Joan Knows: Same-sex marriage? DUH.

Being a relative newbie to political debate, when I first started looking at this issue, I didn't really delve into the viewpoints opposing mine. This question, to me, was a no-brainer. People who love each other ought to be able to legally marry and enjoy the protections and benefits of that arrangement, natch. I mean, one of the reasons people get so reached and rowdy about things they consider moral ground is that most people have an ingrained, unflappable sense of what they believe is right or wrong, and I believe that allowing same-sex couples to marry is simply right.

Because I'm trying to be neutral and open-minded, here, I went looking for 'why not?' People are so passionate about this issue that I hoped to find some reasoning that made sense to me for 'why not'.

I encountered a Pro/Con list for Same-Sex Marriage online, and I'd like to respond to the 'Con' list and invite readers to give me other viewpoints; because while fair in assumption based on the language flying around the media, I think this list as a basis for banning same-sex marriage is pretty weak. It should be noted that the aforementioned link also includes a simple and fairly comprehensive list of 'Pro' expressions that I can agree with, and the author takes no specific stance on the issue.

1. Most religions consider homosexuality a sin. 

In Joan's estimation, then, those religions and their leaders specifically should be free to decline to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, but this is not a reason for the nation or for individual states to ignore the recognition of a civil union, at the very least, of same-sex couples.

2. It would weaken the definition and respect for the institution of marriage. 

 Joan calls BS. If this is a real concern that should be addressed by law, let's make divorce illegal, and let's make getting married more difficult. Any straight couple of legal age with 35 bucks and the appropriate identification can get married and, with a little more money and a bit more paperwork, subsequently divorced. Where are the indignant picketers for changing laws to correct this affront to the definition and respect of the institution of marriage? Most people think throwaway unions are stupid and destructive, but don't get terribly fired up about preventing them, because this a matter the government should stay out of...right?

3. It would further weaken the traditional family values essential to our society. 

The definition of traditional family values has changed greatly over the last half century. If anything, allowing same-sex couples to marry will create and strengthen new traditional family values that already have a worthwhile place in society.

4. It could provide a slippery slope in the legality of marriage (e.g. having multiple wives or marrying an animal could be next). 

Seriously? I've heard this little rant spouted a few different ways and the first thing that comes to my mind is that it's insulting to suggest that a same-sex union is something so perverse or unnatural that it has to be compared with polygamy or bestiality. Same-sex couples are as human, as capable of love, commitment, fidelity and family values as any other human couple.

5. It confuses children about gender roles and expectations of society, and only a man & woman can pro-create. 

I believe that adults don't give children enough credit for figuring out gender roles and expectations of society - those expectations being another issue that has changed radically, whether you like it or not. I think that children can easily understand the wish for two people who love each other to marry, cohabitate and enjoy  their lives together, and children SHOULD be allowed to see the merit of those unions and have them explained and accepted as a normal part of life. When I think of all the things about marriage and couplehood that are more potentially confusing, traumatic and harder to explain than same-sex marriage, I scarcely see why anyone spends time debating this issue.

6. The gay lifestyle is not something to be encouraged, as a lot of research shows it leads to a much lower life expectancy, psychological disorders, and other problems. 

Joan is of the opinion that the 'gay lifestyle' is not some mysterious Bacchanalian island that you choose whether to live on or not. While not a part of any team having done 'a lot of research', I can only glean that the mentioned troubles are a result of the stress feelings of not 'belonging' to 'traditional society' and the real and imagined persecution that comes along with that.  To me it is simple - too simple? Perhaps. Love need not be legislated - love being among the best reasons for anyone to consider marriage. Everyone should have an equal chance to make it work or screw it up.

As an aside, please check out this short piece about where popular opinion falls lately:

Opinion: A Long, Winding Road to Marriage Equality
By DOROTHY SAMUELS Published: November 12, 2011 There has been progress, but this remains a country where discrimination against gays is enshrined in most state constitutions.

To All Veterans

Joan Q. Public would like to express her gratitude to America's men and women in service; 'service' being today's biggest understatement. 

"On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free." - Dan Lipinski

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John F. Kennedy

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and
she-roes!" - Maya Angelou

Famous people who give a rat's patootie

Curious about celebrities who get behind particular causes and issues, it didn't take me long to find a web site devoted to the idea. Except for what we read in tabloid snippets and on the fan sites of our favorite screen, music and artist personalities, it can be hard to sort out who's for what and why.

At Look To The Stars, you can search for particular celebrities or causes and see who's involved. The resulting information sometimes isn't very robust, but the statistics are interesting, and as you click through, official sites for your own favorite charities and causes are clearly linked and accessible, offering opportunities for learning, donating or volunteering. Neat.

91 easily recognizable faces for Voter Education. Maybe I can make the list one day!

