There are bigger issues to me then gay marriage. The will to win our war on terror is more important to me then gay marriage. Keeping the government from taking over our health care is more important to me then gay marriage. Securing our borders, controlling who enters our country and making sure that visitors return when their visa runs out is more important to me then gay marriage. Pork barrel spending is more important to me then gay marriage. The list of things more important to me then gay marriage is quite long. While Republicans are not perfect they are closer to my views then most Democrats’ and certainly closer to my view then either of current Democratic candidates for President. Ditto Gore vs Bush or Kerry vs Bush.
A marriage is of one man to one woman. Some cultures allow one married man to join with a second or third woman and beyond. Some cultures allow one married woman to marry a second man and beyond. Each individual marriage is between two individuals. There is no culture that allows men to marry men or women to marry women. The situations in Europe and Canada are very recent and we have yet to see the sustainability of these changes and their full effect on the society. Let them experiment with these changes and wait a few generations before we start thinking to change our own institution. I think the current European model of most everything is a poor one and your bringing up their acceptance of same-sex marriage lowers the appeal of this change for me.
You tickle a newborns cheek and it will root whether a nipple is in the vicinity or not. Rooting is a response to stimulation on the cheek. We quickly learn to associate this rooting with a nipple and then the nipple with milk. That is called learning to nurse.
“I disagree. For one, tradition itself is not a reason to maintain a practice. Slavery was once tradition. Traditions must be evaluated on their own merits. This is a problem I have with conservatism in general – there is no merit that stems from tradition.”
That is pure cant. The strength of a culture gives merit to their traditions. When a culture weakens you might want to look at what traditions may have been scuffed off between the pinnacle and the current condition. It seems to me that we no longer teach our history and culture in a positive light, that we accept such things as family to be fluid things subject more the whims of the married couple rather then to the commitment of the vows, and that we have created a cultural environment in which children are rarely cared for by those who should care and know them best. These are major factor influencing us to decline. We avoid teaching critical thought (hense your straight faced comparison of the institute of marriage to slavery). We avoid learning the sciences. We waste time teaching children that people are killing Mother Earth. What I see is that the more we accept the Leftist principles (distinct from liberal) the less strong our nation becomes, the lower the quality of our children’s education, and the less meaningful our contributions to mankind.
I never said that anti-semitism was morally right. I just said that I don’t care if you hate Jews so long as you don’t use that as an excuse to physically harm or steal their property. The government should not consider ones religion, race or creed when judging a case in court, offering work to the public or accepting the candidacy of a public servant. I think private companies should have that right.
I might have more to say but I have to bring food to my family and spend some time with them. I might have time later to flesh these thoughts out more.
