Monday, June 8, 2009

Part 4-Domestic Partner Benefits or Denying the will of the people of Wisconsin

The ink is hardly even dry on this state's constitutional amendment which states: "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state." This amendment went through a years long legislative process and passed with a 59% majority.

Mr. Doyle has included in his budget a plan to create a registry for domestic partnerships. This would be a registry where same sex partners could pay a fee to have their "domestic partnership" recognized by the state of Wisconsin. For the purpose of...?

One thinks it's for the purpose of offering health and other benefits to those "domestic partnerships" where one of the "partners" is a state employee. Yes, Wisconsin, Mr. Doyle wants to create "a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals" - at least for those individuals in the state's employ. At least for now. If we allow this to go unchallenged, how long do you think we will have until it will be used as a basis for establishing the legality of same sex marriage here?

Perhaps Mr. Doyle misunderstood the wording of that amendment. Perhaps he believes that with a majority in the senate and assembly he can do whatever he likes. That party majority does not negate the law. Not even for the governor. This does not belong in the state's budget.

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"~2Peter 2:11

8 comments:

Call Me Mom said...

To Anonymous,
Your comment has been removed because I will not allow that sort of nastiness on my blog. Such a comment indicates to me that you have no idea why I oppose same sex marriage or even why I oppose homosexuality. You can find my reasoning for opposing the redefinition of marriage to include same sex couples in this post.

I oppose homosexuality as a lifestyle choice for a number of reasons.
One: I am a Christian and the God of the Bible clearly condemns it.
Two: There is research showing that to choose such a lifestyle is a choice to end one's life 20-40 years before it would normally end. That being the case, I would no more encourage such a choice in my fellow man/woman than I would encourage someone to become a smoker, an alcoholic or drug abuser.
Three: That choice of lifestyle is a demonstration of hate towards one's family. It is a statement that says my family line is not worth continuing so I refuse to pass my genetic heritage on to another generation. That is the sort of thing that divides families instead of strengthening them.

This does not make me a bigot. It makes me someone who chooses life out of love for God and love for my fellows.

I don't know what inspired your nasty comment, but I would sincerely encourage you to examine what I have said here and examine yourself to see whether or not you might care to engage in a sincere and thoughtful dialogue rather than simply spewing vulgarities.

Anonymous said...

I am in no way going to try and understand you for you will not try to understand me. I am not going to be nasty in any sense but some of the facts that you have posted are a bit how can I say this... laughable. If you are going to do research please do it correctly.



1) Homosexuality is not a choice in both research and through the eyes of those who live that lifestyle. No one in their right mind would choose this life.



2) I have never heard of any research that proves that homosexuals live a less amount of time. (Please post where you have gotten your research)



3) I wish for just one day you would walk in my shoes and no what it is like to live my life. I have to conceal who I am because of your fear. I am not saying you are a bigot I just think that you are scared of the unknown. I do not go around in public and show public displays of affection with my spouse as straight couples do. I have to lie who I am while I am at work because I don't want to put my job in jeopardy.



How is it that my 84 year old religious grandmother has more understanding then you? I just don't understand as you don't understand me...

Call Me Mom said...

Anonymous,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I could go through a number of statistics for you, but why should I when there are a significant number listed here along with citations of the studies from which they were gleaned. To say that I don't know how to do research simply because I didn't cite the studies I have read is not logical. Nor is it logical to assert that such studies don't exist because you are not aware of them.

Sex is a behavior. That makes it a choice. Priests choose to remain celibate, but they can decide to leave the priesthood if their view of their calling changes. An individual can wake up one day and decide to engage in sex with a member of the same sex or they can decide to engage in sex with a member of the opposite sex or they can decide not to engage in sex at all. It is a behavior and that makes it a choice regardless of what one may regard as an innate preference. A white person cannot wake up tomorrow and decide that they are going to be a black person from now on. Race is not a choice, homosexuality is a choice and there are many, many people who have switched from homosexuality to heterosexuality and vice versa.

