Bigotry and Discrimination in the guise of "protecting the children".

The civil rights movement is not over. Far from it. Yesterday it manifested itself in the boycotts in the south and peaceful marches throughout the country. Today it is manifesting itself in the outrage felt and expressed throughout our nation over the discriminatory practices being enacted by the current administration and their ilk. In the sixties the main targets of discrimination in this country were African Americans and poor Americans. Today, the main targets of discrimination are African Americans, poor Americans, Latin Americans, Arab Americans, and Gay Americans. Have we made progress since the sixties in the battle for civil rights? I wonder.

"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." These aren't just words. They mean something. They mean that until ALL Americans are free to exercise their rights, then none of us are free. This includes Gay Americans, the latest targets in the current administration's efforts to restrict the rights of the groups it considers "objectionable".

Ohio is now introducing legislation that would ban the adoption or foster care of children by gay or lesbian individuals or couples. And Ohio is not alone. There are efforts in at least 15 other states to pass similar restrictions. Advocates of this attack on civil liberties are citing the welfare of adopted and foster children as their concern. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America, and many adoption advocacy groups have pointed out that their research indicates that children raised in homes with Gay adoptive or foster parents fare as well, or better than those raised in heterosexual households. But, as always, the conservative right never lets the facts get in the way of their agenda.

I'm straight, and have chosen to share my life with my wonderful wife. I have friends who are gay, and have chosen to share their lives with their equally wonderful partners. Why does the fact that I chose to have someone of the opposite sex as my partner necessarily make me a better parent? Gays have just as much capacity for love, just as much capability to provide a safe, nurturing environment, so what is the argument?

Most arguments that I've heard from those on the right involve providing an "optimal home environment" for foster and adopted children, but if you push them on the issue, it will likely boil down to religious grounds. So I'd like to know, exactly where in the Constitution can I find the passage "for additional information, please consult the King James Bible". You cannot legislate morality. You cannot legislate religion. Smarter people than I have come to that conclusion. And in the end, I would hope that any such law that passes will be struck down by the courts, because there is absolutely no basis for it in the Constitution.

This of course follows on the heels of the administration's efforts to get a Constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, and the passing of legislation in 11 states to ban it. Sure seems to me that this regime has a real hard-on for gay people. Let's see Scott McClellan try to spin that one.