
Booda Babe- Boy howdy,don'cha just know that if they were threatened with the loss of their tax exemption,they'd be all hell-fire and brimstone claiming 'foul' under the very auspices of the separation doctrine!..Hypocrites!
..and I understand you perfectly dear..Furthermore,I'm not even worried about the fact that I do. ;)
We still have a long way to go.
allan- I know we do..I just can't figure out how it is we keep making these people.
There was an assisted suicide prop. on our ballot in Washington. The Archdiocese made sure there was literature in the bulletin of every Catholic church, every weekend, laying out the Church's position on the issue and challenging parishioners to prayerfully consider a "no" vote on this matter. That, I believe, is reasonable. (Although I would have been plenty upset if I was TOLD from the pulpit HOW to vote...on that or any other issue).
I think churches have every right to discuss amongst themselves how any given social/political issue jibes with their convictions.
But when they go outside those church walls with their money, wielding political clout of any kind THAT is when the IRS should come down and come down hard.
But here's the other thing...churches have a history of speaking out on social issues: slavery, war, civil rights (Martin Luther King Jr, anyone?) Sometimes, especially recently, some have had their tax exempt status challenged as a result. That's not ok, either.
It is, as you succinctly put it, the political lobbying realm that crosses the line. Preach your gospel, challenge your congregation, but the Constitution also guarantees me freedom FROM your religion. I think.
Btw, the assistant suicide law passed overwhelmingly. Apparently Catholics aren't as well organized as Mormons.
Ok, who needs a cocktail?
My apologies... unsure what this is all about, but if you're afgin it thats good enough for me.
Its different here there's less bible a thumpin' and sometimes i even feels like its gone too far the other way...
Its a brave pollie here who brags about his churchgoing and such.
I need a cocktail! :)
I just don't understand these people who voted for Prop 8. In other words, I don't understand jackasses.
These people just want a theocracy that agrees with their personal theology . The constitution is unimportant to them, just their religious views. I have never been able to figure out why two loving people who marry and live happily ever after can in any way threaten any other marriage.In my humble opinion the folks voting for prop 8 are a bunch of narrow-minded bigots.
The idea that the majority can EVER vote away the rights of those in a minority is appalling and frightening. Other amendments to constitutions (state/fed) are RECOGNIZING and PROTECTING rights, there's the difference. To go the other way and take away rights that, in this case, had legally existed ... we should all be scared if this stands.
These guys need to have their tax-exempt status yanked, and I believe they need to pay big fines for violating it in a way that ultimately took away the rights of people.
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