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ORIGINAL: Evanesce

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So, did A/anyone contact Y/your Senators?

I did.  I've been a contributor and member of the Human Rights Campaign for a couple years, now, and have definitely done my fair share of letter writing on this issue.  There is absolutely NO argument anyone can give that presents a reasonable, logical reason why two same-sex individuals should not be married.

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So, did A/anyone contact Y/your Senators?

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ORIGINAL: puella

What really gets me steamed is their position that this is what the country wants debated in our houses of legislation, with the position of gravest concern and highest precedence. That this and flag burning are the hot items in our country today.

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but in speaking for myself, I do so with complete outrage I say this:

I have a sister who is a lesbian and brother who is serving in Iraq.

To dare assume (let alone to claim you represent MY voice) that it is more important to me, as a citizen whom you serve as an elected official, to have you spend my money and time in my legislative forum debating my sister's right (as a taxpaying citizen of this country) to a loving and committed relationship, and all the amenities (right of attorney and next of kin, tax benefits as a combined household, etc) which we afford every other citizen, rather than the protection, security and very lifeblood of my brother, serving in Iraq to support this administrations agendas, serving in a war which has very little personal cost to you, let alone the cost of your life, is beyond offensive to me. It is a disgusting misuse of the powers we vested in our officials as well as my hard earned money, being paid to you in my tax dollars. And also is a woeful misuse of the time you are supposed to be spending on the legitimate and timely political and governmental concerns and issues of our nation.

Our country, and very specifically to me, the life of my brother, is in a very perilous situation and that peril is directly attributable to each official who voted for and sanctioned this war.

The first priority of my representatives in both the Senate and the Congress, and my nation, should be to protect the lives of its citizens, not to legislate religiously motivated bigotry... the gay marriage issue is not going anywhere.... how many soldiers were killed on the day you brought that non issue to the floor of the senate?

You have plenty of time to move onto the offenders burning the flag, to whom is being sexually serviced in ways you do not approve, to ensuring that the wealthy can keep their strangle hold on the wealth of this country, AFTER you ensure those men and women you sent to bleed for your convictions are not only outfitted properly for your war games, but are not being put in situations that no properly armored vehicle or 'up to specs' helmet can protect them from.. the loss that comes when you are put in a position of such civil strife, that you are forced to go past your own moral conditioning and commit acts, sanctioned or not by a signing statement, which compromise your spirit.

At some point, we have allowed our elected officials not only to forget, but to seduce us into forgetting as well, that they work for us. They are not entitled to make the public their servants; they ARE the public’s servants.

Which of you will call your representative and tell them how outraged you are that every day our citizens are dying, not because of a single gay marriage, but because of the war they gave the nod to.

When are we going to stop being apathetic or worse, harbingers of moral reform in a time of mortal peril to so many of our fellow citizens?

It takes more than the blogosphere to make change... step away from the keyboard and call your Senator, call your Congressperson.

Step away from your apathy and do more than muddle over ideas and desires for change, and be the person in your family/neighborhood/city/ congressional district, who uses their voice and their rights as a citizen of this nation to create change.

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ORIGINAL: Level

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, dealing a defeat to President Bush and Republicans who hope to use the measure to energize conservative voters on Election Day.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13181735

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ORIGINAL: Termyn8or

Anyway, the Gay marriage thing is something that should not need to be debated with our taxpayer dollars, What about predatory lending practices, the exportation of decent jobs and the influx of unempoyed immigrants ? What about the fact the we are in a war based on lies ? What about the fact that highschool grads can't read their own diploma ? What about the crumbling infrastructure of our older cities, which is merely patched daily with our tax dollars instead of being fixed right ? What about all the waste caused by regulatory agencies taking the wrong actions, putting innocent people in jail while allowing the biggest of theives to live free, freeer than those who die to let them keep doing it.

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ORIGINAL: misfire

I don't see the problem with gay marriage.
Nor do I see the problem with civil unions.

If the religious folk don't want gay people to get married in a church, then so be it.  Let them get married on a beach or in City Hall and call it a civil union.. 'cos what it all boils down to is this: no matter what you call it, you still have that slip of paper that says you're recognised by the government as a happy, loving couple -- and you're entitled to tax breaks and benefits because of it.

There's absolutely no reason why two people who love each other cannot be recognised by the government -- and given access to the benefits heterosexual couples are given.  (All the benefits are listed at http://www.gao.gov/archive/1997/og97016.pdf -- it's a 75 page letter, so.. you've been warned.)

*stalks off, grumbling about stupid wedge issues*

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ORIGINAL: pinkee

So, did A/anyone contact Y/your Senators?
 
pinkee

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ORIGINAL: MasterKalif

I will be honest here...I am not pro-gay marriage...simply because it becomes a religious issue (in my view), and most of the same sex couples want to get married so they can have rights as spouses and for inheritance and tax purposes. It is a free country, so everyone is entitled to their opinion, those for or against same sex marriages. Yes, even though I am young, I guess I am an old school conservative type. In any case, couples are couples, and each to their own...I also think gays and lesbians can raise children, and they are not "better" than a straight couple, it depends on who they are, what they are like, the core values of caring for another living being, that is what it comes down to. Therefore I agree with darq on this issue...those who oppose it are not short-sighted, or gay themselves, we just have a right to dissent to something we dont agree with, right? Just my view..... peace.