A Letter To California
Dear California,
First off I want to thank you; well at least thank those of you who took time out of your day to vote yesterday. I also want to thank those of you who helped bring “Change” to America by choosing Barack Obama as our next president. You made history by aiding in the election of the first African American president and have helped set this nation up for what I hope is 4 years of positive change.
However, I am also disappointed in a number of you. Disappointed because you have decided the rights of the animals we eat are superior to the rights of our fellow human beings. You see yesterday you gave the chickens, pigs and various other animals we eat the freedom to roam and live in more healthful environments. Yet you took away the right of your fellow Californians to marry the ones they love simply because they don’t love someone of the opposite sex.
Understand that I too voted to let our food live a bit more humanely, but I also voted to let other human beings share the same joy I was fortunate enough to experience just over 4 years ago. I recognize that having the opportunity to celebrate your love for someone and dedicate yourself to them, whether it lasts a lifetime or not, is something incredible and is something that if I had taken from me would be devastating. You felt strongly enough to give animals that we eat certain basic rights and freedoms, yet you robbed other human beings of theirs.
Sure they can live together for the rest of their lives. Sure they are eventually entitled to certain rights, though not the same rights granted to a married couple. Sure they could technically exchange rings and go through the motions as though they were married, but sadly they will never be able to truthfully say, “We’re married”. It’s too late to change your mind now, however if you said Yes to Prop 8 and you are married, or have been married, I want you to take a moment to seriously think about how you would feel if you could never marry the person you love or loved. Would your relationship with that person be the same? If you could NEVER be married to that one person who you wanted to spend the rest of your life with, how would that affect you? Think about that for a moment…
At this point I don’t care if you said Yes, or why you said Yes; be it procreation, religious reasons, hate, it really doesn’t matter. The fact is you have told a percentage of your fellow Californians that their love for another person, a person they want to commit themselves to, doesn’t matter nearly as much as those who chose “traditional marriage”, and therefore under the California constitution they can no longer be married.
For a state that once embraced the hippie movement and is also home to the pornography capital of the world, I must say I am quite disappointed in you. For a state that for so long has been seen as free and as liberal as it is, you were sure pretty closed minded this election. But hey, at least our food will have room to roam and we’ll have a super cool $9.95 billion high speed rail system sometime in the future. Who needs human rights when our food is happy and we can travel?
Sincerely,
Your Dishearted Voter
Mike Wilton
Please note at the time this was published only 95% of the precincts in California had reported their election results. Prop 8 lead with 52% of the votes being Yes and Prop 2 lead with 63% of the votes being yes.
16 thoughts on “A Letter To California”
This is a great post Mike. I hope HOPE that 8 can be turned around with the little bit left to count.
While I was not as gung ho for Obama as many were, I still was in awe of him during his acceptance speech last night, and I cried just for the sheer history of it.
Whether anyone agrees with Obama’s politics or not, he will be our President, and we owe him our respect. I hope everyone can join together to really help our country.
It’s amazing to me that people who voted yes can consider themselves kind hearted and compassionate human beings. True compassion has no exceptions. This should never have been a religious argument, but since they’ve made it one, perhaps they need to be reminded of the most basic of religious doctrine: do unto others. So, to those who voted yes on prop 8, those same who have preached over and over of the compassion of Jesus Christ: What would Jesus Do?
If your answer is that he would have denied this right, given to murderers, whores and rapists, given to members of every other religion and atheists alike, to a population that DARED love a person of their own gender, then perhaps you need to open that book you love to shove down other people’s throats.
I could not have said it better myself. I am so saddened and disappointed in many of the residents of this great state. California is supposed to be more diverse, more tolerant, more “live and let live” than just about any other state in the US, yet we pass laws to amend our Constitution to INCLUDE discrimination? It just makes me sick. I pray to God that the last 5% not reported (most likely absentee and mail-in ballots) turn the tides on this one. What ever happened to the separation of church and state?
