Hate Speech

Recently, I have had two friends who had placed "Yes on Prop 8" stickers on their cars receive surprisingly caustic messages from anonymous (of course) people. The first one had a swastica drawn on his license plate frame with permanent marker. The second received a note on her windshield comparing her to a Nazi and telling her to not start another holocaust.

Are you serious?

Have you noticed how Prop 8 supporters have been villified in this way by those who oppose Prop 8? Arguments supporting Prop 8 has been called hate speech; those who support Prop 8 have been called bigots (see the first comment to the Blankenhorn article, linked on the right side of this blog); and now, for standing up for what has been one of the core values in ALL societies in this earth's history, they are being called 'Nazis' and their political movement is being compared to the most horrific event in modern history.

I would submit to you that the hate speech is coming not from the group of people who defend traditional marriage, but from the other side. In using this kind of speech, Prop 8 opponents attempt to evoke strong emotions such as fear and paranoia among voters who don't know the issues. I have never seen an argument for Prop 8 that uses this kind of speech. Instead, I have heard people expressing their firm beliefs, their values, and their faith-based and reason-based arguments about why Prop 8 is necessary for our future.

I would further submit that, as it has been in the past (including in World War II, where we defeated the Nazis), the evils of the future will be most effectively combated by the healthy and strong individuals whose upbringing has been the kind that every child deserves: where the biological father and mother are married and contribute lovingly to the child's upbringing. I have a conviction that the family (the traditional family) is the most important force for good in our society. I know that our future well-being is dependent upon the defense we make now, when it is in its worst danger.