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Hate legislation

Roger T. Landry
Letters |
Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Are you traditionally married? Since gay marriage was legalized in Maine, do you and your spouse love each other less? Were you rendered unable to conceive? Did your parenting skills deteriorate? Were you forced to divorce? Was your marriage annulled? Are licenses for opposite sex marriages being denied?

No?

So for those who are part of a "traditional" heterosexual monogamous marriage (as I am ), the total impact of gay marriage on our marriages is ... let's see now ... zero! Zip! Nada!

"Traditional" marriage is not at risk at all, regardless of the outcome of the election. Question 1 is just plain hateful. It's interfering with other people's lives for no reason at all.

Worried about the children? News flash — they either know about gay people or they're gonna know. Parents can't stop that. Some of them certainly are gay, though the parents may not know it yet. And, despite all the smoke and mirrors, gay people are born, not made. They can't "learn to be gay" or "choose to be gay."

Children can be taught to hate gay people, and foster hate crimes. Children can be taught intolerance, and foster harassment and discrimination. Or children can be taught tolerance, while parents hold their peace.

Roger T. Landry, Poland

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Displaying comments, from newest to oldest

jalbrecht1's picture
verified

"Traditional marriage is one

By Jonathan Albrecht, verified user — Tue, 10/27/2009 - 13:02

"Traditional marriage is one man and one woman in a committed and loving relationship from the days of the Torah to the days of Jesus' coming." But the bible says this is not true. Polygamy was the typical jewish marriage and certainly the jewish aristocracy's preferred marriage. Adam and Eve were never married. If by marriage you mean a sacred rite of the church. Was no Church. Was no priest. Was no rite. Marriage isn't mentioned unit long after Adam and Eve left Eden. Like the wives of the Children of Adam and Eve these thing are missing from the Bible.
Jon Albrecht Dixfield

Gil's picture

Funny how children can be

By Gil, unverified — Tue, 10/27/2009 - 07:52

Funny how children can be taught tolerance only if they agree with Roger. If they disagree, why then they are teaching their children hate, and bigotry, and intolerance. Another foolproof way of knowing you are arguing with a liberal.
"Reasoning with a liberal is like trying to pick up a turd by the clean end. " Pirate

Gil's picture

Another bunch of bs. No one

By Gil, unverified — Tue, 10/27/2009 - 07:49

Another bunch of bs. No one is claiming that gay marriage will ruin theirs. It's a stupid, specious, straw man argument and only the truly stupid actually believe it.
"Reasoning with a liberal is like trying to pick up a turd by the clean end. " Pirate

bellegarde24's picture

Well no your not telling the

By bellegarde24, unverified — Tue, 10/27/2009 - 09:53

Well no your not telling the truth sir

I mean in the letter that was printed today, from a Loraine Gustafson, which you have replied to stated that her marriage and by effect the simple existence of her children would be dishonored and harmed by the simple act of letting a gay couple marry.

So It's not a straw man argument since people are harping on it. The fact that so may people are crying about destroying marriage seems to also fly in the face of your argument.

I also wonder which form of traditional marriage you wish to protect since the latest incarnation has only been around for a relatively short time what with all the permutations and mutations that marriage has undergone in the thousands of years of human history.

It would seem to me that more could be done to protect and strengthen the the rocky shores of marriage by going after such drivel as who wants to marry a millionaire, and the endless cycles of most elligable bachelor and bachelorette shows on the air, or the like then to slamming the door on committed couples, some of which have been together decades already.

verified

Traditional marriage is one

By Joseph Ziehm, verified user — Tue, 10/27/2009 - 10:27

Traditional marriage is one man and one woman in a committed and loving relationship from the days of the Torah to the days of Jesus' coming. What you are crying about is destroying what is needed in the common relationships. As an early educator I feel the most effective parents need to be one man and one woman married without putting the child at risk. What we see now is the result of hundreds of years of defying GOD and simply praying that we are a good person rather then praying from him to take over in our lives. If you teach a child that homosexuality is okay it causes gender identification issues and causes the child to switch into their own line of thinking that, that dangerous behavior is okay. Which is why I have decided never to teach in public schools but to teach in a private religious charter school nowadays this tune of thinking my tune is dangerous to children because I teach them about GOD and accountability to what they are doing. Traditional marriage is between one man and one woman and that is the way that GOD intended and created it to be.

Joseph Ziehm
Lewiston, ME
"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Colossians 4: 1-2

bellegarde24's picture

Hmm lets see Despite the

By bellegarde24, unverified — Tue, 10/27/2009 - 10:54

Hmm lets see

Despite the fact that numerous academic studies have come to show that children in same sex parented homes have grown up to be normal well adjusted folks, and despite the fact that most of the mental health community agrees that extending the legal stability of marriage to same sex couples will benefit the mental health and well being of the children in those house holds you are of couse free to have your own opinions. But you must recognize that they are indeed your own opinions.

but as to your asertation of traditional marriage as an unchanging union between man and woman what tradition of marraige do you want?

19th century Historian Thomas De Quincey defined marriage as "a union between two persons, who lived in harmony so absolute with each other, as to be independent of the world outside." You know I rather like that But under that definition you still get gay people gettign in and some straight people getting out. since I think we all know a few married couples who would fail this standard

For most of European history, marriage was more or less a business agreement between two families who arranged the marriages of their children. Romantic love, and even simple affection, were not considered important to the matter. Is that the sort of traditional marriage your hopping to protect

Oh how about the twelfth century definition, where aristocrats believed love was incompatible with marriage and sought romance in adultery. Thats one that screaming for protection

It's truely interesting to see how the sacred unchanging institution has in fact changed over time and thats just the tip of the ice burg looking at marraige from strictly a western piont of view the vast cultural differences when moving outward are truely amazing

triumph's picture

You said it all, sir. Thank

By triumph, unverified — Tue, 10/27/2009 - 07:21

You said it all, sir. Thank you.

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