NC Amendment 1

Please Vote AGAINST!

Although this shouldn't matter, but I'd first like to mention that I am a heterosexual male North Carolinian, happily married to an amazing wife, and I have three wonderful kids.  I would also like to state that I am completely against North Carolina's Amendment One, and have mentioned so in many of my Facebook posts.  But for anyone who cares, here's a few reasons why:

First and foremost, I believe it is unconstitutional, and against what our forefathers had intended.  I know our forefathers wanted the states to have their own rights, but I also honestly believe they did not want our government to be a theocracy (ruled by a religious majority or organizations).  Not that they wanted to remove religious beliefs, ethics, and morals from government, but they didn't want to make laws forming a national religion (as what had been done in England), but also didn't want a religious majority or religious organizations influencing the government, either.  To me, when I read the first few of the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament, and the first Amendment of our Constitution of the United States, I personally feel that they conflict with each other, if not contradict each other.  On one hand, the first few Commandments state to not worship any other gods or idols, whereas the first Amendment protects the right of any religion (and doesn't explicitly protect the rights of just Christians).  So, I personally interpret these two differently: God wrote laws for His followers to obey.  Our forefathers wrote the United States Constitution to protect the rights of all its citizens.  Although both may share similar laws, not all of them should be shared.  Many of the laws of God and the laws of men should be kept separate.  No one wants a religion imposing their beliefs, ethics, and morals onto people of a different religion, so why should this be any different?  Regardless of whether or not I agree with you, I do not want someone's religious ethics or morals enforced upon me.  Period.  No matter how some may want to distort and twist it, that is what is being done.  Writing religious laws into political laws.  The first and foremost purpose of our government is to protect the rights of all its citizens, and not writing laws to hinder or prohibit them.

By now, you're probably thinking I'm a liberal left-winger, but you're wrong.  I may be a liberal leftist on social issues, but quite conservative on fiscal issues, which brings me to my next point:  I cannot understand how ANY fiscal conservative could stand behind this unnecessary amendment!  I'm angered by the wasted time and resources our state has spent on lawyers and the like to create such an amendment, let alone the time and resources trying to get it passed.  Personally, I feel that there are much more important issues to deal with, such as taking steps to reverse our economy, bringing jobs back to North Carolina, reducing our unemployment rate, improving our public school system, etc.  Worried about gay couples getting married isn't even on my list.  In fact, even if this amendment doesn't pass doesn't mean that gay marriages are legal in North Carolina!  It simply means that everything remains the same as it has always been: gay marriage is still illegal in North Carolina; which only confuses me as to why people are so worried about passing this Amendment.  Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012, same sex marriage is still illegal in North Carolina on Wednesday, May 9th, 2012.

And speaking of May 8th, I can't help but feel somewhat critical or skeptical of why and when this Amendment came about.  I was going to vote in the Republican primaries on May 8th, anyways, but this Amendment only drives me to the voting booth with that much more vigor and vigilance.  I can't help but think it odd we're voting for this Amendment during the Republican primaries for what is considered an extremely critical point in our national, state, and local politics.  North Carolina became a state in 1789, and we've done just fine without this amendment for 223 years, so why now?  We were also the last Confederate state to secede from the union, and for good reason.  We're also the last Southern state without a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage.  Just because all of the other neighboring Southern states has such Amendments doesn't mean that we need to have one.  Let's not make a similar mistake again.  Before Amendment One became so famous (or infamous), I never heard any commotion about changing any current civil union or marriage laws in North Carolina.  To me it seems that this Amendment has only angered those of us who have never previously spoken out against these laws, and for different reasons.

I remember not that long ago, many Christians were very angry and upset that ObamaCare required religious institutions to provide abortion, birth control, and contraceptive services because it infringed their religious beliefs and freedoms. But it's perfectly fine when an amendment infringes the liberties and rights of others who don't believe the same way.

Look, we all can argue and debate what's right, what's wrong, and what the Bible says.  My wife's a Christian and I am agnostic, but we both share the same views about Amendment One.  When you remove all of the fluff and examine the core issue, it all comes down to whether or not you believe that God's interpreted laws should take precedence over men's laws.  That's fine, if everyone believed the exact same way, but we don't, which is what makes America so great!  Our diversity, individuality, and uniqueness makes this such a wonderful country to live in.  We're all able to live, think, worship, and vote as we see fit; but this only works well when everyone regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation are all able to share in these and all other civil liberties and rights.  "What's good for the goose is good for the gander."

Please Vote AGAINST!

I suppose I'm a Libertarian.  I believe in equal rights for everyone, both organizations and citizens alike.  Is that even possible?  I'd like to think so, but it requires a lot less government intervention on all levels in all facets of life.  I attempt to put aside my personal beliefs and opinions, and understand issues from opposing point-of-views.  What is for the benefit and greater good of the whole?  What would protect the privileges and rights of everyone, both citizens and organizations alike?  From that perspective, Amendment One does the opposite of that.  Our forefathers also wrote, "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."  A very similar statement also appears in our own state's constitution (Article 1, Section 1).  So, how exactly does Amendment One fit into this?