Warning: post about politics below which was ripped of from Jowie's blog. No references to boobies.Okay now that I know you've stopped reading I'm going to rant about a Washington state initiative that boggles my mind. 957 is a current marriage bill that not only goes so far as to define what exactly a marriage is, which in the framer's eyes is between a man and a woman, but also dictates the behavior of the couple and how they choose to procreate.
Yes the bill states that all married couples must be able to bear children even going so far as require those who join in matrimony to produce offspring within a period of three years or face annulment as dictated by the state authorities.
Now most of you that know me understand I'm pretty libertarian when it comes to social issues so really I'd like the government to stay out of marriage altogether. Having said that it should come as no surprise that I'm against this initiative 100%. In the unlikely event that this passes it would negate the marriage of my parents, who were unable to produce a child of their own and chose to adopt my sister and I. Under the language of this bill any dumb ass couple who decides to contribute to an already overpopulated planet, planned or unplanned, would be granted the benefits of a state recognized union.
Not only is this discriminatory when you consider the gay marriage issue, but to people with medical issues as well. Again I'd like the state to stay out of matrimony, but to pick and chose who can and cannot engage in a contract between two consenting adults is ludicrous.
The strange thing is that this bill seems to be a joke by it's own writers. As quoted by Defense of Marriage Organizer Gregory Gadow: "“For many years, social conservatives have claimed that marriage exists solely for the purpose of procreation ... The time has come for these conservatives to be dosed with their own medicine."
So yeah this is really nothing more than trying to highten the discourse concerning gay marriage; however I believe the opposite is true. So many pressing issues plague this state and here we are wasting time discussing this nonsense...oh wait.
Actually if I did happen to sit down with the writers of this initiative I imagine it would end in fisticuffs, cause as momma always said it's not kind to engage in a war of words with the mentally disabled. If this bill does pass well then we all suffer because some residents were unhappy about our State Supreme Court ruling.
“If same-sex couples should be barred from marriage because they can not have children together, it follows that all couples who cannot or will not have children together should equally be barred from marriage." - Gregory Gadow
INITIATIVE 957
5 comments:
Yeah, I heard about that off-the-wall initiative all the way out here in Colorado. Pretty silly if you ask me. The best part is that the bill was sponsored / introduced / promoted by a gay-marriage-rights group trying to be irreverent, I suppose.
I agree that the state / feds should stay out of people's personal lives, but it's kinda funny when people try to legislate social issues.
While I certainly wouldn't want this law to pass (and I am sure it won't), it is just an attempt to point out the hypocrisy of the "marraige is for the purpose of procreating" argument used by the homophobic right. Personally, I think it's quite funny and reminds me of a prank I wanted to pull once (but was too lazy to do) - but this is taken to the extreme by actually introducing an initiative.
While the gay marraige debate is unimportant "nonsense" to you, it is very important to many people, and this bill is just part of the debate.
Mattbear - Sorry my post was misleading, but I don't think the gay marriage debate is nonsense in and of itself, but the tactics such as this are and can be dangerous in the unlikely event it does pass. As I stated in the post I think all consenting adults should be allowed the right to enter into a civil contract such as marriage, but sometimes stunts like these can be funny, but cheapen the discourse.
My only wish is that the government would stay out of marriage altogether.
Of course this issue important to many people, but so is the mystery of the baby daddy of Anna Nicole. (Like how I had to elevate the discourse with a reference to her?)
It is incredible how our rights are banishing under the government of the "No Tree Left Behind" Idiot that keeps using fear, lies and missinformation to retain power in this GREAT Country. This is what happens when you missuse democracy and elect a bunch of idiots who apparently have nothing better to do (when they actually DO).
Hola Erik! I was told to pop over and read about this crazy stuff that I was informed of today. It sickens me that a bill like this was even introduced to be passed. Who has any right or say over when children should be brought into this world other than the parents. Some couples choose to wait due to financial reasons, stability, etc...then there are couples who are not able to have children due to medical reasons. Its sad that the government has to come to this. I cringe to think about what this country will come to when my son gets older.
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