Why I Chose Radical

I get back from work today and see Facebook plastered. At the heart of it is that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard today arguments on California's ban on same-sex marriage.

From my LGBT friends, and those who support them, I see tons of pictures like this:

What they have right:
Gays are not harming another person, so let them do what they will, with regards to marriage.


What they have wrong:
Do you really want the government telling ANYBODY whom they can or cannot marry???











From my conservative Christian friends, I see lots of pictures like this:

What they have right:
Marriage, as defined in the Bible, is one man and one woman.

What they have wrong:
Do you really want the government telling ANYBODY whom they can or cannot marry???






From the Libertarians, I see a picture like this:

What they have right:
Pretty much everything.

What they have wrong:
Still trying to determine. Gonna go with
NOTHING!














From a guy who lost a lot of weight, I see this:

What he got right:
EVERYTHING!
I mean, come on! it's bacon!

What he got wrong:
NOTHING!
It's bacon!

And finally, I see a picture that describes me perfectly:

It is a square root symbol. Also known as a "radical" symbol from mathematics.
I made this my picture on Facebook for today. It is because I am radical on this whole idea:




HOW TO BE RADICAL:
- Because I am not gay, I do not get married to another man.

- I believe that the Constitution is silent on the issue, and therefore government has no jurisdiction to dictate to me or anybody else what is marriage and what is not. That is between me, my spouse, my God, and whomever I choose to perform the ceremony. 

- I believe the government screws up EVERYTHING it touches. That is a radical notion... because it is true.
I believe that because the government screws up everything it touches, then both the LGBT community, and the conservative Christian community would be wise to approach this issue from a completely different angle.

- I believe that when something is regulated by the government, We the People are stripped of our rights.
That is a radical notion... shared by our founding fathers.

- I believe that if I don't like gay marriage, then I should not should not get married to a gay guy.
That is a radical notion. It also fits my beliefs on other things (I.E. - If you do not like guns, then do not buy one).

- I believe that if a gay person does not like straight marriage, then they should not marry a straight person of the opposite sex. That is a radical notion.

- I believe the government has no right to tell me what I can and cannot do, so long as it does not prevent another person from his/her right to life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness.





HOW THIS AFFECTS US ALL:
1. One more right stripped, reduces all of our freedom.
2. I have a lesbian friend, who reads this blog. If the SCOTUS rules against her, it strips her freedoms. If the SCOTUS rules in her favor, it strips her freedoms, too.
3. I have a transgendered friend - this person was born male, but now identifies as female. This person is married to a woman. This ruling could affect my friend's ability to continue to be married.
4. I know a guy from high school who is gay. A ruling by the SCOTUS is not going to be in his favor - either way!
5. If the ban is upheld, then it means that state governments may strip freedoms from people by simple majority vote. That, my friends, is democracy. We are not a democracy. We are a Constitutional Republic. There is a difference. The difference is that in a Constitutional Republic, the rights of the individual are protected from the mob of majority.
6. If the SCOTUS makes a ruling in either direction, it is more evidence that a court can decide what you may and may not do, outside the realm of the deprivation of others from life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness.





Christian folks: do you really want the government to establish what is marriage and what is not???
Really? Do you? What will you do when folks get in to government (or appointed to the SCOTUS) who do not share your views on marriage?

LGBT folks: do you really want the government to establish what marriage is and is not???
Really? Do you? What will you do when folks get in to government (or appointed to the SCOTUS) who do not share your views on marriage?

Get the government out of marriage - 

gay, straight, polygamous, etc. 

I believe that the concept of marriage 

is just too important to be regulated by

(read: screwed up by)

the government.

.