Sponsors of the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage are seeking to nullify thousands of marriages between gay and lesbian couples performed after the state Supreme Court ruled them constitutional.

Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the anti-Proposition 8 Courage Campaign, said he was “appalled” that the initiative’s supporters wanted to nullify the same-sex marriages that are already on the books.

“The motivation behind this mean-spirited and heart-breaking action should not be allowed to be buried in legal brief,” he said. “If Proposition 8’s sponsors plan to destroy lives, they should at least have the courage to admit it publicly.”

Opponents argue that the amendment cannot be applied retroactively, but proponents say the amendment is clear on that issue.

“Proposition 8’s brevity is matched by its clarity,” one of the briefs read. “There are no conditional clauses, exceptions, exemptions, or exclusions: ‘Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.’

” … Its plain language encompasses both pre-existing and later-created same-sex (and polygamous) marriages, whether performed in California or elsewhere. With crystal clarity, it declares that they are not valid or recognized in California.” (Source-CNN)

This comes as no surprise to those of us who have been warning of the effort to impose theocratic rule in the U.S. If the proponents of Prop. 8 were only concerned with preserving their “traditional” concept of marriage they wouldn’t be continuing to push their agenda. They won, for now. But their goal has never been limited to preserving the meaning of marriage. They will not rest until a solid precident has been established that allows theocratic belief to be the basis for state, and eventually federal, law. They want to create a loophole in the separation clause. Their ultimate and obvious goal is to establish a theocracy, a United States under God. Their god.

This is going beyond the desire to preserve an institution. That can be done without the need for retroactive nullifications. This latest effort even goes beyond mean-spirited. It’s nothing less than an attack on our form of government by theistic subversives, a form of fundamentalist terrorism not much different in motivation than those who fly planes into American buildings.

Micah, at LearnToDuck, has posted a thoughtful and insightful piece on his reaction to seeing the movie Milk.

I am Gay.

I went to go see the movie Milk today. I was seven when Harvey Milk and George Moscone were shot and killed by Dan White, who was crazy on Twinkies.

Its amazing how powerful those three words are, even today. I am Gay.

Parents would disown their own children; friends would walk away. I am Gay.

In some cases entire lives would be wrecked. Destroyed.

I am Gay.

Think about what you thought when you saw the title of this post. How would it change how you think of me, if I were gay? Would it change it at all? Really?

Click on over and read the rest of his excellent comment.

As a gay leftie I’m so going to hell…oh wait, I’m an atheist, too.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor claims that the rise of secularism has led to a liberal society, hostile to Christian morals and values, in which religious belief is viewed as “a private eccentricity” and the voice of faith groups is marginalised.

The cardinal warns that Britain shows signs of degenerating into a country free of morals, because of its rejection of traditional values and its new emphasis on the rights of the individual.

There are now “serious tensions” between Christians and secularist society, he says, in which atheists are becoming more “vocal and aggressive”.

(Note: “vocal and aggressive” means we refuse to sit down and shut up like we used to)

Writing in a book on multiculturalism, to be published on Monday, the Cardinal argues that immigrants have a duty to adjust to British life, but expresses concern that they are faced with a culture that is increasingly repressive and intolerant. He says that while the country has become more diverse and pluralistic, the Christian values which have shaped its identity should not be abandoned.

The book, called Faith in the Nation, is published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), with the backing of the Prime Minister. In it the cardinal says: “Religious belief of any kind tends now to be treated more as a private eccentricity than as the central and formative element in British society that it is.

“Although the tone of public discussion is sceptical or dismissive rather than antireligious, atheism has become more vocal and aggressive.”

Britain’s most senior Catholic leader says that the “unfriendly climate for people of all faiths” has united the country’s three major faiths, Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

(Note: people do tend to congregate in one place on a sinking ship)

However, he claims that Catholicism has borne the brunt of “liberal hostility” in its battles to fight for values it considers to be “fundamental pillars of a rightly ordered society”.

“The vocal minority who argue that religion has no role in modern British society portray Catholic teaching on the family as prejudiced and intolerant to those pursuing alternatives,” he says.

In particular, the cardinal highlights the Church’s opposition to liberal laws on abortion and homosexuality, its defence of faith schools and its support for marriage.

He led the Church’s unsuccessful attempt to block the controversial embryo Bill, which allows for saviour siblings and babies to be born without fathers.

The campaign raised questions over the role of religion in influencing public policy, but the cardinal argues that moves to silence the faith communities must be resisted.

“There is a current dislike of absolutes in any area of human activity, including morality,” he says.

(Note: bullshit, sir. Where are your absolute moralities when it comes to condoning the killing of gays for being gay? Morality has always been conditional, even theists ignore their own moral beliefs when it’s convenient)

“The intolerance of liberal sceptics can be as repressive as the intolerance of religious believers.”

(Note: the old “they’re as bad as us” defense. We are intolerant of superstitions being paraded as reality, of using that type of nonsense to oppress people and deny them their right to life, as the church has done for centuries)

 ”Catholics are not alone in watching with dismay as the liberal society shows signs of degenerating into the libertine society.”

He blames the culture of individual rights, encouraged by the Human Rights Act, as responsible for creating a society that claims to be tolerant, but in fact denies the rights of religious groups to act according to their conscience and beliefs.

