Aftermath

I've been reading a lot online about the aftermath of Prop 8. I have been frustrated, saddened, angry and baffled by the reaction and the mob-mentality hitting our streets and airwaves. There's so much information out there.. this post will include links to many places.

I understand the issues are deeply emotional and personal. I understand that defeat moves people to do things they wouldn't in their right minds. I understand the need to find someone, something to blame....to focus all that pent up frustration on. I understand that - but it isn't the right thing to do.

Hypocrisy flaunted in the public square drives me cross-eyed. I honestly believe that if the homosexual agenda, and those that oppose Prop 8 want to be upset with anyone - they ought to look at Gavin Newsom, and the four justices (lawyers in robes) that gave them a counterfeit reality.

Newsom and those lawyers created a reality that they had no right to give. The gave hope and change to people without authority. They short-circuited the people's process which only served to torture a group of folks they claim to support.

Prop 8 came about as a result of what Newsom and those lawyers did. Supporters of traditional marriage and Prop 8 didn't start this cauldron. They rose up in defense of an institution that was threatened. Enough with the catch-phrases. This was never about equal rights.

In California:

California has passed three pieces of legislation that provide rights and responsibilities to registered domestic partners (same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples over the age of 62 are eligible to register). Assembly Bill 26 passed in 1999 established the statewide domestic partner registry and conferred a handful of rights which included hospital visitation and the right of state and local employers the ability to offer health care coverage to the domestic partners of their employees. Assembly Bill 25 was passed in 2001 and extended the rights of domestic partners to include the right to make medical decisions, the right to inherit when partner dies without a will, the right to use state step-parent adoption procedures, the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner and the right to be appointed as administrator of estate. In 2003 Assembly Bill 205 was passed, basically extending all of the state-level rights and responsibilities of marriage to domestic partners. The rights and responsibilities associated with Assembly Bill 205 went into effect on Jan. 1, 2005.

I hope people come to their senses. I hope this appalling mob-mentality dissipates quickly. In the meantime I applaud those who stand up for, and recognize that marriage is between one man and one woman. I am grateful to see true heroes in this world. I am also grateful to organizations of all faiths who have stepped up and come out in defense of Mormons, who have been targeted in this fervor of angry unrest.

Elton John recently told folks "I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," John says. "The word 'marriage,' I think, puts a lot of people off." I applaud Elton John. He said something that is not very trendy in the mainstream, pop-culture world of ours. It would be so much easier for him to just go along with the loud, angry mob.

I hope people can be wise like this 14 year-old girl who did a social experiment on tolerance. It is frustrating when entire cities refuse to listen to the will of the people... for the second time.

It is sad when black-listing and intimidation works to silence those who have given so much to the community. It is insulting and patronizing when Pelosi tells people that the voters are too stupid to know what they are doing.

My hackles get raised when I see base behavior enacted in places of peace and worship. It offends me when I see vandalism and blatant disregard for the law.

Despite this - we, those of us that do believe in tolerance, acceptance and goodness - continue to turn the other cheek.

And last... I'm grateful for guys like Kevin Hamilton...I'm posting his great email (that's been going around) below:

Dear Friends,

In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our young people have been especially subject to mean spirited comments by high school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong. In fact, we did everything that a civic minded American can and should do. I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better. For example:

Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.

The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.

Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.

The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Even Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.

The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).

The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims – all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.

Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.

The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.

Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do – we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.

Hold your heads up high – you did a great job on this most important cause. We will have more opportunities in the future to participate in our democratic process. Let's remember the lessons learned and do an even better job next time.

These are my personal opinions and thoughts; any errors are mine and in now way reflect official Church policy or doctrine.

Thanks,
Kevin Hamilton

The Agenda

With Sheri Dew - third from the left.

At Time Out For Women they asked each of us to have a question in our hearts. I had a lesson to prepare for our YW regarding worthy thoughts, purity... and since that was what I had been pondering in my heart - the material pretty much presented it to me in those two days.

They also asked us to share with someone, what we KNOW...after this conference, or what we've always KNOWN to be true.

I have a lot of other topics I want to write about - but I'll start with what I KNOW.

I wish I could take what I KNOW and toss it into every man, woman and child out there. Because I believe that if we KNOW who we are - we can move mountains.

