Republished from Out In Hollywood because I love Melissa Etheridge, and I am on board with no longer paying my taxes…
Melissa Etheridge has written a blistering piece for the site The Daily Beast expressing her outrage over the passage of Proposition 8 by California voters. Here it is, in its entirety…
Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.
Okay, cool I don’t mean to get too personal here but there is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash this year. What recession? We’re gay! I am sure there will be a little box on the tax forms now single, married, divorced, gay, check here if you are gay, yeah, that’s not so bad. Of course all of the waiters and hairdressers and UPS workers and gym teachers and such, they won’t have to pay their taxes either.
Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away.
Oh and too bad California, I know you were looking forward to the revenue from all of those extra marriages. I guess you will have to find some other way to get out of the budget trouble you are in.
…Really?
When did it become okay to legislate morality? I try to envision someone reading that legislation “eliminates the right” and then clicking yes. What goes through their mind? Was it the frightening commercial where the little girl comes home and says, “Hi mom, we learned about gays in class today” and then the mother gets that awful worried look and the scary music plays? Do they not know anyone who is gay? If they do, can they look them in the face and say “I believe you do not deserve the same rights as me”? Do they think that their children will never encounter a gay person? Do they think they will never have to explain the 20% of us who are gay and living and working side by side with all the citizens of California?
I got news for them, someday your child is going to come home and ask you what a gay person is. Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away.
I know when I grew up gay was a bad word. Homo, lezzie, faggot, dyke. Ignorance and fear ruled the day. There were so many “thems” back then. The blacks, the poor … you know, “them”. Then there was the immigrants. “Them.” Now the them is me.
I tell myself to take a breath, okay take another one, one of the thems made it to the top. Obama has been elected president. This crazy fearful insanity will end soon. This great state and this great country of ours will finally come to the understanding that there is no “them”. We are one. We are united. What you do to someone else you do to yourself. That “judge not, lest ye yourself be judged” are truthful words and not Christian rhetoric.
Today the gay citizenry of this state will pick themselves up and dust themselves off and do what we have been doing for years. We will get back into it. We love this state, we love this country and we are not going to leave it. Even though we could be married in Mass. or Conn, Canada, Holland, Spain and a handful of other countries, this is our home. This is where we work and play and raise our families. We will not rest until we have the full rights of any other citizen. It is that simple, no fearful vote will ever stop us, that is not the American way.
Come to think of it, I should get a federal tax break too…
Great piece.
I’m still in disbelief.
Sybil Laws last blog post..Mmmm… Spam
Exactly what I argued… if you pay taxes, you should get the exact same rights as everybody else, even if you happen to be gay. If you don’t get the full benefits attributed to the taxes you pay, then it’s grossly unjust and should be illegal.
Dave2s last blog post..Obama
I would say to Melissa, “wrong argument!” She can call her significant other anything…just not her “wife”, which would really be stupid! Imagine, one woman calling another woman “my wife”. Imagine, a man calling another man “my husband”.
No, that’s not going to fly in California or in most other States as well. Jester, I have a good question: given the fact that in California “domestic partners” and “Civil Unions” already have the same benefits and rights as heterosexual marriages, what is this “really” all about?
In my opinion, it is about destroying the traditional family, which is the very foundation of our society. It is about gay people trying to legitimize their homosexual lifestyle…which can never be legitimized in God’s eyes!
Before you say it, that’s not being hateful, that’s being truthful! Yes, I am still The Thing when it comes to this issue. I come from the home of a loving Mother and Father, and I do not ever want to see that sacred union and covenant of holy matrimony tarnished by people’s warp idea of “love”.
Therefore, here is my recommendation: every woman should go and find a man to love, and every man should stop desiring someone who looks like them and who has the same equipment and start to desire a woman; I promise you will feel much better in the morning!
The Doctor!
I was so disappointed that it passed! I just can’t believe that we (as a state) believe we are so progressive and then turn around and do something like this. It’s crap.
