May 9, 2008
Discuss Friday's editorials
Our little piece of world hunger
This year's Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive comes at a time when regional and global forces are driving demand at area food banks.
There are no food riots in the U.S. There's no unrest on the streets threatening to topple the government in Washington. Unlike in the developing world, there is no fear of widespread starvation. Americans haven't been spared the global spike in food prices, though. The difference in impact has been a matter of degree. Grocery bills rose 5 percent overall last year -- some basic foods by many times more -- and U.S. families are hurting. They need help.
Read more.
Loving v. Virginia
An interracial marriage didn't count in Virginia. Fifty years later, discrimination takes other forms.
Virginia wasn't always for lovers. Fifty years ago, Mildred and Richard Loving had to go to Washington, D.C., to get married because Virginia prohibited interracial marriage. They returned to Virginia hoping all would be well, but were rousted by sheriff's deputies at 2 a.m. and told their marriage certificate wasn't any good in the comonwealth. The couple was actually banished from the state, told never to come back together.
Read more.
Comments
[May 9, 2008 9:24 AM]
HenryVirginia also does not allow polygamy and child marriages. Oh the humanity!
[May 9, 2008 9:42 AM]
JoshI wonder if the environmentalists have considered the fact that opening up ANWR and offshore drilling would ease the food crisis for the poor and hungry.
[May 9, 2008 10:03 AM]
JohnThere is no such thing as "gay marriage." There are homosexual unions which may or may not have some legal standing in some jurisdictions. It has nothing to do with religion but thousands of years of human socialization. Trendy liberals (and you know who you are) can't change it.
[May 9, 2008 10:35 AM]
terryWhat’s wrong with polygamy?
What’s wrong with children getting married?
I bet you can’t answer either one of those questions without throwing in your irrelevant opinions on how other people should live their lives.
Do you know why I don’t care who gets married Henry? It’s none of my business. It’s none of your business either.
Will Dan please tell me what humanity should do with Josef Flitzl?
Note: apologies for any grammatical errors.
*Such profound statements are almost beyond comment and should only be taken at face value. Terry’s is indeed one of them. – Will
X 2 – Blue John
[May 9, 2008 10:36 AM]
Duncan MacgreggorI'd like (gulp) compliment the staff at the times and thank Michael Abraham for writing/printing the very timely and thoughtful piece on petroleum depletion.It is actually a turning point...we have now seen the words"Peak Oil" printed in The Times. I look forward to more in depth articles in the future.
[May 10, 2008 8:35 AM]
Rob MilesThere's no legitimate, logical reason to keep *consenting adults* from entering any kind of union with each other that they see fit. If your religion frowns upon such a union, then you should not enter one yourself. But you have no right to enforce your religion on anyone else.
Same-sex unions will never have any effect on my marriage, nor will it have any on yours, unless you let it. Society will not die, and there is no god that will punish us for letting it happen. Seriously, it's time to let fairy tales (no pun intended) go, and get on with your adult lives.
As for children getting married, they are not consenting adults by definition. If you want to marry someone who is not a consenting adult, work to get the legal definition changed. Until then, wait until the child is a legal adult. Remember, true love will wait, right?
[May 10, 2008 10:21 AM]
Joe SmithI really enjoy the regular cast of characters in here.
Josh: Drilling in ANWR is unlikely to play any role in increasing the availability of food for those in need. The fact is 80% of US corn production goes to feed livestock and poultry so we can eat meat. It has very little to do with oil. We are feeding animals so we can kill and eat them instead of feeding humans so that they might have a chance to live.
Henry: It must be wonderful to have attained such high moral standing that you can in good conscience pass judgment on everybody else. Please try to stay out of other people's bedrooms.
John: Thank you for your thoughtful and well-considered remarks on the issue of gay marriage. It is always comforting to know that Henry and Josh will have others who share their expansive world view.
[May 10, 2008 4:29 PM]
HERB KREBSMan Rob,
You really like to attack religion dont you.
I have read a number of your blogs and almost everyone contains something that refers to NO GOD.
Look what is happening in the EU countries that allow same sex marriage. The whole social atmosphere is going down hill. As far as changing the law for marriage, I agree if we dont like it change it.
In virginia marriage between man and women that is law. Your own words.
[May 10, 2008 5:27 PM]
Henry" they are not consenting adults by definition"
But you can always redefine that.
[May 10, 2008 8:13 PM]
Rob MilesKrebs: the threads I've posted in usually have a religious element, and people hide behind their gods to deny people they don't like the freedoms everyone should enjoy. Why shouldn't I point out, in these threads, that there is no god?
The argument that "the social atmosphere is declining" in EU countries that allow same-sex marriages is preposterous. It's a lie you're being told by the homophobic televangelists (who are getting a little down-low on the side) tell you so you'll continue to send your money to them. There's simply no truth to it, and nothing that could possibly connect any problems that are present in those societies to same-sex unions.
