If everyone who tried to uphold their morals was cast out and considered "ignorant" and "narrow minded," as so many of you have me these last few days, that would undermine the ultimate original intent of the founding fathers of this country. You can disagree with my points, you can question my sources you can wonder about my purposes...but no, narrow-minded i am not--unless you consider that the same thing as morally-minded.
I am not saying that people who disagree with me are stupid or wicked or gay (necessarily) or anything of the sort. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. All I am saying is this is what I believe because I have studied it out, considered both sides, prayed about it and come up with a conclusion.
I urge all to do the same on a topic to poignant and important.
For truly, as Goethe said, "There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action."
so to ANYONE who thinks, 'just let gays marry! it has nothing to do with me!' Please read this article about THE EFFECTS OF GAY MARRIAGE IN MASSACHUSETTS.
That link is not appropriate for a debate format. If you were to find non-partisan websites that discuss the effects of gay marriage (like in the UK, or other European countries) that would be much more effective, but I cannot take your debate seriously without non-partisan sources.
ReplyDeletebut i am not talking about other countries. i am talking about the US (besides, i did post two studies done in Europe about gay marriage in a previous post). And although that link may be written by someone who is blatancy against gay marriage, he states all (at least mostly) facts and not opinions. So i agree...not the BEST list of reasons, but even when you strip out the editorial content, the historical facts remain.
ReplyDeleteGay marriage WILL affect me and my children if passed. It DOES have to do with my rights as much as it has to do with gay rights.
Dear Zack,
ReplyDeleteHow dare you write about topics of interest that are not your dating life! Clearly, you are only proficient in one subject: women. Therefore, you should restrict your comments on gay marriage to lesbians.
Love, Annie
Zack,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting all of this the past few days! It is so important for people to understand that this is a big deal and that it isn't an attack on gays but it is fight for defending what God has established; that being a family... Man and Woman. I am so glad you have no shame in posting this. None of us should! So I think this post regarding anonymity is perfect! You are wonderful and I think you are doing a great thing by professing your views.
I can't tell you how much I respect what you've been writing. You are taking a lot of heat for your opinions, and yet you stand firm. Thank you for writing these things.
ReplyDeleteI work very hard to stay politically up-to-date and be active in my local government. Most people say they "know" the issues simply because they read one or two heavily biased news websites. But it takes so much more than that... I call my reps and senators. I send emails and respond to mailings. A surprising nber of people are scared to publicly declared their beliefs, but now is when it's most crucial! I've been berated by a senator's aide for saying I opposed gay marriage, but I don't waiver.
My name is Natalie Lukens and I KNOW that gay marriage is wrong. Cheers to your bravery Zach!
On partisan websites, facts are distorted, almost always. If you can find another source that states the same numbers and facts, then we can discuss it further.
ReplyDelete... there's such a thing as a non-partisan website? And... I'm curious as to any example of morality being measured in 'numbers and facts'.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are non-partisan websites, I use them in research and article-writing every day. And the numbers and facts I'm referring to are examples from other countries that show the positive and negative facts pertaining to the legalization of gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteThis, for example, is a wonderful article written by the President of the AIDS healthcare foundation, a foundation working to provide education and prevention for the HIV/AIDS outbreak in recent years. From his experience and research, he argues that allowing tolerance of gays and giving them the right to marry would severely diminish the number of unprotected sexual partners in gay men, and contribute to the prevention of this disease spreading. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-weinstein/gay-marriage-will-save-li_b_483002.html
I will say that the huffington post is mostly considered a 'liberal' website, and that the author is acting as a pundit for this particular piece, but however, this article originally came from the AIDS healthcare foundation website, which is an appropriate source for a debate format such as this. I also have a rather good source I found from a CDC HIV/AIDS prevention flyer, which shows the statistics as well, however it was a PDF file that I cannot link to from here.
I'm anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI love your posts. I love the passion you have for protecting the family. And I think overall I just flat out love you!
Keep posting, because I love your blog. (In all of its aspects.)
If your example of a 'non-partisan' website is the Huffington Post, then I stand even less convinced than before.
