Monday, November 03, 2008

 

No on California Proposition 8


Proposition 8 amends the California Constitution to discriminate against a specified class of citizens. It's a very simple change; it adds Section 7.5 to Article I of the California Constitution to read:
SEC. 7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.
You've probably heard most or all of the arguments by now. Proponents absurdly claim that it has something to do with freedom speech or freedom of religion, and that recognizing somebody else's marriage somehow threatens their own. (Apparently "freedom" to some people means the freedom to impose your own views on others, while accusing them of imposing their views on you.)

Same-sex marriage threatens no one. Thousands of same-sex couples are already legally married in California, and the sky has not fallen. But if Proposition 8 passes, a chunk of the sky will fall for them; they will, in effect, be forcibly divorced against their will. Imagine the State stepping in and telling you that you're no longer married. Why would anyone want to do that to someone else?

Take a look at the wedding pictures of some of the same-sex couples who were finally able to marry after decades of being told they couldn't, because they were less worthy than the rest of us. Look at the sheer joy on their faces, and tell me you want to take that away.

And while you're at it, take a look at a couple of blog posts from my friend Craig:

http://ghotihed.blogspot.com/2008/10/whom-does-it-harm.html

http://ghotihed.blogspot.com/2008/10/proposition-h8-video.html

Finally, a personal note. We had a No on 8 sign and an Obama/Biden sign on our front yard. Friday night or Saturday morning, somebody trespassed on our property, stole both signs, and put up a Yes on 8 sign. We were able to replace both signs the same day, and my wife made a special "Thou shalt not steal!" sign to go with them.

The latest polling indicates that Proposition 8 is slightly behind, but it's still too close. Don't be complacent. Get out there and vote, whether you're in California or not. And if you are in California, please vote no on 8.

Comments:
I took a look at your web page. I certainly don't agree with everything on it, but it's good to see opposition to Proposition 8 from people with a wide variety of viewpoints.

Can you offer some evidence for the claim that "The Mormons have been instructed by their leaders to deface and vandalize their own signs".

I recently saw some video on the local news here in San Diego showing people stealing Yes on 8 signs at night. It did seem a bit suspicious that somebody happened to be there at just the right time with a video camera. But (a) I have no evidence one way or the other, and (b) mobile phones that can record video are pretty common these days. (It would be interesting to analyze the video itself and figure out what device was used to record it.)

I'd like to think that this kind of vandalism is committed mostly by the other side. Certainly most of it that I've heard about has been, but there's a fairly obvious bias there, since most of the people I've talked to about it are opposed to Prop 8. In the absence of any real evidence, I can't say one way or the other.
 
What I like most about your photograph is how the rays of the sun are shining down, illuminating the No on 8 sign, as if it were a sign from above.
 
"BTW: The Mormons have been instructed by their leaders to deface and vandalize their own signs to make themselves look like victims. It's an old trick, and a shame the Media fell for it." Sorry, but this comment was uncalled for -- we have been instructed by our leaders to "love our neighbors and be respectful". You have been misinformed.
 
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