I heard on the radio today that there is a group of activists in our state capital lobbying for a ban on homosexual marriages: an institution that is already not recognized by our state government. This exact same thing happened in Colorado just a few years ago and I thought the same thing then that I'm thinking now... "why in the hell do you want to ban something that is already not legal??" What, it's not enough to not allow gays to marry, we must actively ban it and shun these people further? There's another aspect of it that really annoys me too. Most of the people who push for this kind of legislation call themselves Christians. I don't know about y'all, but I would expect Christians to be a little more sensitive to acts of persecution considering the treatment their savior suffered. (disclaimer: not bashing Christians in general here, just the ones persecuting people) Does anybody on this board agree with legislating a ban on homosexual marriages? I, for one, support the marriage of any people who love each other. At the very least, I think this kind of action is overkill. ------------------
I'm probably going to eventually get kicked out of the Republican Party, but I fail to see what the big deal is, personally, with allowing for same-sex marriages. I've yet to hear one good reason why we should continue to ban such unions. If two people want to get married, they should be allowed to get married. What do I care if those two people happen to be of the same sex? ------------------ Houston Sports Board The Anti-Bud Adams Page
mrpaige: I don't think you'll get booted. I know quite a few Republicans who could care less whether or not homosexuals get married. Ironically, in the Chron today there was a story on the lobbying in Austin AND a story on how a political action committee in Houston is going to push for a referendum to put language in the city charter recognizing ONLY married heterosexual couples and their dependant children as people allowed to get benefits from the city. Basically, this would be like amending the constitution and setting it in stone. At the press conference, the leader of this group called homosexuality "a sin" and he was flanked by people carrying signs saying gays and lesbians would burn in hell and saying that homosexuals "recruit children." Is it just me or do people of this ilk (and these are certainly not representative of the Christians I know) seem to look forward to the day when they can sit in heaven, look down at those in hell and say, "Nah, nah, na, na, nah, nah!"? As for their stance on gays, I get the sense that they wouldn't know a gay man or lesbian if they smacked them in the face. Recruit children? Yeah, all of my gay and lesbian friends do that. It's in their charter. When they take their oath of gayness, they promise to "recruit children at every possible opportunity." ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible. [This message has been edited by Jeff (edited February 15, 2001).]
That's true. Like a lot of large organizations, the Republican Party leadership doesn't necessarily reflect the views of all its members. It has just been bothering me that the Party goes out of its way to talk about its commitment to freedom, yet when issues like this come up, the answer is always "well, we're for freedom, except in this case." Personally, I support the idea of more freedom, not less. And that's pretty much across the board. It's not just Republicans who do this, by the way, it's both Parties. But in this case, we're talking about a largely Republican issue, so they get singled out for my wrath ( ) this time around. ------------------ Houston Sports Board The Anti-Bud Adams Page
I'll confine my comments only to the lobbying itself, since I don't really care about the rest of it. Why shouldn't they lobby? There are homosexual activists lobbying to have homsexual marriage legalized; why shouldn't there be people lobbying against it? If gay activists have the right to ask for changes in the law (and they do), don't anti-gay activists as well? After all, this is the democratic process: our representatives are supposed to want to know what we, their constituents, want, and the only way they'll know is if we tell them. These lobbyists shouldn't wait until we've gone through the trouble to change the law before they start objecting. ------------------ RealGM Rockets Draft Obligations Summary Gafford Art Artisan
str8 couples don't have anal sex? by the way, Lesbians don't have anal sex and are the least likely to carry the HIV virus so I guess they are OK. ------------------
A little naiveté now and then is cherished by the wisest men! Yes, I understand. ------------------ Everything you do, effects everything that is.
The last one I saw was from Fox News (not exactly a bastion of lefty journalism) 62% pro choice 68% pro gun control 52% pro gay rights 63% pro "preserving the environment" 69% pro consumer rights 70% pro campaign finance reform You should know me better than to think I would just pull stats out of my ass. I'll try to dig up the link for you. This was right after the election and AP did one as well with similar results. CNN/Time did one witth slightly more lefty results but that really isn't a surprise. Also, in the poll they stated that they 62% pro choice figure had remained unchanged for the past 4 years. Each time they did the poll, they got the same numbers. ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible. [This message has been edited by Jeff (edited February 15, 2001).]
i never said anal sex between straight couples its ok. same thing applies, its nasty, and unhealthy. as for lesbians.. it still goes against the natural creation of mankind and its still the same thing as everything else i said morality wise and whatnot. ill try to give a better and more indepth response on like the "homosexuality is a choice" thing when i get home tonight ------------------ http://members.fortunecity.com/omar369
By the way, is it really so hard to believe America is becoming more liberal in general? Think about the difference between who we are as people today and who we were just 30 years ago. Can anyone honestly argue we are more conservative today then we were in 1971 or what about 1951 or 1931? Obviously, feelings on issues ebb and flow and some eras are more conservative while others more liberal. But, IMO, there is no question we have changed a great deal since then and it isn't like we are going to turn back the clock. Once the cat is outta the bag, he ain't goin' back in. ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible.
