Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jan 2014
Source: Pine River Times (CO)
Copyright: 2014 Pine River Times
Contact:  http://www.pinerivertimes.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5363
Author: Carole McWilliams

GAY MARRIAGE, POT ILLUSTRATE CHANGING SOCIETY

We seem to have reached a tipping point in national attitudes towards
two things that have been sources of disapproval for decades - namely
legalization of marijuana, and same sex marriage.

For marijuana, the tipping point already happened for the medical
benefits of marijuana, despite an assertion by congress in the 1970s
that marijuana had no medical value. That assertion was made, of
course, with no scientific backing; and patients' first person reports
of medical benefits were dismissed as "anecdotal evidence."

The Berlin Wall has already fallen there, even if the feds still don't
recognize it. Colorado and Washington state have started tearing down
the next wall, for adult use of recreational marijuana. Implementation
of that will be a big deal in 2014.

It's about time. Any psychopath can have a military arsenal, but if
they get caught with a joint!

Then there's same sex marriage.

In the early 1950s, the British code breaker who helped the Allies
beat the Germans in WWII was forced out because he was gay. That was
illegal then. He committed suicide. Queen Elizabeth pardoned him just
before Christmas. About time there too.

Even in recent years, gays were kicked out of the U.S. military even
if they had much needed skills, like fluency in Arabic. President
Obama eliminated "Don't ask, don't tell." Gays who want to serve in
the military no longer have to live a lie.

In the mid 1990s, congress passed and President Clinton signed the
"Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) to protect us from the galactic
homosexual agenda. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it
unconstitutional.

Back in 1992, Colorado voters approved Amendment 2, which prohibited
progressive local governments from banning discrimination against
gays. That got ruled unconstitutional before it ever went into effect.

The pro-Amendment 2 argument was that gays were seeking "special
rights" to not be singled out for discrimination. Now we have private
business owners fighting for their rights to single out people for
discrimination based on the owner's religious beliefs. That one is
having trouble too. Some of these cases involve services to same sex
marriage couples.

Various states, including Colorado, have voter-passed bans on same sex
marriage. That too could change in 2014.

National Public Radio reported last week that as 2013 started, 14
percent of Americans lived in states where same sex marriage was
legal. By the end of 2013, it was 38 percent.

Recent court rulings have opened the way for gay marriage in our
neighbors, New Mexico and Utah. Opponents of gay marriage howl the
courts are going against the will of the people.

I've argued for quite some time that nothing in the Constitution says
a majority of citizens can single out a population group and vote to
legalize discrimination against them. That seems to be what these
judges are saying.

The other argument against gay marriage is that it is destroying
traditional one man-one woman marriage. I'll be waiting eagerly in
2014 for any specific instances of that, since I haven't seen it so
far.
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MAP posted-by: Matt