What's Bothering You?

A lot of things recently, really just politically.

• The one thing I'll just never understand, however, is how members of the church can celebrate a court decision that goes clearly against the stated position of the church. I know that it's hard to understand, and nobody fully grasps the issue in its entirety, but when the leaders of the church, those men whom we pledge to sustain multiple times throughout the year by the raise of our right hand, tell us that we support the passage of Proposition 8, why is it so hard to grasp that that is the line that we are to hold? Following the prophet will always supercede any political position that we already have, because it's no longer about politics - it's about being on the right side of the line, which has been clearly defined by the Lord's mouthpiece. That particular belief will sound pretty crazy to anybody who isn't a member of this church, but that is the only place where safety can be guaranteed.
• Been listening to some podcasts of This American Life recently, which definitely leans left in its politics. They have been talking a lot about the economy, and how to improve conditions. You know what I found remarkable about their conclusions? The solution is always fiscal responsibility, staying out of debt, and keeping taxes low.
• The Proposition 8 thing makes me mad. Supporting Proposition 8 seems to mean that you hate gay people. You are a bigot and want to restrict fundamental rights by supporting that constitutional amendment. You know what else this reminds me of? Being critical of President Obama means you're racist. Not liking what the Reverend Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson says means you're racist. People throw these terms around at every opportunity to detract from the greater issue at hand. Throw a white sheet on a person and it automatically discredits everything that person will ever have to say. Yes, that kind of white sheet.
• This is a little off topic, but I would really think that a former governor would always be best suited to be POTUS. A state is really just a microcosm of the nation as a whole, and a governor who has a demonstrated track record of success would seem to have a pretty good idea about how to work with the two opposing parties, manage an economy, and lead a group of people. That just makes sense to me. I don't think Sarah Palin really qualified, mostly because her experience was so limited, but doesn't it seem like she had a better record than Obama did at the time of his election? I don't know.
• If you don't like the direction of the country - economy, health care, social issues - then it's time to start encouraging your friends and family to vote differently, isn't it? Admittedly, I'm pretty hard right in my politics, but I can't believe how much I disapprove of in the last two years, politically.

Anyway, if you're interested in some political commentary of Proposition 8, you can read The Editors' response from National Review here, read about the problems with Judge Walker's handling of the case here, and the guys from Powerline here, which features this quote:

Conservatives have long said that the day would come when liberal judges declare the Constitution unconstitutional. That happened today, when a gay federal judge in San Francisco, relying on the opinions of mostly-gay "expert" witnesses, ruled that an amendment to the California constitution, which was adopted in perfectly proper fashion by a substantial majority of voters, is "unconstitutional." In this context, unconstitutional means "unpopular with me and my friends."

As a legal matter, Judge Walker's decision is a bad joke. It will be appealed, of course, but the outcome of the appeal will be determined by politics, not law. I think it is safe to assume that anyone nominated to the Supreme Court by a Democratic President is explicitly or implicitly committed to the proposition that gay marriage is a constitutional right. If you think that is bizarre, stop voting for Democratic politicians.

It's all very maddening, isn't it?