Why does the idea of civil rights not apply to gays and lesbians?
You guys, remember Sarah Palin, call people un or anti American all the time. You guys started this particular food fight so....duck!
What gay activists are you talking about? What about getting rid of religious activists around children? What about getting rid of commercial activitists around children? There are many influences around children, no one is going to turn a child 'gay' or 'lesbian' by being gay or lesbian around children. Children who are gay or lesbian will, however, take comfort and have a better life by seeing their adult counterparts being treated like everyone else.
I do not see any group that is more hysterical about sex than the religious right wing. You guys think about it, talk about it, campaign about it, discuss it, tell your children not to do it, etc. ALL THE TIME. Without sex, you guys wouldn't have much of anything to chat about.
You guys are obsessed with sex. Get over it. Constantly thinking about other people having sex isn't healthy. Get some therapy.
"then I can foresee the loss of our religious liberties and our freedom of conscience"
Baloney. What you are talking about are services openly offered to the public but not to the ENTIRE public. Christian doctors, photographers, churches claiming tax exemptions, etc. used to refuse service to blacks and other minorities. They can no longer do that (I believe even you would agree that they cannot) yet they survive and even thrive.
What if an airline wanted to refuse service to all Swedish Americans because it thought Swedish Americans were less than human. Would that go over well? Would you expect that airline to be able to have such a policy? What if I wanted to have a state that had no men in it because I believed that men are more violent than women? How would that go over?
Your point is hyperbolic, ridiculous and absurd victim-talk in a country where no one will be elected President without being a Christian. This is a country where Obama had to jump up and down and claim that he WAS NOT A MUSLIM as if being a Muslim was a crime.
It's ridiculous.
Try and get elected to anything while being an atheist or even an agnostic. Don't be ridiculous. Your obsession with non-existent persecution is quite odd. Do you wish to be persecuted? You could go to Iraq this Christmas where the small Christian minority that lived there under Saddam was pretty much wiped out under Christian Bush...odd that.
"Christianity arrived in pre-Islamic times, and Iraqi Christians lived alongside Muslims here for centuries. Since the U.S.-led toppling of Hussein, Iraq's Christian community has been decimated, and thousands have fled. A United Nations report says 40 percent of all Iraqis who have left the country are Christian, although they make up only 3 percent of Iraq's 27 million residents."
abcnews.go.com
OTOH, if you are Muslim in the USA or have a muslim sounding name you can be denied boarding on an air plane or general harassment. In some cases you can get sent to Gitmo without an attorney. Jeepers. It must be hard to be a Christian.
Most people do not have a power of attorney. Being a spouse in particular or even a close relative gives you blanket authority that does not have to be specifically spelled out in a legal contract. Being a spouse allows you to pass on your estate to each other without taxation. Being a spouse gives you privileges with employers such as shared health insurance. You cannot willy nilly go and visit people in hospitals.
"North Carolina hospitals will have to let in more visitors:
A new statewide rule will help ensure that same-sex partners and other loved ones will be treated the same as immediate family.
The rule adds a provision to the Patients' Bill of Rights, stating: "A patient has the right to designate visitors who shall receive the same visitation privileges as the patient's immediate family members, regardless of whether the visitors are legally related to the patient." The right applies to hospitals statewide.
This is a great example of a way a right traditionally associated with marriage (having a partner visit in the hospital) can be expanded for the benefit of same-sex couples as well as for other important relationships.
Apple iTunes
It's pretty silly that only immediate family can have full visitation rights in a hospital. Just because someone was born into the same family as you doesn't mean that you want to see them when you're sick, just as people in the hospital might want to see many people to whom they aren't married or related, including but not limited to same-sex partners.
I don't know if this was a result of an outdated form of tribalism, that the only people on "your side" are those who are narrowly defined as "family," but it's good to see the law updated to help patients feel more comfortable. I hope other states follow North Carolina's example."
"Denying gay marriage is not hateful, doesn't deny any one rights, and isn't hurtful."
Yes, you are saying to some people that they have fewer rights than others. You are doing much harm to them and, especially, to the young who are watching this play out around them. It is a cruel thing to do.
Muslims and even those whacked out Mormons are not denied the ability to MARRY or engage in civil unions. They are denied the ability to MARRY more than one person at a time which is considered bigamy. Everyone is denied the ability to commit bigamy. You can argue that everyone should have the right to be polygamous but you can't argue that some should have that right while others do not. |