Deaf Politicians, Apathetic America, Termites and Opinion Pie

My brain hurts.

Like the longest, toughest class I've ever had - Joan Q. is cramming and crunching and caffeinating herself silly, deciding what order in which to post articles regarding issues she cares about. I'm a solutions girl - I like to fix things. I can get behind passionate people who want to make a big difference in the quality of life for many, from local to global levels. I want to be part of the winning team that gets to say "We did it!" and affect positive change; whether that means offering a cough drop, providing a job for one person who doesn't have one, or effectively ending world hunger. I'm looking for those passionate, powerful personalities in the news and on the sidelines to get information from, ally with and make some things happen. It's difficult to pick any one person to shine a Poplitics light on at the moment.

Our country and our politics are a mess. I hardly know where to start. I might be just slightly less confused than I was last week.

Americans are self-involved.

We don't even know what we want most, we only know that we want more of it. We want our government to tell us the truth and save us from - from what? From poverty and pestilence; from terrorists and termites. We also want government to stay the hell out of our living rooms, bedrooms and proctologists' offices. We have strong opinions about everything from foreign policy to brands of mayonnaise, and we express those opinions, red-faced and blue-faced and tablepounding with righteous indignation and oh-HELL-no-you-did-not-just-go-there conviction.

So what? 

Who's listening, besides the aforementioned termites and any nearby unfortunates wishing they'd left their earbuds in?

Aside from local activists who are personally reaching out to their nearby constituents and tasting the bake on that regionally opinionated pie, I've found it impossible to tell so far whether the hopefuls in this Presidential election are listening to anyone but their own handlers.

Sympathetic Solution, Viable Communication or Soothing Stunt?

I invite you to visit the White House web site subsection, We The People.  I am encouraged that there is such a space for Joan, John, Joe, Jerry, etc. to visit, explore, voice and then listen. As I look through the numerous petitions, I don't envy the staffers whose job it is to process and respond to them all. I notice many of them are redundant; even more drip cynicism. Some of them are ridiculous. The site's barely been open a month and already the beginning responses to petitions are starting to arrive, met largely with mocking, scathing and disappointment, whether the response is a strong stance or an explanation as to why there is no strong answer.

The way I see it, Obama's White House has so far been the most wired, communicative, information-disseminating office in history. We The People is the closest any administration has come to giving the regular American public the chance to speak directly to the Oval Office, meet some petition numbers criteria and expect that at some point, there will be a response to the specific issue raised...and while the We The People Blog writers seem surprised that there are as many as 31,000 new signatures a day, it seems to me that this is far from enough. I see very few references to meaningful petitions in the news or on social networks; I would have thought this idea would have spread like wildfire. Are we all so apathetic? To me, this looks like another opportunity to add my voice to others on that winning team I mentioned earlier.

I pray thee, now what?

When I read the cynical critiques of the We The People innovation or other official requests for feedback or ideas, telling me it's a waste of my time to initiate or sign any petition because it will only get a fluff namby-pamby response, I wonder what the cynics would have me do instead. What does the White House, or any politician, or any activist group have to do to batter through the haughty arrogance of people who think they have nothing left to learn and consequently, nothing to contribute until the day their personal hero is elected? What better idea are they waiting for, and from whom?

Joan Knows: Poverty is out of control. 49 MILLION...???

As a member of the 'working poor,' Joan Q. is increasingly frightened of the financial future. Where are the new ideas for industry and employment that make a dent in America's poverty? Everything costs more - from tennis shoes to pinto beans - and wages can't keep up. As children, we're taught to embrace a strong work ethic and power our potential for earning by getting the best education we can and landing a high-paying job. Now that 'high-paying' is relative, and the costs of education and good grief - just basic living - are soaring beyond the possibility that we can pay for them - what do we teach our children now?

Consider this report from PBS Newshour on the recent Poverty Census calculation.

SERIOUSLY?? Work + government support is the best way to go? While that statement is quoted from the report out of context, it's telling of the hopelessness that so many feel. No wonder there is panic and confusion. Where do we go from here?

Register to vote - right here, right now!

Notice that new red button in the upper right corner? If you haven't registered to vote, or if you've changed your address, click on through and prepare your registration form right here on Poplitics. Answering a few basic questions and submitting will generate a .pdf form, complete with appropriate recipient address, for you to print and mail and wrap  up your registration well in advance. Why wait? Click and get registered today!

I'd Sing the National Anthem if I Had a Mic

Welcome to launch! Poplitics.com will be pasted and posted and perpetually prettified. Joan is adding content furiously and is cheerfully accepting comments, suggestions, criticisms, article contributions and gourmet coffee. Stay tuned for updates, and while you're waiting - visit the links over there. ----------------->