The anti-gay marriage movement IS homophobic

I am deeply disappointed that I have not been driven away in shame by the righteous sword of Justice usually brandished by that heroic opponent of bias in all of its forms----the august Blatham.

I would have thought that by this time, his tremendous erudition would have rebutted all of my "airs" as Lightwizard put it, and the world would be set right again. I do hope that I have not stunned him with what he might consider an arcane but irrefutable point.

Juncker plays the blame game as Blair prepares for EU presidency

By Stephen Castle in Brussels and John Lichfield in Paris
23 June 2005


Tony Blair is being portrayed as the architect of Europe's latest political crisis as he prepares to launch a British EU presidency which is in deep trouble even before it starts.

Ahead of his appearance in the European Parliament this morning, Mr Blair came under direct attack from the French President, Jacques Chirac, and from Jean-Claude Juncker, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, who chaired last week's acrimonious Brussels summit.

Meanwhile, Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, called for a public debate on Turkey's ambitions to join the EU - one of the priorities for the British presidency which starts on 1 July.

Brussels is still in shock after last week's bitter summit clash in which a small group of countries, led by Britain, blocked a deal over the EU budget for 2007-13.

Yesterday Mr Juncker received two ovations from MEPs as he gave a blow-by-blow account of how Britain refused to surrender part of its annual budget rebate. Mr Juncker suggested that his plans to reform the rebate were deliberately misrepresented by a British premier determined not to compromise.

The main proposal rejected by the UK would have exempted the costs of spending in the new EU countries - apart from agriculture - from the scope of the rebate. That would have made it worth €5.5bn (£3.7bn) annually - considerably more than now.

"It is not true to say that the [Luxembourg] presidency wanted to kill the British rebate," said Mr Juncker, "we wanted to maintain it in the context of the 15 [countries which made up the EU before it enlarged last year]. We wanted this rebate to show greater solidarity to the new member states. It was wrong to reject this."

Mr Juncker said pointedly that he was explaining to MEPs, "because no one else will and because you're likely to hear other explanations in the near future" - a direct reference to Mr Blair's speech today.

And the Luxembourg premier referred to an offer by former Communist countries to sacrifice some of their subsidies in the interests of a deal. These countries, he said "were giving us a lesson in ambition. I think this is a good reason for those not able to speak the same language to be ashamed of what they did."

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting in Paris, M. Chirac argued that almost all governments, including France, had "done everything possible" to agree on an EU budget framework up to 2013. "Unfortunately this was not possible, because of British intransigence," he said.

M. Chirac once again rejected the UK argument that the Common Agricultural Policy must be radically reformed before the British EU rebate can be abolished or reduced. The CAP had been extensively reformed only three years ago, M. Chirac said.

After a meeting of the EU Commission, Mr Barroso questioned the policy of negotiating Turkey's EU entry. "We should discuss the signal that was sent by the electorate regarding Turkey," he said, though he added that plans to start talks on 3 October should continue.

The investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchainéreported that M. Chirac had come back from Brussels describing Mr Blair as "like Thatcher only worse - as arrogant as she was but even more selfish".

Diplomatic sources in Paris suggest, however, that M. Chirac was content with the summit. The row had distracted attention from the French "no" to the constitution and disrupted Mr Blair's hopes of introducing a British path to EU reform in the next six months.

June 22, 2005 | Nashville, Tenn. -- Southern Baptists ended an eight-year boycott of the Walt Disney Co. for violating "moral righteousness and traditional family values" in a vote on the final day of the denomination's annual convention Wednesday.

"We believe for the boycott to be effective, it had to have a beginning and an ending," said Gene Mims, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention committee that put the Disney resolution before some 12,000 members at the meeting.

SBC delegates also approved a resolution that encourages parents to investigate their children's public schools to determine whether they are too accepting of homosexuality.

The Disney resolution, passed at the SBC's 1997 convention in Dallas, called for Southern Baptists to refrain from patronizing Disney theme parks and Disney products, mainly because of the entertainment company's decision to give benefits to companions of gay and lesbian employees.

I am deeply disappointed that I have not been driven away in shame by the righteous sword of Justice usually brandished by that heroic opponent of bias in all of its forms----the august Blatham.

I would have thought that by this time, his tremendous erudition would have rebutted all of my "airs" as Lightwizard put it, and the world would be set right again. I do hope that I have not stunned him with what he might consider an arcane but irrefutable point.

But as I learned spending time among the cultural conservatives who are leading the anti-gay-marriage charge, they have their own reasons for doing so, which are based on their reading of the Bible, their views about both homosexuality and the institution of marriage and the political force behind the issue. In the words of Gary Bauer, president of American Values -- one of what is now a total of 61 organizations under the Arlington Group banner, with a combined membership of 60 million -- gay marriage is ''the new abortion.'' He meant that, as with abortion, conservatives see gay marriage as a culture-altering change being implemented by judicial fiat. But gay marriage is also the new abortion in that it is for groups like Bauer's a base-energizing and fund-raising issue of tremendous power.

During last year's election campaign, at the same time that he was calling for a federal constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage, President Bush was giving a moderate sheen to the position of the conservative Christians with whom he is closely allied. As he said in his final debate with John Kerry, responding to a question about homosexuality: ''I do know that we have a choice to make in America and that is to treat people with tolerance and respect and dignity. It's important that we do that. And I also know in a free society, consenting adults can live the way they want to live. And that's to be honored.''

But for the anti-gay-marriage activists, homosexuality is something to be fought, not tolerated or respected. I found no one among the people on the ground who are leading the anti-gay-marriage cause who said in essence: ''I have nothing against homosexuality. I just don't believe gays should be allowed to marry.'' Rather, their passion comes from their conviction that homosexuality is a sin, is immoral, harms children and spreads disease. Not only that, but they see homosexuality itself as a kind of disease, one that afflicts not only individuals but also society at large and that shares one of the prominent features of a disease: it seeks to spread itself.

N.B. judge clears way for gay marriage
Last updated Jun 23 2005 05:23 PM ADT

CBC NEWS - A judge in Moncton handed down a decision Thursday afternoon that will open the door to same-sex marriages in New Brunswick.

Judge Judy Clendenning ruled in favour of four gay couples, who argued that the province's current definition of marriage violated their rights.

In a written decision, she said the definition of civil marriage would have to be changed from a lawful union between a man and a woman, to a lawful union "between two persons."

Alison Menard, the lawyer who represented the four couples, says the ruling means there's nothing to stop same-sex marriages from being carried out in New Brunswick.

"What it means is that anybody that meets the definition of capacity to marry is able to go and get a marriage licence," Menard said. "So in this particular circumstance, couples of same gender will be able to obtain marriage licences and celebrate marriages."

The ruling gives the province a 10-day grace period to get the new marriage definition into place.

New Brunswick has been one of three provinces that only recognize marriages between men and women. Alberta and P.E.I. are the others.

Premier Bernard Lord said he personally believed in the traditional view of marriage, but said the province wouldn't put up a fight if the courts or Parliament ordered it to make a change.

Several church-based groups wanted to participate in the case, so the court would hear their point of view against same-sex unions. But the judge turned down their request for intervener standing, saying that her ruling, whatever it may be, would not prevent them from making their own choices about whom to marry.

Now that Judge Clendenning's decision is out, gay organizations are calling it a huge step foward. Eldon Hay, who runs a support group for parents and families of gay people, said it was long overdue that New Brunswick recognized the rights of all citizens.

"Homosexuals in our province are going to be less looked down upon," he said. "Since the legislation will be changed, it means that gays and lesbians will be on an equal playing field - that's the big change."

Of course, any former sheepherder knows that. It has even permeated our culture here in the USA.

HofT's point is well taken. DOMA( The Defense of Marriage Act has won in every state in which it has been offered as a referendum. At this time, the state of Massachusetts( the home of the dipsomaniac Chappaquiddick Kid- Ted Kennedy). If DOMA wins there, it is all over for the Gay lobby.

Well, Canada has shown it is permissive. Perhaps there will be a huge disaspora in that direction!