I have a question for the Doctor. How does Melissa Etheridge calling her wife her “wife” affect you in any way? How does Melissa Etheridge having a wife hurt you? Two women or two men loving one another and expecting the same civil rights as heterosexual couples does not in any way destroy your ‘traditional’ marriage. How does it tarnish it?
Sorry Jester, I know I shouldn’t feed the trolls, but grr. Love is love and everyone deserves the right to be treated fairly under the law.
i love melissa. terrific piece.
Sybil Law – It’s merely a temporary setback.
Dave2 – I’m certainly ready to stop paying taxes. Guess I need to talk to my employer.
The Doctor – Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships do NOT afford the same rights as a “marriage.” For one thing, it’s not federally recognized, which is enough right there to disprove that asinine statement. “Separate but equal” was deemed unconstitutional more than 50 years ago, no matter how you try to disguise it, it’s still the same load of bullshit that was used to oppress blacks. And the last I checked, GOD does not rule our government. If you want that, I suggest you move to a theocratic country… there are many wonderful choices in the Middle East.
Sarah – It’s just proof that stupid knows no geographical boundaries.
Suze – Feed the trolls all you like. My philosophy is that there is always someone out there who may not have made their mind up about this subject, and seeing the idiocy that spouts from the mouths of some might just be enough to make them decide not to align with that thought process.
hello – It really was.
Who the hell is The Doctor that has found your blog? Guess he wasn’t affected by Prop 8 passing. Well neither was I and I am in full agreement with Melissa. While I know there may some concerns about not paying taxes, the logic is spot on.
Maybe someone needs to educate the Doctor that rights should never be put to the vote of the people. Brown vs. the Board of Education wouldn’t have had a chance in hell if it went before a vote. The justices and courts in this country are setup to protect the minority from the majority. Majority rule means nothing.
And if you don’t call marriage a right, then why was the first part of Prop 8 “Eliminate the rights”?? Answer that question intelligently, without using the bible or religion or morals.
Morally wrong is people being sent to death in a useless war. For some reason, the Mormons and other supporters of Prop 8 forget about that.
Melissa is right that we should all be considered “one” and no one should be labeled “them” The bigotry and divisive nature needs to stop.
martymankins – The Doctor has been around for quite sometime. He normally behaves himself, but of course he’s gloating about prop 8. Don’t bother trying to get an intelligent non-biblical/religious answer from him. It’s a futile request. Some people can not extricate their brains from their beliefs. I do believe that until I’m treated as an equal citizen, I should not be required to pay equally. I wonder what the gay version of the Boston Tea Party would be… would we throw dance cd’s and all that disposable income into the ocean?
I just found a Glimmer of hope!
I was never big on Melissa Etheridge’s music, but that was a great article.
Jester and the gang:
None of you guys make a bit of sense. All of this “equality” crap you keep spouting has nothing to do with marriage. Marriage is ordained by God to be between one man and one woman for life! Where do we see the first marriage performed? In the Garden of Eden, not the government!
Marriage is not the Goverment’s idea, it is Almighty God’s idea..whether you believe in Him or not. Jester, you are confused if you believe for one moment that the Government is not subject to the authority of Almighty God, which lead me to ask an obvious question: Who/what started the government?
Let me tell you: In the Book of Romans, chapter 9, there you will see God’s Sovereign Rule over the Government, and for the record, the Government is but a tool and instrument of God to keep order in the Earth!
I realize that most people on this site are spiritually and biblically illiterate, but please know that no Government can operate outside of the Boundary of the Sovereign Rule of the one who created the world, and who will judge all human authority someday! You can take that truth to the Bank and cash the check!
It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not, make fun at it, dismiss and reject it, curse at God, or any other stupid response; it is the truth, and the truth ALWAYS prevail ultimately.
So, what does it matter if two persons of the same gender “love each other?” It matters simply because you are confused, deluded, perverted, and are hurting yourself more than you will ever know! Jester, I am not gloating over Prop 8 passage, I am, however, elated that the institution that I have immense respect for was protected by the vote of sensible and right thinking people!
The Thing!
Let’s see Doctor, who started our government? Would you like some of the quotes from Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, and Benjamin Franklin? They were all non-Christians. Arguably Agnostic or even Atheists.
You do have the slightest bit of truth to your argument. The government has no right to meddle with marriage. It is a matter of religion. Since we have a nation founded on the principals of separation of church and state, religion has no place in our government. Swearing on a bible, 10 commandments, In God We Trust, marriage. These are not the facets of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-theist society. As far as the government should be concerned, every marriage is simply a “civil union.” Call it whatever you want in your church according to your religion.
Despite how it may sound, I have no real problems with you or anyone else being Christian (Or Mormon, Jew, Hindu, Wiccan, Muslim, et al), until they start spouting that they are the only good people and everyone else is not only wrong but needs to do as they say.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,”
You are free to disagree, but that is the cornerstone of our country right there. You can say you’re right until your fingers turn purple and throw out the more flowery quotes from the book seemingly sewn together by the Riddler, but it won’t make gays, liberals, Hari Crishnas, or the entire city of Miami disappear any more than sticking your fingers in your ears and saying, “Lalalalalalalalalalala I can’t heaaaaar youuuuuu!” while clicking your heels 3 times.
Until you learn to debate rationally and gain the tolerance that Christianity in its most ideal form teaches*, we might read and react to your messages, but you will fail miserably at changing anyone’s mind. So do you just want attention, or do you have something inspiring to say?
*Communism, in it’s purist, most ideal state is a wonderful philosophy – but we all know how it worked out in real life, don’t we?
rebturtles last blog post..Four Score and biometric monitoring
I’ve always thought that Melissa Etheridge was a bit of an idiot, but I like what she has to say on this issue.
Avitables last blog post..Amber Alert: Missing Children
After my rant on the idiots who approved prop 8 and prop 2 on the same day, my good friend left a comment that makes perfect sense.
Since the people are willing to give rights to chickens and not gay people, perhaps we should start attacking the difficulties by trying to get rights for gay chickens first.
I think he is on to something.
@Doctor
We’re going to start lobbying for a constitutional amendment forbidding the practice of religion. Hope you don’t have a problem with that.
Wow – The Doctor has raised his psychobabel again !!
It is interesting to me that he has not responded to my last comment; whereby, he was asked the basis of his doctorate; and other comments.
Doctor, heal thyself
Dear rebturtles:
Your posting actually affirms my major premise: you referred to the Constitution and quoted: “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are ‘created’ equal, that they are endowed by their ‘creator’ with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Then you said: “You are free to disagree, but that is the cornerstone of our Country right there.” Wow! You said a mouth full and yet, you don’t even know what you said! So, let me do a little “exegeting”.
First, the Constitution underscores two significant points that many on this site refuses to accept, including Jester: That we are “Created” and that there is a “Creator”.
Without question, we know whom the founding Fathers were referring to: The God of the Bible! Which means that while they were believers in Christ or not, they had a respect for the things of God and used that respect as a basis for writing a portion of the Constitution.
It is true that mankind is “equal” in terms of his worth, value and dignity. No argument there. However, this is not referring to the Institution of marriage, nor did the founding Fathers anticipate any other relationship in terms of marriage, other than being between one man and one woman!
Therefore, the “equality” that they spoke of did not have “Traditional Marriage” in mind as such a thing had NEVER been heard of during that day or any day prior!
So, to use your words, then we need to maintain that “cornerstone” as it relates to marriage and the family as it is the only Cornerstone that America has ever known!
I do not need to convince gays that their lifestyle is unnatural, abnormal, and perverted; I will leave that up to Almighty God who will judge mankind someday for the choices they have made.
While Christianity certainly teaches that we must love people, it even more so teaches that we need to love people enough to tell them the truth! Thus, the words of the Apostle Paul: “Speak the Truth in Love”.
The gay community is so riddled with guilt that everytime someone stands up and say “I don’t agree with your lifestyle”, it is usually met with disdain and all of a sudden the name calling begins “Hate-Mongers!” “Intolerant”.
I want to ask you a question: does a parent have the right to not want their children to be taught by a man who is confused and think’s he is a woman? Should a parent have the authority to teach their values, principles, and convictions to the very people they brought into the world without being called a hate monger?
Take the Prop 4 measurement which failed due to the fact that voters believed that parents should not have the right to be notified in case their daughters have an abortion.
Of course, the argument is “What if there is a case of abuse, should a kid be force to have the baby?” LEt me blow this argument out of the water:
First, this kind of scenario is not the norm, it is the exception! What about the 12 year old little girl who comes from a very loving and supportive family, makes an unwise decison and have sex, gets pregnant, panics, and then decides to get an abortion?
Are you saying that in that situation, loving and supportive parents have no right to know that their little girl is pregnant and desires to kill her baby? Where do we draw the line? For the record, we have hundreds of kids in this kind of situation having abortions in large numbers; it has nothing to do with abuse!
So, I have no intention of trying to convince gay people that their lifestyle will cost them; I will let God do that in His own time. In the meantime, let not the gay community EVER think that she will convince most Americans, including the Christian Church that we have it wrong, and that we need to become more “tolerant”, especially as it relates to Traditional Marriage and the Family as defined by Almighty God. It won’t ever happen in your lifetime!
I like the part where she said, “What recession? I’m gay!”. And I agree. If you can’t have equal rights and take advantage of all the opportunities, if you are going to be a “second class citizen” then you should be able to pay second class taxes. Or none at all.
And although I told myself I was not going to argue with The Doctor, I would like to see some hard evidence of what you are saying in regards to the numbers for abortion and I would like to ask you the same thing I asked my coworker when he gave me the same misguided non factual numbers; would you feel the same if it were your daughter? Would you want her poking out her baby with a rusty wire hanger or going to a back street Tijuana butcher because she couldn’t get proper safe care in the states after she was raped? And YOU decided that she couldn’t have safe health care? Women will get abortions whether you want them to or not. You aren’t going to stop it from happening by making it illegal, so I say make it a safe, legal procedure and let them choose what is right for them. Sometimes, family life isn’t all it seems. There is no record that “hundreds of kids in this situation are having abortions in large numbers” I call BULL SHIT on you. again. (because I’m certain I have done so before)
Meanwhile you claim to be letting God pass judgement on Gays. But it seems to me that it is MAN that passes judgement. Not God. If we were created, then God created Gay people too. If they were truly an abomination, they would not be successful, healthy members and strong contributers to our society because in your propaganda addled brain, God would be punishing them if they were. Some of them even believe in this God you speak of. They go to Church, they read the Bible. They raise their children. And you would take away from them the opportunity to call their mate husband or wife? To take advantage of all the opportunities given to strait people because they aren’t.
I need to go calm down and cook something. Or eat ice cream. Or knit because I got all riled up again.
Kisses to Jester!
ginamonsters last blog post..DARN!!
Ginamonster:
You make absolutely no sense! You don’t understand spiritual matters and that is why you can speak with such profound ignorance! First, God did not make people gay; they choose the lifestyle they want to live. There is no “Gay” gene that makes people attracted to the same sex. That is baloney! It has NEVER been proven, and even when there has been false information supporting that view, it has been easily debunked!
God indeed judges ALL SIN, including the abomination of homosexuality! According to Romans 1, God has already judged homosexuals by giving them over to a “Reprobate Mind to do that which is unseemly”. God will ultimately judge this, and other kinds of sexual perversion in the Day of Judgment.
That is why He implores people to repent of their wicked ways, and turn to Him for forgiveness and transformation! You can get angry, but I promise you it will not matter because I am not the authority, Almighty God is, and you have to deal with HIM!
