Do Republicans understand that we live in a republic?
Republicanism asserts that all citizens possess unalienable rights that cannot be voted away by the majority. Yet Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has recently called for a vote to decide if all citizens of New Mexico have to right to get married.
The governor has stated that she opposes same-sex marriage because of her religion. Earlier this year, the governor vetoed a bill to help all U.S. veterans and their families obtain professional licenses; instead, signing one just for straight U.S. veterans.
The governor took an oath to protect and defend the New Mexico Constitution. Section 4 of the New Mexico Constitution states “All persons are born equally free, and have certain natural, inherent and inalienable rights, among which are the rights of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing and protecting property and of seeking and obtaining safety and happiness.”
A group of 30 Republican New Mexico state senators led by the homophobic Sen. William Sharer of Farmington are filing a lawsuit on Friday to stop same-sex marriages in New Mexico. Sen. Sharer stated that, “It is up to the state legislature, with the consent of the governor to make laws, not the county clerks or district judges.”
These clerks and judges “didn’t make any laws,” but rather were upholding the state constitution. Section 18 of the New Mexico Constitution states “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor shall any person be denied equal protection of the laws. Equality of rights under Law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person.”
Sen. Sharer writes on a blog that the only reason for marriage is procreation and argues that “Human life can ONLY be created through the union of one man and one woman.” I guess he’s never heard of in vitro fertilization. The senator then ridiculously writes about Alexander the Great. “Alexander may have engaged in homosexual activity, but he married a woman. He directed his officers to stop “whoring” around and find a local woman to marry.”
The senator then goes about how Aristotle said Greeks should not marry non-Greeks, and that sex between a man and a woman produces babies — society needs babies — and that babies need both moms and dads.
This senator would really benefit from a course in reasoning and critical thinking.
They sure don’t make Republicans like they used to.
In 1861, Republican Abraham Lincoln said in his first presidential inaugural speech “The Union is much older than the Constitution.”
It was formed, in fact, by the Articles of Association in 1774. It was matured and continued by the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was further matured, and the faith of all the then thirteen states expressly plighted and engaged that it should be perpetual, by the Articles of Confederation in 1778. In 1787, one of the declared objects for ordaining and establishing the Constitution was “to form a more perfect Union.”
It’s not 1776, it’s 2013.
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The Grand Old White Tea Party is always talking about taking this country back. Do they want to take it back to 2010 when gay military members who had been fighting and dying were not able to live their lives honestly? Do they want to take it back to before 1968 when white and black Americans were segregated? Do they want to take it back to 1948 when the military was segregated? Do they w aant to take it back to before 1920 when American women didn’t have the right to vote or run for political office? Do they want to take it back to before 1865 when human slavery was legal and slaves were considered 3/5 of a person?
Life is all about changing, adapting and evolving.
The Republican Party claims to be the party of individual liberty and freedom. We live in a republic. In a republic, all citizens have unalienable rights, endowed by our creator, like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We have the right to express ourselves, to protest and petition the government, to pray and worship freely, to shoot guns, to be safe from unreasonable search and yes, we all have the right to get married and be miserable just like every else.
