Today's question:
How do you want get involved in your community this year?
This coming year, I'll probably do something I've never done before. Depending on the behavior of my state lawmakers, I will likely put feet on the ground and protest. For those that know me, I'm a rather opinionated guy. But I've never felt compelled to mobilize (right or wrong). It will likely be my entire family, including my 4 year old and my 18 month old. I want to be a role model to my children and by not getting involved in my community by making presence felt in front of that state house when the time comes, I feel I will have failed them in some way. I don't know the details yet, but soon after this past election I experienced a moment of clarity that it was not a matter of if, but when my elected officials will begin the process to institutionalize hate by banning gay marriage. This is my community and I will be involved.
As my fellow politically attuned Hoosiers know, we're being governed by a Republican super majority. Both legislative bodies as well as our governor are dominated by Republicans - rather socially conservative, libertarian shunning Republicans. It is likely that these hypocritical big government types just won't be able to help themselves and will look to begin the process of altering our state constitution to explicitly ban gay marriage. There are already statutes on the books here in Indiana declaring that marriage can only be defined by a man and a woman. But apparently, that's not enough.
I get where they're coming from in that their interpretation of the Bible tells them this is wrong. I'm not going to recite all of the oddball things the Old Testament also tells us we shouldn't do in order to marginalize that single verse in Deuteronomy at the center of this controversy. Honestly, it wouldn't do much to sway opinions and I don't want to come off like I'm disrespectful. You can believe anything you want. You can even say just about anything you want. That's what I love about this country. But when you try to negatively impacting others' lives over something so basic and decent in order to satisfy some insecurity and you're using my government to do it, I'm going to get upset. Besides, don't we all understand how hard it is for so many to find someone in life to truly love and befriend so much that you don't want to be with anyone else until your last breath?
respect and love will crush their hate and that's how I will get more involved in my community.
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