If it makes you feel better, you can go ahead and curse, swear, stomp your feet, argue, start name calling, etc. None of that will matter when you stand before the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe and be judged for your unbelief and rebellion against Him, not little ole me!
Have a Good Night,
The Doctor!
Gee Doctor, you’re the first person I have ever met that has suggested that I am spiritually unaware. But I will always maintain that my relationship with God is a private one and between myself ant the energy we refer to as such. I consider my relationship with God to be healthy and strong. When I think of God, a sense of peace comes over me. How do you feel about YOUR relationship with God?
And thank you. I find that stomping my feet and swearing DOES make me feel better in most situations. I also throw things. I don’t think I called you names though. I try not to do that. Hurts people’s feelings which is, actually, against my spiritual beliefs. Hmm. So, I’m glad I have your permission to throw a temper tantrum once in awhile; not that I needed it, I find that releasing that energy in a harmless fashion (I can’t hit the broad side of a barn and I rarely cuss around children) keeps me from running about acting like an asshole. How do you release YOUR anger in a way that satisfies your inner child?
ginamonsters last blog post..This started me leaking again
Dear Ginamonster:
Perhaps I am the first person to challenge your “spiritual awareness” because I can see through the nonsensical rhetoric. As to the reality of your relationship with God, I admit that it would seem very suspect. Why? For the following reasons:
1. If you really “knew” the Lord in a personal relationship, you could not approve, advocate, and promote the homosexual lifestyle!
2. While I don’t know if you are gay yourself, but if, you are gay, then that would mean that your relationship with Jesus Christ is not legit as He would chnage and transform you from that perverted lifestyle!
3.You would understand that marriage as God Himself has defined it, is a sacred Covenant between one man and one woman for life!
These three “indicators” are sufficient enough to get you going. Trust me, there are other “Acid Tests” for genuine Salvation through Jesus Christ! Do you even really understand the term “Born Again?” I’d be interested in hearing your version. I will leave you with a very profound Scripture from the Book of Proverbs: “There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12)
The Doctor!
Doctor,
I’m really not going to argue with you about this any further. Not because I think you are right, but because I have learned that it is pointless to have a discussion with someone who completely rejects anything you say. I’m not just saying that you are rejecting my conversation, but that I can’t wrap my mind around your logic either.
ginamonsters last blog post..This started me leaking again
GinaMonster:
That is because you don’t understand spiritual matters as you assert; it is too high for you. However, I would encourage you to seek to understand what Christianity is really all about, as well as understanding the heart and attitude of God towards sin! If you really want to understand God’s hatred of sin and what it does to mankind, then take a very good look at the Cross of Jesus Christ! Until then, I will pray for your “spiritual liberty”.
The Doctor!
Ps. You never answered my question concerning what it means to be “Born-Again”.
Here’s the problem, Doctor;
Your religion is not the only show in town. Just because you believe it vehemently doesn’t make you good at debating it (i.e. A relation with “God” does not solely translate to Christianity). You have shown that you are incapable of having an objective, rational viewpoint. We concede that you think you are right. I think we can also all agree that we have no interest in being preached to. We can play quote wars if you really want. You post the pretty ones, I’ll post the ugly or confusing ones. Guess who will run out of material fist?
Gina, you can’t wrap your head around logic that is nonexistent. He starts most of his retorts with “You don’t make sense..,” and thus does not have the intellectual fortitude to put aside his personal beliefs and attempt to grasp our simplest arguments. At this point, I’d make more progress kicking rocks barefoot.
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
[Jesus, Matthew 10:34]
And thus cometh the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Dark Ages, British Colonialism, WWII, “protecting” Israel, et al.
rebturtles last blog post..What are you people looking for here?
Returtles: your problem is you speak about that which you clearly do not understand! If you really understood a “Relationship with God”, then you would know that there is only but one true and living God, and that Christianity is the ONLY world religion that presents the true and ONLY way to to Salvation!
