Same Sex Marriage Ban is passing....

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by Nixxxed

Whew! I was just waiting for someone to ask. Off to iron my uniform and clean my guns...

"Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition..."

Glad to have you aboard, Chuck!

That reminds me, I need to make a trip to the Military Surplus store....

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by amber

It seems obvious to me, that if there is eternal damnation, it's the intolerant bastards who're going first. I don't care how many times they read the bible or went to church
That is wrong, wrong, wrong!

Right Amber, didn't Jesus say "the meek shall inherit the earth"? And Tracy Chapman "Poor people gonna rise up, take their share". It's getting scary, I'm smelling a Revolution.

~Susan

[SuzeQuze]

Omigod, this is the sick b*tch who got the question on ballots? Who could turn away their daughter like that? I'm going to vomit. Tess is lovely for writing this.

~Susan

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

This letter appeared in Friday’s AJC. For those of you who may not know who she is, Sadie Fields has been a key force in gettomg the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage on the ballot. She lobbied state legislators and organized rallies while the Georgia House and Senate debated the measure, which voters will decide at the polls Tuesday. As chairwoman of the Christian Coalition, she directed publication of an influential voter scorecard and is working with a large network of churches to help turn out voters on Election Day.

Reject my mother's bigotry

By TESS FIELDS
Published on: 10/29/04

I am the daughter of Sadie Fields, president of the Christian Coalition of Georgia. I was appalled by the column my mother wrote justifying her bigotry, and I feel compelled to respond ("Can't let the few hurt society as a whole," @issue, Oct. 25).

The first time there was a definitive split between my mother and me, I was in the seventh grade. My best friend's name was Lisa. She was Jewish. Concerned about what our pastor had stated about Jews in the afterlife, I went to my mother and asked her if Lisa was going to burn in hell. My mother's response, "If she does not accept the Lord Jesus then yes, she will go to hell." Right there, she lost me. I have disagreed with her ever since.

I was 24 years old when my mother, through a series of mishaps, found out I was gay. My mother came over to where I worked, screaming, and told me I was "dead" to the family. She called me "sick," "crazy" and "of the devil." She said that I would never see my family again.

For more than five years after that day, I heard nothing from my family. No birthday cards, no invitations to Christmas or Thanksgiving events. It wasn't just the loss of my immediate family that was difficult, but the loss of my extended family as well. Since my mother refused to be in the same room with me, it forced my aunts and uncles to choose sides. I have not been to a family reunion in more than a decade.

When my partner, Trisha, and I decided to have a child, we were not unlike most couples making this decision. We considered whether or not we were emotionally and financially ready. We considered the ways that it would change our lives and our relationship with each other.

After two years of planning, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Trisha, during the pregnancy, held my hair out of my face when I vomited from morning sickness. She attended birthing classes, cooked organic meals for me every single night, and calmed my fears about the labor. We bought baby books and argued about names, started a college fund, and perused garage sales for the best deals on cribs and diaper-changing stations.

The only thing unusual about our pregnancy was the critical necessity of a lawyer.

Given my mother's abject hostility toward gay and lesbian people, in the process of my pregnancy we had to spend thousands of dollars protecting ourselves from her potential interference. In spite of the fact that she has never, in more than a decade, visited me, and has written numerous articles comparing me to pedophiles and people who have sex with animals, according to the law, my mother has more rights to our child than Trisha.

What if I died during the birth? What if something happened to me before the lawyers could get the adoption finalized? These were the kinds of fears that our family had to face, and we felt robbed. Expecting a child should be a wonderful moment in a couple's life. Pregnancy, in and of itself, can be challenging, but the greater excitement of a baby on the way seems to balance these fears for most people. My family, however, had to be concerned about my mother's extremism, and what legal grounds she had if she decided to try and take Trisha's child. And then we had to prepare, meticulously, if that threat were ever realized.

A friend once told me that becoming a parent does two things: It teaches you to love in a whole new way, and it teaches you to fear in a whole new way. It was not until I became pregnant that I understood completely what she meant.

While some people may disagree about gay marriage, passing a constitutional amendment ensuring that one group of people is singled out to be treated differently is wrong. The state's constitution is for protecting our most basic and important rights. It should not be used to settle partisan, religious, or ideological disputes. And it should never be changed in a way that hurts people. But Amendment One would deny thousands of gay and lesbian Georgians and their families access to health care, fair survivor rights and the ability to make lifesaving medical decisions. We may disagree about social issues such as marriage, but those disagreements do not belong in the state constitution.

So my fellow, fair-minded Georgians, I am writing to encourage you not to follow my mother's lead. Learn from our example. For all of the struggles my family experienced while I was growing up, none has been more damaging to its foundation than my mother's religious extremism and fervent black and white ideology. We have not been in the same room together for more than 11 years. My mother's religion has left us not merely splintered, but broken. It leaves no room for compromise or even mutual respect for people that have different ideologies.

But most importantly, I have this to say. If we lose this battle on Nov. 2, I want to let my gay and straight friends in Georgia know that we will not lose the war. Celebrate and be proud of who you are and the strong families that you have created. Spit in the eye of your oppressor with the ultimate revenge; be happy, be successful and live your life fully and completely, as God intended.

For those of you voting no on Amendment One, thank you for standing up for families like mine. Thank you for making the world a safer place for our son. Thank you for helping ensure that he receives good health care. Regardless of what happens to me, he will continue to grow safely in the arms of his loving mother and grandparents. Thank you for not allowing a form of religious extremism that leaves families shattered and broken to be written into law, becoming a way of life for all.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tess Fields is a manager with a Portland, Ore. affiliate of Planned Parenthood.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

Right Amber, didn't Jesus say "the meek shall inherit the earth"?