As children growing up in the LDS Church we are taught who we are. The first songs we learn are "I am a Child of God". It's instilled as soon as we can talk. This simple message is vital to our missions here on this earth. Because we all have a mission. We are here to fulfill those missions. The fact that we're here, in this body demonstrates our support of God and his plan for our salvation. That is powerful to know... to truly understand and KNOW in every fiber of our being.

I didn't always know who I was. In fact, my soul took quite a beating as a child. I often felt out of place. I remember the feeling I had often as a child, standing amidst a crowd of kids, and feeling completely alone, as if I was a cosmic lab rat. That all these crazy experiments, the taunting, the emotional havoc, the physical hurt, was all something conspired to test when I would go crazy. It was in those moments that I called out to God. That I asked him to rescue me from my predicament. I wasn't rescued in the way I wanted, but my faith was always strengthened. It would have been so easy, so incredibly easy for me to take the path into an unhealthy, unstable lifestyle, I'd have all the excuses I needed to go down that dark, and twisty path, but I didn't, because the Lord increased my faith. I learned at a young age, that He walks beside me.

I discovered early on that if I wanted to become like the people I admired, the ones with faith, with joy, with generosity, that I could become like them, by working hard on myself. That I could make myself the person I would want to be, with the Lord's help. I haven't always been outgoing, or warm. I think if you were to look back at my childhood - you'd find a girl who hid in bathrooms, was scared and awkwardly alone. I used to be the one who would wait to have someone, anyone come say hi to her. That's not me now. Because I didn't like sitting the on the sidelines. I chose to be the person I wanted to be. My Savior gave me the strength to do so.

I found examples, good and bad that I could learn from. I found a co-worker who didn't know who she was without a career - I knew I wanted to know who I was without anyone or anything to distract from who I was at the core.

Just recently I have started to learn the joy of finding out what it means to be loved unconditionally by my Father in Heaven. I've discovered that with my Savior there are no strings attached. He loves me no matter what choices I've made, what mistakes I've made... He loves me, right now, just as I am. Some of you have already learned this ... reflected in those who've raised you - that's miraculous. Discovering it now... has expanded my soul...joyfully. It's such a strange way for me to think and feel - to know that I am lovable, without having to follow any set path, rules, guide, or expectation... it's indescribable.

There are still lessons I'm learning, things I'm constantly struggling with, working on, because I'm not yet the person I want to be. I don't know if I'll ever be that person completely, here on this earth, but I know I can work at it each day.

I think about how, there have been challenges I've lived through, and still am working through... and I think about the way my life is now. If you asked any of my old friends from college, and even some of the boys I dated... I don't think they would have thought of motherhood as a natural fit for me. I certainly would not have imagined that 10+ years after graduating BYU I'd be as centered and happy as a mother, as I am now. In fact, if you had told me I would love to bake and cook, and read cookbooks for enjoyment, own a sewing machine... and actually sew semi-straight lines... I'd probably ask if you were smoking crack. I've only just begun doing these things... in the last five years.

If you had told me that going back to a career is totally unappetizing to me now... I'd try to talk some sense into you. I've discovered that loving the role I have as a wife and Mother is a blessing. It's a blessing because so many women, so many blogs, so many talks from our leaders try to convince a multitude of women that their highest role, their greatest gift to humanity, is to be a Mother. I don't have to be persuaded - I know it. I KNOW it. I OWN it. I genuinely raise my hand to the bar and shout AMEN!

Of course... I wish this knowledge came with a cliffs note manual so I wouldn't be so awful at it... I make mistakes... daily... every minute. I find myself apologizing, on my knees asking to help me to be more patient... but in return I'm blessed with the feeling of fulfillment in this role. I know that this season with my little ones is short... too, too short. I can feel it slipping through my fingers like sand every moment and my heart aches, my mind worries... I still have so much to learn and do for these precious girls.

I haven't always kept my eye on the Savior... there are times I slip. But I have testimony of what Sheri Dew stated so eloquently at the TOFW conference, "When we focus on the world we don't see the Adversary or the Savior. When we focus on the Savior we love Him, we see Him and the effects of the Adversary."

When I think of all the things of the world that ail women who happen to also be mothers... the list is endless. From their body image, their need to compare, shopping labels, cliques, wanting it all, an extra job, or owning your own business (when you don't need it), reputation, degrees, titles... there's so many, and they are so varied. If we aren't centered in who we are, we focus too much on what we think others think of us... we forget that others don't matter. We forget that GOD loves us. We forget that all this superficial dressing, superfluous activities and wants... don't matter. We forget that what matters are the lives we influence. Because when we focus on the world - we are influenced by the world. When we focus on God - we influence the ones who are most important.

