 Lexica says: More: After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up to recite the pledge of allegiance, he remained sitting down…Each day, the substitute got a little more cross with him. On Thursday, it finally came to a head… Will was sent to the [principal's] office… “Freedom of speech,” Will says, without even stopping to think. “TheMany of us outside the States would agree with that sentiment but might also want to substitute 'Canadian', 'Brit', 'Aussie', 'French', 'Belgian', 'Dane' etc for the word 'American' in the above quote. Oh, absolutely! I don't mean to imply that freedom of speech and freedom to disagree are uniquely American values, by any means. My focus is more the other way around: I think that if somebody says "I'm an American" but doesn't support freedom of speech and freedom to disagree, they're not truly American regardless of where they were born or what their passport says. Hi Lexica! A good comment! But I'm sure, this was not in the mind of chancellor Gerhard Schröder, when the words "Today we all are Americans!" left his mouth on 15.9.2001. I felt immediately as an American! - But till today I cannot decide - feel I more like an Argentinean or more like an Indio from Chiapas who is endangered by militar? I'd rather felt like a Canadian - but I begin to freeze if I try to imagine a Canadian inside me - sorry. I like Canada.  I love Canada and am proud to be a Canadian! Could you please explain what rights gays are being denied? jay8h said:You might start with this discussion of the 1,400 rights of marriage denied to same-sex couples. Approximately 1,100 of them are federal rights (that list drawn up by the General Accounting Office, not exactly a hotbed of liberal activism) and the rest are state rights. That is, assuming you're actually curious about the answer, and aren't merely being disingenuous. jay8h said:Why Is Marriage a Civil Right? An anonymous poster is asking, perhaps rhetorically, why marriage is considered a civil right. And it's a good question. Why does the state get involved in this sacrament? The state doesn't recognize baptism, or circumcision, or first communion, or any other religious sacrament. Why does marriage get special legal attention? So, the only rights gays are being denied is marriage? If marriage is and has always been between a man and a woman, why do you expect to change that definition to fit the gay lifestyle? jay8h said:So, you take "you might start with this list of rights being denied" and interpret it as "these are the only rights being denied"? Thanks for demonstrating that you were, in fact, being disingenuous and not really interested in engaging the question with an open mind. jay8h said:And for demonstrating your ignorance (willful or not) of the actual history of marriage and the different forms it's taken throughout history. jay8h said: I only asked a question and you chose to attack what I said instead of giving definitive answers. I looked up your "history" on marriage and all I could find is that marriage has always been between a man and a woman. The only exceptions are recent liberal religions. Are you offended when I use the phrase "gay lifestyle"? Is that not the subject? Would you please tell me what other rights are being denied? jay8h said:The phrase "gay lifestyle" is a specific term used to disparage gay citizens in America. It's construction implies that being gay is a "lifestyle choice" that one can simply choose not to partake in, rather than being an inherent part of someone's nature. So yes, the term is illegitimate in that it's very purpose is to delegitimize your opposition, and reduce someone's sexuality to a "lifestyle choice", and then deny them the rights and responsibilities of American citizens and taxpayers. jay8h said:You mean beyond th... ...CONTINUED... But American marriage is a civil contract between adults, registered in government offices. And your position that gay people should not be allowed to enter into those sort of contracts because of your religious bigotry is hateful and Unamerican. BTW, the Bible condones slavery, stoning for adultery, killing children who sass their parents, as well that those who where wool/cotton blended cloth. So the cherry-picking "lets hate on the fags" act while ignoring God's hatred of shrimp and beardless men is rather telling. I believe being gay is not normal and most Americans would support this belief. You want to force your abnormal behavior on to the rest of the public so that you can feel accepted. It is not going to happen unless it is forced on to the people of this country. By the way, I mentioned nothing about religion being your judge, but I bet there is something deep inside of you that cries out against homosexuality if you are perfectly honest. |
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