Tag Archives: traditional marriage

Mar 9 2015

The Last Stand: The Issue

 

“If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” -Ronald Reagan

There are two fallacies connected with the traditional marriage versus same-sex marriage debate that we will deal with in this column. The first misconception is that love is the basic reason for marriage. The second widely propagated lie is that marriage is strictly a Christian tradition. Both have contributed greatly to the folly and contention we have today.

We should immediately dispense with the idea that marriage belongs to Christianity. Common sense tells us that Christianity is not the only religion that has had its imprint upon the rites of marriage. Not every Empire has been Christian, but every Empire has had a marriage structure by which to insure the stability of their generations in hopes to insure the longevity of their Kingdoms.

The pervasive thought that marriage tradition is rooted in Christianity comes from the fact that the United States is a Nation built on the foundation of a Judea-Christian faith. This must be tempered by the realization that we are a melting pot and not all peoples represented in this Country have their rites and traditions rooted in the same faith. While influenced by the Christian teaching of love, the origins of many of these various marital rites are very different from Christianity.

The proponents of same-sex marriage have tried to affix the label of Christianity to traditional marriage because it makes for a much easier and popular target. It is no secret that the political establishment has long resented and wanted Christianity removed from having any impact on society. Hollywood elites have longed disdained the teachings of morality and fidelity, and corporate tycoons have loathed the constant reminders to check their greed. Emboldened by the populace perception of Christianity as the evil menace to society, homosexuals have seized the opportunity to target and persecute Christians.

The prevailing argument is that homosexuals are loving couples that wish to have a marital relationship and therefore should not be denied this affirmation of love. This idea that a loving relationship is the fundamental basis for marriage is simple not correct. The institution of marriage was not created in any culture to validate a couple’s love and physical intimacy. No, the first and primary reason for the rite of marriage in every civilization throughout time was for the propagation and protection of the most fundamental and basic building block of society: babies.

The idea of a loving relationship as a prerequisite to marriage is a Western concept that has descended down from European lore and exacerbated by the modern Hollywood culture of today. In some Eastern marriage traditions, the idea of love is viewed as “bonus” that may come with time after the vows have been consummated. The one constant in every civilization is the purposing of marriage tradition as the vehicle by which children are brought into the world, raised, and taught the tenants of that society.

Not every marriage structure has demanded that physical intimacy be kept exclusively for marriage as Christianity and Islam do, but all the marriage rites of every civilization have agreed that the primary purpose of marriage was and is procreation. If a society is to survive it must have a stable structure in which to produce and raise children. The issue of marriage is simply about babies.

Even in the face of our hedonistic society the overarching truth still remains, marriage was created first for procreation not for love. It is a societal and religious rite created by heterosexuals for this primary purpose. Homosexuals did not create the rites of marriage represented in our Country and passed down by the various ethnic groups. The cold truth is homosexuals cannot procreate and, therefore, do not qualify for the purpose of marriage. Love does not qualify one’s relationship for marriage.

Marriage was not created for romance, love, or even sexual pleasure. While those ideals are not excluded, the harsh reality is that marriage was created by heterosexuals for heterosexuals who could, if they desired, create children. Marriage is exclusive for that purpose. Sadly, we are willing as a Nation, to target and revoke the rights and liberties of certain people groups based on reasoning that does not even exist.

Oct 15 2012

Vacationland

 

It’s called “Vacationland”.  What many consider an advertising slogan for the State of Maine has now become a call to action for gay rights activists.  Three years ago the people of Maine delivered their verdict on the issue of gay marriage.  Since that vote, the gay rights movement has been working non-stop behind the scenes to circumvent the will of the people here in this State.

One of the tactics has been a project these groups have dubbed “Vacationland”.  They call on out-of-State activists to come and “vacation” in Maine around the time of the election.  They are instructed, behind the scenes, to take advantage of Maine’s lax voter id laws and register to vote in Maine on Election Day.  This is a concerted effort to flood the electorate in our State with votes favorable to the gay rights agenda, hoping to tip the balance in their favor against the people of Maine.

One of the most destructive ideologies of the liberal progressive movement is its utter disregard and disdain for the will of the people.  This political movement is predicated upon the belief that the will of government is the means to bend and break the will of the people.  The majority should not rule.  Those who hold the power of government should rule and enforce its agenda.  In truth, this is tyranny.  Those in this movement care little for democracy but rather for the implementation of their agenda.  Unfortunately, many in government have chosen the progressive forms of governing rather than the representation of the people, which is their sacred oath.

Mike Michaud represents the Second District.  The Second District voted overwhelmingly against the redefinition of marriage at a rate of 65-70%.  This is a tally of both Democrat and Republican voters.  Representative Mike Michaud has chosen to sneer, the Democrat tact as of late, at the collective will of his constituents.  In essence, by showing a public preference for his own personal beliefs over the very strong personal beliefs of the majority of those he represents, Mike Michaud is arrogantly asserting that he knows better than those he serves.

