MARRIAGE: A Blue State Value

. . . and a Red-State Political Issue.
C. WILLIAM BOYER

Bill Frist was on FOX-"NEWS" Sunday, going on about the GOP's SecureAmerica program. Like its predessessor, ContractWithAmerica, it's a piece of marketing conflated with ersatz policy. Central to SecureAmerica is a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. To DEFEND the sacred compact of marriage, is what they're saying.

Mr. Frist: "Marriage is for our society that union between a man and a woman, is the cornerstone of our society. It is under attack today. Right now there are 13 states who passed constitutional amendments in the last year and a half to protect marriage. Why? Because in nine states today, activist judges, unelected activist judges are tearing down state laws in nine states today. That’s why I will take it to the floor of the Senate, simply define marriage as the union between a man and a woman."

It's not about protecting, marriage, Mr. Frist, it's about getting votes. It's about exciting your excitable base into going to the polls, otherwise you know that the GOP's getting tossed out on its ear come this November. So feed the 'Base' something hate and get em voting, right?

And before we get into all that, let me say the Constitution is an amazing document. Do you know why it exists, Mr. Frist? To protect the RIGHTS of American citizens. Our Founding Fathers drew it up as a document that is the rightful heir to the English Magna Carta, which for the first time, put down that NO MAN IS ABOVE THE LAW, not even the king. The Constitution furthered that cause, and each of the succeeding Amendments furthering these protections. In fact, Mr. Frist, the only Amendment that banned anything, as your marriage amendment would do, was the 18th Amendment. We know how that turned out: it fostered the birth of the La Cosa Nostra, the Mafia, and was later repealed by the 21st Amendment, such that no amendment today bans ANY action, only ensures RIGHTS.

But that's not what's got me so pissed off right now. Your transparently shameless political pandering to the intolerant Evangelical Right's, who make up the sinew and muscle of the Red State's clout that's got me so pissed off. And the fact you're doubly wrong because it's the Democrat BLUE STATES that apparently respect the institution of marriage. The RED STATES? They wipe their collective asses on marriage.

Because I am a liberal and live in a RealityBased Community, let me show you the facts:

Item 1: That map again of of the 2000 elections:

Item 2: A list of divorce rates (Total Population vs number of divorce) of the top 10 divorce states*. Most divorces listed first:

1. Nevada
2. Arkansas
3. Oklahoma
4. Tennessee
5. Wyoming
6. Indiana
7. Alabama
8. Idaho
9: New Mexico
10: Florida

* Divorce Magazine

Hmmm. I think I detect a trend. It would appear that states voting for Bush in 2000 tended to get a bit more divorced than states that voted Gore. But I thought marriage was a RedState value and hence why RedStaters are so hot to get an amendment banning gay marriage. Hmmm.

Okay, let's look at things the other way.

Item 3: Electoral map of 2004 elections crossed with the states with Lowest Divorce Rates*(ranked lowest to highest):
1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticutt
3. New Jersey
4. Rhode Island
5. New York
6. Pennsylvania
7. Wisconsin
8. North Dakota
9. Maryland
10. Minnesota
* Divorce Magazine

I think what this shows is that the Red States, the Right, the GOP or the Republicans, whatever you will call them, are not about protecting Marriage, about Values. About marriage, Bill Frist and his comrades give not a tinker's damn. No, Bill Frist and his ilk are about intolerance and about the politics of Us and Them. Dress it up however you will, they are about Hate and Division and are anathema to the philosophy and consience of this great nation and the Constitution we embrace.

It's right there in Red and Blue to see.