@Anna – I too am hoping that by some chance that last 5% that has still not been counted will somehow turn it around. However, I regretfully feel that I am just kidding myself in thinking that.
@Kristina – The religious perspective is interesting on this one. My dad and I were talking about it last night and he told me about a recent letter to the editor he read in The Press Enterprise. A man in his 70’s wrote in talking about how the bible says that a man and a woman should marry to procreate. He then explained how he and a woman also in her 70’s had just wed, both of them remarrying following the death of their previous spouses. Clearly in their 70’s they were not marrying to procreate, they were marrying to commit themselves to one another because they loved each other. He went on to explain that if the purpose of marriage is solely to procreate then their marriage should also not be recognized.
Of course there have been a number of other religious arguments brought up with this, some which I brought up in my Prop 8 – Prop Hate post. But unfortunately we are slowly moving back into an age where religion is having more pull than ever in politics.
@Shirley Tipsy – Separation of church and state is a joke and the lines are being blurred more and more by the day. The religious climate in America is heating up and it’s scary. There is so much of a religious voice in everything we do and it is creating so much intolerance in the world it’s sickening. Practice whatever the hell you want in your church, but PLEASE leave my country, my state, my family out of it.
I don’t feel an ounce of guilt over my YES vote and I seriously doubt that 52% of Californians do either. Further, Arizona and Florida both also passed their protection of traditional marriage.
I am in no way ready to legally except this type of lifestyle. Regardless if it is for religious reasons, up bringing or any other reason that backed my decision to support this proposition.
This issue was presented and voting took place where 52% or so of other Californians have different opinions than you or the other half of the state. None of us are wrong in our own eyes but only in the eyes of those with opposite opinions.
Legalizing gay marriage just isn’t in the books yet; people are simply not ready for that kind of change yet for one reason or another. Can it or will it change in the future? Sure why not? Will my opinion change in the future? Right now I can say probably not but only time will tell.
Anyways, exceptionally good post Mike and I appreciate reading your opinions no matter if I agree or disagree.
@John Remember that at one time the majority of people were for slavery. Just because the majority of people believe in it, doesn’t make it right. And discrimination is never right. Ever.
And by the way, why on EARTH would anyone else have to be “Ready” for someone else to get married?
@John – I can respect your opinion. Obviously we are coming from different places and have our different reasons. I guess it’s so hard for me because I feel that there is something to marriage deeper than religion. I never got married for religious reasons. Hell, I wasn’t even married in a church. I was married in the front garden of a cute little Victorian house.
I got married because at that time I loved my wife and hoped to spend the rest of my life with her. It was my way of committing myself to her and letting her know that I didn’t want anyone else. That I was hers and only hers. Obviously there have been some kinks in that since, but still that moment carries some incredible meaning til this day.
You’re married so I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from. The ceremony, the exchange of rings, the kiss, the celebration. They all symbolize the completeness of that love. I just feel that regardless of who someone loves, be it of the same or different sex, they should be entitled to have that same incredible moment. To show their commitment to forever with that person by saying, “I Do”…
@Kristina,
I’ve heard the argument that this is no different than slavery but I disagree. Slavery had everything to do with racism and superiority. Slavery was a forced act upon people that didn’t deserve to live that type of life.
Being gay is a lifestyle choice and a choice that gay and lesbian people choose to live out. Because of this I don’t give any thought to the argument.
For that very argument though I do believe that one day gay marriage will be as commonplace as woman’s rights and everything else this Country has come to adopt.
You asked, “Why on EARTH would anyone else have to be “Ready” for someone else to get married?”
The reason is because of the change it brings to our laws and how it goes against our up bringing, our religious beliefs and the hope for our kids future. When you try to change something that either affects others now or possibly in the future then you will find opposition.
@Mike Gay relationships are already widely socially acceptable world wide. Most people, including myself, have come to accept that fact.
