Not special rights, equal rights!

Separate civil and religious marriage.

I’ve been espousing this position for at least 5 year (probably more).  I think it’s the only solution that could make everyone happy.  Civil marriage is available to all, religious marriage varies based upon church/religious institution.

During a visit to St. Michael & All Angels Church this morning, the Rev. V. Eugene Robinson said he favored the system used in France and other parts of Europe in which civil marriage – performed by government officials – is completely separate from religious vows. In the U.S., the civil and religious ceremonies are often combined with the cleric signing the government marriage license.

“In this country, it has become very confusing about where the civil action begins and ends and where the religious action begins and ends, because we have asked clergy to be agents of the state,” said Robinson, the bishop of New Hampshire.

The real effects of gay marriage.

Bet you didn’t know it WILL impact you in this way.

“Poor Rowan. He is in an impossible position.”

A must read article in the March issue of The Atlantic is Paul Elie’s “The Velvet Revolution.”  It’s about the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams who…

At a time when Christianity is twisted into a pretzel over the issue of homosexuality, Rowan Williams—alone among the top Christian leaders—is trying to carry on a conversation about it. His approach has been quixotic, at times baffling. But the long-term goal seems clear: to enable the church he leads to become fully open to gays and lesbians without breaking apart.

While many American Episcopalians think Williams a bit too conservative, you may think differently about him after reading the article. I love these words of Williams as a start in thinking about what Christianity should be.

Christian faith has its beginnings in an experience of profound contradictoriness. [So the church should proclaim] a hidden God, who does not uncover his will in a straight line of development, but fully enters into a world of confusion and ambiguity and works in contradictions.

The Old Fart’s Sunday Recommendations.

• Cathleen Falsani has interviewed faith leaders and learned what they tell people who are suffering through this current economic hard time.
• A few summers ago (wow, it was 2001 immediately before 9-11) the media circus focused on the murder of Chandra Levy and the possible involvement of then Congressman Gary Condit.  Here’s an update from which the most interesting point to me is that her family is opposed to the death penalty for her killer if he is convicted. Robert Levy said he and his wife, Susan, were not told the identity of the person to be arrested “but we all know who it is.” He would not elaborate but said they would favor a life sentence for the killer.
• David Blankenhorn and Jonathan Rauch, coming from two different points of view, propose an interesting compromise on the issue of gay marriage.  I’m not sure how I feel about this after only a first reading, but it’s a proposal worth exploring.
• And, if you’ve been living under a rock, just a reminder that tonight is the 81st annual Academy Awards from down the street in Hollywood.  I usually miss most of the show but tonight am heading out to a party at friends which should be fun. Enjoy but better yet, see some of the movies worth seeing–Doubt, Frost/Nixon, Frozen River and Milk were my favorites.

Getting what he deserves.

Yesterday, idiot Utah state legislator Chris Butters was my featured “Quote of the Day.” Today even his fellow Republican colleagues are punishing him for his stupid statement.

Sources familiar with the Senate discussions, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Senate Republican caucus decided to remove Buttars from the Senate Judiciary Committee, a panel which he currently chairs.

And further reports claim he may even resign.

For once one man’s stupidity catches up with him.

Quote of the Day. (Asinine Idiot Edition.)

“Homosexuality will always be a sexual perversion. And you say that around here now and everybody goes nuts. But I don’t care. They’re mean. They want to talk about being nice. They’re the meanest buggers I have ever seen. It’s just like the Muslims. Muslims are good people and their religion is anti-war. But it’s been taken over by the radical side. What is the morals of a gay person? You can’t answer that because anything goes. They’re probably the greatest threat to America going down I know of.”

- Utah state Sen. Chris Buttars (R), speaking in the documentary, 8 – The Mormon Proposition.

Ritual wedding in India. (Boy marries dog.)

Some in this country have a problem with gay marriage. They obviously haven’t yet seen this story.

The Old Fart’s Wednesday Recommendations.

