Longer term consequences

Because the economy is going to recover without Republicans in charge, the right now loses the myth that only they can solve economic woes. This wound will last a couple generations. With it to the trash goes the right’s bigotry that theirs is the only morality, the only religion, the only good worthy of the word, that the rest of us are vile and immoral. So to goes the falsehood that getting sloshed on beer is less harmful than getting baked on brownies. Freedom to choose is not free if the choices are already chosen.

But the left loses something, too, with their victory. They lose the real messsage of the Right, poorly wrapped in fear and hypocrisy, about the power of the individual, the validity of making choices in our lives. There need be consequences for bad choices and individuals need to suffer those consequences. If society takes up too much of the burden we disable instead of empower. Freedom to choose means freedom to fail. We cannot eliminate risk nor should we. We make better choices knowing life is not easy. 

Life is not always nice

An article in today’s Oregonian by Shelby Wood talks of gay rights taking two historic steps (read it here). I would agree, but worry they are steps backward.

The first is creation of domestic partnerships for gays. We have now defined another class of human being. To limit discrimination based on sexual orientation, we have created another category by which to discriminate. It would have been better to get Oregon out of the marriage business altogether and we have missed a historic opportunity. But we have railed on this before (read it here).

The second step has to do with laws against job discrimination based on sexual orientation.

It is said the workplace is a nicer place since sexual harassment lawsuits changed behavior in the 1990s. Maybe, but I don’t know if we can equate the addictive power of sex and extortion power of supervisors over women to the stupid insults of ignorant men.

A fellow traveler said a while ago that it is shame, not guilt, that modifies behavior. The problem, of course, is that some men will never feel shame, and others may feel it for all the wrong reasons.

It is difficult to legislate attitudes, but perhaps if we can legislate behavior, the attitudes will follow. I don’t know. But I do believe the power of the state is so great that it must be used judiciously. Or we shall consume ourselves in fruitless debates over what was said, what was meant, who was hurt, and how.

Gay marriage, gay rights

The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to Julia Silverman of the Associated Press in today’s Oregonian. Okay.

The story goes on to talk about gay unions (marriage). Of course, this is opposed by the religious right, which is reduced to whining that churches that refuse to perform the ceremony might get sued.

As soon as I see the words “churches” and “laws” and “beliefs” and “unconstitutional” in the same sentence, I get vertigo. The whole argument is based on a crock of goulash.

Government has no valid role in the religious beliefs or ceremonies surrounding marriage, period, gay or straight or celestial. The problems we face on this issue are not because of too little involvement by government but too much.

If the government wants to allow partners to make decisions about the rights, desires, insurance and deathbed wishes of each other, so be it. Let them sign a contract with each other that is recognized by the State.

Instead of creating another from of “marriage” in the model of “Vermont-style civil unions,” Oregon needs to abolish its marriage statutes altogether and replace them with a new contract under the law, a registration, if you will, that applies to everyone who wants to be part of a couple.

The “Coupled Contract,” if the term doesn’t have too much preloaded visualization.

If someone also wants to get “married” and regards that as a spiritual or religious right of passage, great. Find a church that agrees with your beliefs and go for it. You can marry your car, for all I’m concerned.