Bigotry needs to stop being a political tool

I woke up today and do what I do every morning in my attempt to usurp the moral fiber of America. I texted my girlfriend, who lives almost a thousand miles away, a simple “Good Morning darling”.

I didn’t get my usual “Hello Beautiful” back (yes, we’re disgustingly cheesy; it goes with the long distance). Instead I got this: “NC passed the amendment ” We have no real interest in moving to North Carolina, much less now. But, this isn’t about North Carolina or gay marriage for that matter. It’s politics, and that’s even worse.

Almost 1 million people in North Carolina voted to ban gay marriage in the state. The ban also extends to civil unions and domestic partnerships. It is one of the most prohibitive bans in the country. The marriage ban was already in place as a law, the fact that it is now part of the state charter is a symbolic gesture to the people that voted.

The bill comes during an important election year for Republicans, who are trying to prove they are the most conservative. They were catering to voters when they wrote the bill, not to their God. This isn’t about religion; it’s about a sense of entitlement that allows voters to think they have the right to take rights away. To be honest, I prefer the Democrats entitlement state more.

“The whole point -- is simply that you don't rewrite the nature of God's design for marriage based on the demands of a group of adults,” said one of the pro-marriage activists in North Carolina. The amendment is meant to ward of activist judges who could change the state law, but not the constitution.

Aside from the issue that “God’s Design” should have nothing to do with “North Carolina’s design" is that there is no reason that wedge issues (politicized ones that actually affect a minimal part of the population) should be turned into an incursion on civil liberties simply to make a political move.

I don’t care what people do in their personal life. I’m a live and let live kind of person and I don’t appreciate my personal life and my rights becoming political pawns.

Culture war shows masses need checks and balances as well

Rick Santorum is against the use of contraception even for married couples.

With the Republican Primaries and current events somehow devolving into an American cultural war, it has never become clearer than ever that the masses need to be checked from their biases as much as the government needs to be checked from its abuse of power.

I’ll show my bias at once. Social conservatives scare me and they seem judgmental and hateful to me. And I dislike that they believe the “power of the people” and “real America” should mandate my rights.

As this great LA Times Piece shows, the confluence of current events with the Republican Primaries has turned our usual bipartisan anger into a veritable culture war. Old time values are clashing with contemporary life in an unfathomable way. I’ll take advantage of the piece to go in order of these events to show exactly how this culture war is pure rhetoric, dangerous one at that.

With the new decision by the 9th District Court to strike down Prop 8 the case of gay marriage will go to the United States Supreme Court. Republicans have been quick to call out the ‘activist judges’ for going against the case of a majority.

Well, let’s look at the facts. That vast “majority” being disrespected is one of 52% to 48%. The difference between yes and no was around 600,000 votes in a state that holds almost 37 million people. If we are to ere in the side of giving instead of taking away rights, that is hardly a majority that can really mandate that sort of change.

Same sex marriage just passed in Washington and will be in the ballots in New Jersey and Maine in November. In New Jersey the governor Christie (who likes to make jokes about women giving blow jobs), says he will veto the move which I’m sure Republicans would not see as going against the majority in the least.

Then comes the Susan G Komen controversy, a grayer one at that. It really has nothing to do with the government but the fact that these culture war proponents are obsessed enough to take away cancer prevention from women shows the extremes that this rhetoric can go to. For those wanting to argue, here is the breakdown of Planned Parenthood's annual report and how they spend their money.

Seems like a strange battle to make to keep from saving lives to possibly save the life of a fetus that may or may not be alive according to your definition. It would be easier to simply state in donations that they not be used for abortion purposes rather than not provide them altogether.

Finally comes the latest attack on religion through Obama’s new contraceptive law. A new law passed from Obama planned to force religious institutions to cover contraceptives in their health insurance for non-church employees. Let’s say the churches weren’t engaging in rhetoric, if they were hiring people that followed their beliefs, wouldn’t it be a moot point regardless?

Obama gave in to the pressure and now the institutions themselves won’t be mandated to cover it, but the insurance companies will have to provide the contraceptives if one of these employees reaches out to them. But not before the religious right decided to compare a contraceptive law to the holocaust. They always find a way to do it don’t they?

Please let’s stop this stupid rhetoric and focus on what matters: the economy. Don’t let these distractions get in the way of an important voting cycle for 2012, vote which way you wish but don’t let rhetoric mandate that choice.