After a couple of days where I was doing other things, mostly cooking, I’m back with a few recommendations for you:

• MoDo on “Cheney and the Goat Devil.”
• Marc Ambinder on the shifting tone among potential GOP presidential candidates on the issue of support for gay civil unions/marriage.
• Lots of interesting editorials and op-eds on bipartisanship and on the GOP just saying no. Thomas Frank on the media obsession with bipartisanship, James Morone on a historical picture of bipartisanship, and even Bush’s former speech writer, Michael Gerson thinks the GOP needs to move from its “No” posture.
• Thanks but no thanks for that senator from Chicago. As Ta-Nehisi Coates writes, “you have your black senator now, isn’t he a dandy.”
• A great article in The Atlantic on how the current economic crash will reshape America. It’s long so take the time to read it and weep (or not).
• Cathleen Falsani on is A-Rod forgivable.
• Paul Martin posts a new creed for the “Church of the Free Market.” All I have to add to that is, “Amen!.”
• And, finally, an interesting blog post on “Amish Hackers” by Kevin Kelly. Having grown up not too far from Amish Country in Pennsylvania, I found it an interesting read.

The Old Fart’s Sunday Recommendation.

• Frank Rich on the GOP’s early declaration of the death of the Obama presidency. “…Republicans are isolated in that parallel universe and believe all the noise in its echo chamber, they are now as out of touch with reality as the “inevitable” Clinton campaign was before it got clobbered in Iowa. The G.O.P. doesn’t recognize that it emerged from the stimulus battle even worse off than when it started.”
• Michael Moore’s next target–bankers.
• A win for equal rights in Utah as their GOP governor endorses civil unions and gay adoption. It won’t change their legislative action but it sure points to the way the wind is blowing on this issue.
• I missed this one yesterday but it’s worth pointing you to, as the NY Times editorial writers hit the nail on the head regarding the California Prison System and what needs to be done. “Like many states, California is putting too many people behind bars for too long, and it doesn’t have the money to build more facilities. Instead of appealing, as it has vowed to do, California should get to work overhauling its misguided incarceration policies. [.....] A large number of California prisoners are behind bars for technical parole violations. Others are in for minor, nonviolent crimes. Inmates like those can and should be released, and given help to reintegrate into society. The state’s limited prison space should be used for people who truly need to be there. It is not ideal when a court has to intervene so directly in managing prisons. But California has been unwilling, on its own, to run a prison system that complies with the Constitution.”
• And, from earlier in the week, the NY Times delves into the serious art of updating your Facebook status.

Mormon film maker and lesbian Epsicopal Priest form bond via their faith.

There’s a great article in today’s LA Times about the bond that developed between a friend, Susan Russell, a lesbian Episcopal Priest, and a Mormon documentary film maker over issues related to their faiths.  Read it all here.

As Russell told her story to Hunter, he realized that he wasn’t just filming, he was learning from her. He was especially moved by the priest’s concept of romantic love, with its emphasis on spiritual and emotional intimacy as a precursor to physical expression.

“That resonated with me and gave me a renewed appreciation of my relationship with my wife,” he said.

Hunter also felt his empathy growing for gays and lesbians, especially friends who felt compelled to hide their sexual orientation. Perhaps that was because he, too, held a secret: Hunter had been sexually abused as a child by two neighbors in his native Philadelphia.

He knew what it was like to hide a part of himself and pretend his life was in order. “I kept that locked away,” he said.

Something else was occurring: Hunter and Russell were becoming friends. As election day neared last November, Hunter began showing up at “No on 8″ rallies alongside his documentary subject.

Russell’s initial curiosity about Hunter gave way to admiration, particularly over his decision to vote against the same-sex marriage ban and to speak out against it. She realized that she was sharing in his transformation. And that filled her with a sense of wonder.

“It isn’t a risk for a priest from All Saints to go to a Prop. 8 demonstration, but it is for a devout, straight Mormon father of three,” Russell said. “It just speaks volumes about how deeply Douglas walks the talk in terms of really putting his faith into action.”

