Proposition 8 – Gay marriage
The issue is not that the Constitution contains a right for gays to marry, as some have said. The issue is that the constitutions of the federal and state governments do not grant the governments the power to restrict the rights of two private, adult, individuals to make a contract that does not negatively impact those outside the contract.
The issue is not that the court overruled the will of the people on Proposition 8. It is that we are NOT a democracy. We are under the rule of law. Our Constitution is to remain a bulwark against efforts by a majority of We the People to impose our will on the minority when that will is an imposition of the rights of the minority.
These are both arguments conservatives would be making on an issue they supported. They should be making those arguments no matter their personal feelings on the issue.
Conservatives: Be true to our Constitution. Always.
Ground Zero mosque/Islamic community center
The issues around the Ground Zero Mosque or Islamic center are issues of private property and religious freedom. We the People need to defend those Constitutional rights, no matter how much we despise the outcome.
Twenty years from now the mosque will either be a symbol of how We the People rose above our anger and allowed this symbol – in which case We the People win and the Muslim extremists lose – or it will be a symbol of how we were beaten by the extremists on September 11, 2001 into creating precedents that could limit our own rights to private property and religious freedom. The best way to remain true to our Constitution and to marginalize this as a symbol of dominance is to allow it despite our anger. “Yes, that building over there was supposed to be a symbol of Muslim dominance over us, but nobody ever paid much attention to that part. They do have a nice swimming pool and snack bar.”
Yes, there are many Muslims that see this proposed mosque as a symbol of dominance over the U.S.A.; great Satan that we are. Sorry supporters; that is just the way it is and those who deny that fact hurt their cause more than the opponents.
Conservatives would be making the arguments about private property and religious freedom if this were an issue they supported. They should be making those arguments no matter their personal feelings on the issue.
Conservatives: Be true to our Constitution. Always.
