Canada

I grew up in Michigan. Visited Canada numerous times. Listened to CBC regularly. So I feel a bit of kinship with our northerly neighbors. And, like many other liberals during these Bushy years, I've let the thought drift through my head "Wouldn't it be great to move outta this Bushwhacked nation and try Canada for a while?"

Well, that thought is again clouding my head. Our neighbors are, once again, putting us to shame in the human rights department. The Canadian Parliament has backed same-sex marriages. It's expected that the Senate will do the same, allowing Canada to become one of the few countries in the world that allows gay civil marriages.

The Parliament did this despite significant opposition from conservative religious groups, including Catholics, who made every attempt to twist the purpose of the bill to suggest that religious marriages would be required. The bill, of course, only covers civil marriages and the rights and benefits pertaining unto such unions. Churches and temples can continue to perform or refuse to perform religious rites, as should be their prerogative.

What is so scary about gay people being afforded the right to marry? The American furor over this completely eludes me. Outrage over pedophiles? Count me in. Horror over children starving or being abused? I'm right with you. Righteous anger over racial or ethnic biases? Let's do it.

But legally sanctioning something that people are already doing so that they can have the same civil rights that straight people have? Anger over this seems so short sighted. Even if you do believe that being gay is wrong and immoral, isn't it more immoral to abuse or starve children? Isn't it more wrong to mistreat people because of the color of their skin? Why not spend your collective rage stopping things that really matter?

What people do in their bedroom really doesn't matter. It doesn't change the moral fibre of our nation. The government abusing prisoners held in OUR names, now that changes the moral fibre of our nation. Giving gay people who are already living like married people the same rights that straight married people have would seem to actually strengthen the moral fibre of our nation.

(And what IS moral fibre, anyway? Does it make people less cranky because they aren't as constipated, like food fiber? Or does it merely straighten the backbone and make one cranky as they look down on inferior others?)

All that conservative claptrap about the promiscuous gay lifestyle? Isn't that appeased by this act? Republicans, don't you want those gay folks to stick to one partner, thereby limiting their exposure to the clearly God-given punishment for being gay, getting AIDS?

Ahem.

(And, by the way, why don't conservatives rant and rave about the straight promiscuous lifestyle promoted by Sex in the City, et al? Why is it so much worse to be gay and promiscuous--if, indeed, gay single people ARE more promiscuous--than straight and promiscuous?)

Anyway, want to congratulate Canadians for their obviously forward-thinking government. Anyone want to come over here and help us run ours--out of office, preferably?

Until tomorrow,
Liz