Reply to Conservatives who fear gay marriage

[bluedawg12]

Some irony:

"The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection" (Luke 20:34-6, )


The Marriage of Many Motives.

I listened to Newt Gingrich speak to GOPAC members on CSPAN recently. While he spelled out a strategy for the party in power and their future plans to lead and govern he excluded gays.

He cited target groups such as black Americans, Asians, and Hispanics, he notably omitted any attempts at inclusion or out reach to gay Americans. In fact, the GOPAC web site offered talking points on how to attack gay marriage.

He and others spoke of their concern for dwindling funds that predictably occurs for PAC’s when they reach their power and become the majority. His answer was positive, in that new ideas and new solutions will drive donor’s to keep their wallet’s open and the funds flowing.

But, the omission of gay American’s as a desirable sector to be sought after by GOPAC, the anti-gay marriage offerings on their web site, and despite the staunchly loyal gay Republican organization, the Log Cabin Republicans, the Republicans will continue to exclude gays. Religious beliefs aside, I have to wonder if gays didn’t exist would Republicans have to invent them in order to keep the foot soldiers scared, motivated, and donating money to save marriage, the family and by their lights, the entire galaxy?

Why don’t they applaud gays for attempting to live responsible monogamous lives, and instead focus on the real dangers to marriage and family such as domestic violence or teenage pregnancy?

However, GOPAC claims that by broadening the definition of marriage this will lead to an in increase teenage pregnancies. Apparently by sending a permissive message to teens.

“However, recent studies are starting to discover not only the underlying causes of pregnancy among adolescents, but also the appropriate strategies for reducing the risks of unplanned teenage pregnancy. Such strategies include the use of theory-based interventions which can explain the sexual risk-taking that often leads to unplanned pregnancies among adolescents and interventions that consider cultural differences.” (1)

A recent HHS study shows that teenage pregnancy rates are declining and they claim this is due to their “The Five Principles:”

-Parents and other adult mentors must play key roles in encouraging young adults to avoid early pregnancy and to stay in school.
-Abstinence and personal responsibility must be the primary messages of prevention programs.
-Young people must be given clear connections and pathways to college or jobs that give them hope and a reason to stay in school and avoid pregnancy.
-Public and private-sector partners throughout communities — including parents, schools, business, media, health and human service providers, and religious organizations — must work together to develop comprehensive strategies.
-Real success requires a sustained commitment to the young person over a long period of time. (2)

Those are admirable strategies, but no where is there any linkage to homosexual unions, partnerships, or activity.

If liberalism, and gay marriage impact negatively on society and marriage, then it would stand to reason that the highest divorce rate would be found in one of the most liberal states in the union, Massachusetts. To the contrary, “the state with the lowest divorce rate in the nation is Massachusetts. At latest count it had a divorce rate of 2.4 per 1,000 population, while the rate for Texas was 4.1.” (3)


References:
(1)J Hum Behav Soc Environ. 1998;1(1):53-66. Related Articles, Links
Preventing teenage pregnancy: translating research knowledge.
Schinke SP.
(2)http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/hsp/teenp/ann-rpt00/
(3)http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/10/31/walking_the_walk_on_family_values/
The Boston Globe
WILLIAM V. D'ANTONIO
Walking the walk on family values
By William V. D'Antonio | October 31, 2004

..............
Gotta agree with Robert Frost.

Fire and Ice
-Robert Frost

SOME say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

[liberalitch]

1. All that they do is aimed at keeping two men from....

picking out china patterns together....
They are all worried about how much their fucking big haired bitch wives will whine about that gravy boat being on back order.....
My advice to her.... "buy the plain white one and a decorating magazine honey, because people are mixing and matching now."
SNAP!

[Mike_The_Computer]

2. Great post. Indeed, we gays have been made into a "Red Scare"

Politicians and priests instinctively know how to turn one group of humans against another for their own distorted agendas. It's the greatest hypocrisy out of many of the "moral" majority - manufactured prejudice in the name of Jay-sus.

[bluedawg12]

3. It's scary to compare Nazi scapegoating in the 1930'3-40's

against Jews, to the right wing hatefest.

Weak parties, with lot's to hide, have to find a visible scapegoat to glue their constituents together, because if their true agenda, ex: neoconnies today, were known by the sheep they lead they may bolt in the other direction.

Yea, and wass up with the Repug hair do's?

The Fristie coif and the women's big hair back combed hard enough to kill hair at the rootlet?

[Siyahamba]

4. It would shatter their myth of us as promiscuous

Recognizing us in stable, committed relationships would take away a lot of their slander ammunition.

[bluedawg12]

5. They don't want gays stable or not, it's a deep

visceral feeling that is often seen with cult-ish mindsets, and people that have been exposed to heavy propaganda.

Viz a viz: Nazi Germany
Or tribal hatreds that dehumanize people: Rowanda comes to mind.

The response must be to show GLBT's as human beings not stereo types.