Same Sex amendment

Normally, I refrain from political commentary here, but tonight I cannot. Tonight in knitting group, we got on the topic, and were discussing, when one member got up and stormed out. Certainly if anyone was uncomfortable we could have discussed something else, at her request.

Anyway, as a result I am a bit riled up and decided to post here.

The same sex amendment to the constitution is wrong on so many levels. Our forefathers set up separation of church and state as a fundamental principle. Keep that in mind since I am going to completely ignore the religious issue, as it has no place in the Constitution or US government. Period.

"Marriage" is at its core not a religious institution, but rather a socio-economic and political tool to secure political alliances, ensure paternity of children(when maternity should be sufficient), and ease inheritance and tax collection. Always has been, always will be.

GLBT individuals have the right to secure the life, liberty and happiness the same as straights. This means that they should see the same benefits of a secure relationship that straights do:

They should get the same tax benefits of marriage in no other way even though they are in committed relationship and may be supporting one or the other at various points in their lives.

They should inherit like a straight couple even with correct legal documentation. A spouse's right to inherit in event of death without a will is incontrovertible. There are many cases where proper wills are contested viciously by angry familes or families in denial about the deceased's sexual status. Only the same inheritance rights as straight couples will do.

They should have spousal pension, medical and dental benefits. What would you do if you were refused spousal pension benefits?

They should have full access to medical care and their partner's bedside, without having to get a lawyer involved. Durable power of attorney can be contested by 'concerned' families who may have been estranged as we know from the Terri Schiavo debacle. There are also instances where partners with power of attorney are illegally refused access to their loved one by the personal beliefs of medical staff. Would you want to be kept away from a dying spouse's bedside?

All I want is for two people who love each other to be able to spend their lives together the same as other couples. There is already too much hate and discord in the world for us to stand in the way of a little love. And I think that any couple should be able to adopt. Too many children grow up without love for us to say that GLBT couples can not adopt. Children don't care about sex, they just want to be loved, and being GBLT does not make someone a deviant or pedophile.

Finally, the main reason that this is wrong is it is a policy of hatred, intolerance and inequality, which goes against every last word, every letter, every drop of ink on the Constitution. And anyone that preaches them in this country is unAmerican. There, I said it.

Now as for the argument about gay marriage threatening the sanctity of marriage in this country.

Come on folks.

The rate of marriage in this country is exceeded by the divorce rate. The sanctity of marriage is being threatened not by gay marriage, but by the degradation of the middle class, the CHASM between the rich and the poor, less vacation, more work, less job security, more outsourcing, fewer jobs for those outsourced that pay actual living wages, infertility, the need for families to work multiple jobs to make ends meet while decreasing the amount of time that families can spend together, rising gas prices, increased school activities for children leaving less time for eating dinner together, longer commutes, shorter tempers and the lip service that politicians pay to family values, while cutting access to medical care, raising taxes, going to war, exposing undercover agents, stealing elections from the people, and giving huge federal subsidies to Corporate America.

Divorces happen because people do not have time for each other or for their children, the nerves are fried to the point of collapse from the stress of living in a society gone wrong in many many ways and instead of fixing those things, the current administration would leave you to believe that everything that is wrong is the gays' fault, or the Arab's fault, or Communists or people with brown eyes, brown hair and funny accents.

It's all a red herring, folks, sleight of hand.....look at my hand, while I raise middle class taxes, Voila tax cuts for all, while I do nothing to curb the rank greed of Big Oil as they milk you dry.

And guess what? You have fallen for it hook, line and sinker, folks. But if you ask me real nice, I will rip that nasty hook from the side of your little fishy mouth. Look over there, this won't hurt a bit.

Trust me.