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Gay Marriage Debate and defend your political beliefs as to whether or not marriage should be only defined as a union between a man and a woman.

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Old 07-10-2007, 07:24 PM   #301 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dabateman View Post
Combating circular argumentation is exhausting...

1. The federal DOMA act passed in 1996 can be considered unconstitutional. The reason that it has gone generally unchallenged is simple. There was no real ground to challenge it. Challenging a law simply out of principal rarely occurs. Laws are challenged when they are in conflict and have an impact. Until Massachusetts legalized same sex marriage, there was no real impact. It would take a married gay couple to challenge the federal DOMA's constitutionality. So now we have moved to a 3 year time frame. Most supreme court cases take years if not decades. The recent "Bong Hits for Jesus" case was filed in 2002 and wasn't heard until this year. A case challenging DOMA hasn't been filed yet. So it can be several more years.

Generally, questions of true legal merit take time. It isn't something haphazardly thrown together because we are dealing with the document that is the backbone of the American Judiciary.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So far you are the only one saying that the DOMA is unConstitutional. I'm sure many legal experts would disagree.

It seems odd that a decision by judges in MA that went through on the narrowest of margins, 4-3, could somehow topple the authority of the United States Constitution and the US Congress.

In any case, if what you say is true, why has nobody challenged the DOMA so far?

Perhaps because it may re-energise the movement to amend the Constitution to protect marriage?




2) We are going to agree to disagree on American politics. You seem to think that there hasn't been enough time for the public to react, and I think there has. As I've pointed out the politicians who are opposed to same sex marriage have already attempted to use marriage as an issue to win political points. Their efforts failed miserably because they actually lost seats in the legislature instead of gaining them. The Republicans made a big deal about marriage in 2004 and 2006 and were rewarded with a decrease in seats held.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Combating circular argumentation is exhausting...

1. Most people don't cast their vote on a single issue.
2. At the last election many voters were expecting this issue to appear on the ballot at some point, so they could express their view via the ballot.
3. The petition was outvoted quite recently, there have been no elections since then. We'll have to wait and see how the voters choose to deal with the legislators who stonewalled this ballot.




3) THERE IS NO REASON TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT. I don't know how much more clear I can make it. The need you perceive isn't really there.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

To quote Mandy Rice-Davies " He would say that wouldn't he!"

I think we all realise where you stand on this issue and why you see no need for a ballot.


For the majority of the people, the issue is dead. It's run it's legal course. Why would they support an unnecessary revisit to the issue when they already have the victory and the law on their side. If the roles were reversed, the conservative lobby would be doing the same thing.

It's called politics in a representative democracy. It's how things work.
You keep on conveniently ignoring the point that if a ballot was held, and your side won, homosexual marriage in MA would be unassailable.

This only fuels the belief that the anti-traditional marriage lobby in MA doesn't believe that their side would win a ballot.
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Old 07-10-2007, 07:47 PM   #302 (permalink)
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Politics is politics. Law is law. Challenging the federal DOMA could cause a backlash politically. This is true. It doesn't answer the real legal questions that are in play. As the law is currently written, is it Constitutional for the federal government to deny rights to married couples? Is the failure of the federal government to recognize legal marriage on the basis of who is in the marriage constitutional? Is it constitutional for the federal government to deny GLBT married couples their right to property under the US Constitution? All legitimate questions. The way that the constitution is written, it's hard to see a justification for federal DOMA. In my opinion it would take a federal constitutional amendment to change that. But like I said in my previous post. We are dealing with new advocacy here. It's difficult to get a challenge before the court and even more difficult if you don't have a case that shows the impacts. As couples have only recently been able to get married in Massachusetts, there has been little time to show these impacts. Another reason there hasn't been a case is out of prudence. It's reasonable to wait to give the law time to work and make sure that it doesn't change significantly.

Many supreme court decisions are split. That doesn't make the ruling any more or less valid. The challenge against federal DOMA is not an attempt to topple the authority of the US Constitution or the US Congress. On the contrary, it's part of the checks and balance system of the government. The US Congress must create laws that do not violate the US Constitution. The US Supreme Court is responsible for reviewing cases and determining how the laws interact with the US Constitution. This is done all the time. It is not unreasonable to challenge the laws on the basis of states rights, equal protection and due process (all issues addressed by the US Constitution.)

I see no need for the ballot because the petitioners have not met the legal requirements to change the constitution of their state. Changing a constitution is supposed to be a very difficult process because the constitution is designed to be the basis for all laws within a state or nation. Try to misconstrue my advocacy if you wish, but the fact remains. There are legal steps to getting a ballot initiative and the anti-gay lobby has failed.

Like I said, if I were in MA I wouldn't have a problem with letting it go to ballot, but I wouldn't make that easier for anyone. The laws of MA clearly state the requirements of getting an initiative on the ballot. Enough people have expressed their lack of support for the initiative to kill it. Trying to get it on the ballot to "prove a point" is not only reckless, but it's not how the process works.

On the legislature issue, we see it differently which is fine. Like I said, we are going to agree to disagree on that.
Old 07-10-2007, 08:03 PM   #303 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dabateman View Post
Politics is politics. Law is law. Challenging the federal DOMA could cause a backlash politically. This is true. It doesn't answer the real legal questions that are in play. As the law is currently written, is it Constitutional for the federal government to deny rights to married couples? Is the failure of the federal government to recognize legal marriage on the basis of who is in the marriage constitutional? Is it constitutional for the federal government to deny GLBT married couples their right to property under the US Constitution? All legitimate questions. The way that the constitution is written, it's hard to see a justification for federal DOMA. In my opinion it would take a federal constitutional amendment to change that. But like I said in my previous post. We are dealing with new advocacy here. It's difficult to get a challenge before the court and even more difficult if you don't have a case that shows the impacts. As couples have only recently been able to get married in Massachusetts, there has been little time to show these impacts. Another reason there hasn't been a case is out of prudence. It's reasonable to wait to give the law time to work and make sure that it doesn't change significantly.

