Proposition 8

It's been a long year of politics and the debating of various issues that run the spectrum. No one is more sick of it than I am and relieved that the election is now over.

Obama wasn't my choice. Neither was McCain. But it is what it is and hopefully we'll actually see positive changes instead of more broken promises. I'm cynical though when it comes to our government and the so-called politicians who claim to be listening and looking out for their constituents.

One issue I do want to touch on briefly that has long been a heated battlefield, is Proposition 8 that was just passed out in California.

In a nutshell, Prop. 8 bans same-sex marriage. It's passage overturned the California Supreme Court's decision from last spring to make it legal for gay people to marry, to now no longer allow it. The vote was pretty much almost split down the middle. From what I heard, less than 20,000 votes separated the Yes camp from the No camp.

70% of the African American population that voted on this issue, voted Yes. The Latino community was more evenly split on the issue with the most popular reasoning for voting Yes having to do with "culture."

The Gay Community sees it as a civil rights issue as well as an equality issue.

Many others see it as a religious issue and they say the bible is the word of God, and therefore, it is not looked upon favorably by God.

One article I came upon has a couple of quotes by people I'd like to share.

"God doesn't approve it, so I don't approve it. And I approve of Him."

Pablo Correa said his mind was made up by a TV spot in which a young girl comes home from school and tells her mother she learned how a prince could marry a prince. "I don't discriminate against people," he said, with a wave at the rows of lipstick and makeup. "I have a lot of customers who are homosexuals, transsexuals and bisexuals. I'm not against these people."

Excuse me for saying this, and I mean no offense to anyone, but how the hell does anyone know if God approves or does not approve of people based on their sexuality? Please come up with something better than it being written in the Bible. The Bible is a book, written and created by MAN. And unless someone can prove actual recorded conversations with God personally, to me it's just a creative book that doesn't teach anything new that one can't find in the Self Help section of their favorite bookstore.

As for the second quote stating he does not discriminate against people, this is a hypocritical statement in my opinion. You can't say "No, I will not allow you to be married because I disagree with the kind of love you have for another person." and turn around and say something to the effect that you do not discriminate nor do you judge how others live their life. That's just a bunch of stinky poo.

I'm saddened that this Proposition passed. I know there are a lot of people out there who feel that sexuality is a choice, but it's not. I'm not gay because I choose to be. I'm gay because I just am. I did not choose to feel this way any more than I could choose the color of my skin or the color of my eyes.

And I do not believe for one mili-second that God would reject me for being gay. Christians spout off at the mouth about how God is about Love. Jesus went on his travels reaching a wide cross section of people and talked about nothing but love and peace towards everyone.

Whoever we are and however we live our lives, is our business and our relationship with our Higher Power is between us and our Higher Power.

One last thing and I'll step off my soapbox on this .... I'm sick and tired of reading about the usual ignorant blather out there that lumps the gay community in the same category as people who are polygamists, people who engage in bestiality, or people who are pedophiles. One has nothing to do with the other. In addition, it's a proven fact that most pedophiles are heterosexual. Children do not grow up and learn to be gay, they either are or they are not. They are either gay, bisexual, or straight. Research is also out there that children who grow up with gay parents, do not just become gay. I mean hell, my parents were straight but they have two gay children out of six. Does that mean I should have been raised by gay parents so I'd be straight?

The argument that people use to "protect their children" is just ridiculous. You can not protect your children from who they naturally are. You can brainwash them into believing that if they are anything other than what YOU expect or accept them to be, but then you're only molding a psychologically troubled person who will grow up to have further problems - all thanks to your inability to address and deal with your own prejudices, fears, and ignorance's.

It's BS.

"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." - Nietzsche

"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or the persecution of others." - JFK

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King Jr.

'Nuf said.

Mahalo,

Dolphin