WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) will back a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in an attempt to halt same-sex unions like the thousands that have been allowed this month in San Francisco, his spokesman said Tuesday.
"He has always strongly believed that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
He said the president wants to end "growing confusion" that has arisen from court decisions in Massachusetts, and San Francisco's permitting more than 3,000 same sex unions.
"The president believes it is important to have clarity," McClellan said.
He said Bush believes that legislation for such an amendment, submitted by Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., "meets his principles" in protecting the "sanctity of marriage" between men and women.
But Bush was not expected in his announcement Tuesday to specifically embrace any particular piece of legislation. White House officials say that support for Musgrave's proposed amendment has been unraveling in the Senate.
Bush decided to take action partly because the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled that it is unconstitutional to bar gay couples from marriage. That decision could result in gay weddings there as early as May, McClellan said. "We're two months away," he said.
McClellan said 38 states have passed laws protecting the "sanctity of marriage and the president will call on Congress to move quickly to pass legislation that can then be sent to the states for ratification.
"We need to act now," he said. "The constitutional process will take time."
Just lovely. What the fuck is this dumbshit thinking? Does he really think he has the support for this?
He says that the "peoples" will has not beren heard, but yet, when state governments start legaslizing homosexual marriages, he wants to amend the constitution. That hypocritical fucktard.
GALE Force Biological Agent/
BOTM/Great Dolphin Conspiracy/ Entomology and Evolutionary Biology Subdirector:SD.net Dept. of Biological Sciences
There is Grandeur in the View of Life; it fills me with a Deep Wonder, and Intense Cynicism.
Alyrium Denryle wrote:He says that the "peoples" will has not beren heard, but yet, when state governments start legaslizing homosexual marriages, he wants to amend the constitution. That hypocritical fucktard.
Thats because the state legislatures and supreme courts are made up of activists that don't represent the will of the people that elected them, duh.
Sì! Abbiamo un' anima! Ma è fatta di tanti piccoli robot.
Meh, like I said in the thread in SLAM. Depending on how you look at it, its a good thing. I really don't see this thing passing, its a fundie pipe dream. So when it fails miserably and goes down in flames, the flood gates will open and the issue will be resolved in such a way that a huge dent will be made in the Christian Right that will hopefully damage them for years to come......
They say, "the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots." I suppose it never occurred to them that they are the tyrants, not the patriots. Those weapons are not being used to fight some kind of tyranny; they are bringing them to an event where people are getting together to talk. -Mike Wong
But as far as board culture in general, I do think that young male overaggression is a contributing factor to the general atmosphere of hostility. It's not SOS and the Mess throwing hand grenades all over the forum- Red
Just lovely. What the fuck is this dumbshit thinking? Does he really think he has the support for this?
Probably not, but he has to play along to appease the social conservatives.
And I guess I was wrong about this.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
but gay marriage should not be a political issue; the only reason it is is because we have religious nuts in office who seem to forget a little something called seperation of church and state.
Alyrium Denryle wrote:He says that the "peoples" will has not beren heard, but yet, when state governments start legaslizing homosexual marriages, he wants to amend the constitution. That hypocritical fucktard.
Thats because the state legislatures and supreme courts are made up of activists that don't represent the will of the people that elected them, duh.
Oh, I know, there isnt anything about equal legal protection in any constitution state or federal.
GALE Force Biological Agent/
BOTM/Great Dolphin Conspiracy/ Entomology and Evolutionary Biology Subdirector:SD.net Dept. of Biological Sciences
There is Grandeur in the View of Life; it fills me with a Deep Wonder, and Intense Cynicism.
JME2 wrote:but gay marriage should not be a political issue; the only reason it is is because we have religious nuts in office who seem to forget a little something called seperation of church and state.
I seem to remember a speach shrub did in his election campaign in nwhich he mentioned the "Bridge between church and state"
GALE Force Biological Agent/
BOTM/Great Dolphin Conspiracy/ Entomology and Evolutionary Biology Subdirector:SD.net Dept. of Biological Sciences
There is Grandeur in the View of Life; it fills me with a Deep Wonder, and Intense Cynicism.
Just lovely. What the fuck is this dumbshit thinking? Does he really think he has the support for this?
Probably not, but he has to play along to appease the social conservatives.
And I guess I was wrong about this.
There are varying degrees of capitulation. Bush could have simply made gay marriage a campaign issue without pushing for a constitutional amendment. I can accept that every politician needs to keep their supporters happy, but Bush has gone above and beyond the call of duty in his support of the fanatical religious right; how can anyone trust him not to continue to do so on other issues?
There are varying degrees of capitulation. Bush could have simply made gay marriage a campaign issue without pushing for a constitutional amendment. I can accept that every politician needs to keep their supporters happy, but Bush has gone above and beyond the call of duty in his support of the fanatical religious right; how can anyone trust him not to continue to do so on other issues?
No, that's not enough. They want the amendment.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
What could be so bad about gay marriages,in todays society marriage doesn`t mean much when people get married then divorce,marries again divorces again and so on...marriage is just a contract that can be nullified any time.
Jerry Orbach 1935 2004 Admiral Valdemar~You know you've fucked up when Wacky Races has more realistic looking vehicles than your own.
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) will back a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in an attempt to halt same-sex unions like the thousands that have been allowed this month in San Francisco, his spokesman said Tuesday.
"He has always strongly believed that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
He said the president wants to end "growing confusion" that has arisen from court decisions in Massachusetts, and San Francisco's permitting more than 3,000 same sex unions.