Sheri Dew told us that there are three things we MUST KNOW.
1. KNOW who you are - I Am a Child of God.
2. KNOW the POWER of the ATONEMENT
3. KNOW how to Receive Personal Revelation

1. Dew stated that there are two things nearly ALL Prophets teach. First, they testify of Christ - they witness His divinity, and two they preach of US. From Adam and Eve down to this dispensation of the fullness of times - they preach of US. Dew asked "do you think the Lord would take a chance on men and women He couldn't count on? No way." I am here for a purpose. You are here for a purpose. We are a generation different from all others. Ours is the only dispensation that will NOT end in apostasy.

Imagine that. We will always have the priesthood. We will always have temple ordinances. We will always have Prophet who will lead and guide us. The magnitude of that kind of miracle... that we participate in is heavy. It is powerful. We owe it to those that came before to fulfill our missions. To FOCUS on the Savior, to stop our self-pity and constant comparisons with our neighbors. We need to do remember who we are. We may feel inadequate at times, but the Spirit testifies to each of our souls of our power. We are the noble and great ones. Will we live up to that?

2. Dew stated that Christ came with a doctrine of healing. He came to heal us from our heartache, sin, emotional weakness, physical weakness, mental weakness, depression, sorrow, loneliness... everything that makes us feel small, or insignificant. It is vital to our mission to understand the healing power the Atonement.

3. We need to learn the language of revelation. Dew said that we need to learn what it feels like, what it sounds like. That we need to work at it. She said that way the Lord speaks to her has changed over the years. Yet, she is still working to learn, because sometimes she gets it, and sometimes she doesn't. He wants to talk to us, we need to learn to hear it.

Dew also stated, nothing surprises our Heavenly Father. In '98 President Hinckley prophesied about economic collapse. Look at us now. Heavenly Father knew when the world would start to fall apart, and He wanted YOU and me. We weren't placed here accidentally.

We have been sent here to DO.

As a woman I see that my role in this season is to influence for good. Whether that be my most precious daughters, the friends and people I interact with on a daily, or less frequent basis - I have a job to do. I am not craving any other "seemingly more sparkly" position, or one that I, in my small perspective of eternity, deems more important. I already have my call from the Lord. I know who I am. I know God will strengthen me to fulfill my mission joyfully.

When I go through my day I need to remind myself by asking "Who's agenda is this supporting? Christ or the Adversary?"

I KNOW. I know that I am a Child of God. That's just what I know.

With Jenny Oaks Baker, second from the left

Same-Sex Marriage vs. Civil Rights

This portion of a fantastic article (link below) makes it clear the difference between same-sex marriage and Civil Rights. They are completely different. The same-sex agenda is couching their movement under a faux civil right light because they are hoping to legitimize it.



I recommend everyone who really wants to understand what civil rights is and isn't to read this article below. Thanks Carrie for sending this.

---



Same-Sex Marriage vs. Civil Rights
In the Jewish World Review, Jeff Jacoby wrote: "When Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain approached the lunch counter of the Elm Street Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C. on February 1, 1960, all they were looking for was something to eat. The four North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College students wanted what any white customer might want, and on precisely the same terms - the same food at the same counter at the same price.
Those first four sit-in strikers, like the thousands of others who would emulate them at lunch counters across the South, weren't demanding that Woolworth's prepare or serve their food in ways it had never been prepared or served before. They weren't bent on forcing a revolutionary change upon a timeless social institution. All they were seeking was what should aready have been theirs under the law of the land. The 14th Amendment - approved by Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the states in 1868 - had declared that blacks no less than whites were entitled to equal protection of the law. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 - passed by a Democratic House and a Republican Senate and signed into law by President Grant - had barred discrimination in public accommodations".
Jeff Jacoby continues: "But the Supreme Court had gutted those protections with shameful decisions in 1883 and 1896. The court's betrayal of black Americans was the reason why, more than six decades later, segregation still polluted so much of the nation. To restore the 14th Amendment to its original purpose, to re-create the Civil Rights Act, to return black citizens the equality that had been stolen from them - that was the great cause of civil rights.
The marriage radicals, on the other hand, seek to restore nothing. They have not been deprived of the law's equal protection, or of the right to marry - only of the right to insist that a single-sex union is a "marriage." They cloak their demands in the language of civil rights because it sounds so much better than the truth: They don't want to accept or reject marriage on the same terms that it is available to everyone else. They want it on entirely new terms. They want it to be given a meaning it has never before had, and they prefer that to be done undemocratically - by judicial fiat, for example, or by mayors flouting the law. Whatever else that may be, it isn't civil rights.
But dare to speak against it, and you are no better than Bull Connor.
The civil rights movement...was grounded in a fundamental truth: All of us are created equal. The same-sex marriage movement, by contrast, is grounded in the denial of a fundamental truth: The Creator who made us equal made us male and female. That duality has always and everywhere been the starting point for marriage. The newly fashionable claim that marriage can ignore that duality is akin to the claim, back when lunch counters were segregated, that America was a land of liberty and justice for all."
You can read Jeff Jacoby's full article at the link here:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/jeff/jacoby_gay_marriage.php3?printer_friendly

