Proposition 8 in California, that was designed to overturn the California Supreme Court decision to allow Gay, Lesbian, couples from being married, won in the recent Election. It won thanks in large part to the heavy support generated by the Mormon Church and Evangelical Churches, that poured tens of millions of dollars into advertising their position, on this civil rights matter.

Makes you wonder, if they opposed inter racial marriage back in the fifties and sixties, would there be a President Elect named Barack Obama today?

The lies that were spread about what same sex marriage would bring was unbelievable, and yet a majority of Californians bought it. They actually believed that by giving the GLBT community the same rights that they enjoy, that it would mean that churches would be forced to marry them, when it clearly stated that it wouldn’t.

The people of California believed, wrongly, that by defeating Proposition 8 they were insuring that their children would be somehow turned into Gays & Lesbians, by their teachers. Another lie fostered by the overwhelming wealth of the Mormon & Evangilical organizations.

Hate won in California at a time when America was turning away from its racist past, to elect the first ever man of color to the highest job in the country. For the first time, white people were voting to put a black man in charge, and yet in California, they turned the clock back in one sense, moved it forward in another.

It was the same bullshit arguments of the fifties and sixties about black people, that was used today, and what was surprising, is that the polls show that many people, who voted in favor of refusing equal rights to gays, were black. I don’t get it, really, how anyone, who knows first hand about prejudices, can fall victim to the lies.

It is disappointing, because you know, other countries allow same sex marriage, and not one church has been sued, has been forced to marry gays, when they oppose it. There is clear evidence that the so called sanctity of marriage hasn’t suffered in those countries, hasn’t brought about any New Queers from wild sex discussions in schools. It hasn’t brought about any increases in child abuse, and yet here is a majority of Californians, believing it will happen to them.

I don’t get it, don’t understand how so many people can hate another group, when they don’t even know them. I don’t understand how anyone, who claims to love GOD, can go out and lie, and convince others to hate a group, simply because they don’t conform to their view. I do not get it, never will, because I do believe in GOD. I can’t figure out, how man who was created in his image, can be so full of hate.

I don’t get it.

As a Canadian, I used to take pride in my country. Even our so called Conservatives were not like they are in the United States, filled with hate and with corruption. Least until Brian Mulroney got himself elected, then helped turn his party over to the ultra right wing party led by Stephen Harper, that is now our Prime Minister.

Today the people of Canada returned this evil man, with a slightly larger number of seats, still short of a majority, thankfully, but returned him they did. It is sad to see, because like George Bush, Harper has used every dirty trick, every type of attack possible, while hiding his true agenda, his true colors.

Call it sour Grapes, but you know, the world sucks and people more than normal. Yes I am bitter, because I really did believe Canadians were better than that, that hate was not something we tolerated, or accepted. I believed in a dream, that came crashing down tonight, but it maybe began earlier, when the news broke about Alex Sanchez being rebuffed for speaking at a New Brunswick school district.

Alex Sanchez is a well noted Gay Author, who talks about what it is like to be gay, a teenager, and how to cope with the way society looks at Gays. He is a man renowned for his speaking, his compassion, and to have a school district agree, then cave to pressure from the Religious Right, was depressing enough.

A plan to have an acclaimed gay author speak to students in Charlotte County high schools has been scrapped after a few parents objected.

Alex Sanchez writes books about gay youth and their struggle to find acceptance, but local school principals were not comfortable allowing him to address their students. (source - CBC News)

What really is depressing, and maybe a sign of the times, is how much venom the people who commented on this story are. How vile their words are, as they call homosexuals perverts, sick, sinners, evil, and suffering from mental disorder. How cruel they are in their equating being gay as nothing but being child molesters. That perhaps shows what was to come tonight, as these are also the same people who support Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party.

How sad, that evil exists, and worse, how hard it is to realize that it is in your own backyard. This election was mean spirited, cruel and nasty, and yet I never really understood it, until I began to read the comments in the story. How so many could hate, without even knowing a gay person, without even knowing me or David, how they can hate us. We did nothing to them, nor have any other gays, and yet they hate us with every fibre of their body & mind, simply because we are different.

Government leaders, like Bush & Harper have done their level best to divide nations, to pit brother against brother, in order to sneak through and seize power. People like Sarah Palin who uses their authority to further her own gains, is on a ticket to become Vice President. Stephen Harper who lied under oath has won re-election as Prime Minister. This polarization of countries is an old tactic, but today it is working better than ever before. Today it is putting evil into the seats of power, such as Bush, such as Harper.

That frightens me, as we head into an economic abyss, and it will not get better soon. Minorities of all kinds need to once more watch their backs, as the hate is coming out more and more. To see and read such hate, and to see so many support it, is unsettling at best. Yet that is what is happening, and it makes me wonder, why? When did God become one of hate, one of intolerance? I don’t believe he is, but so many who call themselves his, seem to believe so, as that is what they preach, in his name.

How sad tonight is, how scary tomorrow looks.

In a few weeks, the Voters of California will have the opportunity of a lifetime. They will get to decide if their State is truly one that believes in Democracy, or if they are mainly Self Serving Bigots. See, Proposition 8, the move to deny civil rights to Gays in the state, will determine just whether or not people truly believe in the Order of Law, in Freedom really.

As much as the Supporters of this Racist Proposition want people to believe this is about protecting religious freedoms, it is in fact the exact opposite. It denies Gays the right to Civil Marriages, to be treated as an equal. The recent Supreme Court Ruling affirmed that but that isn’t good enough for a select religious elitists, who believe that ONLY THEIR VIEW SHOULD COUNT.

If Californians believe in a separation between Church & State, Prop 8 will be rejected, but unfortunately, it does have a chance of passing. Which makes one wonder, what is it about racism that can get so many people to blindly follow the mouthing of such hate mongers?

Bumgarner distributed handouts listing “Six Consequences if Proposition 8 Fails” that volunteers were encouraged to use as talking points. They included warnings that ministers who preach against same-sex marriage could be sued for hate speech, churches would be sued for refusing to host wedding ceremonies for gays, and that “children in schools will be taught that same-sex marriage is OK.” (source - Politico dot Com)

Truth is, the ruling does not prohibit preachers from preaching, even if it is utter bullshit. Such as that homosexuals are an abomination unto God. The right of ALL PEOPLE to enjoy the Civil Rights is essential in any Democracy, whether you agree with their lifestyle or not. That is what Freedom is all about. To support anything else, is to support Dictatorship.

People forget that America was originally colonized by people leaving Europe due to religious persecution. They left, because a sect of Religion deemed it essential that ALL BELIEVED AS THEY DID. Hence many left, to establish a Country where one could believe as they wished, live as they wished, free from the harsh dictates of ANY RELIGIOUS ORDER/DOCTRINE.

Yet here we are, in 2008, where a group of Religious Leaders want to ignore that bit of history, and FORCE THEIR WILL ON EVERYONE. That is what Proposition 8 really is about, not about protecting Marriage, but about them having Power, having THEIR WAY FORCED ON EVERYONE.

Californians - Vote For Freedom - Defeat Proposition 8

And just to point out that this proposition is Anti Religion, consider this simple truth. All segments of the Jewish Faith have accepted that Gays have a place in the Jewish Religion, and that marriage ceremonies within synagogues is not only allowed, but should be welcomed. Just as Gay Rabbis are acceptable within all segments of the Jewish Faith.

Proposition 8, if it passes, would infringe on the rights of Jews to practice their own religious beliefs.

So much for Religious Freedom.