“British society champions tolerance and freedom, but that freedom is dependent on responsibility,” he says.

“A simplistic belief that right or wrong is an individualistic construct denies our responsibilities to neighbour and wider society.”

(Note: this person doesn’t even know who he’s talking about. Not all humanists are atheists and not all atheists are humanists. His argument is against humanism which the church rightly sees as an enemy of their power and negative influence in the world)

Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said: “Secularists and atheists are finding it necessary to express their views more vocally because of the increasing demands made by Christians and minority faiths.

“The position of bishops and the Vatican on moral issues such as abortion and contraception is at odds with the views of poeple in the pews and in the country as a whole. We support the right of everyone to express their religion and their views in public but we have a problem with religion having a privileged place, as it does with bishops in the House of Lords.” (The Telegraph)

Religion demands a privileged position in society, one free of criticism and responsibility for their actions. Society has long granted them an exemption from skepticism, but this is coming to an end. Even this religious leader has to acknowledge that his beliefs are outdated and irrelevant in our modern world.

There is real panic among the rich and powerful religious, the ministers and priests who live off the sweat of their followers. Once religious superstition is seen for what it really is, these guys (and a few gals) will have to find a real job and actually work for a living. That thought is what truly scares them. Their actions give lie to the idea they have any concern at all for humanity.

North Carolina Town Votes to Support Same Sex Marriage Rights

On Tuesday the town of Carrboro, NC, population approximately 19,000, made a significant step in civil rights: The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted 5-0 to support civil marriage for same-sex couples.

Earlier in the month, in response to California’s Proposition 8 which eliminated same-sex marriage, and Arizona’s prop 102 and Florida’s Prop 2 prohibiting same-sex marriage, board member Jackie Gist proposed a resolution of the board’s support of civil marriage for same-sex couples. The resolution reads:

The Election Day victories by anti-gay activists in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas were a painful reminder that the gay rights movement still faces many challenges. Civil marriage for same-sex couples must include all the benefits commonly bestowed upon opposite-sex couples, including, among other rights, health care coverage and related decision-making, privileges under immigration and naturalization law, survivor benefits, inheritance rights and child custody.

Carrboro–located close to Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina– likes to refer itself as the Seattle of the South or Paris of the Piedmonts. The town boast a lively arts community and lots of live music, a poetry festival and an annual Community Dinner to celebrate the county’s diversity, plus a fishing rodeo! Carrboro’s move to support same sex marriage will hopefully inspire other communities around the country, not just in affected states, to speak up and take similar action.

…this week the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations, said the Holy See would oppose a resolution that would protect gays from being killed just because they are gay, because it would “add new categories of those protected from discrimination” and could lead to reverse discrimination against traditional heterosexual marriage.

The French resolution, scheduled to be proposed this week, recommends protecting Gays and Lesbians from being jailed or killed because of their sexual orientation and is being introduced to the UN on behalf of the European Union.

But Archbishop Celestino Migliore said, if adopted, the resolution would create “new and implacable discriminations,” and also said that states which do not recognize same-sex unions as ‘matrimony’ will be pilloried and made an objects of pressure.

However, the French resolution, which is supported by all 27 members of the European Union, says absolutely nothing about gay marriage; it is about ending jail and death penalty sentences gays yet face in more than 85 countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen where you can still be killed for being gay.

An editorial in Italy’s mainstream La Stampa newspaper said the Vatican’s reasoning was “grotesque.” Another editorial in Rome’s La Repubblica newspaper said the Vatican’s position “leaves one dumbstruck.”

Gay rights activist’s in Italy and in other European Union countries fear that the Vatican is calling for another “Holy Alliance” between the Vatican and Islamic states in the United Nations to oppose the proposed resolution, just as they did in 1994, when the Vatican teamed up with Islamic and Latin American countries to defeat an abortion rights proposal.

They have also said that the Vatican’s reasoning smacked of “total idiocy and madness” and what the Vatican really feared was a “chain reaction in favor of legally recognized homosexual unions in countries, like Italy, where there is currently no legislation.”

A Vatican spokesman said yesterday “no-one wants the death penalty or jail or fines for homosexuals”, he however did defend Archbishop Migliore’s comments, adding that the Vatican was in the majority on the issue, pointing out that 50 member states of the United Nations have adhered to the proposal in question while more than 150 have not. (lezgetreal.com)

This would be simply sad if the result of this decision didn’t result in the killing of gay men and women in over 85 countries around the world simply for being gay.

Once upon a time the church was seen as a refuge for the world’s oppressed and downtrodden. It was the champion of the weak, the meek and the disadvantaged. It told us the meek would inherit the Earth. It implored us to treat others as we would want to be treated. The church offered hope to those without hope, love to the unloved, peace to all.

Now the Catholic church has exposed its true nature. It’s nothing more than a repressive government, much like those it supports in the 3rd world.

The killing of gays for being gay is on par with the killing of Jews for being Jewish, which was once done by another government the Catholic church was comfortable allowing to practice genocide. To be sure, they don’t actually kill the gays themselves. They can pretend their hands are without stain. But they will be judged by the rest of humanity by their actions, their spineless refusal to actually practice what they preach.

Not accepting gays in the fold is one thing; to stand by without objection while they are being killed is unconscionable.