[extropy-chat] gay marriage

[Kevin Freels]

This is really no different than the other laws that have been passed
concerning behavior. I'm surprised people can still smoke in their own homes
or cars in California.
What surprises me is that there isn;t a hefty "gay marriage tax". Isn't this
the normal way of attacking a non-sanctioned behavior?
I think we are probably seeing new lines being drawn. The right and left
have long fought each other on a variety of fronts which at best has
prevented anything real from being done at all, and at worst has at least
had the effect of watering down legislation. This is going to change over
the next few years though as new technologies come up that scare the crap
out of narrow minded right-wing religious freaks as well as the mind-numb
tree-hugging technology hating luddites on the left. With the extremes of
the right and left aimed at us, I think it would be wise for us to keep a
clear head and try to grab on to the center. I'm not sure that actual
protesting would accomplish this since most people see protesters as being
extremists (I don;t know this as a fact. I am basing this on past
conversations with various people in my life)

Let those people be stupid. The licenses are being handed out. That is
progress. The people who don;t like it will make fools of themselves. Maybe
they will even quote scripture while being interviewed.

One thing I have been trying to do is to change the views of religious
people while leaving their religion mostly intact. If you look over the long
run, religions evolve over time. I dont; know of any alrge organized
religions that still support the idea of an Earth centered universe. The
people realized it was wrong and the religions had to change to keep
members. One thing I have tried to do is point out that God never meant for
the bible to be taken literally. Jonah was not in a whale being digested, 2
species of everything were not in the Ark, creation took longer than 6 days,
and of course, immortality is not evil. In fact, God created us in his image
and that means were were meant to become immortal.

We are never going to tear down religion, whatever type it is. Protesting
only makes you loook irrational and angry. We have to be smarter than them.
We have to change things from the inside. Maybe I should go study to become
a preacher! There's a thought!





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Spike" <spike66 at comcast.net>
To: "'ExI chat list'" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2004 3:13 PM
Subject: [extropy-chat] gay marriage


> >  (2/15/04 17:41) Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > >...The protests will really start happening when
> > >we reinstitute real gladiator games and start throwing the christians
> > >to the lions...
>
>
> Speaking of protests, I am nearly ready to carry a
> sign myself, something I have never done.  Yesterday
> in San Francisco the mayor ordered that marriage licenses
> be issued to gay couples.  As one might expect there was
> a gathering of protestors, but as I saw them on
> the news yesterday I found two things very disturbing.
> First, they weren't protesting homosexual *marriage*
> so much as they were protesting *homosexuality*.  Secondly,
> most of the protestors appeared middle eastern, with the
> head scarves and turbans.  I am tempted to take
> up a sign telling them... well, what exactly?  The gay
> marriage issue really isn't my battle, but as soon as
> Muslim transplants start protesting *my* rights, that gets
> my full and undivided.  If we start having significant
> Muslim influence on our legal system in this country,
> many of our rights and lifestyle freedoms could disappear.
>
> This is one that the left wing doesn't handle effectively,
> for it carries the notion that all cultures are valid,
> and clearly homosexuality offends Muslim culture.  The
> right wing isn't much help since it is so rabidly opposed to
> gay marriage, they fail to see the threat from having
> Muslim influence on American policy.  I guess it is up to
> the libertarians to fight this one, eh?  Thoughts?
>
> spike
>
>
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>


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