Jesus christ made the very exclusive statement: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” Notice, He did not say I am A way, but I am THE WAY! Your problem is you think you can side step Christ, and get to “God” some other way. To that, God says, “HE who honors the Son honors the Father, and he who honors the Son honors the Father.”
Therefore, to get to God the Father, one MUST come through His Son, Jesus Christ! Any other so-called “relationship” with God that does not include that foundation is not “Biblical Christianity”.
And interestingly, you quoted the passage of Scripture that Jesus said to make the point that as it relates to His person and His purpose as the Savior and Redemer, He will be divisive because people will not believe His claims as The Only Way to God! Therefore, you and Ginamonster are in direct opposition to His stated purpose.
The Doctor
The Doctor:
Since you have not responded to my prior inquiry about your ID; it tends to leave many with the impression that this is a self-anointed title. How grandiose of you !!
With regard to my question as to which bible you follow, that also remains unanswered.
Also, since you disapprove of The Book of Mormon (as you noted previously), we heathens, atheists and agnostics ask you:- which Christian groups actually meet approval?
The Doctor – I’ve grown tired of this constant impasse. You absolutely refuse to acknowledge the fact that there are other ways of thinking, or beliefs. Your mind is closed, and as such, it’s time to make your mouth match.
What happened was, I shut my mouth. I didn’t want to say the mean things that ached to burst forth from my fingers. I didn’t want to get into a religious argument on Jester’s blog. I didn’t want to report on what I found when I googled Romans I. Times like this, I wish I owned a bible because I don’t always trust the Internet to give me an accurate translation if there is any such thing. (King James Version, I believe, is generally accepted as the closest translation to the original document but I could be wrong here).
Instead I decided to pray for the ability to turn the other cheek; to walk away and understand that there are people in this world with whom I will never agree about certain things. People with whom arguing is a pointless and frustrating event. I think I find the Doctor to be one of these people. I will not pontificate on why I think this is or point out the things in his comments that I do not agree with because I truly believe that this will only invite more argument.
I prefer not to let that level of anger enter my realm. Do not mistake this, I was VERY angry. I am hoping that the more we ignore The Doctor the more he, like any bully, will realize that his energy is better spent elsewhere. Perhaps feeding the homeless or tutoring children. Somehow my memory tells me that we have discussed this before. I can’t remember for certain. I know that I will be doing my best not to let him affect my emotions in the future.
ginamonsters last blog post..This started me leaking again
To my man Jester:
You’re wrong to think that I believe that there are no “other ways” to think about things. there are certainly other ways, but I will use another Scripture to make the point: “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death!” Wow! That’s heavy.
Jester, here’s the point: There are other ways, but those ways are clearly wrong! They don’t lead to eternal life in Christ Jesus. they are faxsimilies of the real thing. To Crail’s point: The Mormon Church IS NOT CHRISTIAN!
There Christ and the Christ of the Bible are in no way even remotely close to be the same “Savior!” That is where intelligence, the ability to do research and check out the evidence firtshand comes into play. Crail, Ginamonster, and apparently, even you have shown you lacked the basic skills of being able to understand the “Deep” things of the Spiritual life.
Ginamonster is so confused that she thinks that she can embrace homosexuality in all of its ugliness and still have a relationship with The God of the Bible. Ms. Monster, if you want to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then it will REQUIRE that you repent of your rebellion and leave your sinful lifestyle and follow Christ with all of your heart! I hope that you will come to that realization someday soon and not continue to be deceived into thinking that you’re right with God!
Jester, you might be angry with me, but I will at least give you your props that from the very beginning you have said you don’t believe in God. I at least respect your honesty, though my heart still ache for you, that you will someday see the truth. As for our girl Crail, she is caught up on whether I am a “Doctor”. Well, Crail, please know I am The Thing! Take Care Jest.
The Doctor!