The saying may be, "Opinions are like assh*les - everyone has one," but in light of the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling a week and a half ago, it's felt like many on the far-right end of the political spectrum have magically grown a pair of additional assh*les due to all the commentary they've publicly made. Such was the case yet again with a Columbus Dispatch letter-to-the-editor I read the other day, entitled, "Truth should trump courts good intentions," written by Matt Palmer of Bexley. Here's the full letter:
"I write in response to the Supreme Court’s decision last Friday to affirm same-sex marriage (Dispatch article, Saturday).
From the very beginning, mankind has asserted its independence from what it deems to be unacceptable limits. The very story of Adam and Eve is, of course, our own story, told again and again by every person and by every generation.
That story — man’s desire to define himself as he wishes — was told once again on Friday by our Supreme Court. Confusing its responsibility to truth with its desire to accommodate a more immediate appeal to wants that appear as rights, our court ignored natural law and attempted to redefine marriage.
Well-intentioned as those five justices may be, and well-intentioned as those who fought for this decision might be, truth speaks a different story, one stamped into our very nature as male and female. Every person, regardless of sexual orientation or political persuasion, was brought into being by a unique act of creation between a man and a woman. It is an act of complementarity, unity and love that is meant to initiate a lifelong giving of self to one another and to the children of that union, for the good of those children and for the ordering of society.
And it is that relationship that gives us the real definition of marriage. Other relationships can and should be afforded all rights and protections that liberty affords; only one relationship however, is a marriage.
The next time you see a baby, reflect on the beautiful mystery of that child’s very existence. And honor the special role that true marriage has in our world."
First off, I love how this writer refers to sex: "Every person, regardless of sexual orientation or political persuasion, was brought into being by a unique act of creation between a man and a woman." Yeah, it's a unique act alright, so unique HBO has aired 33 episodes of the Real Sex series (yes, I had to look that up, and no, I don't see the name being altered to Real Unique Acts of Creation anytime in the near future). Upon reading this quote, I have to wonder if Mr. Palmer is an abstinence-only instructor and if he teaches his kids about the birds and the bees in a similar manner. It comes across like a fortune from a fortune cookie: "A unique act of creation is coming your way soon." Upon reading it, Palmer would likely respond, "Wow! So, what is this creation? Am I going to build a snowman?" Yeah, that's it...
As for the rest of the piece, I have to say it really bothers me when some on the far-right classify things as "real" or "true." There are apparently real Americans and phony Americans, real marriages and fake marriages, with absolutely zero shades of grey. So, according to Mr. Palmer, only one of the multiple types of marriages written about in the Bible is "real," while all the others aren't so much, and the only true marriage is one between a man and a woman with kids of their own (you know, through that unique act of creation thing). What about infertile couples? Elderly couples? Are they not involved in real marriages because they can't have children of their own? What an insensitive thing to even subtly suggest. No, gay couples may not be able to conceive children on their own, but like heterosexual infertile and elderly couples, they can still be great, loving parents to adopted children. Just because they're providing a loving home for a child that's not biologically theirs doesn't make their marriages or families any less legitimate.
Mr. Palmer ended his piece by writing, "The next time you see a baby, reflect on the beautiful mystery of that child's very existence. And honor the special role that true marriage has in our world."
No, the next time you see an adopted child being cared for by a pair of loving parents, reflect on that child's livelihood, and honor the special role that marriages of all stripes have in our world.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2015/07/03/1-truth-should-trump-courts-good-intentions.html
"I write in response to the Supreme Court’s decision last Friday to affirm same-sex marriage (Dispatch article, Saturday).
From the very beginning, mankind has asserted its independence from what it deems to be unacceptable limits. The very story of Adam and Eve is, of course, our own story, told again and again by every person and by every generation.
That story — man’s desire to define himself as he wishes — was told once again on Friday by our Supreme Court. Confusing its responsibility to truth with its desire to accommodate a more immediate appeal to wants that appear as rights, our court ignored natural law and attempted to redefine marriage.
Well-intentioned as those five justices may be, and well-intentioned as those who fought for this decision might be, truth speaks a different story, one stamped into our very nature as male and female. Every person, regardless of sexual orientation or political persuasion, was brought into being by a unique act of creation between a man and a woman. It is an act of complementarity, unity and love that is meant to initiate a lifelong giving of self to one another and to the children of that union, for the good of those children and for the ordering of society.
And it is that relationship that gives us the real definition of marriage. Other relationships can and should be afforded all rights and protections that liberty affords; only one relationship however, is a marriage.
The next time you see a baby, reflect on the beautiful mystery of that child’s very existence. And honor the special role that true marriage has in our world."
First off, I love how this writer refers to sex: "Every person, regardless of sexual orientation or political persuasion, was brought into being by a unique act of creation between a man and a woman." Yeah, it's a unique act alright, so unique HBO has aired 33 episodes of the Real Sex series (yes, I had to look that up, and no, I don't see the name being altered to Real Unique Acts of Creation anytime in the near future). Upon reading this quote, I have to wonder if Mr. Palmer is an abstinence-only instructor and if he teaches his kids about the birds and the bees in a similar manner. It comes across like a fortune from a fortune cookie: "A unique act of creation is coming your way soon." Upon reading it, Palmer would likely respond, "Wow! So, what is this creation? Am I going to build a snowman?" Yeah, that's it...
As for the rest of the piece, I have to say it really bothers me when some on the far-right classify things as "real" or "true." There are apparently real Americans and phony Americans, real marriages and fake marriages, with absolutely zero shades of grey. So, according to Mr. Palmer, only one of the multiple types of marriages written about in the Bible is "real," while all the others aren't so much, and the only true marriage is one between a man and a woman with kids of their own (you know, through that unique act of creation thing). What about infertile couples? Elderly couples? Are they not involved in real marriages because they can't have children of their own? What an insensitive thing to even subtly suggest. No, gay couples may not be able to conceive children on their own, but like heterosexual infertile and elderly couples, they can still be great, loving parents to adopted children. Just because they're providing a loving home for a child that's not biologically theirs doesn't make their marriages or families any less legitimate.
Mr. Palmer ended his piece by writing, "The next time you see a baby, reflect on the beautiful mystery of that child's very existence. And honor the special role that true marriage has in our world."
No, the next time you see an adopted child being cared for by a pair of loving parents, reflect on that child's livelihood, and honor the special role that marriages of all stripes have in our world.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2015/07/03/1-truth-should-trump-courts-good-intentions.html
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