I’ve written about this before, and I’ll do it again and again until we finally figure it out and get it right.
Massachusetts has decided to put forth a proposal for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. This is a spectacularly bad idea.
Now, while I certainly don’t oppose opening issues up to the voters of individual states and think that putting forth a ballot question is a fine way to do that, I don’t feel that putting up an amendment to a constitution – a state’s or the nation’s – that legalizes discrimination is a good idea at all. Ever.
To my meager understanding of civics, constitutions exist to PROTECT rights, not abolish them. I mean, sure, there was the abysmal attempt at banning alcohol in 1919, but we saw the light – albeit 14 years later – and repealed the 18th amendment with the 21st. If I’m not mistaken, the rest of the consitution ensures that the government doesn’t get too greedy with our rights – it can’t tell us who or how or whether to worship; it can’t interfere with the press or our freedom to speak or assemble; it tells us that we don’t have to play host or hostess to soldiers in our own homes, and it promises us a whole lot of other things that, to my mind, keep us generally free and happy. Correct me if I’m wrong here, but the only thing that the Constitution DOES ban is slavery.
Adjusting a constitution to specifically target a group of people for the purposes of DENYING them some right or privilege just smacks of fear and ignorance and neo-conservatism, and even if I WEREN’T already a pretty outspoken advocate for gay and lesbian rights – which I am – I’d be furious about this move. The idea that a group can use the legislative process to exercise its prejudice against another group is repugnant to me as an American; I think it’s a horrible precident to set. I think that everyone, but Republicans especially, ought to be outraged at this. The Republican Party is, at least as I understood it, all about limiting the scope of government. They get all over the Democrats about higher taxes to support social agendas. Republicans make a lot of noise about keeping government out of our pockets and especially about keeping government out of our bedrooms. So what the hell is up with THIS?!
There has been NO evidence that the some 8,500 same-sex marriages that exist in Massachusetts have, in ANY way, harmed any heterosexual marriage. No one, as far as I know, has petitioned to marry his or her dog, mother, or toaster. The very fabric of Massachusetts’ society has not been torn asunder. None of the apocalyptic doom that gay marriage opponents had predicted has come to pass in any way, shape or form.
So what the hell do they need a constitutional ban for?
I completely agree. There is a drive here in FL to do the same thing. Why not ban inter racial marriages or ban divorces? Maybe limit child bearing to those in the upper income brackets!!!
The trend in government has been towards legislation by mob rule, no examples better seen, than local school boards.
I’m going to make light of this for a second. Please don’t take it to mean that I don’t think that this is outrageously ridiculous. Ameding (read:changing) a document built to protect rights to remove a right from a large group of people is willfully blind and stupid.
Now, on to Prohibition and what it teaches us about amending the damn Constitution. If we get nothing else out of it we should at least get that it’s a ridiculous amount of work that later gets doubled. First, big hoopla about banning alcohol. Then Prohibition and lots of work to crack down on alcohol users and to enforce these laws. Then the same work again to make a whole ‘nother amendment to repeal the riccockulous amendment you worked so hard on in the first place. America is lazy and overweight, we can’t do this much work. Sit on the couch, have a Bud, don’t amend the Constitution. It’s unAmerican on so many levels.
I find this trend towards constitutional amendments against gay marriage very frightening. And stupid. Bah!
Small-minded people get scared very easily and want to stop, DESTROY the bad thing they fear so deeply. Freedom of speech being what it is, people spew their fears loud and clear. Seriously, live and let live is difficult and too many freaking people are, um, constituionally incapable of it. Stupidity reigns. Yee-ha.
I’d vote for a constitutional ban on marriage for anyone. That way, the divorce rate would become a dead issue, the trillions of bucks poured into divorcing could be spent on chocolate (or crack, I don’t care), and children wouldn’t have to be sawed in half (emotionally).
Truly, legislating to discriminate is scary.
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