Take a Right, Give a Right.
Tyaeda
Published
01/25/2015
It frustrates me to see what's happening south of the border - because I can't vote for or against any of it. I want to say I sit here unaffected, but I don't, even though these ridiculous acts of hypocrisy hold no legal influence on my personal life. I'm empathetic, so I read, I watch, and I write.
The mixture of law and religion is difficult for me, a self-proclaimed agnostic, to witness. I very much enjoy my right to believe and practice, or not, any non-violent religious view set before me. I don't believe in any God, especially one who has any impact on my personal life, or the personal lives of others. If you do, that is your right. If you choose not to associate with me because I believe what I do, that is also your right. I only wish you the best in your quest, and hope you find the peace and happiness you hope to achieve.
Now, if you would be so kind, please fuck off. It is not your duty to tell me who I can and cannot fuck, marry, or love - or why. It will not benefit you in any way to try and take an active role in the decisions I make when it comes to my reproductive status and health. You will gain no ground, as I, just like you, have the same right to believe what we want. Any legal force, through the creation and enforcement of laws, is most certainly going to be faced with a wall of resistance. A war where those looking to restrict the freedoms of others, will lose.
A certain douche in Oklahoma who goes by the name of Todd Russ has just proposed a bill which would, if passed, restrict marriage in the state of Oklahoma to "people of faith". His reason - he doesn't want judges and other secular officials to be "forced" to perform marriages for same sex couples. This law would mean that all marriages would have to be performed by a "preacher, minister, priest, rabbi or ecclesiastical dignitary". Todd Russ is on record for stating; "They donât have a spiritual basis for a marriage and donât want to have a clergy member or a priest or someone involved in the spiritual aspect, then they can file an affidavit of common-law marriage. "
Hooooold on a fucking second here! First off, Oklahoma does not legally recognize common-law partners as "married". There's differences here in Canada too, which is why my husband and I were legally married in city hall, by a justice of the peace, where there was, purposely, no mention of God, or spiritual faith. My life story aside, Todd Russ here is implying that marriage is a solely religious faction, not necessarily just a legal contract. He is basically saying that people can keep their jobs, even if they don't do them, simply because they don't think they should have to.
If someone pays me to paint their house blue, and I think yellow is a better choice, can I expect to be paid for using yellow paint? What if I showed the customer a book that said all houses should be yellow? Would that change the validity of my argument? In actuality, I would reasonably expect to find myself in small claims court, being ordered to pay to have that customer's house re-painted.
Now, if I followed that book, and painted my own house yellow - I would just be a happy person with a yellow house. Sure people may not like that look, and may even say "what an ugly house" as they walk by... but then they get to go home to their blue house. If I feel that my beliefs in yellow houses is too strong to morally disobey by being "forced" to paint houses a different colour, my only real option should be to choose another career besides a house painter.
If you're a judge, or someone who can legally marry couples, and don't want to marry the gay ones; be a priest.
Todd Russ, if you want a yellow house - paint it. But if I see you on my lawn with a pail and a roller - I'm calling the cops to report a crazy man wandering the streets on PCP.
The mixture of law and religion is difficult for me, a self-proclaimed agnostic, to witness. I very much enjoy my right to believe and practice, or not, any non-violent religious view set before me. I don't believe in any God, especially one who has any impact on my personal life, or the personal lives of others. If you do, that is your right. If you choose not to associate with me because I believe what I do, that is also your right. I only wish you the best in your quest, and hope you find the peace and happiness you hope to achieve.
Now, if you would be so kind, please fuck off. It is not your duty to tell me who I can and cannot fuck, marry, or love - or why. It will not benefit you in any way to try and take an active role in the decisions I make when it comes to my reproductive status and health. You will gain no ground, as I, just like you, have the same right to believe what we want. Any legal force, through the creation and enforcement of laws, is most certainly going to be faced with a wall of resistance. A war where those looking to restrict the freedoms of others, will lose.
A certain douche in Oklahoma who goes by the name of Todd Russ has just proposed a bill which would, if passed, restrict marriage in the state of Oklahoma to "people of faith". His reason - he doesn't want judges and other secular officials to be "forced" to perform marriages for same sex couples. This law would mean that all marriages would have to be performed by a "preacher, minister, priest, rabbi or ecclesiastical dignitary". Todd Russ is on record for stating; "They donât have a spiritual basis for a marriage and donât want to have a clergy member or a priest or someone involved in the spiritual aspect, then they can file an affidavit of common-law marriage. "
Hooooold on a fucking second here! First off, Oklahoma does not legally recognize common-law partners as "married". There's differences here in Canada too, which is why my husband and I were legally married in city hall, by a justice of the peace, where there was, purposely, no mention of God, or spiritual faith. My life story aside, Todd Russ here is implying that marriage is a solely religious faction, not necessarily just a legal contract. He is basically saying that people can keep their jobs, even if they don't do them, simply because they don't think they should have to.
If someone pays me to paint their house blue, and I think yellow is a better choice, can I expect to be paid for using yellow paint? What if I showed the customer a book that said all houses should be yellow? Would that change the validity of my argument? In actuality, I would reasonably expect to find myself in small claims court, being ordered to pay to have that customer's house re-painted.
Now, if I followed that book, and painted my own house yellow - I would just be a happy person with a yellow house. Sure people may not like that look, and may even say "what an ugly house" as they walk by... but then they get to go home to their blue house. If I feel that my beliefs in yellow houses is too strong to morally disobey by being "forced" to paint houses a different colour, my only real option should be to choose another career besides a house painter.
If you're a judge, or someone who can legally marry couples, and don't want to marry the gay ones; be a priest.
Todd Russ, if you want a yellow house - paint it. But if I see you on my lawn with a pail and a roller - I'm calling the cops to report a crazy man wandering the streets on PCP.
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