Historic and Sacred
Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Larry Craig became co-sponsors of the Federal Marriage Amendment this week. Both senators claim they aren't discriminating against same-sex couples, they are simply clarifying marriage. Are they kidding?
Of course this amendment is discriminatory. How else do you define its intent? We're taking a category of people and saying you're being denied marriage benefits, not because you don't deserve them or haven't earned them, it's because you're beneath them.
Besides, if marriage is such a "historic and sacred" institution, it wouldn't require defining...right? Marriage, like most aspects of our society, has changed and should change to fit the times. Government-based discrimination is not acceptable. Protection of a "historic and sacred" institution does not take precedence over equal rights.
Senator Crapo says that the amendment still allows states to create civil unions if they so choose. Here's is the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment:
Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.No government "shall be construed to required...the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman." I don't know what Senator Crapo was reading, but that seems to outlaw civil unions quite specifically.
Even if the Federal Marriage Amendment allowed civil unions to be created by states, it would still be discrimination of massive proportions. Marriage is about to become the 21st century example of "separate but equal." It was wrong in 1950 and it's wrong in 2004.
The vote in the senate on the Federal Marriage Amendment is scheduled for next week. Please e-mail Senator Craig and Senator Crapo and tell them it is unacceptable for them to sponsor and favor subjugating a group of Americans. Here are their contact sites:
Senator Larry Craig
Senator Mike Crapo
2 Comments:
I have been requested by a reader of the 3rd cent to delete a comment made in response to this post. That will not happen.
I fully support the free exchange of ideas by anyone and respect their constitutional right to express themselves. I will not censor or remove comments made by individuals on this blog, regardless of the sentiment, content or subject.
I hope that future comments will be made with some good sense, but I will not delete comments made without forethought. Please keep the comments coming.
At the request of the author, I have deleted a comment made to this post. Here is the comment without the questionable statement:
"Thank You Larry Craig and Mike Crapo for fighting the good fight. If Gays are allowed to get married then why get married in the first place?????
What is the reason to get married now????
[sentence deleted] If Gay is something you are born with then you shouldn't become straight right????
Yet there are several people who have been gay that is now straight."Again, I always encourage comments on my posts. Thank you.
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