A social issue such as marriage "should be decided by the American people"

[davidinalameda]

this is a quote from the president of the California county Repuke chairs.

I'm just wondering if he would feel the same way about such import issues like voting rights or other basic civil rights

Would he want his civil rights based on a popular vote

Maybe people should start a ballot measure to strip the right to vote away from anyone registered a Republican--can we trust the courts to do the right thing and let these people influence the way we run our state and country?

[OTownGuy]

1. Convient

How convieeeeenient that bwtn 1865-2004 they didnt seem to care that judges INTERPRETED the law and passed social policy. NOW they seem they FEEL the need to do it.

[smoogatz]

2. How about interracial marriage?

I'll bet if it was left up to a popular vote in the deep south, it'd still be illegal.

[davidinalameda]

3. thank you!

you hit it right on the nose

[swimmernsecretsea]

7. I agree.

I've noticed how conservatives seem to want to put everything up to voting and states rights, but that it's a covert method of letting an issue die of neglect or be voted away out of fear.
This talk about the will of the people and the common man doesn't take into account that most of our greatest achievements are created by uncommon men who broke out of the status quo. The will of the people reflects those who want to keep quiet and not change anything out of fear of the unknown.

[davidinalameda]

8. they only want to put up what they want

remember the feds are still fighting Oregon's assisted suicide law

[smoogatz]

9. Access to safe, legal abortion, too.

When do we get to vote on that?

[davidinalameda]

10. of course not

we can't be trusted with such a hot issue

[renaissanceguy]

6. If it were up to the popular vote in the deep south

lynchings and segregation would still be the status quo.

Sorry but that's why we have courts--to protect us from unjust laws and deeds.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.14744291

[big peaches]

4. Whatever happened to "Do Unto Others"???

It's always another story when the shoe is on the other foot. And how is a population to vote on an issue when they are presented with hate-filled propaganda and outright lies which only serve to stoke their basest fears?

If you don't like Gay marriage, then please don't have one. And shut up, while you're at it.

[Technowitch]

5. In that case, we'd still have bans against inter-racial marriage

...and slavery still legal in some states.

A civil right should NEVER be put to a vote. A right is a right, not something that ought to be decided by mob rule.

[Brian_Expat]

11. A social issue such as health care or tort changes or bankruptcy or. . .

. . . funny how GOPers with minority positions on all those issues are willing to "explain" why you're too stupid to have a popular vote on matters of basic economics, but how you should be able to vote to remove the protection of the constitution from some in society on a simple majority basis.

[kbm8170]

12. Notice that the GOP

isn't too interested in a national referendum on the Prez's plan for social security, even if THAT is a social issue that directly affects each and every American.

And the GOP is certainly not interested in any kind of referendum about adding sexual orientation to employment non-discrimination laws either, because polls indicate an overwhelming majority of Americans would support that measure, even though the Repubs continue to block it in Congress.

I think the "popular" vote ploy they continue to use in this marriage "non-debate" is nothing but a ruse. In fact, the scurrilous little Alliance Defense Fund, who runs around California talking about how the public should decide something as important as "marriage" to same-sex couples, had no trouble trying to hunt down an "activist" judiciary in Ohio when the public voted in favor of a simple domestic partner registry in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

So much for their real 'commitment" to popular opinion on social matters.

[Langley85]

13. We're the ones getting married

People shouldn't be denied equal rights just because other people don't like it. It has absolutely no effect on their lives anyway, so why can't these people mind their own business?

[Technowitch]

14. Oh, but they claim that it does!

The usual argument goes as follows: "If same-sex marriage is legal, then children won't grow up knowing that being gay is wrong, sinful, and immoral."

In truth, many of these folks wouldn't be satisfied until homosexuality itself was made a crime. Just look at the outcry when the SCOTUS overturned Texas' anti-sodomy laws.

Taken to its logical conclusion, they'd like the whole country to be a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" zone. Public displays of affection between a same-sex couple would be ruled obscene (and in many places, it actually would get you arrested anyway). It would be illegal for gays and lesbians to come into any regular contact with children -- thus you'd never see a gay or lesbian teacher, daycare worker, camp counselor, etc. Nevermind being allowed to raise a child. Furthermore, they'd like to make open discrimination perfectly okay and legal. As in, "Why should a landlord be forced to allow a gay couple to rent an apartment?" Or, "Why shouldn't I be allowed to fire that lesbian because she offends my religious beliefs?"

And yes, I would add that they'd like very much to make any sort of same-sex sexual contact illegal.

Once we were marginalized to that extent, and made invisible, there'd be no more gays or lesbians around -- to their thinking. You'd have to be crazy to be 'out of the closet' under these conditions.

And those who were? Well, as with the military, simply saying that you're gay or lesbian is taken as evidence you engage in sexual relations as one -- and they'll boot your ass out.

For us civilians, in the fundamentalist hyper-religious nation these people would have, any of us who did come out would be imprisoned. And probably treated as 'insane' -- since these folks would also love to have homosexuality reclassified as a dangerous psychological pathology deserving of involuntary treatment.

The same-sex marriage thing is simply part of their agenda. Even when we called it a 'civil union' or 'domestic partnership', they object on religious and 'tradition' grounds. Why?

Because how DARE we pretend our 'lifestyle choice' is normal and okay!

These bigots are desperate to make sure that we are lonely, isolated, sexless, and persecuted freely.

Anyway, my ultimate argument is and always has been, "This issue about same-sex marriage about all those civil rights and responsibilities you hetero couples get, not about whether your church will perform the ceremony. We already HAVE churches that'll marry gay and lesbian couples -- and have for decades now. What we want is the so-called SECULAR government to give us the same civil rights you people have."

[Pushed To The Left]

16. If the GOP really cared about the popular vote

they would work with Democrats to eliminate the Electoral College.

[foreigncorrespondent]

15. Nope!

What a stupid thing for this idiot to say.

Marriage should be decided between the two people who love one another and are considering marriage.

Since when did the American people begin deciding the marriages for all heterosexual married couples?

[BushBash]

17. How Ironic

If it were not for "activist judges"

the bastard wouldn't be the president of the United States, now would he?