[Mia]

</span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (thrillofitall,)
thought this was a good speech on the topic .. by Bill Maher



"You can't claim you're the party of smaller government and then make laws about love. On this Valentine's day, let's stop and ask ourselves, "What business is it of the state how consenting adults choose to pair off, share expenses, and eventually stop having sex with each other?"



And why does the Bush administration want a constitutional amendment about weddings? Hey, why stop at weddings? Birthdays are important; let's put them in the great document. Let's make a law that gay people can have birthdays, but straight people get more cake. You know, to send the right message to kids.Republicans are always saying we should privatize things like schools, prisons, social security -- hey, how about we privatize privacy! Because if the government forbids gay men from tying the knot, what is their alternative? They can't all marry Liza Minnelli.



You know, the Republicans used to be the party that opposed social engineering, but now they push programs to outlaw marriage for some people and encourage it for others. If you're straight, there's $1.5 billion in the budget to promote marriage, but gay marriage is opposed because it threatens or mocks or does something to the sanctity of marriage, as if anything you can do in Vegas drunk off your ass in front of an Elvis impersonator could be considered sacred.



Half the people who pledge eternal love are doing it because one of them is either knocked up, rich or desperate. But in George Bush's mind, marriage is only a beautiful lifetime bond of love and sharing, kind of like what his dad has with the Saudis.



But at least the right wing aren't hypocrites on this issue. They really believe that homosexuality is an abomination and a dysfunction that's curable. They believe that if a gay man just devotes his life to Jesus, he'll stop being gay, because that worked out so well with the Catholic priests.



But I have to tell you that the greater shame in this story goes to the Democrats because they don't believe homosexuality is an abomination, and, therefore, their refusal to endorse gay marriage is hypocrisy. Their position doesn't come from the Bible; it's ripped right from the latest poll which says that most Americans are against gay marriage. Well, you know what? Sometimes most Americans are just wrong, and where is the Democrat who will stand up and go beyond the half-measures of civil union and hate-the-sin-love-the-sinner and say loud and clear, "There is no sin. It's not an abomination and no one can control how cupid aims his arrows, and the ones who pretend they can usually turn out to be the biggest freaks."



The law in this country should reflect that some people are just born one-hundred-percent outrageously, fabulously, undeniably Fire-Island gay. And they do not need re-programming -- they need a man with a slow hand."<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>

I agree with the majority of what you said. But the sin part...it IS a sin. Bus so is pre-marital sex. So is adultary. And we don't legislate that anymore. 1) Separation of church and state - it doesn't matter if it's a sin. 2) this is supposed to be the land of freedom. Where we do do whatever we want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else or impinge on their freedom.

Gays don't hurt us. Hating gays hurts us. They can't help it. Most would give their arms not to be gay. They represent 10% at least of society and who do they hurt if they want to make their unions legal and give each other the benifits and commitment of marriage? It hurts no one! It does nothing to the "institution of marriage."

Gays getting married don't do anything to my marriage. Someone tell me how this hurt us? And don't give me the moral crap - there is immorality all around us. Two gays making a private, legal commitment affects the morality of a nation a lot less (actually not at all) than the smut we see every day and the disgusting number of partners heterosexuals have before and after marriage.