July 1, 2008
The whole country has been abuzz with emotions and reactions to the recent
ruling by the California Supreme Court related to gay marriage. There are
many people who believe that it is the right of the individual to decide how
and who they choose to live their lives with and the nature of their
relationships. There are others who believe that their moral code or religious
values are the most important thing in the world and that we must rise above
all temporal temptations that might lead us astray from the true path to
righteousness.
The Willard 2008 campaign is fundamentally based on the belief that we as
Americans are free to choose who we associate with and how we associate with
them, given some basic limitations...Don't give comfort or aid to those who
wish us harm (Al Qaeda, The French, Hippies, The Osmonds, etc.), and don't
reinforce the beliefs or values of those who may in the future wish us harm
(Al Qaeda, The French, Hippies, The Osmonds, etc).
All that being said, I also believe that our tolerance and our open-mindedness
must have some limitations. These limitations are not based on any animosity
or disregard for specific racial, ethnic or sports affiliations (unless you are
French). In my opinion, these limitations should be based purely on external
appearances and the associated effects of said outward appearances and how
they affect the rest of the world's impressions of our great country. In a larger
sense, I do not begrudge anyone the right to choose who they want to be with,
and how they choose to express their love for those they hold dear. Further, I
do not want to place any restrictions (within reason...i.e. don't yell "Fire" in a
crowded theatre, don't start fires in a crowded theatre, don't show movies in
crowded fires, etc.) on the lifestyle choices of the diverse populace that we call
the United States of America. It is my firm belief that ultimately the core
values that are shared by all Americans (and maybe even the rest of the world)
will unite us more than our single issue differences will divide us. That being
said, I believe that there are certain circumstances where individuals owe their
country a bit of consideration and discretion in terms of the implications of
their relationships. If your relationship or lifestyle represents our great nation
in a poor light, or negatively impacts our national image and our prestige
abroad, then I would ask you to strongly consider how your choice will be
received by the masses.
As I mentioned above, I think the only restrictions on marriage in our country
should be self restrictions. If you're not famous, or you're not in the public eye,
then who really cares what you do? I certainly don't. So go nuts and have fun,
but if you're engaging in embarrassing, immoral or offensive behavior while
traveling through Europe or South America, please do your country a favor
and sew a Canadian flag on your backpack. All that being said, here are some
specific situations where I would appeal to the sense of decency of all
Americans in asking them to refrain from participating in a same sex marriage.
First, I would ask Americans in positions of power and influence to think twice
before they enter into a relationship that would seem to indicate inappropriate
political favoritism or nepotism. In my view, this encompasses both domestic
and international situations. No immediate examples come to mind, but I'm
sure you get my point.
The whole country has been abuzz with emotions and reactions to the recent
ruling by the California Supreme Court related to gay marriage. There are
many people who believe that it is the right of the individual to decide how
and who they choose to live their lives with and the nature of their
relationships. There are others who believe that their moral code or religious
values are the most important thing in the world and that we must rise above
all temporal temptations that might lead us astray from the true path to
righteousness.
The Willard 2008 campaign is fundamentally based on the belief that we as
Americans are free to choose who we associate with and how we associate with
them, given some basic limitations...Don't give comfort or aid to those who
wish us harm (Al Qaeda, The French, Hippies, The Osmonds, etc.), and don't
reinforce the beliefs or values of those who may in the future wish us harm
(Al Qaeda, The French, Hippies, The Osmonds, etc).
All that being said, I also believe that our tolerance and our open-mindedness
must have some limitations. These limitations are not based on any animosity
or disregard for specific racial, ethnic or sports affiliations (unless you are
French). In my opinion, these limitations should be based purely on external
appearances and the associated effects of said outward appearances and how
they affect the rest of the world's impressions of our great country. In a larger
sense, I do not begrudge anyone the right to choose who they want to be with,
and how they choose to express their love for those they hold dear. Further, I
do not want to place any restrictions (within reason...i.e. don't yell "Fire" in a
crowded theatre, don't start fires in a crowded theatre, don't show movies in
crowded fires, etc.) on the lifestyle choices of the diverse populace that we call
the United States of America. It is my firm belief that ultimately the core
values that are shared by all Americans (and maybe even the rest of the world)
will unite us more than our single issue differences will divide us. That being
said, I believe that there are certain circumstances where individuals owe their
country a bit of consideration and discretion in terms of the implications of
their relationships. If your relationship or lifestyle represents our great nation
in a poor light, or negatively impacts our national image and our prestige
abroad, then I would ask you to strongly consider how your choice will be
received by the masses.
As I mentioned above, I think the only restrictions on marriage in our country
should be self restrictions. If you're not famous, or you're not in the public eye,
then who really cares what you do? I certainly don't. So go nuts and have fun,
but if you're engaging in embarrassing, immoral or offensive behavior while
traveling through Europe or South America, please do your country a favor
and sew a Canadian flag on your backpack. All that being said, here are some
specific situations where I would appeal to the sense of decency of all
Americans in asking them to refrain from participating in a same sex marriage.
First, I would ask Americans in positions of power and influence to think twice
before they enter into a relationship that would seem to indicate inappropriate
political favoritism or nepotism. In my view, this encompasses both domestic
and international situations. No immediate examples come to mind, but I'm
sure you get my point.
| California and Gay Marriage - July 1, 2008 |
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Again, let me reiterate that it is my belief that every sane, competent person
of legal age (18 years or older) has the right to make their figurative bed
(however bad their choices may seem to others); on the flip side, these same
people also have the responsibility to figuratively sleep in the beds they have
made. We as Americans are free to live the lives we want to lead, but I think
we could all learn something from J. Edgar Hoover (who chose to dress in drag
privately not publicly, who discreetly eavesdropped on ordinary Americans)
and Joan Crawford (who hid the fact that she was a monster and a horrible
mother behind the facade of being a Hollywood movie star). So America, I
exhort you to live your lives, have some fun, be responsible and to think
about your country. Do these things and we will all reap the benefits.
of legal age (18 years or older) has the right to make their figurative bed
(however bad their choices may seem to others); on the flip side, these same
people also have the responsibility to figuratively sleep in the beds they have
made. We as Americans are free to live the lives we want to lead, but I think
we could all learn something from J. Edgar Hoover (who chose to dress in drag
privately not publicly, who discreetly eavesdropped on ordinary Americans)
and Joan Crawford (who hid the fact that she was a monster and a horrible
mother behind the facade of being a Hollywood movie star). So America, I
exhort you to live your lives, have some fun, be responsible and to think
about your country. Do these things and we will all reap the benefits.
Next, I would ask powerful and influential Americans of all stripes and
persuasions to think twice before they call attention to relationships that may
invite extra scrutiny or that may impugn the overall judgment of our nation
as a whole. I'm not one to judge, but there are just some relationships that
cross the line into the realm of "freaky-deaky" (as the kids today say), and
that doesn't help our nation one iota in trying to re-establish our position as
the military, economic and world super power that we aspire to be. Again,
specific examples fail me, but if you use your imagination I'm sure you can
picture the kind of questionable relationships I'm talking about.
persuasions to think twice before they call attention to relationships that may
invite extra scrutiny or that may impugn the overall judgment of our nation
as a whole. I'm not one to judge, but there are just some relationships that
cross the line into the realm of "freaky-deaky" (as the kids today say), and
that doesn't help our nation one iota in trying to re-establish our position as
the military, economic and world super power that we aspire to be. Again,
specific examples fail me, but if you use your imagination I'm sure you can
picture the kind of questionable relationships I'm talking about.