"The president believes it is important to have clarity," McClellan said.
He said Bush believes that legislation for such an amendment, submitted by Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., "meets his principles" in protecting the "sanctity of marriage" between men and women.
But Bush was not expected in his announcement Tuesday to specifically embrace any particular piece of legislation. White House officials say that support for Musgrave's proposed amendment has been unraveling in the Senate.
Bush decided to take action partly because the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled that it is unconstitutional to bar gay couples from marriage. That decision could result in gay weddings there as early as May, McClellan said. "We're two months away," he said.
McClellan said 38 states have passed laws protecting the "sanctity of marriage and the president will call on Congress to move quickly to pass legislation that can then be sent to the states for ratification.
"We need to act now," he said. "The constitutional process will take time."
Just lovely. What the fuck is this dumbshit thinking? Does he really think he has the support for this?
At least Bush is trying to come up with a single set of marriage guidelines, rather than the hodge-podge of marriages, domestic partnerships, and civil unions springing up around the country.
Unfortunately, he's adopted the view that everybody knew that he'd adopt from day one, so it shouldn't be a surprise, sadly.
Does he have the support for this? Yes he does. It'll go through the House like a greased Scotsman. And there aren't a whole lot of Senate Democrats who are really opposed to the idea of making marriage a thing between just a man and a woman, so it'll probably be easy to find sixteen Democrats to vote for it.
All that would be left is finding 38 states to ratify the amendment (75% of the states must approve a constitutional amendment.) Thirty-eight states already have elected legislatures who have passed sanctity-of-marriage laws.
Montcalm wrote:What could be so bad about gay marriages,in todays society marriage doesn`t mean much when people get married then divorce,marries again divorces again and so on...marriage is just a contract that can be nullified any time.
You obviously don't understand too well how fundies think: "Marriage (including civil unions) is a sacred bond ordained by God" they say. "Homosexuality is evil" they say. Put two and two together .
As for divorce, they hate that too: According to the Bible (more specifically one of Paul's epistles), anyone who divorces and remarries is guilty of adultery.
The M2HB: The Greatest Machinegun Ever Made.
HAB: Crew-Served Weapons Specialist
"Making fun of born-again Christians is like hunting dairy cows with a high powered rifle and scope." --P.J. O'Rourke
"A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." --J.S. Mill
Montcalm wrote:What could be so bad about gay marriages,in todays society marriage doesn`t mean much when people get married then divorce,marries again divorces again and so on...marriage is just a contract that can be nullified any time.
You obviously don't understand too well how fundies think: "Marriage (including civil unions) is a sacred bond ordained by God" they say. "Homosexuality is evil" they say. Put two and two together .
As for divorce, they hate that too: According to the Bible (more specifically one of Paul's epistles), anyone who divorces and remarries is guilty of adultery.
And yet they do it time and time again.
"Carriers dispense fighters, which dispense assbeatings." - White Haven
| Hyperactive Gundam Pilot of MM | GALE | ASVS | Cleaners | Kibologist (beable) | DFB |
If only one rock and roll song echoes into tomorrow
There won't be anything to keep you from the distant morning glow.
I'm not a man. I just portrayed one for 15 years.
someone in the non-NP thread quoted the amending saying that the rights of marriage would not be extended to people that were not married.
that means that people, regardless of sexuality, cant get medical coverage from their partners jobs, they cant get power of attorney, etc. this amendment is not just a definition of the word marriage but also a BLOCK of all civil unions and related things.
Sì! Abbiamo un' anima! Ma è fatta di tanti piccoli robot.
Alyrium Denryle wrote:He says that the "peoples" will has not beren heard, but yet, when state governments start legaslizing homosexual marriages, he wants to amend the constitution. That hypocritical fucktard.
Which "the people" are you refering to? The forty-something percent supporting 'civil unions' or the forty-something opposed? Let's not live in happy liberal cocoon, the issue is far from settled in the public mind.
And even the court battle is far from settled.
Montcalm wrote:What could be so bad about gay marriages,in todays society marriage doesn`t mean much when people get married then divorce,marries again divorces again and so on...marriage is just a contract that can be nullified any time.
I'm sure if Bush and his bretheren had their way the only way out of marriage would be the King Henry method: off with her head.
Joe wrote:
Probably not, but he has to play along to appease the social conservatives.
And I guess I was wrong about this.
You can be socially conservative and still want the government to stay the heck out of your private life. I might not agree with homosexuality, but the government has no place to try and delgate your personal choices such as that.
Joe wrote:
Probably not, but he has to play along to appease the social conservatives.
And I guess I was wrong about this.
You can be socially conservative and still want the government to stay the heck out of your private life. I might not agree with homosexuality, but the government has no place to try and delgate your personal choices such as that.
Point, however, it's a fact that the bulk of social conservatives think the government does, in fact, have business in that area.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
Joe wrote:Point, however, it's a fact that the bulk of social conservatives think the government does, in fact, have business in that area.
I really don't know about that. I think it's quite possible that sort of big-government support is centered in a few areas with a very vocal minority. I know this is fallacious, but from my personal experience, most conservatives seem to be fairly libertarian as well.
Proof that there is no god: I prayed for no more fundamentalists to be elected to the Presidency.
Mayabird is my girlfriend
Justice League:BotM:MM:SDnet City Watch:Cybertron's Finest "Well then, science is bullshit. "
-revprez, with yet another brilliant rebuttal.