The Bangor City Council took this arrogance one step further by voting to accept gay marriage.  The city council has no authority on these matters. This was purely a symbolic vote in an effort to affect the outcome in November.  These council members have become so impressed with their self-proclaimed importance that perhaps they feel they can intimidate the electorate into agreeing with their “statement”.  This is all in an effort to create some feeling of inevitability in the vote and discourage the people, whom they serve, from voting contrary to the council’s “vaunted” opinion.

For a group of people who are not shy about promoting themselves as the intellectual elite, many politicians seem to struggle with the definition and assimilation of the word “representation” as it pertains to our representative form of government.  While the out-of-state activists and our local politicians are demanding that we knuckle under to their progressive world-view, I would remind my fellow Maine residents that our common sense values are nothing to be ashamed of and we need not back away from them.  It’s really not that confusing.  Marriage is not a right. It is a responsibility to raise and protect the next generations of our society.  It is the bedrock that has built civilization after civilization, including ours.  We The People of Maine should never let politicians bully us into following their will.  Vote “No” on Question 1.

Aug 31 2012

Op-Ed by Erick Bennett on Same-Sex Marriage

Andy, I am sending this op ed out to all the mainstream media newspapers, would you please publish it in your website. Thank you.“Do you want to allow the state of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples?”This is what the referendum question will ask Mainer’s voting November 6th to do.

Same sex couples have registered their wedding ceremonies with the state and received certified copies licensing that union since 2004.

A license is a permit where you must be registered with the state to have a wedding ceremony and join together in legal matrimony to get benefits.

The word “register” means an official record with the state.

Same sex couples have been able to join together in legal matrimony in Maine for 8 years with the same rights and benefits as everyone else such as inheriting their spouses property, adopt children, considered next of kin when making funeral arrangements, serve as guardian or conservator of spouses property if their spouse becomes incapacitated, visit their spouse in the hospital, purchase health insurance for their spouse if that employer provides benefits, take up to ten weeks of unpaid leave if their spouse or child is sick or dying and submit to a town clerk their spouses absentee ballot to vote.

Clearly, same sex couples already get licenses despite political rhetoric.

Marriage is not a right. You need a license to get married. You don’t need a license for your rights.

Special interest groups are not spending 5 million dollars to pass a law to get a drivers, hunting, fishing or marriage license.

All which can be revoked by the state.

This is about our rights, not special rights but taking away rights we already have such as our 1st,10th and 14th Amendment rights.

Same sex marriage is being used to attack our Constitutional rights state by state.

Here’s how.

Same sex marriage will change the legal definition from “one man and one woman” to Person A and Person B making it meaningless.

This completes the transfer of power over this institution from the realm of ‘We the People’ and grants full control to the state which strikes at the heart of our First Amendment.

Here’s why.

Redefining marriage will allow gay rights groups to join a class action law suit with Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Iowa against the federal government claiming discrimination.

This lawsuit bypasses Congress to go before the Supreme Court which will strike at the heart of the 10th Amendment which is states rights.

This class action lawsuit will allow non citizens to collect welfare and free healthcare which strikes at the heart of the 14th Amendment, which is what it means to be an American citizen.

This is not about love, it is about the law and the changes this law will make to our government and our rights.

Let’s look at the buzzword “equality“ they are using, it is a terrific clue as to the kind of government they are talking about.

Gay marriage is a global agenda and when they speak about “equality” they are talking about making America equal with the rest of the world, hence, the need to eliminate free speech, states rights and what it means to be an American citizen.

Eleven other countries have passed gay marriage, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and Sweden.

Passing gay marriage is not the only thing they have in common, they are also ranked the most socialist countries on earth.

So what does socialism have to do with same sex marriage?

To understand that we need to know what socialism is.

Socialism is a political and economic theory that believes that government should control everything. It is a stage between overthrowing capitalism and creating a communist government.

Same sex marriage is a cover so politicians can play political football in the attempt to score votes and grow government.

What voters need to understand is in Maine everything is already fair and equal.

The last thing we want to do is use a corrupt tax code to justify passing a law that takes away our Constitutional rights for the sake of changing our government to make America “equal” with the rest of the world.

For these reasons vote no to same sex marriage on November 6th.

Erick Bennett is a political consultant and strategist that owns FNX Enterprises which offer public relations and full service multi media marketing and advertising. He created the Maine Equal Rights Center campaign and the Three Point Plan specifically for this years referendum question. For more information please visithttp://www.facebook.com/l/IAQFgw2tkAQFnY838KuDf0ZzX1u5UVWapol_Y_-naFz1zXg/www.maineequalrightscenter.com

Maine Equal Rights Center

http://www.maineequalrightscenter.com
The Maine Equal Rights Center campaign examines this issue closely as it relates to our rights, publ…

By Erick Bennett