So you're happy that in Virginia, with a majority of Christian homophobes, a law has been passed denying one group of citizens the rights that we all enjoy. Great. You do realize that Islam is the fastest growing religion in America. What happens when Muslims are in the majority and make laws that deny the new Christian minority some right or another? Laws that deny rights to minorities, based solely on ridiculous religious teachings, are always bad. Virginias denial of same-sex couples' rights has no basis outside of religion, and is bad.
Henry: congratulations for repeating exactly what I said. Outstanding! By the way, you do know that the Bible has no prohibitions against sexually abusing children, and in fact the Old Testament encourages it, right?
[May 10, 2008 9:43 PM]
HERB KREBSMiles:
Do you believe in our constitution. If so it states that we are endowed by our creator. Thats All I need. I would not worry to much about Islam. We have well aremed militias the can take care of that.
This country started to go to hell in a handbag from the 60's generation. They are the reason for Aids(free love) drugs(free to do what ever).
Freedom does come with a cost and it is at arlington national cemetery. Those people died for god and country. As long as I breath I will fight to keep gay marriage off the books and teach my kids the same, and yes Rob it is a fact that the EU has the highest divorce rate and that is mostley because of homosexual divorces.
Your right the Bible says nothing about abusing children. God gave me the common sense to correct as needed. He did say though that he is the beginning end the end. When I die if thier is no God I have lost nothing but If thier is you have lost everything.
[May 10, 2008 11:39 PM]
JoshI wonder how Rob would respond to the mounting evidence that trial unions involving sex outside of marriage simply don't last.
You can deny religion all you like, but how do you deny the results of numerous studies that all say the same thing?
I liken it to a person denying the laws of gravity. If that person slips on a banana peel, they fall on their cans like everybody else, believer or not.
Then the question turns to stability of gay relationships. One study shows gay marriages in the Netherlands last an average of one and a half years. Does this show instability just like the shack-up hetero unions do?
Like so many paradoxes in life, what seems plausible at first glance in non-hetero unions isn't borne out in reality. Maybe these God-believers are on to something.
[May 11, 2008 9:16 AM]
Rob Miles"Studies show..." "One study shows..." All I'm reading is a bunch of assertions with no evidence to back it up, Josh. You've never read a study that shows what you claim, and you know it. You're just regurgitating what someone else told you, who most likely heard it from someone else as well.
Have you looked at divorce rates among heterosexual couples lately? Have you seen what a travesty to the "sanctity of marriage" has been made by quickie weddings and even quicker divorces? They have nothing to do with same-sex couples; they have to do with being human, making mistakes, and learning to live with them. Guess what? Homosexuals are human too, and will make the same mistakes as the rest of us. But you won't deny a boy the right to marry a girl just because they might get divorced in two years; why deny a boy-boy or girl-girl union for the same thing?
[May 11, 2008 10:35 AM]
Blue JohnEvidence...Proof...
What's that?
[May 11, 2008 11:42 AM]
JoshRob,
Looks like you made a few unsubstantiated assertions yourself such as your claim the social atmosphere in the EU is unaffected by gay marriage (followed by another bigoted slam against religious folks).
Since documentation standards have suddenly become important to you, here's a source that discusses the effect of long-term gay relationships on AIDS in Amsterdam:
http://www.aidsonline.com/pt/re/aids/fulltext.00002030-200305020-00012.htm;jsessionid=LnQP9Xn9HbZ5MnPjLhD7x4HqqLf7dNYQLp7PLQ0ymD14w4Hq5hsb!-636670425!181195628!8091!-1
From the "Official Journal of the International AIDS Society
Hmmm. Doesn't exactly sound like a rabid right-wing publication, does it?
So...how would you say an AIDS epidemic in Amsterdam due to long-term gay partnerships squares with your unsourced claim that gay marriage has no ill-effects on the social fabric of The Netherlands? Just wondering.
[May 11, 2008 12:14 PM]
Blue JohnEvidence...Proof...
What's that?
[May 11, 2008 2:18 PM]
JoshHow do you deny the results of numerous studies that all say the same thing?
[May 11, 2008 3:25 PM]
Henry" with a majority of Christian homophobes"
Perhaps a little tolerance is in order. I have no interest in people's bedrooms. But people have a hard time keeping the sex lives in the bedroom. They always want to bring it into OUR living room.
As a friend of mine once said "We don't want gay marriage if it means we get gay divorce".
[May 11, 2008 4:46 PM]
Rob MilesYour source simply points out that, even in long-term, steady relationships, protection is important. Aids isn't suddenly showing up in two previously uninfected persons who have a monogamous relationship. When AIDS is spread, it's because one of the partners is already infected, or one or both partners stray outside the relationship (either with or without consent of the other partner.)
So, with that PSA out of the way, what point does this prove of yours? How is the "social fabric of the Netherlands" affected by same-sex unions? Is it only same-sex couples that stray outside of marriage? No, of course not. Are gays the only ones who get sexually transmitted diseases because of risky behavior? Of course not.
Face it, you still have no valid reason to oppose same-sex unions outside of your mythologies. One study (which doesn't say nearly as much as you want it to) doesn't change that.