YES on PROP 8 sign

This is an email my friend Camille sent out to her friends and neighbors about why she put a YES on PROP 8 sign on her lawn. I liked it. Here it is.

-------------------

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Most of you have probably noticed by now that we have had a Yes on Prop 8 sign in our yard for the past several weeks, showing our support for defining marriage as between a man and a woman. I know that not all of you share our views, and I want to say "thank you" for being such good and respectful friends and neighbors. I am one of only a handful of people I know with Yes on Prop 8 signs in their yard that have not experienced multiple sign thefts, acts of vandalism, or threats.

I tend to be a private political person. As a general rule, I do not discuss my voting preferences or record. I have learned through experience that voting is a very personal thing and one that many people are very passionate about; casual discussions can quickly escalate into heated debates and arguments. I have stretched beyond my comfort zone in this election to show my support for Proposition 8 because I see a real threat to values and freedoms that are important to me. I feel vulnerable and exposed, and I have been on the receiving end of horrible slurs and swear words for simply standing up for my beliefs. This has never happened to me before, and I'm not a big fan. :-) I understand that many of you don’t have the same concerns, belief system or paradigm that I do, so the purpose of this e-mail is to clarify that my support of Proposition 8 does not stem from gay-bashing, fear, hate, bigotry, intolerance, inequality or discrimination as some have accused. I hope that all of you, regardless of how you feel on the issue, know and recognize that there are legitimate and valid reasons to oppose gay marriage that are not founded in hate or intolerance. If you are interested in hearing mine, please keep reading.

My husband Sam is voting Yes on Prop 8 because the judges here clearly overstepped their bounds and made law rather than interpreting it, and he believes the original Proposition 22 should stand based on its 62% majority passage. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, this judicial activism is something that should concern everyone. The California Supreme Court exceeded its proper role when the 4-3 majority overturned Proposition 22. Citing from the two dissenting opinions:

Justice Marvin Baxter: “I cannot join this exercise in legal jujitsu, by which the Legislature’s own weight is used against it to create a constitutional right from whole cloth, defeat the People’s will, and invalidate a statute otherwise immune from legislative interference.”

Justice Carol Corrigan pointed out the fundamental flaws in the majority’s constitutional analysis and then criticized the four-judge majority: “The principle of judicial restraint is a covenant between judges and the people from whom their power derives. It protects the people against judicial overreaching. It is no answer to say that judges can break the covenant so long as they are enlightened or well-meaning.”

As an attorney, I was horrified and offended by the court’s activism and am still a bit stunned by the audacity of the judges. Nevertheless, I have chosen to move on…

For the record, I have three very close friends who are gay and are in or have been in committed relationships during the decade or so that I have known them. We worked together in a Washington, DC law firm for 6+ years. I love these friends, and they would tell you that I have always been respectful and supportive of them and their partners even though they know that I don't personally agree with or condone their chosen lifestyle. I would give a kidney to any one of them. I wish them only happiness and fulfillment in their lives. But I am still against gay marriage.

