It's that political season again where lines are being drawn on wedge issues. Especially on the topics of Gay Marriage and Abortion rights.
A court recently ruled against Proposition 8 in California much to the dismay of Conservative groups. Conservative politicians are now on the stump, referring to this court as activists who are ruling against the will of the people who won the vote on what I consider a Civil rights issue. Yes, the people of California voted not really to ensure that marriage would be exclusively between a man and a woman, but more to legalize discrimination against two people who want to make a family.
Rick Santorum who wears his religion on his shoulders is running for President of the United States. His ire for the Gay community is obvious, and appeals to people who don't understand and seem to be looking for an outlet of hate. They profess love, yet their actions speak otherwise when they support laws which really are intended to put a segment of society back in their closets.
When I refer to people who are enthralled by Politicians such as Rick Santorum, I think about people who I know in my own life, and people who the readers know in their own lives. I won't call or quote any names, however these people are real and we all know it. They are people who believe in specific mind sets and no amount of debate will change their thoughts.
I am old enough to remember the battle for Integration, and there were members of my own white family who vehemently opposed any mixing of blacks and whites, and truly believed they were more superior than blacks. Unfortunately I was raised with this mindset, but fortunately as an adult I learned to think otherwise. It would be a better world if more people would look deep into their hearts and think, "what if?", "are there other possibilities?".
On a MSNBC program a week or so ago, I saw Michael Steele talking about Gay people comparing their struggle to that of the Civil Rights era of blacks. He made the comment that it offended him and many other people of color. His argument was that a Black person walks into a room and can't deny their color, and if a Gay person walks into a room they can blend in. These comments offended me, struggles for rights don't know color. I have known two gay people grocery shopping, minding their own business and called "Faggots" for no reason other than deciding on what to buy for dinner. More recently a man came out of a convenient store and was immediately accosted by a group of men who beat him while screaming gay epithets. Good God Mr. Steele, hate is hate and you support a party who day after day pander to that hate.
The Republican party also continues to use the rights of women as a way to divide our country. Women fought for the right to make choices about their own bodies and right to choose, and have that right in our Constitution. I believe any woman who supports the religious right should go ahead if raped and have that baby, that would be her choice, but just because you are a Christian, don't force your belief on anyone who doesn't agree with you, otherwise women here in our country would be no better off than those who live under strict laws in other countries.
We are divided as a country in so many ways, rich or poor, white versus every other color, religious or non religious, conservative or liberal. Where we are not divided is we all bleed when cut, need air to breathe, food to nourish our bodies, medicine when we are sick, and we all die at some point. Really when we think about the things each of us have in common far exceeds our differences, yet we let so few and inconsequential things divide us.
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