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Group Of Paleolithics
Author: BobR    Date: 03/25/2013 13:04:41

Several years ago, there was a push among hate groups, driven by misplaced religious belief, to add admendments to their states' constitutions prohibiting gay marriage. This was supposed to be a hedge against any laws the legislatures might create doing the opposite. One of those measures was Proposition 8 in California. On a national level, a Republican-led legislature created the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage at the national level as one man / one woman.

In a very short period of time, however, we have seen Americans understanding of, respect for, and - in some cases, simply tolerance of - LGBT realities and rights. DADT fell. Numerous states have legalized gay marriage.

Now two cases are before the Supreme Court: The CA Prop 8 case and the DOMA cases. The Prop 8 case will likely be decided on procedural grounds - whether California and other parties acted properly in the process of getting it enacted. The DOMA case, however, will be the one that can possibly really make a change. At the heart of the case is equal protection under the law - both from state to state and from the federal government. Last year, fellow blogger Velveeta Jones wrote a blog listing 1138 differences in law between married heterosexual couples and married gay couples.

Most Americans believe that gay marriage should be legalized so that those couples can enjoy the same benefits and protections that other married Americans have. The President, Vice-president, Democratic politicians (and even some Republican politicians) feel the same way. Most members of the Republican party, however, are stuck in a different era.

Karl Rove (the increasingly marginalized svengali-wannabe) even thinks that it's possible to have a Republican presidential candidate in support of gay marriage. To this I say "HA!", then add another "ha". After watching the Republican primary debates this past election cycle, any candidate for the Republican party that vocalized support for gay marriage would get booed off the stage, if not having their limbs torn asunder.

If you want to know how Republicans (and their advocates) feel about gay marriage, or about gay people in general, you need only listen to what they have to say:

Erstwhile Libertarian Rand Paul once again proving he's not really libertarian thinks that rather than put all marriages on an equal footing under the law, just pass a flat tax so there are no tax advantages either way. Of course, that does nothing to address the problems of hospital visitation, etc.

Faith and Freedom Coalition president Ralph Reed has stated that the point of marriage is for procreation. That thinking would invalidate my marriage (any childless couples' marriage), the marriages of the elderly, etc.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins believes that gays getting married infringes on other people's rights... their right to be bigots, their right to be exclusive, their right to teach bigotry in schools.

American Values president Gary Bauer goes one step further, and flatly denies the polls are accurate. That he said so on FOX "News" where Karl Rove famously had his meltdown when the results of the voting matched the pre-election polling (and not their internal twisting of the numbers) somehow seems appropriate.

The GOP would like to project the image that they are the party of the people, but once again they are proving themselves wrong. They are the party of the monied, the bigoted, and the exclusionary. They aren't just trying to slow down progress, they are trying to turn the clock back. The last election showed that America is tired of it. The polls back it up.
 

49 comments (Latest Comment: 03/26/2013 01:41:05 by Will in Chicago)
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