jamma, I respect your right to oppose the legal marriage of same-sex couples but don't you think actively banning them when they already aren't legal is piling on a little bit? ------------------
Now for the evidence: Pro-Life or Pro-Choice? According to a Gallup poll conducted October 6-9, 2000, Americans are evenly split between those who call themselves pro-choice (47%) and those who are pro-life (45%). Are you pro-choice or pro-life? ******* Death Penalty As of June 2000, "...two-thirds (66%) of Americans favor the death penalty in cases of murder, down slightly from its high point of 80% in 1994." Also, "the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted June 23-25, shows that a majority of Americans -- 51% -- believe that the death penalty is applied fairly, while 41% believe it is applied unfairly." Tracking poll ******* Gay Rights A Gallup poll conducted in January of (2000) shows that 40% of the public believes gay couples should be entitled to the same rights as couples in traditional marriages. Fifty-three percent of the public thinks gay couples should not have the benefits of traditional marriages. Comprehensive Survey on Gay Rights ******* The Environment Evidence here support's Jeff's position although I still insist (in my opinion) that environmental questions are too generally phrased; they're not specific enough. As of 4/17/00: 83% of Americans agree with the goals of the environmental movement, including 43% who "strongly agree." 55% describe current environmental problems as serious, including 17% who describe them as "extremely serious." 66% rate the environment as an important issue to their vote for president, including 26% who rate it as "extremely important." 71% indicate they are sympathetic toward the environmental movement, including 16% who say they are "active" in it. In 1990, only 14% of the public thought a great deal of progress had been made in dealing with environmental problems, compared to 26% today. In 1992, 68% of Americans thought the government was doing too little to protect the environment, compared to 58% today. ******* Campaign Finance Reform Gallup Poll Most people support further restrictions on corporate donations; again, I think the way these questions are phrased has to be examined. ******* Gun Control I poked around some at gallup.com and found that Jeff is correct on this issue; approximately 60 percent of Americans in any given month will answer poll questions stating that they "support stronger gun control". Again, that is a rather general question-- supporting gun control meaning full confiscation? Full registration? etc etc-- but I'll concede that one. ------------------ "Corpses are icky." --Chris Robinson [This message has been edited by BrianKagy (edited February 15, 2001).]
I seem to recall reading about various other animals (including monkeys and birds) that have displayed homosexual actions. It, of course, runs the gamut of what "actions" take place, but it has been discovered. I guess the birds are choosing as well. There are always aberrations of nature. Not good or bad, just different. Hell, all men are aberrations as we all start out women anyway. In that sense, we are just incomplete women. Nature is crazy and complex, there is no point pretending to have all the answers and to know "truth" about everything. Who here would wake up tomorrow and "choose" to be gay -- knowing full well that you will suffer many consequences as a result. Uh, yeah, sign me up! ------------------ Big A, little a bouncing B, The System might have got you, but it won't get me.
Good info, BK. Thanks for digging that up. Bottom line is that we all have to compromise a little to make this the country in which we are happy. Balancing freedom against responsibility is VERY tough. As you well know, BK, there are a lot of factors that weigh into every issue but I don't think there is any question that neither Republicans nor Democrats represent how the majority of us feel about the way our country should be. ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible.
adn i know im gonna get blasted for this one, but i think its true, homosexuality is a CHOICE. it is not something thats forced upon anyone. no one is BORN gay. its a lifestyle that these people choose for whatever reason jamma34, Question for you -- as science progresses, if we learn that the above is not true, and that being gay is NOT a choice, would you change your views on it? ------------------ Is it any coincidence that the Cato is the only Rocket with a temperature scale named after him? I didnt think so!!!!
OK, I'm not taking sides here, but I love arguing... So, it's OK because animals do it? Shall we start sniffing crotches as a greeting? Dogs do that. Is it OK if I give you a quick sniff next time we meet? Eating our young to combat overpopulation? Hamsters and gerbils do it. Marking our territory with urine? Cats and dogs do it. ------------------ "Corpses are icky." --Chris Robinson
Actually, if both parties to the marriage work, they are more likely to have to pay more money in Federal Income Tax than they would if they weren't married. It's called the Marriage Penalty and was actually an issue during the campaign. Besides, by your standard, any two opposite-sex couples can get married to cheat the government (if one could actually do that). But people don't usually marry for tax purposes. There's no reason to believe that same-sex couples would marry for those reasons, either. ------------------ Houston Sports Board The Anti-Bud Adams Page
Hey Brian, I understand that pheromones are one of the major contributing unconscious variables in humans picking a mate. ------------------ Everything you do, effects everything that is.
