anabolic frolic

Bush backs federal marriage amendment

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 42 minutes ago

WASHINGTON -
President Bush on Saturday backed a resolution to amend the Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman even though the idea has little chance of being passed in the Senate.


"Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and a wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society," Bush said in his Saturday radio address. "Marriage cannot be cut off from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening this good influence on society."

Democrats say Senate floor time is being wasted on the issue, and accuse Republicans of making a pre-midterm election appeal to social conservatives whose votes were key to Bush's re-election.

This November, initiatives banning same-sex marriages are expected to be on the ballot in Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

"Sadly, President Bush is playing election-year politics with this divisive issue," the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Friday. "He is shamelessly using this ploy to energize his right-wing base. We should never rewrite the Constitution to enshrine intolerance."

The White House said Bush did not devote his radio address to the issue or decide to host a presidential event Monday to again endorse the amendment because it is politically expedient, but because there's a vote on it scheduled next week in the Senate.

"On Monday, I will meet with a coalition of community leaders, constitutional scholars, family and civic organizations and religious leaders," Bush said in urging Congress to pass the amendment and send it to the states for ratification. "They're Republicans, Democrats and independents who've come together to support this amendment."

The amendment would prohibit states from recognizing same-sex marriages. To become law, the proposal would need two-thirds support in the Senate and House, and then would have to be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures.

Bush said the amendment would fully protect marriage from being redefined, while leaving state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than marriage.

It stands little chance of passing the 100-member Senate, where proponents are struggling to get even 50 votes. Several Republicans oppose the measure, and so far only one Democrat — Sen. Ben Nelson (news, bio, voting record) of Nebraska — has said he will vote for it.

Acknowledging that emotions often run hot in this debate, Bush urged calm.

"As this debate goes forward, we must remember that every American deserves to be treated with tolerance, respect and dignity," he said. "All of us have a duty to conduct this discussion with civility and decency toward one another, and all people deserve to have their voices heard."

David Buckel, Marriage Project director of Lambda Legal, a national organization working to protect the rights of lesbians, gay men and others, said the amendment would be damaging to the lives of same-sex couples and families, which raise millions of children.

"It would brand lesbian and gay men as legally inferior individuals," he said. "It would write into the supreme law of the land that this group of people are inferior and when it's the law, it's a message to everyone else in society that they have license to discriminate."

In his radio address, Bush struck back at judges who have overturned state laws similar in intent to the proposed legislation.

"Unfortunately, activist judges and some local officials have made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage in recent years," the president said.

Bush said there is broad consensus in America to protect the institution of marriage.

Voters in 19 states have approved amendments to their state constitutions that protect the traditional definition of marriage, he said. Moreover, he said, 45 of the 50 states have either a state constitutional amendment or statute defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

anabolic frolic

I honestly don't understand why people get so freaked out over this.

Canada has had gay marriage for over 4 years, with thousands and thousands of them, and things have hardly gone to shit around here.

My marriage is certainly not affected in the least by it!

Before we know it, Canada will have had gay marriage for 10+ years, and then a generation, and it's probably not going to make one lick of difference. Except promote a more tolerant society, of course.

No Typical Raver

WE SIMPLY CANNOT HAVE THAT IN

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CareSieB

I dont understand why people have to intrude on others private lives. I dont give a damn who anyone marries, it isnt my business, it isnt ANYONES business...
The whole thing pisses me off to no end

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AznAstronaut

Hey, just in time for midterm elections too! How fucking convenient. :|

anabolic frolic

I've been trying to see if there has been a spike in US -> Canada immigration since Bush got back in. So far I can't find those stats.

Glyce

I remember hearing that right after the election, something like 3,000 people ended up moving to canada in the time. Can't remember if it was months or what, but a lot of people did end up straight up moving.

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AznAstronaut

I saw a newspaper clipping on some professor's door on campus a while back that noted the IMMENSE surge in traffic (maybe 10-fold?) to Canada's immigration website in the days following the 2000 election results. The immigration officer/representative/whatever who was contacted for the story confirmed the uptick in web traffic but didn't have the necessary information yet to tell if there was a corresponding increase in actual applications.

It'd be interesting to see a year-to-year graph of US->Canada immigration stats going back ~10 years.

astralkid

Its actually funny how these Christian nuts belief's can be easily manipulated by politicians

kylefabulous

so it looks like the senate shut down the bill... by a long shot... it won't even make it to the states... THANK YOU !!!

No Typical Raver

Santorum wants to make fellatio and masturbation illegal LOL

DJLeash

DAMMIT.
If they make masturbation illegal I'll die. For real. They'll have to chop off my hands.

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kylefabulous

haha... i like a good wank myself...
but seriously...

i hate bush so fucking much...

there i said it

Remman4

a gay man hating bush?

hahahaahahah


The thing that kills me is that he honestly thinks he is doing the right thing...

good intentions ruin the world!


libertarian values own me!

the architech

i dont think he really cares about the issue at hand, he's doing it to try to boost his ratings. granted, we all hate him, but unfortunately a lot of people in the US agree with him on that.

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anabolic frolic

I wonder how there can be "Gay Republicans" organization?

AznAstronaut

The Log Cabin Republicans stand with Republicans on issues of small government (hah!), state rights (double hah!), low taxes (it's all 'user fees' these days, don't call it a tax), etc., etc., while respectfully disagreeing with the rest of their party on issues of Gay rights. It's a little strange, but not so completely off the wall.