Yes, he did.

The Book of Matthew, Chapter 5....

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (Verse 4)

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)


"A change gonna come...."

[amber]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Yes, he did.

The Book of Matthew, Chapter 5....

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (Verse 4)

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)


"A change gonna come...."

Bush is the opposite of all that....

[estranged4life]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)

I always say it this way:

"Blessed are the War-mongers: for they shall be called man made Gods.

"A change gonna come...."

That wouldnt be Hillary in 2008 would it??? ...Man, Repubs be afraid...VERY AFRAID!!!

Brian j.

[Mari]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to, but I have my guesses.
But if anyone has ever felt I've done something to quash someone's rights, then they have the wrong idea about me.

There's a difference between denying rights and maintaining rules, and I'm perfectly capable of fighting against the denial of rights while being respectful of rules and decorum.

I would've thought I had demonstrated that a thousand times over by now....

Ah, I can almost see you making a big theatrical sigh, there

I'm referring to an exledgie who expressed some very homophobic ideas on this board. And when I made that exact same argument, you did not agree with me, you did not stand with me on that. The way I remember it, you said something along the line of "so many people are homophobic, why say something this time".

So, I think it's rather funny to see you copying the words I used then, and now agreeing with it.
But it's ok though. Rather have you with me on that. Nice to see you can change your opinion for the better.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)

I quite like that, actually.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by Mari

I'm referring to an exledgie who expressed some very homophobic ideas on this board. And when I made that exact same argument, you did not agree with me, you did not stand with me on that. The way I remember it, you said something along the line of "so many people are homophobic, why say something this time".

I really said that??
I mean, I'm not saying you're lying, it's just that I can't remember saying that, and I have a hard time believing I ever would say something like that. Telling someone not to speak up for themselves is out of character for me.

I mean, I do know that I most definitely said he had a right to express his feelings against homosexuality, even if I vehemently disagreed with him on all points (especially his ideas regarding the so-called "gay lifestyle"), but I have a very hard time imagining that I ever told you (or anyone else) not to speak out about it, in turn.

The only thing I can think of that may have caused you to have that interpretation of what I meant, is that I know I did caution you and others to be careful not to sink to behaviour beneath yourselves when dealing with certain people.
It was a volatile situation, and I like to see people who are on "my side" (so to speak) not sinking to the childish levels of others.

I honestly apologize if I inadvertantly gave the wrong impression... it sure wasn't what I intented.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by dissention

I quite like that, actually.

Me too. The "real" Jesus rules. I don't know how this extremists have gotten it all screwed up.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

I don't know how this extremists have gotten it all screwed up.

Pssst... the most effective way to excuse hatred (one of the seven deadly sins, by the way) is to claim that it's in God's name.

Give me a few more months, and I'll have about a dozen passages in the Bible to justify my disdain of people who drive too slowly!

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Pssst... the most effective way to excuse hatred (one of the seven deadly sins, by the way) is to claim that it's in God's name.

Give me a few more months, and I'll have about a dozen passages in the Bible to justify my disdain of people who drive too slowly!

esp. since Jesus never said the word gay, faggott, homosexual, etc. I mean not only did gay people not make the top ten in the Old Testament, Christ did not think their alleged "sin" important enough to discuss

[Mari]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I really said that??
I mean, I'm not saying you're lying, it's just that I can't remember saying that, and I have a hard time believing I ever would say something like that. Telling someone not to speak up for themselves is out of character for me.

I mean, I do know that I most definitely said he had a right to express his feelings against homosexuality, even if I vehemently disagreed with him on all points (especially his ideas regarding the so-called "gay lifestyle"), but I have a very hard time imagining that I ever told you (or anyone else) not to speak out about it, in turn.

The only thing I can think of that may have caused you to have that interpretation of what I meant, is that I know I did caution you and others to be careful not to sink to behaviour beneath yourselves when dealing with certain people.
It was a volatile situation, and I like to see people who are on "my side" (so to speak) not sinking to the childish levels of others.

I honestly apologize if I inadvertantly gave the wrong impression... it sure wasn't what I intented.

Oh, I don't think I could ever manage to sink to This Level.
Actually, when it comes to that little history, I'm not ashamed at all, whatever you're insinuating here. All I did was stand up for my rights and let know I don't find homophobia acceptable.
Fine, that's what you're doing too, now.

[DrummerDeanna]

This whole thing has me totally and truly disgusted.

In my opinion the religious right are a bunch of extremist non-Christians - no matter what they say it IS NOT enough to just say you love God or Jesus because all they're doing is spreading hatred and bigotry.

I have an uncle who is fundamentalist - and he DOES feel justified in his dislike for homosexuals - he once laid hands on me and tried to save me to which I was like..."um - no don't need saving thanks..."

It really truly boggles my mind - and that letter by Tess Fields! wow - good stuff - but it made me even more upset at the struggle she had to go through - and being totally cut-off by her family?? THAT is not Christian - that does not show good Moral/Family Values...

Errrr...I'm just SO mad....I'm going to stop making any sense here in a sec...so I'll stop...

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by Mari

Actually, when it comes to that little history, I'm not ashamed at all, whatever you're insinuating here. All I did was stand up for my rights and let know I don't find homophobia acceptable.
Fine, that's what you're doing too, now.

Mari... I wasn't insinuating anything at all.
Just trying to explain what I thought may have lead to the misunderstanding between us (which, to be honest, I didn't even know existed until you brought this up).

I thought I was complimenting you when I said that I feel you're above sinking to a level of immaturity... didn't realize I was somehow insinuating the opposite.

(By the way, and perhaps you don't recall... but I argued against his homophobia, too. Quite adamantly, in fact.)

Anyway, don't know what else I can say at this point.