Our country is full of groups that claim discrimination and inequality, some with perhaps more legitimacy than others, but documentation for all exists: smokers, short people, obese people, polygamists, people with children, people without children, bald people, financially-challenged people (hence the need for the bailout), prostitutes, home-schooled children, female athletes… I could go on… Even Ted Bundy, the notorious serial killer, was disturbingly rational in his argument with one of his victims (who had turned on an audiotape to record the conversation) that in essence, it was discrimination to value her right to life over his right to indulge his need to kill. (Note: I am not equating serial killing with gay marriage here; just using the example to illustrate a more general point!) Generally speaking, people within these groups may sometimes band together and view the world in egocentric and even hostile terms, ultimately pushing an agenda of "our rights in preference to your rights." That's human nature. But there is no way for absolute freedom to exist for all groups. To give rights to one group almost always means taking away rights from another group.

An example. Why is there a ban on smoking in public places like restaurants? Because the second-hand smoke inflicted on people without their consent can be annoying and ultimately cause harm. Society has determined that it is okay to discriminate against smokers in order to protect the non-smokers. This is how I view gay marriage. I am certainly in favor of equal rights, acceptance, and tolerance, but where there are significant protections like the domestic partnership laws in place to ensure that same sex couples enjoy virtually every legal right enjoyed by married couples (health care benefits, social security, inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, etc.), I feel okay about trying to limit my exposure to the second-hand smoke that will threaten religious freedom/liberty and compromise my own parental rights to instruct my children on moral issues as I see fit.

For those who say it is fear-mongering to say that there will be any impact on these things (and there are many that do), there is a recent publication entitled Same Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty, Emerging Conflicts that brings together the essays of ten law professors, left, right and center, who ALL say that the road ahead is a train wreck for religious liberty in its conflict with same-sex marriage. Many of those who are promoting gay marriage have already shown a lack of tolerance for any view that does not conform to theirs. For someone to say there will be "no impact" really means that the impact is one that they don't care about or give credence to; it's an "our rights/that group's rights in preference to your rights" argument. I have been surprised to see such an active campaign of hate, intolerance and discrimination against religious organizations and coalition members by a group that is complaining about hate, intolerance and discrimination.

There are already numerous examples of the litigation that will soon explode in California if Prop 8 doesn’t pass, as gay couples try to force acceptance of their marriages on all people and institutions, regardless of religious beliefs (and will even target religious people/places specifically to force them to do so):

In Canada, a pastor or minister who discussed moral beliefs from the Bible regarding homosexuality was sued for hate speech…and lost, after 5 years and lots of legal bills. (See http://tinyurl.com/CanadaHateCrime)

A Methodist church in New Jersey recently lost a lawsuit and its state tax-exempt status for refusing to lease its facilities for a same-sex marriage. (See http://tinyurl.com/NewJerseyTaxStatus)

A doctor in Southern California was sued for refusing to artificially inseminate a lesbian woman because it conflicted with her Christian beliefs; she had referred the woman to a doctor who did not have the same moral issues. (See http://tinyurl.com/GaySuesDR)

Photographers who prefer not to shoot same-sex weddings and civil unions for religious reasons are being sued. (See http://tinyurl.com/GaySuesPhotographer)

Catholic Charities was sued and forced to close their doors permanently in Massachusetts when state law required that the agency place children with same-sex couples, contrary to its religious beliefs. (See http://tinyurl.com/AdoptionAgencyClosed)

A few weeks ago in Hayward, CA, parents at a K-8 charter school (Faith Ringgold School of Art and Science) were shocked to learn the extent to which their school was promoting gay and lesbian ideals to their daughter in kindergarten. Posters promoting families all depicted only homosexual families, in honor of Gay and Lesbian History Month. “Ally Week” is a pro-homosexual push typically aimed at high school students to encourage acceptance. The school chose not to tell parents ahead of time.

A parent in Massachusetts, David Parker, was taken away in handcuffs when he went to complain to his daughter’s elementary school and ask the school to offer parental consent when he discovered his five year old daughter was being taught about same-sex marriages in kindergarten.

Some of you may not be religiously-minded. I know that there is a current trend in this country towards irreligiosity and the disallowance of certain opinions simply because they grow out of religious conviction. But I believe the traditional family to be ordained of God. I believe there is a reason for the duality of gender and for the biological requirement for both a man and a woman to create children. Around the world, the traditional concept of marriage is found in virtually every culture on earth and upheld as the basic unit of society. If we do away with the distinction between a man/woman marriage and a same-gender union and foster a "genderless" society, I believe there will be many unforeseen consequences. Like my son Cade’s “life is like a game of chess” analogy, I think that while this move appears to be fairly harmless to many people, we should be looking 5, 7, or 10 moves ahead to see what the consequences will really be for our future and for our society at large.

