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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Election Day is almost here...Get out and VOTE!

So tomorrow is election day..make sure you get out and vote. And before all is said and I'd like to share some thoughts on our experience with Proposition 8. For the past two weekends Doug and I have been heavily involved with Prop 8 work. We've hung door flyers encouraging people to vote and have waved Prop 8 signs in some intersections. What has been most enlightening is both the support (about 90-95%% of drivers, cops and firemen all supporting, when they've driven by) and those opposed to Prop 8. Those opposed drivers will sometimes give the thumbs down or shake their heads, which is totally fine. We live in America where we have the freedom of speech. What is completely classless are the people who curse, name call, or shout angry hateful things out their window. Seriously, we had families on the corner with kids ranging from 9-months to teenagers...the whole no on 8 campaign is based on tolerance and equality, yet I've found that those individuals have been the least tolerant and have said the most horrible things. In one area we've known people who have had bleach and even urine thrown at them from a car window. Seriously...can you believe that. If you disagree with the message then hold up your own sign in protest. To me name calling and throwing things at people is just hate and violence and definitely not "tolerance" of another person's views..I think tolerance is just a one way street with some people. Anyways, fortunately we didn't have anything thrown at us. :)

Overall it's been a very good experience, something I never imagined myself participating in. For those who are yet undecided, my reason for voting Yes on 8, is because I'm Pro-family. I have family and friends who are gay and I completely agree that they should have the same right and privileges as heterosexual couples (voting Yes on Prop 8 does NOT take any rights away; homosexual couples can still enter into domestic partnerships/civil unions). Jack O'Connell in his no on Prop 8 commercial says schools are not required to teach about gay marriage, well Mr. Jack O'Connell (California's school superintendent) if you checked your own website you would see that 96% of schools teach a sexual education class where marriage is taught and gay marriage will be taught (under California code parent's cannot opt their kids out of this). Also, I don't think taking an elementary school class on a field trip to witness a gay marriage ceremony is "educational"...did they take that same class to a heterosexual marriage ceremony and say it was "educational"..I sincerely doubt it. I don't like the fact that the 4 activist judges just decided to overturn Prop 22 (in 2000 Prop 22 passed by 61% of voters which declared that only marriage between a man and a woman is recognized in California.) because they felt like it. This is America and we vote and you should have placed it on the ballot not just overturned the will of the people. Lastly, the far reaching effects of Prop 8 is that churches who do not condone homosexual marriage may lose their tax exempt status if they refuse to marry homosexual couples in their churches. Catholic Charities in Massachusetts had to close down their adoption agency because they refused to allow homosexual couples to adopt from their agency ..it was considered unconstitutional..where's the separation of Church and State? So I'm voting Yes on Prop 8, to maintain religious freedom and keep more parental rights.

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