Cory Capron has a very lucid examination of the terminology being used by both proponents and opponents of the Marshall/Newman amendment. The terms he examines are bigotry (often cited by opponents) and polygamy (often cited by proponents).
Cory’s sets aside all emotion and examines the terms and tries to find logic supporting or opposing either term’s use in this debate. Check it out for yourself:
corycapron.blogspot.com/2006/10/on-bigotry-and-polygamy.html
My wife and I (just celebrated 13 years together) have been baffled about why there is so much fear and passions against allowing gay marriage run so hot. We are baffled because some of the strongest relationships we know are between gay and lesbian friends, who are strong proponents of marriage itself. In fact, our own marriage was in large part saved by some good-friend intervention and counseling from two gay couples we know (shout out to Dan and Jeff and to Dan and James, thank you).
The only logical reason we have been able come up with for being against gay marriage is that misogynists would be threatened. It’s a stretch, but if “John” is a misogynist and has a subservient wife “Mary” and then, in the house next door, “Gay Bob” and “Gay Mike” move in; then I can see where “misogynist John” would be very nervous and threatened as his wife can now see a marriage of equal partners living right next door. This would not bother my wife and I in the least, because our marriage is an equal partner marriage; but for “Mary” it could be a real eye-opened and may prompt her to dump “misogynist John” for a better deal, so I can see where “misogynist John” would be threatened.
I have not heard anyone using that specific argument, and I am pretty sure they’d get no sympathy from any voters even if they did. Every other argument I have heard has been based on “faith” (that way they can dodge the whole reason and logic evaluation entirely) or false logic (when canvassing I heard that damned anti-polygamy and anti-bestiality rant over and over again – both are pure bull-feathers).
We are, like Cory, still waiting for a single other logical argument as to how gay marriage threatens straight marriage in any way. Nothing. The silence is deafening.
If you stretch the word bigotry to include most forms of prejudice (which I do, but thanks to Cory for the word-history lesson), then this amendment is all about bigotry.
Of course it’s also all about driving emotional and unreasoning voters out to the polls to get emotional and unreasonable people re-elected against any logical analysis of who might be the better candidate, but the cost of approving this rediculous and redundant amendment is way too high. We are losing the best minds in the state because of the implicit bigotry in the amendment.
Vote No on #1 and furthermore, we should throw Marshall and anyone else associated with this amendment and shifty politcal scam out of office next year or as soon as possible, and we should also vote against any politician running for office who also endorses this illogical and unreasonable amendment.
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