I just read an opinion on prop 8 that pissed me off enough to finally rouse Angry B from his slumber. It was on “the Facebook” and I won’t single anyone out, and anyway it was pretty similar to crap I’ve seen in a million different places. Basically, a bunch of crap about homosexuality being wrong and comparing it to polygamy and how people with strong “moral” fiber have to stand up for what they believe in. And I think it is just that: crap.

Prop 8 and the similar measures that have passed all over the country are discrimination plain and simple. I’m sick to death of all the bigots and religious types that give lip service to the idea that they are standing up for their beliefs. You know what? You can stand up for whatever the hell you want, just don’t legislate against it because that is discriminatory. What if the shoe was on the other foot and religious types were the minority and we were to vote on prop “going to church is illegal”?

President Elect Obama addressed the separation of church and state (and the emphasis is mine) during the fourth Democratic debate:

I am proud of my Christian faith. And it informs what I do. And I don’t think that people of any faith background should be prohibited from debating in the public square.

But I am a strong believer in the separation of church and state, and I think that we’ve got to translate…

(APPLAUSE)

By the way, I support it not just for the state but also for the church, because that maintains our religious independence and that’s why we have such a thriving religious life.

But what I also think is that we are under obligation in public life to translate our religious values into moral terms that all people can share, including those who are not believers. And that is how our democracy’s functioning, will continue to function. That’s what the founding fathers intended.

That quote speaks to something I thought about a lot during the campaigns this fall. I kept seeing and hearing stuff about people voting for who represented what they believed. And I think that is wrong minded. I want to vote for and be represented by people who don’t necessarily reflect what I personally believe, but instead have a desire to protect the ability of all Americans choose and live their beliefs without interference from the state.

I leave you with Keith Olbermann’s take on the subject. He says it better than I: