This morning I find myself looking at some encouraging news on same-sex marriage in my home state of Maryland. First, there is this Washington Post headline…
Nice, thinks I…although I know from past experience not to put too much faith into polls when the question is about gay rights. So many times these polls turn out to be a tad too optimistic, because some folks will lie about their prejudices to pollsters. But there does seem to be progress changing hearts and minds on same-sex marriage in Maryland…all the other headlines scrolling across my screen are sounding the same note.
All but one. Can you spot which headline is not like the others?
Poll finds gains for same-sex marriage in Maryland – The Washington Post
More Marylanders Supportive Of Gay Marriage – NBC Washington
Md. voters narrowly favor same-sex marriage in new poll – The Baltimore Sun
Maryland voters support gay marriage – Pink News (UK)
Whoops! We is not supportive, we is divided. Which is true as far as it goes, but perhaps a bit evasive.
Perhaps this will help clarify things…
UPI purchased by the Unification Church
UPI was purchased in 2000 by Sun Myung Moon’s global media conglomerate News World Communications, becoming an addition to the Unification Church media portfolio. At the time Moon said:
We even have to utilize the media for the sake of church development. The church is the mind and the media is the body, to reach the external world. We should begin that movement and activity in the United States, because the Washington Times and UPI are headquartered there. Once we establish our organization in the United States, it can be expanded to the world without much alteration.
News should come packaged with nutritional labeling the same way food does. How many calories? How much fat? Which artificial colorings, flavorings and preservatives? Is this cheese or is it cheese colored cheese flavored cheese textured food product?
The main reason this poll in Maryland is unreliable is that it would become an entirely different environment if/when there is ballot initiative. Then we would have NOM moving in with truckloads of money to whip up fear that the homos are coming after their children. And NOM’s tactics work.
Our side needs to find a way to pre-educate voters on why full equality, including marriage, is not only good for gays, but very good for straights as well. Appealing to things like voter’s sense of “fairness” are a waste of effort.
I think voters need to learn about all the closeted homos that have been, and still are, trying to fake the hetero by marrying unsuspecting opposite-sex partners. Voters need to know about the damage it does to families. They need to think about how they would feel if their daughters were duped into such a marriage. Then those voters need to understand that the continued non-acceptance of gay people is what perpetuates these pathetic marriages. And they need to know that these marriages occur far more than they could imagine (I have been stunned at the number I’ve seen personally among my limited number of acquaintances).
I’m really scared of this Unification Church. Last month, Sun Myung Moon’s church just establish a Religious Peace Conference in my country :( It seems like it has gaining foothold in many countries.
Hopefully Sun will be returning soon to the other side of the Moon. He must be ancient. I remember their s**t fliers up on the bulletin boards when I was in college in the 70s. I used to rip them down because I knew what a scam it was, although back then I didnt know that the not so reverend moon was slightly to the right of hitler.
As for ballot iniatives and voting in general, we know from psychology that people *still* vote based on emotions and the dinosaur part of the brain reigns supreme. Karl Rove knew this a used it to the hilt. Appealing to reason and facts won’t win the day. We have to appeal to voters’ emotions, especially the less educated ones; or we won’t win.
@Gary(NJ) That is why people’s rights..especially minorities rights should not be put on a ballot so that the majority can vote them away!! Where is our constitution? This should never be allowed to happen!
JamesStone, I support what you’re saying 100%. Allowing a ballot vote for minority rights is a moral evil (my take on it). We can’t depend upon the common decency of people and The Constitution–yet, we must. So the “game” becomes, ‘how do we win this?’ We have to tightly draw together in our support of one another.
Here in Jacksonville, FL, many of us have posted truthful depictions of the life: bigotry, hate speech, being fired just for being gay (or even a liberal). The City Council just put out a blazing article in the Times-Union, inspired by no less than the Chamber of Commerce reading, “Are Tourism and Trade being negatively impacted in Jacksonville due to the City’s outside perception?” Hell yes! I’ve been fired twice in this Cow Town for being gay and my whole little world has heard about it. I’ve lost a house in a “divorce”. I’ve been at the bedside of a husband I lost to HIV at Baptist Hospital. Because I, early on, got the support of some local movers and shakers, and because I stood my ground, they treated me as if we were legally married. Strength is respected and it shows the commonality we all, straight and gay, share equally.
We’ve got into a twenty year habit of bashing each other, far more than straight people bash us. I blame part of it on Will&Grace. It’s gotta stop. Life isn’t a TV show. There’s a common truth among the local rednecks which I hear all the time: “If a white person gets hit in an accident, no one much comes. But if a black person gets hit, a hundred blacks will show up!” It’s true and it’s a show of family, of support. AND NO ONE SCREWS WITH THEM BECAUSE OF IT! We need to START doing what works to build up our community. Stop and ask if we can help every time we see an Equal Sign on a bumper sticker of a broke-down or wrecked vehicle. Prefer each other’s company. FUBU, baby! We all need the support of the majority so long as the game is playing that way. When they see us as united and strong, they *will* respect us. When we run, we lose. You know what I’m talking about, right? Remember how, even when we might totally disagree with Republicans, we can’t help but admire the fact they are unbreakable in their support for each other (until he gets caught gaying it up in a bathroom but, that’s another post).
Merrell said “We’ve got into a twenty year habit of bashing each other, far more than straight people bash us.”.
And you’re the prime example of that – you’ve gone out of your way to bash feminine gays. Now like the hypocrite you are you pretend to be criticizing gays bashing gays. If you had any sincerity about putting an end to that you’d start with the man in the mirror.
The main reason this poll in Maryland is unreliable is that it would become an entirely different environment if/when there is ballot initiative.
Yes…polls are merely snapshots of a moving target. But I find them perpetually unreliable when it comes to minority rights for the reason I indicated: A lot of folks simply lie to pollsters rather then admit their prejudices. Narrow leads in the polls are pretty worthless. I mentally subtract 15-20 points from our favor from any of these polls.
Still…it’s progress. You can see it coming…someday…