A well-written letter to the editor, by citizen Michael Kaufmann. It deserves wider distribution, so I will do my tiny part:
"The judiciary, executive, and legislative branches of our government have a long history of rulings and legislation that time tests. The good remain, the bad are overturned.
In 1787 the United States Constitution was ratified. It counted each slave as three-fifths of a person, and gave them no legal protections. In 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation effectively ended slavery.
In 1920 the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified and prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. It was repealed in 1933.
In 1924 the Virginia Legislature enacted The Racial Integrity Act. It became a felony for white and non-white persons to marry. The law was overturned by the United States Supreme Court in 1967.
In 1942 more than 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were forcibly moved to "War Relocation Camps." In 1988 Congress apologized for the internment.
In 1964 the Civil Rights Act made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal.
In 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act became law. It prohibits discrimination based on disabilities.
In 2008 the California Supreme Court ruled that a law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman is contrary to the California Constitution's anti-discrimination clause.
Be part of the fourth branch of government; the electorate. In November we have an opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that will deny equal civil rights to part of our citizenry. Vote no on Proposition 8, a measure that eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry."
Hear hear!
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3 comments:
Next to be passed: A sister and brother have the right to be married. Next on the list: A man can marry a horse. There is a line that needs to be drawn. Bounderies are set for a reason. We tollerate their beliefs, but tollerance does not mean that their beliefs are what is right. Do the RIGHT thing, vote "YES on 8!"
Lance -
Here's the problem: horses can't enter into contracts, so man/horse marriage won't be happening.
In terms of sibling marriages, let me know when you have millions of brother/sister combinations fighting for their right to be civilly married.
Boundaries are set for a reason, eh? There used to be a boundary that prohibited interracial marriage. There used to be a boundary that kept women from voting.
Why specifically should this boundary you reference (which has already been crossed -- we now have marriage equality in California) be reinstated?
"In 1787 the United States Constitution was ratified. It counted each slave as three-fifths of a person"
I've seen this cited a lot as a condemnation of the founders. Has anyone looked at the history?
The slave states wanted each slave to count as a full person for purposes of representation and the free states did not want them to count at all for purposes of representation. Sounds backwards, doesn't it? That's because if slave states had had full representation of their slave populations, free states would never have had sufficient clout in Congress to eliminate slavery.
This wasn't a comment on the humanity or worth of a slave. Good people in the 1700's knew as well as we do today that slavery was an evil to be wiped out, but couldn't be at the time of the formation of the Union, as it was too weak to survive that fight--much like waiting to treat a patient for a dangerous condition until they've stabilized sufficiently to survive it.
I would hope any intelligent person today is very happy slavery was eliminated from the U.S. What we should not forget is the three fifths compromise laid the foundation for that to eventually happen, and was insisted on by people who thought slavery was reprehensible.
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