Clarence Darrow: You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free.
Yesterday, the "Powers that be" decided that one group of people in this state did not deserve freedom. Yesterday, part of the heart of a free California died. And you can thank the religious sects from other states that made it their battle to come to this state, ignore our laws about the political funding from religious coffers, and lie, threaten, and scare voters into a law that took away the rights of our gay sisters, brothers, neighbors, and co workers.
They came and fought a dirty fight, breaking laws, lying and spreading false rumors about what Prop 8 actually stood for. It stood for freedom of those of the same sex, who love just as deeply as the rest of us, to marry whomever they wish. And yet, through the lies, deceit ,lawbreaking, and mud slinging by those who consider themselves religious bastions of society. Religious bastions, that lied, broke the law, and cannotmisled voters with smear campaigns against the gay community. Instead of doing as Jesus did, and helping their brothers and sisters, they turned against them. They damned them. They spread falsehoods about them. Possibly the worst sight of the whole "Yes On 8" campaign that I personally witnessed for myself here in Los Angeles was the appalling sight of Prop 8 supporters gathered on busy Santa Monica Boulevard during rush hour yelling obscenities at people they considered "gay"; and they encouraged their small and school aged children to shout these obscenities at the passing motorists. These children, who should have been safely in school,being educated, were forced to participate in bigotry and name calling BY THEIR PARENTS on the side of a dangerous, busy thoroughfare. And this is only part of the bigotry and poisoning of the public by these "caring Christians".
To those who are celebrating their ill-gained victory, I must say, with chagrin ,that you have indeed won this battle. But please be forewarned that you will not and cannot win this war.
For the first time since I moved to this state 10 years ago, I can truly say that I am ashamed of California and the theocracy that it has become. I am equally ashamed of those closed-minded justices of our "Supreme Court" that decided, either because they were threatened, or because of monetary gain, that the rights of out-of-state religious interests voided the rights of the tax-paying, hard-working citizens of this state. Once again, justices, you have made us the butt of jokes, and once again, you have made a mockery of the law of the state of California. Keep this in mind as your terms come up for renewal in the next few years. We Californians,in the true spirit of what this state represents are quite willing to forgive, but we will never forget the freedom you have denied to our citizens.
