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Prop 8 and God – A challenge to author Rick Warren

There’s been a lot of talk about “God’s will” and the upcoming vote on California’s Proposition 8.

The latest to invoke God in trying to get the measure passed is Rick Warren, a televangelist and bestselling author.

I’m an author too, so Warren’s words got my attention. They sent me on a mission to look for other times in history when arguments like this have been used.

Warren said, “This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about. There is no doubt where we should stand on this issue.”

Warren is telling his followers to vote yes on 8, which would eliminate the current right of same sex couples to marry in California. Warren is joined by the Mormon Church, which has poured millions of dollars from out of state into an advertising campaign aimed at changing our law.

There’s a great deal of historical precedent for passing laws to remove the marriage rights of minority groups. As you prepare to vote on Prop 8, I thought it would be interesting to share with you some past examples. Just as Warren has done, all of these past marriage bans claimed to be following God’s will.

“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” –Judge Leon Bazile, Caroline County Virginia, 1959, in his ruling that sentenced Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter Loving to one year in prison for marrying in violation of segregation laws. Mildred was part African-American. Richard was white.

“It is my conviction that the fundamental trouble with the people of the United States is that they have gotten too far away from Almighty God.” –U.S. President Warren G. Harding. He signed into law The Cable Act of 1922, which revoked the citizenship of any American woman who married an Asian.

“Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.” –Adolf Hitler on September 5, 1935 when he signed the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor, which prevented any subjects of Germany or related heritage from marrying Jews.

Ultimately, all of these acts of discrimination and hate were seen for what they really were. They no longer exist. But for a time they were the law of the land: Asians, African-Americans, women, and Jews restricted from marriage.

So as you enter the voting booth this Tuesday, ask yourself one simple question. Which side of history do you want to be on?

I urge you to vote NO on Proposition 8.

Kemble Scott, Author, California

http://www.kemblescott.com

So. Here it is, two weeks before we head off for the beach, and I am feeling bloated, tired and totally out of shape. Sigh. This always happens to me, vacation sneaks up on me while I’m busy with Life & Its Consequences and I end up going to the beach feeling blobby and unattractive. I HATE that, dammit. Therefore, I am attempting to put in some serious exercise time before we go. 

Let’s face it, body image isn’t so much about what the scale says, or what the size tag on your clothes is. It’s more psychological than anything. If I stay on an exercise program, I will feel better, therefore I will look better even if it’s only in my mind. *g*

Today’s attempt: ran my usual 3.25 mile loop. Or, well, jogged/walked. Actually managed more non-walking than I thought I would, though the heat was kind of a downer. It was at least ten degrees cooler than it was this time last week, but low 80s still feels hot when you’re running in the sun :-/

Okay, I need some iced coffee now. Maybe later I’ll come back and bitch about writing blurbs O_O

Some people take the attempts of others to merge into traffic personally.

Nothing is quite as amusing as watching the person who’s been weaving in and out of traffic at ninety miles an hour start to pass a relatively slow car on the right, discover it’s a cop and hit those brakes. Ha!

A frightening number of people out there seem convinced that they can simultaneously dial their cell, dig around for something hidden under the passenger seat, and drive with their knees.

Guys in muscle cars HATE being outmaneuvered in traffic by a woman in a Hyundai *g*

I’ve been thinking lately about unlikable characters. Or, well, not really unlikable characters as such, more like characters doing things that make you uncomfortable, or angry. 

An example. Suppose Joe Hero is at work, and some of his coworkers are saying very ugly things about another coworker who isn’t there. Joe knows and likes the person being ridiculed (though they are not close friends), but is afraid to stick up for the person. Not for any big important reason, but just because he’s afraid of being made a target himself. So he joins in the ridicule a bit, just to make himself seem part of the group.

Hardly an admirable reaction, but a very human one. But this one incident does not fully define him. It is only one part of Joe Hero the Person. Maybe he volunteers at Meals On Wheels, or plays banjo at the nursing home every Saturday. Does his weakness in not sticking up for his coworker cancel out all his good deeds? Does it make him unworthy of love, or unworthy of our attention as readers?

I know we all want to love our fictional heroes, but isn’t there such a thing as too perfect? In order for a character to ring true, don’t they need to be as human as the rest of us? Don’t they need bad habits and distasteful personality traits? For me, they do. And I’m not talking about nail-biting or chewing with your mouth open here. I’m talking about the very real flaws we all have, if we’re honest about it.

So. What are you willing to forgive in the name of realism? Or do you like your heroes, well, heroic rather than average? I don’t think there’s any right or wrong answer to that question, btw; I think different people are going to see the issue differently, which is what makes life vivid and beautiful rather than dull. I’m just wondering what others think, so please share!