My opinion on Bush and the gay marriage ordeal

[FreedomAngel82]

As others pointed out at the LBN thread on this Bush is definitley doing this for his numbers. Someone else pointed that the republican party is fighting among themselves etc. and Bush needs someway to rally the base to support him with Bolton and the like. He needs something to get his polling numbers up. As a person I'm not too comfortable with gay people but that's because I didn't grow up around anybody who was gay. I personally am for civil unions because it's basically to where their relationship will be seen by the law of the land. To me marriage is both between you as a couple and God and the law. With a civil union there can be a guarntee that gay people can take care of each other and any other family members (children) they may have. Why shouldn't they be able to get the benefits as a married couple? It's just not fair how they are treated in this country. It is heart breaking and how they're treated in this country shows to me gay people don't choose to be gay. Why would someone decide to have to go through all that they do? Being outcasted, kicked out of your families, beaten and sometimes even murdered. Sometimes I wonder how Jesus would be today towards gay people, blacks, immigrants. All those the right as a party descriminate against. I do know lots of black and immigrant people and they're great! No reason to hate them at all. I've even liked (romantic feelings like) black men before. :shrug: Earlier today I got in a discussion with someone from another board I frequent and we're both Christians. From talking with them we pretty much agreed on gay people and how they should have civil unions to where they can get the benefits like a married couple should but not to bring God into it but married in the eyes of the law. With the republicans the thing to remember is how they're good at framing a debate with language and talking points. They all stay together and not one of them has an informed and individual opinion. If you ask a Christian "should gay people be married?" you're more then likely to get a high percentage say "no" but if you ask "should gay people have civil unions and be recognized by the law?" you could very well get a big different response. The Bush administration is trying to rally their base together because of his low poll numbers and how people are abanding the party. In the third debate gays were a big part of it. I remember the mod asked about gay marriage. Kerry said he was for civil unions but believes marriage is a man/woman and with God. Bush agreed but he did it SO fastly and mumbled it could easily be missed which I thought was strange. He wanted to move on from the subject very fast. It should be interesting what happens these next few weeks. Bush is trying to sneak Bolton in for sure. That's why I think he's doing this whole talk. A "don't look at the man behind the curtain" sort of thing.

[TahitiNut]

1. "... I didn't grow up around anybody who was gay."

Yes, you did. (I can say that with a very high degree of confidence.) :shrug:

Maybe you just didn't "look in the closet."

[sui generis]

2. thanks for your post

I do appreciate your thoughts - and I think your heart is definitely in the right place.

I don't agree on all the details but on the whole you're right.

Gays are used as a political weapon - the right knows that there are many people who themselves were raised to look at gays as weak, or something to be hated and feared, whether they actually knew any or not. And they capitalize on that cultural dislike of people who are different, whether it is by skin color, culture, or simply who they love and who makes them happy to be with.

That's the saddest part - that to love someone can be such a special and rare and wholesome and fulfilling part of anyone's life, and to have it cheapened by shrill republicans into something qualified only by sex and some very narrow definition of morality. To realize that even though you make no distinction about sexual orientation in who you choose to help, there are others who wouldn't give you a drop of water in the desert just because of who you love - it is profoundly disappointing in the 21st century, and in America no less.

But worse than that is the idea that a political, and supposedly cultural leader with enormous power can set his own personal political agenda forward by capitalizing on the fear and bigotry in those people who think that who you love is somehow their personal business; that someone would choose to encourage and condone hatred and bigotry of some Americans is fundamental evil. The outcome of Bush's "strategy" to use hatred of gays is the destruction of civil rights for some Americans, and the destruction of the families of some Americans, and the diminishment of some Americans, because of who they love.

If he's the wizard in some twisted version of Oz, it is long past time to pull back the curtains and expose him for the fraud he is.

Fortunately there are decent Americans everywhere who stand on the the real side of "rightness" and fairness and decency, and you deserve our gratitude and recognition.