Prop 8

Eight years ago 61% of Californians voted to define marriage as "between a man and a woman." A few months ago 4 activist judges overturned the will of 4.3 million Californians and changed the law against the will of the majority. Prop 8 reinstates the exact law that has been in place for the past 8 years that defines marriage between a man and a woman and it puts it on California's constitution so that no judge can overturn it again.

My mom wrote two letters to the editor of her newspaper back in California and I thought they were really good so I asked her if I could post them on my blog. Here's the truth, please read!

What They Haven’t Told You About Prop 8

As a Prop 8 supporter I find that voters are uninformed about the true consequences of redefining marriage. Opponents want us to believe that changing the traditional definition of marriage has no impact except for the same-sex couples involved. But redefining traditional marriage affects the rights of millions of Californians. The California Education Code requires that health education classes instruct children about marriage (Code 51890). Therefore, children MUST be taught there is no difference between same-sex and traditional marriage. If you don’t believe this, talk to the parents of a 5 year old in Massachusetts where same-sex marriage is legal, who had a judge rule that they did not even have the right to be notified when same-sex marriage was to be discussed in their child’s classroom or at school Religious organizations may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious facilities that are open to the public. Sound farfetched? It’s already happened in New Jersey. Private adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Seem unbelievable? Catholic Charities in Boston has already closed its doors because of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriage will be open to lawsuits for hate speech and could be fined by the government. Sound crazy? It’s already happened in Canada where same-sex marriage is legal. Voting yes on Prop 8 doesn’t remove ANY domestic partnership rights same-sex couples enjoy which are virtually equal to marital rights. However, calling those rights “marriage,” means that the government must now be involved in forcing all citizens to believe and support something that flies in the face of many citizens’ own privately held moral code. Activist judges should not be in the business of legislating from the bench and overturning the will of the majority so that a loud minority’s “rights” infringe upon everyone else.

Who’s Touting Tolerance?

I found out personally how “tolerant” opponents of Prop 8 are when I had the whole side of my car keyed two days after attaching a “Vote Yes on Prop 8” sticker to my rear window. Another family member had her “Vote Yes on Prop 8” bumper sticker torn off. Most supporters of Prop 8 are afraid to put signs in their yards for fear of retribution. Professor Richard Peterson who appears in the first public TV ad supporting Prop 8 has received hundreds of violent and threatening e-mails. Opponents of Prop 8 accuse supporters of being narrow-minded and bigoted and it seems they are resolute in their attempts to smear supporters as being homophobic or religious fanatics. In reality, it seems the opponents of Prop 8 are among some of the most intolerant. They talk about accepting everyone, yet are unwilling to allow others the right to hold a moral view different from their own. With the help of activist judges, they are determined under penalty of law to make it illegal to disagree with them publicly. They are doing all they can to cast the same-sex marriage issue as a “civil” rather than “moral” one. Their intent is to redefine traditional morality as a form of bigotry. Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits” as married spouses.” (Family Code 297.5.) Prop 8 does not affect this in any way. Even Attorney General Jerry Brown has engaged in intolerant behavior over this issue. By law, the language in ballot measure descriptions must be impartial and unbiased. Instead of simply calling this proposition “Limit on Marriage” or “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” Jerry Brown titled it as “eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry." This wording is inherently argumentative and carefully crafted to create prejudice against Prop. 8. When we preach about tolerance, actions speak louder than words.

*There's another new post also, so don't forget to look at that one!