Loving someone shouldn’t be determined by who says it is OK to love that other person be it church, government, family or friends. Why should any of these people or organizations have any say about the love you have for someone else?
If someone loves someone then let them experience the ceremony, the exchange of rings, the kiss, the celebration and so on just as you and I have experience. This is already socially acceptable!
I can personally care less if my marriage is considered legal or not, ordained by a church or not. Marriage to me is my commitment to my wife, her commitment to me, our commitment and announcement of a life long promise to one another in front of all of our friends and family.
My personal faith and religious background also added to that ceremony by the way. Marriage to me is also a way that I honored God and all that I believe in. Interestingly enough though I am not trying to change the law so that people legally except my personal faith just so I count my marriage equal to anyone else.
@John That’s precisely my point though – other people getting married does not affect you. The right that other people have to make decisions in regard to their spouse under the law (a right given by legal marriage) has nothing to do with your morals or your values. There are no laws that protect your morals or your values because that is not a logical way to run a country. The fact that we have religious freedom means that you can practice your own religion – and in turn your own morals and values – freely. This has nothing to do with legal marriage at all. Continue to live your life and teach your children as you see fit – there is no law that will EVER deny you that. But what that has to do with taxes, spousal rights and everything that comes with LEGAL marriage – well, honestly, why would other people having that right affect you? It doesn’t, and it won’t.
And sweetheart, it’s not a choice. It is who they are. Any more than you “chose” to be attracted to women.
Additionally, you’ll never be able to convince me that withholding a person’s rights on ANY basis (with exception of criminals…although, as previously mentioned, they have the right to marry…hmmm) doesn’t have the same roots as the entire concept of slavery. After all, part of slavery was denying almost all rights to a whole group of people. See the connection? Of course it’s not the same thing, but the analogy was more towards my opinion that both sentiments are utterly and completely wrong.
@Kristina,
I disagree with you that the gay and lesbian lifestyle isn’t a choice and that opinion will never change so I’ll leave it at that.
Legalizing gay marriage does affect my life and that of my families life just not in a way that is so obviously apparent. Legally accepting it makes it more and more socially accepted, talked about and generally open to discussion which in turn affects my child and future children in regards to how they perceive relationships.
Legalizing gay marriage also opens a floodgate of legal rights issues that may not happen this month, this year or any time soon but somewhere down the road be it 5 years or 20 years later, there will come a time where this is taught in schools by teachers protected by the law because there is nothing legally wrong about gay marriage. Talking about gay marriage doesn’t have to be approved by schools in order for it to be discussed by teachers and there is no telling if schools later decide to incorporate some teaching that I’d disagree with.
My decision is mostly due to the fact that I have a child and expect to have more children. I’m looking out for their future regardless if other people think I’m raising them to be ignorant.
Look at our Nation today. Divorced and separated families… one parent raising children without the other and so on make for really unstable families. A child with a father and mother gets a fair balance of both genders in their lives and can learn to respect both genders. Now you want to say that it is legally OK for a guy and another guy or a lady and another lady to marry? I disagree with that unbalance.
So does legalizing gay marriage affect my life? Absolutely!
@John
“Interestingly enough though I am not trying to change the law so that people legally except my personal faith just so I count my marriage equal to anyone else.”
But I think you are by a yes vote. Because for what other reason would a person not have that civil right?
As for the religious part… I’m a Christian, and I think that this is not the best way to continue representing the church by making it a point to tell everyone what we’re against. But we’re FOR nothing, except telling people what they can’t do.
I feel that this was a very religious vote, maybe not for you, but for many. But how can we hold someone accountable for our beliefs? The Bible talks about that… I’ll try and find the verse tonight.
I know “the church” didn’t pass this… but I got so many *ridiculous* emails from people I know about what we should vote if we’re “real Christians” and it made me ill. It’s stuff like that that makes the church so out of touch.