Many supreme court decisions are split. That doesn't make the ruling any more or less valid. The challenge against federal DOMA is not an attempt to topple the authority of the US Constitution or the US Congress. On the contrary, it's part of the checks and balance system of the government. The US Congress must create laws that do not violate the US Constitution. The US Supreme Court is responsible for reviewing cases and determining how the laws interact with the US Constitution. This is done all the time. It is not unreasonable to challenge the laws on the basis of states rights, equal protection and due process (all issues addressed by the US Constitution.)

I see no need for the ballot because the petitioners have not met the legal requirements to change the constitution of their state. Changing a constitution is supposed to be a very difficult process because the constitution is designed to be the basis for all laws within a state or nation. Try to misconstrue my advocacy if you wish, but the fact remains. There are legal steps to getting a ballot initiative and the anti-gay lobby has failed.

Like I said, if I were in MA I wouldn't have a problem with letting it go to ballot, but I wouldn't make that easier for anyone. The laws of MA clearly state the requirements of getting an initiative on the ballot. Enough people have expressed their lack of support for the initiative to kill it. Trying to get it on the ballot to "prove a point" is not only reckless, but it's not how the process works.

On the legislature issue, we see it differently which is fine. Like I said, we are going to agree to disagree on that.

I think we've both made our case, I'll leave it to others to add to the debate
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Old 07-10-2007, 09:41 PM   #304 (permalink)
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I'm done with this thread. I've started a new one. So I won't be answering any of questions that may have been posed since I haven't read them.

Just letting you know.

Old 07-10-2007, 10:28 PM   #305 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by garysher View Post
You don't give up dragging up these irrelevant parallels!
I've stated countless times that I oppose racism and I'm glad I didn't grow up in a country that had apartheid policies, as you did.
You don't give up with non-sequitur replies!
It's irrelevant whether or not you oppose racism. That isn't the point.
The point is that it does not matter what the majority says or what laws the majority passes if they are unconstitutional.


Quote:
Originally Posted by garysher
My wife and I would not have been able to marry under your miscegenation laws.
As usual you are talking from a position of banal ignorance and denial.
And again you reply with a non-sequitur, and an idiotic insult.
Nothing I said was ignorant. You didn't even respond to what I ACTUALLY said:

The same is true of Loving v Virginia.
But let me guess. You SUPPORT that ruling, so therefore it's okay....

That is the REAL defining factor here, isn't it...



Quote:
Originally Posted by garysher
Your mentality of "equal"would mean there would be no reason why polygamy and incestuous marriage would "withstand rational-based review", to quote Justice Scalia.
"Scalia also averred that, State laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, masturbation, adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity are likewise sustainable only in light of Bowers' validation of laws based on moral choices."
Why do you even try to say things that everybody ALREADY KNOWS the response to?
Scalia was a short-sighted idiot. The reasons for preventing polygamy and incest have already been given.

Has Scalia's quote come to pass?
Is prostitution legal in this country?
No?

I mean, he even mentions MASTURBATION and ADULTERY. NEITHER of which are illegal ANYWHERE in this state.
That should have been your first clue that you were quoting an idiot...

I guess quoting people whose predictions are wrong doesn't strike you as dumb, does it.


Quote:
Originally Posted by garysher
The fact is that marriage is for one man and one woman.
I am frequently amused by how you try to bolster your OPINION by calling it a fact.
It's amusing, and boring at the same time.
Do you think there is ANYBODY out there who sits there going "Well, Garysher called it a "fact", so it must be so."???


Quote:
Originally Posted by garysher
And all men and women have the exact same right to marry subject to the same restrictions.
As it has already been proven with the FIRST comment of this post which you avoided responding to, "same restrictions" IS NOT equal rights.
If "same restrictions" were "equal rights", that would invalidate the Loving v Virginia ruling.
"(Gay marriage) is a debate about whether you think gay people are part of the human condition or just a random fetish."
-- Jon Stewart
"Please don't judge others by your own standards."
-- Garysher
Old 07-10-2007, 10:32 PM   #306 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fxashun View Post
I'm done with this thread. I've started a new one. So I won't be answering any of questions that may have been posed since I haven't read them.
Just letting you know.
Ahhh.
A NEW place to avoid everything you're currently avoiding substantiating.
Much easier to not have that bug you when you just up and move threads. So much easier to ignore when it's not just a few pages back.
Good for you!
"(Gay marriage) is a debate about whether you think gay people are part of the human condition or just a random fetish."
-- Jon Stewart
"Please don't judge others by your own standards."
-- Garysher
Old 07-11-2007, 12:41 AM   #307 (permalink)
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homosexuality to me???? well im hermorpfrodite (not hur )female in apperance and ive hummmmwell i dont have anydesire to be sexual or intiment with female at all and i do appreciate most forms of sex with men male in apperence hermorphrodites and male in app. bi-pods no female in app in fact or female in fact has ever been anyone that could satisify me . homosexual????????i, i, i, i, i dont think i aaaam humm had i not started this wellllah s*@t if a person can b satisified with whom they is , then i have no problem with they at all but for those that can not reach orgasium with the same of our same self or freek leave we alone gay and lesbian and dike
Old 07-11-2007, 07:44 AM   #308 (permalink)
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post in English, please, musica.
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