ReplyDeleteFinding a truly "non-partisan" website or even research on this issue will continue to be immensely difficult. There is a great deal at stake for the conservative side, and there continues to be 'push-back' from the liberal side. Both sides will continually invoke the buzzwords of the supposedly infallible institution of Statistics: "studies show", "statistical trends indicate," "these numbers provide conclusive evidence that..."
However, at the core, Moral issues do not rely merely on Numbers, and their accompanying 'facts'. For example, 'statistics' show that the advent of nuclear weapons on the battle field have dramatically reduced the frequency of, and fatalities in, conventional warfare. Not a single repeat of a World War, or anything like it, in more than 60 years. Simply their presence, and inherent threat of use is apparently enough to dissuade either side from escalating a conflict too far. Does this 'statistically desirable' effect mean that the production and use of nuclear weapons is "Moral." Far from it, Alecia. Statistics, and Morality are not connected at the hip. Even as a Geographer, where Statistics is indispensable, we assiduously avoid the mis-use of the art/science. We don't derive our Morals from statistical reports - and this is a Moral issue, not simply a statistical/numerical one.
Let's refrain from being guilty of Andrew Lang's accusation: "He used statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts; for support rather than illumination."
With reference to the Massachusetts article, I'm torn. There are clearly some things that should not be a huge issue, others that are poorly explained, and some things that are legitimately wrong. Sorry if it reads a little bit like stream-of-consciousness thought, but in the order used in the article:
ReplyDeletePUBLIC SCHOOLS
With gay marriage legalized in MA, it makes sense to talk to high schoolers about it. I would call that age-appropriate information. As for the graphic description by the 8th grade teacher on NPR, that's a bit dicey for middle schoolers. I don't think the picture books given to kindergardeners are a bad thing. It's just showing that these are the (many different) types of families (built on love, who love their children) that exist in America today. This isn't teaching kids to be gay, it's merely heading off intolerance at an early age. I think the 3rd grade class being introduced to a pre-operative transsexual is a bit weird. Public libraries should be a source for all information, so books on homosexuality should not be an issue. Nor should "gay days" be an issue. If we have a black history month, I see no issue with a single day promoting awareness of LGBTQ issues.
PUBLIC HEALTH
The DPH commissioner being gay shouldn't be an issue. As for the "crowd of kids," they show only one picture of them and they look like high schoolers. The HIV/AIDS rate increase can be attributed to a lot of factors. I would be interested to see the epidemiological statistics, as I would bet that the rate is unrelated to the gay populations (most HIV/AIDS rate increases nationwide occur in low SES and racial minority populations). The Little Black Book... that is just messed up. The language used in it is offensive, even to someone as broad-minded and admittedly liberal as myself.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
I would like to see the statistic for the increase in violence rate. Has the rate actually increased or is the budget increase anticipatory? Without an accompanying statistic for violence rate, the budget increase carries less weight.
BUSINESS
Access to insurance shouldn't be an issue. Benefits and activities shouldn't be an issue. The wedding industry shouldn't be an issue. These are just simple legal rights that all Americans should have.
LEGAL PROFESSION
I would want my lawyer to be tested on his knowledge of state-specific law when he takes the bar, wouldn't you?
ADOPTION
Again, shouldn't be an issue. They can't have children on their own, but who says they can't be loving parents?
GOVERNMENT MANDATES
If it's legal in MA, justices should have to perform marriages. Same with state Medicare laws - coverage should be included in line with state legislation.
THE PUBLIC SQUARE
This is standard practice. Some people like these events, others don't. If you don't like the parades, stay inside for one or two days a year.
THE MEDIA
The media is a broad umbrella that encompasses print, electronic, and other avenues for the dissemination of information. Given its breadth, a variety of viewpoints will always be expressed. If the Boston Globe is pro-gay marriage, I'm sure you can find another periodical in the city that takes the opposite stance. Each has a right to voice their opinion.
I will gladly be not anonymous. Just thought I would clarify since you accused me of it on Sunday ;)
ReplyDeleteim anonymous, and in love with you
ReplyDelete