Clearly I have spent many hours on this issue over the past months and have considered my position very seriously. THANK YOU for listening. This was much longer than I intended it to be...and I still had to edit myself! For those who share my views and join me in voting YES on Prop 8, I hope you can feel validated by reading my reasoning and arguments. For those of you that disagree with me, I respect your views, thank you for reading, and hope that you will at least consider the “Yes” side from a more sympathetic and less judgmental angle than the “No” side has been depicting. Regardless of the outcome of the vote on this, I fear there will be fall-out and continued polarization and divisiveness. I hope all of us can work together to offset that in our own little ways. (And no, I won't be asking you how you voted!!)

We love our neighborhood and friends and are so grateful for all of you, differences and all. We are so blessed by our associations with you. We look forward to many more years of conversations, park outings and get-togethers.

With love,

Camille Hoppe

Note: There are lots of faiths supporting the traditional definition of the family, and who are part of a coalition to promote the Yes on 8 campaign :

Catholic: “The Roman Catholic Church believes that marriage is a faithful, exclusive, and lifelong union between one man and one woman, joined as husband and wife in an intimate partnership of life and love. This union was established by God with its own proper laws.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Lutheran: Missouri Synod: “we pray that all people, especially men and women properly united as husbands and wives, will honor God’s divinely ordained relationship of marriage.”

Southern Baptist Convention: “affirm that legal and biblical marriage can only occur between one man and one woman.” June 2003.

The National Association of Evangelicals believes that God created us male and female. Furthermore, the biblical record shows that sexual union was established exclusively within the context of a male-female relationship (Genesis 2:24), and formalized in the institution of marriage. The partner for man was woman. Together they were to be one flesh, in the New Testament, the oneness of male and female in marriage pictures the relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons): “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

Coliseum (Colosseum)

I can't help but wonder if some Americans just want a light show.

Something with a whizz and a bang.


That's the only way I can explain it when I see the fervor and zeal for Obama. I honestly think that some people just want to witness something historic (oooh...ahhhh...). That's it. They don't care if Obama is pushing a socialist agenda. They don't care that the tax plan is to redistribute money... they don't care if what he says is true or not - it sounds good - therefore we must swoon (sigh). It doesn't even matter that the role of the President is not all encompassing power... it's enough to say that the President can balance the budget, make us all healthy and bring world peace. It doesn't matter if none of this will ever happen in their term, or ever.

Historic - that's it. It's like in ancient times. All they wanted was some entertainment. They didn't care at what expense... (human). Romans in a colisseum. That's what our election looks like. Is that even remotely crazy to you? Or maybe it's just me.


There's that hubbub about Joe the Plumber. I find it disturbing that he asked a valid question - and instead of Obama's handlers addressing the issue - they spend all their time trying to discredit the plumber. Here's the deal - character or no character - the plumber asked a question - one that was a really good question - one that proved that Obama is a socialist.

Mr. Obama said, "It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody that is behind you, that they have a chance for success, too. I think that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

How is that good for everybody??? Anyone with a actively thinking noggin' knows that will kill any incentive to work, invent, start business... all the ingenuity that makes America and it's people great. I really do not want to turn into a place like the fomer soviet union... I don't. I appreciate, and honestly like our freedoms. Don't you?

Obama wants to take money someone earned with hard work, creativity - and give it to someone else... um, sorry - I don't want that. Listen - if you want to pay more taxes - go for it, more power to you - but if I don't want to - I shouldn't have to. Don't force me to - it only pisses me off.

Listen - I've never been a fan of McCain... I'm a disappointed in politics in general - but at this point...given my choices... do I want to preserve democracy or do I want a radical change to socialism... um... gee ... for me it's an easy answer. Oh yes... it's also been cast... so kiss me - I voted. (I wish they gave out those stickers at the voting booth)

Wondering ... if we had people run...without parties... people that we'd actually have to research and get-to-know on our own... without the craziness of DC... wouldn't we get better people - or just more narcissists...because those are usually the only ones that want to run for office? It seems the only ones that want the self-importance of public office are all like Napoleon.

Green Nappies

Saw this article about reusable and disposable nappies...as the UK folks call them.

Check it out. I swear - anytime society trends towards something - I like to pause and ask... is this wise... and turns out... maybe, maybe not.

Don't you love when people hush-up something that doesn't work for their agenda?