Tolerance and the Gay Marriage Debate by Gregory Hilton

For the past two days I have been harshly criticized by prominent attorney Rebecca Mocciaro of the Farmer & Ridley law firm and Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial campaign. She has an impressive academic background and is best known for her advocacy of gay marriage.
It is difficult to reprint her arguments because they contain many expletives. Rebecca says the “GOP is the party of hate and pointing fingers.” She accuses me of being a “bigot and a hater,” a “sad little man” as well as a “closet person.” She has told me to “Shut The F–k Up” and says Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) is a “whore.”
Her views are not important but what is significant is the intolerance of so many people on the left. Every 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, except Dennis Kucinich, believes marriage is between a man and a woman. This includes President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and former President Jimmy Carter.
Obama says “I’m a Christian. I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.” The difference is that when Obama believes it, it’s not bigotry.
We saw this last year with the controversy surrounding Carrie Prejean, the First Runner Up in the Miss USA contest. Gossip columnist Perez Hilton, one of the judges, said “She is a dumb bitch and has half a brain.” He went on to say it was his intention to storm the stage and rip off her tiara if the then Miss California had won. He gave her a zero based on her answer, and his action cost her the title.
The following Facebook groups were created immediately after the Miss USA contest. 1) “Carrie Prejean is a sad, pitiful homophobe. Poor thing.” 2) “I Cannot Condone the Views of Miss California, Carrie Prejean” 3) “Carrie Prejean why aren’t your 15 minutes up yet!!” 4) “Carrie Prejean is wrong — real beauty is more than just skin deep.” They have photos of her with an X over her face the word “UGLY” is superimposed.
This experience is further evidence of the left reacting with vitriolic anger and hatred. They pretend to be compassionate and advocates of peaceful understanding, but they are the first to attack when their beliefs are questioned. Prime examples are Jeanine Garafalo and Keith Olberman who claim Tea Party participants are racist rednecks.
Very few House Republicans advocate gay marriage, but numerous lawmakers support civil unions as an alternative. I did not hear any lawmaker defend Focus on the Family recently. Their founder, James Dobson, said, “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.” My guess is that the “destroy the earth” rhetoric will not be heard this year.
The Defense of Marriage Act was signed by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. It says “The federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman.” The bill was passed by a vote of 85-14 in the Senate, and 342-67 in the House. George W. Bush had nothing to do with it.
Clinton used this legislation to advance his 1996 re-election, did not mention it in his memoirs, and has now changed his position. I have not heard any lawmaker advocating discrimination or the denial of civil rights to homosexuals.
In fact, they say just the opposite in supporting civil unions with legal protections. Presidents Obama and Carter do not support gay marriage but they are not against civil rights. The Congress has said we should not completely redefine what the institution of marriage is and has been for all of mankind just to appease the gay community. America did have slavery and women were denied the right to vote but there is nothing stopping homosexuals from living together in a committed relationship.
Advocates of gay marriage claim gay couples need marriage in order to have hospital visitation and inheritance rights, but they can easily obtain these rights by writing a living will and having each partner designate the other as trustee and heir. There is nothing stopping gay couples from signing a joint lease or owning a house jointly, as many single straight people do with roommates.

The Social Conservatives vs. the Regular Republicans: The Battle for Iowa Has National Implications by Gregory Hilton

Because of its first in the nation presidential precinct caucuses, Iowa is often at the center stage of American politics. Statewide candidates are frequently linked to presidential contenders, and this year will be no different. A crucial battle is now being waged between social conservatives and regular Republicans, and it will culminate in the June 8th gubernatorial primary.