God does not change, sin is still sin, but this proposition was a horrible battleground to make that argument. I am not saying to change God with society… but society and this earth is changing. That’s part of what makes having faith so important to me; no matter what goes which way in my life, I know there is a foundation for me to lean on. That’s not popluar either. But you know what, I have quite a few friends who aren’t Christians, and they haven’t thrown me overboard yet. Consequently enough, I cannot give my Christian friends that much credit.
One day, we will have to fight for the right to worship God – in other countries they lost the fight, they are living secret and potentially deadly lives. Civil rights… we take someone else’s … no one will care when we gotta fight for ours.
And so continues the church in its current form… we must shelter our children forever, making them wholly unaware of reality and throwing them to the wolves in their adult life.
This happened to my husband with his upbringing in a Christian school. He had no social awareness at all. He had trouble and work and college, and with friends because he had his black, white, and the line inbetween for every subject.
The opposite of the ideal was accomplished… he was never taught how to love people, really. To form relationships and to be a real person. He was taught how to tell people about Jesus and why they need Him, cut dry, or go to hell.
Is that what we should do with our children? For my son and daughter, they will know these things so they can function in society. They should have friends of all walks of life.
Did Jesus say “go out into all the world” or did He say, “go out into all the church”?
So how in the world can someone go out into all the world if they have no way to connect with the world. Kids need to know what’s going on.
My child will know about gay people, and that they have relationships and marriages, etc. And they may have a friend in school who has 2 mommies. And you know what, my kiddos will treat them the same… as people. How can they know to do that unless I show them? How can I show them unless they know the truth. Will I tell them what I think the Bible says about the lifestyle, yes… I will, but I will make it darn clear that as long as they are living with me they better not treat anyone any differently just because of that. It’s not even an issue of contention. It’s that I believe this, and others believe that. And nothing separates us in society.
These debates (which is what prop 8 was in my eyes) are worthless. They take focus off God’s glory. Off His ability to change someone’s whole life. To me it sullies the meaning of my faith when I express it to someone else, because I have to make 50 disclaimers about how I don’t hate them. Why do I have to do that?! Because, it’s what we’re known for.
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary use words.” -St. Francis of Assisi
(MIKEY – sorry for the “sermon” it’s just how I feel, and you always listen to my ramblings… so does Kristina… love you’s guys)
Hey Mike – first off..
@john I will just say that I agree with you and leave it at that. We all have our reasons for voting yes, but I honestly can see both sides. I’ve debated this issue until I have been blue in the face, so to all others reading this, I’m not going to check this thread again so there won’t be any back and forth here 🙂 And I certainly feel you can support our gay friends and be Pro Prop 8. I have gay friends who voted yes. There are so many facets to the argument it’s not simply right vs wrong.
Having said that, Mike, LOVE the picture on the post. GREAT ONE.
Second, I COMPLETELY agree with you on Prop 2. What the heck, man?? There are so many reasons Prop 2 was ridiculous. Farmers are going to be forced out of business who can’t comply, and we will be importing more food from Mexico now, since it will be cheaper – and it will certainly contain a higher risk of salmonella, etc.
While as you know I didn’t vote for Obama, it was certainly a great day in American history when we proved that race creates no boundaries. I pray that this breaks down the “race card” in a big way.
And I will keep praying for our president elect, that he make all the necessary decisions and be a SUCCESSFUL president and prove all us right wingers wrong about him! I pray that we also don’t treat him the way that so many liberals treated George Bush over the last 8 years. No more hate speak, no more sabotage, no more “out to get you”. Let’s SUPPORT our president and UNIFY our country.
@Katie Even though you aren’t coming back to the post I wanted to follow up. I wasn’t against Prop 2. I was simply comparing that California cared more about the rights of animals than the rights of other human beings. I am surprised however that you know gays who voted Yes on 8. I would be interested in their reasoning. We obviously disagree on a lot of issues, but I will say one thing. I LOVED the last line of your comment, “Let’s SUPPORT our president and UNIFY our country.” Amen sister.