Hunter had to balance his new friendship against his obligation to his church, whose members, at the urging of church leaders, were contributing millions of dollars to help pass the ban.

Knowing he was walking the finest of lines, he told only a few close Mormon friends about his opposition to Proposition 8 and about his documentary, even as it debuted last fall at a gay and lesbian film festival in Chicago. The project also will be shown at a film festival in Pomona in April.

“As a Mormon, I have a responsibility and commitment to listen to my church leaders,” he said. “At the same time, listening to my church leaders does not absolve me of the ethical responsibility to listen to the voice of the other.”

Get to Know Us First.

I don’t understand why these ads are offensive to KABC here in LA but they refused to air them. They deemed them “too controversial.”

The Prayer HBO Didn’t Want You To See.

Captured by Christianity Today.

The Old Fart’s Saturday Recommendation.

• The Third Way, a governing agenda designed to end the culture wars.
• From yesterday’s NY Times comes Mary Frances Berry’s OpEd, “Gay But Equal” which is well worth reading, even a day late.
• The departure of the frat boy, from The Economist.
• Death penalty repeal is on the table in Maryland and Nebraska.

Bishop Robinson+ Gets His Role at the Inauguration.

Faith In Public Life offers this bit of good news from the Obama Inaugural Committee:

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who was elected the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop in 2003, will deliver the invocation for Sunday’s kickoff inaugural event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said.

President-elect Obama is scheduled to attend the afternoon event, which is free and open to the public.

“The president-elect has respect for the Rt. Rev. Robinson, who offered his advice and counsel over the past couple of years,” an inaugural official said. “It also has the benefit of further reinforcing our commitment to an open and inclusive inaugural.”

Marriage Under Attack.

The Old Fart’s Sunday Recommendations.

• Richard Kew on why he is no longer willing to pay for daily print journalism. Hint: it’s not worth paying for and the future is electronic.
• The passing of Richard John Neuhaus and the end an era of Catholic neoconservatism and the religious right.
• Disgraced evangelist Ted Haggard on his gay cure where he claims straight and gay are “stereotypical boxes” and he doesn’t fit in either.
• A few days late (my recommendation, not her post) but Cathleen Falsani has an excellent post about the meaning of the Epiphany or the “Feast of Aha.”
• Tom Friedman on the impact of teachers on bailing us out and moving the US to renewed prosperity.

And, of course, there are fewer than 10 days (9 to be exact) left in the W administration. I’m sure I missed a lot, during the last few weeks, about the transition but will catch up. Obama has a big job to do, lots of things need attention and I am thankful he is our new president and not the other guy–what was his name?

Come on Barack, Break Another Barrier.

After the prop. 8 fiasco here in CA, this would be good news.  I can’t wait for the day when questions about race, sexuality, etc. will not be discussed as issues in anyone’s qualifications for anything.

For the rainbow cabinet of the nation’s first African American president, Mary Beth Maxwell is the perfect labor secretary you’ve probably never heard of: a gay woman, community organizer and labor leader with an adopted African American son. And this founding executive director of American Rights at Work is about to get the full-court press.

Movie Recommendation.

Go see “Milk.”  Sean Penn is wonderful as Harvey Milk the gay activist and first openly gay man elected to a major position in the US. I had forgotten what a hateful bigot Anita Bryant was during the late 70’s when this movie takes place.

There are so many parallels to the battle for equal marriage rights for gays today. More than that, and in spite of the sadness of his murder by Dan White, Milk is an inspiration.

UPDATE: This Slate article asks the question my friends and I were discussing after seeing the movie yesterday, “Would proposition 8 have been killed if this movie had opened before the election?”

A Legal Right Not a Religious Rite.

An interesting column today in the NY Times by Charles Blow on the impact of the black vote, in California, on the prop. 8 results. Read it all. He emphasizes that focus should be placed on black women (and I will let you read it for his argument) AND, what I have believed for a long time, that we should,

“decouple the legal right from the religious rite, and emphasize the idea of acceptance without endorsement.”