- “First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.” - Martin Niemoeller

For all the tolerance and freedom that this country, the United States of America, preaches and imposes on other nations of the world, it is probably the most intolerant nations out of all those considered "civilized."  Since its inception, there has always been a "common enemy" that this country and its citizens have despised and fought against.  Whether it be the Indians, the Nazis, the Vietnamese, the Russians, drug dealers, or terrorists, this nation has been in a constant state of war in some form or another.  And although there is still the current disdain for all those who seek to subvert our way of living with attacks of mass casualties and cowardice, apparently that is not enough to hate for some of the people of this nation.  Don't get me wrong, I am not speaking out against this nation, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.  I will serve my country with the best of them.  However, I AM speaking out against the close minded and ignorant people of this nation who only accept their beliefs and way of living as the "end all be all."

Many people don't remember a fellow by the name of Jim Crow, but he had a series of laws named after him right after the reconstruction of the south following the civil war.  The Jim Crow laws were laws passed in many different states that wrote racial discrimination into the books.  After much struggle between the black and white communities, those laws were eventually declared unconstitutional and were removed.  Here we are, 40 years later, and some states are trying to put those discriminatory laws back into the books.  Only this time, they aren't directed towards any race inparticular, just a way a life.  A lifestyle that many see a being a choice, but don't realize that it is infact not...homosexuality.  On Tuesday, Texas will most likely pass a law banning the marriage between homosexual couples similar to this law that was passed in the "seperate but equal" time..."All marriages between a white person and a negro, or between a white person and a person of negro decent to the fourth generation inclusive, are hereby forever prohibited." 

The question I pose to everyone is...How would banning homosexual marriages be any different than banning the marriage between a mixed couple?  If I am missing something, please let me know, but until someone can convince me otherwise (without pulling random quotes from the Bible) I think I will forever be confused. 

All I ask is that if you don't want to relive through the civil rights hardships again, vote NO on proposition 2!!!  There are only a few days left to vote and allowing an amendment like this pass will perpetuate the notion that discrimination and hate are acceptable practices here in the land of equality.

"In the end antiblack, antifemale, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing...anithumanism. - Shirley Chisholm