As for walking in your shoes, that wouldn't work for me because you seem to be doing a lot of lying. I would like you to think about the damage and stress you are creating in your life by that fact alone. Maybe if you have to lie about it, it's not really for you. I know many women who won't see a man for a second date because that person was embarrassed to hold their hand or give them a hug or a peck on the cheek in public. They viewed that as a sign that the person was ashamed of them and they thought(correctly so) that they deserved better. I suspect that your fear and shame come from your love of God and your knowledge that God sacrificed his life for you but you are not willing to give up this lifestyle for Him. I do not fear you. I fear for you because I know that God will judge the world and I want you and everyone else to come through that judgment safely. I don't think your sin in this choice is greater than the sins in my own life, but I am not trying to convince others that my sins are not sins.

Your grandmother may be a religious woman, but if she is being supportive of behaviors God condemns, she is not doing you any favors. Turn from this choice and choose life, Anonymous.

You start out by saying that you refuse to try to understand me because I refuse to try to understand you. You know nothing about me. I would very much like to know what makes some people choose such a self destructive lifestyle. I love people and I am appalled that our communities will lose so many wonderful people before their time because they make such choices.

Anonymous said...

I am only going to respond by saying a few things. I am not ashamed of who I am. I am now going to walk down the street holding my spouses hand. I will repeat this is not a choice because you didn't choose to be who you are. And lastly, God will allow me and my spouse into those Gates. This is my last response to you until I see you in that big place in the sky buying you a drink while I sit next to God talking it up.

Call Me Mom said...

I respect your decision to leave the conversation, but I have a few more things to say.
You said you didn't choose to be who you are. I contend that everyone chooses to be who they are. You cannot choose your parents, or the circumstances into which you were born, but everyone makes choices that shape them throughout their lives. Every choice you make determines who you are. The choices you make in school determine your career choices. The choices you make in friends determines your quality of life. The choices you make in character determine how much others are willing to trust you. And the choices you make about God will determine your judgment after you die.
One of my favorite quotes is from Mr. Reagan who said:“The character that takes command in moments of crucial choices has already been determined by a thousand other choices made earlier in seemingly unimportant moments. It has been determined by all the ‘little’ choices of years past—by all those times when the voice of conscience was at war with the voice of temptation, [which was] whispering the lie that ‘it really doesn’t matter.’ It has been determined by all the day-to-day decisions made when life seemed easy and crises seemed far away—the decision that, piece by piece, bit by bit, developed habits of discipline or of laziness; habits of self-sacrifice or self-indulgence; habits of duty and honor and integrity—or dishonor and shame."

I would also like you to really think about what you said in your second post(the first one that shows up since I removed your original one-if that was you-if not I apologize for ascribing it to you). You said"No one in their right mind would choose this life. "
All of the individuals that I have met that have chosen to live as homosexuals have suffered some degree of abuse in their lives prior to making that decision, some of it severe. I think, unsupported by any research other than my own observation, that these individual's ability to trust has been so damaged that it is too much for them to consider such an intimate act with a member of the opposite sex.

I hope I do see you in Heaven, but I wish you would do your best to honor God through your choices here in this world.
Again , I thank you for a respectful and thoughtful dialogue.

Anonymous said...

i thought.. That choice of lifestyle is a demonstration of hate towards one's family. ..




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Anonymous said...

I have to say it was great to be able to register yesterday for the domestic partnership. I guess some people know the difference between church and state. Have a great day!

Call Me Mom said...

This isn't a matter of the division between church and state, anonymous. There is a signifigant component of societal consensus that's being fooled around with in these matters and it's dangerous.

I wish for your own sake that you had chosen not to engage in that unhealthy lifestyle.

On another note, I should think that you would be appalled at the governor and the legislature for putting something into the budget that is so clearly in opposition to the will of the people of the state of WI as well as illegal under our current State Constitution.

Remember, just because you think this breach of the public trust is working to your advantage this time doesn't mean it will do so next time. Be careful what behavior you encourage in our elected officals.