Ok, this blog is not a political blog. This blog is intended to be a source of challenging questions and inspirational messages. But today that question and that message are intertwined with a political event.
Today President Obama did another one of those bold things that he does. Things like authorizing military action in Libya, or says that whoever is responsible for the oil spill is going to get their asses kicked. Well, rather then saying what he said I will just quote him:
“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told Roberts in an interview to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday.
Is Obama saying this to get votes? Yes... of course he is. He is a politician. It is a bit of a gamble, because he will certainly lose some votes as well. He has likely done all the math and calculated that it will yield him positive results by making the announcement.
All that said, I think that there is still good that can come from it.
What do you all think about this? Do you think that he is just using this topic to get votes? Is that such a bad thing?
Here's my take: I do not think that this is an issue for the government to decide. Remember this: the separation of state and religion is a good thing. For me it just boils down to people. No matter what I believe about anything, if I cannot love people, then the fault does not lie with them, but with me.
What do you all think?
-Ben
I think that my rights to marry another man shouldn't be part of a political agenda to gain the vote. There are more important things for politicians to be worried about. Whom I love shouldn't even matter. -Matt VS
ReplyDeleteI agree; in poltics, timing is everything. This was a way for Obama to set himself apart from his Republican challenger, to gain support, and to create media buzz around his campaign. I'm sure he's had this annoucement planned for a while.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt: there are more pressing issues in this country (the economy, job loss, social security, etc.) that we should be focusing on in the upcoming election. There will always be people fighting for and against this issue, but I think we all want a strong economy, and that is what we should be discussing this election season.
Ben, are you saying that the people should decide this? Imagine...our government (and American citizens) allowing a democratic vote, by the people, to determine our laws. What a thought ;)