Does the Gay Lobby Regret Supporting Obama? by Gregory Hilton

Two of the most prominent special interest groups supporting the Obama campaign were organized labor and the gay community. Labor poured in over $400 million last year to all of the Democratic campaigns. The UAW definitely benefitted from the GM bailout and they now own 55% of Chrysler. The $787 billion stimulus was a good return on the SEIU’s $100 million investment, and free trade legislation is not going anywhere. These initial victories must have been encouraging, but now labor’s legislative agenda is dead. Union card check is not going to pass.
My guess is that many gay activists are also having second thoughts about the President. How do you think they feel now that former Vice President Dick Cheney is more supportive of their agenda than Obama?
Public opinion is now decisively inclusive of homosexuals, and anti-gay prejudice has been declining for a long time. On the other hand our nation is still not ready to accept gay marriage. This was demonstrated in Maine this week. Maine is about as far away as you can get from the Bible Belt, and the state gave Obama 58% of the vote in 2008. Nevertheless, its five month gay marriage law was repealed on Tuesday.
Nearby Massachusetts with its influential media market has for years promoted gay marriage. The pro-gay forces had a huge fundraising advantage over their opponents in Maine, but they still lost. Opponents said Maine’s domestic-partnership law provides same-sex couples with enough equality. The opponents did not object to gay couples having 100% of the legal rights and privileges of straight couples, but they said it was not necessary to change the definition of marriage that has existed for the last 2,500 years.
Many of them supported civil unions as an alternative. The big difference between civil unions and gay marriage is that the latter have religious connotations, the former only legal ones. Most Americans support legal sanction for gay couples but not a religious sanction. President Obama appears to hold the same nuanced position.
Gay marriage has not survived an electoral test in any jurisdiction. Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut all voted in an identical manner to Maine. In the weeks leading up to the vote the White House was asked for a comment on the Maine ballot question, and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the President had “no position.”
In a 2004 interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, during his Senate campaign, Obama said, “I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.” President Obama has appointed gay people to several prominent posts in his administration, but despite pleasant words, he has largely abandoned the promises he made to them.
The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was signed by Bill Clinton in 1996 and protects states from being forced to recognize out-of-state gay marriages. It was passed overwhelmingly by the Senate, 85-14, with Sen. Joe Biden (DE) joining 28 other Democrats in voting yes. Bill Clinton used this issue prominently in his 1996 re-election. He boasted about his opposition to gay rights in paid commercials run on Christian radio stations.
Last year candidate Barack Obama promised to repeal DOMA, and he has repeated that pledge in the White House. In June his Justice Department defended DOMA before the Supreme Court. They submitted a brief comparing same-sex relationships to incest and pedophilia. The gay community understandably erupted and the President was forced to file another brief. The current position is for the Justice Department to defend DOMA while the Obama administration is saying the law is unfair and discriminatory.
Despite the rhetoric, DOMA is not going to be repealed. The DOMA repeal effort is being led by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), a gay freshman, and lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The prime sponsor is Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and they have nearly 100 co-sponsors. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), another openly gay lawmaker, is not participating in the effort because he says it is useless. He is not even listed among the co-sponsors. Over 280 lawmakers support DOMA.
The President has also said he is in favor of “changing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) legislation in a sensible manner.” This is the legislation used to remove gay people from the military. It was considered a compromise in 1993 and its prime sponsor was Barney Frank. The President has promised DADT will be repealed in early 2010, but that is not going to happen.
This week the number two Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Dick Durbin (IL) said DADT will probably not be taken up next year. Durbin wants to avoid controversial issues during an election year. Obama’s Secretary of the Army has suggested segregating gay soldiers, separate but equal style, as an alternative to fully repealing DADT.
President Obama could get rid of DADT with a stroke of his pen. It can be done by executive order. He has the power to stop gay military discharges today, but more than 600 people have been forced out of the armed services under the DADT policy during the Obama administration.
During the 2008 campaign Obama said “I’ll be a fierce advocate” for gay rights. On October 10, 2009, he addressed the nation’s most prestigious gay event, the annual gala of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). HRC has achieved nothing substantive for gay equality on a federal level in the last twenty years.
Columnist Andrew Sullivan describes HRC as a “Rotary Club for affluent gays, and their prime job is to explain to the gay community why it is never in the Democratic party’s interest to do anything for gay people that might actually resemble equality. They do get a lovely Obama speech. Like that costs him anything or proves anything.”
President Obama said “I’m here with a simple message: I’m here with you in that fight. . . . My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians — whether in the office or on the battlefield. . . We are moving ahead on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve this country. I will end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That’s my commitment to you. . . . I’ve called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.”
The President did not mention the Maine vote in his remarks, and his promises regarding DADT and DOMA are empty. My guess is that gay activists are no longer hoping for real change.

Intolerance and the Gay Marriage Debate by Gregory Hilton

Miss California 2009 Carrie Prejean Won First Runner Up in the Miss USA Contest

“What I find so remarkable is that these politically-motivated attacks fail to show that what Carrie (Miss California) and I believe is also what President Obama and Secretary Clinton believe — marriage is between a man and a woman.” — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Yes, but when Obama believes it, it’s not bigotry. Carrie’s position is shared by every 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, except Kucinich.

Carrie Prejean was the First Runner Up in the Miss USA contest s well as being Miss California. She received an avalanche of publicity because of her opposition to gay marriage. I posted a poll on this topic and I asked students “Do you think she is right or wrong?” People have strong views on both sides and I have received 95 comments. Here is the quote I used: “I’m a Christian. I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.”
What I did not tell them is that the quote was not from Miss California, it was President Obama’s statement. It was fascinating to me that no student objected to the President, while Miss California was accused of being a homophobe.
In a TV interview Perez Hilton said “She is a dumb bitch . . . she has half a brain.” He went on to say it was his intention to storm the stage and rip off her tiara if Miss California had won. He gave her a zero based on her answer, and his action cost her the title. The following Facebook groups were created immediately after the Miss USA contest.
1) “Carrie Prejean is a sad, pitiful homophobe. Poor thing.”
2) “I Cannot Condone the Views of Miss California, Carrie Prejean”
3) “Carrie Prejean why aren’t your 15 minutes up yet!!”
4) “Carrie Prejean is wrong — real beauty is more than just skin deep.” They have photos of her with an X over her face the word “UGLY” is superimposed.
This experience is further evidence of the left reacting with vitriolic anger and hatred. They, who are compassionate and encourage peaceful understanding, are the first to attack when their beliefs are questioned. Examples are Jeanine Garafalo and Keith Olberman who claim Tea Party participants are racist rednecks.
The Defense of Marriage Act states: “No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) needs to treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.”
The bill was passed by Congress by a vote of 85-14 in the Senate, and a vote of 342-67 in the House of Representatives. It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996 just a few weeks prior to his re-election. George W. Bush had nothing to do with it.
I have not heard any lawmaker advocating discrimination or the denial of civil rights to homosexuals. In fact, they say just the opposite in supporting civil unions with legal protections. Presidents Obama, Clinton and Carter do not support gay marriage but they are not against civil rights. The Congress has said we should not completely redefine what the institution of marriage is and has been for all of mankind just to appease the gay community.
America did have slavery and women were denied the right to vote but there is nothing stopping homosexuals from living together in a committed relationship. Advocates of gay marriage claim gay couples need marriage in order to have hospital visitation and inheritance rights, but they can easily obtain these rights by writing a living will and having each partner designate the other as trustee and heir. There is nothing stopping gay couples from signing a joint lease or owning a house jointly, as many single straight people do with roommates.