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I've been advocating all along that the emotions and ignorance of the masses should never dictate the rights of minorities, and as predicted, the California Supreme Court is going to review the discriminatory vote against "gay" marriage based on those grounds. In a true democracy, freedom is based on the rights of the *individual*, not the entire group who try to dictate what should be "normal".
Who or what is "normal"? The fact is, being *different* is *normal* because we're ALL *different*.... unless you're marching goose-step with some militant, elitist group or army which deems itself better than so-called "minorities".
E Pluribus Unum (Of many, ONE) was on our coins as early as 1786, long before "In God We Trust" appeared in 1864...and for those who believe in the alleged "god" the question should be, due to centuries of slavery, war and homophobia, "Does God Trust US". It's a relevant question because too many church-going "Christians" obviously do not live by their god's Golden Rule. Fortunately, as we evolve, more and more Christians are apprehending something my atheists friends have been advocating for decades:
That we are all minorities, and when we lesson the rights and respect towards one minority group, we lesson our humanity, our nation and the world. Here was an opportunity to build bridges, and instead of building those bridges of tolerance and understanding, so-called "Christians" built bigger and higher walls of inequality and division. Divided we fail, united in equality, we straighten the greater bonds that make us all equality members of the same human family.
From Equality California:
California Supreme Court Grants Review
in Prop 8 Legal Challenges
Court to Determine Constitutionality of Prop 8
Today the California Supreme Court granted review in the legal challenges to Proposition 8, which passed by a narrow margin of 52 percent on November 4. In an order issued today, the Court agreed to hear the case and set an expedited briefing schedule. The Court also denied an immediate stay.
On November 5, 2008, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of Proposition 8 in the California Supreme Court on behalf of six couples and Equality California. The City of San Francisco, joined by the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and Santa Clara County, filed a similar challenge, as did a private attorney in Los Angeles.
The lawsuits allege that, on its face, Proposition 8 is an improper revision rather than an amendment of the California Constitution because, in its very title, which was "Eliminates the right to marry for same-sex couples," the initiative eliminated an existing right only for a targeted minority. If permitted to stand, Proposition 8 would be the first time an initiative has successfully been used to change the California Constitution to take way an existing right only for a particular group. Such a change would defeat the very purpose of a constitution and fundamentally alter the role of the courts in protecting minority rights. According to the California Constitution, such a serious revision of our state Constitution cannot be enacted through a simple majority vote, but must first be approved by two-thirds of the Legislature.
Since the three lawsuits submitted on November 5, three other lawsuits challenging Proposition 8 have been filed. In a petition filed on November 14, 2008, leading African American, Latino, and Asian American groups argued that Proposition 8 threatens the equal protection rights of all Californians.
On November 17, 2008, the California Council of Churches and other religious leaders and faith organizations representing millions of members statewide, also filed a petition asserting that Proposition 8 poses a severe threat to the guarantee of equal protection for all, and was not enacted through the constitutionally required process for such a dramatic change to the California Constitution. On the same day, prominent California women's rights organizations filed a petition asking the Court to invalidate Proposition 8 because of its potentially disastrous implications for women and other groups that face discrimination.
In May of 2008, the California Supreme Court held that barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the equal protection clause of the California Constitution and violates the fundamental right to marry among two, consenting adults. Proposition 8 would completely eliminate the right to marry only for same-gender couples. No other initiative has ever successfully changed the California Constitution to take away a right only from a targeted minority group.
Over the past 100 years, the California Supreme Court has heard nine cases challenging either legislative enactments or initiatives as invalid revisions of the California Constitution. In three of the most recent cases, the Court invalidated those measures.
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"If love means wishing everyone a better world, then I can honestly say I love just about everyone."
- Chris Aable, "What is Self-Evolution?"
Last edited by selfEvolution on Nov-24-2008 at 11:21
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