Jig and Jog

 

Change we can believe in

 

 

It’s no secret that I’m very liberal and that I also generally lean toward more socialist ideals.  So, it’s not surprising that I am pleased with the results of our presidential election.  I think, and it seems most of my peers agree, that this election was especially important and moving to our generation because we’ve spent the last eight years watching our government royally screw itself.  Not only that, but having our first elections be those in 2000 and 2004 can be pretty disappointing for young people with idealistic beliefs about our government (I think some of this has to do with the fact that for most of us, we could vote our senior year of high school which is when many of us were taking U.S. Government in tandem with the election. I know I was anyway). 

But, I digress, because the fact is, a real change has been made in this country and I am truly proud, possibly for the first time in years, to be an American citizen.  That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate living in this country where even under the power of a complete moron we still have many freedoms not available to those in other countries.  It just means that for the first time in eight years I’m not concerned about traveling abroad as a US Citizen.

All that being said, I can’t lie, I’m slightly disappointed in the way some of the propositions on the California ballot were voted on.  As requested by Michael, I will write a few words about how I feel some of these propositions should have been voted.  I won’t write on all of them because quite frankly there were a few that I didn’t feel as strongly about one way or the other (I know, I’m clearly a horrible American), or that I didn’t feel I really knew enough about to have a strong opinion about.  

I’m going to start with Prop 8 which is still being decided on, but has most likely passed.  I think it’s safe to say this was the most controversial on the ballot this year.  As the crazy, crazy liberal I am, clearly I was hoping this wouldn’t pass.  I think what has frustrated me the most about this particular proposition is that those who have been so strongly supporting it didn’t even seem to really understand what the proposition was about.

Look, I believe everyone is entitled to his or her own beliefs, even if I think they are crazy.  That’s part of what this country was founded on.  But, this country was also founded on a principle of separating Church and State.  So, the issue for me, with this proposition was that so many people believed that this would somehow change the religion they choose to practice.  

Newsflash people, even if the government allows gays to be married, your church doesn’t have to do shit.  In fact, the government can’t tell your churches what to do, so you can go on with your hate filled selves and discriminate against whomever you want within your churches.  Seriously, it’s true. What confuses me is that most religions I know of teach tolerance and understanding and love in their major doctrine.  But, there’s that crazy liberal socialist again.

What we should do, is call marriages performed by the government “civil unions” which is how England deals with it, because Marriage is actually a sacrament created by religions.  The point is, when you are married by a justice of the peace, as far as the State is concerned, God isn’t even there.  God probably wasn’t even invited to one of those ceremonies.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find many uber conservatives who would disagree with me on this one.  I know that a lot of Catholics believe if you’re not married IN a church God doesn’t even know about it (which seems kind of silly to me since God is supposed to be everywhere. What, is he not allowed in City Halls? That seems kind of like a silly technicality.  Maybe that’s God’s Achilles Heel.

So, if your biggest concern is that gay marriage goes against your religion, then you shouldn’t have been so worried about Prop 8.  Prop 8 wouldn’t change your religion or your right to believe in anything.  It would simply allow equality within the government for gay and lesbian couples, which sounds pretty fair to me.  It wasn’t that long ago that other minorities were treated the same way, and I think, especially in California, most people would agree being told you can’t marry (in a religious ceremony or even in a government ceremony)  someone because of the color of your skin seems pretty archaic.  But, that is exactly what Prop 8 does.  It brings us right back to a time when it was illegal for a black woman and a white man, or a Latino man and a white woman or any combination of minorities to marry a white person.

I know another concern proponents of Prop 8 had was that if it were to pass, gay marriage would be taught in our public schools.  The School Board even chimed in on this one saying it’s illegal in this state to do that. If the school is going to teach any family life style classes, parents must give their consent for their child to take the class.  The constant reference to the class in MA where a 2nd grade class was taught about gay marriage has nothing to do with California.  Furthermore, if you feel so strongly in your moral convictions, maybe you should suck it up and send your child to private school where you can be sure of what kind of curriculum is being taught.  What’s that, oh  private school is too expensive? Yeah, tough shit. You want to use the free education offered to your children by our fine government? Then make damn sure you’re teaching them what YOU want them to know at home.  Religious and moral beliefs are lessons that should be taught at home.

I think I’ll end here for now.  I should do some actual work

 

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