Here We Go Again
Since I'm sure most of you have heard by now (it was the top Google News story all day) that the California Supreme Court is at it again - this time rewriting the definition of marriage against the will of 61% of the electorate - I won't bore you with much on the decision itself (here is an interesting analysis if you're interested). In fact, I won't be discussing the underlying issue at all. Partially because I'm still sorting through my own personal position on gay marriage. Mostly because my real outrage here is not about policy, but process.
I'm not so outraged by the decision itself as by the fact that 4 judges could overturn the will of 4.6 million citizens. As big of a fan as I am of the Constitution, that just really pisses me off. I also find it questionable (at best) that the Court decided to rule on this now, as opposed to, say, right after the law was enacted in 2000 (when, I believe, California's Constitution was the same as it is today).
The irony of all this is, of course, that the gay marriage issue will now be elevated back up to the level of political discourse and become a major campaign issue for the fall election, thus mobilizing a previously apathetic conservative electorate to come out and vote. Gotta love unintended consequences.
Another observation (going back to my being pissed off): I just have to note how blatantly self-contradicting and hypocritical Democrats/liberals tend to be on so many issues. It's really just absurd sometimes. One day they are demanding that we pull troops out of Iraq because "that's what the American people want," then the next day they are perfectly content to throw the democratic process out the window to appease a tiny but vocal minority within their ranks. Beyond being a tragedy, it's intellectually dishonest and amazingly transparent. You can't have it both ways, folks.
Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
More reading...
Court overturns same-sex marriage ban
California Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage (ABC News)
Ruling injects hot new issue into presidential race (San Francisco Chronicle)
CA Supreme Court Imposes Same-sex 'Marriage,' Overturning Prop. 22 (Family Research Council Press Release)
1 comment:
While I agree that California's court overturning the will of the people seems rather frustrating, as you mentioned regarding the liberals and hypocrisy, so it goes with republicans. Several conservative prime issues could very easily be considered against the will of the majority, from staying in Iraq to overturning roe vs wade. Its currently high on the conservative agenda to get a republican president in office so that he can appoint strict constructionist judges in the hopes of ending abortion's legality. I'm not at all sure that a popular vote to that same effect would prevail. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be in effect. A person is (well, can be) smart, but many times, people are stupid. Just because something is popular doesn't make it right.
In California, if it truly is the complete and utter will of the people that gay marriage be illegal, then the overwhelming majority will elect representatives to amend california's constitution, rendering the current court's decsion meaningless.
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